#even olympics in asia

[kiwanopie]

Overnight Lovin’

Sakusa Kiyoomi x Reader

cw: smut, alcohol mention, oral sex(f!receving), dumbification, dirty talk, whipped!Kiyoomi, mutually cumdrunk, PnV sex, creampie. Minors do not interact.

wc: 3.2k

This is not your bedroom.

As much as you’d kill for it to be. Silk cotton stuffed duvet a rich maroon in accordance to equally as soft sheets. Carefully shined mahogany floors checkered in wine colored Persian, a bedroom that’s more fantasy love suite than any commonplace bedroom and fuck if this mattress isn’t like heaven to lay on.

But this isn’t your bedroom.

You point your nose to the oversized shirt flooding a little under your collarbones. It’s just a simple horror tee. Dark colored kanji hovering over an illustration of Jason half obscured by cartoon blood and soft to the cotton touch. It’s big enough to cover a good portion of your thighs that are… not dressed with anything. Huh. Yeah, you are- You feel up your modest covering with a quick pat down of your hands. - Completely naked under this. And honestly a little sore. A certain shift of your hips has your pelvic area throbbing back at you like it’s already tapping out, fingerprint bruises on your thighs that feel tender when you poke them; even your tits are sore - nipples perking under your shirt like they’ve already been prodded and played with. Whoever the hell you went home with last night gave you a run for your money.

Come to think of it, what the hell even happened last night? Last you remember you were twisting your hips against a bar stool while your college buddies raved on ecstasy and coke on the dance floor. — A Shirley temple was enough to start your party high without indulging in any illicit drugs, but you’ve never been much of a drinker. That fizzy cherry vodka already had you buzzing, a few more of those and who knows what’ll happen.

You bite your lip against the grain of new life and newer feelings of lechery. You look too good and too soft not to be bent over a sink somewhere.

���That sweet?” His voice turns your fine hairs into goosebumps. “Looks tasty.”

You gaze up at him with doey eyes so filled with mirth that it makes his palms sweat. “It is.”

You slide your bottom lip through your teeth. Voice as pretty as you are. “You want a sip?”

He’s the smell of Dior and vetiver as he lifts the glass cuplet out of your hands. “Sure.”

You don’t remember who he was or what he looked like but just the memory of his raspy voice turns your sore throbbing into a needy ache. — If the way the sink in his bathroom abruptly stops with a moment of sluggish shuffling, you’re about to find out who exactly it was that rocked your world last night.

You’re already looking up at him when the door opens with a neat click, his muscled limbs stretch his boxers in a way that can only be described as appetizing.

And then you get a good look at his face.

Oh. Holy shit.

There’s… That’s-… How? He looks exactly like he does on his team’s magazine covers. JSM’s top ten lists, Bungeishunjū, and news outlets that brandish his face for a chance at watchability. He’s even more handsome in person. Trademark resting bitch face does little to dilute how painfully attractive he is and if anything the intimidation factor is a bonus. As well as the fame, the money, and of course his position as one of the top most well known athletes in all of Asia.

His name precedes him, the renowned Olympic volleyball player feels even taller than the humble 6’4 his Wikipedia pages cite him as,

He’s Sakusa Kiyoomi.

If it weren’t for the disorienting confusion you may have screamed. This is the guy who fucked you last night within an inch of your life.

Your voice is a little raspy which is expected, but when you open your mouth your jaw is sore. “Ohayō Gozaimasu-“

He clears the floor from the bathroom to the bed in just a few footsteps, you can barely react when he’s grabbing you by the jaw and tilting your head up for a better angle.

And then he’s kissing you.

The kiss is slow and sensual, so sultry that you moan a little in his mouth and he breathes into it with a deep hum. He’s kissing you like he loves you, like he’s crazy about you and like he just can’t get enough. The current of the kiss follows a savory kind of spit swapping that turns your inner thighs misty, and he pulls away with a soft smack that all but leaves a gossamer trail.

His thumb rubs circles on the soft of your cheek. “Ohayō.”

Your heart skips at the little peck he leaves on your lips before finally pulling away.

He runs a large hand through his tousled hair as he moves for a dresser near the vanity. “I ordered us some breakfast that should be here within the hour,”

He pulls out a shirt. “I’d make you some breakfast from scratch but,” Sakusa tugs it over his head. “I figured it’d be cruel to subject you to my cooking this early on.”

You blow a humored breath out of your nose. “I appreciate the sentiment regardless,”

He approaches the bed again and sits himself down across from you, there are love bites on his neck that probably match yours. “I hope you slept well.” He hums. “I slept like a rock because of you, actually.”

Oh god, you don’t even wanna know what kind of raunchy shit you were up to last night.

“I slept like the dead.” You crawl up to him, he’s already opening his arms for you. “Whatever you did put me out like a light.”

You fit in his arms so well it’s almost scary, he wraps his arms around you like he might never let you go. “Uh, Sakusa-san?”

He furrows. “Last name?”

You smile apologetically. “Kiyoomi,” You correct yourself. “I don’t… remember a lot of last night. We came back here from the club, right?”

“You…?” Kiyoomi’s eyebrows shoot up incredulously. “You don’t remember?”

“Not a lot.” You shake your head.

He frowns.

But even still his hand rubs fond lines up and down your back, still holding you just as faithfully, and looking up at you like you’re the best thing since sliced bread. “We marathoned a few drinks and then I had us dropped off at my place. I think… we started in the car, and then in my living room, and then the kitchen, the hallway, my bedroom finally; and then after a few hours we finished each other off in the shower. Around five we kissed until you eventually fell asleep.”

Kiyoomi traces the curves of your lips as he gazes fondly. “Last night was the best night of my life, I think. I don’t know if I’ve ever been with someone who could make me feel so good.” He proclaims. “I hope it’ll all come to you eventually, it was really something special.”

Well with the way he’s been treating you up to this point, it’s not like you’ll have a hard time believing that. Every earnest caress and look of adoration, the way his voice timbres into a loving hum, so smooth it makes you shiver. Hopefully those memories do come back at some point. You’ll never live it down if you actually missed the best night of your life.

You muse it with a little pout at the thought of that, Kiyoomi debates leaning forward and sucking your bottom lip into his mouth. “Hopefully I do remember then. It sounds like we had a lot of fun,”

Your pout drops after a short moment of consideration and you lean in even closer. The soft tip of your nose grazes in feather strokes as you skim it over his and slowly ease your lips down the path way to his, tasting his shuddering breaths as you hover there for a few painful seconds. But he all but melts when you finally meet. A chaste lingering kiss at first, a few sensuous short ones; you do him the courtesy and suck his bottom lip in your mouth instead. — Letting it snap back before you’re starting a trail down his cheek and kissing up until you're nosing under his jaw, using your loving hand to tilt his head up and give you the access that you seek.

He could buy you a ring right now, he wouldn’t even regret it. You don't even remember what you two got up to last night and still you’re caressing him in a way that gives him goosebumps. If you keep this up, he might wind up funding your entire life.

You bring your head up again and pull him into another kiss. Slow and open mouthed, and he damn near purrs when you start pushing your fingers through his hair. “Regardless, you feel amazing.” You whisper against his lips.

God, you might be trying to kill him. “I wouldn’t mind a refresher if you’re up for it.”

He sighs through his nose as he ducks his head to burrow himself into the crevasse over your shoulder, already peppering in searing kisses down your throat. “I was hoping you’d say something like that.”

Kiyoomi sucks in a love bite that makes you whimper so pretty. “I’m gonna make you feel so fucking good you can’t take it.”

With the way you’re already making a mess in his lap, you believe him.

—

He’s a good kisser.

Regardless of where his lips end up. He’s a little messy, a little heavy with tongue, slow when it matters and firm when it counts. He’s great with his mouth. Surprising since he’s known for being somewhat of a recluse in the opinion of the public eye. Some call him aloof, others call him cold, the majority call him intimidating, but right now what comes to your mind is giving.

The way he spits on your already messy pussy makes your eyes roll.

You inadvertently hump into his face as the combination of his tongue and fingers set the pit in your stomach ablaze. He’s fucking you with his mouth so thoroughly that the skewlch of your building arousal reverbates throughout the room. You almost feel bad about how much your thighs are all but compressing the sides of his head, but every effort to lighten up on him has him tightening his hold on you to keep him locked against your sloppy cunt.

You hiss through your teeth as your fingers card through his hair. “F-Fuck… Omi…!”

Kiyoomi moans against your clit at the wanton sound of your pitched voice. Airy, and breathy, and intoxicating. He’s grinding himself so desperately into the mattress that he’s sure he’s gone sticky.

The veins in his arms pop as he persistently fucks his fingers into your tight little hole, sloppily sucking your swollen clit as the way you roll your hips into his face drives him crazy. “You’re gonna make me cum…!” You whimper. “Fuck, Kiyoomi!”

That crude mixture of his spit and your cum is starting to form a little puddle under your backside, every bit of you he doesn’t get to swallow he doubles his efforts to drink you up sprucely.

Hearing you teeter over the edge makes him feel like he’s following close behind. Your moans are so astonishingly pretty that it’s turning his brain all fuzzy. “Ffffuck! Oh fuck. Oh my god, baby! Fuck-! I-I’m…I’m cumming…!”

Kiyoomi groans drunkenly into your cunt as it suckles on his fingers, he’s so determined to drink every last drop of your cum that he almost comes off as depraved. Lewdly slurping you up as the way he desperately sucks on your clit makes you whine into the air. Still indulging himself in your mess even as you whimper from overstimulation.

He only pulls away because the way you’re begging for him to fuck you is sending him into a frenzy. “Wan’ it so bad, Omi. Please? Do whatever you want to me. U-Use me up!”

“Yeah?” Kiyoomi hums into your mouth as you suck yourself off of his tongue. “Want me to use you? I’ll fuck you till you cry, you know.”

Your misty eyes make his heart skip, the way the head of his cock catches your entrance feels like stepping into heaven all over again. “Please, baby? Give it to me. ‘Wanna feel you inside!”

He gapes a little as he presses himself in, so overwhelmed that his head falls into your shoulder and it’s an effort for him not to outright cry out at how fucking unreal you feel.

He thinks he might just be falling in love with you. Having a pussy like this may just be a hazard for his mental health, there’s no way he’s letting this slip throughout his fingers. “Oh my god,” Kiyoomi chokes. “O-Oh my fucking god.”

“You feel… unbelievable, angel,” He starts his pace. God, fucking you is actually pushing him to the brink of insanity. “…oh my fucking-… s-so tight! So fucking wet for me, angel… holy shit…- you’re so good to me, baby.”

His breathless praises are sending you alight. He’s so deep in your guts that you’re sure you’d find a bulge if you looked down at where your bodies meet. “So good…! So, so good!”

The way you hold each other is so desperate and devoted that it feels biblical. “I can feel you in my stomach, Omi… So deep…! Y-You’re… too deep!”

Kiyoomi grunts as he pushes himself in to the hilt and holds himself there for a blissful second. Grinding his hips in shallow circles that make you choke on your tongue, but you barely know the half of until he’s lifting up one of your legs.

And then the other, lifting on his knees till he’s hovering over your pretty face, - and then he starts pistoning.

The way your face contorts from a flustered glimmer of welling tears to a blissed out gape that cutens as your tears fall is enough to make his balls feel tight enough to burst. Never mind how fucking amazing this new angle is, watching you lose your mind under him as those pretty tits move to the current of his thrusts is making his brain feel all cloudy. — He’s sure the eye contact he’s keeping is transparent in the fact that he’s turned a little love drunk. Ducking his head to press tempered kisses on your throat, but he can’t help himself from the way his lips skim up to your ear and his mouth moves without him really thinking about it.

It’s a pleasure induced haze, he’s sure. But he can’t be forgiven for the absolute filthy things he’s saying to you.

“You hear that?” He drags in a few particularly forceful thrusts that make you sob so prettily for him. “You’re really soaking me up, huh.”

“Is it that good? You feel me deep in your tummy?” Kiyoomi swivels his hips. “S-Shit. What a pretty fucking noise that just was. Fuck, baby. - Oh, are you crying?”

“Too much?” But even still he presses more of his weight on you until every thrust is hitting you to the hilt. So deep that every other press of his hips forces a yip out of you that makes his face hot. — He’s really starting to think he might be ruined for anyone else at this point.

“You’re g’nna take it for me anyway though, huh? Slutty baby… You’re gonna let me fuck you brain dead? Fuck you till you’re all stupid for me?”

You sound as far gone as he is. “Y- Yes! Yes!”

“Yeah, that’s it, angel. Such a… fuck… good fucking girl for me.”

You must be close to cumming cause you’re really starting to milk him for all he’s worth. Sucking him back in every time he pulls away and every moment he continues to fuck into you you only get tighter.

He’s losing his mind. “Ohhh fuck. Fuck! I swear to god I’m gonna break you. G’nna - shit - gonna fuck you till you’re all mine, yeah? H-Holy shit-“

Kiyoomi groans at the way your fingernails start to dig groves into his back. “Mhm. Mark me up, angel. Wanna see you all over me when we’re done.”

You grab a helping of his hair and hold on to it for dear life, you’re drooling at this point. “Oh my god… oh m’ god, Kiyoomi… I’m- I’m gonna make a mess!”

“Yeah?” Which obviously means he’s reaching down to rub messy circles on your clit. “Gonna make a mess? Wanna soak me in your pretty cum?”

“Give it to me then, baby. I’ll fill you up so good when you do.”

You croon in his ear and it sounds like gospel.

And then you’re soaking the bed with your cum.

Kiyoomi doesn’t let up even as your juices wet down his pelvis and legs. He doesn’t stop his punishing thrusts or the rhythm he’s keeping on your clit, still whispering words of filth and praise in your ear, — and it looks like you’ve completely lost yourself to the pleasure at this point. The way his name is clipping so desperately off your tongue is making his eyes roll into his head. And it’s just a few more moments of fucking into your spasming pussy till he’s following you off the edge.

“Oh god. Oh my god.” He hisses. “Mmmh - Oh fuck, baby. I’m cumming… f-fuck! I’m cumming. I’m cumming.”

Oh god, even after last night there’s still so much of it. So much and so hot. Just the feeling of clenching on his hot cum as he continues to fuck into you is sending you over the edge again. God, the sounds you’re both making. Thank goodness his penthouse is big enough to not worry about disturbing any of his neighbors, reinforced flooring probably snuffing out the sound of your debauched love making. He’s never been the most vocal in bed but you’re making him whine into your ear like a cheap whore. And the sounds you’re making - Fuck, the sounds you’re making, he wouldn’t be surprised if he turned his head and found the decorative plants near his terrace sprouting flowers. It shouldn’t even be possible to sound that fucking good and feel this fucking amazing all at once.

Kiyoomi doesn’t even realize that bed making firm clicks into the wall until he starts to slow up his thrusts. Gradually coming down from his high until his desperate movements become slow and sensuous grinding, still rocking into you even as you settle again in his arms.

He lifts his head to bring you into a lazy kiss, a little sloppy, a little butterfly inducing.

You sigh into his lips. “…Holy shit.”

Kiyoomi pulls away to press a few slow kisses into your jaw. “I think I just might be addicted to you.”

“You’re telling me…” You cross your legs over his back. “Is it too early to suggest we go steady?”

He snorts a little. “As if I’m letting you go anywhere after that.”

Kiyoomi raises his back to gingerly kiss you on the lips, so tender it feels loving. Even as he pulls away he seems ailed by it. He is ailed by it. He can’t even imagine how he’ll fare when he has to get up eventually.

His breath is warm against your lips. The way he speaks to you feels reverent. “You’re stuck with me now.”

You smile. And he goosebumps. “Aren’t I lucky then?”

reblog uwu?

[greynatomy]

who even are you?

katrina gorry x reader

this was a request from wattpad. finally wrote about another matilda. my writing block is slightly going away.

this is one of the ones that’s been sitting in the drafts

part 2 part 3

———

You met Katrina at the beginning of 2021. You were in Australia on a vacation when you nearly knocked her down walking to a café. Your tall frame towers over hers by almost a whole foot.

As an apology, you invited her to have breakfast with you, connecting with one another instantly. You talked about what you did for work, intrigued when she said she played football professionally. She also opened up about always wanting to become a mother and recently finding out her ivf procedure worked and was currently pregnant.

You hit it off pretty well, hanging out everyday, which turned into you asking her on a date and becoming official by the end of your month long vacation. It was difficult when you had to go back home to England.

Months passed and you talked whenever you could, missing her more and more. You talked to your boss about wanting to go remote, but would fly out only when necessary and surprisingly to you, he agreed.

You talked about it to Katrina and she was ecstatic. You moved in with her just before her final weeks of pregnancy.

In the delivery room, once a little baby girl was born, which Katrina named her Harper, she asked if it would be okay if she put your name in the other box for parent. You cried into her shoulder, wanting nothing more.

After some time, you’d gotten married in a small private ceremony months after Harper’s birth, moving into a bigger place. You both couldn’t be happier.

Two years later, the Australia’s Women’s National Team were currently in training for the Olympic Qualifying Asia. Harper was off to the side of the pitch playing with all the toys that she brought with her.

The coach calls the team for a water break, Mini’s two other kids, Kyra and Charli, rush over to Harper.

“Havin’ fun Harps?”

“Yeah!” She raises up her little doll to show them.

Catching their breath, the three play with each other, all in their own world, until the coach calls them back in for a scrimmage. It was a close game, playing like it was a real match.

As everyone was focused on the game, Harper saw someone familiar in the distance, instantly getting up from her blanket, running towards the figure.

“Mama!” She crashes into you.

“Hi, Harper. You been good for Mommy?”

“Yeah!” Harper sees a ball and tugs you by the hand. “Mama, play!”

“Wanna play some football?”

In your own little world, the team’s scrimmage finished, everyone eager to change out of their sweaty gear. Kyra and Charli took off to Harper’s blanket wanting to spend some time with their little sister. The thing is, Harper’s not in the blanket.

“Charli, where’s Harper?”

“How would I know?”

“You’re supposed to keep an eye on her.”

“Me? What about you?”

“How’d we lose a baby?”

“Hey, guys!” Startled, they turn around to see Mini. “Good training today, huh? Where’d Harper go?”

“Uh-well-um—” Charli started malfunctioning.

“Wait! Look there!” Kyra pointed to the distance, seeing Harper with someone she’s never seen before. “Hey! Get away from her!” Before the other two know it, Kyra was already running to where Harper and the supposed stranger are, grabbing Harper out of your arms.

Katrina realizing that it was you, runs after Kyra, hearing her daughter let out a cry.

“How did you get in here? I’m gonna call security!”

“Can you just listen to—”

“—Why should I listen to you, you-you kidnapper!”

The rest of the Matildas are now aware of all the commotion, going up to it.

“What’s happening here?” Sam asks, seeing Kyra hold onto a crying Harper tightly.

“She’s trying to take Harper!”

“What? No, I’m not!”

“Who even are you?”

“If you’d let me expl—”

“I don’t wanna listen to what you have to sa—”

“SHUT UP!” Katrina yelled, everyone going silent, except for the cries of Harper. “Look, this isn’t how it’s supposed to go, but conclusions were jumped into so I’m doing it now. This is Y/N and she’s my wife and Harper’s other Mom.”

“You’re married?” “Wife?” “Other mom?” “Since when?” “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Okay! Shut up! I’ll answer everything after we’ve all showered and dressed. Kyra give Harper back to Y/N.”

Handing Harper back to you, she gives you and apologetic smile.

“Sorry about that.”

“It’s alright. Just a misunderstanding.”

As they all go into the changing rooms, you greet your wife with a kiss.

“That was something, huh?”

“Definitely not how I wanted it to go.”

“‘Least it’s out of the way. Can we get some ice cream after?”

“I sceam (ice cream)!” Harper suddenly has a burst of energy.”

“Ice cream!”

“I have two children at this point.”

“Don’t Kyra and Charli call you Mom?”

“Four children. I have four children and you all drive me insane.”

[artifacts-and-arthropods]

The Colugo: this mammal is able to glide through the air using a fur-covered membrane that stretches across most of its body margin

Colugos are often referred to as "flying lemurs," but genetic studies have shown that they are actually among the closest living relatives of primates, occupying a sister group.

They are native to the tropical rainforests of Southeast Asia, where they are divided into two extant species: the Philippine flying lemur (Cynocephalus volans) can be found in the Southern Philippines, and the Sunda flying lemur (Galeopterus variegatus) can be found in parts of Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar, Malaysia, and Indonesia.

The fur-covered membrane that stretches across the colugo's body is known as a patagium; a similar membrane can be found in other gliding mammals (e.g. flying squirrels, sugar gliders, etc.) but the patagium of the colugo is far more extensive, surrounding almost all of the animal's body margin and stretching even between the tail and hind legs.

When they are not actively gliding, female colugos with young offspring will often pull their tails up against their bellies, effectively curling the patagium into a pouch in which the baby can be carried and protected. In order to glide, however, the mother must fully extend her patagium, meaning that she must unfold the pouch; if the baby has not yet learned how to glide on its own, then it must curl itself around the mother's torso and hold on tight as she glides from tree-to-tree.

The extensive size of their patagium means that colugos have far more "wing space" than other gliding mammals, which enables them to glide much further. In a single leap, a colugo may glide across a distance of up to 145 meters (about 475 feet) -- nearly the length of three Olympic-sized swimming pools. Studies have shown that they can glide a total distance of 1,342 meters (4,403 ft) per night, climbing a total of 320 meters (1,050 ft) up into the trees in order to do so. They have extremely strong claws, and the soles of their feet are able to mimic suction-cups, which enables them to maintain a tight grip on tree trunks and branches.

Colugos are most active at night, and they are strictly herbivorous, feeding only on young tree leaves.

I don't normally feature mammals on my blog, but this one in particular seemed too heartbreakingly adorable and too weird for me to ignore. I mean, look at it -- it's like a tiny dinosaur wrapped in a Snuggie!

Sources & More Info:

Science News: On a Cool Night in Malaysia, Scientists Track Mysterious Colugos Across the Treetops

Animal Diversity Web: Galeopterus variegates (the Sunda Flying Lemur)

BioMed Central Journal of Biology: Colugos: obscure mammals glide into the evolutionary limelight

World Wildlife Fund: Flying Lemurs

National Geographic: Why Do Flying Lemurs Glide?

Animal Diversity Web: Cynocephalus volans (the Philippine Flying Lemur)

[thepastisalreadywritten]

Zhiying Zeng’s eyes begin to sparkle and her gestures become more animated as she recounts the day her lifelong Olympic dream came true.

She had to wait longer than most athletes, too: At 58 years old, Zeng will be one of the oldest Olympians at Paris 2024.

But for Zeng, whose Olympic journey began in China in the 1970s and culminated in qualification for Chile’s table tennis team earlier this year, it was worth the wait.

She had even retired from professional table tennis aged 20 – something which allowed her the opportunity to uproot her life in Asia and move across the Pacific Ocean to Chile – and at one stage went almost 20 years without playing.

“It was the biggest dream of my life,” she tells CNN Sport with a thick, unmistakable Chilean lilt.

“Even when I was a little girl and they would ask me what my dream was, I would say: ‘Become an Olympian.’”

Chile has now been Zeng’s home for 35 years and she is as Chilean as they come.

She is known in her adopted country as ‘Tania’ – because Chileans struggle pronouncing the Z in her name – and her favorite dish is pantruca, a kind of dumpling soup.

She also eats beans, a staple of the Chilean diet, every week.

Zeng loves empanadas, too, but doesn’t indulge too much now that she’s an elite athlete again. “Too many calories,” she laughs.

From China to Chile

Zeng was born in Guangzhou in 1966 and picked up a paddle almost as soon as she was physically able.

Her mother was a table tennis coach, which meant the then-government housed the family next to a sports complex, allowing Zeng to train every day and surround herself with professional players.

She was trained by her mother until the age of nine when, Zeng says, she became a typical grumpy child that didn’t want to be coached by a parent.

So her mother enrolled her in a school that employed a table tennis coach and after nearly two years, aged 11, she entered an elite sports academy.

Even in China, by far the world’s most dominant table tennis nation, Zeng’s talents were evident from an early age.

She became a national junior champion and won several regional tournaments before turning professional at the age of 12.

When she was 16, she was called up to the Chinese table tennis team for the first time.

“So many players in China have that dream because it’s so hard to achieve,” she says.

However, in 1986, two years before table tennis made its Olympic debut at the Games in Seoul, the “two color rule” was introduced, meaning the two sides of the paddle now had to be different colors instead of both black.

Zeng explains that the two faces of the paddle produce different types of effects on the ball and she would regularly rotate it in her hand to confuse opponents.

The different colored faces meant opponents could better predict her shots.

“The change of rules affected my game a lot,” she recalls. “That’s when I had a big downturn and left the national team.”

It was a painful moment for Zeng, who says she idolized players who were not much older than her that had already become Asian or world champions, and she was desperate to follow in their footsteps.

But the rule change paved the way for the next chapter in Zeng’s remarkable story.

In 1989, she received an invitation to coach schoolchildren in Arica, a city in northernmost Chile.

It was a job she adored, but it wasn’t until 2003 that she picked up the paddle to play competitive table tennis again.

She wanted to introduce her son, who was 13 at the time, to the sport in order to drag him away from playing too many video games and watching too much television.

In 2004 and 2005, Zeng comfortably won two national tournaments but once again stopped playing when her son was old enough to go to training on his own and travel with the team’s coach.

Third time’s a charm

Zeng only picked up a paddle again when the Covid-19 pandemic struck.

“More than anything, just to exercise because we weren’t doing anything locked down in the house except eating!” she laughs.

“I got the bug and, once we were able to leave, I immediately wanted to play against someone to see what level I was at – and see if I could I still run or not.”

She contacted the federation in Iquique, where she lives today and owns a furniture business, and was soon playing – and winning – regional tournaments against mostly men given there were few female players.

“That gave me a lot of confidence,” she says.

“I had no problems with running, with fatigue or anything. I wanted to know how much more I could do.”

In 2022, the Chilean Table Tennis Federation sent an announcement to the regional associations that it was hosting a tournament to put together a team for the 2023 South American Table Tennis Championships.

Despite her success, Zeng was skeptical about going.

All of the best players in the country would be there and she doubted that she would be able to keep up.

In the end, she only went because a friend managed to convince her.

“‘Go and find out if you can compete or not. If not, at least you’ll be left with no doubts,’” she recalls her friend telling her. “I thought she had a point.”

Zeng qualified for the team, of course, and led Chile to first place in the team tournament, while also coming second in the singles and women’s doubles.

“I forgot what I was afraid of and what I was worried about,” she says.

But it wasn’t until the 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago that her life really changed.

After her first appearance at the tournament, Zeng became a national icon overnight.

After losing the first two sets in her opening match, Zeng rattled off four straight to win 4-2 in front of her new adoring fans.

Chileans gave her the nickname ‘Tia Tania’ – Auntie Tania – and the AP reported that one young fan said he had gone just to watch the “table tennis grandma.”

Even Chilean President Gabriel Boric became a fan and congratulated her on a “tremendous” victory.

Zeng, who will play Lebanon’s Mariana Sahakian in the preliminary rounds of Paris 2024 on Saturday, says being in Santiago as an athlete during the Pan Am Games was a surreal experience.

She spent much of her time with other athletes, going out to dinner and taking photos.

“I lived like that when I was 15,” she says, recalling her time as a professional in China.

“It had been a long time since I experienced something like this. I was like an excited teenager again. I forgot I was 56!”

It proved to be a successful tournament on the table, too, as Zeng won team bronze for Chile alongside Daniela Ortega and Paulina Vega.

Zeng’s sons also noticed that her Instagram following had grown by almost 10,000 in a matter of days and had to teach her how to use social media, so she could keep her hordes of new fans updated.

Finally, 38 years after she gave up on her Olympic dream, Zeng qualified for Paris 2024 at a pre-Olympic qualifying tournament in Lima, Peru, in May this year.

Zeng says she didn’t sleep at all the night before the deciding game as she played out every imaginable scenario in her head.

On match point, when she went to collect the ball, her mind again began to run wild.

“Calm, calm,” Zeng, who says mental fortitude is her biggest asset in table tennis, repeated to herself. “You’ve got one more point.”

After winning match point, the emotion of everything she had experienced in the sport came flooding out.

Her father, who is 92 and regularly visits her in Chile, and her brother stayed up until 5 a.m. in China to watch the match, while her husband and friends were in Lima to celebrate the moment with her.

“My dad was able to see his daughter qualify for the Olympics,” she says, visibly emotional.

“He used to take me to training and to matches when I was a girl and now at 57, I made it. I made it.”

[blueiscoool]

A 2,000-Year-Old Inscription Honoring an Ancient Wrestler Found in Turkey

The inscription is entirely intact, making it the first of its kind discovered in the region.

An inscription honoring the ancient wrestler Kaikilianos has been found in the ancient Turkish port city of Anemurium.

Anemurium is a 600 acres-wide archaeological district, close to the modern city of Anamur. The city dates back to the first century B.C.E when it was founded by the Phoenicians. Anemurium was inhabited consistently until the 7th century C.E as part of the Roman and then Byzantine Empires. The port city was a major settlement, complete with grand public baths, churches, and theaters.

Its position on the southern coast of Turkey made it an important city for trade in and out of Asia and Europe, across both of which Turkey has territory. Excavations have been undertaken in Anemurium since 2018 and the site is one of the region’s most popular tourist attractions.

The 13-line inscription about the wrestler, which was found complete and intact measuring 120 cm (47 inches) by 50 cm (19 inches) and weighing half a ton, is believed to be 2,000 years old. The condition of the inscription makes it the first discovery of its kind for the region. The stone was found in the Harbor Bath where last year a Roman period statue was found. Tekocak said “Just like last year, the Harbor Bath has provided us with significant discoveries.” The discovery suggests that the city was important as more than just a maritime trade centre.

The inscription praises Kaikilianos for having won the second edition of a wrestling competition held in the city every five years. Anemurium may have been a key location for sports in the region, with a palaestra—an ancient wrestling school—among its ruins which would have offered training to ancient athletes. Tekocak posited that “Olympic-level competitions” could have been taking place in the area, saying that the inscription marks a “significant development for us and offers new insights into the athletic culture of ancient Anemurium.”

The inscription is carved into what researchers believe may have been the base of a statue of the athlete, made in honor of the ancient wrestler. Pehlivan said that the wrestling competition won by Kaikilianos is evidence of the vibrancy of the period in the city, and that “awarding athletes who placed in these competitions highlights the value placed on sports.”

The inscription, made in ancient Greek script, gave details about the wrestling competition, even including the name of its organizer. Tekocak told IHA News: “We learned that someone named ‘Flavianus’ organized a competition every five years in his name. In the second of these competitions, ‘Kaikilianos’ won the adult category in wrestling. This athlete not only won a prize but was so significant that an inscription was made in his honor. A statue of the athlete likely once stood atop this inscription, perhaps this athlete competed in other events and won more awards elsewhere”.

This discovery comes after a summer of major archaeological finds in Turkey including huge megaliths, unique millefiori glass panels, and a bronze-age shopping list.

By Verity Babbs.

[zerogate]

I am sure that many readers can relate if I say that learning about Byzantium feels like discovering the sunken civilization of Atlantis. You can read a thousand books about the “Middle Ages”, even do a Ph.D. in “Medieval Studies” (as I did), and hardly ever hear about Byzantium. And then, one day, when you thought you knew your basics about the turn of the first millennium AD, you read something like this:

At the turn of the first millennium the empire of New Rome was the oldest and most dynamic state in the world and comprised the most civilized portions of the Christian world. Its borders, long defended by native frontier troops, were being expanded by the most disciplined and technologically advanced army of its time. The unity of Byzantine society was grounded in the equality of Roman law and a deep sense of a common and ancient Roman identity; cemented by the efficiency of a complex bureaucracy; nourished and strengthened by the institutions and principles of the Christian Church; sublimated by Greek rhetoric; and confirmed by the passage of ten centuries. At the end of the reign of Basileios II (976-1025), the longest in Roman history, its territory included Asia Minor and Armenia, the Balkan peninsula south of the Danube, and the southern regions of both Italy and the Crimea. Serbia, Croatia, Georgia, and some Arab emirates in Syria and Mesopotamia had accepted a dependent status.

[...]

Byzantine revisionism starts by putting Constantinople back on the map. Throughout the Middle Ages, it was by far the largest city in the Christian world. According to Runciman, its population reached one million in the twelfth century, counting the suburbs. Its wealth deeply impressed all newcomers. In the twelfth-century French roman Partonopeu de Blois, Constantinople is the name of Paradise, a city of gold, ivory and precious stones. Robert de Clari, who was among the crusaders who sacked it in 1204, marveled: “Since the creation of this world, such great wealth had neither been seen nor conquered.” Up to that point, Constantinople was the greatest international trade center, linking China, India, Arabia, Europe and Africa.

Constantinople must also be restored to its proper place in the timeline. Anthony Kaldellis writes:

Byzantine civilization began when there were still some people who could read and write in Egyptian hieroglyphics; the oracle of Delphi and the Olympic games were still in existence; and the main god of worship in the east was Zeus. When Byzantium ended, the world had cannons and printing presses, and some people who witnessed the fall of Constantinople in 1453 lived to hear about Columbus’s journey to the New World. Chronologically, Byzantium spans the entire arc from antiquity to the early modern period, and its story is intertwined with that of all the major players in world history on this side of the Indus river.

-- Laurent Guyénot, Byzantine Revisionism Unlocks World History

[djamilyaova]

How can a music band impact the local Economy

For this topic, the first band to come to my mind was BTS. They’ve been an important part of my teenage years and I got the opportunity to see their influence drastically grow over time.

All of the members are Korean, speak Korean and sing in Korean, but still, they somehow reached fans all around the world. The diversity of a music fanbase has always intrigued me – all those differences came together to form a universal entity.

So I decided to explore one of the maaany points part of this idea. I wanted it to be quite concrete to be able to provide statistics

Quick introduction, BTS is one of the most popular bands of the world. Their music has significantly contributed to South Korea's economy. The band debuted in 2013 but they started to gain an international popularity between late 2015 and 2016. Just like many other artists they’ve inevitably become a symbol of "soft power" and drove global interest in Korean culture.

According to a study published by Hyundai Research Institute, BTS contributes around $3.6 billion annually to the South Korean economy, comparable to the 2018 Winter Olympics, which is undoubtedly a huge number for a single band (I did not find any other Korean band’s statistics to compare with :/).

The members are said to contribute indirectly to the exports in multiple industries such as clothing, beauty or even food industry. The impact can be estimated to reach about 1% in those industries.

But the most obvious contribution is tourism. It’s estimated that they draw approximately 800 000 tourists to South Korea per year, making it roughly 7.6% of total tourist visits.

Another concrete example is the "Magic Shop" concerts in Busan and Seoul in 2019. That year, those concerts made up 1.6% of Busan’s GDP and 0.9% of Seoul’s​. (Borgen Magazine/McGill Business Review)

Of course Korean music was already popular at the time thanks to various bands from the ‘2nd generation’, but it remained mostly popular in Asia. BTS’s debut was a turning point for this industry.

[accio-victuuri]

YIBO IS TRULY THE BEST BOY. It’s not a secret that he loves dancing and would do everything to promote it. Especially street dance, he’s done so much to make sure it gets a good reputation in CHN and looked at as something cool instead of a negative. In SDC Season 5, I lost count of how many times he was talking about breakdance being part of the asian games and the olympics. and it’s not even “promo” — you can see that he is genuinely excited. Even before that, his message was always, as a dancer, one must compete globally.

So reading this post by the director of the promo for Asian Games is another proof of that. He is really someone who puts his time, money and talent into things that he is passionate about. Truly less of a “celebrity” and more of a role model 🤍

Thanks to the general director for their appreciation, the Asia Organizing Committee, and the Zhejiang Street Dance Association support. This is a public welfare film, everyone supports and pays no matter the cost. Yibo also paid a lot of money and fully cooperated with my unrestrained strategy. Plan and shoot like a special forces soldier.

As a young director who has only made movies (even a bit artistic), When the leader found me, I thought we were going to collaborate on a short film. All planning and storyboarding are prepared according to the movie.

One month before the start of the film, I learned a good news and a not-so-good news. The not-so-good news is: the leader characterized the film as a public service announcement (budget is limited and narrative techniques cannot be adapted from movies). The good news is: even if you only have a small budget, there is someone who loves street dance. A good dancer is willing to co-star. After knowing this, I was low on budget for a long time and there was not enough to complete the concept.

Then Wang laoshi contacted us through the studio and recommended a choreographer. We chose the dance soundtrack together and even expressed our full cooperation. Wang laoshi is much busier than me, as everyone else is. What else can we say? Risk it and Keep up the good work!

source.

[tokidokitokyo]

千葉県

Japanese Prefectures: Kantō - Chiba

都道府県 (とどうふけん) - Prefectures of Japan

Learning the kanji and a little bit about each of Japan’s 47 prefectures!

Kanji・漢字

千　ち、セン　thousand

葉　は、ヨ���　leaf, lobe

県　ケン　prefecture

関東　かんとう　Kantō, region consisting of Tokyo and surrounding prefectures

Prefectural Capital (県庁所在地) : Chiba City (千葉市)

Chiba lies on the Bōsō Peninsula on the east coast of Tokyo Bay, about 20 miles (30 km) southeast of central Tokyo, and boasts many international facilities such as Narita International Airport, known as the gateway to Japan); Makuhari Messe, one of the most prominent convention centers in Asia; Kazusa DNA Research Institute, a world leader in cutting edge research; and Tokyo Disney Resort, with two theme parks that draw in 30 million patrons each year. It also boasts beaches for swimming, surfing, and diving and was the location for the first Olympic surfing games. Historically, Chiba was a castle town controlled by the Chiba family in the 12th–15th century, and during the Edo (Tokugawa) period (1603–1867) it served as a post-station town for several major roads. After the construction of a railway connecting it to Tokyo, the town began to grow in the second half of the 19th century.

Recommended Tourist Spot・おすすめ観光スポット Mt Nokogiri - 鋸山

Mt. Nokogiri - Hyaku-Shaku Kannon carved into stone cliff

Mt. Nokogiri is named for the zigzag shape of a traditional handsaw that its topography resembles. Along with Mt. Kanozan and Mt. Kiyosumi, Mt. Nokogiri is one of Chiba's three most famous mountains. It stands at 330 meters high and features a grand lookout point as well as a temple complex containing one of Japan's largest Buddhas. The mountain is bare granite and has been a quarry since the Edo Period, providing stones for many of Tokyo's most iconic sites, such as Yasukuni Shrine and Waseda University. You can reach the top by an easy hike or via a ropeway to the top. Hell Lookout (地獄のぞき) is a lookout point at the top of the mountain that hangs over the edge of the cliff and offers a stunning view of Tokyo Bay, the Pacific Ocean, and the distant forests and hills of the Boso Peninsula, and on clear days, Mt. Fuji.

At the southern base of Mt. Nokogiri is Nihonji Temple (日本寺), an officially designated Important Cultural Property. There's a stairway leading from the top of the mountain down to the vast, picturesque Soto Zen Buddhist temple that dates back 1300 years and is still used to train young monks today. A giant daibutsu, or Buddha statue, is carved into the granite on the side of Mt. Nokogiri about midway up the mountain. It is 31 meters high and one of Japan's largest Buddhas, even larger than Kamakura's famous daibutsu at Kotokuin Temple. The statue was built to pray for world peace and most of the statue was carved over three years beginning in 1780.

In addition to the giant daibutsu, there are around 1500 small statues of various Buddhist deities around the temple grounds. Unfortunately, many of the smaller statues were beheaded during the anti-Buddhist movement that accompanied the Meiji Restoration, but there are ongoing efforts to repair them. This part of Nihonji was a spiritual sanctuary built over 21 years in the 18th century by craftsman Ono Kangoro and his students. Towards the top of the mountain stands a 30-meter tall Hyaku-Shaku Kannon, depicting the Buddhist Goddess of Mercy. Carved in 1966 into a stone cliff, it is dedicated to those who died in wars, of sickness or in accidents. The Kannon is also worshiped as a protector of transportation due to its protected location surrounded by rocks.

Regional Cuisine - 郷土料理 Sangayaki - さんが焼き

Sangayaki (source)

Namerou and sangayaki are well-known Chiba dishes, especially along the Bōsō Peninsula. Namerou (なめろう) is a dish usually made of minced horse mackerel and sardine mixed with miso, perilla leaves, and leek. When grilled and wrapped in perilla leaves, it is called sangayaki (さんが焼き). The name "namerou" may have come from the fact that namerou is so good that you want to lick your plate clean (nameru means to lick). The name "sangayaki" may be from the fact that the fishermen ate the dish along a river tributary, or sanga, and the word yaki means to grill (like yakisoba or yakitori). Namerou can be cooked in other ways, such as being shaped and grilled like a burger, or being coated in breadcrumbs and fried.

Chiba Dialect・Chiba no hougen・千葉の方言

Note: Chiba dialect is sometimes called Bōsō-ben (房総弁), after the peninsula. Chiba dialect is actually a family of three dialects: Bōshū-ben (房州弁), Tōsō-ben 東総弁, and Noda-ben (野田弁).

Bōshū-ben (房州弁)

1. おいねえ　oinee　not good

はしけえでおいねえや (hashikee de oinee ya)

Standard Japanese: かゆくていけないよ (kayukute ikenai yo)

English: This itches so badly

2. くわっせえ　kuwassee　please eat (command)

ばーさんほら、わーかでいーがらくわっせぇよ (baa-san hora, wa-ka de iigara kuwassei yo)

Standard Japanese: おばあさんほら、少しでいいから召し上がってよ (obaasan hora, sukoshi demo ii kara meshi agate yo)

English: Grandma, come on, please just eat a little bit

3. やんべえ　yanbee　health; condition (often used in a greeting)

いいやんべえだねえ (ii yanbee da nee)

Standard Japanese: こんにちは (konnichiwa)

English: Hello; Good day (lit. "you are in good health today")

Tōsō-ben 東総弁

1. あじょうだぁ　ajyou daa　how is it

あじょうだぁ？ (ajyou daa?)

Standard Japanese: どうですか？　(dou desu ka?)

English: How is it?

2. ねっけぇ　nekkee　warm

今日はずいぶんとねっけぇね (kyou wa zuibun to nekkee ne)

Standard Japanese: 今日はずいぶんと暖かいね (kyou wa zuibun to atatakai ne)

English: Today is fairly warm, isn't it?

3. わんらー　wanraa　you (informal, not very polite)

わんらーよー！んなことやってねーよ！ (wanraa you! 'n na koto yatte nee yo!)

Standard Japanese: あなたねえ！そんな事しないでよ！ (anata nee! sonna koto shinai de yo!)

English: Hey you! Stop doing that!

Noda-ben (野田弁)

1. こわい　kowai　difficult, taxing, bothersome

風邪ひいででまーだこわいだよなぁ (kaze hiide de maa-da kowai da yo naa)

Standard Japanese: 風邪を引いていてまだ身体がだるいんだよね　(kaze wo hiite ite mada karada ga daruin da yo ne)

English: I have a cold and my body still feels listless

2. はらくち　harakuchi　full

はらくちだよなぁ (harakuchi da yo naa)

Standard Japanese: お腹いっぱいだよね (onaka ippai da yo ne)

English: I'm full

3. やっこら　yakora　soon

やっこらいくべ (yakora iku be)

Standard Japanese: そろそろいこうか (sorosoro ikou ka)

English: Shall we go soon?

[sunskate]

2024 Cup of China November 22-23, 2024 Chongqing, China

G/F's FD is a misfire. skating right after Marjo and Zak whose FD is emotional highlighted how theirs is cold by comparison. for G/F to do well with this program, they'd have to be surgical in their precision, which they weren't today. i thought maybe their intention was to be exciting and edgy, but the new costumes are pretty conventional - hers is a regular skating dress. it emphasizes how their sensibility isn't daring. Lopareva/Brissaud do the edgy lane much better. so G/F eked out a FD win over LaLa by less than a point - LaLa had higher TES, but G/F won with skating skills

LaLa - i was already tearing up in the dance spin when she bends her head to his haha it's so interesting how the same move can be emotional again no matter how many times they've done it. in that way, they're the musicians among the dancers. the same song you love can make you feel things the 10th or the 100th time you've listened to it. they're going to need more fresh material for Olympic season, but for now, this is still working because they're leveling up in performance. they're so good at the big strokes - they understand how to build the program. but having the emotional depth and performance and skating ability to pull that off is what sets them apart

CPom - not their best skate, they still did very well, but that final bit of fire and attack and flow wasn't quite there today. they collided with Olivia and Tim during the 5 minute warmup, and even though it was Olivia who got knocked down, i kind of wonder if these nice people were shaken up more. Olivia and Tim also had a great skate, and the judges went for them more - CPom had higher BV and PCS, but S/D went ahead of them in the FD on their higher GOE

but CPom making the podium at both of their Grand Prix is a huge achievement. and doing both GPs in Asia with such a short turnaround is resilience and training. they're having an amazing season so far. so now a little break and some sleep before a push towards Nationals 🔥❤️

Olivia and Tim looking so good - really happy for them 😭 after some really rocky times and a lot of comments about it not working out (is TSL ever right about anyone's potential 😅) - Tim rising to meet Olivia and them having such good material is exciting

T/V - this tango program is very beautiful. they set such a high bar of difficulty and complexity with it, but i'm not sure it's entirely paying off - they have to be so perfect for the GOE to rain. like the mistake that dropped their score was so tiny compared to what they'd achieved to that point that it feels unfair. but there are a few moments in this where hitting the choreo exactly on the music would be huge, and they're a little bit off. so i hope we get to see it like that at Euros

Green/Parsons: this is a lovely program, but it feels too much on one level. if the energy is going to stay similar throughout, then emotionally it needs to be deeper, the flow more seamless, the skating more powerful or sharper to move up

Demougeot/Le Mercier: i'm not sure what happened at French Masters where it looked like they were getting dropped for Dupayage/Nabais- D/LeM are a far stronger team right now, and this was a good skate for them. glad to see them looking so assured. i didn't know this was a Benoit program, but it makes sense lol

Davis/Smolkin: this program is so strange how it has difficult and interesting elements, and then they'll do a bunch of stroking for half a lap to go into what looks like their most standard lift? i like the way the StaLi hits right at the drum beat from Kashmir at the start. Mark said she's playing Medusa - IAM doing another snake program lol though if you can't tell what it is from watching, is it working? in this field of stellar teams, i'm glad the scoring seemed restrained for them. though their PCS look really high, and at GP France this FD score would have had them in 3rd above R/A

[mariacallous]

Every child has a superpower. Yet, those with disabilities often do not have full access to quality education and other services that would enable them to use their superpower to positively and fully contribute to society. A recent workshop on inclusion in early childhood, held as part of the Center for Universal Education’s symposium on education systems transformation for and through inclusive education, asked whether focusing on the early years of a child’s life might offer a window of opportunity to catch, remedy, and maybe even reverse a child’s development trajectory so all countries can reach the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It brought together early childhood development (ECD) and inclusion experts and those who wanted to learn more about the topic. Two key messages emerged from participants: every child matters, and early means early. Participants also suggested that the global community needs to develop a global disability-focused ECD strategy and that governments should allocate at least 3% of education budgets for children with disabilities.

Children with disabilities are not a monolith and vary greatly in the challenges they experience and their abilities to fully and positively contribute to society. Some have physical, mental, social, or sensory impairments while others have a combination of multiple challenges. Globally, it is estimated that 15% of the world population, about 1 billion people, live with some type of disability. UNICEF estimates that about 1 in every 10 children has at least one disability, with children from South Asia, East Asia, and West and Central Africa having higher incidences. Moreover, globally, almost 53 million children under the age of 5 have developmental disabilities, and many others live with hidden disabilities that may go unnoticed and, therefore, unrecorded.

The global Convention on the Rights of the Child and the U.N. Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) articulate the rights and equal treatment of children with disabilities. The CRPD provides a comprehensive international legal framework for the education rights of children with disabilities that has been ratified by 181 countries. These legal frameworks and the SDGs are resolute in leaving no one behind. Despite these legal frameworks, agreements, and aspirations, there are numerous challenges and insufficient investment for disabled children to enjoy full rights to education, health, and well-being. In most countries, children with disabilities face stigma and discrimination from their own governments, communities, and families. Their complex needs are often not included in policy and investment discussions. Investment in this cohort of children is usually not high on the policy or financing agenda, yet we know that increased investment and support for children with disabilities can accelerate countries’ paths to achieving the SDGs, particularly SDG 4.2. From 2007 to 2016, disability funding declined by 11.4% worldwide, and only 2% of the estimated $79.1 million invested in early childhood development was spent on young children with disabilities. Tim Shriver, Special Olympics’ Board Chair, maintains that if governments could commit even 3% of their overall education budgets to the inclusion of children with disabilities in existing classrooms, it could impact their abilities to thrive and contribute to our societies. 

2 key messages

Every child matters

All of society benefits when all children are uplifted. For the early childhood sector, that means developing inclusive classrooms that use a twin-track approach and Universal Design for Learning (UDL) Instruction. Using this method, rather than having separate classrooms for children, disability-focused support is provided in classrooms that focus on equity for all, but also provide specific support for those with disabilities. Research indicates that this approach benefits all children; children with disabilities have better developmental outcomes (for example, language, social and academic skills, better behaviors), and typically developing children have increased empathy, tolerance, skills in sign language, and more. Establishing inclusive classrooms also requires investment in upskilling classroom teachers so they can support children of all abilities while working with special education teachers. These interventions cost money, yet exclusion has greater negative costs to society in reduced national GDP and higher spending for remedial programs, to name a few. It is estimated that the annual economic cost to society when a disabled child is not able to attend school or get a job can be high—more than 1% of GDP in some cases.

Early means early

The first five years of life are crucial periods of brain growth and development where about 90% of new neural connections (about 1 million neural connections per second) are made. After around 30 months of life, the brain’s ability to change in response to experiences requires greater effort than before this period. Since the brain is very malleable during this phase, evidence suggests that early screening, referrals, and intervention can halt, improve, and completely change the course of a child’s developmental trajectory. As children are mostly with parents and caregivers during the earliest months of life, investing in their ability to support their children can be important. Often support for parents and caregivers to aid their children is unavailable in communities or unaffordable. Research comparing urban and rural children’s access to early childhood education found that those with access to support before age 5 (mostly in urban areas) had higher academic achievement. For children with autism, research indicates that early intervention can greatly ameliorate symptoms, putting children closer to the development trajectory of those without autism.  

The way forward

Supporting children with disabilities is complex as their needs span multiple government and sectoral departments, there are finite resources in all government budgets, and underlying societal discrimination, even subtle, remains strong throughout the world. Yet, workshop participants suggested that supporting every child and doing so early provides the best chance for countries to meet the SDGs. Two suggested actions for supporting every child early that emerged from the workshop and recent literature include:

Establish a global, disability-focused ECD strategy: Global goals and road maps such as the SDGs, Nurturing Care Framework (NCF), and others include young children with disabilities yet provide inadequate strategy and concrete actions for how to ensure full rights and support for young children with disabilities. Thus, a strategy resulting from action by multiple sectors that complements the NCF is one agenda for progress.

Allocate at least 3% of education budgets for children with disabilities: Increasing investment will allow more to be done to support children with disabilities. These could focus on:

Supporting inclusive preschool classrooms that implement a twin-track approach and universal design for learning

Upskilling teachers that lead inclusive classrooms

Parental support so they have increased knowledge and skills to support their children

Strengthening early screening and referral systems

Research focused on young children with disabilities

Workshop participants were ready to join hands and tackle this complex challenge and suggested that commitment from stakeholders, including governments, donors, and families will be critical to light a path towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and ensuring a thriving society. 

[crinkle-eyed-boo]

I'm looking at this logically and if the anon who had info about Asian leg being canceled also says there's SOME US shows being canceled because of low sales, wouldn't that make it true? I mean Louis really needs to give a reason to the fans who lost money on flights and hotels for this. And some of his US shows that aren't near major cities aren't half sold so logically it makes sense to cancel those. I looked at the first 3 US shows and they're not even close to being sold out with lots of empty seats.

Why are we taking the word of someone hiding behind the anonymous circle with the sunglasses on tumblr dot com who probably just took the discussion on Twitter, where apparently rumors had been swirling for several days, and brought it here? Were they right that the Asia leg got pulled? Sure. Are they the authority on the WHY? Not in the slightest. Everyone is fucking guessing.

As someone who is GOING to the first US show, all the tickets available there are RESALE tickets, with a couple of random standard tickets thrown in. Given now that it's the first show of the entire tour, I would imagine the resale sales will pick up there. (Also with resale tickets...they ALREADY HAVE THE MONEY. The seat may be empty if the reseller can't sell it, but uh, the venue counts it as sold, y'all.)

The New Hampshire venue tackles a good portion of the Northeast where there aren't major cosmopolitan cities. Everyone up there would be used to driving a distance for a show. Dave Matthews Band, Matchbox 20, Charlie Puth, and Third Eye Blind are all playing there over the summer. None of those shows are sold out. Is anyone saying they should cancel those? No. The venue in Quebec? 85% full I'd say, looking at the map, and the only tickets left are the highest and furthest back seats. Toronto? Mainly resale seats. Blossom Music Center? Services Cleveland and Akron, it's two months away, and the seats available there are all the back section. Is it a lot of empty seats? Yes. Did I go see The Chicks at Jones Beach last summer and the venue was MAYBE 55% full and the show still went on? YES.

Shows are undersold all the time. I went to Stars on Ice right after the Olympics last year, and the arena was like 40% sold. Did the show go on? Yes. Now, is it coming to New York this year? No. Underselling could affect his ability to book bigger venues on the next go around (something I am going to be interested to see with Niall, because his 2020 pre-pandemic sales weren't great) but as far as the current tour? As many seasoned concert fans keep SAYING an undersold show is still far more valuable than a canceled one.

Jesus Christ, it's like some of y'all are wanting him to flop and it's INFURIATING and EXHAUSTING.

[ceylonolivetree]

There's something so strangely beautiful about platonic soulmates who express romance through their art. This duality, this ability to exist in two different worlds, one of romance in their performances and one of platonic friendship in their personal lives is such a beautiful paradox.

Before I found out about Tessa and Scott, the only pair I knew as a child growing in an Asian household was Kajol-Shah Rukh Khan. Plot twist! They weren't a romantic couple but were platonic partners. Here's a little bit about them before we dive into the fun thread (I don't know what they call 'threads' in Tumblr, I'm a twitter user trying to figure out Tumblr. lol)

Kajol and Shahrukh Khan, a pair synonymous with Bollywood royalty, first graced the silver screen together in 1993 with ‘Baazigar’. Over three decades (30 years), they have starred in seven films, each a testament to their electric chemistry and enduring appeal.

Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir, Canada’s cherished ice dancers, began their journey together when she was just seven and he was nine. For 22 years, they glided across the ice carving stories of passion, precision, and grace. Their performances, including two Olympic gold medals, have not only won them accolades but have also captured the essence of a partnership that is both powerful and poetic.

You find your platonic soulmate squishable!

Dancing like, "I think I'm madly in love with you, I'll die for you" when they can't actually wait for it to end to laugh and say, ‘Isn’t it hilarious how everyone think we’re a couple?’

When you know that you and your bestie became that power couple who took figure skating to new heights/single handedly introduced Bollywood to the world. Ufff... when you know you bring people to their feet by maximizing that joint slay!

When you know that your nation literally calls you-all sweethearts and you had an entire nation believe that you are married when in reality she/he was your platonic bestie. Sorry hopeless romantics! I'm new to Scott and Tessa here because I'm not Canadian but trust me, every kid in the 2000s in South Asia grew up thinking that Kajol and Shah Rukh were married. It's so funny that even the costars (who are younger than them) of their last movie too thought that they were married when they were just children watching them on screen.

You find joy in trying to make people uncomfortable and confuse them by telling them, "We're not a couple!" for the millionth time because people refuse to believe that you're not in love with him/her. It was probably exhausting for them to answer that question, but I think a part of them enjoyed the mystery that their relationship created in the minds of people.

When you get a sweet little kiss from your bestie who is pretending to be your girlfriend.

Let's be goofy!

When you know that you still love him/her even after all those years and even though you don't perform together. Reunions are always sweet!

You are so annoying, but I love you!

For those who have no idea about Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol (especially if you aren't Asian), I would love to recommend 'My name is Khan' , Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, and of course the iconic Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge.

Bonus: For all the desi girls and boys who were fooled by them!

[manleycollins]

Attending my third and final session, which was an evening session. This is my first Olympics, but this stadium was built to perfection because I was in Row 81 - nose bleed seats or the third level of seating, but I had a view that was perfect to see every person and every activity with the naked eye. Germany was on my left. France on my right. France and Netherlands in front. The award ceremony was beautiful and a theme song that will play in head and memories for a long time. I have seen the Olympic officials and competitors to change from a white organization, now black organization, and now Asian integration. I heard an international music playlist…Thank goodness for saving me from hearing United States playlist. It was exciting to see the international community knowing other artist's song and dances to them. Thanks to the German couple next to me explaining the different songs matching certain events in the European community. The men's high jump was spectacular won in winning a medal had to be done through a tie-breaker. The men's long distance 5000m was funny because Ethiopia utilized its energy on the 2nd lap to finish and did not even medal on the final lap. The women's 1500m was really good for Kenya to break her own record and win gold for a third time…I guess will see you in Los Angeles 2028. The women's 110m hurdles was a spectacular for the USA to win and defending champion coming in 3rd with a photo finish. Yes, I am glad the 4x400m USA men and women team won first for their respective races. MVP for this Olympics for USATF women was Gabrielle "Gabby" Thomas with a 4x100m, 200m, and 4x400m gold medals. MVP for this Olympics for USATF men was Noah Lyles and Quincy Wilson because they did their job to provide opportunities for others and both from the DMV metro area. The very disappointing part is the arrogance of USATF not awarding alternates or Team B medals for creating the opportunity of getting an Olympic Record or Medal. I thought Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. was arrogant. I was so proud of the other country teams showed great pride and sportsmanship for every team member whether they participated or not on the relay teams. Yes, I am upset because Quincy Wilson was absent from the medal podium…I do not know the reason…I do not care. The USATF women 4x100m showed it also with only four members and no alternate. Africa is getting their teams right (Botswana pushed the h*ll out of that last men's 4x400m relay leg), Europe is getting their teams right, and Asia shown the most improvements on establishing presence where American favorites are marketed to win. I never thought I would see an Asian (Japan) claim first place in women's Javelin. Thanks to the international community to make USATF work for those medals. Thanks most to Mother Africa and the number of Africans that represented countries where we had the most horrid treatment including up today. I personally and professionally thank each African, French, and American athlete for representing me and my DNA makeup. Paris, France in the European Union has set the bar in achieving gender parity, promoting sustainability, unexpected sports categories, and getting the viewership up…now Los Angeles 2028 in the United States of America of North America let's see what you got since 1984. I was only eight (8) years old in 1984 so I knew nothing of the Olympics….not until high school I knew of Junior Olympics track and field with Orangeburg Track Club in South Carolina, while attending Cross High School on my high school track and field team.

[the-olympics-olympics]

Pyeongchang 2018 was the first time the Winter Olympics were held in mainland Asia, and the first of three consecutive Olympic Games held in East Asia. The International Olympic Committee was keen for North Korea to participate in the Games, even offering equipment and logistical help to make it happen. While North Korea rejected a proposal to co-host the Olympics, they were in support of South Korea's bid to host. Both Korean teams marched together in the opening ceremony, and they competed as one team in Women's Ice Hockey. Soohorang was a well-liked mascot, and could be found everywhere at the Olympics. It was also made into an animated emoticon in KakaoTalk, a popular messaging app in South Korea.

Moscow 1980 was also notable for international political reasons, but in a much different way. A large-scale boycott of the Games led by the United States meant that 67 of the nations invited were not present. This naturally gave the remaining countries an advantage, so East Germany and the USSR won many more medals than any other nation. Misha had a prominent place in the opening and closing ceremonies, lots of popular merchandise, and even an anime (Koguma no Mīsha)!

[okhnid]

LGBTQ+ rights threatened again in central asia (wow) - Please help!

Yep. Welcome to Kazakhstan, a steppe country in central asia where queer rights were already pretty much minimal, strikes again.

Remember when Georgia wanted to pass a russian law and people really, really didn't like it but it was passed anyways? Well, same thing here, just even worse :)

Meet this piece of garbage - a petition to introduce something similar to the russian anti-lgbt thing they have since 2022! It gained enough signatures to be discussed in the government, and that happens TOMORROW.

But wait, does this autocratic shithole have any chance of not passing this law?

Surprisingly, yes.

An actual activist group - Feminita, was invited to discuss, and they support queer rights and oppose this petition, highlighting its direct contradiction to the constitution.

Additionally, in 2015, the Olympic Committee and several other international institutions successfully defended Kazakhstan from a similar initiative.

Here's a UN article condemning the current proposal. Not that UN matters anyways.

If you have any money to spare on queer rights of a very distant country you'll probably never visit, please help Feminita, as they're the only organization representing queer rights there.

4400430260581415 Sekerbayeva Zhanar

(comes from their official telegram)