title: Destin Daniel Cretton

text: In March 2019, Cretton was hired by Marvel Studios to direct a film based on Shang-Chi. Both the film and Cretton's involvement were confirmed during the San Diego Comic-Con 2019, with the film being titled "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings". The film, which is Marvel's first superhero movie tentpole franchise with an Asian protagonist, stars Simu Liu as the title character, with Tony Leung Chiu-wai and Awkwafina co-starring. On January 5, 2020, Cretton said that he signed up to the project because he wanted "to give [his] son a superhero to look up to". The film was set to be released on February 12, 2021, but was delayed to May 7 and later July 9 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. During the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, S"hang-Chi's" production in Australia was temporarily suspended while Cretton self-isolated. Production was halted on March 12, 2020, and resumed in August 2020 and concluded in October 2020. "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings" was released in theaters on September 3, 2021. In December 2021, Cretton signed a deal with Marvel Studios and Hulu's Onyx Collective to develop a "Shang-Chi" sequel and new Disney+ MCU series through his production banner Family Owned. In June 2022, the series was revealed to be in early development and titled "Wonder Man", centered on the character Simon Williams / Wonder Man, with Cretton expected to direct episodes of the series and to develop it with head writer Andrew Guest. In July, Cretton was confirmed as the director of "" for Marvel Studios.


title: Caucasian Shepherd Dog

text: The Caucasian Shepherd Dog or Caucasian Ovcharka is a large livestock guardian dog native to the countries of the Caucasus region, notably Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Ossetia, and Dagestan. It was developed in the Soviet Union from about 1920 from dogs of the Caucasus Mountains and the steppe regions of Southern Russia. The Caucasus Mountains in Georgia has historically been the principal region of distribution of the Caucasian Shepherd dogs, both in terms of numbers and the quality of the dogs present in the area.


title: Caucasian Shepherd Dog

text: For centuries dogs similar to the Caucasian mountain dogs have served shepherds in the Caucasus Mountains as livestock guardian dogs, defending sheep from predators, mainly wolves and human sheep-thieves. These dogs are distributed over a wide area, and there are considerable regional variations: those in Azerbaijan are fairly tall and lightly-built; those in Dagestan are smaller and roughly square in outline; those of the former Checheno-Ingush ASSR, now Ingushetia and Chechnya, are heavily built and very large. It is sometimes claimed that those of Georgia are better and more uniform than those of other regions.


title: Caucasian Shepherd Dog

text: During the twentieth century Soviet breeders selected some of these varieties among Caucasian dogs and created the Caucasian Shepherd Dog breed. Caucasian shepherds were first described by the Russian cynologist Aleksandr Mazover, noting that the center of distribution of the breed, both in terms of numbers and quality, were Georgia, Azerbaijan, Armenia and Dagestan. While the dogs from different areas of the region shared the general features today present in Caucasian shepherds, Caucasian Shepherds from Georgia were considered to be the best examples of the breed due to their size, powerful musculoskeletal structure, and attractive long hair. For this reason, Georgian SSR became a principal region of cultivation of Caucasian Shepherd Dogs in the Soviet Union.


title: Caucasian Shepherd Dog

text: The breed was definitively accepted by the Fédération Cynologique Internationale in 1984, under the patronage of the Soviet Union.


title: Caucasian Shepherd Dog

text: The Caucasian Ovcharka is a large dog, usually weighing . The preferred height at the withers is in the range for bitches, and for dogs; the minimum heights and weights for registration are and for bitches, and and for dogs. Life expectancy is some 10–11 years.


title: Caucasian Shepherd Dog

text: Caucasian Shepherd Dogs served as guard dogs, bear hunting dogs and today they work as prison guard dogs in Russia.


title: Kang Daniel

text: Kang Daniel (; commonly stylized as KANGDANIEL; born Kang Eui-geon []; December 10, 1996) is a South Korean singer-songwriter, actor, and businessman who rose to fame in early 2017 as the first-place winner of the second season of reality competition series "Produce 101". He is a former member of the show's resulting boy group Wanna One and is currently active as a solo artist.


title: Kang Daniel

text: Following the end of Wanna One's activities as a group, Kang took a six-month hiatus from the entertainment industry and took over management of his career. In mid-2019, he released his solo debut extended play (EP), "Color on Me", which was a commercial success that topped South Korea's Gaon Album Chart. His subsequent works from his color series titled "Cyan" (2020) and "Magenta" (2020) also topped the Gaon Album Chart with the former's title track earning Kang his first domestic top ten single. Further solidifying his career as a solo artist, Kang earned his first top five single in Korea as well as his first solo appearance on "Billboard"'s World Digital Song Sales chart through the single "Paranoia". He then released the third and final chapter of his "color trilogy", "Yellow" (2021), which topped the Gaon Album Chart and contained his first domestic number one single titled "Antidote".


title: Kang Daniel

text: Alongside his music career, Kang appeared as the host of Mnet's "Street Woman Fighter" (2021), "Street Dance Girls Fighter" (2021), and "Street Man Fighter" (2022). He also made his acting debut through the Disney+ Star original series, "Rookie Cops" (2022). His other ventures include establishing an independent entertainment company named Konnect Entertainment to manage his own career that has since expanded to manage other artists in addition to himself.


title: Kang Daniel

text: Kang Daniel was born as Kang Eui-geon (강의건) in Busan, South Korea as the only child of his family. After spending his childhood and most of his teen years with his birth name, he decided to legally change it to Daniel due to family and friends having difficulty pronouncing Eui-geon. On an episode of MBC's "Radio Star", Kang cited a biblical figure as his source of inspiration for the name Daniel. He began dancing in eighth grade through a b-boy club he joined due to a teacher's suggestion and later attended a dance academy in Busan called Nataraja Academy. During a guest appearance at variety show "Hello Counselor", Kang revealed that he was ostracized in elementary school because of his appearance and developed passion and built self-esteem through dancing. To further pursue this passion, he attended Peniel Arts High School where he studied modern dance for a year with ballet as his second major and won a gold medal in the dance category at the 49th High School Performing Arts Contest.


title: Kang Daniel

text: Prior to appearing on "Produce 101 Season 2", Kang had trained for two years and one month. He initially started as a trainee under B2M Entertainment until the company's acquisition and then became a trainee under MMO Entertainment. Throughout this training period, Kang did not receive dance or singing lessons due to both company's financial instability. One of the most notable moments during his time as a trainee was his appearance on "Her Secret Weapon", performing "Invitation" by Uhm Jung-hwa, where he served as a backup dancer to Fiestar's Cao Lu and Spica's Sihyun.


title: Kang Daniel

text: In 2017, Kang represented MMO Entertainment in the boy group reality survival show, "Produce 101 Season 2". He is known for finishing first in the final episode and becoming the center of the project boy group Wanna One under YMC Entertainment. Kang officially debuted with Wanna One during Wanna One Premier Show-Con on August 7, at the Gocheok Sky Dome, with the debut mini-album "1×1=1 (To Be One)". During the preparation for this debut, he was confirmed to join the pilot season of MBC variety show "It's Dangerous Beyond The Blankets" which premiered on August 27. In the same month, he was featured on the cover of "Weekly Chosun" magazine, one of the major news and current events publications in South Korea, with an article focusing on his popularity among the general public. Following the conclusion of the mini-album promotion on August 30, he was chosen as the first male celebrity to appear on the cover of "InStyle Korea" fashion magazine in its 14-year history for its October 2017 issue. He was also signed as a cast member for SBS's newly launched variety show "Master Key," for which he was awarded the variety rookie award at the 2017 SBS Entertainment Awards.


title: Kang Daniel

text: In 2018, Kang was involved in several prominent solo activities, most notably as the main model for Davichi's "Days Without You" (너 없는 시간들) music video and as the main cast of the second season of "It's Dangerous Beyond the Blankets". He was later awarded the variety rookie award at the 2018 MBC Entertainment Awards for his work at the respective show. He also continued to promote with Wanna One, including as a part of Wanna One's unit "Triple Position" which won the Best Unit Award at the 2018 Mnet Asian Music Awards. Although he concluded his contract with Wanna One on December 31, he still appeared with the group until its official farewell concerts on January 24 to 27 in 2019.


title: Kang Daniel

text: On January 31, 2019, it was reported that Kang would move to LM Entertainment after the end of his activities with Wanna One. On March 21, Kang submitted an application to suspend his exclusive contract with LM. His legal representative revealed that LM Entertainment signed joint business contracts that sold Kang's exclusive contract rights to third parties without his prior consent. On May 10, the Seoul Central District Court ruled in favor of Kang, allowing the suspension of his contract and his pursuit of individual activities as a celebrity without any interference from the company. On June 10, Kang was reported to have established his own agency Konnect Entertainment for his future activities. LM Entertainment's appeal regarding the contract suspension was rejected by the Seoul Central District Court on July 11.


title: Kang Daniel

text: On July 25, Kang officially debuted as a solo artist with the debut EP, "Color on Me". As reflected on Hanteo Chart, the EP set records for both the highest first-day and first-week physical sales for a solo artist since the chart's inception. Its lead single "What Are You Up To" gave Kang his first-ever solo music show win on KBS2's "Music Bank" on August 9. He held six different fan-sign events across Korea between July 31 and August 3. Kang embarked on the first fan meet tour of his solo career, touring six different cities: Singapore, Bangkok, Taipei, Kuala Lumpur, Manila, before ending in Seoul on November 24. In the midst of touring, he also hosted his own radio show on NOW., Naver's online audio streaming service. The "Kang Daniel Show" aired on Chuseok holiday with a total of four episodes released each day from September 11 to 14; with Gray making a guest appearance on the third episode. In the same month, it was announced that Kang's contract with LM was officially terminated as both sides came to a mutual agreement. Serving as his first comeback, Kang released two digital singles on November 25 called "Touchin'" and "Adulthood". Unlike his solo debut, Kang was able to promote "Touchin'" by performing the song on several Korean music shows and won a trophy on SBS MTV's "The Show" on December 3. However, after a week of promoting, Konnect announced that Kang would take a break to focus on his health.


title: Kang Daniel

text: In 2020, Kang returned to scheduled activities with travel reality show "Hello, Daniel" which premiered on March 4. On March 24, Kang released his second EP, "Cyan" as the first installment of his "color trilogy" project. Its lead single "2U" gave Kang his first top ten track in Korea along with several trophies on music shows: "The Show", "Music Bank", "Show! Music Core", "Show Champion", and "M Countdown". Prior to the release of "Cyan", it was revealed that Kang and Zico would release a song together as part of the Pepsi and Starship Entertainment collaboration project titled "For The Love of Korea". Their joint single "Refresh" was co-produced by Steve Aoki and released on April 23. The following month, he participated in 88rising's Asia Rising Forever and the TikTok Stage online concert. On June 19, Kang released his first-ever drama OST called "Something" through SBS's romantic comedy "Backstreet Rookie". He also joined the lineup for KCON:TACT 2020 Summer and the Pepsi Online Showcase, for which he hosted the opening and later performed as Pepsi's global K-pop partner. To celebrate the first anniversary of his solo debut, Kang held an online fan meeting on July 25 via ten streaming platforms worldwide. This made him the first Korean celebrity to have a fan meeting broadcast live through China's local platform since the country's ban on Korean culture began in 2016.


title: Kang Daniel

text: The second installment of his "color trilogy" project and third EP, "Magenta", was released on August 3. With this release, Kang surpassed one million cumulative albums sold within 13 months of debuting as a solo artist. The lead single "Who U Are" peaked at number 12 in Korea and won trophies on SBS MTV's "The Show", KBS2's "Music Bank", and MBC's "Show! Music Core". Two months later, Kang performed on a special episode of MBC's "I Live Alone" for the 2021 Summer/Spring Seoul Fashion Week. In November, Konnect opened pre-orders for Kang's first artbook "Never Standing Still - It's Time to Shine" in collaboration with Paul McCartney's personal photographer, MJ Kim.


title: Kang Daniel

text: Kang was featured on "State of Wonder" by Inverness alongside Anthony Russo, making it his first American collaboration. The single was released by Monstercat on January 15, 2021. He then released the digital single "Paranoia" on February 16, which gave Kang his first top five track that peaked at number two in Korea and won trophies on several music shows including: "The Show", "Show Champion", "M Countdown", and "Show! Music Core". It also marked his first solo appearance on "Billboard"'s World Digital Song Sales chart with the single debuting at number five. Leading up to his next EP, Kang was featured on YouTube Originals seven-episode documentary series "K-Pop Evolution" which premiered on March 31. He then released his fourth overall EP, "Yellow", on April 13 as the final installment of his three-part project aimed to find his true colors as a solo artist. Its lead single "Antidote" gave Kang his first number one track in Korea along with several trophies on music shows: "The Show", "Show Champion", "Music Bank", "Show! Music Core", and "Inkigayo". Discussing what this project represents, Kang said "The color series is really about sharing the different stages of self-discovery as an artist with my fans". On May 13, Kang released the promotional single "Outerspace" featuring Loco through Universe Music for the mobile application, Universe.


title: Kang Daniel

text: In celebration of his two-year anniversary as a solo artist, Kang held a virtual reality (VR) fan meeting on July 25. In the same month, Kang was selected as the fixed MC for Mnet's first-ever female dance crew competition show "Street Woman Fighter". His background in breakdancing and knowledge of street dance culture were qualifications cited by the show's producer for selecting him as the MC. In September 2021, Kang was featured on Japanese musician Miyavi's "Hush Hush" from the studio album "Imaginary". He also joined the lineup for "Cyworld BGM 2021", a large-scale project to remake the top 100 BGM songs that were most popular on the Cyworld platform in the 2000s. As the 14th track of the project, Kang and his labelmate Chancellor released a remake of Epik High's "Fly" on November 16. That same month, Kang was re-selected as the fixed MC for the spin-off show "Street Dance Girls Fighter". In December, he reunited with nine other members of Wanna One for a special group performance at the 2021 Mnet Asian Music Awards.


title: Kang Daniel

text: Prior to the release of "Paranoia", it was revealed that Kang was offered to star in the first-ever Korean Disney+ Star original series titled "Rookie Cops". His role as Wi Seung-hyun in the coming-of-age story marked his official debut as an actor. Having previously turned down several offers to appear in Korean dramas, Kang revealed that the idea of working alongside people his age persuaded him to give the show's proposal a try. He released the Korean version of his Japanese collaboration single "Hush Hush" on March 9 as part of the series soundtrack. The following month, Kang performed his lead single "Antidote" on the Recording Academy's "Press Play At Home" as the first K-pop solo artist to appear on the series. On April 29, he released the promotional single "Ready to Ride" through Universe Music for the mobile application, Universe.


title: Kang Daniel

text: Following the end of his "color trilogy", Kang released his first full-length album "The Story" on May 24, 2022. Its lead single "Upside Down" peaked at number two in Korea and won a trophy on MBC's "Show! Music Core" on June 4. Performing the album's fourth track "Parade", Kang made his US television debut on the June 16 episode of "The Kelly Clarkson Show". Following the release of "The Story", it was revealed that Kang would release a song as part of the Gatorade and Starship Entertainment campaign titled "Everyday Athlete" alongside Yuna Kim and Ive's An Yu-jin. Their joint single "Move Like This" was released on June 20. Kang embarked on the first concert tour of his solo career, performing in multiple different cities throughout Asia, Europe, and North America between August 2022 to March 2023. Continuing the series, he was confirmed as the fixed MC for Mnet's "Street Man Fighter" which premiered on August 16. He then made his Japanese debut with the release of his "Joy Ride" EP on October 5 supported by the digital single "TPIR" featuring Miyavi. Following this, a repackage of his first full-length album titled "" was released on November 24. Selected by KBS as a representative of Korea, Kang participated in the 2022 ABU TV Song Festival held in New Delhi, India. In December, he is set to release an OST through the second season of TVING's "Work Later, Drink Now" and will also serve as a judge on the second season of "Mr. Trot".


title: Kang Daniel

text: Kang has been described as "one of the highest-earning and most significant male solo acts in K-pop" with his domestic popularity earning him the nickname "Nation's Center" from South Korean media. SBS's "Late Night Entertainment News" described him as "more than a top idol star" and stated that "he created a craze" that was recreated in an episode of "Saturday Night Live Korea". In 2018, Kang was appointed to be an honorary ambassador for the special Korean cultural exhibit at the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics. The following year, he was appointed the honorary ambassador of Busan as a result of a citizen-voted poll. A formal ceremony was held on July 9, 2019, at the Sajik Baseball Stadium where he received a mandate from the mayor of the city and threw the ceremonial first pitch for the Lotte Giants' home game. In October 2020, Kang participated in the 4352nd anniversary ceremony of Korea's National Foundation Day held by the Korean government at Gyeongbokgung Palace as the only singer invited among 30 national figures, including the prime minister of South Korea. His national influence was further seen as South Korean Olympic medalists Kim Kyeong-Ae, Lee Da-bin, and Hyun Jung-hwa declared themselves fans of the artist. An Shinae of South Korean doo-wop trio The Barberettes also divulged that Kang was the inspiration for their lead single "SHOO" .


title: Kang Daniel

text: In January 2019, Kang set a "Guinness World Record" for the "Fastest time to gain one million followers on Instagram" (11 hours and 36 minutes after joining). Later that month, his official Daum fancafe became the fastest in history among idols and idol groups to reach 100,000 members, doing so in under 40 hours. He then became the first male celebrity, globally, to front a campaign for Givenchy Beauty after being chosen as its brand ambassador. Kang has also been recognized for his marketing power, having topped the Korean Business Research Institute's 'Male Model Brand Power Ranking' and 'Individual Boy Group Members Brand Power Ranking'; becoming the first artist in history to spend 13 consecutive months at the top of the latter. His name has appeared in multiple other listicles, such as Gallup Korea's annual list of 'Most Preferred Idols' and "Forbes" annual lists of '2030 Power Leaders' and 'Korea Power Celebrities'. He was included in Naver TV's 'Most Popular Videos of 2017', occupying six of the top ten clips based on video plays, and four of the top ten clips based on likes. Two years later, Naver TV once again included him in its 'Most Popular Videos of 2019', with four of his videos making the top ten list.


title: Kang Daniel

text: His influence is further seen through webtoons as the writer of "Ideal Relationship" (이상적인 관계) confirmed that Kang was the inspiration behind the character Noah's appearance. During an interview in May 2020, the creator of webtoon "Eleceed" also revealed that Kang was the inspiration behind the main character Seo Jiwoo. "JoyNews24" placed Kang at number five on its 'Power People of 2019' survey among industry professionals and, in late 2019, he was selected as the third most-preferred advertising model by female consumers in their 10s in a survey conducted by the Korean Broadcast Advertising Corporation. In March 2021, he surpassed 150 consecutive weeks at the top of Idol Chart, making him the first and only artist to achieve this. The first episode of Kang's travel reality show "Hello, Daniel" caused a surge in sales for the travel guide "If You Want to Live in Portland" and led to increased success for the publishing company. During an interview with Netflix Korea, "Sweet Home" actress Park Gyu-young revealed that she was inspired by Kang's pink hair color while he was on "Produce 101" for her character Yoon Ji-soo. Following the last episode of Mnet's "Street Dance Girls Fighter", Lee Seoyeon from the dance crew Mis Molly revealed that she started dancing after watching Kang on "Produce 101".


title: Kang Daniel

text: In June 2019, Kang established two companies named Konnect Entertainment and KD Corporation Ltd. as the chief executive officer (CEO) of both. His activities in the entertainment industry are managed by the former, while all other business-related activities are managed by the latter. Further business ventures through these companies include: a cafe on the first floor of Konnect Entertainment's building called Cafe de Konnect, the development and launch of mobile application "Kang Daniel" to serve as Kang's official fancafe, a collaboration with South Korean game development company Dalcomsoft to release the rhythm game "Superstar Kang Daniel" as the first app in the series exclusively made for a solo artist, a partnership agreement with Very Cherry to domestically manage solo artist CL, and a collaboration with production company Snowballs to release the puzzle game app "Starway Kang Daniel". Expanding its lineup of artists, singer-songwriter and producer Chancellor, former GFriend member Yuju, and dance crew We Dem Boyz (WDBZ) that appeared on "Street Man Fighter" signed exclusive contracts with Konnect Entertainment.


title: Kang Daniel

text: Kang became one of the highest-valued celebrities in South Korea's advertisement industry a year after debuting, reportedly making ₩300 million (USD$250,000) per three-month contract and ₩1 billion ($860,000) per one-year contract. He has maintained numerous endorsement deals in various industries throughout his career.


title: Kang Daniel

text: In September 2017, Kang signed his first sole advertising contract as the model for Think Nature and increased the brand's online sales by 728%. Two months later, he was chosen as the model for The Spring Home and earned the company over ₩20 million ($16,645) in 10 minutes during a customized sales event. The following year, Kang worked as a brand model for fashion brand Los Angeles Project (LAP), the world's leading producer of soju (HiteJinro), electronics company Bokuk, and eyewear brand Kissing Heart. In July 2019, Kang became the model for South Korean telephone company, KT Corporation, advertising the Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Aura Red. Their collaboration generated the sale of 68,000 units and raised KT's pre-booking record by a total of 45%. In the same year, Kang became the face of restaurant chain Mexicana Chicken, brand ambassador for Givenchy Beauty, advertisement model for Subway Korea's signature wraps, and face of Calvin Klein Jeans. In October 2019, luggage brand Rimowa unveiled its new collection with Kang through photos and videos on "Elle Korea" and "Esquire Korea".


title: Kang Daniel

text: In January 2020, Kang became the new brand ambassador for German sportswear brand Puma. Later that month, Puma and Kang's first collaboration "RS-X Cube" was released as a part of Puma's RS (Running System) collection. To commemorate the sneaker line, Puma launched an offline promotional event in stores called the "KD CUBE ROOM" filled with exclusive content such as unreleased videos, new merchandise, and virtual video calls with Kang. In February 2020, Kang collaborated with KakaoTalk's emoticon service, Kakao Friends. Designed by Kang himself, the collaboration line "Apeach Kang Daniel Edition" (inspired by his resemblance to Kakao Friends Muzi Series character Apeach and his own nickname "Baby Peach") featured goods that were officially released in Korea and globally on February 7 and 21. Kakao Friends also released a limited-edition beverage and dessert menu for three cafes, including Kang's Cafe de Konnect. Puma and Kang's second collaboration "RS 2.0" was released in August 2020 as a part of Puma's RS collection. In the same month, he also became the model for cure-cosmetic brand Icepray. In December 2020, Givenchy Beauty announced that Kang would continue to be its official model for another year and divulged its best selling item in 2020 as the Teint Couture Cushion (also known as the Kang Daniel Cushion).


title: Kang Daniel

text: In January 2021, Kang was selected as the brand ambassador for global beauty brand Mernel. Later that month, Mexicana Chicken announced that Kang would continue to be the face of its restaurant chain for another year by confirming the extension of his modeling contract. He also expanded his activities as the brand ambassador of Givenchy Beauty by modeling the brand's newly launched perfume collection, composed of nine unique scents. In January 2022, Kang was selected as the brand ambassador for skincare brand Bio Heal. As the first-ever K-pop act to collaborate with SpongeBob SquarePants, an animated character of Kang was produced along with various collaborative merchandise that was release in June 2022. Beauty brand The BoiBoy selected Kang in August 2022 as one of the "three top stars" to be an official model.


title: Kang Daniel

text: Industry officials have said "even if the fashion industry is in a slump, Kang Daniel as a model can still make others spend money", stating that "his fee is the highest among rising stars". Following his debut, he was highly sought after by luxury brands and has since collaborated with and endorsed many such as Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Calvin Klein, and Cartier.


title: Kang Daniel

text: In January 2018, two months after Kang was seen wearing a duffel coat designed by LAP to the Incheon International Airport, it was announced that he became the official model of the fashion brand. A spokesperson from the brand stated, "After Kang Daniel wore our coat, the response we received was really positive" and that "the product was sold out immediately". LAP further launched a separate streetwear line named "Kang Daniel's Pick - Edition" to better align with his personal style; the collection's popularity resulted in long lines at the Daniel's Pick LAP pop-up stores in Japan and Korea. In June 2018, he was chosen as the newest muse for Chanel Fine Jewelry, making him the second Korean male celebrity to take on the role. He was the cover model for the July issue of "Elle Korea" magazine.


title: Kang Daniel

text: In March 2019, Kang returned to the cover of "Elle Korea" as Louis Vuitton's new style icon. He and actress Bae Doona were chosen to lead the campaign for Louis Vuitton's Twist handbag; the campaign was released through photos and videos on "Elle Korea" and the brand's official website one week ahead of the opening of the Louis Vuitton Twist Bag pop-up store in Seoul. Marking the end of summer and acting as an annual reset for the fashion industry, September issues have historically been considered the biggest fashion moment of the year for magazines. In September 2019, Kang was chosen to be the cover model for the prestigious September issues of fashion magazines "Arena Homme+ Korea" and "Vogue Korea". For his two-version "Arena Homme+ Korea" cover, Kang modeled pieces from Cartier's Juste un Clou collection as a new member of the "Maison Cartier" ambassador group; according to the magazine, pre-order sales skyrocketed at the news of him being on the cover. Kang was also chosen as a model for Calvin Klein Jeans for its special 50th anniversary celebration. Their collaboration was seen on the October 2019 issue of "High Cut" fashion magazine, where Kang was the cover model on four different versions and sported Calvin Klein Jeans apparel.


title: Kang Daniel

text: On June 12, 2018, Kang participated in the Ice Bucket Challenge to promote ALS awareness and also donated ₩2 million ($1,730). Two days later, the Seungil Hope Foundation reported its website crashed due to exceeded traffic and there were nearly a thousand donations since Kang participated in the challenge. In November 2018, photographer Cho Sei-hon selected Jung Woo-sung and Kang Daniel as two people he thought had positive influence in South Korea for his last "Letter from Angels" exhibition, a 16-year adoption awareness campaign. Two weeks after Kang was revealed as the exhibition portrait model, Cho divulged the orphan photographed with Kang was adopted. On December 10, 2018, Kang donated ₩12.1 million ($10,400) for his birthday to the Miral Welfare Foundation to be used for low-income vulnerable groups' medical bills and living expenses.


title: Kang Daniel

text: In response to the April Goseong Fire of 2019, Kang donated ₩30 million ($26,000) to Hope Bridge Disaster Relief. Hope Bridge reported in May the donations made in Kang's name amounted to ₩180 million ($155,000). It was then reported that in under three years, the money donated to various charity organizations in his name by his fan club amounted to ₩680 million ($569,907). In early December, Kang recorded ringtone services with KT for people with hearing or speech impairments for International Day of People with Disabilities (IDPWD). Ahead of Christmas, Kang donated ₩30 million in his fan club's name to The Snail of Love, a social welfare group for the deaf and hard of hearing.


title: Kang Daniel

text: On February 28, 2020, Kang made a personal donation of ₩50 million ($41,000) to Hope Bridge Disaster Relief to be used to purchase goods such as health masks and hand sanitizers to prevent the spread of COVID-19. After Konnect was contacted to confirm the news, Kang stated through his agency, "I wanted to be a little help to medical staff who are struggling." On April 17, Kang went to The Snail of Love's office to visit the first of ten children who will receive a cochlear implant under the auspices of his and his fan club's names and provided her with gifts. A ceremony was held due to their combined donations exceeding ₩99 million ($81,000).


title: London Bridge (Lake Havasu City)

text: London Bridge is a bridge in Lake Havasu City, Arizona. When it was built in the 1830s, it spanned the River Thames in London, England. In 1968, the bridge was purchased from the City of London by Robert P. McCulloch. McCulloch had exterior granite blocks from the original bridge cut and transported to the United States for use in the construction of a new bridge in Lake Havasu City, a planned community he established in 1964 on the shore of Lake Havasu. The Arizona bridge is a reinforced concrete structure clad in the original masonry of the 1830s bridge. The bridge was completed in 1971 (along with a canal), and links an island in the Colorado River with the main part of Lake Havasu City. The "rededication" of the London Bridge took place on October 10, 1971.


title: London Bridge (Lake Havasu City)

text: The 1831 London Bridge was the last project of engineer John Rennie and completed by his son, John Rennie. By 1962, it was not sturdy enough to carry the increased load of traffic; the bridge was sold by the City of London in April 1968 to make way for its replacement.


title: London Bridge (Lake Havasu City)

text: The purchaser, Robert P. McCulloch, was an entrepreneur and real estate developer who founded Lake Havasu City. He installed the bridge to attract tourists and retirement home buyers to his properties there.


title: London Bridge (Lake Havasu City)

text: The community first started as an Army Air Corps rest camp, called "Site Six" during World War II on the shores of Lake Havasu. In 1958 McCulloch purchased of property on the east side of the lake along Pittsburgh Point, the peninsula, intending to develop the land. But the real estate agents could not bring in prospective buyers, because the land was far from centers of population and had a very hot, arid climate. McCulloch's real estate agent, Robert Plumer, learned that London Bridge was for sale and convinced McCulloch to buy it and bring it to the area to attract potential land buyers. The initial response from McCulloch was, "That's the craziest idea I have ever heard," but after consideration, he decided to go ahead and purchased it for £1.02 million ($2.46 million at that time).


title: London Bridge (Lake Havasu City)

text: There is a popular rumor that the bridge was bought in the mistaken belief that it was London's more recognizable Tower Bridge, but the allegation was vehemently denied by both McCulloch and Ivan Luckin, who arranged the bridge's sale.


title: London Bridge (Lake Havasu City)

text: The bridge's facing stones were removed, with each numbered and its position catalogued. After the bridge was dismantled, the stones were transported to a quarry in Merrivale, Devon, where were sliced off many of the original stones.


title: London Bridge (Lake Havasu City)

text: Plumer arranged with a cargo shipping company that was going to sail a newly built ship, without any cargo, from the U.K. to the U.S. Plumer negotiated to pay for all the voyage's operating costs, in return for carrying the bridge stones as cargo to the U.S., which was far less than the going rate shipping costs.


title: London Bridge (Lake Havasu City)

text: The new ship transported the bridge in pieces through the Panama Canal and unloaded it at the Port of Long Beach, California. From there, the bridge was transported overland to Lake Havasu City, where re-assembly began in 1968.


title: London Bridge (Lake Havasu City)

text: On September 23, 1968, the bridge's foundation stone was re-laid at the reconstruction site in Arizona, by Sir Gilbert Inglefield, Lord Mayor of London.


title: London Bridge (Lake Havasu City)

text: A new concrete interior structure was clad in the original stonework. The reconstruction took slightly over three years and was completed in late 1971 by Sundt Construction.


title: London Bridge (Lake Havasu City)

text: The bridge was not rebuilt over a river, but was put up on land between the main part of the city and Pittsburgh Point, which at that time was a peninsula jutting into Lake Havasu. Once completed, a construction company dredged the Bridgewater Channel Canal under the bridge, across the neck of the Pittsburgh Point peninsula. The canal separating it from the city made Pittsburgh Point an island. As a result, the bridge now traverses a navigable shortcut between the Thompson Bay in Lake Havasu, south of Pittsburgh Point, and the northern part of Lake Havasu.


title: London Bridge (Lake Havasu City)

text: After the bridge was reconstructed, prospective buyers of land were attracted to visit the bridge and take a tour of properties for sale. Land sales improved, and McCulloch recouped all his expenses on the purchase and shipping of the bridge. Since he had obtained the land at no cost, the sale of the properties paid for the bridge and more. Recent years have seen much development in the area of the bridge to increase tourist interest.


title: London Bridge (Lake Havasu City)

text: The original "English Village" was an open-air mall with a hedge maze and historical museum built in faux-English style. It deteriorated over time and sections of the mall were leveled. The Lake Havasu City Convention & Visitors Bureau has undertaken a revitalization of the English Village, with conversion of the mall to condos proposed in 2011 by Virtual Realty Enterprises, its current owner.


title: Hollywood Undead

text: Hollywood Undead is an American rap rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 2005. All of the band members use pseudonyms and previously wore their own unique mask, most of which were based on the common hockey goaltender design. The band currently consists of five members: J-Dog, Funny Man, Johnny 3 Tears, Charlie Scene, and Danny. They released their debut album, "Swan Songs", on September 2, 2008, and their live CD/DVD "Desperate Measures", on November 10, 2009. Their second studio album, "American Tragedy", was released April 5, 2011. Their third studio album, titled "Notes from the Underground", was released on January 8, 2013.


title: Hollywood Undead

text: Hollywood Undead's fifth record is titled "Five" (or "V"), and was released on October 27, 2017. The first single from the album, called "California Dreaming", was made available July 24, 2017. Their sixth studio album, "New Empire, Vol. 1", was released on February 14, 2020. Its follow-up, "New Empire, Vol. 2", was released on December 4, 2020. Their most recent album, "Hotel Kalifornia", was released on August 12, 2022.


title: Hollywood Undead

text: The band originated on June 3, 2005, as The Kids from a song titled "Hollywood" (Later released as "The Kids") that Jorel Decker (J-Dog), Aron Erlichman (Deuce), and Jeff Phillips (Shady Jeff) posted on the band's MySpace profile to positive reviews, leading them to form the group Hollywood Undead with their friends George "Johnny 3 Tears" Ragan (formerly known as "The Server"), Jordon "Charlie Scene" Terrell, Dylan "Funny Man" Alvarez, and Matthew "Da Kurlzz" Busek. In an interview with "Shave" magazine, J-Dog explained that when forming the band "Whoever was in the room at the time and played an instrument was in the band." Phillips later left the group because of conflict with Erlichman.


title: Hollywood Undead

text: The band only took one year working on their debut album, "Swan Songs". The other two years were spent looking for a company that wouldn't try to censor the album. They first signed a record contract with Interscope Records in 2005 but they left the label after the label tried to censor their first album. They then signed a contract with A&M/Octone Records and their first album, "Swan Songs" was released on September 2, 2008, and reached No. 22 on the "Billboard" 200 in its first week of release, selling 21,000 copies; which was later on released in the United Kingdom on May 18, 2009, with two bonus tracks. In April 2009, the band toured with American electronic musician Skrillex as "Sonny and the Blood Monkeys". On June 23, 2009, Hollywood Undead released "Swan Songs B-Sides" through iTunes.


title: Hollywood Undead

text: The band released a CD/DVD set entitled "Desperate Measures" on November 10, 2009. The set includes a CD of previously unreleased six new songs, three of which are cover songs, as well a previously unreleased remix of "Everywhere I Go", and six live recordings of songs from "Swan Songs", and a DVD of a full live performance by the band. In December 2009, the band won Best Crunk/Rock Rap Artist at the Rock on Request Awards. In its first week of release, "Desperate Measures" reached No. 29 on the "Billboard" 200. It also peaked at No. 10 on the Billboard's Rock Albums chart, No. 8 on the Alternative Albums chart, No. 5 on the Hard Rock albums chart, and No. 15 on the Digital Albums chart.


title: Hollywood Undead

text: In early 2010, the band announced that Deuce had left the band due to creative differences. Ragan and Busek later cited arguments over writing credits, and Deuce not wanting to tour, as reasons for the departure. Decker and Terrell also stated that Deuce wanting to bring his own personal assistant for touring caused a rift between members. The band asked long-time friend, and lead singer of Lorene Drive, Daniel Murillo, to fill in for Deuce's role. Murillo had just advanced past the auditions for season 9 of "American Idol", but decided to drop out to join the band.


title: Hollywood Undead

text: The band soon began writing material for their second studio album, "American Tragedy", in mid-2010, with hopes to release it by the end of the year. The band co-headlined the "Nightmare After Christmas Tour" with Avenged Sevenfold and Stone Sour to support the album. The first single, "Hear Me Now", released in December 2010. The single reached a peak of number nine on the Heatseekers Songs chart on "Billboard", twenty-four on the "Billboard"'s Rock Songs chart, and number twenty on the Alternative Songs chart. On January 21, they released a new song, "Comin' in Hot" available for a free download, and announced that the official release date for the album would be March 8, 2011. but as of February 22, 2011, it was announced that the album has been pushed back to April 5, 2011. On February 6, 2011, the band released another song titled "Been to Hell", for a free download.


title: Hollywood Undead

text: "American Tragedy" turned out to be more successful than their first album "Swan Songs", selling 66,915 in its debut week and peaking at No. 4 on the "Billboard" 200. It has also peaked at No. 2 on many other charts, while also reaching No. 1 on the Billboard's Top Hard Rock Albums chart. The album was also very successful in other countries, making No. 5 in Canada and No. 43 in the United Kingdom. To continue promoting the album, the band headlined the "Revolt Tour", along with 10 Years, Drive A, and New Medicine. The tour took place between April 6 and May 27, 2011. After the tour, the band played several shows in Europe, Canada, and Australia. They will then headline the "Endless Summer Tour" with All That Remains and Hyro da Hero, which took place between July 18 and August 7, 2011.


title: Hollywood Undead

text: The band announced in August 2011 that they would be releasing the remix album titled "American Tragedy Redux", that would contain both professional and fan remixes from winners of a remix contest. of songs. It was released on November 21, 2011. In the same month, the band set out on the "World War III" tour, with Asking Alexandria, We Came As Romans, Borgore, and D.R.U.G.S. Following the tour, the band also joined Avenged Sevenfold again on the "Buried Alive" tour, with Black Veil Brides and Asking Alexandria, with dates running from November 11 to December 14.


title: Hollywood Undead

text: Work on a third studio album began in late November 2011, with the band will beginning to write and record demos while on the "Buried Alive" Tour, and heading to the studio to start recording after the conclusion of the tour. The band aimed to return the sound of their first album, "Swan Songs", and that their record label had given them full creative control for the album. He also stated that the band hoped to feature more collaborations on the album.


title: Hollywood Undead

text: Artistdirect named the band's upcoming album as one of the most anticipated albums of 2012, alongside other bands such as Linkin Park, Metallica, and Black Sabbath. The band revealed that Griffin Boice and Danny Lohner would return to produce the album. They also revealed that they will be upgrading their masks again, like they did prior to the release of their prior album.


title: Hollywood Undead

text: On October 19, they released the track "Dead Bite" from the album for a free download, along with a lyric video to it and announcement for the upcoming album's first single.


title: Hollywood Undead

text: On October 29, the lead single "We Are" was released along with the album title, "Notes from the Underground". On December 10, the band released their official music video for "We Are" on their Vevo account on YouTube. The teaser of the video prior the release of the video credit's Slipknot's Shawn "Clown" Crahan as the director the music video.


title: Hollywood Undead

text: The album was released on January 13 and sold over 53,000 copies in its first week, charting at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 and No. 1 on Canada's Top Albums chart, making it highest charting album by the band.


title: Hollywood Undead

text: On April 12, 2014, Johnny 3 Tears posted a photo on his Instagram revealing plans for the band to release a new album in the summer. On October 17, Hollywood Undead's Vevo channel leaked the audio video with a song from their new album titled "Day of the Dead," although it was removed shortly afterwards. The song was later made available on iTunes on October 21, 2014. and officially premiered through "Revolver Magazine". It was also revealed that the album will also be titled "Day of the Dead".


title: Hollywood Undead

text: The second single, titled "Usual Suspects", was released on February 17, 2015. The next single, titled "Gravity," was released on February 24, 2015. The album was released on March 31, 2015.


title: Hollywood Undead

text: On November 3, 2015, Johnny 3 Tears announced during an interview with Louder Noise that the band planned to release an EP of previously unreleased songs for free in the holiday season. However, this has yet to happen and the EP has not been mentioned since.


title: Hollywood Undead

text: On July 19, 2017, the song titled "California Dreaming" was leaked. The track was released officially on July 24, as the lead single off their upcoming album "Five" (stylized as "V"). On August 25, "Whatever It Takes" was uploaded to the band's official YouTube channel followed by the song "Renegade" on September 29. On October 10, founding member Da Kurlzz "amicably" parted ways with the group to "pursue his own interests". The fourth single, "We Own the Night" was released on October 13. A new video for the song "Black Cadillac" featuring B-Real, was released on December 2.


title: Hollywood Undead

text: In an interview with "Dead Press!" whilst the band were at Reading Festival 2018, J-Dog and Danny confirmed that they intend to release a "heavy" song they've recorded called "Bloody Nose". In the same interview, they also shared their plans to record and release their sixth album in early 2019.


title: Hollywood Undead

text: On October 30, 2018, it was announced that Hollywood Undead would release a new EP, "Psalms", on November 2, 2018, including two songs previously released in 2018, "Gotta Let Go" and "Another Level", as well as the previously-announced "Bloody Nose".


title: Hollywood Undead

text: Hollywood Undead released the lead single, "Already Dead", on October 25, 2019. A music video was released about a week later on October 31, 2019. The second single, "Time Bomb" was released on November 15, as well as the announcement that the album would be titled "New Empire, Vol. 1". According to member George "Johnny 3 Tears" Ragan: "This album is our attempt at reimagining Hollywood Undead, not just a new sound for this release, but a new sound for the band altogether. Our goal from the outset was to make music that stands alone from our other albums, yet seamlessly fits with what we've made before. Building upon the old to create a new sound and a New Empire."


title: Hollywood Undead

text: In an interview with Silverstein vocalist Shane Told on his "Lead Singer Syndrome" podcast show, members Danny Murillo and Jorel "J-Dog" Decker confirmed that Benji Madden of Good Charlotte, Kellin Quinn of Sleeping with Sirens, and rapper Killstation would feature on "New Empire, Vol. 1". On January 10, 2020, one month before the album the release, the band released the third and final single of the album "Empire" and its corresponding music video.


title: Hollywood Undead

text: On July 31, the band released the first single titled "Idol" featuring Tech N9ne from the unannounced official follow-up to "New Empire, Vol. 1". On September 4, the official music video for "The End / Undead", a song by featuring Charlie Scene, Johnny 3 Tears, and Funny Man of Hollywood Undead, was released. On September 18, the band released the second single "Coming Home". On October 16, 2020, the band released the third single and remix version of the song "Heart of a Champion" featuring Jacoby Shaddix of Papa Roach and Spencer Charnas of Ice Nine Kills along with an accompanying music video. That same day, the band revealed the tracklist, album's official artwork and announced that their seventh studio album "New Empire, Vol. 2" was set for release on December 4, 2020. On November 13, three weeks before the album release, the band released the fourth and final single of the album "Gonna Be OK".


title: Hollywood Undead

text: On September 5, 2021, the band announced that they were working on new music for their upcoming eighth studio album. On February 25, 2022, a few months after the announcement, the band released the first single "Chaos". On April 20, the band unveiled second single "Wild in These Streets" and its corresponding music video. On June 8, the band released the third single "City of the Dead". At the same time, they officially announced that their eighth studio album, "Hotel Kalifornia", which was released on August 12, 2022. On July 8, one month before the album release, the band unveiled the fourth single "Trap God".


title: Hollywood Undead

text: Hollywood Undead's musical style has been described as rap rock, nu metal, hard rock, rap metal, crunkcore, and rapcore, with elements of pop-punk, horrorcore, pop, metalcore, post-hardcore, EDM, West Coast hip hop, and djent. Johnny 3 Tears considers Hollywood Undead an industrial hip hop band, saying:


title: Hollywood Undead

text: Funny Man cites 1990s hip-hop artists such as N.W.A, Wu-Tang Clan, and Snoop Dogg as some of the band's influences, while Johnny 3 Tears cites Tom Petty, John Fogerty, John Lennon, and Paul McCartney as some of his personal influences. Other influences for the band include Dog Eat Dog, Eminem, Linkin Park, Rage Against the Machine, Downset., Incubus, Nine Inch Nails, Slipknot, and Beastie Boys.


title: Isuzu

text: , commonly known as Isuzu (, ), is a Japanese multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Nishi-ku, Yokohama, Japan. Its principal activity is the production, marketing and sale of Isuzu commercial vehicles and diesel engines.


title: Isuzu

text: The company also has a number of subsidiaries and joint ventures, including UD Trucks, Anadolu Isuzu (a Turkish joint venture with Anadolu Group), Sollers-Isuzu (a Russian joint venture with Sollers JSC), SML Isuzu (an Indian venture formerly known as Swaraj Mazda), Jiangxi Isuzu Motors (a Chinese joint venture with Jiangling Motors Company Group), Isuzu Astra Motor Indonesia, Isuzu Malaysia (Isuzu HICOM), Isuzu UK, Isuzu South Africa, Isuzu Philippines, Taiwan Isuzu Motors, Isuzu Vietnam, Isuzu Motors India and BYD Isuzu.


title: Isuzu

text: Isuzu has assembly and manufacturing plants in Fujisawa, which have been there since the company was founded under earlier names, as well as in the Tochigi and Hokkaidō prefectures. Isuzu-branded vehicles are sold in most commercial markets worldwide. Isuzu's primary market focus is on commercial diesel-powered truck, buses and construction, while their Japanese competitor Yanmar focuses on commercial-level powerplants and generators.


title: Isuzu

text: Isuzu Motors' history began in 1916, when Tokyo Ishikawajima Shipbuilding and Engineering Co., Ltd. planned a cooperation with the Tokyo Gas and Electric Industrial Company to build automobiles. The next step was taken in 1918, when a technical cooperation with Wolseley Motors Limited was initiated, yielding exclusive rights to the production and sales of Wolseley vehicles in East Asia from knock-down kits. In 1919 came the first ever Japan-produced passenger car, a Wolseley model, the Fifteen A9 15/40 НР at the Tokyo Ishikawajima Shipyard at the Fukagawa Factory. The Wolseley sourced CP truck followed two years later; 550 of these were built by 1927. In 1923 Japan was devastated by the Kanto earthquake which made the fledgling transportation infrastructure that was heavily reliant on government-owned railroads unusable due to the twisted tracks. Heavy construction vehicles were imported from the United States companies GMC and Ford to aid in recovery and reconstruction, and the company sought to contribute by producing locally built construction and heavy duty vehicles. In 1927 the company introduced its 2-ton load capacity "Sumida P-type truck" equipped with an A6 engine and a 1-ton vehicle "Sumida M-type No. 1 bus" equipped with an A4 engine. The name "sumida" was used from the Sumida River as the factory at Fukagawa was close by.


title: Isuzu

text: In 1929 IHI Corporation, separated part of its manufacturing business and merged with DAT Automobile Manufacturing Inc. (a predecessor of Nissan) and changed its name to Jidosha Kogyo Co., Ltd. ("Automobile Industries Co., Ltd.") The names used for the products of this company, marketed as "Sumida" and "Chiyoda", have special significance in Japan. Chiyoda is a district in Tokyo where the Imperial Palace is located, and Sumida refers to a river that flows through Tokyo approximately east of the Imperial Palace. In 1934 the Tsurumi Factory opened under company name Automobile Industry Co., Ltd. and in 1937 Automobile Industries was reorganized and formed into a new company, Tokyo Automobile Industries Co., Ltd. and was founded with a capital of ¥1,000,000. The company continued to manufacture heavy duty trucks and passenger busses, realizing the need to modernize the transportation infrastructure of Japan, and was one of the primary manufacturers for the Imperial Japanese Army along with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, and had a corporate allegiance to the Yasuda Zaibatsu. One of the vehicles it produced for the war effort was the Sumida M.2593 armored personnel carrier. In 1942, Hino Heavy Industries was split off from Tokyo Automobile Industries, becoming a separate corporation. After the Second World War, the company was finally renamed to Isuzu (after the Isuzu River) in 1949, following a meeting with the Japanese Government's Ministry of Trade and Industry (MITI).


title: Isuzu

text: The word Isuzu translated into English means "fifty bells"—hence the focus on "bell" in both the later Bellel and the Bellett. The name was used from the Isuzu River that flows near to the Ise Grand Shrine, one of Japan's most sacred and revered shrines.


title: Isuzu

text: Truck and bus production of the TX40 and TU60 series and the resumed in 1945, with the permission of the occupation authorities. and has remained the primary focus of manufacture for the company, along with diesel engine production. In 1958 a factory was built at Fujisawa, Kanagawa, and in 1959 the Isuzu Elf was introduced as a medium duty cab over commercial truck which is still in production, and was also shared with the Isuzu Journey bus. Isuzu continued to maintain its market presence by providing commercial vehicles by introducing the Isuzu TY in 1966. The company is one of the primary manufacturers of commercial duty trucks and busses for public transportation, to include the Isuzu Cubic, Isuzu Gala and the Isuzu Erga along with the Isuzu Giga.


title: Isuzu

text: Beginning in 1953 the Hillman Minx passenger car is produced under license of Rootes Group giving the company a passenger car to compete with other Japanese manufacturers, realizing that their resources were limited and therefore sought out international partnerships. The Minx remained in production until 1962, after the 1961 introduction of Isuzu's first passenger car, the Bellel, and later the sports coupe Isuzu 117 Coupé. Being a small producer making cars which were somewhat too large and pricey for the Japanese market at the time, Isuzu spent some time looking for a commercial partner. Under pressure from MITI, who were attempting to limit the number of automobile manufacturers in Japan, a cooperation with Fuji Heavy Industries (Subaru) began in 1966. This joint sales-service collaboration was seen as the first step towards an eventual merger. The Subaru 1000 was even shown in Isuzu's 1967 annual vehicle brochure, as a suitable complement to the larger Isuzu lineup. This tie-up was over by 1968, when an agreement with Mitsubishi was formed. This ended even more quickly, by 1969, and the next year an equally short-lived collaboration was entered with Nissan. A few months later, in September 1971, what was to prove a more durable capital agreement was signed with General Motors.


title: Isuzu

text: While the company had a long relationship with GM going back to the 1920s, the first investment of GM taking a 34% stake in Isuzu was seen in 1972, when the Chevrolet LUV became the first Isuzu-built vehicle to be sold in the United States. To symbolize the new beginning, Isuzu also developed a new logo for 1974, with two vertical pillars as stylized representations of the first syllable in いすゞ ("Isuzu"). In 1974 Isuzu introduced the Gemini, which was co-produced with General Motors as the T-body Chevrolet Chevette. A modified version was sold in the United States as Buick's Opel by Isuzu, and in Australia as the Holden Gemini. As a result of the collaboration, certain American GM products were sold to Japanese customers through Isuzu dealerships. Holden's Statesman was also briefly sold (246 examples) with Isuzu badging in Japan during the seventies. Isuzu exports also increased considerably as a result of being able to use GM networks, from 0.7% of production in 1973 to 35.2% by 1976; this while overall production increased more than fourfold in the same period. As a result of the GM joint venture, Isuzu engines were also used by existing GM divisions (some USA-market Chevrolet automobiles had Isuzu powertrains e.g. the Chevette and early S10/S15 trucks manufactured prior to 1985).


title: Isuzu

text: In 1981 Isuzu began selling consumer and commercial vehicles under their own brand in the United States. The Isuzu P'Up was the first model sold to consumers as an Isuzu, rather than as a Chevrolet or Buick, along with the Isuzu Piazza sports car. Isuzu's then president Toshio Okamoto then initiated a collaboration with small-car expert Suzuki to develop a global small car for GM, the S-car. A three-way agreement of co-ownership was signed in August 1981, with Isuzu and Suzuki exchanging shares and General Motors taking a 5% share of Suzuki. Following on from this, in 1985 Isuzu and GM established the IBC Vehicles venture in the United Kingdom, producing locally built versions of Isuzu and Suzuki light vans (the Isuzu Fargo and Suzuki Carry); to be sold in the European market under Vauxhall's Bedford brand. During this period Isuzu also developed a worldwide presence as an exporter of diesel engines, with their powerplants in use by Opel/Vauxhall, Land Rover, Hindustan, and many others. Two Isuzu model lines (Gemini, Impulse) were marketed as part of the Geo division (Spectrum, Storm) when it was initially launched as a Chevrolet subsidiary. In the domestic Japanese market, OEM deals with other manufacturers were entered to aid the poorly performing passenger car arm. It led to the badging of Suzukis, beginning in 1986, and Subaru small commercial vehicles as Isuzus (Geminett, Geminett II). This OEM tie-up occurred alongside the establishment of SIA (Subaru-Isuzu Automotive), an American joint venture with Fuji Heavy Industries (the parent company of Subaru). Shortly afterwards, the Lafayette, Indiana plant became operational.


title: Isuzu

text: Isuzu ended US sales of the Impulse (Geo Storm) in 1992, and the following year it stopped exporting the Stylus (the basis for the Geo Spectrum), the last Isuzu-built car sold in the US.


title: Isuzu

text: In 1993 Isuzu began a new vehicle exchange program with Honda, whereby Honda sold the Isuzu Rodeo and Isuzu Trooper as the Honda Passport and Acura SLX, respectively. In return Isuzu began selling the Honda Odyssey as the Isuzu Oasis. Thus, Honda's lineup gained two SUVs, and Isuzu's lineup gained a minivan. In the Japanese market, the Gemini (Stylus) was now a rebadged Honda Domani and the Aska (originally based on the GM J-car) was a Honda Accord, while Honda received the 2-door MU as the Jazz and the 4-door Trooper as the Horizon.


title: Isuzu

text: Isuzu's United States sales reached a peak in 1996 after the introduction of the Isuzu Hombre pickup, a badge-engineered GM truck (using the sheetmetal of the Brazil-market Chevrolet S10). Isuzu resurrected the beloved Amigo in 1998, before changing the name of the 2-door convertible to Rodeo Sport in 2001 in an attempt to associate it with the better selling 4-door Rodeo. The new Axiom launched in 2001, with the fictional salesman Joe Isuzu from 1980s advertising campaigns brought back to promote it. Isuzu sales began to slide due to the aging of the Rodeo and Trooper, and poor management and a lack of assistance from GM. The Rodeo Sport was discontinued in 2003, while production of the Rodeo and Axiom ceased a year later. By this point sales in North America had slowed to just 27,188, with the discontinued Rodeo and Axiom making up 71% of that total.


title: Isuzu

text: In 1998 GM and Isuzu formed DMAX, a joint venture to produce diesel engines. GM raised its stake in Isuzu to 49% the following year, effectively gaining control of the company, and quickly followed this up by appointing an American GM executive to head Isuzu's North American Operations. This marked the first time a non-Japanese executive had held such a high position at Isuzu. In 2001 GM and Isuzu announced plans to share distribution networks and for Chevrolet to market an Isuzu product.


title: Isuzu

text: The production version of the VehiCROSS was introduced to the US in 1999, but met with mixed reviews, as its high pricetag, unique styling and two-door configuration did not seem to meet with market demands. Production of the VehiCROSS and other sport utility vehicles, including the Trooper, ended in 2001 as part of a major financial reorganization which eliminated almost 10,000 jobs. GM had been pushing the company to focus exclusively on producing commercial vehicles and engines.


title: Isuzu

text: The number of Isuzu dealerships in the US began a rapid decline, and by 2005 had only 2 models: the Ascender (a re-badged GMC Envoy) and the i-series pickup truck (a rebadged Chevrolet Colorado). At this point, Isuzu in the US was primarily a distributor of medium duty trucks such as the N-series, sourced both from Japan and US plants in Janesville, Wisconsin and Flint, Michigan. Isuzu had 290 light-vehicle dealers in the US in August 2006, and sold an average of just two Ascenders per dealer per month, and rumors of Isuzu's withdrawal from the US market were rampant. Plans to introduce a new Thai-built SUV for 2007 were shelved when Isuzu Motors Limited decided that a new SUV would be too risky, instead proceeding with the launch of the i-series trucks. Despite extremely low sales figures of 12,177 passenger vehicles for 2005 (with leftover Axiom and Rodeos making up 30% of this), Isuzu Motors America announced its first profit in years, mainly due to restructuring cuts.


title: Isuzu

text: In early 2002, Fuji Heavy Industries (Subaru's parent company) bought Isuzu's share of Lafayette, Indiana plant, and Subaru Isuzu Automotive (SIA) became Subaru of Indiana Automotive. After 8 years of heavy Honda Passport sales and light Isuzu Oasis sales, Honda and Isuzu cooperatively ended their vehicle exchange agreement in 2001. The Oasis was dropped, and Honda replaced the Passport with the Pilot. 2001 was Isuzu's last year for passenger vehicles in Canada, as Isuzus in Canada were mostly sold at Saturn-Saab dealerships. In late 2002 Isuzu initiated a recapitalization and debt-for-equity conversion plan to stave off a bankruptcy. GM acquired 20% of DMAX, 60% of Isuzu Motors Polska and Isuzu Motors Germany, and the rights to three types of diesel engine technology from Isuzu. by paying 50 billion yen (about US$425 million). GM also paid 10 billion yen (about US$85 million) for a 12% stake in the recapitalized company. GM wrote off its investment in Isuzu in 2001.


title: Isuzu

text: Production of the 7-passenger Ascender ended in February 2006 with the closure of GM's Oklahoma City Assembly plant, leaving Isuzu with the 5-passenger Ascender, built in Moraine, Ohio and the low-selling i-Series as its only retail products. The company sold just 1,504 vehicles in North America in the first two months of 2006. GM ended its equity investment in Isuzu and sold all its shares to Mitsubishi Corporation, Itochu and Mizuho Corporate Bank; both GM and Isuzu claimed the companies would continue their relationship, but there was no word as of April 12, 2006 on the effect this would have on DMAX operations.


title: Isuzu

text: In June 2006 Isuzu and GM agreed to establish a joint venture called "LCV Platform Engineering Corporation (LPEC)" to develop a new pickup. Isuzu said it would use its engineering expertise to develop the pickup and GM would develop derivatives based on the integrated platform. Mitsubishi Corp became Isuzu's largest shareholder in October 2006, after it converted all the preferred shares in Isuzu it had held since 2005 into common stock, increasing its shareholding from 3.5% to 15.65%.


title: Isuzu

text: In November 2006 Toyota purchased 5.9% of Isuzu, becoming the third largest shareholder behind Itochu and Mitsubishi Corporation, and the two companies agreed to study possible business collaboration focusing on the areas of R&D and production of diesel engines, related emissions-control, and other environmental technologies. In January 2007 Isuzu and General Motors updated the LCV range with a 3.0 litre common rail diesel engine that had far more torque and power than its predecessor. In August 2007 Isuzu and Toyota agreed to develop a 1.6-liter diesel engine for use in Toyota vehicles sold in European markets. At this point, details of development, production and supply of the diesel engine were still under discussion, but in principle, Isuzu would play the leading role, with production scheduled to begin around 2012.


title: Isuzu

text: On January 30, 2008 Isuzu announced its complete withdrawal from the US market, effective January 31, 2009. It would continue to provide support and parts. The decision was due to lack of sales. Some of the lack of sales was blamed on consumer experiences with low quality engines and service. Isuzu had been experiencing a slow decline since the late 1990s. In less than 10 years, they had gone from selling a complete line of cars, trucks, and SUVs, into being a specialized SUV maker, and finally selling only a pair of rebadged, General Motors Trucks. The company continued to sell commercial vehicles in the US.


title: Isuzu

text: On January 29, 2009, Isuzu and GM announced that they were in talks to transfer the operation of the medium-duty truck production line in Flint, Michigan to Isuzu for a five-year period. In June, however, GM announced that these talks failed to reach an agreement, and GM instead ceased production of the Chevrolet Kodiak and GMC Topkick vehicles on 31 July 2009.


title: Isuzu

text: In July 2016, Isuzu and Mazda agreed to collaborate to produce the next-generation pickup trucks for Mazda outside of North America. As a result, the third-generation Mazda BT-50 is built by Isuzu in Thailand since 2020.


title: Isuzu

text: In December 2019, Isuzu announced that it had signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding which would eventually see Volvo sell UD Trucks to them. In November 2020, the companies announced that they have signed the "final agreements", making the memorandum of understanding binding. In April 2021, Isuzu completed UD Trucks acquisition.


title: Isuzu

text: In March 2021, Isuzu, Hino, and Hino's parent Toyota announced the creation of a strategic partnership between the three companies. Toyota acquired a 4.6% stake in Isuzu while the latter plans to acquire Toyota shares for an equivalent value. The three companies said they would form a new joint venture by April called Commercial Japan Partnership Technologies Corporation with the aim of developing fuel cell and electric light trucks. Toyota would own an 80% stake in the venture while Hino and Isuzu would own 10% each.


title: Isuzu

text: In most of Asia and Africa, Isuzu is known primarily for trucks of all sizes, after Isuzu dropped all sales of sedans and compact cars in the late 1990s due to plummeting sales. In the days when Isuzu sold passenger cars, they were known for focusing on the diesel-engined niche. In 1983, for instance, long before the explosion in diesel sales, diesels represented 63.4% of their passenger car production. In 2009, Isuzu abandoned the United States consumer market due to lack of sales. Isuzu as a corporation has always been primarily a manufacturer of small to medium compact automobiles and commercial trucks of sizes medium duty and larger, but markets around the world show different needs.


title: Isuzu

text: Isuzu Motors America discontinued the sale of passenger vehicles in the United States on January 31, 2009. The company explained to its dealers that it had not been able to secure replacements for the Isuzu Ascender and Isuzu i-Series that would be commercially viable. Isuzu sold 7,098 cars in the year 2007. This action did not affect Isuzu's commercial vehicle or industrial diesel engine operations in the United States. Isuzu has a contract with Budget Truck Rental to manufacture their rental trucks, shared with Ford, GMC, and Navistar International.


title: Isuzu

text: In Australia, Isuzu was for many years a major supplier of light commercial and domestic vehicles to Holden (General Motors). However, by 2008, Holden was sourcing few Isuzus. At this time Isuzu began to sell the D-Max under the Isuzu name.


title: Isuzu

text: Isuzu's entry in the Thai market proved to be one of its most successful. Its presence in the country began in 1966 when it established a manufacturing facility for pick-up trucks in the Samuthprakarn province with a capacity of 155,000 units per year. The automaker quickly became a market leader so that by 2002, the company transferred its production base from its original location in Fujisawa, Japan to Thailand. Isuzu claimed the largest share of the Thai commercial vehicle market, outperforming its competitors for at least 23 years. By 2006, the company transferred to an industrial zone in Chachoengsao province to support further production expansion. By 2017, Isuzu has been exporting pick-up trucks, with shipments reaching North America, Latin America, Australia, and Japan. In the same year, it announced that its profit climbed 7 percent and has doubled its annual truck production to meet overseas demands.


title: Isuzu

text: The Fujisawa Plant was built and opened for production November 1961. It is located at 8 Tsuchidana, Fujisawa, Kanagawa, and is still producing commercial vehicles for domestic Japanese use and international exports. The Toghichi Plant, located at Hakuchu, Ohira-Machi, Tochigi, Tochigi, is where the engines are currently built. There was a factory at Tono Machi, Kawasaki-ku, Kawasaki-shi, Kanagawa Pref. that closed March 2005 that manufactured passenger vehicles.


title: Isuzu

text: Mimamori-kun, which means to watch, monitor, or observe in Japanese (literally "Mr. Watcher"), is a commercial vehicle telematics service developed by Isuzu Motors for monitoring and tracking commercial vehicle operations and movements in Japan. The service uses GPS satellite tracking services, and began February 2004. It is connected to the internet and provides government mandated driver activity logs, and records how long the driver was on-duty and how much time was spent driving.


title: Isuzu

text: The service also records when the driver took lunch breaks, where the truck stopped and for how long, and when the driver logged off for his duty shift. The service has been modified for personal use in Japan to keep track of family members, to include elderly members of health status and location of children for safety purposes.


title: Isuzu

text: Some of the main features include the wireless Internet Digital Tachograph, the first of its kind in Japan, combined with hands-free communication, voice guidance, and text messages displayed from the dispatch office. The system also has a password-enabled vehicle theft prevention feature that will not let the vehicle start without the driver having entered a password.


title: Isuzu

text: Diesel engines are a major part of the Isuzu Motor's business with over 20 million engines worldwide. The diesel power division, known as the PowerTrain Division, of Isuzu Motors America, is located in Plymouth, Michigan.


title: Deconstruction

text: The term deconstruction refers to approaches to understanding the relationship between text and meaning. It was introduced by the philosopher Jacques Derrida, who defined it as a turn away from Platonism's ideas of "true" forms and essences which take precedence over appearances, instead considering the constantly changing complex function of language, making static and idealist ideas of it inadequate. Deconstruction instead places emphasis on the mere appearance of language in both speech and writing, or suggests at least that essence as it is called is to be found in its appearance, while it itself is "undecidable", and everyday experiences cannot be empirically evaluated to find the actuality of language.


title: Deconstruction

text: Deconstruction argues that language, especially in idealist concepts such as truth and justice, is irreducibly complex, unstable and difficult to determine, making fluid and comprehensive ideas of language more adequate in deconstructive criticism. Since the 1980s, these proposals of language's fluidity instead of being ideally static and discernible have inspired a range of studies in the humanities, including the disciplines of law, anthropology, historiography, linguistics, sociolinguistics, psychoanalysis, LGBT studies, and feminism. Deconstruction also inspired deconstructivism in architecture and remains important within art, music, and literary criticism.


title: Deconstruction

text: Jacques Derrida's 1967 book "Of Grammatology" introduced the majority of ideas influential within deconstruction. Derrida published a number of other works directly relevant to the concept of deconstruction, such as "Différance", "Speech and Phenomena", and "Writing and Difference".


title: Deconstruction

text: According to Derrida, and taking inspiration from the work of Ferdinand de Saussure, language as a system of signs and words only has meaning because of the contrast between these signs. As Richard Rorty contends, "words have meaning only because of contrast-effects with other words...no word can acquire meaning in the way in which philosophers from Aristotle to Bertrand Russell have hoped it might—by being the unmediated expression of something non-linguistic (e.g., an emotion, a sensed observation, a physical object, an idea, a Platonic Form)". As a consequence, meaning is never present, but rather is deferred to other signs. Derrida refers to this—in his view, mistaken—belief there is a self-sufficient, non-deferred meaning as metaphysics of presence. A concept, then, must be understood in the context of its opposite: for example, the word "being" does not have meaning without contrast with the word "nothing".


title: Deconstruction

text: Further, Derrida contends that "in a classical philosophical opposition we are not dealing with the peaceful coexistence of a vis-a-vis, but rather with a violent hierarchy. One of the two terms governs the other (axiologically, logically, etc.), or has the upper hand": signified over signifier; intelligible over sensible; speech over writing; activity over passivity, etc. The first task of deconstruction is, according to Derrida, to find and overturn these oppositions inside text(s); but the final objective of deconstruction is not to surpass all oppositions, because it is assumed they are structurally necessary to produce sense- the oppositions simply cannot be suspended once and for all, as the hierarchy of dual oppositions always reestablishes itself (because it is necessary to meaning). Deconstruction, Derrida says, only points to the necessity of an unending analysis that can make explicit the decisions and hierarchies intrinsic to all texts.


title: Deconstruction

text: Derrida further argues that it is not enough to expose and deconstruct the way oppositions work and then stop there in a nihilistic or cynical position, "thereby preventing any means of intervening in the field effectively". To be effective, deconstruction needs to create new terms, not to synthesize the concepts in opposition, but to mark their difference and eternal interplay. This explains why Derrida always proposes new terms in his deconstruction, not as a free play but from the necessity of analysis. Derrida called these undecidables—that is, unities of simulacrum—"false" verbal properties (nominal or semantic) that can no longer be included within philosophical (binary) opposition. Instead, they inhabit philosophical oppositions—resisting and organizing them—without ever constituting a third term or leaving room for a solution in the form of a Hegelian dialectic (e.g., différance, archi-writing, pharmakon, supplement, hymen, gram, spacing).


title: Deconstruction

text: Derrida's theories on deconstruction were themselves influenced by the work of linguists such as Ferdinand de Saussure (whose writings on semiotics also became a cornerstone of structuralism in the mid-20th century) and literary theorists such as Roland Barthes (whose works were an investigation of the logical ends of structuralist thought). Derrida's views on deconstruction stood in opposition to the theories of structuralists such as psychoanalytic theorist Jacques Lacan, and anthropologist Claude Lévi-Strauss. However, Derrida resisted attempts to label his work as "post-structuralist".


title: Deconstruction

text: Derrida's motivation for developing deconstructive criticism, suggesting the fluidity of language over static forms, was largely inspired by Friedrich Nietzsche's philosophy, beginning with his interpretation of Orpheus. In "Daybreak", Nietzsche announces that "All things that live long are gradually so saturated with reason that their origin in unreason thereby becomes improbable. Does not almost every precise history of an origination impress our feelings as paradoxical and wantonly offensive? Does the good historian not, at bottom, constantly contradict?".


title: Deconstruction

text: Nietzsche's point in "Daybreak" is that standing at the end of modern history, modern thinkers know too much to continue to be deceived by an illusory grasp of satisfactorily complete reason. Mere proposals of heightened reasoning, logic, philosophizing and science are no longer solely sufficient as the royal roads to truth. Nietzsche disregards Platonism to revisualize the history of the West as the self-perpetuating history of a series of political moves, that is, a manifestation of the will to power, that at bottom have no greater or lesser claim to truth in any noumenal (absolute) sense. By calling our attention to the fact that he has assumed the role of Orpheus, the man underground, in dialectical opposition to Plato, Nietzsche hopes to sensitize us to the political and cultural context, and the political influences that impact authorship.


title: Deconstruction

text: Where Nietzsche did not achieve deconstruction, as Derrida sees it, is that he missed the opportunity to further explore the will to power as more than a manifestation of the sociopolitically effective operation of writing that Plato characterized, stepping beyond Nietzsche's penultimate revaluation of all Western values, to the ultimate, which is the emphasis on "the role of writing in the production of knowledge".


title: Deconstruction

text: Derrida approaches all texts as constructed around elemental oppositions which all discourse has to articulate if it intends to make any sense whatsoever. This is so because identity is viewed in non-essentialist terms as a construct, and because constructs only produce meaning through the interplay of difference inside a "system of distinct signs". This approach to text is influenced by the semiology of Ferdinand de Saussure.


title: Deconstruction

text: Saussure is considered one of the fathers of structuralism when he explained that terms get their meaning in reciprocal determination with other terms inside language:


title: Deconstruction

text: In language there are only differences. Even more important: a difference generally implies positive terms between which the difference is set up; but in language there are only differences without positive terms. Whether we take the signified or the signifier, language has neither ideas nor sounds that existed before the linguistic system, but only conceptual and phonic differences that have issued from the system. The idea or phonic substance that a sign contains is of less importance than the other signs that surround it. [...] A linguistic system is a series of differences of sound combined with a series of differences of ideas; but the pairing of a certain number of acoustical signs with as many cuts made from the mass thought engenders a system of values.


title: Deconstruction

text: Saussure explicitly suggested that linguistics was only a branch of a more general semiology, a science of signs in general, human codes being only one part. Nevertheless, in the end, as Derrida pointed out, Saussure made linguistics "the regulatory model", and "for essential, and essentially metaphysical, reasons had to privilege speech, and everything that links the sign to phone". Derrida will prefer to follow the more "fruitful paths (formalization)" of a general semiotics without falling into what he considered "a hierarchizing teleology" privileging linguistics, and to speak of "mark" rather than of language, not as something restricted to mankind, but as prelinguistic, as the pure possibility of language, working everywhere there is a relation to something else.


title: Deconstruction

text: Derrida's original use of the word "deconstruction" was a translation of "Destruktion", a concept from the work of Martin Heidegger that Derrida sought to apply to textual reading. Heidegger's term referred to a process of exploring the categories and concepts that tradition has imposed on a word, and the history behind them.


title: Deconstruction

text: To this end, Derrida follows a long line of modern philosophers, who look backwards to Plato and his influence on the Western metaphysical tradition. Like Nietzsche, Derrida suspects Plato of dissimulation in the service of a political project, namely the education, through critical reflections, of a class of citizens more strategically positioned to influence the polis. However, like Nietzsche, Derrida is not satisfied merely with such a political interpretation of Plato, because of the particular dilemma modern humans find themselves in. His Platonic reflections are inseparably part of his critique of modernity, hence the attempt to be something beyond the modern, because of this Nietzschean sense that the modern has lost its way and become mired in nihilism.


title: Deconstruction

text: Différance is the observation that the meanings of words come from their synchrony with other words within the language and their diachrony between contemporary and historical definitions of a word. Understanding language, according to Derrida, requires an understanding of both viewpoints of linguistic analysis. The focus on diachrony has led to accusations against Derrida of engaging in the etymological fallacy.


title: Deconstruction

text: There is one statement by Derrida—in an essay on Rousseau in "Of Grammatology"—which has been of great interest to his opponents. It is the assertion that "there is no outside-text" ("il n'y a pas de hors-texte"), which is often mistranslated as "there is nothing outside of the text". The mistranslation is often used to suggest Derrida believes that nothing exists but words. Michel Foucault, for instance, famously misattributed to Derrida the very different phrase "Il n'y a rien en dehors du texte" for this purpose. According to Derrida, his statement simply refers to the unavoidability of context that is at the heart of différance.


title: Deconstruction

text: For example, the word "house" derives its meaning more as a function of how it differs from "shed", "mansion", "hotel", "building", etc. (Form of Content, that Louis Hjelmslev distinguished from Form of Expression) than how the word "house" may be tied to a certain image of a traditional house (i.e., the relationship between signified and signifier), with each term being established in reciprocal determination with the other terms than by an ostensive description or definition: when can we talk about a "house" or a "mansion" or a "shed"? The same can be said about verbs, in all the languages in the world: when should we stop saying "walk" and start saying "run"? The same happens, of course, with adjectives: when must we stop saying "yellow" and start saying "orange", or exchange "past" for "present"? Not only are the topological differences between the words relevant here, but the differentials between what is signified is also covered by différance.


title: Deconstruction

text: Thus, complete meaning is always "differential" and "postponed" in language; there is never a moment when meaning is complete and total. A simple example would consist of looking up a given word in a dictionary, then proceeding to look up the words found in that word's definition, etc., also comparing with older dictionaries. Such a process would never end.


title: Deconstruction

text: Derrida describes the task of deconstruction as the identification of metaphysics of presence, or "logocentrism" in western philosophy. Metaphysics of presence is the desire for immediate access to meaning, the privileging of presence over absence. This means that there is an assumed bias in certain binary oppositions where one side is placed in a position over another, such as good over bad, speech over the written word, male over female. Derrida writes,


title: Deconstruction

text: To Derrida, the central bias of logocentrism was the now being placed as more important than the future or past. This argument is largely based on the earlier work of Heidegger, who, in "Being and Time", claimed that the theoretical attitude of pure presence is parasitical upon a more originary involvement with the world in concepts such as ready-to-hand and being-with.


title: Deconstruction

text: In the deconstruction procedure, one of the main concerns of Derrida is to not collapse into Hegel's dialectic, where these oppositions would be reduced to contradictions in a dialectic that has the purpose of resolving it into a synthesis. The presence of Hegelian dialectics was enormous in the intellectual life of France during the second half of the 20th century, with the influence of Kojève and Hyppolite, but also with the impact of dialectics based on contradiction developed by Marxists, and including the existentialism of Sartre, etc. This explains Derrida's concern to always distinguish his procedure from Hegel's, since Hegelianism believes binary oppositions would produce a synthesis, while Derrida saw binary oppositions as incapable of collapsing into a synthesis free from the original contradiction.


title: Deconstruction

text: There have been problems defining deconstruction. Derrida claimed that all of his essays were attempts to define what deconstruction is, and that deconstruction is necessarily complicated and difficult to explain since it actively criticises the very language needed to explain it.


title: Deconstruction

text: Derrida has been more forthcoming with negative (apophatic) than with positive descriptions of deconstruction. When asked by Toshihiko Izutsu some preliminary considerations on how to translate "deconstruction" in Japanese, in order to at least prevent using a Japanese term contrary to deconstruction's actual meaning, Derrida began his response by saying that such a question amounts to "what deconstruction is not, or rather "ought" not to be".


title: Deconstruction

text: Derrida states that deconstruction is not an analysis, a critique, or a method in the traditional sense that philosophy understands these terms. In these negative descriptions of deconstruction, Derrida is seeking to "multiply the cautionary indicators and put aside all the traditional philosophical concepts". This does not mean that deconstruction has absolutely nothing in common with an analysis, a critique, or a method, because while Derrida distances deconstruction from these terms, he reaffirms "the necessity of returning to them, at least under erasure". Derrida's necessity of returning to a term under erasure means that even though these terms are problematic we must use them until they can be effectively reformulated or replaced. The relevance of the tradition of negative theology to Derrida's preference for negative descriptions of deconstruction is the notion that a positive description of deconstruction would over-determine the idea of deconstruction and would close off the openness that Derrida wishes to preserve for deconstruction. If Derrida were to positively define deconstruction—as, for example, a critique—then this would make the concept of critique immune to itself being deconstructed. Some new philosophy beyond deconstruction would then be required in order to encompass the notion of critique.


title: Deconstruction

text: Derrida states that "Deconstruction is not a method, and cannot be transformed into one". This is because deconstruction is not a mechanical operation. Derrida warns against considering deconstruction as a mechanical operation, when he states that "It is true that in certain circles (university or cultural, especially in the United States) the technical and methodological "metaphor" that seems necessarily attached to the very word 'deconstruction' has been able to seduce or lead astray". Commentator Richard Beardsworth explains that:


title: Deconstruction

text: Derrida is careful to avoid this term [method] because it carries connotations of a procedural form of judgement. A thinker with a method has already decided "how" to proceed, is unable to give him or herself up to the matter of thought in hand, is a functionary of the criteria which structure his or her conceptual gestures. For Derrida [...] this is irresponsibility itself. Thus, to talk of a method in relation to deconstruction, especially regarding its ethico-political implications, would appear to go directly against the current of Derrida's philosophical adventure.


title: Deconstruction

text: Beardsworth here explains that it would be irresponsible to undertake a deconstruction with a complete set of rules that need only be applied as a method to the object of deconstruction, because this understanding would reduce deconstruction to a thesis of the reader that the text is then made to fit. This would be an irresponsible act of reading, because it becomes a prejudicial procedure that only finds what it sets out to find.


title: Deconstruction

text: Derrida states that deconstruction is not a critique in the Kantian sense. This is because Kant defines the term critique as the opposite of dogmatism. For Derrida, it is not possible to escape the dogmatic baggage of the language we use in order to perform a pure critique in the Kantian sense. Language is dogmatic because it is inescapably metaphysical. Derrida argues that language is inescapably metaphysical because it is made up of signifiers that only refer to that which transcends them—the signified. In addition, Derrida asks rhetorically "Is not the idea of knowledge and of the acquisition of knowledge in itself metaphysical?" By this, Derrida means that all claims to know something necessarily involve an assertion of the metaphysical type that something "is" the case somewhere. For Derrida the concept of neutrality is suspect and dogmatism is therefore involved in everything to a certain degree. Deconstruction can challenge a particular dogmatism and hence de-sediment dogmatism in general, but it cannot escape all dogmatism all at once.


title: Deconstruction

text: Derrida states that deconstruction is not an analysis in the traditional sense. This is because the possibility of analysis is predicated on the possibility of breaking up the text being analysed into elemental component parts. Derrida argues that there are no self-sufficient units of meaning in a text, because individual words or sentences in a text can only be properly understood in terms of how they fit into the larger structure of the text and language itself. For more on Derrida's theory of meaning see the article on différance.


title: Deconstruction

text: Derrida states that his use of the word deconstruction first took place in a context in which "structuralism was dominant" and deconstruction's meaning is within this context. Derrida states that deconstruction is an "antistructuralist gesture" because "[s]tructures were to be undone, decomposed, desedimented". At the same time, deconstruction is also a "structuralist gesture" because it is concerned with the structure of texts. So, deconstruction involves "a certain attention to structures" and tries to "understand how an 'ensemble' was constituted". As both a structuralist and an antistructuralist gesture, deconstruction is tied up with what Derrida calls the "structural problematic". The structural problematic for Derrida is the tension between genesis, that which is "in the essential mode of creation or movement", and structure: "systems, or complexes, or static configurations". An example of genesis would be the sensory ideas from which knowledge is then derived in the empirical epistemology. An example of structure would be a binary opposition such as good and evil where the meaning of each element is established, at least partly, through its relationship to the other element.


title: Deconstruction

text: It is for this reason that Derrida distances his use of the term deconstruction from post-structuralism, a term that would suggest that philosophy could simply go beyond structuralism. Derrida states that "the motif of deconstruction has been associated with 'post-structuralism, but that this term was "a word unknown in France until its 'return' from the United States". In his deconstruction of Edmund Husserl, Derrida actually argues the contamination of pure origins by the structures of language and temporality. Manfred Frank has even referred to Derrida's work as "neostructuralism", identifying a "distaste for the metaphysical concepts of domination and system".


title: Deconstruction

text: The popularity of the term deconstruction, combined with the technical difficulty of Derrida's primary material on deconstruction and his reluctance to elaborate his understanding of the term, has meant that many secondary sources have attempted to give a more straightforward explanation than Derrida himself ever attempted. Secondary definitions are therefore an interpretation of deconstruction by the person offering them rather than a summary of Derrida's actual position.


title: Deconstruction

text: A survey of the secondary literature reveals a wide range of heterogeneous arguments. Particularly problematic are the attempts to give neat introductions to deconstruction by people trained in literary criticism who sometimes have little or no expertise in the relevant areas of philosophy in which Derrida is working. These secondary works (e.g. "Deconstruction for Beginners" and "Deconstructions: A User's Guide") have attempted to explain deconstruction while being academically criticized for being too far removed from the original texts and Derrida's actual position.


title: Deconstruction

text: Derrida's method consisted of demonstrating all the forms and varieties of the originary complexity of semiotics, and their multiple consequences in many fields. His way of achieving this was by conducting thorough, careful, sensitive, and yet transformational readings of philosophical and literary texts, with an ear to what in those texts runs counter to their apparent systematicity (structural unity) or intended sense (authorial genesis). By demonstrating the aporias and ellipses of thought, Derrida hoped to show the infinitely subtle ways that this originary complexity, which by definition cannot ever be completely known, works its structuring and destructuring effects.