#Pakistani crew

[crowsnest]

intro post.

call me crow! I am a 22 year old bi trans man writer who's pakistani and white. I love fantasy, horror, science fiction, and fantasy. And I also love writing these stories, of course. I'm currently writing two stories that are at admittedly two different stages but I hope to keep track of my progress through this blog.

a diamond in the sea - Johnny Rodrigues grew up on Solitam romanticizing pirates, especially his big brother Bruno, captain of the Sun Pirates. His own dream is to be a pirate someday. One day, the members of the Sun Pirates all come back but one person is missing-Bruno. Johnny will soon embark on a journey to find his big brother with the help of his crew he meets along the way.

status: first draft in progress

project dress up doll - Mellie grew up never fitting in with other people around her and when she got into college, she expected that to be the same. But one day, when she's paired up with the girl she's had a crush on since freshman year, Samrina, she learns they have more in common than they thought.

status: plotting

[autisticburnham]

disco crew + least to most spice tolerance

Zora: Can't eat

Adira: This kid is terrified of trying new things, they've got a very limited palate

Reno: I don't recall ever seeing her eat anything other than candy

Stamets: This man screams stereotypical white guy to me

Saru: I was going to say that I get the vibe Kelpian food is pretty bland, but then I remembered him heaping salt into his tea. I have no idea how or what this guy eats

Tilly: My initial impulse was to put her lower, but little miss "I love feeling feelings" is absolutely that sensory seeking type of autism, she will try all sorts of intense flavors

Culber: He's the human character we most see attached to his culture, including the food. I've never specifically had Puerto Rican food, but Google says it's heavily seasoned, but not often spicy, so I'm putting him pretty middle of the pack

Book: I don't remember if we ever hear any food preferences from him or anything about Kwejian food, so I'm also putting him pretty middle of the road

Tyler: Like all things in his life, I think Ash probably has a complicated relationship with food on account of the having two complete separate memories of growing up, complete with two separate palates. Pakistani and Klingon cuisine do at least probably share a love of spices

Detmer: I thought Tilly was sensory seeking? The adrenaline junkie over here will burn her mouth off for fun

Owosekun: I don't know much about Nigerian cuisine, but every Nigerian novel I've ever read mentions pepper soup, so I imagine even their Luddites are used to a lot of spice

Burnham: I believe accounts vary as to whether or not Vulcan food is spicy, but I believe it to be so, and I think she probably grew up with a fairly wide palate even before Vulcan. And Michael's managed to make it look more professional than Detmer, but she loves thrill seeking too

Mirror Georgiou: She's from the sex and violence universe, she can't not be okay with a little pain in search of other fun experiences. I think she does like spicy food, but even if she didn't, she'd die before admitting she can't handle it

Trek ranking ask game

[pascalscoffin]

Bad Idea

Full Pedro Masterlist

No this is not inspired by Olivia Rodrigo’s song

Warnings: Minors Go Away I Will Kick You In The Forehead. Smut: unprotected p in v sex (do what you want, heathens); oral (f receiving); biting; Dieter gives a pussy she/her pronouns; “choking”; Dieters a menace. Reader works at the hotel and just can’t follow literally one of the only rules DONT FUCK THEM

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You never really fawned over celebrities before, you never really understood the hype, they were just normal people that made it onto tv more often than most normal people. Anyway, that’s what you used to think, but being the concierge of a fancy ass hotel in England quickly taught you otherwise.

Sure, celebrities wanted you to think they were normal, just regular people milling through their day with an annoying boss- their bosses were in fact annoying- but these people were far from normal, most of them had absolutely insane views, or requested absolutely ridiculous things from you or the other hotel workers. And they never fucking tipped. Ever.

So, the ‘do not fuck them’ rule was never really a problem for you, sure your favorite celebrity would come in, you’d get the butterflies and the nervous feelings- and then they opened their mouth and they were just… horrible, and any infatuation you’d had for them would be gone immediately.

When you heard a whole slew of them would be bubbling in the hotel you worked at, you seriously considered completely resigning from the job altogether and finding a new one, you didn’t want to be stuck in a hotel with those people for three months! Filling their ridiculous requests and making them feel good about themselves when they inevitably crash, because they always do.

Ronjon, though, had somehow managed to convince you not to, and now here you were, standing at the front desk of the hotel as the actors got taken care of outside before coming in. It was the Cliffbeasts cast and crew, Cliffbeasts, while it was an okay movie, ultimately did… nothing for you because you really would rather just go watch Jurassic Park.

Not to mention the cast of the Cliffbeasts movies made you want to shoot yourself in the face. Sean Knox was a “wellness guru” though something felt fishy there to you, like maybe he didn’t believe in it or something, or maybe like it was a cult. Carol Cobb.. you weren’t sure why you didn’t like her, she was a decent actress.. well despite that half-Pakistani half-Israeli role she’d recently done but you couldn’t really blame her for that… could you? Lauren Van Champ… you really really didn’t like Lauren, her nasally cry thing was annoying, her Cliffbeasts accent was just… too harsh, and her all around… everything just made you not like her. Her husband Dustin Mulray was a class A fucking asshole, drunk and disorderlies, screaming at old ladies, he was even seen flipping off a seven year old one time.

Krystal Kris was a new face to the movies, a young girl famous on TikTok for her choreography.. if you can call swaying your ass back and forth choreography. Howie Frangopolous was a good actor with some truly comedic gold lines, though a bit hot headed according to tabloids.

And then there was Dieter Bravo. Dieter was probably the only one that didn’t put on a show for people, didn’t try to make his life seem more or less fabulous, he didn’t dress up for anything that wasn’t a tv interview or an award show, though you figured if he could dress like a hobo to those things he probably would.

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You’d heard Dieter was a man whore, giving himself over to any woman or guy that was willing to lay under or on top of him. So, you expected him to be.. less than appropriate. Maybe a scandalous comment here and there, or sultry looks, you didn’t know, but you were determined to stick your ground and not fall into any traps.

That proved difficult, though, because it seemed like every time you went to Dieter’s room to collect a service tray, or bring him food or clean towels, he wanted a serving platter once and hasn’t returned it yet, he was pretty much fucking naked, door flung all the way open with his arms stretched out, sometimes in a bathrobe, other times in a wool brown robe you often thought about feeling anywhere on your skin that wasn’t your fingertips. Always with a cheeky, sexual grin as he tried to coax you into his chamber of pleasure, you’d decline with a comment about him having a fist and internet before practically sprinting away from him.

You’d tried not to be around him too much if you didn’t have to go to his room, feeling your resolve crack each time he’d flash you that stupid fucking smile that made your heart palpitate. The stars were having dinner together tonight though so you wouldn’t be able to avoid him like you’d hoped.

You walked over to him and Carol when you noticed he didn’t have any water and motioned to his water class with the pitcher in your hand. “Would you like some more?” Dieter looked over at you quickly and grinned over the top of his sunglasses. “Yes. Please.” He reached for his water quickly and extended it out to you, gazing up at you with those big brown eyes.

God you had to get away from him, away from this room, before your resolve completely shattered and you were begging him to just take you right then and there. Bad idea, bad idea, bad idea. Repeated in your head like a mantra as you poured his water and then rushed away from him, feeling your face start to warm up under his heated gaze.

Dieter stared at you like that all night, like he knew something you didn’t know and it was driving you crazy. At the end of the dinner you rushed to help clean everything up as the actors started to file out of the room. Dieter, though, hung by the entry way, watching you as you scampered around the dining area.

When you made your way out you stopped in front of Dieter and put on your most professional smile. “What can I get for you, Dieter.” Dieter looked down at you and tilted his head a little.

“Do you wanna have sex with me?” Your eyes widened and you jerked your head behind you to make sure your coworkers hadn’t heard, opening and closing your mouth before looking at Dieter. “That’s unprofessional, Dieter.” You stuttered, trying to move past him.

He followed you, though, and continued. “That wasn’t a no.” He looked at you and you sighed, shaking your head. “It’s a bad idea.” “Again, that’s not a no.” You sighed harder this time and stopped, turning to face him. “Do you actually want to have sex with me or just sex with something?” Dieter opened and closed his mouth and you raised a brow. “Find me with an answer and I’ll give you mine.” “Yours?” Dieter perked up and his eyes fell to your crotch. You scoffed and slapped under his chin. “My answer.” You rolled your eyes. “Now go to your room and take a cold shower or something.”

“Cold showers don’t work.” Dieter grumbled as he slouched away, bath robe swinging side to side with a big pout on his face. You shook your head and went back to doing your work, rubbing your wrist against your forehead.

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Two days later Dieter was asking for chocolate strawberries and rosé to be brought to his room- by you specifically. When you got to his room you tapped your knuckles against it and hummed as you waited for him to open the door.

When he opened it, he actually had pants on this time, well not pants, more like those dress shorts you usually hated on men but… they looked good on Dieter. And of course, he had on that brown robe again. He looked godly, really.

“Hi. Come in.” Dieter stepped to the side quickly and you raised a brow before stepping into the room a when he motioned you in before closing the door. You looked at the door, and then Dieter.

“I thought about what you said.” He nodded and sat on the sofa, patting the cushion next to him. This is a bad idea. Echoed in your head as you slowly set the strawberries and rosé down, sitting down next to him even slower as you pressed your hands into your skirt. “Okay…”

You didn’t actually expect him to think about it. You thought maybe he’d give up the chase and try to find someone else in the hotel or maybe finally cave in and just fuck his god damn fist- no such luck, though.

“I thought about it a lot. Like a lot. I haven’t slept. Well I slept but only for like thirty minutes and then I dreamt about it.” You blinked and motioned for him to continue. “Okay…” he nodded. “I wanna have sex with you. Anybody else is just confident. Around.” He shrugged. “Besides… I’ve wanted to taste you since the second I walked into the hotel.”

You widened your eyes a little and let out a little scoff. “What?” “That’s why I keep asking people if they wanna have sex. I keep thinking about you. About how your pussy would taste. How she looks. Fuck I bet she’s pretty.” His eyes are glued to your skirt now, pulling his bottom lip between his teeth as you looked anywhere but at him because you had one sliver of resolve left and you could already feel it starting to slip away right into Dieter’s thick fingers for him to just completely obliterate.

“Dieter you can’t-“ Dieter was in your personal space now, practically sitting on you but not necessarily in your face or anything. “Bet she glitters like fucking gold when she’s all wet and waiting for somebody’s cock.” And then his hand is sliding under your skirt and his lips are on your neck. “I bet she’s soft and warm and tight. I bet she’ll flutter like a fucking butterfly when I finally let her cum.” And that was it.

You whined and grabbed Dieter’s wrist to push his hand under your skirt, taking a deep breath when his large warm hand settled over your panties, already wet with your arousal. Dieter groaned low in his chest before slipping his hand into your panties and resuming his assault on your neck, getting more aggressive.

“Need you to say it.” He shifted so he was turned towards you better. “Tell me what you want, pretty girl.” He nipped at your jawline lightly, causing you to shudder as your eyelids fluttered, moaning softly. “Dieter- need you to fuck me. Please.” You scratched his forearm lightly. “Please.”

Dieter pulled away and was quickly tugging your blouse of your skirt and started yanking it over your head before kissing your chest, biting down on the flesh of your left breast. You yelped a little and looked down at him as he slid his tongue over the bite and grinned before lifting you up so he could unzip your skirt before tugging it down.

Once he had your clothes off and you were sitting there in your bra and panties, he stood up and put his hands on his hips, getting a good at you. “Fuck you look gorgeous.” He mumbled, licking his lips before leaning down and slamming his lips against yours.

You pushed into the kiss eagerly and let out a soft moan, grabbing his robe and pulling him down on top of you, pressing up against him. Dieter moaned happily and pressed his hips down into yours eagerly, letting out a shuttery breath.

“Gotta taste you. Fuck. I’ve been wanting to taste you.” He reached behind you to unhook your bra, nipping lightly at your nipples before trailing down your torso and to where he really wanted to be.

“She’s crying for me, baby. You shouldn’t deprive a lady of what she wants.” Dieter shook his head and pulled your panties down, groaning happily and closing his eyes before pressing his face deep into your pussy.

You gasped and looked down at him with wide eyes, moaning loudly and gripping the couch cushions tightly, trembling a little. “Dieter- fuck.” You pushed your hips up into his mouth and whined softly, looking down at him.

Dieter peered up at you through his lashes, humming happily and sucking on your clit like a pacifier. Your back arched as you gasped loudly, moaning as your eyelids fell shut, dropping your head back as you rocked your hips up into his mouth eagerly, your hands moving from the cushions to his hair when he slid his tongue into you and started fucking you with it.

You’d never really enjoyed oral before, most guys that tried were rushing so they could get to their prize, bury themselves in you and then never call you again. Dieter, though, Dieter ate pussy like his life absolutely depended on whether or not you came. His tongue massaged every inch eagerly but not too eager to the point where he was rushed and sloppy.

His movements were calculated, lips moving like he was having the most intense make out session, sloppy wet sounds mixing with his moans and groans, fingernails dug deep into your skin. He was actually enjoying it, his own hips pushing against the air as he looked up at you with those big brown eyes, whining and begging you to cum on his tongue.

It wasn’t long before your brows furrowed and your mouth fell open, her legs shaking and closing around his head as you came with a loud cry of his name, trembling a little and tangling your fingers tightly in the hair on the back of his head, keeping him in place even if he made no movements to pull away.

After a moment, though, he tapped your thigh and you felt your cheeks warm up more than they already. Your skin was practically on fire, already a little damp from the exertion. You slowly opened your legs and Dieter pulled up with a small gasp, panting softly as he grinned cheekily, face shiny with your juices.

You blinked rapidly as you looked at him and shifted a little. “Knew she tasted good. Taste.” He leaned in and pressed his lips to yours tightly, pulling you closer to him as he pushed his tongue into your mouth. You moaned happily and tangled your tongue with his. Dieter wasn’t really the type to wipe his face, instead opting for leaving your juices there, sliding his tongue wherever he could get it on his face before he was picking you up and carrying you over to his bed.

You yelped when he threw you down on it and laughed as you looked up at him. “Keep it on.” You said quickly when he went to take off the coat, raising a brow at you. “What?”

“I…” you huffed. “You come to the door naked in the coat constantly and you’re not gonna fuck me in it?” You pouted. “A little lack-luster if you ask me, Dieter.”

Dieter blinked and slowly let go of the coat with a grin, humming. “Alright.” He moved down to his shorts and undid them before pushing them down- commando- you expected nothing less from him.

“God I’ve been dreaming about this since I got here. Been wanting to bury myself in this warm pussy.” Dieter purred and kissed you deeply as he pushed your legs apart and slotted himself between them, grinding against you but not quite sliding in yet.

“Please, Dieter. Need you.” You begged, grabbing his shoulders under the jacket as you peered up at him, trying to tug him closer. “Can’t stop thinking about it. Please.”

Dieter grinned and chuckled a little as he started kissing your neck. “So impatient.” “Says the guys who’s been begging me to fuck him for three weeks.” Dieter laughed again and lifted up so he could watch as he grabbed the base of his dick and guided it into you slowly, groaning happily.

“Look at how hungry she is.” He mumbled softly, sliding his thumb over your clit slowly. “Swallowing me up so good. Didn’t even need to stretch her out.” He ran his hands over you slowly, pulling out and then sliding back in, groaning. “God it looks so pretty. Fuck. Got me all soaked already.” He dropped his head back as he bottomed out, eyelids fluttering as he closed them.

“Dieter~” you whimpered, you were honestly surprised you hadn’t needed any stretching, Dieter was definitely the biggest guy you’d been with, not in just one aspect but individually you’ve been with men that compared either girth wise or length wise. But you’d never been with someone as long and as girthy as Dieter, your legs shook as you hooked them around his waist, sliding under the coat as you whined.

“Fuck you feel so good.” Dieter groaned into your neck, starting to bite and suck on your neck. “Harder- Dieter, harder. Please.” You begged him, tugging him closer and leaning up to kiss him eagerly as he started fucking into you harder, huffing softly.

“Listen to you, baby. You sound so fucking pretty- fuck- gonna have to keep you around huh?” He kissed your jaw lightly, nudging his nose against your cheek lightly. “Would you like that? You can come live with me in Sherman Oaks, have your own room- fuck- your own house if you want one. Never have to work again just be my little play thing- fuuuck.” Dieter whimpered when your nails dug into his shoulders, a gasp falling from your lips when he brushed your gspot.

“Dieter-“ “aww I know, sweet girl.” Dieter purred, kissing your cheek gently. “Feels good, huh?” He angled his hips to hit your gspot with each thrust, groaning with the way you were fluttering around him, shuddering as you nodded your head rapidly. “Yes. Fuck it feels so good, Dieter.” You whined, rocking your hips with his before gasping when he shoved your hips down into the mattress.

“Stay still, sweet girl. You just sit there, look pretty, and feel good.” Dieter hummed, nipping lightly at your jawline as you nodded eagerly, not even sure what you were agreeing to as you felt his thumb press into your clit, the rest of his hand splayed over your mons pubis, his fingertips grazing your midriff as your head fell back, the pressure of his hand pressing down caused everything to feel ten times stronger than it already did.

You looked up at Dieter and saw him watching his hand with an astonished look on his face. “W-why are you making that face?” You whimpered softly as Dieter chuckled. “Can feel my dick through your stomach, gorgeous.” He licked his lips. “Fuck. Let me keep you, baby. Please.” He begged, looking from your stomach to your eyes.

“Wanna be able to fuck this pretty pussy whenever I want to. God.” He dropped his head back for a second and snapped his hips harder into you. “Gonna let me? Please, please, please.” He moaned and pressed his hand harder against your stomach, making you whimper and scream his name as that coil in your stomach snapped and heat spread across your body, legs tightening around Dieter to pull him closer.

“Fuck- yes, Dieter. Don’t ever wanna stop doing this.” You whined and arched your back. Dieter gasped softly and moaned before leaning down and kissing you eagerly, moaning and pushing his tongue into your mouth as he came, pushing deep inside you as his muscles shook.

You slid your arms through the jacket and wrapped them tightly around Dieter’s middle to keep him close, nudging his nose against your cheek before covering you in kisses and little licks like he was a kitten.

You laid like that for a while, Dieter keeping himself hovered over you as he smothered you in kisses. Slowly, he moved off of you and laid next to you, laying on his side so he can look at you, a dopey smile on his face.

You felt a little awkward under his stare, slowly starting to fold your arms over your chest until he stopped you, grabbing your arms and pulling you close to him, kissing your knuckles. “Did you mean it?” He asked curiously and you looked at him, furrowing your brows. “About moving to Sherman Oaks with me.” He lifted on his elbow, looking down at you a little giddy as his fingertips drew patterns on your stomach, trailing up your chest and to your neck before grabbing it lightly at the sides.

“Want you to move in with me. Be my little housewife.” He bit his lip as he ran his eyes over your face, he looked a little nervous. You swallowed thickly, opening and closing your mouth before you nodded slowly.

“Okay.” You said softly. The idea of living with Dieter did seem nice, especially if this was something that was going to happen on any kind of basis, day to day or otherwise. “I wanna live with you.”

He perked up and grinned widely. “Yeah?” He shifted so he was sitting up now, his hand pressed down against your collarbone as you laughed softly and nodded, cheeks warm. “Yeah.”

Dieter grinned and leaned in to kiss you deeply, you yelped a little and giggled as you kissed him back, closing his eyes and laying your hands on his cheeks. “Good.” He laid beside you again, pulling you tight against his side as he nuzzled your neck, slinging his other arm around you and hugging you tightly.

You didn’t peg him for the cuddling type, though now that you were wrapped up in the octopus-like limbs of Dieter Bravo, it made sense he would cling to you like this, physical touch seemed to be a big thing for him, something he was always craving.

On some sort of sub-level you understood, being an only child with parents that would rather work and drop you with nannies you knew all about not getting the love and affection children craved and required.

Maybe this wasn’t such a bad idea after all.

Maybe you and Dieter could be good for eachother.

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Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed!

[enriquemzn262]

Qatari and Pakistani air crews pose with their aircraft, Eurofighter Typhoon and Chengdu J-10C respectively, during the 2024 ZILZAL joint exercise.

[stele3]

https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israel-detains-medics-after-hospital-raid-health-officials-say-2024-12-28/

[befuddled-calico-whump]

What ethnicities are the crew (plus Vic and Sahota)?

Kaius is Punjabi/Pakistani (and British lol, but that's moreso the culture he grew up in)

Benji is Cherokee/Japanese

Joy is Filipino

Hunter is Korean/Caucasian (both his parents were Korean/white)

Jericho is African American

Sahota is Bengali (his paternal grandmother was Turkish)

Vic is white, with mostly Italian heritage

[ukrfeminism]

5 minute read

A toxic culture of sexual assault, harassment, racism and bullying has been alleged by more than 100 current and recent UK staff at outlets of the fast-food chain McDonald's.

The BBC was told that workers, some as young as 17, are being groped and harassed almost routinely.

The UK equality watchdog said it was "concerned" by the BBC's findings and is launching a new email hotline.

McDonald's said it had "fallen short" and it "deeply apologised".

It added that all employees deserved to work in a safe, respectful and inclusive workplace.

The BBC began investigating working conditions at McDonald's in February, after the company signed a legally binding agreement with the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) in which it pledged to protect its staff from sexual harassment.

At the time, McDonald's insisted: "We already have a strong track record in this area."

But our investigation has revealed a very different picture.

Over a five-month period, we reached out to McDonald's workers to ask about their experiences of working there. Of the more than 100 allegations from employees we spoke to, 31 related to sexual assault, and 78 related to sexual harassment.

We also heard 18 allegations of racism, while six people made allegations of homophobia.

Warning - this article contains distressing content

Claims the BBC has heard include:

A 17-year-old current employee in Cheshire who says a colleague 20 years older than her called her a racial slur word and asked to show her his penis, and said he wanted to make a "black and white" baby with her

A former worker who was 17 when a senior manager at a Plymouth restaurant choked her and grabbed her bottom. A shift manager also sent her sexually explicit images

A manager in Hampshire who suggested a 16-year-old male worker perform sexual acts in exchange for vapes

A manager who preyed on 16-year-old new female starters in a Cheshire restaurant, trying to pressurise them into having sex

A woman who said she was called a slur word and subject to racist jokes at an Aberdeen branch

A current worker in Essex who says she faced antisemitic abuse

A current worker in Oxfordshire, originally from India, who says crew members spoke in "gibberish" to imitate her and called a Pakistani colleague a terrorist

Male managers and crew members at a branch in Wales making jokes about putting cash bets on which of them could sleep with a new recruit first

An outbreak of gonorrhoea at a branch in Northern Ireland where sexual relationships between staff members were commonplace

Multiple workers told us that McDonald's managers at the outlets across the UK were responsible for the harassment and assaults.

All too often, senior managers are said to have failed to act on complaints.

Staff have also told the BBC of sexual relationships between managers and more junior members of staff, which is against company policy.

Young women have described feeling constantly judged about how they looked.

One current worker said she was seen by her male colleagues as "fresh meat" when she started at her branch in Nottingham. Other female workers told us they were forced by managers to wear uniforms that were too tight for them.

"There is a saying at McDonald's, "tits on tills" - boys in the kitchen, girls on the counter. The idea is to put attractive people at the front," said Lucy, who's 22 and worked in Norwich.

"It's the expectation that if you work at McDonald's, you will be harassed," added Emily, who's 20. She left her branch in Brighton last year, after a male colleague in his 60s kept stroking her hair in a sexually suggestive way and making her feel uncomfortable.

McDonald's is one of the UK's largest private sector employers. The fast food giant has more than 170,000 people working in 1,450 restaurants.

Its staff are also one of the country's youngest workforces. Three quarters of its employees are aged between 16 and 25. For many, it is their first job.

Most workers are not directly employed by the company as McDonald's uses a franchise system, which means individual operators are licensed to run the outlets and employ the staff.

'I went to work in fear'

Shelby was just 16 when she started working at a McDonald's restaurant in Berkshire last year.

She said older male colleagues would use the cramped layout in the kitchen as an excuse to touch junior female staff inappropriately.

"They'd grope stomach, waists, bums," she said. "Every shift I worked, there would be at least a comment being made, or I'd be brushed, a hand brushed across me, or it would be a more severe thing, like having my bum grabbed, hips grabbed."

There was one man in his 50s, in particular, that managers "warned" young staff members to stay away from, Shelby said.

One day last summer, she said she was standing at the front counter when he came up behind her and grabbed her onto him, pulling her onto his groin.

"I just froze," she said. "I felt disgusted."

Shelby says she told senior management about what was going on in the store, but nothing was done. In her resignation email, she said it was a "toxic work environment".

McDonald's said it was "deeply sorry" to hear about what Shelby went through. It added that it was investigating why any issues that she raised were not formally escalated at the time.

Managers turning a blind eye

We do not know how many of the workers we spoke to made formal complaints. But a number of them told us they did - only for them to be ignored.

In the case of 17-year-old Chinyere in Cheshire, who was sexually and racially harassed by a much older man, she initially raised it with a female colleague who was responsible for staff wellbeing. She told her to ignore the man's behaviour and go back to work. After months of harassment, Chinyere confided in her stepfather who wrote to the franchise, to corporate headquarters and the police.

The man was then fired. Chinyere believes if her stepfather hadn't intervened, nothing would have happened. McDonald's described her experiences as "abhorrent and unacceptable" and apologised unreservedly. It said it took swift action as soon as the issue came to its attention and that the man was dismissed within three days. They added: "It takes a great deal of courage to speak up and as soon as we were made aware of the situation the individual in question was offered both internal and independent external support."

Another worker in Birmingham, who says she was smacked on the bottom by a male colleague when she was 19, reported it immediately to her manager. But despite it being caught on camera and her having a visible bruise, she was forced to continue working with him, which made her so uncomfortable that she eventually quit.

Several workers also said that when complaints were made about managers, they were then moved from one McDonald's restaurant within the franchise to another, rather than being fired.

Other employees said they didn't complain as they couldn't risk losing work. Young staff at McDonald's are often on zero hours contracts - it means their hours are flexible, but also that they are at the mercy of shift managers who decide their rotas.

What to do if you have been sexually harassed at work

Report it: Charity Victim Support says you can report it to your manager, HR representative or trade union who will take action.

Keep a record: Including dates, times and details of what happened, as well as any relevant emails. These could be helpful if you decide to report it.

Get help: Victim Support operates a free and confidential 24/7 helpline and live chat service. Call 0808 16 89 111 or use the live chat at: victimsupport.org.uk/live-chat.

Call the police: If sexual harassment escalates into violence, threats or sexual assault, you should report this to the police by calling 101. If you are in danger, call 999.

Training 'not taken seriously'

In the February agreement, McDonald's pledged "zero tolerance" on sexual harassment and to deliver training for employees.

But staff have told the BBC the training is not being taken seriously by managers.

One employee described perching an iPad next to a McFlurry machine and speeding through the harassment training video while he made drinks.

Baroness Kishwer Falkner, chairwoman of the EHRC, said every firm should have zero tolerance of sexual harassment and protect its workforce.

McDonald's culture has faced scrutiny globally. In the US it is facing multimillion dollar lawsuits brought by employees over sexual harassment allegations.

Its chief executive, Steve Easterbrook, was fired in 2019 after it was revealed he had inappropriate consensual relationships with McDonald's employees.

Allegations of sexual harassment at McDonald's first surfaced in the UK five years ago when the Bakers, Food and Allied Workers Union (BFAWU) says it received 1,000 complaints. There was very little reporting of the allegations at the time - this could be because some cases were settled using confidentiality clauses.

Sarah Woolley, BFAWU's general secretary, said the new allegations uncovered by the BBC were "shocking".

Alistair Macrow, chief executive of McDonald's UK & Ireland, said there was "simply no place for harassment, abuse, or discrimination" at the company.

"Every one of the 177,000 employees in McDonald's UK deserves to work in a safe, respectful and inclusive workplace. There are clearly instances where we have fallen short and for that we deeply apologise," he told the BBC.

"We will investigate all allegations brought to us, and all proven breaches of our code of conduct will be met with the most severe measures we can legally impose, up to and including dismissal."

Mr Macrow said that more than 2,000 managers had completed full awareness training and that most restaurant teams were now working within the new protections which aim to create "a safe and respectful workplace". He added that the company has stringent rules to ensure its workplaces around the world are safe and respectful.

[usafphantom2]

USAF releases the first modified B-1B with the BEAST update

Fernando Valduga By Fernando Valduga 10/09/2023 - 14:00 in Military

The first B-1 Lancer of the 7th USAF Bomber Wing with the BEAST (B-1 Embracing Agile Scheduling Team) update made its first flight on September 8, 2023, from Dyess Air Base, Texas, marking a new era of lethality for the venerable aircraft.

BEAST is designed to shorten the time to put the new systems into operation, preserve aircraft availability and ensure compliance with federal government aviation guidelines.

"BEAST modernizes the aircraft's avionic systems and gives it life and lethality until 2040 and beyond," said Colonel Joshua Pope, commander of the 7º Maintenance Group. "I was part of the Air Force Global Attack Command team when the project started a short time ago, so being here now watching is a truly impressive feat of innovation, scheduling and teamwork between the maintenance groups, the command and the B-1B System Program Office. This is really a total team effort."

The modifications are designed to modernize the aircraft's friend or enemy identification system, provide tactical data communication capability to Link 16, and update secure communications systems. The program also updates the aircraft's defensive avionic system and updates its mass data storage for the current digital environment.

“BEAST significantly increases the lethality of B-1B, surpassing its current capabilities,” said Colonel Dan Alford, commander of the 7º Operations Group. "Our crew is excited to get their hands on this new technology that will reduce their workload and allow them to focus on the combat employment of the weapons system itself."

By collaborating with the B-1B System Program Office and the 76º Aircraft Maintenance Group, the B-1Bs will be modified during the Scheduled Warehouse Maintenance at Tinker Air Base and at each main operational location, at Dyess Air Base and Ellsworth Air Base.

"This method allows the shortest completion time, while giving each bomber wing the flexibility to program its aircraft for modification according to aircraft availability requirements," Pope said. "It is the best for all organizations and ensures that the B-1B is ready to fight from here."

This modified B-1B is the first of the 23 that will be modified in Dyess by a field team hired specifically for this modification. According to the current construction, all aircraft of the 7ª Bomber Wing will be completed as planned and ready for immediate deployment, if necessary.

Tags: Military AviationB-1B LancerUSAF - United States Air Force / U.S. Air Force

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Fernando Valduga

Fernando Valduga

Aviation photographer and pilot since 1992, he has participated in several events and air operations, such as Cruzex, AirVenture, Daytona Airshow and FIDAE. He has work published in specialized aviation magazines in Brazil and abroad. Uses Canon equipment during his photographic work throughout the world of aviation.

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[beardedmrbean]

NEW DELHI (AP) — India's naval forces rescued an Iranian-flagged fishing vessel hijacked by Somali pirates and freed its 19-member Pakistani crew off the east coast of Somalia, a navy statement said Tuesday.

The rescue operation was the third this week involving Somali pirates and came a day after India's forces freed another Iranian fishing vessel named Iman and its 17 crew members from Somali pirates in the same waters. On Saturday, the Seychelles’ defense forces and coast guard rescued six Sri Lankan fishermen whose vessel had been hijacked by Somali pirates.

The Indian navy’s latest operation rescued the Iranian vessel Al Naeemi from the pirates late Monday. The ship intercepted the vessel and forced the pirates to release the crew and boat, which 11 Somali pirates had boarded, the statement said.

The navy did not immediately say what happened to the pirates responsible for the hijacking. But it posted images showing 10 pirates with their hands tied behind them and armed Indian naval troops guarding them. Another image showed some armed pirates on the vessel.

The piracy occurred in international waters about 850 nautical miles (1,570 kilometers) west of the Indian coastal city of Kochi.

Amid disruptions in global shipping due to attacks by Yemen-based Houthi rebels in the Red Sea since November, the Indian navy has ramped up its deployment by sending three guided missile destroyers and reconnaissance aircraft to the vast Indian Ocean.

They have carried out several anti-piracy missions in addition to helping at least four merchant vessels that were attacked in the high waters amid Israel’s war with Hamas.

[paranakan]

Has anyone ever said Fly with Pakistan Airlines, Must accept being Pakistani. One of the characteristics of Pakistan is the unique brewing of tea that can be experienced on PIA flights.

PIA still maintains the old catering experience. Crews wear national costumes and come with a large tray of various options. All told, nearly half of the airlines have already canceled it. Only some airlines still maintain this identity.

[eileenguy]

rlly insane that there are Pakistani billionaires inside the death submarine that has so many international govt squads and forces looking for it but the Pakistani migrants (400/500 of them) aboard the Greek refugee boat were "forced below deck" because of their race and mistreated by crew when they asked for help/water/tried to escape. so no. i don't care for the BILLIONAIRES who wanted to desecrate a mass grave of similarly drowned poor people aboard the Titanic all those years ago, who are now dying because of the consequences of their own actions. if you're worrying for the poor helpless 19-yr-old neurodivergent minor in that death tank over the estimated 100 child refugees who died on that boat and are chastising people joking abt said billionaires and their stupidity, then i really don't respect you or your morals. give the same attention and sympathy to all the migrants aboard that boat trying to escape poverty, famine and other insane conditions in their own countries over these rich idiots and then we'll talk.

[autisticburnham]

Now that I am able to view his story with a distance from the anger that came with watching it live, I do find Ash Tyler to be an incredibly compelling character. Having been two separate people of incredibly disparate lives merged together in one person is a fascinating character concept and one that I do think is under-explored in the two seasons we get of him. Also one that opens itself up to a lot of interesting metaphorical readings. His relationships to the rest of his cast, while also in my opinion under-explored, are fascinating as well, and I wish we got to see more of them. And he continually makes choices that baffle me and make me want to study him like a bug. I would genuinely love to see more of him in future Trek.

That said, I can't ignore the glaring issues with his character. The rape storyline was so badly mishandled that I genuinely can't even tell what the writers were going for. Our first Pakistani character being a spy, twice over, and being portrayed as more violent than the other Starfleet characters is disgusting. And the Discovery writer's crew seemed to be under the impression that the sci fi version of the CIA was cool and sexy rather than inherently horrific.

He's such a mixed bag, and I'm sad he got left behind as the rest of Discovery developed and, while maybe not fixed, at least changed its problems. My rewatch has made me love him more than I have since he got revealed to be Voq, and like I said, I would love to see more of him. But I also do not trust any of the Paramount team with him

[citizenrecord]

'Titan submersible imploded, killing all 5 on board', says US Coast Guard

The sliver of hope that remained for finding the five men alive was wiped away early on Thursday, when the submersible’s 96-hour supply of oxygen was expected to run out following its Sunday launch.

A submersible carrying five people to the Titanic imploded near the site of the shipwreck and killed everyone on board, authorities said Thursday, bringing a tragic end to a saga that included an urgent around-the-clock search and a worldwide vigil for the missing vessel.

The sliver of hope that remained for finding the five men alive was wiped away early on Thursday, when the submersible’s 96-hour supply of oxygen was expected to run out following its Sunday launch and the Coast Guard announced that debris had been found roughly 1,600 feet (488 meters) from the Titanic in North Atlantic waters.

“This was a catastrophic implosion of the vessel,” said Rear Adm. John Mauger, of the First Coast Guard District.

After the craft was reported missing, the U.S. Navy went back and analyzed its acoustic data and found an anomaly that was “consistent with an implosion or explosion in the general vicinity of where the Titan submersible was operating when communications were lost,” a senior Navy official told The Associated Press on Thursday.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive acoustic detection system.

The Navy passed on that information to the Coast Guard, which continued its search because the Navy did not consider the data to be definitive.

OceanGate Expeditions, the company that owned and operated the submersible, said in a statement that all five people in the vessel, including CEO and pilot Stockton Rush, “have sadly been lost.”

The others on board were two members of a prominent Pakistani family, Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman Dawood; British adventurer Hamish Harding; and Titanic expert Paul-Henri Nargeolet.

“These men were true explorers who shared a distinct spirit of adventure, and a deep passion for exploring and protecting the world’s oceans,” OceanGate said in a statement. “We grieve the loss of life and joy they brought to everyone they knew.”

OceanGate has been chronicling the Titanic’s decay and the underwater ecosystem around it via yearly voyages since 2021. The company has not responded to additional questions about the Titan’s voyage this week.

The Coast Guard will continue searching for more signs about what happened to the Titan.

While the Navy likely detected the implosion Sunday through its acoustics system, underwater sounds heard Tuesday and Wednesday — which initially gave hope for a possible rescue — were probably unrelated to the submersible. The Navy’s possible clue was not known publicly until Thursday, when The Wall Street Journal first reported it.

With a search area covering thousands of miles — twice the size of Connecticut and in waters 2 1/2 miles (4 kilometers) deep — rescuers all week rushed ships, planes and other equipment to the site of the disappearance.

Broadcasters around the world started newscasts at the critical hour Thursday with news of the submersible. The Saudi-owned satellite channel Al Arabiya showed a clock on air counting down to their estimate of when the air could potentially run out.

The White House thanked the U.S. Coast Guard, along with Canadian, British and French partners who helped in the search and rescue efforts.

“Our hearts go out to the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives on the Titan. They have been through a harrowing ordeal over the past few days, and we are keeping them in our thoughts and prayers,” it said in a statement.

The Titan launched at 6 a.m. Sunday and was reported overdue that afternoon about 435 miles (700 kilometres) south of St. John’s, Newfoundland. By Thursday, when the oxygen supply was expected to run out, there was little hope of finding the crew alive.

In 2021 and 2022, at least 46 people successfully travelled on OceanGate’s submersible to the Titanic site, according to letters the company filed with a U.S. District Court in Norfolk, Virginia, that oversees matters involving the shipwreck. But questions about the submersible’s safety were raised by former passengers.

One of the company’s first customers likened a dive he made to the site two years ago to a suicide mission.

“Imagine a metal tube a few meters long with a sheet of metal for a floor. You can’t stand it. You can’t kneel. Everyone is sitting close to or on top of each other,” said Arthur Loibl, a retired businessman and adventurer from Germany. “You can’t be claustrophobic.”

During the 2 1/2-hour descent and ascent, the lights were turned off to conserve energy, he said, with the only illumination coming from a fluorescent glow stick.

The dive was repeatedly delayed to fix a problem with the battery and the balancing weights. In total, the voyage took 10 1/2 hours.

Nicolai Roterman, a deep-sea ecologist and lecturer in marine biology at the University of Portsmouth, England, said the disappearance of the Titan highlights the dangers and unknowns of deep-sea tourism.

“Even the most reliable technology can fail, and therefore accidents will happen,” Roterman said. “With the growth in deep-sea tourism, we must expect more incidents like this.”

[warningsine]

All five people on missing Titan sub are dead - Coast Guard

The five passengers on board the missing Titan submersible have died, a Coast Guard official said.

The company that operates the vessel said the five men were "true explorers who shared a distinct spirit of adventure".

The Coast Guard said that a debris field was discovered near the wreck of the Titanic earlier on Thursday morning.

The vessel disappeared on Sunday.

The men on board the sub included Stockton Rush, the 61-year-old CEO of OceanGate, as well as British-Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood, 48, his son Suleman, 19, and British businessman Hamish Harding, 58.

The fifth man on board, Paul-Henry Nargeolet, was a 77-year-old former French navy diver and renowned explorer.

At a news conference on Thursday, Rear Adm John Mauger of the US Coast Guard said that the debris is believed to be consistent with the Titan submersible.

It is unclear what led to the destruction of the Titan.

The disappearance of the vessel led to a massive international search effort involving US, Canadian, British and French forces.

In a statement, OceanGate said it appreciates "their commitment to finding these five explorers, and their days and nights of tireless work in support of our crew and their families".

The debris was located by a remote-controlled underwater search vehicle (ROV) about 1,600 feet (480m) from the wreckage of the Titanic.

Five separate pieces were discovered that allowed authorities to confirm they came from the Titan, including a tail cone.

Rear Adm Mauger said he did not have an answer on whether the bodies of the five men on-board were likely to be recovered.

"This is an incredibly unforgiving environment down there on the seafloor," he said.

ROV's will remain in the area as the investigation into what happened continued, Rear Adm Mauger added.

[bikerpoliticalreport]

Underwater Noises Heard in Frantic Search for Missing Sub

A Canadian military surveillance aircraft detected underwater noises as a massive search continued early Wednesday in a remote part of the North Atlantic for a submersible that vanished while taking five people down to the wreck of the Titanic.

   A statement from the U.S. Coast Guard did not elaborate on what rescuers believed the noises could be, though it offered a glimmer of hope for those lost abroad the Titan as estimates suggest as little as a day’s worth of oxygen could be left if the vessel is still functioning.

   Meanwhile, questions remain about how teams could reach the lost submersible, which could be as deep as about 12,500 feet (3,800 meters) below the surface near the watery tomb of the historic ocean liner. Newly uncovered allegations also suggest there had been significant warnings made about vessel safety during its development.

   Lost aboard the vessel is pilot Stockton Rush, the CEO of the company leading the expedition. His passengers are a British adventurer, two members of a Pakistani business family, and a Titanic expert.

   The Coast Guard wrote on Twitter that a Canadian P-3 Orion had “detected underwater noises in the search area.” Searchers then moved an underwater robot to that area to search. However, those searches “have yielded negative results but continue.”

   “The data from the P-3 aircraft has been shared with our U.S. Navy experts for further analysis which will be considered in future search plans,” the Coast Guard said.

   The Coast Guard statement came after Rolling Stone, citing what it described as internal U.S. Department of Homeland Security emails on the search, said that teams heard “banging sounds in the area every 30 minutes.”

   In underwater disasters, a crew unable to communicate with the surface relies on banging on their submersible’s hull to be detected by sonar. However, no official has publicly suggested that’s the case and noises underwater can come from a variety of sources.

   Yet the reports have sparked hope in some, including Richard Garriott de Cayeux, the president of The Explorers Club. He wrote an open letter to his club’s adventurers, who include the missing British man and the Titanic expert aboard the Titan, that they had “much greater confidence” now after they spoke to officials in Congress, the U.S. military, and the White House about the search.

   Three C-17 transport planes from the U.S. military have been used to move commercial submersible and support equipment from Buffalo, New York, to St. John’s, Newfoundland, to aid in the search, a spokesperson for U.S. Air Mobility Command said.

   The Canadian military said it provided a patrol aircraft and two surface ships, including one that specializes in dive medicine. It also dropped sonar buoys to listen for any sounds from the Titan.

   Rescuers have been racing against the clock because even under the best of circumstances the vessel could run out of oxygen by Thursday morning.

   In addition to an international array of ships and planes, an underwater robot had started searching in the vicinity of the Titanic and there was a push to get salvage equipment to the scene in case the sub is found.

  Authorities reported the carbon-fiber vessel overdue Sunday night, setting off the search in waters about 435 miles (700 kilometers) south of St. John’s.

   The submersible had a four-day oxygen supply when it was put to sea around 6 a.m. Sunday, according to David Concannon, an adviser to OceanGate Expeditions, which oversaw the mission.

   CBS News journalist David Pogue, who traveled to the Titanic aboard the Titan last year, said the vehicle uses two communication systems: text messages that go back and forth to a surface ship and safety pings that are emitted every 15 minutes to indicate that the sub is still working.

   Both of those systems stopped about an hour and 45 minutes after the Titan was submerged.

   “There are only two things that could mean. Either they lost all power or the ship developed a hull breach and it imploded instantly. Both of those are devastatingly hopeless,” Pogue told the Canadian CBC network on Tuesday.

   The submersible had seven backup systems to return to the surface, including sandbags and lead pipes that drop off and an inflatable balloon. One system is designed to work even if everyone aboard is unconscious, Pogue said.

   Meanwhile, documents show that OceanGate had been warned there might be catastrophic safety problems posed by the way the experimental vessel was developed.

   David Lochridge, OceanGate’s director of marine operations, said in a 2018 lawsuit that the company’s testing and certification were insufficient and would “subject passengers to potential extreme danger in an experimental submersible.”

   The company insisted that Lochridge was “not an engineer and was not hired or asked to perform engineering services on the Titan.” The firm also says the vessel under development was a prototype, not the now-missing Titan.

   The Marine Technology Society, which describes itself as “a professional group of ocean engineers, technologists, policy-makers, and educators,” also expressed concern that year in a letter to Rush, OceanGate’s chief executive. The society said it was critical that the company submit its prototype to tests overseen by an expert third party before launching in order to safeguard passengers. The New York Times first reported about those documents.

   The search for the missing vessel has drawn international attention. In Dubai, where the missing British adventurer Hamish Harding lives, Crown Prince Hamadan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum wrote: “Dubai and its people pray for their safety and hopeful return home.”

   Others aboard include Pakistani nationals Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman, whose eponymous firm invests across the country. In Pakistan’s port city of Karachi, employees at his firms said they prayed for the two’s safe return, as did government officials. French explorer and Titanic expert Paul Henry Nargeolet also was on the vessel.

   Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without permission.