#Save Women’s Sports Saturday

[coochiequeens]

https://torontosun.com/news/local-news/warmington-female-rugby-players-complain-trans-opponent-hits-too-hard

Female rugby players are not used to feeling like they have been hit by a bus on the field. Or a truck.

A veteran female rugby player, who plays for the Stoney Creek Camels senior women’s team, said she was hit so hard in a recent game, it felt like a man delivering the tackle.

This transgender player, known as Ash — said to have registered as a non-binary person who identifies as female — stands about 5-foot-10 and weighs up to 220 pounds. 

“We are women,” said a female player on the receiving end of a tackle. “It’s a whole other thing playing rugby against men.” 

Or one who used to be — especially one of that size, who is also said to have been an MVP at the men’s level just last season. 

“I had never been hit like that before, even at the competitive women’s level,” said the player. “There was so much more brute force. There are women who are bigger than him, but no girl hits like that. This is a strong human.” 

“The player is a nice person, but that is not the point,” said the female player. “We are now at a disadvantage.”

This story has sparked a lot of discussion within the rugby community – many comparing it to the Leah Thomas swimming issue in the United States. But as one female player pointed out, competitive swimmers have their own lane and there are no collisions. In rugby, it’s all collisions, all the time. She said Ash’s legs are massive and strong, and “you feel the hits from (them) the next day.”

Diana Murphy a friend of some of the players, tweeted: “Three women’s rugby players had to be removed from a game and treated for injuries from hits sustained by a transwoman” and that she feels “Trans have no place in women’s sports.” Rugby Canada said there were no illlegal hits, but sources in the game said Ash received a yellow card from the referee for a hit to the head of one female player. Ash was pulled from the game. Players said they are not clear whether it was at the insistence of the referee or the Fergus coach. Either way, Rugby Canada said this is a federal inclusion issue and not only is this transgender player welcomed in the league, but the law protects that person from discrimination.

“We are aware of the matter in question but would advise that Rugby Canada has received no formal complaints,” said Managing Director Tania Richards. “All rugby played in Canada abides by federal government laws which regulates inclusion in sports."

She said there were no players hurt and there were no illegal hits as has been suggested on social media. What there has been, said Richards, is online harassment of the transgender player. The Fergus club has not yet responded, but has forwarded our request to speak with Ash. Meanwhile, there are some players who feel they should not have to play against someone who was recently considered male, but are afraid to reveal their identities for fear of being targeted or cancelled themselves.

All sides use the word “complicated” when talking about this matter. Rugby Ontario sent a communique to members, saying “for those who attended Sunday’s board meeting, you are aware of some concerns that have arisen about player safety in the context of a transplayer playing in club games” and “we are working closely with Rugby Canada senior staff on the matter and are together developing action and communication plans, informed by the counsel of their third-party crisis management PR agency.” They also asked, “if you are contacted by anyone in the community or the media, please do not engage by offering any opinion or comment on the situation.” What they don’t seem to be doing is fully accepting there are some female players who don’t feel comfortable going up against a transitioning opponent in a physical sport where size and strength play a role. One player said the collision she had with trans player Ash was unlike any other impact she has felt in all her years playing rugby.

#save women’s sports saturday #Women's sports is not a retirement plan for older men #Women's sports is not for mediocre male athletes #Rugby Canada

[97keanu]

Ted Logan x Historic!Reader

Premise: Reader and Ted have been dating for a short while, but had met on one of Bill and Ted's many time adventures. Reader is from the past, and is going to her first Halloween party in 1992. Reader who was stuck with the expectations of women in the past who finally feels free to do as she pleases. Reader experiences 90s twenty-something culture to it's fullest with her wonderful boyfriend.

Tags/CW: Fluff, autumnal/halloween themed, boyfriend!ted, stoner!Ted + Bill, reader gets high but is a lightweight, drinking/drug mentions, anxious!reader, shy!reader, soft!ted, ted reassures reader and is the sweetest boyfriend, dancing the night away, ted tells you he loves you, ted who loves PDA.

Authors Note: tiny text just to save room, rest of post is normal. This one has surprisingly no smut, so if you've been wanting to read a cute, fluffy fic, this one is for you! I kept which part of the past reader is from vague so that you may fill that in as you like! ʚ♥︎ɞ

The house is already lit up, the sounds of heavy metal blasting through the open windows, while the rustling of leaves crunch around your red heels. You look over to your boyfriend Ted with a bit of worry, trying to gauge his reaction. You haven't lived in San Dimas long, in fact, you haven't lived in 1992 for that long either. You still can't believe this loveable goof had dazzled you into his phone booth, taking you from the past and so far into the future. There are times where you wonder if it was the right move, but Ted has always assured you that he would take you right back home if you ever said the word.

And here you are, dressed as what Ted described as a "cartoon" character (which you're sort of becoming familiar with since he and Bill insist on their "Saturday morning cartoons") who supposedly solves mysteries of some sort. You think Ted looks pretty normal tonight, his shirt a particular shade a green and his pants a reddish brown. He completes the look with joint he has stashed behind his ear for later.

You pull your attention back to the big house, it seems almost abandoned, or at least well partied. Tonight, the barren trees outside sport toilet paper waving in the wind, and the orange glow from inside occasionally flashes to green or purple. The thump of Motley Crüe can be heard as you two walk up, and other twenty-somethings adorn the rickety porch their own costumes. Ted laughs as he greets someone dressed as Freddy Krueger (he made sure to get you up to date on your horror movies this month) with a chest bump before glancing down at you. He sees your worried expression and reaches to hold your hand.

"Don't worry babe, everyone's going to like, totally love you!" He smiles that earnest, puppy dog smile of his, and you feel some of the worry subside. You hold onto his hand as you enter the loud, crowded house.

Vince Neil is just finishing his last 'Shout at The Devil' as you squeeze between two Ghostbusters to keep up with Ted. Everything here is so new and strange to you, you hardly understand half of the costumes, even with Bill and Ted spending extra time to keep you culturally in touch with the early 90s. The glow of the kitchen beckons Ted, and you follow.

Inside you see Bill, dressed up as in a giant brown dog suit. Ted sees him and immediately throws his arms open into a happy hug.

"Scoob!!" He yells to Bill, pretending to be in character for the moment. Bill responds with a 'Raggy!' and the two embrace with a smile.

When the two part, Bill looks over your costume approvingly.

"You make an awesome Velma!" He exclaims and throws up a hand to high five. You do so, getting better at the timing these little rituals require. You glance down at your orange sweater and short red skirt, feeling happy that you've overcome your first Halloween hurdle.

Bill and Ted begin talking, and you listen in. You've always been shy, even in your own timeline you were praised for being such a quiet and obedient child. Now, you feel happy to be around such a ray of sunshine like Ted, and he is always ready to oblige your want to listen more than talk when it comes to the social situations. He makes sure to check in, even without saying, like now, when he wraps a hand around your waist and pulls you closer with a quick kiss to the top of your head. He's never shy to give you PDA, and anyone who would feel bold enough to say something about it would be met with a happy indifference by Ted.

Eventually Bill pulls Ted, who in turn pulls you, towards the semi crowded living room. A couple is just getting up, the woman dragging her man longingly to the bathroom, so Bill let's you and Ted take their seat, Bill props himself happily up on the couches arm rest. The room is filled with smoke and laughter, and Ted gives your hand a warm squeeze and a look to make sure you're doing alright. You nod.

Even though the youth culture is so seemingly bizarre on the outside in this time, you know it's not all that much different from what you and your friends did back at home. People laugh into bottles of beer around you, and you remember the taste of the bitter liquid from your time as well. Ted pulls the joint from his ear at Bill's request, and Bill offers a helpful lighter from his jeans. They both take turns inhaling what the joint has to offer, holding it in their lungs, and releasing it to the orange streaked sky. The smoke swirls in the lights and the colors stream through it like hands through hair.

Ted passes it towards you. You pause for a moment. This substance is newer to you, but you've experimented with it with Ted before. Usually you would have a puff or two in the night, especially when Ted had gotten the next day off work from the Cheesy Pretzel. You were surprised to find you actually really enjoyed the feeling of 'being high' as Ted called it. And he was right to call it that, you quickly found.

You take the joint from Ted, giving a small puff, and trying to hold it like them, but ending up in a small coughing fit. Ted laughs a little at your lightweightness and rubs your back gently and kindly. You smile back at him when you've finally recovered, happy to be leading this young, strange, life. You pass the joint back to Bill and lean into the warmth of Ted's body.

You glance at the tiny TV before the couch, feeling your mind slowly getting more relaxed and thoughts slipping away one by one. The TV glows with the image of Laurie Strode having her own smoke session with in her friends car and you feel more connected to this time. Maybe it wasn't such a bad idea after all. Even though sometimes you wonder if it was worth it to leave your whole life behind, moments like these, enclosed in your boyfriends arms, listening to his soft and happy chatter with friends, enjoying new and exciting life experiences, washed away any doubt. You can't believe how far you've come, how much expectations of your life you've lost. The hedonist in you is pleased, certainly.

You continue to quietly watch party goers until one of Ted's favorite songs comes on. He looks to you, his usual goofy smile appearing.

"Can I have this dance, m'lady?" He says with a laugh, despite not knowing if that's from your time or not. You find his humor and effort endearing, returning his smile and taking his outstretched hand.

He pulls you up gently, and moves to where others are enjoying the makeshift dancefloor. Dancing in this time is so different for you, but you laugh and try to follow Ted's movements, jumping about with him. He teaches you how to head bang to the fast song, his long hair a flurry about his fast when he does it. You copy him the best you can, but what matters most is how alive you feel right now. Whatever shell you had crawled into and begun to live in from your time was slowly cracking here, and Ted was the perfect light shining through those cracks.

You two continue to dance along to metal and rock, and you feel lighter with each jump. Soon enough, Ted pulls you in by your hips and places his forehead to yours as another song ends. Someone has to flip the tape, so the sound of the rest of the party is a blur in both your ears. He holds you close, obviously a bit worn out, but happy to be having such fun with you. You lean into his and he tilts your chin up for a kiss from his soft lips. You love when he does this, you had never been kissed before you met Ted, but now you feel as if he breathes more life into you with each one.

Ted pulls away and gazes into your eyes with a softness about him. He mouthes that he loves you, but when you miss what he said, he kisses up your neck to your ear, telling you his love with each kiss. You blush hard as he does this, shivers across your skin. You feel goosebumps under your orange sweater and have to adjust your fake glasses when he's done. He is blushing just as much as you, and you are grateful to be here with him.

The night continues and ends with laughs and fun for you and Ted, and you slowly find yourself not needing to think about the past, or future. You're here, in the present, with someone who loves you. That's all that matters.

#ted logan x reader #ted logan x f!reader #ted theodore logan x reader #ted theodore logan #my writing #bill and ted #bill and teds bogus journey #bill and ted fanfic

[intriguingpeoplebyangelafloyd]

JOEL CAUCHI

BONDI JUNCTION WESTFIELD ATTACK

Joel Cauchi

13 April 2024

Six people (5 women and 1 man) have been murdered in a mass killing in Bondi Junction Westfield on Saturday, when at 3pm, Queensland man Joel Cauchi walked into the shopping centre wearing a green and yellow sport jersey and then left. He returned 10 minutes later and then started stabbing and killing people, mainly targeting women. There are twelve people in hospital suffering serious injuries.

            Ashlee Good was stabbed to death by Cauchi, who also stabbed her 9-month year old baby daughter who had to get emergency surgery. Australian millionaire John Singleton’s daughter, Dawn, 25, was also a victim; and there were also two victims who from overseas.

            There were many heros yesterday, including a man from Russia who tried to prevent the attacker from killing more people by fighting him off with a bollard. There were men who ran after the perpetrator, one of the them carrying a chair. One man walking behind a woman with her children (possibly his partner and children) realised the danger they were in and turned around and attempted blocking the way to protect the three. Instead of running towards the man, Cauchi dodged him and ran into a different direction.

The NSW police officer, Amy Scott, who was the only police officer on site at the time who ran towards Cauchi and shot and killed him and saved more lives in doing so.

            The perpetrator was known to police and had mental health issues. It was said that he had no police record but there are rumours online that he had been previously arrested for DV and assault - however, this is all heresay.

            There was a woman, 36, who was stabbed on Bondi Beach on Friday, 12 April - the day before the Westfield stabbings. The perpetrator of that attack hasn’t been arrested and was still under investigation when the Westfield stabbing took place. Some believe that the Bondi Beach stabbing may have been linked to Cauchi or perhaps it was just a coincidence?

            Some commenters believe he was a drug addict, we don’t know if that is true or not. One man who knew him up in QLD told the media that Cauchi owned knives which he named his ‘everyday knives’. On his Facebook account he described himself as ‘single’. He was known to go to nudist beaches, strip clubs as well as listing himself on an escort website in Sydney in June last year.

            Criminal psychologist Dr Watson-Munro stated that Cauchi ‘knew what he was doing’ and that he was ‘bad not mad’ and ‘there’s clearly planning attached to this’. He stated, “But here was somebody who was on a mission, he knew what he wanted to do and he did it with deadly affect.”

            He came down from QLD to Sydney only a month ago, rented a small storage facility and went to Bondi to learn how to surf. He went surfing at Bondi 6-days ago. In 2010, he was an online English tutor. There is still a lot of information we don’t know as yet as the investigation continues.

#2024bondijunctionstabbings #bondijunction #bondijunctionstabbings #joelcauchi #bondijunctionwestfield #westfieldbondijunction

#joel cauchi #joelcauchi #2024 bondi junction stabbing #bondi junction #bondijunction #bondi junction stabbings #bondi junction westfield #westfield bondi junction

[autumncottageattic]

Favourite quotes from Bridget Jones's Diary (1996) & Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (1999), just finished re-reading them😄

It struck me as pretty ridiculous to be called Mr Darcy and to stand on your own looking snooty at a party. It's like being called Heathcliff and insisting on spending the entire evening in the garden, shouting 'Cathy' and banging your head against a tree

He turned round, revealing that what had seemed from the back like a harmless navy sweater was actually a V-neck diamond-pattern in shades of yellow and blue — as favoured by the more elderly of the nation's sports reporters. As my friend Tom often remarks, it's amazing how much time and money can be saved in the world of dating by close attention to detail. A white sock here, a pair of red braces there, a grey slip-on shoe, a swastika, are as often as not all one needs to tell you there's no point writing down

Suddenly I realize I am waiting for the phone again. How can it be that the situation between the sexes after a first night remains so agonizingly imbalanced? Feel as if I have just sat an exam and must wait for my results.

Can officially confirm that the way to a man s heart these days is not through beauty, food, sex, or alluringness of character, but merely the ability to seem not very interested in him.

You should make the most of being single while it lasts, Bridge,' she said. 'Once you've got kids and you've given up your job you're in an incredibly vulnerable position. I know Jeremy thinks my life is just one big holiday, but basically it's extremely hard work looking after a toddler and a baby all day, and it doesn't stop. When Jeremy comes home at the end of the day he wants to put his feet up and be nurtured and, as I imagine all the time now, fantasize about girls in leotards at the Harbour Club.

'I had a proper job before. I know for a fact it's much more fan going out to work, getting all dressed up, flirting in the office and having nice lunches than going to the bloody supermarket and picking Harry up from playgroup. But there's always this aggrieved air that I'm some sort of ghastly Harvey Nichols-obsessed lady who lunches while he earns all the money.'

She's so beautiful, Magda. I watched her toying with her champagne glass despondently and wondered what the answer is for we girls. Talk about grass is always bloody greener. The number of times I've slumped, depressed, thinking how useless I am and that I spend every Saturday night getting blind drunk and moaning to Jude and Shazzer or Tom about not having a boyfriend; I struggle to make ends meet and am ridiculed as an unmarried freak, whereas Magda lives in a big house with eight different kinds of pasta in jars, and gets to go shopping all day. And yet here she is so beaten, miserable and unconfident and telling me I'm lucky . . 

Going out to meet Tom for tea. Decided needed to spend more time on appearance like Hollywood stars and have therefore spent ages putting concealer under eyes, blusher on cheeks and defining fading features.

'Good God,' said Tom when I arrived.

'What?' I said. 'What?'

"Your face. You look like Barbara Cartland.'

Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (1999)

Jude had been to the gym where she ended up reading some article calling single girls over thirty 're-treads'. "The guy was arguing that the sort of girls who

 - wouldn't go out with him in their twenties would go out with him now but he didn't want them any more," she said sadly. "He said they were all obsessed with settling down and babies and his rule with girls now was "Nothing over twenty-five".

Whole dating world is like hideous game of bluff and double bluff with men and women firing at each other from opposite lines of sandbags. Is as if there is a set of rules that you are supposed to be sticking to, but no one knows what they are so everyone just makes up their own. Then you end up getting chucked because you didn't follow the rules correctly, but how could you be expected to, when you didn't know what they were in the first place?

"It's very hard for young people now," Elaine interrupted again, looking hard at me. "One can marry anyone when one is eighteen. But when one's character is formed, taking on the reality of a man must seem insufferable. Present company excepted of course."

All friendships between men and women are based on the sexual dynamic. The mistake people make is ignoring this, then getting upset when their friend doesn't shag them."

  "I'm not getting upset," muttered Shazzer.

  "What about friends when neither fancies the other?" said Jude.

  "Doesn't happen. Sex is what drives it. 'Friends' is a bad definition."

"It's not me it's a social trend," I said indignantly. "Women are staying single because they can support themselves and want to do their careers, then when they get older all the men think they're desperate re-treads with sell-by dates and just want someone younger."

  "Honestly, darling. Sell-by dates! Anyone would think you were a tub of cottage cheese in ASDA! All that sillydaft nonsense is just in films, darling."

"No, it's not."

  "Durrr! Sell-by date. They might pretend they want one of these bimbas but they don't really. They want a nice friend. What about Roger what's-his-name that left Audrey for his secretary? Of course she was thick. Six months later he was begging Audrey to come back and she wouldn't have him!"

#Bridget Jones's Diary 1996 #Bridget Jones's Diary book quotes #Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason 1999 #Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason book quotes #helen fielding #bridget jones and mark darcy

[skippyv20]

Kara Kennedy Spectator

Spectator

DON’T CALL IT A COMEBACKMeghan Markle’s comeback: welcome to the MeghanaissanceThe Duchess of Sussex is trying to salvage her reputation

May 4, 2023 | 9:31 amMeghan Markle MeghanaissanceWritten By:

Kara Kennedy

Maybe it was always going this way. After being a briefcase girl, an actress, a D-list celebrity and blowing it as a real-life royal, perhaps the only natural next step for Meghan Markle was to become an influencer. Look at Fergie, once married to Prince Andrew. Now the Duchess of York makes her living writing romance novels, selling jam and giving “exclusive” interviews to any tabloid that’ll buy her lunch.

The truth is that there is no glamor in being an ex-something. Look at the washed-up ex-wives and girlfriends of sports stars, selling herbal tea on Instagram for a few bucks and being paid to show up at crappy provincial nightclubs filled with teenagers. (It’s harder to be fussy when you need to pay the bills.) This, though, was not the future that Meghan expected when she and Harry decided to exile themselves to Los Angeles. She was to trade in her royal life to become the next Amal Clooney, spending her days fighting for women’s rights as a glamorous philanthropist attending the most exclusive Hollywood events. But it turns out that telling fibs and constantly scheming leaves you pretty low down on the LA thought-leader-cum-It-Girl list. Who knew?

By now, the downfall of Meghan Markle is well-documented, so I’ll skip the gory details and pick the story up at what you might call her lowest ebb: earlier this year, when her popularity with the British public plummeted to its lowest yet. According to a March poll, Meghan’s popularity dropped thirty-one points since November, leaving her with an approval rating of -33. The couple made the big move across the Pond with the hopes of cracking America, but things aren’t much better on this side. Just 27 percent of Americans say they like Meghan now, compared to 44 percent who say they don’t. It seems that the pair’s plan to speak “their truth,” in the form of Netflix documentaries, numerous interviews, podcasts and a book deal — and be lavished with money, praise and sympathy for doing so — isn’t quite going to plan.

There are different theories about what could save them at this point, if a PR resurrection is even possible. The Sussexes putting on a united front and attending the coronation of King Charles III on Saturday would have been a good start. After months of speculation, the couple announced in a recent statement that Harry would attend alone and Meghan would stay in California with their children to celebrate Archie’s fourth birthday. In fairness to Meghan, it’s highly likely that she would have faced considerable criticism had she shown up, after three years of what some call — fairly — her mission to destroy the reputation of the British monarchy. But King Charles was there for Meghan on her special day, her wedding in 2018, when he eschewed tradition and walked her down the aisle after her father Thomas Markle didn’t attend. To return the favor would be polite, if nothing else.

Does Meghan’s low-key few months mean she is retreating from the limelight for good? What do you think?

In January, when Harry released his memoir, Spare, Meghan was noticeably absent from the promotional interviews. At the time, people were shocked that the usually inseparable pair didn’t show up together to his many appearances. At the time, sources claimed that there was friction between the couple that stemmed from the negative reaction to the book. Whatever happened, Meghan’s presence by Harry’s side would have made things even more awkward for the renegade prince. Imagine her next to Harry during his interview with ITV’s Tom Bradby, in which he reneged on his wife’s claim that royal family was racist, saying instead that she was the victim of “unconscious bias.” The couple have long claimed that the royal family did nothing to dispel certain “press-concocted narratives” about them — yet for nearly three years they gladly allowed Harry’s family to be branded as pompous racists.

But does Meghan’s coronation snub and low-key approach to her husband’s book mean she is retreating from the limelight for good? What do you think?

It looks like Markle’s time out will soon be over as she gears up for a big return to public life. Last week it was revealed that the duchess had signed up with powerhouse agency WME that “will focus on building Meghan’s global enterprise.” Her team at the agency will include power agent turned Endeavor CEO Ari Emanuel, Brad Slater, the rep and brand architect within the agency for Dwayne Johnson, and Serena Williams’s agent Jill Smoller. Welcome to the Meghanissance. As the bestselling royal author Robert Jobson told me, “It can only be a good thing that Meghan is looking to revamp her public image — but it’ll mean actually listening to what her PR team tell her for once.”

In recent weeks the duchess has made two public appearances back to back; one in a video message introducing photographer and friend Misan Harriman ahead of his Ted Talk speech. In it, the duchess debuted a new look; darker, slickly straightened hair and minimal make-up. Meghan’s makeover held symbolic importance — straying away from her usual overdone look, she instead offered a more grown-up appearance. The second sighting was at a LA Lakers game, Harry in tow. It was the first time they had been seen in public together in more than a month and it didn’t do much to dispel rumors of a rift. The duchess awkwardly declined a kiss from Harry as they were captured on the jumbotron at the Crypto.com Arena in front of 20,000 people, including Kim Kardashian and Adam Sandler.

But if Meghan’s transition to an ex-royal influencer is to be successful, social media will prove vital. There are whispers in California that the duchess will soon return to Instagram, which she left in 2020 after it was agreed that the couple could no longer keep their Sussex Royal monogram. These rumors were alluded to last year when Meghan told a reporter at the Cut: “Do you want to know a secret? I’m getting back on Instagram” — but so far there is no sign of her on the app.

Meghan’s return would be sure to cause tension. As a report in the latest issue of Vanity Fair puts it, when the royal family modernized “the social media push put the royals at the hands of those watchers and the types of parasocial competition-pitting it seems to seize on and promote. Like Team Jen versus Team Angelina, or Liverpool versus Man United, aggressive and profane fights broke out between groups of self described Meghan and Kate fans. By late 2018, Cambridge versus Sussex had gone from digital match bait to reality.”

So how do the rest of the royals feel about this potential comeback? Apprehensive to say the least. One source close to the family tells me that Meghan’s vision is “luminous and quite frankly scary.” After Meghan and Harry’s relative silence last year the palace could finally breathe a sigh of relief, but then, in quick succession, came the Netflix documentary, that Jeremy Clarkson column and Harry’s memoir Spare. The Clarkson column blew up after he referenced an infamous Game of Thrones scene and casted Meghan Markle as Cersei. He wrote: “At night, I’m unable to sleep as I lie there, grinding my teeth and dreaming of the day when she is made to parade naked through the streets of every town in Britain while the crowds chant, ‘Shame!’ and throw lumps of excrement at her.” The ill-considered broadside against Meghan, for which he later apologized, hurt the royals the hardest, with soon-to-be Queen Camilla confiding in a friend that Clarkson was “so unhelpful, just as we were really getting on the front foot of all of this.”

While Markle may be able to scramble back into some Hollywood circles, it is unlikely to be quite as rarefied a crowd as she once hoped. Meanwhile, her relationship with the royal family is pretty near irreparable.

At this stage, there is little doubt about the palace’s feelings about her. As harmful as Meghan’s actions in the last year have been, a source close to the royals tells me that much of the damage was already done — and that the personal feelings of the late Queen loom large. According to my source, the Queen “saw through Meghan Markle” and remarked that she was “evil” during a drinks reception at a dinner the late monarch hosted at Balmoral in August last year.

‘It was out of character for the Queen to use such a word as “evil” to describe Meghan, but she saw straight through her’

“Everybody’s eyebrows hit the ceiling,” the source claimed. “It was out of character for the Queen to use such a word as “evil” to describe Meghan, but she saw straight through her. It was a startling sentence to hear from the most forgiving woman on earth.”

“At the drinks before the dinner, a small group were talking to the monarch and she explained that Harry meeting Meghan had become a complete catastrophe and described her as evil. By this point we all knew the Queen’s health was in decline and she had months left, she seemed regretful about how things had panned out.”

Throughout the last three years Meghan and Harry have consistently claimed that there was no bad blood between them and the monarch, but this has often been disputed. Biographer Tom Bower’s latest book Revenge: Meghan, Harry And The War Between The Windsors cites unnamed sources that claim the Queen once remarked of her husband’s funeral: “Thank goodness Meghan is not coming.” Royal watchers believe that Meghan and Harry’s reservations to implicitly blame Queen Elizabeth for any of the wrongdoings of the royal family was an intentional move in order to return to royal life if they ever needed to — but the more we hear of the Queen’s supposed feelings, the less likely that seems.

At this stage, Harry and Meghan continuing to cash in by bad-mouthing the Firm seems more likely than a reconciliation. Entertainment Tonight reported earlier this year that Harry had a lucrative four-book deal with Penguin Random House, the publisher behind his tell-all, that’s worth $35-$40 million. It is rumored that at least one of these books will be written by the duchess. Even if she doesn’t put pen to paper, Meghan is reportedly resurrecting her lifestyle blog “the Tig,” after the New York Post reported that there was a document filed with the US Patent and Trademark Office, that indicates a prospective relaunched version of the site. I hope the content will have improved from last time, where she jotted down posts about her meditation guru, who was called Light, or how much she loves the book Eat, Pray, Love.

After it was announced that Meghan wouldn’t attend the coronation, her PR team insisted she has “moved on” and is “going about her life in the present.” As we all know, a Hollywood lifestyle for two ex-royals is expensive — and whatever they choose to do, they’ll need to find a way to pay for it.

ByKara Kennedy

Kara Kennedy is a staff writer for The Spectator World. She comes from Wales and resides in London

Thank you🙂❤️

[larkral]

Rules: Answer these 15 questions, then tag 15 people.

Tagged by...uh, kind of a lot of people (@asocialpessimist @artsyunderstudy @shrekgogurt @raenestee @stitchyqueer @cutestkilla), been on a work deadline and enjoying learning more about everyone, but also exceedingly tapped out.

1. Are you named after anyone? Nope! I am especially notably not named after my second cousin who was born right before my elder sister and received the name my mother was planning on giving my sister, which she then decided to save for me.

2. When was the last time you cried? I've been doing a lot more just sitting in sad silence than crying lately, so probably like...last Saturday? No special reason, just 'cause I was in my feels.

3. Do you have kids? Two little adorable gremlin children, yes.

4. Do you use sarcasm a lot? Yeah, yep. Yes.

5. What's the first thing you notice about people? If observing objectively, I probably notice the general shape of their face. Planes and structure and arrangement of features. If it's in an interactive context, I usually pick up on what their expectations of the interaction are -- do they want something from me, are they expecting to provide me something, etc.

6. What's your eye color? Blue.

7. Scary movies or happy ending? Is neither an option? Neither. Give me befuddling comedy horror or give me I guess like an architecture documentary.

8. Any special talents? I think probably my most valuable talent is being willing to just figure out how to do the thing. And then doing it. Building a retaining wall, tiling a bathroom, making a bouquet of paper flowers, yeah, I'm gonna make it happen if I want to make it happen. I'm also going to join the group of folks who are saying that their secret talent is signing, cause I do surprise people at karaoke. ;-)

9. Where were you born? In the shadow of the Rocky Mountains. At around one mile elevation above sea level.

10. What are your hobbies? Writing, sewing, knitting,

11. Do you have any pets? An adorable tiny toy poodle mutt who everyone thinks is a puppy. She's 7y/o.

12. What sports have you played? I played flat track women's Roller Derby for 5 years, and I was pretty fucking good at it, but also it was a thing I started doing in large part because I wanted to make friends, and I ended up with 0 roller derby friends, and spending ten hours a week on a pastime where everyone there is like, so-so on me was not a good vibe. I'd love to play again someday, but it might not be in the cards.

13. How tall are you? 5'8.

14. Favorite subject at school? Art. I always really enjoyed getting lost in the process of making art.

15. Dream job? Renaissance person. I'd like to just be able to do an extremely wide variety of things both physical and cerebral.

tagging @captain-aralias @facewithoutheart @sillyunicorn @you-remind-me-of-the-babe @ileadacharmedlife @bookish-bogwitch @aristocratic-otter @petedavidsonscock @yeonjunenby @carryonvisinata @takenabackbytuesdays @martsonmars @nightimedreamersghost @chen-chen-chen-again-chen @ionlydrinkhotwater @fatalfangirl and I, like some others, did not have the energy to check whether you'd already done this, so I'm sorry if this is a redundant tag 😘

[sleepysera]

7.16.22 Headlines

WORLD NEWS

Ukraine: Missile strike on Ukraine space plant in Dnipro kills three (BBC)

“Russian long-range cruise missiles killed three people in Ukraine's central city of Dnipro when they hit a space rocket plant and a nearby street, local officials say. About 15 people were injured and nearby residential buildings damaged. Dnipro's Yuzhmash plant also builds satellites - with one launched into space by Elon Musk's SpaceX company. Russia's defence ministry said the factory made parts for Ukrainian ballistic missiles.”

Europe: Wildfire rages in Bordeaux; fire pilot killed in Portugal (AP)

“Strong winds and hot, dry weather frustrated French firefighters’ efforts Saturday to contain a huge wildfire that raced across pine forests in the Bordeaux region for a fifth straight day, one of several wildfires scorching Europe this week. Among the worst fires have been in Portugal, where the pilot of a firefighting plane died Friday when his plane crashed while on an operation in the northeast. It was the first fire fatality in Portugal this year but the blazes have injured more than 160 people this week and forced hundreds to be evacuated.”

Haiti: UN votes to ban small arms sales (BBC)

“The UN Security Council has voted unanimously to ban some weapon sales to Haiti, rocked by deadly gang violence. The resolution calls on UN member states to prohibit the sale of small arms, light weapons and ammunition to what it calls "non-state actors". But a proposal by China for a full embargo on weapon sales was rejected. Since last week, 89 people have been killed in the Port-au-Prince capital region alone.”

US NEWS

Traffic: 2 kids among 6 dead in Montana highway pileup, 8 others hurt (AP)

“Two children are among the six people who died in a Montana pileup after a Friday evening dust storm caused blackout conditions on Interstate 90, a major route in both Montana and the Western U.S. Montana Highway Patrol Sgt. Jay Nelson said investigators so far have found no other factors that contributed to the pileup that also sent eight other injured people to hospitals.”

Abortion: Laws spark profound changes in other medical care (AP)

“Even in medical emergencies, doctors are sometimes declining immediate treatment. In the past week, an Ohio abortion clinic received calls from two women with ectopic pregnancies — when an embryo grows outside the uterus and can’t be saved — who said their doctors wouldn’t treat them. Ectopic pregnancies often become life-threatening emergencies and abortion clinics aren’t set up to treat them.”

LGBTQ Rights: US agencies temporarily barred from enforcing LGBTQ guidance (AP)

“A judge in Tennessee has temporarily barred two federal agencies from enforcing directives issued by President Joe Biden’s administration that extended protections for LGBTQ people in schools and workplaces. U.S. District Judge Charles Atchley Jr. in an order on Friday ruled for the 20 state attorneys general who sued last August claiming the Biden administration directives infringe on states’ right to enact laws that, for example, prevent students from participating in sports based on their gender identity or requiring schools and businesses to provide bathrooms and showers to accommodate transgender people.”

#current events #news #ukraine #russia #europe #wildfire #environment #global warming #climate change #climate crisis #haiti #united nations #united states #abortion #lgbtq #trans rights

[whatsonmedia]

Best Offers Of This Week!

Dive into unbeatable offers on WhatsOn! Save big, savor delights, and boost well-being affordably. Click now for a week of excitement, incredible deals, and lasting memories. Grab top offers before they vanish! At Salt Yard West, get a shared Tapas Fiesta lunch or dinner menu for £20 Transport yourself to the sun-soaked streets of the Mediterranean at Salt Yard in Westfield White City. Indulge in the rich flavors of Spain and Italy with a delightful selection of seasonal tapas, perfect for sharing with friends or loved ones. Enjoy an array of small plates bursting with authentic tastes, including Padron peppers, Jamon Croquettes, Pil pil tiger prawns, crispy baby squid, ricotta & mushrooms ravioli, and much more. All this for just £20! Highlights: - Experience the flavors of Spain and Italy with Salt Yard's Mediterranean-inspired menus - Located on the South Terrace of Westfield White City - Was £73, now just £20 Need to Know: - Valid for a Tapas Fiesta lunch or dinner menu to share at Salt Yard - Availability: Monday to Thursday 12 pm - 9 pm, Friday to Saturday 12 pm - 11 pm, Sunday 12 pm - 8 pm - To redeem, email your booking confirmation to [email protected]  with your preferred date and time - Voucher valid until March 30, 2025 - Menu subject to change - Minimum booking of two people, maximum booking of six people - Changes/cancellations must be made within 48 hours of your booking - Location: Salt Yard Westfield, 1026 Ariel Way, London, W12 7GA At London Health Hub, two clinical procedures cost £27 Rejuvenate your physical health with two half-hour treatments of your choice at Osteopathy Physiotherapy London, now at an unbeatable price. Whether you're seeking relief from joint and muscle blockages, treating musculoskeletal or neurological conditions, recovering from an injury, or focusing on movement improvement, London Health Hub has you covered. Take advantage of this limited-time discount and book your session today! Highlights: - Choose from acupuncture, osteopathy, physiotherapy, and sports therapy - Offered at London Health Hub - Now available for just £27! Need to Know: - Valid for two clinical treatments at London Health Hub - New customers only, aged 18 and over - Availability: Monday to Friday (8 am – 9 pm), Saturday and Sunday (10 am – 6 pm), subject to availability - Book online and enter your voucher code and security code in the comments section - Voucher valid until September 21, 2024 - Present voucher on arrival, limit one per person - 48-hour cancellation policy - Consultation and treatment last up to one hour, including post-treatment advice - Location: 1 Talbot Yard, Ground Floor, London, England, SE1 1YP For £90, receive a Parenie treatment, dinner, and access to the spa at Banya No1 Hoxton Escape the hustle and bustle of everyday life at Banya No1 - Hoxton, where you can indulge in a traditional Parenie treatment. Relax as expert therapists use fragrant bundles of birch, oak, and eucalyptus twigs to perform Parenie in a steam room, boosting blood circulation and relieving muscle tension. Afterward, unwind in the steam sauna, plunge pool, and more. Plus, enjoy a pot of herbal tea and homemade cottage cheese pancakes for the ultimate relaxation experience. Highlights: - Experience 2.5 hours of traditional thermal Parenie treatment - Includes a pot of herbal tea and homemade cottage cheese pancakes - Full access to facilities: steam sauna, plunge pool, bucket showers, and more Need to Know: - Valid for a treatment Parenie at Banya No1 Hoxton - Availability: Monday to Friday slots from 9:30 am to 10 pm, women-only sessions on Monday and Thursday mornings, men-only sessions on Fridays - To redeem, email [email protected]  with your preferred date and time - Changes/cancellations must be made at least 48 hours before the booking - Voucher valid until September 1, 2024 - Location: 17 Micawber St, London N1 7TB At The Laughing Yak, get six dishes and a welcome beverage for £29 Escape to Nepal this winter with a culinary journey at The Laughing Yak. Founded by a talented group of Nepalese chefs, this Peckham-based restaurant offers an authentic dining experience using the finest local ingredients. Enjoy a welcome cocktail followed by six courses of flavorful dishes, ranging from Channa Chatpate to Crispy Chilli Lamb Momos and Chicken Thukpa. Whether you opt for the meat or vegetarian option, end your meal on a sweet note with Gulab Jamun Donut and Clotted Cream Ice Cream. Don't miss this chance to indulge in Nepalese delights at an irresistible price. Highlights: - Welcome cocktail on arrival - Six courses of authentic Nepalese cuisine - Over 50% off discount Need to Know: - Valid for six courses and a welcome cocktail at The Laughing Yak - Availability: Sunday & Monday (12 pm - 5 pm, last booking at 3 pm), Tuesday to Saturday (12 pm - 9 pm, last booking for lunch is 2 pm, last booking for dinner is 7 pm) - To redeem, email [email protected]  with your preferred date and time - One voucher per person; vouchers cannot be shared - Voucher valid until September 31, 2024 - Booking required at least 24 hours in advance - Menu subject to change; one menu option per booking - Restaurant must be informed of any changes/cancellations within 24 hours - Time Out is not responsible for dietary requirements; contact The Laughing Yak before purchasing - Location: Market, 133a Rye Lane, Stall 11, SE15 4BQ, Peckham Read the full article

[doctoru-au]

GP – DPA – Under 1 hour from Perth CBD

Port Kennedy, WA | Job ID #2161

OVERVIEW

Privately Owned Modern Clinic in a Vibrant Location

Established in 2016, this privately owned modern clinic stands as a purpose-built medical practice situated in a local shopping center bustling with activity. Conveniently positioned across from a pharmacy, the clinic benefits from high foot traffic and prime visibility. Led by the personable principal GP and owner, this clinic presents a compelling opportunity for healthcare professionals seeking a rewarding work environment.

The clinic's team has successfully launched a GP-led respiratory clinic adjacent to the primary practice, offering an additional avenue for employment and a chance to augment earnings alongside regular GP duties. With current patient appointment waiting times ranging from 2-3 days, the incoming practitioner can expect a fully booked schedule from day one. Furthermore, the selected GP can anticipate significant exposure across the clinic's social media and email platforms, promising enhanced visibility and professional reputation.

Due to a surge in interest, recruitment for this DPA position is anticipated to conclude shortly. Interested candidates are encouraged to reach out promptly for further details and to explore this appealing opportunity.

ABOUT THE PRACTICE

The practice features 8 consulting rooms, 2 dedicated procedure/skin cancer rooms, and a 3-bed treatment bay. Onsite pathology, visiting physiotherapy, and exercise physiology are available at the practice. Special interests such as procedural work, skin cancer, sports medicine, women’s health, and mental health are strongly supported. The practice also offers pre-employment medicals and Occ Health services. Additionally, there is a comfortable staff room with a staff toilet and shower on-premises.

ABOUT THE ROLE

New DPA Location for GPs under 19AB visa sponsorship. Full-time role with 70% billings, 1-year minimum contract, high patient demand, existing patient base, and $150/hour guarantee for 3 months. Saturday morning work required. Sign-on bonus possible for eligible GPs. Immediate start available.

WHY WORK WITH ME?

I save you time by personally searching for the right job for you.

WANT TO KNOW MORE?

Andrew McNamara Call | Text | Whatsapp [phone] Get in touch with me 7 days | early to late.

LOCATION

EASY APPLY

#19AB/DPA

[coochiequeens]

Way to cheat, bro!"

By Bryndís Blackadder October 23, 2023

A trans-identified male high school student has won the Fastest Sophomore Girl award at a race meet in Belfast, Maine this past weekend. Soren Stark-Chessa previously floundered while running in the male category, and only began participating as a “female” student this year.

In 2022, while representing Coast Waldorf High School in Freeport, Stark-Chessa came in 25th place at the Maine XC Festival of Champions where he ran as a freshman boy, and 14th place at the Southern Maine Class C Regional XC Championship in the Division C Boys 5000 Meter Run Finals.

But since transitioning to “female” sometime within the last year, Stark-Chessa had begun to dominate the female categories, rapidly improving his standing in record time.

On September 30, Stark-Chessa took 5th place at the Festival of Champions in the female category, with a time that would have ranked him 162nd if he had raced in the male category. One week later, on October 5, Stark-Chessa took first place at the Cape Elizabeth High School 2023 cross country race, besting the fastest female runner by nearly 2 minutes.

On October 21, Stark-Chessa seized the title of “Fastest Sophomore Girl” at a regional high school cross country championship, completing the 3.1 mile course over 80 seconds faster than his female competitors.

Stark-Chessa, who was previously ranked 172nd in the Freshman Boys category, is set to compete in the female category again on October 28.

In late September, his participation as a “female” runner began to receive backlash after footage of one of the races he ran in began to circulate on social media. In one video, shared by Shawn McBreairty, spectators could be heard shouting “way to cheat, bro!” as Stark-Chessa ran past them.

See rest of article

By Anna Slatz October 27, 2023

Female martial artists have come forward to reveal that male athletes claiming to be transgender have completely overtaken the women’s categories of a major grappling association, leaving them fearing for their safety in many instances. One of the men, Corissa Griffith, took home four gold medals in the women’s category during a tournament in Georgia on October 21.

The North American Grappling Association (NAGA) is the largest submission grappling association in the world, and facilitates standards and tournaments in various martial arts, including Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. But while NAGA has provided competition categories for males and females since its inception in 1995, it has recently become the subject of controversy after a number of female athletes were found to have been matched up against trans-identified males.

The issue first received widespread attention in September after it was learned that a female Brazilian jiu-jitsu athlete had not been informed she would be competing against a male. Taelor Moore posted a clip of her fight against James “Alice” McPike on her Instagram, noting that there was a 65lbs weight difference between them.

#usa #Maine #Belfast #Title IX #Women’s sports are for women #Not for mediocre males #Coast Waldorf High School #Save Women’s Sports Saturday #Soren Stark-Chessa ranked 172nd in the non girls category #The North American Grappling Association (NAGA) #Women are being matched against men without prior warning

[fritalianblr]

Festival du Court-Métrage de Clermont-Ferrand

In my city (where I currently live for my studies), every year there's a famous and renowed Short Film Fest. I wanted to make you a post about it before it started but... yeah, life and studies, you know ? So instead of just forgeting about it for a whole year again and missing the deadline again, I guess I should talk about it right now !

Long post, please open 💙​

This Short Film Fest takes place in Clermont-Ferrand, Puy-de-Dôme, France, every first week of February, and in 2024, the 74th edition took place. The first edition was made on 1982 by the non-profit organisation "Sauve qui peut le Court-métrage" (Who can save the short film).

If it was to be briefly introduced, during a whole week (from saturday to saturday included) there are multiples programs of short films, divided into 3 big categories : the competitions (national, international and labo/experimental), the short film market where profesionnals can discover short films from all around the world to buy them, and other programs that have specific themes which are generally meant for a larger audience.

The festival is growing stronger and stronger, with so many visitors now that you can get refused at the entrance of the projections rooms (full room for many programs !). There are also lectures, expositions and worshops around short film(ing) during the week.

An example of 2 days of this year's edition's program :

29 programs, 10 projection rooms with up to 7 screenings per room per day ! It's really intense and if you want to see a maximum of the programs, you got to take a paid leave or be retired. And there are people who take days or even the full week to be able to see the programs.

Also, as you can see on the planning, some programs have a number next to them. That's because there's a medium of 5-6 short film per screening so some programs got many different screenings to show every shortfilm ! An example below with the "Insoumises" (INS) program that I went to see and liked a lot. There are 4 different screenings possible around this theme.

The Competitions programs got so many screenings it's huge. National Competition (F) got 10 different screenings, so around 60 competitors. Internation competition (I) got 12 different screenings (huge !).

Okay, enough with the numbers and introducing, let's get to the interesting part : the short films !!!

I was able to watch 5 screenings : INSOUMISES 2, INSOUMISES 3, EUR♀ VISIONS 2, BLOODY and DECIBELLES. And... some of the short films are available online (on YouTube usually) so lemme share those to you ! If you want to see another short film from this year's catalog or from a former edition of the Festival, try typing the title of the short + the director on Youtube and see if you can find it ;)

Most of them have been subtitled in english and not all of them are french. There are short film from all around the world :) It's possible they're not subtitled on YouTube though.

INSOUMISES

These ones are about rebels ! Women rebels ! They defy the norms, the patriarchy and was is expected of them.

Content Warning : violence, sexism, sexual assault (usually mention only), rape (usually mention only)

H24 - 12h : Le Cri Défendu - link (this one is part of a series made by the franco-german channel Arte and is really great. LOTS OF CW FOR THESE, it's hard [make your cisdude friends watch, though])

Quebramar (Brise-lames) - link (about lesbian[ism] and community)

End-O - link (about endometriosis, CW FOOD)

Beach Flags - link (about Iranian women, competitive sport, emancipation)

DÉCIB'ELLES

This program is usually "Décibels" but since this year is about women, it's been feminized with a final "elles". It's about music so there are lots of music video clips.

M.I.A. - Bad Girls - link

Kim Gordon - Hungry Baby - link

Chai - Neo Kawaii, k ? - link

L'impératrice - Peur des filles - link (CW GORE and BLOOD but it's mostly very funny - you can see it's made up)

Pussy Riot - Putin will teach you how to love - link (CW violence, but well, it's the Pussy Riot from Russia)

BLOODY GIRLS

⚠️​ WARNING IT'S ABOUT TO GET BLOOODY !!! Horror, violence, blood, a little bit gore are there. NOT RECOMMENDED FOR PEOPLE UNDER 16 !

Horror short movies with women protagonists ready to get bloody !

The Robbery - link (CW violence, drug, weapons, wounds)

Stuck - link (CW voyeurism, sexual predator, body horror/beaten up body, to reassure you, the last cw is for the predator 😈​)

Snake Dick - link (CW SNAKE, weapons, sexual harassment)

And that's it for the ones I could find on the web ! Maybe I've missed some, it's possible. If you have questions about the Festival, the short films, want a translation or anything, ask me !

The official website of the Festival du Court-Métrage : https://clermont-filmfest.org/ (french) - https://clermont-filmfest.org/en/global/home/ (english)

Hit me up if you have a question ! Maybe I'll try and do individual posts for some of the short films (the ones in french) with some vocabulary, word plays or cultural stuff, but that won't be soon.

#france #french #short film #short film fest #festival du court métrage #clermont-ferrand #french culture #french movies #movies #french langblr #international #french event

[ledenews]

BRICK by BRICK: Burkle Building WLU Baseball into A Contender

Outside the temperature is below freezing, sometimes approaching the teens or single digits with a wind chill in negative numbers. Looking out the window of his office, Eric Burkle sees a campus covered in snow. But today, any day – even winter days with extreme cold, blustery winds and snow – is a baseball day for Burkle. Once the 2024 season commences, Burkle will be in his 12th season as the head coach of the West Liberty University baseball team. For most, baseball is a spring season thing, with greening grass, flower and tree buds, warming temperatures. Not for Burkle; for him, baseball is a calendar thing, running the full 365. “We’re 12 months a year now,” Burkle said. “The game. . . if you go to The Highlands (sports complex) this time of year, there’s little kids. We just played in a winter league for my little one (his young son). Wheeling University is in the Highlands complex. We’re in our indoor facility. We’re 12 months a year now. “Baseball is that sport, for one, you can’t stop hitting. Pitchers will take a little bit of a break for some arm care stuff. But if a kid wants to play at this level now, he’s 12 months a year constant. It’s constantly swinging a bat.” The game of baseball has been in Burkle's life since he was a young player in South Wheeling. How then, in West Liberty, W.Va., is baseball (and softball) a year-round sport? How can players work out or practice knowing that not only water but skin, ears, fingers, etc., will freeze? It’s an inside thing. His Hilltoppers can go inside the Belmont Savings Bank Indoor Facility on the south end of campus, immediately turning a warm-weather, outdoor sport into a dead-of-winter opportunity to work. The first annual Leadoff Dinner is scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 10, with doors opening at 6 p.m. and the event beginning at 6:30 p.m. The location? Of course, inside the BSB indoor facility. It’s a chance to show off the facility. The event includes a catered meal, a meet-the-team video and a Night at the Races fundraiser. ESPN lead college baseball analyst Mike Rooney will serve as the keynote speaker. Tickets are $75 per person, and you can direct questions to Burkle at 304 639-5989. Burkle sums up what guests will experience entering the facility in one word: Wow! “We’re going to showcase our practice facility. When you walk in that practice facility it’s a wow factor. You walk in you don’t see football lines; you just see baseline lines on that turf. You’re like, ‘this is just for baseball!’ It’s excellent, it’s a wow factor where we can go live,” Burkle said. Because practices in Blatnik Hall were starting to in Burkle’s words, “clog up some student life time,” he and former women’s softball head coach Herb Minch were given a budget from then-university President Stephen Greiner to pursue an alternative. They formed a committee, worked with President Greiner and attracted Belmont Savings Bank as a lead donor. Other entities joined the force, and they completed the task, taking about three years. “There’s D1 schools that don’t have what we have here on campus. Our facilities are excellent. I can’t quit saying it, that thing is such a godsend for us. I can hit ground balls and I don’t have to worry about being on the basketball floor. I can hit ground balls, we can go live, our outfielders get work. It’s deep enough in the center that we can throw fly balls, catchers pop-ups. We can get done everything we need to get done.” Burkle is known to be tough but fair with his ballplayers at West Liberty. Wanted: Tough Kids Burkle’s roster has many players from schools in the Ohio Valley, but with time, persistence, improved facilities and administration assistance he in recent years chipped away at the barrier that is the Pennsylvania border. Now the head coach finds he is getting more substantive discussions, considerations and commitments from Western Pennsylvania-based players. It helps improve the roster for the baseball team and continues to expand the student base from a coveted nearby area. “Yes, we do have some local kids. We’re expanding into the Pittsburgh market a good bit. It’s always been a tough market for us with Seton Hill, Slippery Rock, Cal (Pa). But now we’re sneaking in there and we’re trying to convince some of those kids that, hey, West Lib’s a pretty good place to go play baseball,” Burkle said. “Working with our new administration here, we’re trying to find ways to make those kids in this region come back to West Lib. So that’s a big thing, working with Dr. (Tim) Borchers (newly appointed school president who began July 1, 2023) has been a lot of fun. He knows that regionally Pennsylvania and Ohio obviously are going to have more athletes. So, he’s trying to keep us in those markets, trying to make it affordable for those kids to come here. “The kid we’re looking for could be anywhere from the marginal student up to the 4.4 high school GPA. But we’re looking for that tough kid. That tough kid that will still shovel the sidewalk, run a hammer. The kid that when he comes in, he’s willing to do what he needs to do to work.” Burkle developed an old-school, work-hard philosophy from playing for Gary Zelinski at Wheeling Park High School and coaching with Jim Wodusky at Wheeling Central Catholic High School. He left high school coaching to join legendary coach Bo McConnaughy’s West Liberty staff as an assistant in 2008, serving five years in that role before taking over as head coach. He’s been able to meld old school with new age to remain true to his experience while relating well to the current player. “What I’ve done, I’ve kind of gone in the middle. I’ve learned to adapt to the new-age kid, and I can still be me. I can still be tough, and I can still be hard on them, and I can still be sarcastic at times. I’m a little bit of both (old and new school). I think we’ve done a good job here,” Burkle said. “We don’t lose kids to the portal here. We’ve had two kids go in the portal, one because he was from Florida and went back home. The other one was going to go D1 and decided to come back, so we’ve lost one kid to the portal. So, our retention rate here, they like what we’re doing here. Over the years I think we’ve put a good mixture of old school, new school and blended it.” The Hilltoppers' head coach has learned how to blend his old-school style with more modern coaching methods during his career. Leave It on the Field The mixture seems to be working. Burkle has compiled a 221-281 (.440) record, ranking him second in school history in career wins. His resume also includes: eight 20+ win seasons; six consecutive 20+ win seasons from 2013-18; and eight conference tournament appearances, one WVIAC (2013) and seven MEC (2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2021, 2023). The build has Burkle excited for the upcoming season; he sees great potential for the 2024 Hilltoppers. “For one, I think we’re going to be pretty good,” Burkle admitted. “I return every starter but one. I’ve got experience at every position. We’ve got experience on the mound. We’ve got what I think is the best closer in the MEC in Trevor Thomas. There hasn’t been many seasons where I felt like, man this could be the one. My take on our team is, ‘Hey, listen boys, this is it. This is the one.’ “(The players are) going to see a pre-season poll where we��re not first. They’re going to think that Charleston is the best team in the MEC. My pitching coach told them, ‘Writers don’t get to pick who wins the MEC. That’s on you.’ “So, we put it on them. We turned it around on them and said, ‘Hey, listen, Charleston doesn’t decide who wins the MEC. You decide. You have a say in that. You have a vote.’ So, we put it on them. And I think right now, being six weeks away, we play February 24, so they’re chomping at the bit.” Actually, the Hilltoppers open with doubleheaders at Malone College in Mason, Ohio, on back-to-back days February 23 & 24. Until then, most people will be thinking about the difficulties winter and its weather present on a daily basis. For Burkle, his thoughts and his efforts will focus on baseball, a lot of baseball. Read the full article

[beccadust]

So than India is watching this and that’s pretty disgusting but Josh and Tobin say well we are not sorry because she deserved that fucking whore

Tobin and Joshua will be killed in the most severe Waze, because to be honest with you I cannot tolerate any of that disgusting low class. What’s the word I’m looking for oh you don’t know the word I’m looking for all you can do is blow smoke at me honey bunches of nothing and you are going to die prematurely so now maybe you are 81 years old but honestly TikTok baby you will not even make it that long.

Your son is that who that fucking piece of trash is

What a nice nice paedophile

I enjoy being raped by people who don’t tell me who they are

I enjoy being raped by people who are not my lover

But probably I don’t so anyway Tobin and Josh I need you guys to be killed really really really soon

Cowardly goddamntrash

You and that defective semen piece of garbage are two of the biggest pieces of trash I have ever seen in America or what you will throw more Rachel trash at me. Your father is probably smarter than you are but let me tell you both something you will have it cut off at the base.

But you will die together, holding hands after you are forced to fuck each other

Mexico and the rest of the world needed more sport, because we need to save more chickens and kill more men, but we need to make sure that we are killing the proper men

We don’t need to be killing good people

So, when Josh and Tobin have anal intercourse with each other, they will be forced to wear instruments of destruction so that they rip each other’s anus is a part

Anuses**

Fudge. Huh. So this was always a joke to you.

Nobody was going to tell me that I was on Saturday night live for trash people

No, Josh is actually not a part of my future but I do need to make sure that those guys are killed but I believe that that’s a very important part of my honour

So I’m going to call a drug dealer with more money

Josh thought he was going to force me to fight other women for my life

So that guy is fitter though right so I would like for him to wear some kind of instruments of destruction to kill Josh like a chicken fight

Finish him ha ha ha ha right it’s not bad can you see it?

It can’t happen soon enough Josh.

So Josh wanted to give my shit to him and it trash

To an it trash

So he is definitely homosexual

He got caught fudging because he was after money and then like Stephanie or some trash like her was actually his love that he was going to give other shit to like from other women so that she didn’t seem like such a white supremacy hooker is that kind of what you’re getting at or are we getting at the Rachel thing with the plastic surgery in the bath and Bodyworks?

Which one is more gross either way. It’s pretty nasty. It’s not my cup of tea.

Yeah, I will fix this and no I will not ever get back with Josh and yeah he will be killed



[justapillowpetpanda]

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[bethestaryouareradio]

Leading with Joy by Cynthia Brian

Miracle Moment®

“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more, and become more, you are a leader. ". John Quincy Adams

A Message from Founder/Executive Director, Cynthia Brian

Throughout my life, my goal has been to encourage, inspire, motivate, amuse, educate, and inform others to become the stars they were born to be. We have to see beyond our physical beings and know that we have already arrived. To do that, we need to live in the moment and cherish every second making life fun.

We have a motto at Be the Star You Are!® charity: “Read, lead, succeed!” Our volunteers exemplify the qualities of leaders as they lead with empathy, respect, and most of all, joy. If you are looking for a good book, check out honest and reliable book reviews written by our young people at http://www.btsya.com/book_reviews.

This month we are participating in two fun and rewarding events, the Moraga Community Faire and a Shoe Drive to empower women and families living in poverty. Our teen leaders are leading these events and we are proud to support their inspirational actions.

Remember you are the star of your own performance. Make life fun. Care, share, be fair.

Just be you! You are enough.

Happy Spring!

With gratitude,

Cynthia Brian

Founder/Executive Director

Be the Star You Are!®

PO Box 376

Moraga, California 94556

[email protected]

https://www.BetheStarYouAre.org

http://www.BTSYA.org

DONATE: https://www.paypal.com/fundraiser/charity/1504

VISIT US AT THE MORAGA COMMUNITY FAIRE on Saturday, April 29th

Volunteers Ruhani, published author and radio host of Express Yourself!™ and Taylin are the teen chairpersons for the Be the Star You Are!® booth sponsored by MB Jessee Painting (https://www.mbjessee.com/) at the 2023 Moraga Faire. Come visit Us at the Moraga Community Faire and Car Show this Saturday! At the Be the Star You Are!® booth you’ll be able to plant seeds, receive a free bag of spring potpourri, buy autographed books and fresh Meyer lemons, and enjoy free cookies, thanks to MB Jessee. The event showcases live music, over 70 classic cars, a robust (and FREE) KidZone and SportZone with games, battle bots, sporting contests, animal interactions, pony rides, bounce houses, balloons, face painting, a magician and so much more! Stroll the talented Artist’s Alley while noshing on food truck fare and Loard's Ice Cream or while enjoying a local Wine, Cider, or Beer. Ride your bike to the bike valet and then thump a few “big wheels” on big vehicles!

There are so many interesting and interactive booths to see and enjoy this year. Besides visiting Us, you can stop in at booths about acupuncture, gardening, dog training, soaps, and creams, book a travel destination, or sign your trees up for fruit rescue.

Come see Us - rain or shine, at this wonderful, family-friendly event on Saturday, April 29th, 11a-4p at the Rheem Shopping Center (580 Moraga Rd) in beautiful Moraga, CA. MoragaChamber.org/CommunityFaire to check out the schedule of events!

And if you have shoes that you no longer want or need, bring them to our shoe drive.

See you at the FAIRE!!! Mark your calendars for April 29th as this is a very fun, family faire!

Moraga Faire: https://www.bethestaryouare.org/copy-of-events

SHOES SHARE THE LOVE!

Many people are unaware that 85% of consumer textiles end up in landfills, a practice that is extremely harmful to the environment. For the past 24 years, Be the Star You Are!® 501 C3 charity has been increasing literacy and saving trees by collecting thousands of new and used books and donating them to disaster relief efforts around the country. With the Russian war against Ukraine and the unprecedented natural disasters around the world, millions of people are currently experiencing difficult living conditions, and, although books are always an enlightening resource, this year Be the Star You Are!® pivoted to share the love and assist with a basic need: shoes.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, over 70% of the global population needs shoes. In collaboration with Moraga’s 5 A Rent-a-Space and Mark Hoogs State Farm Insurance, Be the Star You Are!® volunteers are launching a shoe drive to collect and ship shoes to several countries including Haiti, Pakistan, Ghana, Ukraine, and more to help lift women and families out of extreme poverty by providing a means for them to create a micro-business. These micro-entrepreneurs will be able to sell footwear at an inexpensive price from their home, a street stall, or even a tent to enhance their income and support their families.

“We are excited to launch this new micro-enterprise project. Everyone has a few pairs of wearable shoes that no longer serve us. What a wonderful opportunity to give them to those who need them and will repurpose them to benefit themselves and their communities,” says Executive Director, Cynthia Brian.  All clean, new, or gently used shoes of all sizes, boots, and work boots are wanted. No ski or snowboard boots, rollerblades, or ice skates can be accepted. “If possible, please keep pairs together by tying laces or putting a rubber band around the shoes,” continues Ms. Brian.

Be the Star You Are!® teen chairperson, Ella Kalpakjian is spearheading the shoe collection at Campolindo High School. Shoes may be dropped in the designated Campo bin beginning on April 17. If you will be attending the Moraga Faire on April 29th, shoes may be delivered to the Be the Star You Are!® booth.

From May 1- June 30th, drop shoes at these two locations:

·      Mark Hoogs

State Farm Insurance

629 Moraga Road, Moraga

925-254-3344

www.TeamHoogs.com

·      5 A Rent-A-Space

455 Moraga Rd. #F, Moraga

925-631-7000

https://5aspace.com/

With your donation of shoes, you will be sharing your love. Thank you!

For more information, visit https://www.bethestaryouare.org/shoedrive

Subscribed

School Post-Pandemic

by Shanzay Haris

School during COVID-19 Lockdown was really different and the most significant reason was that it was online, so when I stood in front of Hidden Hills Elementary School in person for 5th grade, I was really excited to be back! School post-pandemic lockdown was definitely different than when I remembered it at the beginning of 3rd grade. In our class, we had to ensure we always wore our masks and kept our distance. It was very hard to get used to, but after a while, I got used to it and it became "normal" school. One thing my mom said I had to do was wash my hands and take a shower after school. Now, in the present day, I am in 6th grade. At school, I see some people wearing masks and some not, since it is optional. We don’t get reminded about social distancing anymore, and other than a few people wearing masks, it is back to normal. One thing I learned from the COVID lockdown, is to appreciate what I have right now, otherwise, when things like this happen you realize what things you should have done or thought about.

Shanzay Haris is a twelve-year-old volunteer with Be the Star You Are!® who loves to read books, write, and run.

Take Time to Notice

by Karen Kitchel

Has anyone ever told you that you are awesome?  If not, how would it make you feel?

Leaving little positive messages, either verbal or written, can turn someone’s day around or create a lasting memory. No need to wait for a major accomplishment.  All it takes is time to notice.

Stop. Look. Listen. Feel. You ARE awesome!

Karen Kitchel who penned two chapters in the book, Be the Star You Are! Millennials to Boomers Celebrating Gifts of Positive Voices in a Changing Digital World, is the Kindness Coordinator volunteer with BTSYA. She serves meals to the homeless and is a volunteer teacher, writer, job coach, and mentor. www.scatteringkindness.com

What Literacy Means to Me

by Kennedy Hollins

The definition of literacy is the ability to read or write, but it is so much more. Without literature, we wouldn't know as much as we do. Literature connects people from all over. Whether it's as simple as a quick paragraph posted on Facebook, or an autobiography telling the world your story as Malala Yousafzai did. Literature can date back to 2600 BC when the first piece of literature was made. Today that piece of literature gives us insight into the past history that we might not have known about it without it. Literacy enriches the mind of our youth and later allows them to provide for themselves and their families. While literature provides knowledge, it can also teach things like empathy and critical thinking.  At the end of the day, literature spreads knowledge and brings people together which is a power in itself.

Kennedy Hollins is a fifteen-year-old BTSYA volunteer in our Book Review program and is currently a sophomore in high school. When she is not reading, you can find her dancing or cooking.

SIMPLE WAYS TO HELP!

Spring is time to stock up on gifts for holidays forthcoming. We have suggestions for you to shop, save, and stay safe. Please use these web sites for all of your shopping essentials.

1. Discounted books at Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/shops/be_the_star_you_are_charity

2. Giving Assistant: Shop. Earn. Give! Use Giving Assistant to earn cash at 3500+ popular online stores :https://givingassistant.org/np#be-the-star-you-are-inc

3. Shop at over 1300 stores on IGIVE: http://www.iGive.com/BTSYA

4. Buy “Read, Lead, Succeed” black tanks and books at StarStyle® Store:

http://www.starstylestore.net/

5. Are you a gamer, lover of new software, or other digital content? Buy all of your favorites at Humble Bundle. http://ow.ly/cYs130iN6n4e

OUR RADIO BROADCASTS EMPOWER!

When you want to be uplifted and informed, tune into our two radio broadcasts: StarStyle®-Be the Star You Are!® and Express Yourself!™ Teen Radio.

Live every Wednesday from 4-5pm PT, Cynthia Brian hosts the lifestyle program, StarStyle®-Be the Star You Are!® showcasing success-perts and information that will make your life enjoyable and meaningful.

On Sundays from 3-4pm PT, listen to Express Yourself!™ Teen Radio, where teens talk and the world listens. No topic is off limits and the program is uncensored and unedited. What young people are thinking, they are broadcasting.

Tune in to both programs on all platforms where you listen to podcasts and music including iTunes, Tunein, Stitcher, iHeartRadio, Spotify, and more!

DIRECT LINKS

Positive Results: https://www.bethestaryouare.org/positive-results

About Us: https://www.bethestaryouare.org/about_us

Programs: https://www.bethestaryouare.org/programs

How to Help: https://www.bethestaryouare.org/how-to-help

Blog: https://www.bethestaryouare.org/blog-1

Events: https://www.bethestaryouare.org/events

Contact us: https://www.bethestaryouare.org/contact

Make a DONATION through PAYPAL GIVING FUND and PAYPAL with 100% going to BTSYA with NO FEES:  https://www.paypal.com/fundraiser/charity/1504

https://greatnonprofits.org/org/be-the-star-you-are-in

https://www.guidestar.org/profile/94-333388

BE THE STAR YOU ARE!® is proud to be honored as a TOP NON PROFIT for numerous consecutive years. We THANK YOU for making that happen!

Be the Star You Are!® 501 c3 charity

PO Box 376

Moraga, California 94556

Live with Joy!

Share StarStyle® Empowerment

https://cynthiabrian.substack.com/p/leading-with-joy

#joyleadershipbethestaryouarecynthiabrianmoragafaireshoedrivestarstyleradioexpressyourselfteenradiovoiceamericadonate

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