#ban trophy imports

[space-noods]

Childhood Friend Eren x Reader, modern AU

childhood friend Eren who was a rather dull and listless kid.

childhood friend Eren whose only friends are his step-sister and the neighborhood nerd.

childhood friend Eren who had little drive or ambition. While he had some strange attraction to violence when playing with toys, he would find no purpose in playing and move on.

childhood friend Eren whose attention is piqued when he sees the house next door be bought. Armin, Mikasa and him spend the day watching from the window facing the house. There they see an older lady and a very young girl.

childhood friend Eren who is not drawn to you like Armin and Mikasa are. Armin hopes you enjoy reading and the ocean. He also live with his grandparents and feels a kinship to you even before he met you. Mikasa hopes she can finally indulge in her more creative side with you. She hopes having another girl around means someone can empathize with her. Eren doesn’t really care for you. He just hopes you’re not boring.

childhood friend Eren who didn’t meet you until a week later after his mom forced him to bring your grandma a fruit basket. Mikasa was at a martial arts class, so he had to go alone.

childhood friend Eren who is surprised to see his own eyes when you open the door. Not necessarily the color, but rather the jaded apathetic expression you wore. And for the first time, Eren felt a spark.

childhood friend Eren who enters your house with a rather eclectic interior design. Trinkets and crochet projects covering the living room. Through all that, he could see volleyball trophies and awards. You lead him all the way to your backyard and invite him to eat the fruits

“You know three people died here.”

You stared owlishly at him. “Did you kill them or what?”

And a smile forms on his lips. You were just like him.

childhood friend Eren who becomes attached to you immediately. He seeks your attention all the time. Despite your rather apathetic expression, he would drag from location to location. If he wanted to play in the sand pit, he would drag you and force you to play. If he wanted to eat snacks under the slide, he would drag you there too. You two were inseparable. His hand would always gravitate to yours.

childhood friend Eren who grows up glued to your hip. He forces you to be friends with Armin and Mikasa. Though, if he felt you were too close to them, he would drag you away. He would force you into sleepovers for as long as he could. Since your guardian was your grandmother, she wouldn’t monitor you too much. So she had no qualms with you and Eren sleeping in the same bed well into his teens. When Eren’s mom found you two sleeping together, she had told him he had to stop doing that. She essentially banned him from sleeping in the same bed as you. He moved sleepovers to your house instead. Your grandma didn’t mind, and you didn’t mind, so there was no problem right?

childhood friend Eren who does his best to support you in all your games. He would bring you water and often cheer you up.

childhood friend Eren who knew that you were a volleyball prodigy. And while he admired that, it was during your games that he realized that he was missing something. He didn’t know what, but he knew that it had to do something with you.

childhood friend Eren is proven right in his middle school years. This was an important game for you, as it would qualify you for nationals. With the reputation you had, many high schools were scouting you. This could change your future entirely. The more selfish part of Eren hoped that you would fail and follow him to the local high school.

childhood friend Eren who watched as you fight to carry your team. The disparity between your skills and your teammates was obvious. You dedicated so much time and effort into honing your skill. For the other girls, this was a recreational activity. For you, this was your life. So when their lack of training caught up with them in the game, you became frustrated. It was almost painful seeing you thrown your body around trying to reach the ball. If people weren’t wincing everytime you threw yourself, they would have been impressed with how you managed to keep the game going for so long. Eventually, you couldn’t keep up anymore. The ball began to fall more often on your court. You couldn’t reach it fast enough. No one was passing it right. It was all going wrong. Inevitably, you lost. And maybe if you managed to stay calm, you would have still been scouted. If you had taken some deep breathes and smiled away the pain, you probably would have been invited for a campus tour at an elite school. IF. But you didn’t. Instead you lashed out. At the loss of your team, the other team obviously begun to cheer. Your own teammates resigned with their loss and began heading to the benches. Not you. Yo u stayed kneeling on the floor, panting. Your knees bruised and your forearms a bright red. As the cheers died down, the spectators shifted their attention to you, still on the floor. Empathic views shifted to horrified as you started on a loud and angry tirade. You began to yell, pointing each of your teammates out: their flaws, their vices, their weaknesses. It didn’t even stop at them. Littered with curse words, you even insulted your coaches. You were ushered off the court. Eren should have felt angry on your behalf. He should have been embarrassed at your behavior. He should have felt anything other than what he was really feeling. Because what he was feeling was complete. Seeing your passion and anger struck a chord in him. The urge to fight resonated with him. He found his purpose. And it came from you.

childhood friend Eren who ignored Mikasa and Armin as they went to look at you. Instead, he couldn’t take his eyes off from the spot on the floor. The overflowing joy bubbled out of him in a maniacal laughter. He was right. You were just like him

——————————————————————————

Notes:

I know Eren feels a little OOC in this, but it’s largely based on the mini chapters that took place in the modern world. If I remember correctly, Eren was actually a very boring character, almost appearing like a background character. But in one scene, Ymir (the founding) appears to him. And I could go in depth to what it all that means, but to keep it concise I interpreted it as a “Eren isn’t Eren if he doesn’t have the anger he had in the Titan Universe.” Like part of what makes him him is the desire to fight, so when he saw MC ‘fight’ for something, it clicks in him (sorry if this part is kind of confusing. These thoughts have been marinating for a while)

[nothingbutnowhere]

Hockey player au! Simon "Ghost" Riley headcanons. Based on the NHL

Note: suggestive of ghoap and ghoap x reader (she/her used)

Goalie. Starter. Tall, large, and most importantly: weird. Goalies are always weird, idk they just are, it's what happens when you spend half the game hanging out alone I guess

The best part of goalie Ghost is his flexibility. Have you seen how flexible goalies are? These huge, muscular men can do the splits. It's very important to me that you consider flexible Ghost, thank you.

His mask is black and white, matches his tattoos. He's the unshakable goalie, not flashy, never frustrated. Just a brick fuckin wall. If he sees it, he's going to stop it. You cannot snipe on him and score. Also his rebound control is unreal, no second chances.

He never retaliates against opposing players fucking with him because no one fucks with him due to:

His death glare, it's enough to make any and every enforcer or net nuisance shake in his skates

The Incident in the minors where he sent a guy to the hospital with a jab from his blocker and almost got kicked out of the league and banned from the NHL

On the off chance that something untoward does happen on accident, someone else will do that for him. The bond between a goalie and his defensemen cannot be understated. Ok fine. Soap. He's the defenseman, there's the spoiler.

Very superstitious, has his routines and does not deviate. Doesn't ever take his mask off on the ice, except when it breaks. Doesn't even pull it up to squirt water on his face or drink.

The loyalty that his skaters have towards him and vice versa is off the charts. Even if the media and fans don't see it, it's there. Usually guys don't speak poorly of their goalies, but this is on another level. Ferda.

Speaking of, social media people can never catch him. Like seriously where does this guy even walk in the building?? Where does he go during intermission?? Surely he practices at some point right?? He won the Veznia trophy (voted best goalie) and straight up did not show up to the ceremony.

He will go to the children's hospital to do visits with the team and the kids are either terrified or love him. Picturing him giving out the little teddy bears 😭

Caught covid despite his vigilant PPE usage (hockey locker rooms are cesspools like ew), got really sick, and developed myocarditis; ie almost died multiple times, recovered insanely fast and then just showed back up to practice one day at 100% like "put me in coach". No one outside of the trainers and locker room even knew why he was gone to begin with. Wild stuff.

Hockey players tend to tack on an '-y' or sometimes '-er' to a name for funsies but no one gets to call him 'Ghosty'. (Maybe Soap can call him that in private, as a treat 🥺)

Hockey hair status: he shaves his head boooo (not that you'd even be able to tell really with his mask and use of hats and hoods). Won't even grow out facial hair during the playoffs. Maybe if he did then he'd have a cup. Smh.

Roster pic: the meanest mug you've ever seen on a guy

Mic'd up status: everyone thinks he's unmic-able, however he's secretly telling jokes to himself when the puck is in the other zone. But no one needs to know that.

WAG status: if he had one we would never know... Right? He's always in the background of photos that Soap's girlfriend takes and posts of her and Soap? Much speculation.

...

I do NOT consent for my works, part of my works, or my ideas to be used for ANY form of AI.

Note: WAG stands for wife and girlfriend or the plural, used to refer to sports guys significant others. Yes it is heteronormative.

A/N: I'll never actually write fics for this, but I have headcanons. I know a moderate amount about hockey and next to nothing about cod so apologies. Completely unserious. Just some silly little thoughts :) plus letterkenny reference!

Edit for typo

More hockey au: Soap | Gaz | Price

[rjzimmerman]

Excerpt from this story from the Daily Maverick:

Five mature elephant bulls have been shot by trophy hunters in Tanzania in the past eight months, at least two of which are said to have been “super-tuskers”. An unofficial agreement between Kenya and Tanzania had protected these elephants for 30 years. A new Avaaz petition rightly calls on the Tanzanian government to end the madness.

The Amboseli elephants have been studied extensively for nearly five decades now. Much of what we know about elephants is literally thanks to this set of remarkable elephant families.

The 30-year reprieve (and the fact that Kenya long ago banned trophy hunting) allowed the Amboseli population to thrive and produce some of the world’s most magnificent bull elephants despite the general population decimation trends across the continent. These trends only slowed after the US and China imposed domestic ivory trade bans in 2015 and 2017 respectively.

As renowned Amboseli elephant researcher Cynthia Moss told Africa Geographic, “shooting an Amboseli bull is about as sporting as shooting your neighbour’s poodle.”

It is unconscionably cruel to shoot highly habituated elephants for “sport”. As Moss, who is one of the leading Amboseli scientists, rightly points out, it is hardly “fair chase” or “ethical” to shoot an Amboseli bull with a high-calibre rifle.

Given how few big tuskers are left in the world (some estimates suggest fewer than 50), the agreement to leave the Amboseli population alone couldn’t be more important, not only for genetic heritage but for the sake of any future hope of human-elephant coexistence. Elephants are increasingly being born with smaller (or no) tusks in response to the rapacious history of poaching and trophy hunting for ivory over the past 200 years. Tuskless elephants have lost their essential “elephantness”.

In response to the recent killing, some of the world’s foremost elephant scientists penned a letter to Science, a leading academic journal, calling for authorities to end the trophy hunting of big-tusked elephants in northern Tanzania.

[mariacallous]

KATHMANDU, Nepal—When Kumar Paudel turned on the TV in August 2016 and saw former Prime Minister Kirti Nidhi Bista giving an interview from his home, it wasn’t the content of the conversation that caught his attention. It was the massive tiger pelt hanging on Bista’s wall.

At the time, Paudel, a conservationist based in Kathmandu, was traveling around Nepal’s prisons to conduct interviews with incarcerated individuals as part of his research into why people commit wildlife crime. Although there are few official statistics on wildlife crime in Nepal, researchers believe that the country is a key hub in the region for wildlife trafficking, one that serves as an important transit route between India and China.

Nepal has some of the strictest wildlife crime laws in the world, but they are unevenly enforced: While the country’s poor languish in prison for their involvement in the trade, the rich and powerful illegally flaunt exotic skins as showpieces.

Paudel is deeply aware of this disparity. Between 2016 and 2017, he interviewed 116 prisoners convicted for wildlife crime, mostly in the rhinoceros trade. Some had been part of international wildlife trafficking syndicates; many others were driven by economic desperation or were not sure why they had been arrested. More than half of them lived below the poverty line, and 75 percent came from Indigenous communities.

“Prosecution is mainly targeted at poor and vulnerable communities in the global south who are not often at the helm of driving international illegal wildlife trade,” Paudel said when I met him in December at a small forested patch amid Kathmandu’s urban sprawl. The 33-year-old conservationist had a scientist’s curiosity, his attention ensnared by every insect and plant, and his wardrobe was unselfconscious outdoor nerd: trekking shoes, baggy pants, safari jacket.

After Bista’s interview aired, Paudel decided to take matters into his own hands. Bista hadn’t been prime minister since 1979, but he was emblematic of Nepal’s elite. Paudel sought legal action to rectify Nepal’s double standard in enforcing wildlife crime. Finally, in May 2023, Nepal’s Supreme Court ruled that the government must enforce its conservation laws and seize illegal wildlife parts. The verdict marks a significant victory for conservation, but Nepal’s entrenched power structures and deep-seated inequality mean that this is only a first step in supporting both vulnerable communities and conservation efforts in the country.

Trophy hunting in Nepal dates back at least to the reign of Jung Bahadur Rana in the 19th century. British visitors embarked on trips to the region to hunt and collect exotic wildlife, including rhinos, tigers, and elephants. These expeditions weren’t mere hunting outings or camping adventures; they were elaborate demonstrations of wealth, authority, and diplomacy.

Nepali monarchs orchestrated extensive hunting expeditions to curry favor with the British. These encounters provided fertile ground for negotiating political interests and strengthening cultural ties, all while showcasing the monarchy’s authority over its natural riches.

These “hunting diplomacy” expeditions were enormous. Photographic records of the hunts are perhaps the best evidence we have that they drove megafauna across the subcontinent to endangered status and near extinction, from the Bengal tiger to the one-horned rhinoceros and the Indian elephant.

Nepal has come a long way since then. The country completely banned hunting in 1972. The following year, it enacted the National Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act, which provides a comprehensive legal framework for the management of Nepal’s natural resources and biodiversity. The act authorizes the government to designate national parks, wildlife reserves, and conservation areas, as well as zones where hunting is allowed under strict regulation. (Today, hunting is only allowed in the Dhorpatan Hunting Reserve. All other hunting, even for bushmeat, is illegal, though subsistence hunting is still relatively common.)

The act also makes it illegal to use, sell, or distribute wildlife without permission, and it states that any individual in possession of wildlife parts must get a permit after acquiring them by disclosing their source. (This also applies to parts acquired before 1973.)

Despite these efforts, the country’s hunting legacy left its mark, and threats to wildlife continue to grow—including climate change, rapidly expanding human populations, the illegal wildlife trade, and a resurgence in poaching. In addition, the 1973 act isn’t always enforced; for instance, according to the director general of Nepal’s Department of National Park and Wildlife Conservation, no one has ever sought to obtain a permit for any wildlife parts.

The illegal wildlife trade is rampant in Southeast Asia, where the gap between rich and poor creates both poachers and markets. In Nepal, the illegal wildlife trade largely operates covertly, and some of the product is used for manufacturing traditional medicines. But a portion of the trade meets the demand for extravagant decor. Some pelts have been exhibited in public spaces such as banks, markets, and even government offices.

Many Nepalis have been imprisoned for their involvement in the trade. (Despite poor data, researchers have found that from 2011 to 2015, there were 830 wildlife-related arrest cases reported in the country.) They fall into the trap of trafficking to support their families and spend decades paying the price.

“We are expendable and poor and desperate for money,” said Bir Bahadur Tamang, who served 15 years in prison for smuggling wildlife parts. “There are many like us.”

Tamang was born and raised in the village of Kalika on the rim of Chitwan, Nepal’s first national park. Tigers, rhinos, leopards, spotted deer, and wild buffalo roam there, along with elephants that come to graze when the plains are dry. Several Indigenous communities have been living beside these dense forests for centuries.

I first met Tamang last December outside his home in Kalika. With a hint of guilt, Tamang recalled supplying bags to masked ringleaders—whom he called “big people”—in the trade network that were full of rhino horns and pangolin scales (both of which are classic ingredients in traditional Chinese medicine), as well as tiger skin.

One morning, Tamang and six of his friends were arrested for conspiring to smuggle wildlife parts. None of them could afford to post bail, he said, and there was never a trial. Some died in prison due to physical ailments and inadequate medical treatment.

Tamang was released from prison in 2016, but as a former felon, he faces a world of poverty, hazards, and guilt. He struggles to make a living, often existing hand-to-mouth without a stable income or basic necessities. Tamang said that finding work has been challenging due to his criminal record and a spinal injury from poor confinement conditions. He is often psychologically distressed, haunted by nightmares of his time in prison, and fearful of entering the jungles that surround his home. “I’m taking it one day at a time,” he said.

As Paudel put it, when a poor person illegally kills a tiger, the full weight of the law is applied. But when a prime minister illegally owns a dead tiger, it is permitted.

Yet showcasing wildlife is harmful, too: It normalizes the trade and adds to its appeal as a status symbol. This is why, starting in 2016, Paudel lobbied for government action. First, he reported instances of illegal wildlife parts displayed in Kathmandu to different government bodies. But authorities warned him to keep quiet, and he said that some even threatened to end his career by withholding approval for his conservation and research permits.

After running in vain from one department to another for two years, Paudel made little progress. So in May 2018, Paudel filed a petition to Nepal’s Supreme Court with the help of environmental lawyer Padam Bahadur Shrestha. The petition demanded that the government urgently conduct investigations into the private possession of wildlife parts, seize illegal parts and prosecute those who own them, and maintain records on legally held wildlife parts. This includes parts used in medicines, trophies, and displays.

After five years of deferrals, the Supreme Court ruled in Paudel’s favor. It also mandated that the government implement additional measures to combat wildlife crime, including better educating the public on the wildlife possession laws and confiscating wildlife parts for educational and research purposes.

The verdict means anyone displaying trophies without the right permits is in trouble. Penalties  can include fines of roughly $7,400 and up to 15 years in prison. Courts may confiscate wildlife parts for evidence, research, or destruction, and offenders can also face penalties such as asset forfeiture and bans on further wildlife-related activities. This applies to all offenders, regardless of their socioeconomic status. “Ensuring justice isn’t about favoring one group over another,” Paudel said. “It’s about equitable treatment and holding everyone accountable under the law.”

Bista, who died in 2017, did not live to see the ruling in the case, which was spurred in part by his own decor.

For now, it’s unclear whether the government will have the desire—or ability—to enforce the law. Part of this comes down to Nepal’s history. For most of the 20th century, Nepal was ruled by a monarch who held all executive power and enjoyed absolute immunity. After the 1973 act, all wildlife trophies seized by the authorities were handed over to the Royal Palace and were often displayed in public as a symbol of royal splendor, according to Sindhu Prasad Dhungana, director general of the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation. The monarchy was abolished in 2008, but wildlife parts are still displayed and used in some private households of Nepal’s elite, often without any consequences.

“The lingering effects of royal impunity still resonate in the present,” Dhungana said.

According to Shrestha, the attorney who helped Paudel with his petition, powerful Nepalis often manipulate the investigation process to evade punishment. “The inconsistent application of laws within Nepal points to a glaring deficiency in our legal system: It fails to dissuade criminals, resulting in rampant impunity,” he explained.

The new rules are expected to go into effect later this year, but it will take time for officials to establish a process for investigating and certifying wildlife trophies. Although the Ministry of Forests and Environment will be responsible for this initiative, the specific details will only be determined after the full text of the verdict is released in the coming months.

Dhungana believes it will be challenging to implement the new law. “Many possessions are displayed flouting the law, but it is nearly impossible to enter every house and investigate,” he said. “One cannot presume people who have wildlife on their walls are criminals and the same ones participating in the current wildlife trade.”

Paudel, for his part, has found relief in the ruling, which marks the end of a long journey for him. He believes the decision will go far in safeguarding Nepal’s biodiversity by addressing the problem at its source: “True justice will prevail only when governments and their law enforcement agencies hold accountable those who drive the demand for illegal wildlife trade.”

Still, Paudel knows that many challenges lie ahead. “Dealing with the past is complex,” he said. “But we must find ways to make the law equitable in the future and adhere to the court’s order.”

[thepastisalreadywritten]

Victory! 🐘

Canada has officially banned the elephant ivory and rhino horn trade, which includes the import of hunting trophies containing these parts!

@HSI_Canada has been at the forefront of the battle to protect these endangered species, working with Environment and Climate Change Canada to ensure these measures pass.

We also want to thank YOU and the tens of thousands of supporters who signed our action alerts to help make this happen.

🩶🎉🩶

[redwineconversation]

Ada Hegerberg OLPLay Interview: "Lyon is my home" (April 17, 2024)

It was this or the OL Night Systems interview and unlike others I have a full time job that I'd really like to keep, so I chose to do the shorter one first.

Blah blah standard disclaimers apply; @OL Comms Dept what would I not do for an Earl Grey with soy milk? Not much; I'd say I hope the deranged lunatic who thinks I would EVER post on the godforsaken website that is the L Chat gets hit by a bus but that would require them to step outside so instead I just hope they drink expired milk so we can be on equal levels of disgust; banning stans from stadiums would solve so many problems; y'all know the speech by now.

♫ It's you and me, there's nothing like this, Miss Americana Olympique Lyonnais and the Heartbreak Prince ♫

I love how you can have a legitimate debate about this: did Ada Hegerberg mold Olympique Lyonnais into her own image? Or did Lyon recruit her because they saw themselves in her? Like yeah you can totally say I romanticize this team and you're not wrong, you're really not. But holy shit do I love a good love story, especially if it started in the rain.

For the sake of aesthetics, if a Hegerberg quote is in italics, that means it's a flashback quote. Present day quotes are in normal font. Brackets is my own commentary. Y'all can just deal.

ADA HEGERBERG OLPLAY INTERVIEW

[OLD FOOTAGE - SUMMER 2014 - HEGERBERG SIGNS WITH OLYMPIQUE LYONNAIS]

Hegerberg: I have learnt some French words. "ça vas, ça vas bien" (it's good, it's going well).

Hegerberg: I think it's an amazing chance to play with some amazing players. The club has high ambitions and I think it's my personal ambitions as well.

[PRESENT DAY]

[HEGERBERG LAUGHS]

Hegerberg: Oh, I was so young. Just a young girl, really. I remember so well when I came to Lyon. It was a magical summer, first of all. I landed at the airport, there was Isabelle Dias who came to get me, she was in high heels, super fashionable. She looked so French. No, it's magical to see this footage because I had this innocence but you could see I was also starstruck but had a lot of ambition. Honestly, I had such high hopes. I felt at home from the very first day. And - [Hegerberg laughs] I was so young. I was a little girl, and I became a woman.

[2014 - 2015 SEASON HIGHLIGHTS FOOTAGE]

Hegerberg: It was my first trophy with the club. From the very first season, I think I was so well integrated within the team. There are really some real characters within the team. I would say wee had a game plan which was so well prepared. From that point I was already developing as a player at a level that I wanted. That team was magical. There were some really good players.

Hegerberg: The first year at Lyon, it was considered a failure because we didn't go all the way in the UWCL. But we still were perfect in the [French] league. I think that since the first day, I've really worked hard to be a part of the team and it's worked out really well since then.

Hegerberg: Honestly I think it was a pleasure to come into this team because I remember I came with my little book of French words. So I really wanted to learn French pretty quickly because I knew the importance of integrating well within a team in order to perform well, in order to get along well with the team, the town, the country. I think you learn things when you talk about your country. I went to Germany when I was very young, and then I came to Olympique Lyonnais and France. You need to know how to keep the balance between adapting but also keep your own culture, your own [moral] values. But you still have to adapt. So it's a really great experience. But it's true that Camille [Abily], she came to get me. I was in a tiny, tiny apartment when I first came to Lyon. Even if I was in a really, really tiny apartment, I was living my best life. I had great players like Camille, she came to get me every day to take me to the training grounds. I was starstruck. So they were a really, really good group who knew how to put in place an integration which was really top, I think.

[2015 - 2016 UWCL FINAL FOOTAGE]

Hegerberg: It's true that the first final that you win, it's special because it's the first one. So many things happened in that game. First of all I think we played at a really high level throughout the season. The first goal was really magnificent. It was started with a great move from Pauline Bremer. And it's true that I missed my first penalty. That was also my mentality when I was young, I didn't doubt myself. So when it was time for the penalty shootout, of course I was like "obviously I want to take the first one!" That was classic me at the time. No fear of consequences. And I think that's what allowed me to not have any limits, to achieve great things in my career. But it's true you're quite innocent, you're a bit naive in a way when you're younger. I remember those sensations. The players were telling me "don't worry, Ada. We're going to do it. Even if your penalty was saved, we're going to do it." I felt that mentality around me. And we did it. And I remember Lotta, Lotta Schelin, she was telling me "don't worry. Don't worry, we're going to do it." And she was right.

Hegerberg: It was a dream. I knew it would be hard to win. And it was really hard. The feeling of winning - first of all winning the UWCL, I couldn't even begin to imagine what we would go on to do. But it's an exceptional feeling. You start to understand the importance with time, because when you're young, you have a lot of hunger, you want to quickly throw yourself into the next one. So you think differently. But as the years went by I learnt the importance of having a trophy like that, know the work which goes into it. Winning the UWCL five years in a row, you need something exceptional. But winning the first one, that's something I'll never forget because it really set the basis for all the work behind the scenes. I've never stopped since. I remember that it gave me an enormous desire to continue. And I think you can say it's also the image of the team, because I think it would have been impossible to win so many years in a row if there wasn't that collective desire to win.

Hegerberg: I understood pretty quickly that it was an exceptional team with world class players. You had different cultures from different nationalities which gave an advantage with a French core, you could say. Having all those different cultures, I think that's what really shaped the team. I'm also proud to have come when I was so young and to have been part of a such a grandiose history, and to feel that my contributions were on par with our success.

[2018 BALLON D'OR CEREMONY FOOTAGE]

Hegerberg: A big moment, a big moment for me personally but also for the club, the team. It rewards the work of a whole team. It's impossible to win the Ballon d'Or without having a team which shines. I think we had fantastic seasons which allowed me to win a Ballon d'Or. I think that the players know as well that it's thanks to the work of a whole team which allowed me to win the first Ballon d'Or.

Hegerberg: I remember at the time that I knew a few weeks beforehand. I was asking myself a ton of questions, "what do you even say on stage when you win the Ballon d'Or?" But it's true that even being a female athlete today, to be a woman in sports, it poses different challenges on several levels. [Female] football players are faced with challenges which aren't only on the field. And it requires a lot of courage to overcome those challenges as I call them so that the sport always goes in the right direction. You need to always be there to say "hey, hey, hey. Are the right decisions being made so that the next generation has their place in sports, in football?" I would say fortunately and unfortunately it's also our responsibility today to do in sort that we leave the sport in better conditions than when we found it in. You need women, you need girls who start to take up space and who believe in themselves even, who want to succeed, who really want to work hard to take our place one day, because we're not going to be here [in sports] our whole lives, even if I would like that to be the case. So it was for them, it was for the new generation, for everyone who was watching. It was for everyone.

Hegerberg: It's impossible to succeed without knowing your own qualities and to get better. Confidence in yourself is fundamental to succeed in life. To find that [self] confidence you also have to know what you do well, what your qualities are. And do the work. Before anything else put in the work. Success doesn't happen by itself.

[2019 UWCL FINAL FOOTAGE]

Hegerberg: I'm getting goosebumps. To score a hat trick in a UWCL final, honestly, it's one of the craziest moments in my life, in my career. It's something - It's - I can't describe it because it's - it's such an important game. You see the first goal, it's something that I have worked with with my father since I was very young. We did it over and over and over again. Sprint, maintain your speed at the same time as you control the ball well, which stays close to your feet so you can quickly get the shot off. We did that over and over again for years. So to manage to do that in a UWCL final and score a hat trick, it's, it's something incredible.

Hegerberg: In fact, in that period where we were dominating the Champions League, we were winning year after year after year. All the work we had to put into it, all the talent, team spirit, it's very, very rare, very special. I would almost say it's not talked about enough. [Hegerberg laughs] But that's sports as well. We quickly move on to the next thing. But what was done there, it was historical. From time to time, when we're in the off-season or in season, I watch those games because it brings something out in me, it gives me something for the future.

Hegerberg: I think my father was exceptional in the manner he observed the technical side. As time went by we got to understand each other. We always had one-hour sessions because we knew you needed an hour to really maintain your highest standards. If we went above one hour we would really work on the technical details but the quality would drop a little. So we stuck with that one hour session working on technique. And we repeated that all the time, even when I had Christmas break or summer break. Even when I came to Lyon, we still continued to work on it. And it's those small details that have allowed me to develop [as a player], and always see what the areas of improvement are in my game. And when I look back today at the goals I've scored, there are details that I've been working on with my dad since I was super young. He really gave me an advantage in my career. It's incredible.

[HEGERBERG'S FIRST LONGTERM INJURY -DEC 2019 - SEPT 2021]

[Rehab footage]

Hegerberg: I think that everyone goes through a difficult period in their career. You always hear the phrase "it's part of being a professional athlete, getting injured." Unfortunately. For me, I pretty much had an entire career with no injuries. So then I had a serious knee injury and then a stress fracture in the tibia, which was very difficult to manage. There was absolutely no knowledge of women's bodies in female sports. I came to the realization there was very little competence around women's health in general, in their bodies, especially in sports. I look back on that period with a lot of pride because I had to dig so, so deep to come back. I really proved that I was still a top player. You needed to have a lot of courage, good people around you. It never would have been possible without my family, without my husband. My husband was exceptional. My agents. My friends. Without them it wouldn't have been possible.

Hegerberg: I always believed that I would come back. It's pretty crazy, because there were so many low moments. But I knew how to bounce back, with a lot of hard work and determination. I'm not a really patient person. I'm very impatient. But I learnt things about my mentality and my body that I definitely use today. It's a period I would have liked to avoid but at the time it taught me things I never would have learnt otherwise.

Hegerberg: First of all injuries aren't easy. But first I was unlucky with the injury that I had. But I was very, very fortunate to have met the right medical staff at the right time, who you could say pulled me out of that hell. What I'm capable of doing today, I'm really proud because I know how far I've come. To have the courage and discipline to return to the top level, it's almost better than a trophy. Almost. Because it's behind me now. Mentally I'm in a really good place. I want to play my best football in the years to come. And I hope that will be the case.

[HEGERBERG'S FIRST GAME BACK FROM INJURY - OCT 5, 2021]

[Game footage]

[HEGERBERG'S FIRST GOAL SINCE RETURNING FROM INJURY - NOVEMBER 2021]

[Game footage against PSG, Lyon 6-1 PSG]

[Hegerberg thinks about smiling]

Hegerberg: It's nice. You could say I spent a lot of time visualizing it while I was out [injured] to be prepared for those moments. And you could say I had been waiting for that moment for a long time. I love everyone's reaction. I love Griedge [MBock]'s reaction as well because it's true that we came back - the two of us came back from serious injuries. And we showed everyone we were able to return to the top level even if - even if you had something serious. So it's really nice.

[OLYMPIQUE LYONNAIS - BARCELONA 2022 UWCL FINAL]

[Game footage]

Hegerberg: Yes, it's incredible. It's difficult for me to describe tonight.

[present day: Hegerberg laughs hysterically]

Hegerberg: I have to give a shoutout to Griedge [MBock] as well. What we went through was every athlete's nightmare.

[present day: Hegerberg is still losing it]

Hegerberg: Don't you realize it? It's the eight Champions League trophy for the club. I keep saying this, but the president, what he's done for us, for football in general, I don't have any words. I have so much respect [for him]. [The trophy] is coming home, it's deserved.

[Present day: is Hegerberg still losing it? Answer: yes]

[2021 - 2022 LEAGUE TROPHY CEREMONY]

[Trophy ceremony footage]

Hegerberg: [into a microphone] Where is the Champagne? Where is it? Where is the Champagne?? We need the Champagne.

[Present day: Hegerberg loses it]

Hegerberg: And it's true that that night [of the UWCL final], it was total euphoria. I think it was one of the biggest nights in women's football because it was such a good final, the intensity, I've never experienced intensity like that. There was a sold-out stadium with a lot of fans, a lot of Barcelona supporters. There was a lot of - you can say there some misspoken statements before the final [cf: Caroline Graham Hansen, cf: general WoSo media] but us as players we're focused on what happens on the pitch. That's not a problem. But I think there were a lot of people who, before this game, forgot everything this club has accomplished. And what was nice was that were prepared for it. We knew what our qualities were before the game. But I think a reminder of who we are was necessary. Coming back in my first season post-injury and winning the UWCL, it's really touching. I had forgotten, it was almost psychological, and to have been rewarded with that trophy, it's - it's magical. It's one of the best experiences I've ever had.

Hegerberg: What we showed that day, it's unforgettable. It's an exceptional team. And [Hegerberg laughs] what a game. Honestly, what a final. I feel those emotions all over again when I rewatch the game. I think - Wendie [Renard] won't like this - I think I've watched the game 12 times. It's a really high level game. I think - when I say the intensity, the technical level, the quality you have on the field, the stakes which were at play. The stakes were - wow. And also to come back and prove that we were the best team in Europe. That's not done singlehandedly. There's a lot of work which goes into it. When I watch the film, I also see all the suffering behind the scenes and what we had to go through to get there.

Hegerberg: I was really emotional as well because at one point I saw Jean-Michel Aulas in the stands, our president for so many years. I wouldn't be where I am today without him. Thanks to him we were able to build a team which was without a doubt the best team in the world for so long. Personally I will never forget the chance he took on me, to have me play here for so long. He was a big, big figure in my career. I will never forget him. [Hegerberg tears up a little] I'd like to thank him because it was an unforgettable period. So I'd like to say a big thank you to Jean-Michel Aulas for my adventures, which has been going on for 10 years now.

[CONTRACT EXTENSION]

[Contract extension footage]

Hegerberg: Lyon is my home. I had to stay. It was in my head since the beginning. I said to my husband "I don't see myself anywhere else." It's true that it was the first time since I've been at Lyon that it took - it took a bit longer. But since the beginning I've always seen myself at Lyon. It's my town, it's my home.

Hegerberg: It's a new era with a real bad-ass woman, I would say. Michele Kang is very ambitious. I'd like to thank her as well for believing in me. You can feel that she's a very ambitious woman who wants to bring something more, who wants to change the dynamic a little bit in football in general, and who really wants to be at the top with this team. You need someone who is ambitious, who projects discipline, ambitions, investment - especially investment - in the ranks, and that that transmits to the team as well.

Hegerberg: I think there are things we have to go get. We still have some nice trophies to go win. We have a lot of potential. I want to continue playing my best football here.

Hegerberg: I came here as a young girl and I became a woman here. Lyon will always be my home even after my career ends. And here I am very, very happy to stay here another three years and to work hard to win several more trophies, UWCL, league. All the trophies possible. Because we have to go get them now. You have to give everything, and I'm ready to give everything for another three years for my club.

[bluiex]

Cub and Scar’s childhood in the gambling AU. (I have checked for any spelling mistakes.)

Cub:

Cub was a smart kid who was praised by his parents but never shown proper love. He was also an only child, his parents could barely stand him. His parents were busy people who cared about their reputation. Cub was their golden child, a trophy to display on their clean shelf.

Cub, when he was younger he tried many times to get his parents to say ‘I love you too’ to him many times but only ever got back was a nod and a hum of 'acknowledgment.’ He was only seen by his smartness and what he did as a young prodigy. Not for who he was as a person.

This is why Actions are more important than words to Cub. If you mean it you will show it, and his parents never did. He follows the saying “The more you say it the more it loses its meaning.” So his “I love you”’s and words are sparing and short. His action are his way of speaking.

Cub likes to be seen as his own person and Scar and Grian remember to tell him that he loves him for who is and not what he does or what he makes.

Scar:

Scar is a younger sibling to 3 older siblings. Two brothers and a sister. Due to how clumsy and how bad he was at reading(dyslexia) he was pushed aside and forgotten that did push his spirits down as a kid but started to affect him a lot as a young adult. He wasn't very liked by his family. He was the forgotten child, the younger sibling who could not compare to his older siblings. Unmannered and clumsy as always.

Cub has yelled at one of his brothers for telling Scar he was a disappointment. Almost beat him up. Cub hates Scar's family, he yelled at his father as a late teen(17), and Scar was banned from see Cub for a while. Scar’s dad was bad-mouthing him and called him a disappointment of a child and a waste of space.

Scar's mental health improved after his and Cub's wedding due to Scar finally cutting off his family 3 months before their wedding.

This is why Scar really needs to be told he is loved. Or he will start to falter and become well, not himself. His parents are also a lot more toxic than Cubs, more vocal about how they do not like Scar. They make it clear too and have never celebrated him after his 5th birthday. He was never in the picture and was not seen as their son.

Cub parents are dismissive and wear a mask for the public, a ‘Happy family’ was Cubs family label. Also why Cub is so good at masking, and is a family thing and he hates it. Forced to sit straight with a smile for a long time in public and at home. You only see that smile and nice posture when his mad. And I mean mad.

-AAA anon, gives you an idea of what their childhood was like. Jade (and kind of me) came up with a back story for Grian. Also, what is your personal word limit for your ask?

SOBBING AT THEIR BACKSTORY- why do I relate to Cub so much in this AKSJDJFNSJA gods I'm glad they're together and happy as adults <3

I'd prefer to keep asks below 1k words. Anything longer should be sent in as a submission tbh- but I can't really tell what is and isn't that long LMAO so it's lenient

[justinssportscorner]

Ken Schultz at Outsports:

Since swimming against Lia Thomas at the 2022 NCAA Championships, Riley Gaines has made herself into one of the most prominent names in the movement to ban trans women from competing in women’s sports. In addition to showing up at anti-trans demonstrations whenever there’s a TV camera nearby, Gaines regularly advocates against transgender women on Fox News, hosts an anti-trans-athlete podcast on Outkick, and spreads her message of exclusion at colleges as varied as Harvard, Notre Dame, Grand Canyon University and UC-Berkeley. Gaines’ national profile took off after her race with Thomas, so naturally you’d expect that this meet must have resulted in some kind of traumatic loss that caused her to turn heel against the transgender community. Incredibly, though, nothing like that took place. When Gaines competed that day in the NCAA 200-meter freestyle final, she finished tied with Thomas for fifth place. That doesn’t seem like the kind of result that would haunt Gaines and eventually galvanize her into the anti-trans pundit she’s become. Indeed, if Gaines had somehow retroactively gotten what she currently advocates for, and Thomas was banned from competition, she still would’ve finished fifth.

As if to underscore this, immediately after the race, Gaines’ criticism of Thomas was muted. Even when The Daily Wire gave her a platform a few days later, her biggest complaint was that the NCAA only had one fifth place trophy and they decided to give it to Thomas while promising to mail her another. Speaking of Thomas in that story, Gaines even added, “I am in full support of her and full support of her transition and her swimming career and everything like that because there’s no doubt that she works hard too, but she’s just abiding by the rules that the NCAA put in place, and that’s the issue.” While she was still speaking out against Thomas’ participation in the event, Gaines’ rhetoric was remarkably toned down from what we’ve come to expect. There are even surprising hints of her acknowledging Thomas’ humanity — and if Gaines wanted to go scorched earth on trans athletes at this point, The Daily Wire would have gladly printed all of it.

To get a sense of how much things have changed, almost a year to the day later, Gaines tweeted, “Lia Thomas is not a brave, courageous woman who EARNED a national title. He is an arrogant, cheat who STOLE a national title from a hardworking, deserving woman. The NCAA is responsible.”

Well, that sure took a turn. While Gaines’ criticism of the NCAA was consistent, everything else about her message went full-on hard right into misgendering and outright transphobia. What happened in that year that would cause this? Could a fifth-place trophy have been that important? Considering Gaines repeated the trophy story in testimony before the Congress and the Ohio Statehouse and still obsessed over it at recent rallies, the answer appeared to be yes.

[...] Her growing celebrity in the anti-trans movement eventually led to further gigs. Summer 2023 was momentous for her as she launched her Outkick podcast that July. Then in August, conservative advocacy organization The Leadership Institute announced the founding of The Riley Gaines Center to oversee her speaking events. The Leadership Institute was founded by millionaire conservative activist Morton Blackwell and is funded in part by the Charles Koch Foundation.

Outsports's Ken Schultz reports on the rise of University of Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines's career shift to right-wing anti-trans extremist grifter and pundit.

In the immediate aftermath of Gaines tying in 5th with trans woman swimmer Lia Thomas in March 2022, Gaines was in support of Thomas's transition to becoming a woman even while still she was against her participation in the 200-meter freestyle final.

Later that same year, however, Gaines turned the anti-trans bigotry up to 100 by appearing on multiple right-wing programs and featuring in Republican campaign ads against the inclusion of trans women in women's sports.

In the past year, Gaines has been using her platform to spew out hateful right-wing propaganda on all sorts of issues in addition to her usual transphobia, endorsed anti-LGBTQ+ extremist Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for President, and even got a podcast on Outkick called Gaines For Girls.

[rjzimmerman]

Excerpt from this press release from the Center for Biological Diversity:

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service notified the public Tuesday of two applications from U.S. hunters in Texas and Florida seeking to import black rhinoceros hunting trophies. The rhinos — named Lippie and Willem, aged 28 and 31 — were killed in Namibia.

Black rhinos are critically endangered according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, with only an estimated 6,400 individuals remaining in all of Africa. While the population is growing, black rhinos are still highly imperiled because of poaching for horns, habitat loss and hunting, including “pseudo-hunting” to obtain and trade in otherwise illicit horns.

“It’s tragic that trophy hunters pay vast sums for the luxury of killing such highly imperiled animals when the focus should be on recovering the species,” said Tanya Sanerib, international legal director at the Center for Biological Diversity. “This pay-to-play system perpetuates rarity, which suits wealthy hunters out to bag exotic kills, but doesn’t help critically endangered animals like Lippie and Willem.”

Both rhinos were killed in 2022 — one on a private game reserve, Erindi, and the other in Mangetti National Park. According to application materials, the hunters paid around a quarter of a million U.S. dollars each in hunting fees.

The U.S. permit applications and supporting materials were disclosed Sept. 24. This is in accordance with an Endangered Species Act provision that requires the public to receive notice of and an opportunity to comment on import applications for endangered species such as black rhinos.

Black rhinos were listed as endangered under the Act in 1980 and are subject to a commercial trade ban imposed by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species. To import a black rhino trophy, permits under both the Act and the CITES treaty are required.

To issue the permits, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has to not only find that trophy hunting is not detrimental to the species’ survival, but that it “enhances” or benefits its survival as well. The public has 30 days to submit evidence that such findings should not be made. The last black rhino hunting trophy import permit was issued in 2019.

[lepartidelamort]

Africans Accuse Germany of Neo-Colonialism for Trying to Ban Importing Hunting Trophies

People think the blacks are stupid. American blacks actually are stupid.

But the Africans, from what we’ve seen, are much more intelligent than the white women who run Europe.

European Conservative:

Germany’s Green Party has been hit with accusations of “causing damage” in Africa and acting as though Namibian citizens “can’t think for themselves” over plans to ban the import of hunting trophies. The row broke out when Green Environment Minister Steffi Lemke began campaigning for the ban, describing the import of trophies as “absurd.” Similar bans are also being considered in Britain and elsewhere in Europe.

Steffi Lemke, “Green” politician

Lemke has complained about the hunting of animals “facing extinction,” prompting Namibian officials to stress that hunting is, in fact, a key part of conservation.

This is true and the point has been done to death.

We certainly understand this in the midwest of the US, where if you didn’t hunt deer, they would completely destroy the forests by eating every single bit of green on the ground.

We eliminated wolves in the area, which is good because it protects livestock (and small children who wander off), but it means we have to play the role the wolves used to play and limit the deer population.

The African nation’s environment minister, Pohamba Shifeta, told German newspaper Bild that trophy hunting takes place under strict international guidelines, adding that, if Germany were to make this “impossible,” this would be “an illegal, neo-colonial interference that runs counter to the international legal situation.” … The dispute is not confined to Namibia. Officials in its neighbouring country, Botswana, have threatened to send 20,000 elephants to Germany in protest against potential trophy import bans, which are being discussed despite an overpopulation of the mammal. (Its leaders say the country is home to around 130,000 elephants.)

What are you supposed to do with that many elephants?

They should send them to Germany, if Germany loves them so much. See how they deal with them.

Insisting that the promise of this ‘gift’ was “no joke,” President Mokgweetsi Masisi said the elephants should be allowed to “roam freely” like they would in Botswana. … Even the European Commission last year accepted that, so long as it is “well-regulated,” trophy hunting “can deliver benefits for both wildlife conservation and for the livelihoods and wellbeing of indigenous people and local communities living with wildlife.” Masisi has warned that elephant overpopulation has become so bad that crops and even villages are being desecrated by the creatures. Germany’s Federal Ministry for the Environment said Lemke has “signaled that she will accept Botswana’s invitation if an opportunity arises” to inspect the country’s conservation efforts.

They don’t even need to do anything to “conserve” elephants. They are everywhere in Botswana, like a plague of very large insects.

Banning trophy hunting is probably the worst thing you can do if you actually actually care about conservation.

The only reason the blacks tolerate living around lions and tigers and bears (and elephants) is that they make money out of hunting, lots of money.

Take that away, and the locals will just wipe most of them out very quickly, because all of these animals are an annoyance.

Further: safaris are not a valid alternative, because not only do they make less money, but there’s a limit to how many people you can bring there before it starts affecting the wildlife. Hunters do not make a big mess like safaris do, they don’t disrupt the environment. They move through the forest trying to be as undetected as possible.

White women are totally driven by emotions, and they believe stupid hoaxes about conservation, which are decades old. The blacks were doing the logical thing in wiping out these animals that cause so many problems for crops and for villages, before it turned out that white people were willing to go on hunting trips, at which point the blacks decided there was a good reason to keep these animals around.

We see racists talking about how “blacks destroy the environment.” They actually don’t do that. The number one destroyer of the environment in Africa are Western companies going there to mine rare earth minerals to make “green” technology.

This is the cost of your gay and retarded electric car.

If you want to save the environment in Africa, stop subsidizing electric cars. Stop it with the windmills and solar panels. Go back to normal sources of energy.

The animals are fine as long as the blacks have a reason not to kill them all. Big game hunting is the main reason.

It’s all just more nonsense from these white whores who run everything. If white men were in charge of their own countries, we would not be doing “green” technology

By Snake Baker

[yaldev]

Shaved

Every Conversion City Hospital room was stocked with local flowers in glass vases. They gave a pleasant smell to Ascendants and a deeper comfort to Yaostayans. Healers exploited that relief for their protective magic, charging anti-heart attack spells with the soothing power of the patients’ previous home, far beyond the city. Cultural dissolution was less important than preserving a compliant citizen.

Bruzek realized how stupid he looked checking for Demlow’s pulse, and let go of his wrist. The Brigadier was hooked up to life support with replacement blood and antitoxins, and all vitals showed life. Healers could have him up and firing in seconds. The only wait was getting some high-power cleric in from Asteria, at taxpayer expense, to cast his strongest anti-curses. Who knew what profane energies the hair elemental left in its targets? A sleeping mind was less vulnerable to such evil than a waking soul.

“Brigadier Demlow.” The General wore a quiet iteration of his speech-giving voice. It was an imitation of Decadin’s style, but Bruzek could never land the sincerity. “I can’t promise I’ll have time later to congratulate you properly, so this will have to do. I heard when that creature fell from the sky, you issued retreats and charged it yourself with Tarle’s blade.” Bruzek glanced at the bedside table, atop which a chef’s knife was sheathed. “I don’t know if the Dread Fighter’s bravery or stupidity possessed you, but that was courage beyond human limits.”

Bruzek strode to the window. Neon signs illuminated citizens in the streets below, who were using their allotted downtime to walk to corporate shops, where they traded their allowance for shiny trinkets, rest coupons and produce fresher than rations. For peoples who worked outside market logic, they caught onto it fast. All else would follow.

“No, it had to be bravery, because you had the elemental flamethrower. When the hair monster broke down the armory door, you must have ran inside. You thought there’d be something to end the fight, and with no operation manuals you used what you found.” Bruzek shook his head with a smile. “Apian would call that stupid, but you did what had to be done, knowing full well you’d have to answer to me for using a forbidden weapon without approval. My forbidden weapon. That took guts. I’ll tell Apian to get you a medal.”

That felt like the right conclusion. Bruzek sat on a chair by the bedside table, picked up the sheath and drew the knife. Pristine. Feeling its weight in his hand once again, he remembered why he’d demanded Cosal let him keep this trophy. If Demlow had ever used this thing, he took good care of it, but Bruzek suspected this weapon spent all its time holstered. He turned the blade over in his hand, caught his face wrinkles in the reflection and sheathed it.

“And don’t worry,” said Bruzek, “I’ve banned hair. Weekly shavings are mandatory for them now, and clippings get burned with the bodies. Beards too, and everything else. We can’t take chances.”

———

Yaldev is a sci-fantasy worldbuilding project by Ulysses Maurer, with art by Beeple. By looking at narratives, stylized loredumps, bad poetry and little details, we'll witness the story of a planet filled with magical power, the nation which tried to conquer it, this empire’s dramatic collapse and the new world which emerged in its wake. Along the way we'll meet the characters who live here, and we'll explore questions about nationalism, rationalism, the natural world and the quest to master it. For all stories in chronological order, check out the pinned posts at r/Yaldev!

[thepastisalreadywritten]

BRUSSELS — Today, the Belgian Federal government’s Council of Ministers approved a legislative proposal for a ban on the import of hunting trophies of endangered animal species, put forth by Zakia Khattabi, Minister of Climate, the Environment, Sustainable Development and Green Deal.

The Minister’s preliminary draft bill follows the Federal Parliament of the Kingdom of Belgium’s unanimous vote in March 2022 in support of a resolution demanding that the government put the brakes on the issuance of trophy import permits for a broad array of threatened and endangered species.

This resolution protects species such as the hippopotamus, Southern white rhinoceros, African savannah elephant, lion, polar bear and argali sheep killed for sport.

The scope of the resolution also extends to all species listed in Annex A, along with certain species in Annex B of the European Regulation 338/97 on the protection of species of wild fauna and flora.

Member of Parliament Kris Verduyckt (Vooruit, Flemish Socialists), initiator of the legislative proposal to ban hunting trophy imports in 2020 and proposer of the aforementioned resolution, said:

“I am glad that this hard work is paying off. Minister Khattabi is now fully translating my proposal into a bill and the entire Council of Ministers approves it.

It’s time we really started protecting endangered species. Trophy hunters prefer to kill the largest and strongest animals, the loss of which contributes to the disruption and decline of animal populations.”

The European office of animal protection charity Humane Society International, a long-time vocal advocate against the import of endangered species’ trophies, lauded the government’s decision.

Ruud Tombrock, executive director for HSI/Europe said:

“We welcome the fact that the unanimous resolution of Parliament has been translated into a legislative measure and look forward to studying the details of the legislation once published.

Belgium is leading the way for other countries in Europe already listening to calls from their citizens to consign the import of hunting trophies to history.

The next step should be an EU-wide ban on the import of hunting trophies from endangered and protected species, again reflecting the views of citizens across member states in the European Union.”

Over the past 16 months, HSI/Europe has worked with MPs to ensure that the unanimous resolution of Parliament was translated into legislation.

Today’s approval is the culmination of this campaign.

MPs from different political parties have maintained pressure on Environment Minister Khattabi.

A recent response to a parliamentary question from MP Jan Briers (CD&V, Flemish Christian democrats) revealed that the Ministry had only stopped issuing permits for importing animal trophies since mid-March 2023, a delay which outraged many MPs.

This landmark decision by the Belgian government echoes the strongly held views of its people.

A 2020 survey by Ipsos commissioned by HSI/Europe showed that 91% of Belgians oppose trophy hunting and 88% support a prohibition on importing any kind of hunting trophy at all.

This sentiment is not limited to Belgium but is resonating across the European continent.

A 2023 pan-European poll conducted by Savanta in all 27 EU Member States on behalf of HSI/Europe laid bare the widespread public rejection of trophy hunting.

A striking 83% of respondents stood firm against this practice, with just 6% in favor.

The vast majority is expecting strong measures to be taken against trophy hunting, with a compelling majority (74%) rallying behind a national import ban and similar support for an EU-wide ban (73%).

These survey results underscore a profound and growing public concern across Europe, spotlighting the urgency and importance of wildlife conservation and the protection of threatened species.

Today, Belgium has echoed the urgent European call to action against trophy hunting, joining the ranks of countries like the Netherlands, France and Finland, which have each implemented various degrees of bans and restrictions on the practice of import of hunting trophies.

Momentum against trophy hunting is accelerating across the continent, with nations including the UK, Germany, Italy, and Poland now also involved in active discussions to impose bans at varying stages of progress.

Facts on trophy hunting:

• The Netherlands introduced a trophy hunting ban for more than 200 species in May 2016 on the Annex A of European Regulation 338/97, on the protection of species of wild fauna and flora by regulating trade therein, and of species in danger of extinction.

The import ban also applies to the following Annex B species: white rhinoceros, hippopotamus, African elephant, mouflon (wild sheep from the Caucasus), lion and polar bear.

A total of 200 animal species are affected by the import licenses ban.

• France implemented a ban on the import of lion-hunting trophies in 2015.

In 2023, a Bill proposal for registration aimed at “stopping the issuance of import permits for hunting trophies of certain endangered species was tabled.

•The import of hunting trophies into Finland is restricted since June 2023.

The new Nature Conservation Act includes a provision that prohibits the import of individual animals or their parts from the most endangered species worldwide, which are threatened by international trade as trophies from countries outside the EU.

• In the United Kingdom in March 2023, British lawmakers approved a ban on the import of animal hunting trophies covering 6,000 endangered species, which makes it one of the toughest in the world.

The legislation is now being debated in the House of Lords.

• In Germany, the Minister of the Environment, Steffi Lemke (The Greens), announced that she intends to restrict the import of hunting trophies from protected animal species.

Germany terminated the Country’s membership in the International Council for Game and Wildlife Conservation (CIC) in 2022.

• In Italy in 2022, a bill aimed at banning the import, export and re-export, to and from Italy, of hunting trophies obtained from animals that are protected by CITES, was presented.

After the fall of the government and the elections in 2023, the same bill was tabled again in parliament.

• In Poland, a bill sponsored by the deputy chairperson of the Sejm, the lower chamber of the parliament, reached committee stage discussion this month and is scheduled for further progress in August 2023.

• Trophy hunting of endangered species poses a severe threat to conservation efforts and the world’s natural heritage.

Trophy hunters prefer to kill the largest, strongest animals, whose loss causes declines in population.

The affected species, such as African elephants, lions, rhinoceros, and leopards, among others, are already facing the risk of extinction and play crucial roles in maintaining healthy ecosystems and biodiversity.

The loss of these iconic animals not only disrupts delicate ecological balances but also erodes cultural and historical significance.

Many species play important roles in their ecosystems. Their removal can have cascading effects on other wildlife, vegetation, and the overall health of the ecosystem.

• The EU is the second biggest importer of hunting trophies after the United States, as indicated in a report by Humane Society International/Europe from 2021, with an average of 3000 trophies imported in the period between 2014 and 2018.

• The top 10 species imported into the EU as trophies are:

Hartmann’s mountain zebra (Equus zebra hartmannae) (3.119), Chacma baboon (1.751), American black bear (Ursus americanus) (1.415), brown bear (1.056), the African elephant (952), African lion (Panthera leo) (889), African leopard (Panthera pardus) (839), hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius) (794), caracal (Caracal caracal) (480), and red lechwe (Kobus leche) (415).

• The EU was the largest importer of cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) trophies with 297 cheetah trophies imported into the EU during the study period.

• Belgium is the 13th largest hunting trophy importer of internationally protected species in Europe

• Shortly before the vote of the resolution last year, Animal Rights Belgium, another organisation campaigning against the import of hunting trophies in Belgium, delivered a petition with 37,000 signatures supporting the ban to the Federal Environment Minister, Zakia Khattabi.

💛🙌💛

[plethoraworldatlas]

Trophy hunting is one more form of Greenwashing

The United Kingdom’s House of Lords is considering a bill that proposes to ban trophy-hunting imports into the country. The bill passed its second reading on June 16, after having passed through the House of Commons. It will now go to the committee stage of the Upper House (Lords), which is expected to rule in favor of its passing, if perhaps in amended form.

Meanwhile the global industry that feels threatened by the bill has pushed its propaganda machinery into overdrive.

Its carefully scripted narrative goes something like this: We all hate the idea of African wildlife being killed, dismembered and reassembled into a trophy for someone’s wall as a reminder of some conquest that was cruel and hardly sport in any meaningful sense of that word. But we must live with this necessary evil, because, counterintuitively, trophy hunting is killing to conserve. In the UK media, even the likes of George Monbiot have nailed their pro-hunting colors to the mast, if reluctantly. In another example of this narrative, Professor Amy Dickman — in a letter to the Financial Times — opines that trophy hunting ultimately saves more animals than it kills and dismisses any criticism as merely “virtue-signaling.” With wildlife trade researcher Dilys Roe, she aired a video lecture that explains why all of us should be a bit slower to condemn trophy hunting.

It can all be very confusing. The latest broadside is that anyone opposed to trophy hunting is not only “virtue-signaling” but an unwitting perpetrator of neocolonial attitudes toward African people, telling Africans how to run their countries. Those of us who associate the trophy hunting of big game with men in white hats and big rifles traipsing through private reserves (or public ones initially created to protect animals from being trophy-hunted to extinction) are actually the neocolonialists.

Thankfully, environmental anthropologist Sian Sullivan has illuminated what is going on here with a great degree of academic skill and rigor. In a newly published article in the Journal of Political Ecology, Sullivan shows that the trophy-hunting industry has become adept at employing subversive narratives to greenwash its extractive activities.

[redwineconversation]

Olympique Lyonnais Behind the Scenes (Episode 1)

Blah blah standard disclaimers apply; don't harass me for shit or it drops down the priority list out of sheer spite; if you stalk a player your ass should be banned from a stadium xoxo; @OL Comms Dept I do love a good PSL; y'all know the speech by now.

I know I'm being a little slow in kicking things out but I do want to explain what my typical day looks like: get up at 5am, go to the gym, take Damo out for a walk, get home, feed Damo, shower, leave by 730 am, feed Apollo; get to work; hit my billable hours; take care of Apollo; get home; make dinner. Literally I am out of my apartment for 13 hours. By the time I am done feeding Damo his dinner and making my dinner, it's almost 930 - 10pm. I need sleep to function. I also really like my job and want to keep it, and thus cannot be chronically online as I have actual bills to pay since my parents don't pay for everything and I have, like, proper adult responsibilities. Anyway, it's just to explain that yes sometimes there is a delay in me kicking things out, but I do get to things eventually. Just don't be a dick if something is out with your fave and I haven't gotten around to translating in it. xoxo

This is how you do a proper documentary. Walk me through it. Tell me what you were thinking but tell me why you were thinking it as well. I don't care about your favorite movie or your social media content. Let's pour ourselves a glass of wine and just, like, talk.

If you want to know this team, you have to know what it looks like when their eyes change. To know this team is to understand them. This is how you get to that.

OLYMPIQUE LYONNAIS BEHIND THE SCENES - EPISODE 1

Eugenie Le Sommer: Hi.

Melchie Dumornay: Hello.

Griedge M'Bock: Hello.

Le Sommer: This year on OLPlay -

M'Bock: - we are telling you about our season.

Dumornay: And it starts right now.

[Footage of Lyon celebrating winning trophies]

[Shot of training ground]

M'Bock: I was there since the very beginning. But little by little, after the World Cup, the international players came back.

[previous footage of players coming back from after the World Cup]

Dumornay: Err, the return from the World Cup was hard for me because we had the goal of going as far as possible in the World Cup. And it was good as well to come back to the group as soon as possible to process what happened in the World Cup, and forget it all. Get back to work. So it was hard but also good for me to join the group.

Le Sommer: Well this year, this season is a bit different because we came back later from the World Cup. Each one came back at a different time. We didn't all start preseason at the same time. So we had to go with the flow.

[Shot of Kadidiatou Diani]

Le Sommer: For the recruits, it's simple. They're there. We act as though they have always been there. We try to make them feel at ease from the beginning. We obviously have an ulterior motive. We have to get to know them [shot of players in practice - that's what Le Sommer meant by "getting to know"], get them involved. Because it's always harder for a new player to approach players who have been there for a while. But it's a really natural process, ever since I've been at Lyon I've always found it easy to integrate the new players and I think they feel at ease pretty quickly.

Dumornay: The players sent me supportive messages, they said welcome home. I found that really touching. The players put me in the best condition possible in the group. It was a really good thing and I appreciate it enormously.

M'Bock: Obviously if there are players who are more at ease, then I will bully them a little bit more. Otherwise I will take more care of them. It depends on the person and the relationship you have with them.

[Shot of the players arrive in Divonne]

Le Sommer: The first important moment of the season when we're all together is the preseason camp, which we did in Divonne this year.

Dumornay: Everyone was there, the whole group. So for sure we were all able to work together, which helped with the team's chemistry overall. It was a really interesting preseason camp, the weather was nice, the sun was shining. So me personally, I was really excited to work with the whole group.

Le Sommer: We're going to say that our sights were set on the Trophee des Championnes. It was the first objective for the season. It was a major objective because it's against PSG. So the week in Divonne really served as preparation for that game.

[Training shots]

[Shot of Sara Dabritz]

M'Bock: It's true that Sara [Dabritz] had to leave preseason camp at one point. We were all really sad for her, because - because she is someone who is part of the team, who - who brings us a lot, and we also know what kind of person she is. She's a really kind person. We were all really touched by what happened to her. And we tried to show her on the field that we were with her and that we were thinking about her.

[Shot of the players arriving at Troyes (where the Trophee des Championnes will be played)]

Le Sommer: First game of the season, it's against PSG. I didn't think I was going to start because we had worked the whole week on a certain formation, and I was playing the role of someone coming in to that formation. But Ada [Hegerberg] got injured the eve of the game, so that's when I realized I could potentially be a starter. So I prepared like I always do, as if I was going to play, and I knew I would start when we had the pregame meeting.

Dumornay: [I was] very excited before the game. I was very eager to play against Paris [Saint-Germain] but also to play my first official game with the team and to try and do something special in the game.

[Game footage]

Le Sommer: We didn't have the start to the game that we wanted because we wanted to attack immediately and put them in difficulty. I think their formation threw us off a little bit at the beginning, even if we knew they would be playing with a backline of three defenders. We didn't adapt quick enough.

Dumornay: The first ten minutes of the game were a little complicated. I had to make a few mistakes to find my bearings. [laughter] Once I was able to orient myself I was off.

[Game footage cont'd]

Le Sommer: It's all about tactics at the start. I saw the space that the defender had left, so I move into that space. I move out wide whereas normally I cut inside. After that, instinct kicked it and I crossed. I put myself in Melchie's [Dumornay] space and I told myself where I would like the cross, and she cut inside her defender pretty well, and we scored.

Dumornay: I wanted to get a foot on it but it wasn't really going to work, so instead I - I don't know, it was more instinctual, cross the header in front of goal. So it ended pretty well. Once I saw the ball had gone in, that I had scored, I felt all the energy I had to let out leave me. It was my first goal, it was also an important goal for the team because it allowed us to gain the advantage. So yeah, really happy and really proud as well.

[Game footage cont'd]

Le Sommer: [laughs] So my goal, I get why people could say it's a lucky goal. But when I saw Lindsey [Horan] getting the ball, I knew that she could take a shot and I was ready to close in on the keeper if she dropped the ball. And then she [Horan] shot in my direction, and I said to myself all I have to do is put it on target and I just angled my foot to try and put it on target. It catches the goalkeeper wrong footed. It was an instinctual goal but there was also a thought process behind it.

Le Sommer: You have to be able to anticipate a situation that never happens. The day it does happen, you need to be ready. That's something that goes with playing in that position [forward/striker].

[Game footage cont'd]

M'Bock: It's true that it was a special evening. You just think about playing, you just think about getting on the field, having fun, even if there was a time when I was thinking back on the rehab, the months of hard work, everything I had gone through to get back. When the coach calls you to come on, it's a really happy moment. And a lot of emotion, because you say to yourself it's finally over, it's all behind you. To be able to come on in a game like the Trophee des Championnes and win the title, the emotions are obviously heightened.

Le Sommer: It warms the heart, it's the kind of emotional moments that you don't experience every day. And Griedge is a player I've been playing with for a long time, someone I appreciate enormously. So I was really happy for her, that she was involved again in a competition, with the team. We saw her daily, we saw how hard she work even if it was sometimes difficult. It's often difficult when you're injured, especially when it's a longterm injury. So we also know what she went through and seeing her [on the field], it was a reward for all that. It was good for her.

[Game footage cont'd]

Dumornay: My first medal, my first trophy and also my first trophy as Player of the Match. So it was something special. I couldn't have dreamt it any better. But what made me even happier was to have won this trophy with the team and all the players. So that's already something that will stay with me forever, to have come in like that in my first game and to have had so much success. So that will really stay with me.

[Game footage cont'd - Renard delaying the celebration until she received Sara Dabritz's jersey]

Le Sommer: We're a team. It's a real team, not just an expression. What we did for Sara [Dabritz], it's because she was going through a difficult personal situation. We're there for each other. When we say there's a lot of solidarity in the team, it's not empty words. It's really genuine. We want everyone to feel good on the team and that everyone is as happy as possible. So we know that when you're going through difficult times, even a little gesture like that will make you feel better.

M'Bock: It's true those gestures are really touching. Having experienced it personally, I was on the hospital bed right before my operation. When they did it for me, I almost had tears in my eyes. I was really emotional and said to myself, "they're still thinking about me." That does so much good. It's good to feel like people are thinking about you, and that they will be with you no matter what.

Le Sommer: Once the Trophee des Championnes was over, we went straight into the league. So first day of the league, it was against Le Havre. The game started pretty well for us, we played a good game. I scored the first goal. The goalkeeper coach, Simon, told me to be there for the rebounds. So that's all the balls which are [badly] cleared either by the goalkeeper or from the defenders. He told me to be ready in that position. And I just needed the ball to come to me. I didn't question myself, I just took a shot, and, well, I scored.

[Game footage cont'd]

Le Sommer: All these volleys, those are moves I've always liked doing. It's a move I do pretty well. And when I have the opportunity, I try to take it, and it worked out pretty well. But yeah, it was a good goal.

[Game footage cont'd]

Liana Joseph: I think it's Sonia [Bompastor], she was talking to Remi [Pullara], they were like "call up Liana". I was like "nah" but then I got up. I ran a bit, warmed up, then was good to go. There was also Alice [Sombath], it was either her or me who was going to go on. Then he [Remi] told me to step up my warmups, and I was like "okay Liana, it's on." I was a bit stressed, but yeah. I stayed confident in myself. Then they called me over. Sonia was like "okay, just do like you do in practice." When they raised the - the thing so you can come on - I was like okay, you have to give everything now. I didn't want my family to have come for nothing. Coming on in front of them was a big honor for me. So I gave everything I had, but the first minutes were a bit complicated because I had to get oriented and yeah. It was a bit complicated.

[Game footage cont'd]

M'Bock: Honestly, the cross was Wendie [Renard], it was really good. It was almost a magical moment.

[Game footage cont'd]

M'Bock: After Le Havre, there was the international break. When you're called up to the National Team, obviously you're happy. You savor each moment, each day. Obviously for me it was my big return, so there was even more happiness and emotion, I think. But I also experienced that period where the [Lyon] team wasn't at full strength. It's true it's not easy. At Lyon we're lucky to have an enormous amount of international players, but that means when pretty much everyone is gone, there's barely anyone left [at Lyon] for the training sessions. So it's sometimes a little complicated to practice in terms of quality [of practice], even if the staff does their best for us. It's just like that, you have to continue to train. But it also allows us to practice things that we don't always have time to do when you're off on international duty or when - well yeah, when you're away on international duty. There's good and less good.

Le Sommer: The context is a bit particular this year because we're playing PSG twice in three weeks. So when we come back from the international break there isn't a lot of time to prepare [for PSG]. We only had two training sessions, only one of which had all the players because there were some who were [playing] on the other side of the world. So when we get them back, you have to quickly get back in the Lyon state of mind. But that's also how football is, so you don't have a choice, that's just how it is. And we're playing at the Parc des Princes on Sunday night, so that's going to be good for the game in that sense. It's the match of the weekend.

[Game footage cont'd]

Le Sommer: It's one of the games where there was a lot of back and forth, no team dominated. That's not always the case against PSG. Each team had chances. We started the game pretty well. We were able to create some chances, we were pressing pretty high. They were able to put us in difficulty on the counters, but we continued to push and I was the one who scored the goal in the first half on a free kick from Selma [Bacha], she crossed it to Dama[ris] who headed it back to me and I took it on the volley. It ended up in the back of the net.

[Game footage cont'd]

M'Bock: She [Le Sommer] rolled back the years. Honestly, what she is doing is impressive. On the one hand it doesn't surprise me because I know Eugenie [Le Sommer], I know her quality, and I know what she is capable of. To see her perform like this, it makes me really happy. It can only be beneficial for the team as well.

Le Sommer: Chris[tiane Endler] had a big game as well. I think the win is because of her as well. She had some great saves. I think the goalkeepers on both teams had a great game. That being said, Chris isn't able to showcase her abilities that often because we don't usually concede that many chances. But it was still a game against PSG, her former club. So she had a really, really great game and that was good.

[Game footage cont'd]

M'Bock: So there you have it, we finish the month with three games, three wins. It was a productive month you can say.

Dumornay: As I said, I couldn't have hoped for any better. I spent my birthday here, I won a trophy here, I met people that I've always wanted to meet.

M'Bock: In terms of the style of play, there's still a lot we need to improve on. We know that. We know there are things we need to improve, but it's going in the right direction. We'll have a bit more time to work on things. So we're going to make the most of the time we have to continue improving as a team. There's a lot of clashes coming up, especially with the derby [againt ASSE], the UWCL draw, and everything after that. So we're eager to get to it, and we're going to prepare like we should to be ready.

Dumornay: Eager to see what's next. We're going to continue as I said with this consistency to work and conquer what's in front of us.