u/Far_Country_1629

I wanted to share a photo of my original US first-press copy of Marilyn Manson's Mechanical Animals. While the translucent blue/violet jewel case is beautiful, the history behind how this CD actually made it onto store shelves in 1998 is crazy af.

When the album was finished, corporate retail giants like Walmart, Kmart, and Target absolutely lost their minds over the cover art. They deemed the naked, androgynous alien figure "obscene" and outright refused to put it on their shelves. To salvage their release week sales, Nothing and Interscope Records had to scramble to censor the album. They had to digitally airbrush the anatomy on the photo, and they forced the CD into a white cardboard "O-card" slipcase to completely hide the body. The label even experimented with wrapping copies in tinted purple/violet cellophane to obscure the image further—a tactic borrowed from how stores used to hide nude John Lennon albums in brown paper bags 30 years prior. But the censorship didn't stop there.

Walmart still wasn't happy. Even with the cardboard cover and airbrushing, Walmart and Kmart ultimately refused to stock the album altogether, pulling it from shelves entirely. A few months later, following the Columbine tragedy in April 1999, Walmart doubled down and completely banned Manson's entire back catalog from ever being sold in their physical stores.

The label turned the blue/violet plastic case into a brilliant piece of art. It doubles as a visual filter—if you slide the violet plastic over the hidden yellow text inside the booklet, the colors shift to reveal hidden messages like "Omēga is a blank canvas."

I wanted to share a photo of my original US first-press copy of Marilyn Manson's Mechanical Animals. While the translucent blue/violet jewel case is beautiful, the history behind how this CD actually made it onto store shelves in 1998 is crazy af.

When the album was finished, corporate retail giants like Walmart, Kmart, and Target absolutely lost their minds over the cover art. They deemed the naked, androgynous alien figure "obscene" and outright refused to put it on their shelves. To salvage their release week sales, Nothing and Interscope Records had to scramble to censor the album. They had to digitally airbrush the anatomy on the photo, and they forced the CD into a white cardboard "O-card" slipcase to completely hide the body. The label even experimented with wrapping copies in tinted purple/violet cellophane to obscure the image further—a tactic borrowed from how stores used to hide nude John Lennon albums in brown paper bags 30 years prior. But the censorship didn't stop there.

Walmart still wasn't happy. Even with the cardboard cover and airbrushing, Walmart and Kmart ultimately refused to stock the album altogether, pulling it from shelves entirely. A few months later, following the Columbine tragedy in April 1999, Walmart doubled down and completely banned Manson's entire back catalog from ever being sold in their physical stores.

The label turned the blue/violet plastic case into a brilliant piece of art. It doubles as a visual filter—if you slide the violet plastic over the hidden yellow text inside the booklet, the colors shift to reveal hidden messages like "Omēga is a blank canvas."

Came across this beauty in Buenos Aires, ARG, 08.12.26. No AI in the pic, just filter cause the surrounding buildings were meh.

I imagine it like, first a FPS shooter while you go up many levels doing missions to get a suit and then leave the Silo. Once out there, it would become more like a third person "Last of us 1" game. It could have some vehicles which you could use to drive around, finding more survivors, who can join you in some missions as well. Literally it could be a very long game, plus the chance of becoming an open universe online one too.

The towers are interconnected by the highest two-story bridge in the world, known as the Skybridge, which offers spectacular views of the city. The towers are named after PETRONAS, the Malaysian national petroleum company that occupies one of the towers, while various other global companies are housed in the adjacent tower.

Visitors can explore the towers through guided tours, which include access to an observation deck and interactive displays. The surrounding Kuala Lumpur City Centre (KLCC) area offers various attractions, including a shopping mall, a concert hall, and a public park, making the Petronas Towers a central hub for both tourists and locals. The towers not only define the city's skyline but also symbolize Malaysia's aspirations on the global stage.

Source: https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/architecture/petronas-towers

James Cameron paid the US Government over $100,000 to rent three functional Marine Corps Harrier jets and actual military pilots, for some scenes. But the ones with Arnold Schwarzenegger were never in a flying jet. The crew built a full-scale, 7,000-pound fiberglass prop, and hung it from a 15-meter crane on top of a Miami skyscraper.

Source: https://volofun.com/from-reality-to-superhero-fantasy-the-harrier-jet-in-true-lies-and-the-avengers/

Source: https://fastandfurious.fandom.com/wiki/Mitsubishi_Eclipse

I made good friends with some people from work. One of them is a 41 years old dude thats pretty cool and has been to 200 plus concerts in his life. A true music fan. He listens to Nessa a lot, so i invited him to one of her shows. He said he was scared of looking out of place cause her fans are usually very young. I insisted and he came with me.

The experience could have not been more positive. No one gave him a weird look or anything, we stayed close to the stage but on the side, the front is for the younger fans as it always has been.

Anyways, i felt that sharing t his might encourage fans of all ages to go see her live.

Before anyone says anything, he already confessed, so spare me the "lets not jump to conclusions".

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0m7xpr8zvvo

After being knocked out, Kirill Basin, 40, was arrested for two counts of first-degree terroristic threatening.

Source: https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2026/08/04/congressional-candidate-arrested-after-maui-beach-altercation-bail-set-1-million/

Source: https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/walmart-family-earns-100m-every-000126870.html

Source: https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2017/02/08/a-closer-look-at-police-officers-who-have-fired-their-weapon-on-duty/

Psychologists note that people frequently overestimate the threat of mass shootings due to the "availability heuristic". Because these tragedies are highly publicized and culturally shocking, they are easily recalled, causing individuals to perceive the day-to-day risk as much higher than the actual mathematical probability Source: https://www.cato.org/briefing-paper/risk-analysis-mass-shootings-committed-immigrants-native-born-americans

The suspected said: "It's Allah who ordered me to do it". Source: https://www.reuters.com/world/french-police-arrest-man-after-knife-attack-paris-2026-07-27/

“Receiving the news that a car had crashed into the CSD [Berlin Pride event], I hoped it wasn’t a person of color — hopefully it was a white Christian person instead. But it wasn’t. And that’s exactly where intersectionality reveals itself again."

SOURCE: https://x.com/JulianAdrat/status/2081447691066744843?s=20

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cevmdxz4872o

Source: https://www.19fortyfive.com/2025/03/the-british-army-has-a-tank-shortage-it-never-saw-coming/

Founded in the late 1800s by settlers from Wales who arrived in Patagonia looking for a new life, Trevelin still holds onto its roots in a really unique way.

The name itself means “mill town” in Welsh, and even today you can find traditional tea houses serving classic Welsh cakes and tea just like in the UK. Some locals still speak Welsh, and the culture shows up in festivals, architecture, and everyday life. It’s this mix of rugged Argentine landscape and old-world Welsh traditions.