U.S. Sen. John McCain, who has battled a deadly form of brain cancer for more than a year, is ending medical treatment, his office said in a statement Friday.
The six-term senator from Arizona and 2008 Republican presidential nominee has been battling the cancer, known as glioblastoma, from his home near Sedona since December. His family and a team of caregivers have cared for McCain, 81, ever since.
“Last summer, Senator John McCain shared with Americans the news our family already knew: he had been diagnosed with an aggressive glioblastoma, and the prognosis was serious,” the statement said. ” In the year since, John has surpassed expectations for his survival.
“But the progress of disease and the inexorable advance of age render their verdict. With his usual strength of will, he has now chosen to discontinue medical treatment. Our family is immensely grateful for the support and kindness of all his caregivers over the last year, and for the continuing outpouring of concern and affection from John’s many friends and associates, and the many thousands of people who are keeping him in their prayers. God bless and thank you all.”
Sen. John McCain discusses his most enduring contribution to the Senate during an interview with The Arizona Republic on Aug. 3, 2017. Thomas Hawthorne/azcentral.com
From his home, McCain has continued his Senate duties as much as he could, from his family home in northern Arizona, 2,200 miles away from Washington, D.C. There, he occasionally weighed in on policy and media reports via Twitter, issued official written statements as he deems necessary and receives staff briefings.
However, McCain could not cast Senate votes by proxy or in absentia.
The senator’s wife, Cindy, expressed her gratitude for those who have helped in her husband’s treatment. They have been married for 37 years.
“I love my husband with all of my heart,” she wrote on Twitter. “God bless everyone who has cared for my husband along this journey.”
McCain’s daughter, Meghan, also thanked supporters for the “love and generosity” they have shown her family over the past year.
“We could not have made it this far without you — you’ve given us strength to carry on.”
My family is deeply appreciative of all the love and generosity you have shown us during this past year. Thank you for all your continued support and prayers. We could not have made it this far without you – you’ve given us strength to carry on. pic.twitter.com/KuAQSASoa7
Family and friends have visited theMcCain family at their Arizona home, including former Vice President Joe Biden, U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, of South Carolina, and other friends and associates who have worked on his various campaigns.
Even if everyone else abandons him or goes to jail, Ali G will always be by Trump’s side.
On Thursday, comedian Sacha Baron Cohen shared an old — and particularly painful — video of his most famous character, Ali G, interviewing Donald Trump. In a follow-up note, Ali G expressed affection for President Trump during this difficult time.
Watch in horror as Trump claims that humans existed hundreds of millions of years ago, an idea that’s been disproven by pretty much everyone in existence. Remember: this video was filmed before Trump ran for president, when he was notably more coherent.
Ali G made his feelings for Trump clear in the subsequent note he posted:
“Yesterday it was proven in de courts dat u iz a crook — respeck!” Ali G writes. “U iz a genuine gangsta!”
U iz a genuine gangsta, Donald Trump, and if Mueller has his way — you just might be going to jail.
The Saudi-UAE military alliance fighting Houthi rebels in Yemen has been slammed by Human Rights Watch, which has accused the pair of reaching “dubious conclusions” in its post-air attack analysis and failing to properly investigate alleged war crimes.
In a damning 90-page report released on Friday, the rights group accused the alliance’s investigative body, the Joint Incidents Assessment Team (JIAT), of “absolving coalition members of legal responsibility in the vast majority of attacks”.
“Many of the apparent laws-of-war violations committed by coalition forces show evidence of war crimes,” said HRW in the report.
“JIAT investigations show no apparent effort to investigate personal criminal responsibility for unlawful air attacks. This apparent attempt to shield parties to the conflict and individual military personnel from criminal liability is itself a violation of the laws of war.”
The Saudi-led coalition, which has been at war with Houthi rebels since March 2015, has repeatedly denied allegations of war crimes, saying its air attacks are not directed at civilians.
However, data collected by Al Jazeera and the Yemen Data Project, revealed that almost one third of the 16,000 air raidscarried out on Yemen since March 2015 have struck non-military sites.
These attacks have targeted weddings, hospitals as well as water and electricity plants, killing and wounding thousands.
At least 10,000 people have been killed since the start of the conflict, according to the UN. Analysts say that toll is likely to be higher.
For more than two years, the coalition has claimed that JIAT was credibly investigating allegedly unlawful air strikes, but the investigators were doing little more than covering up war crimes.
Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director at Human Rights Watch
Downplaying air attacks
Previous investigations by the Saudi-led alliance also absolved itself of any real responsibility and instead put the blame on the Houthis, the report added.
The HRW said that JIAT often appeared to find that an air attack was lawful “solely because the coalition had identified a legitimate military target, but did not appear to consider whether the attack was lawfully proportionate or if precautions taken were adequate”.
WATCH: Bomb that killed 40 children on a school bus in Yemen was US-made (1:29)
The rights group also said that JIAT downplayed air attacks on a residential complex in the port city of Mokha, which killed at least 65 people, saying the complex was “partly affected by unintentional bombing”.
An attack on a water well in September 2016 was termed an “unintended mistake” by the JIAT.
An HRW investigation later found at least 11 bomb craters at the site where dozens of civilians were killed and wounded.
“For more than two years, the coalition has claimed that JIAT was credibly investigating allegedly unlawful air attacks, but the investigators were doing little more than covering up war crimes,” said Sarah Leah Whitson, HRW Middle East director.
“Governments selling arms to Saudi Arabia should recognize that the coalition’s sham investigations do not protect them from being complicit in serious violations in Yemen.”
Royal pardon of military personnel
The US, UK, Canada, France and Spain have all sold weapons to Saudi Arabia in recent years despite repeated petitions from human-rights groups.
Some of those weapons have been used in the conflict.
Following a recent air attack on a school bus that killed 40 children, individual members of congress called on the US military to clarify its role in the war and investigate whether support for the air raids could render American military personnel “liable under the war crimes act”.
In July this year, Saudi Arabia’s King Salman issued a royal decree “pardoning all military personnel who have taken part in the Operation Restoring Hope [begun in April 2015] of their respective military and disciplinary penalties”.
The sweeping and vaguely worded statement did not clarify what limitations, if any, applied to the pardon.
Just over a week ago, Liam Payne revealed the reason we still hadn’t heard his debut LP, which he’d been teasing for months and at one point had confirmed a release date for. That reason, it turned out, was very personal. “As you may know, the last few months have seen some big changes for me,” the singer wrote on Twitter. “I looked at some of the songs on my album which were done a while ago and they felt from another age. I’m determined for my debut album to truly represent me.”
In the meantime, Payne has finally dropped a proper release with a brand-new EP called First Time on Friday (August 24), and its four tracks follow the template for mid-tempo, lightly moody, and romantic R&B-influenced pop he’s set up in the years since One Direction began its hiatus in 2016.
First Time is primarily a showcase for Payne’s voice. There’s a brief piano ballad called “Depend on It” that finds him tenderly pleading with someone to get back together and return to the days of “loving, touching, kissing, fucking like our lives depend on it.”
The title track (and new single) sees French Montana and Payne acting like a pair of heartbreakers — including in the just-dropped new music video as well — while “Home With Me” and “Slow” are ready to be added to and queued up on your bedroom-jams playlist.
As for the “big changes” Payne alluded to in his note earlier this month, it was revealed in July that he and Cheryl Cole had split after two years together. Last year, the paired welcomed a son named Bear.
On social media, Payne thanked fans for their support and added a supplementary photo of himself looking especially moody on release day, which seems crazy because, like, your EP is out, dog! Have a smile.
The second Mercedes of Valtteri Bottas was third, 0.448secs away, while Hamilton’s title rival Sebastian Vettel had a scrappy session and was fifth.
Vettel made errors on his fastest laps and was beaten by Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.
However, Mercedes and Ferrari appear to be very closely matched – not just from the qualifying pace but also from the drivers’ performance when they ran on race fuel loads later in the session.
Mick Schumacher – My dad is my idol
Then, Hamilton, Bottas and Vettel were all lapping within 0.1secs of each other on average on the super-soft tyres on which they are expected to start the race, suggesting the race is very tough to call and that the fight for pole position will be intense on Saturday.
Hamilton might have more time in him – his lap did not look the cleanest.
But it is hard to make any judgements after Friday’s running, not least because both Mercedes and Ferrari have upgraded engines for this weekend and will not be running them anywhere near their maximum until qualifying on Saturday.
Fernando Alonso looks set for a dispiriting first weekend with McLaren after announcing he will retire from Formula 1 at the end of the year.
The Spaniard managed only 16th fastest time, with team-mate Stoffel Verstappen closest of all.
The McLaren’s high drag levels are being exposed on this track where the importance of straight-line speed and engine power is among the highest of the season.
There was a huge gap between the top three teams and the rest.
Sergio Perez was an outlier in the Force India, just 0.4secs behind Daniel Ricciardo’s sixth-placed Red Bull and 1.3secs off the pace.
But Carlos Sainz’s Renault in eighth place was 0.8secs slower than Perez, 1.2secs slower than Ricciardo and 2.1secs behind Raikkonen.
The Saubers of Marcus Ericsson and Charles Leclerc completed the top 10, ahead of Renault’s Nico Hulkenberg, the quickest Haas of Romain Grosjean and Force India’s Esteban Ocon.
Signing off: Fernando Alonso’s announcement that he is to leave F1 at the end of this season was the biggest story of the summer breakAfter 12 races of the 2018 season, Lewis Hamilton leads the standings on 213 points, with Sebastian Vettel second on 189 points
Drinking alcohol is a part of many of our lives no matter where you live. But alcohol abuse can take its toll on not only your health, but the economy as well. Buzz60
Alcohol is killing more people globally than we originally thought, according to a new study.
The study, published Thursday in the peer-reviewed medical journal The Lancet, found that alcohol, such as beer and wine, is a leading risk factor for death and disease, associated with 2.8 million deaths each year and the seventh leading risk factor for premature death and disability globally in 2016.
Researchers used 694 studies to estimate worldwide drinking patterns and used 592 studies plus 28 million people to learn about alcohol’s health risks between 1990 to 2016 in 195 countries.
They found drinking alcohol was associated with nearly one in 10 deaths of people ages 15 to 49 years old. Causes included tuberculosis, road injuries and self-harm. For people over 50, cancers were cited as a leading cause of alcohol-related death (about 27 percent of deaths in women and 19 percent of deaths in men).
Researchers found that the “burden” of alcohol consumption was worse than previously reported. They called for more regulations around alcohol use and said there is no amount of alcohol that is healthy.
“Previous studies have found a protective effect of alcohol on some conditions, but we found that the combined health risks associated with alcohol increase with any amount of alcohol,” said lead author Max Griswold of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington.
He said the research showed the links between drinking alcohol and the risk of cancer, injuries and infectious diseases are greater than the protective effects of alcohol linked to heart disease in women.
“The widely held view of the health benefits of alcohol needs revising, particularly as improved methods and analyses continue to shed light on how much alcohol contributes to global death and disability,” he said in a statement.
The most recent Dietary Guidelines for Americans, a report by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the United States Department of Agriculture, suggests women have no more than one drink daily and men have no more than two. The American Society of Clinical Oncology, made up some of the nation’s top cancer doctors, has said limiting alcoholic drinks is important for cancer prevention.
We can all agree that food served fresh from the oven is delicious, right? But as a food connoisseur and passionate eater I’m here to tell you there’s something even better than hot food: cold food.
To be clear, I’m not talking about foods like ice cream that are normally served in a chilled state. I’m talking about foods that are traditionally served hot, then refrigerated and eaten cold. Leftovers!
Many people choose to warm up leftovers, which is something I’ve never understood, because cold food is freakin’ delicious. Not only does it taste better IMO, but you don’t have to waste time impatiently waiting for it to cool down. There are no tongue burns, and no heat or steam to distract your mouth from enjoying flavors to the fullest. Cold food is the best.
Now, I get that some people will never be on Team Cold Food due to personal issues with texture changes that result from cooling. But to those die-hard reheaters who are simply reluctant to try chilled leftovers, I offer you this ranking of ten of the best foods to eat cold in hopes it gives you to another wonderful way to enjoy food.
10. Shepherd/cottage pie
Shepherds pie
Image: Shutterstock / Robyn Mackenzie
Though there are a number of ways to make Shepherd’s pie, my simplest go-to recipe includes three main ingredients: ground beef, mashed potatoes, and corn. The combination is magical and the three foods complement each other well when hot, but when the dish is refrigerated the separate layers really come together.
The corn wedges itself into the mashed potatoes, which become cold clumps of starchy goodness, and the meat hardens, making it super easy to stick a fork in and enjoy all three components in one bite.
9. Banana pancakes
Image: MiguelMal/getty images
Freshly made pancakes with syrup are an amazing breakfast, but two-ingredient banana pancakes — which are made from bananas and eggs — make for a surprisingly scrumptious cold snack. Make the pancakes around the size of a silver dollar and stick them in the fridge. Then, you can easily grab them on the go. They’re so delicious you won’t even need syrup.
8. Rice
Image: Getty Images/amana images RM
Rice is a tricky cold food, because some dishes like rice pilaf or fried rice with oil, veggies, or a protein are absolutely bomb when devoured chilled. But trying to chow down on plain rice straight from the fridge is one of the most unpleasant culinary experiences you’ll ever have.
Plain rice gets clumpy and hard when kept in the fridge, and can barely be tolerated without a bit of heat and a sauce of some kind if you’re really desperate. So be sure to stick to flavorful, ingredient-heavy rice if you’re not in the mood to reheat.
7. Cake
Cake is not hot, I know. But it’s most often served at room temperature, so it counts. Please hear me when I say that much like revenge, cake is best served cold. Refrigeration causes the cake itself to become more dense and the frosting to thicken, making it taste like a completely different, extra delicious sweet treat. Also, sticking your fork into chilly cake is a significantly more satisfying experience.
6. Meatloaf
Image: LauriPatterson/Getty Images
Cold meatloaf is a gift from the heavens. If you think the hunk of ground beef tastes good when it’s hot, just WAIT until it chills and the flavors of garlic, tomato sauce, and possibly even bacon on top fuse together. *chef’s kiss*
5. Noodles
Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto
Eating cold noodles is sort of like eating cold rice, but much better. It should come as no surprise, because cold pasta salads are so great, but chilling dishes like lo mein and pad Thai is highly recommended. The flavors pop and the noodles transform from warm and cozy comfort carbs to a cool and refreshing comfort carbs.
4. Thanksgiving dinner
Image: Shutterstock / Brent Hofacker
Thanksgiving dinner is great, but have you ever eaten cold Thanksgiving leftovers? Turkey, stuffing, fried cauliflower, cornbread, Brussels sprouts, macaroni and cheese — they’re all wonderful cold. And yes, brace yourselves, because I’m about to add mashed potatoes to the list. They’re delicious and if you haven’t tried them cold don’t you dare fight me.
3. Lasagna
Image: Getty Images/StockFood
No one’s here to complain about the beauty that is hot lasagna, with all it’s saucy goodness and stringy melty cheese, but cold lasagna deserves some love, too. When hot pasta is covered with sauce of any kind really, it often drips off as its form is much more fluid. In the refrigerator, however, sauce solidifies more and really has the chance to absorb into the pasta.
In my opinion baked ziti is the best cold pasta, because of the cheese, of course. And speaking of sauce, eggplant and chicken parmesan are also wise cold food choices.
2. Chicken
Image: Getty Images/EyeEm
There’s a very good chance that chicken in any form will be phenomenal cold. Fried chicken, chicken wings, chicken cutlets, General Tso’s, tenders, quesadillas. Can I get a yum!?
1. Pizza
Image: Shutterstock / BW Folsom
While the options listed above are all excellent starting points, nothing can compare to the fairest cold food of them all: pizza. It may not be the most visually appetizing food in the world, but the combo of cold cheese, cold dough, cold sauce, and cold toppings are phenomenal.
Cold pizza is one of the most commonly beloved chilled foods, often seen as the exception in cases where people prefer their food served fresh and hot or have issues with the texture of cold foods. And to find out why we turned to some experts.
Why cold pizza reigns supreme
In 2000, Dr. Maureen Cooper — a Scottish chemistry lecturer at Stirling University — took an in-depth look at the science behind cold pizza. When attempting to determine what happens to a pie when it’s refrigerated and why some might feel it tastes better cold than hot, she told BBC News the key is in the tomato puree.
According to the publication, “The traditional pizza base has fibres that trap water, preventing it from seeping through to the cooked dough and making it soggy. And since fat and water don’t mix, the melted cheese topping then sits nicely above the puree.”
“Since fat and water don’t mix, the melted cheese topping then sits nicely above the puree.”
Essentially, the pie tastes so good because when the cheese and puree get cold, the dough and crust remain firm.
On the other hand, Kantha Shelke, Ph.D., CFS, a food scientist at food science and research firm, Corvus Blue LLC, thinks the enhanced flavor is a result of the toppings. When pizza is refrigerated its “medley of aromatic ingredients” such as garlic, herbs, and umami-rich toppings like tomatoes, olives, and mushrooms, “all meld together and offer an eye-opening pungency that is actually better in the morning for many and better than something hot and spicy.”
Another pro of cold pizza is that you can eat it for breakfast. Would you ever eat hot pizza at 9:00 a.m.? No. That’s simply not a thing that’s done rules when it comes to cold pizza, and the cold cheesy pizza might be even be healthier than some breakfast cereals.
Let’s hear it for the cheese
Shelke, who’s also a food safety regulations professor at Johns Hopkins University, went on to note that the cheese on pizza is another reason it’s so satisfying cold.
“It should be pointed out that it is pizzas with cheese topping that taste good when cold,” she said. “During cooling, the fat and protein in the cheese congeal and act like a protective blanket to trap in the aromas of the tasty ingredients in the layer below.”
“During cooling, the fat and protein in the cheese congeal and act like a protective blanket to trap in the aromas of the tasty ingredients in the layer below.”
She went on to explain that when one bites into cold pizza melts the cheese warms up in the mouth, which further brings out the cheese’s taste and flavor of the other ingredients.
Eager to hear from someone a bit closer to the pizza kitchen, we checked in with Gary Bimonte, pizza expert and grandson of Frank Pepe, founder of the famous pizza restaurant Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana in New Haven, Connecticut.
Bimonte, who now runs Pepe’s Pizza alongside six other family members, understands the love of cold pizza. While he prefers his pizza hot, he says a lot of customers enjoy the pizza the next day, because like pasta, “the flavors get absorbed into the dough and other ingredients.”
He also noted mozzarella cheese becomes especially flavorful when it has time to mingle with and absorb the flavors of the tomato sauce, which makes leftover pizza extra delicious.
Beware: The exceptions
While I firmly believe the taste of pizza and many other foods improves after being refrigerated, not ALL foods should be eaten cold. There are definitely exceptions to the cold rule — for example, no one wants cheeseburgers fresh from the fridge. I’m not a monster here, people.
Tacos must also be eaten warm, and though cold fries are acceptable, cold chicken nuggets are a big no. As Gilmore Girls warned us, cold egg rolls are not a delicacy, and does anyone enjoy slurping cold soup unless it’s intentionally gazpacho? I hope not.
The moral of the story here is that even cold food might not always work and it’s definitely not for everyone, you shouldn’t dismiss it without giving it a chance. Stay cool, everyone.
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Zimbabwe‘s Constitutional Court has unanimously dismissed a bid by the largest opposition coalition to annul the results of last month’s presidential election, which gave a victory to incumbent Emmerson Mnangagwa.
Chief Justice Luke Malaba said on Friday that the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) alliance, led by 40-year-old Nelson Chamisa, had failed to prove fraud accusations during the vote.
“The application is dismissed with cause … Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa is duly declared the winner of the presidential elections held on the 30th of July 2018,” Malaba said in his ruling.
Mnangagwa, 75, said he was “not surprised by the court’s decision” and called for unity and peace.
“Nelson Chamisa, my door is open and my arms are outstretched, we are one nation, and we must put our nation first. Let us all now put our differences behind us. It is time to move forward together,” Mnangagwa wrote on Twitter shortly after the court announced its ruling.
I once again reiterate my call for peace and unity above all. Nelson Chamisa, my door is open and my arms are outstretched, we are one nation, and we must put our nation first. Let us all now put our differences behind us. It is time to move forward together. (4/4)
The MDC had filed alegal challenge, citing a catalogue of alleged discrepancies, including incorrect counting and fake polling stations, as well as instances at voting centres where there were more ballots cast than registered voters.
“There has been a massive doctoring of evidence,” Thabani Mpofu, a lawyer representing the MDC, told the top court when it started sitting on Wednesday.
Mnangagwa, of the ruling ZANU-PF party, won the election with 50.8 percent of the vote – just enough to pass the 50 percent threshold needed to avoid a runoff against Chamisa, who finished second with 44.3 percent.
European Union observers said that the ZANU-PF candidate had benefitted from an “un-level playing field” and some voter intimidation, though international monitors largely praised the conduct of the election.
The legal challenge delayed Mnangagwa’s planned inauguration for August 12. According to the Constitution, the inauguration should take place within 48 hours of the court’s ruling.
Opposition leader Nelson Chamisa said the vote was rigged in favour of the president [Reuters]
Mnangagwa took over after a military intervention in November 2017 resulted in the resignation of 93-year-old President Robert Mugabe, who ruled Zimbabwe for 37 years.
Mnangagwa, who has promised to revive the country’s ruined economy, had vowed that the vote would be free and fair amid hopes that it would open up a stream of foreign investment and aid.
Wilf Mbanga, political commentator and editor of The Zimbabwean, said the court challenge would put in question ZANU-PF’s election victory.
“Global acceptance will be difficult. Investors may be difficult to attract,” Mbanga told Al Jazeera.
Campaigning was more open than previous votes, but the election was marred by violence and a crackdown on opposition activists.
On August 1, clashes broke out in central Harare between security forces and opposition supporters. Six protesters died after soldiers opened fire, in a response that the opposition alliance called “disproportionate and unjustified”.
“Praetorian politics will continue to define the political landscape and this is unsettling not only because the presence of the military on the foreground of our politics is likely to result in repression and plunder as evidenced by the killing of unarmed civilians,” Michael Choto, a political analyst, told Al Jazeera.
He called for the disbanding of “the patronage and corruption network that has characterised our country’s politics for the last 38 years”.
Coalition government?
In the parliamentary elections, also held on July 30, ZANU-PF secured a clear majority by winning 145 seats in the 210-strong parliament. The MDC came second with 63.
The ruling party, which has been in power since independence in 1980, has ruled out any form of political alliance with the opposition.
Opposition supporters were arrested during post-election violence in the capital, Harare [Reuters]
But some analysts said a coalition would ease political tensions in the country.
“This would be first prize and would solve a lot of problems but is highly unlikely given the extreme polarisation which has actually been worsened by the court case and the post-election killings,” Mbanga said.
“The winner-takes-all attitude will be disastrous but I fear that is what will happen. Although I hope Mnangagwa is pragmatic enough to see that would be counterproductive,” he added.
Choto said the MDC, which has historically been ZANU-PF’s biggest challenger, “should regroup, re-evaluate … and reshape” its strategy with a focus on ensuring victory in the 2023 elections.
“Nelson Chamisa has time on his hands,” he said.
“He has the changing demography of Zimbabwe on his side, he should not allow himself and the alliance to be swallowed, to legitimise a military government that has come to power not through the ballot but by the barrel of a gun.”
What do you do when you’re at the peak of your creative power? When you’ve broken streaming records worldwide, scored the highest Hot 100 debut ever for a K-pop group, and become the first Korean artists to ever top the Billboard 200 albums chart? When you’ve sold out your first U.S. stadium venue in 20 minutes?
When you’re the seven members of BTS, you turn the fuck up.
The global phenoms dropped their highly anticipated new album, Love Yourself: Answer, on Friday (August 24), along with a loud, exuberant visual for their lead single “IDOL.” The release of Answer concludes the group’s critically acclaimedLove Yourself trilogy, which began last year with the release of Love Yourself: Her and continued with the chart-topping full album, Love Yourself: Tear, earlier this year.
With “IDOL,” the Love Yourself era has culminated into a dizzying display of self-love and celebration bolstered by pounding South African beats, traditional Korean instrumentation, and a boisterous house flow. It’s a confident single, one that turns a positive affirmation like “You can’t stop me loving myself” into an anthemic banger fit for a stadium.
Despite their success in the States — rapper Nicki Minaj even features on an alternate version of “IDOL,” undoubtedly meant for U.S. radio play — the colorful visual proves that BTS hasn’t abandoned their roots. They are Korean artists first and foremost.
Beyond the production, which features Korean chants and instrumentation often associated with gugak, “IDOL” is riddled with symbolic imagery. From Korean folklore like the moon rabbit and the sacred tiger to the traditional hanboks that Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V, and Jungkook wear throughout the video, BTS is celebrating Korean culture on a global scale. More so, they’re celebrating themselves.
“IDOL” makes it clear: BTS are not phenomenons. That’s an ephemeral concept we often tack onto things we find hard to explain. But BTS, driven by their undeniable creativity, passion, and ARMY of fans, is a movement, and “IDOL” is a thundering call to action — to get up, dance, and to love yourself.
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