#midlands parent blogger

[ukrfeminism]

A pilot scheme to allow journalists and legal bloggers to report cases from three family courts in England and Wales is to be extended to almost half of the courts in the countries.

From 29 January, coverage of cases at 16 more family court centres in England will be permitted.

This means 19 of the 43 centres in England and Wales will be part of the Transparency Pilot.

Families and individual social workers will be anonymous under the scheme.

However, reporting can include the names of local authorities and some experts, once Transparency Orders are granted.

For the first time in these courts, reporters will be able to speak to families about their cases, quote from documents and describe what they see and hear in court.

Sir Andrew McFarlane, president of the High Court's Family Division, described the move as a "huge step to increase transparency and improve public confidence and understanding of the family justice system".

He urged the media to come to the family courts, to see the "vital and challenging work" that is done there.

Journalists and legal bloggers will be able to apply for Transparency Orders in Liverpool, Manchester, West Yorkshire, Hull, the Midlands, Dorset, Truro, Luton, Guildford and Milton Keynes, as well as in all of London's family courts.

Initially, reporting will be limited to "public law cases", where judges are deciding whether children should be taken into care.

As happened in the pilot centres of Leeds, Cardiff and Carlisle, reporting will be extended later to "private law cases", where parents are separating. It will also be allowed eventually at magistrates' hearings of family cases.

During the past year, the BBC has reported extensively from the pilot courts, including a series of in-depth pieces on individual stories on Radio 4's Today programme.

Another piece, by BBC Look North, focused on an abuse survivor's legal fight to get her children back.

Our report on a mother trying to remove parental rights from her child's paedophile father led to calls to change the law.

Cathy Ashley, of the Family Rights Group, which supports many families in these cases, said she "warmly welcomed" the extension.

She said it would help parents understand the system, and provide a "mechanism" to ensure it was "accountable and transparent". She said it should be backed by sufficient resources, and that children and their families should be central to any evaluation of the scheme.

Lucy Reed KC, a family barrister who founded the Transparency Project 10 years ago, said this was a "very significant development".

She called it a "major opportunity" for the media and legal bloggers to help the public understand how the family court works, "what it does well, and where things need to change".

There has been criticism of the family courts, and calls for greater transparency, for decades.

Family judges have the power to make some of the most drastic interventions in people's lives, as they can take children away from their parents and place them in care or up for adoption.

Where parents are separating, these courts decide where children should live, and how much contact they should have with each parent. These cases often involve allegations of domestic abuse.

[daresplaining]

So, in one of your posts you mentioned that you could write a lot about the different contexts in which Danny introduces himself as Danny vs. the Iron Fist. Is there any chance we could ever read those thoughts. Thank you so much for running such an amazing blog; I love it.

    I want to preface this with a general statement and apology:

    This blog has slowed down a bit in the last… year? Ish? Possibly longer? And this is because life has gotten much more hectic for a variety of reasons. My wonderful co-blogger has been busy enough that she doesn’t really have time to blog anymore, and my life has been fairly chaotic as well. There are messages in the inbox that have been there for a really long time (this one included), and I want to assure you that they will be answered, and that this blog does, in fact, still welcome questions! Thank you all so much for your patience, hello to any new followers, keep on Daredevilling, wash your hands… and now, let’s talk about our boy Danny!

    (Context: The post being referenced is this one.)

    MCU Danny’s overall story arc orbited around concepts of identity. The entire first season of Iron Fist is an identity quest– Danny returns to Earth, has his identity as Danny Rand stripped away and fights to reclaim it, has his identity as the Iron Fist challenged and fights to defend that, and then is faced with the question of how to balance both of those identities– his adherence to the honor and duties of being the Iron Fist, but informed by his sensibilities and past life as Danny Rand. At the end of the season, he makes the wise choice to return to K’un-Lun to continue his training, to focus more on his role as an Immortal Weapon, only to discover that… something horrible has happened to his home. The truth of what actually happened to K’un-Lun was a mystery that was never answered, and remains for me one of these shows’ most frustrating cliffhangers. But regardless, this discovery is a bomb dropped in the middle of his identity quest. He believes his home was invaded, and it’s notable that his traumatic nightmares of his parents’ deaths are replaced by nightmares of K’un-Lun’s destruction. He feels he cannot fully claim the title of Iron Fist anymore because he has failed in his duties. He has failed his family, his home, the people he was supposed to protect. But he also clings to that identity more tightly than ever as he commits every moment of his life to righting that wrong, to fixing this unforgivable mistake. He is angry and grieving when we see him in The Defenders, his identity a painful, mixed-up thing, and this fact has to be taken into account as we look at the ways Danny introduces himself in that show.

    Overall, my feeling is that I’m thinking a lot more about this than the writers were, but hey, it’s still fun to examine. Let’s take a look…   

[ID: A screenshot of Danny Rand and Colleen Wing in a dark, green-tinged tunnel, kneeling next to an injured man (Shaft, a member of the Chaste).]

Danny (subtitle): “My name is Danny. I’m hunting members of the Hand.”

    This, his first introduction in the show, is a telling one. He is here in a professional capacity as the Iron Fist, doing strictly Iron Fist business (hunting the Hand), fully embodying that identity, yet he doesn’t introduce himself as such. Instead, he’s just “Danny”. (Note: not “Danny Rand”. Danny’s association with the name Rand is another complicated topic that I’ll get back to later.) This is in spite of the fact that he has reason to assume, given that Shaft knows about the Hand, that he would know about the Iron Fist legacy as well.  

    This can be taken a few different ways. It’s possible that he’s using Danny as just as shorthand; it’s more personal, and he may want to put Shaft at ease by using his civilian name. Or, at this early stage, having now suffered yet another failure of being unable to protect Shaft, it could be reflective of the fact that he doesn’t feel worthy of the title. He is shocked when Shaft recognizes him as the Iron Fist– maybe because he didn’t think Shaft would be so informed, maybe because he is embarrassed and ashamed to be addressed as such.   

[ID: Screenshot of Danny standing in Colleen’s dojo, arms folded, looking intensely sincere. He is speaking to Luke Cage (off-screen).]

Danny: “I’m the Immortal Iron Fist.”

    And here we have the exact opposite. The above scene with Shaft is very intimate, personal, emotional. Danny is avoiding his Iron Fist identity, downplaying himself. Everything is very quiet and desperate and genuine. 

    Here, though… Danny is wearing a mask. He is introducing himself in a succinct, summarizing way; projecting an image, providing information. His personal feelings about his identity are completely absent from this scene, because no way in hell is he going to reveal that vulnerable side of himself to someone he barely knows and doesn’t trust (yet). He is also reacting to Luke’s behavior, which up until this point has been dismissive at best, violent at worst. Luke is a sore spot here: a person who Danny initially thought was working with the Hand, and who he struggled to beat in a fight. If Danny was ashamed before, he is extra humiliated now, standing in front of Luke and being scoffed at (“Oh, this is a joke. Come on”). 

    And so he presents himself as the powerful, in-control Iron Fist he doesn’t actually believe himself to be (“I can answer myself” etc.), throws down a Clif-Notes version of his backstory so Luke can understand who he is, what he was doing when they first met, and why he is a trustworthy ally/asset, and introduces himself with the most formal, intimidating version of his title. Danny is recovering from a bruised ego, and wants the unpleasantness out of the way so that he can continue with his mission– and if Luke is capable of helping, then he wants to make that connection with as little angst and fuss as possible. He needs Luke to know that he is the Iron Fist, even if he doesn’t feel like he actually is. 

[ID: Screenshot of Danny strolling into the lobby of Midland Circle, wearing a business suit.]

Receptionist: “Name, please.”

Danny: “Daniel Rand, of Rand Enterprises.”

    Having seen one mask, we now get to see the other– this one much more fabricated, though he pulls it off with STYLE. (That swagger! I love this scene.) This is Business Danny at his Business Danny-est: Daniel Rand of Rand Enterprises, wearing a tie and everything. Danny is not a businessperson, as he himself says. He has never been a businessperson. He has never wanted to be a businessperson. And, as he also readily admits, he is not a very good businessperson. But it’s a mask he tried on in IF Season One for identity quest purposes– to tether himself to the Rand name, his civilian identity, which was his sole remaining connection to Earth and which the Meachums were trying to rip away from him– and it’s a mask he now dons again, this time as a weapon against the Hand. His introduction here is just as much of a necessary facade as his introduction to Luke was in the previous example, but this one lacks the emotional baggage. 

[ID: The same scene as previous; Danny is smirking coldly at the Midland Circle receptionist.]

Receptionist: “Are they expecting you?”

Danny: “[Chuckles softly] Not like this.”

Okay, sorry, I always say this when discussing this scene, but… DANG. Get ‘em. 

[ID: Screenshot of Danny standing in a white-walled Midland Circle conference room, hands folded in front of him, his back to an open door. A whole bunch of people in suits are sitting at a long conference table in front of him, watching him speak.”

Danny: “My name is Danny Rand.”

    The charade continues (though note the switch from “Daniel” to “Danny”. He is being just as formal and fake here, but he’s never really been a “Daniel” and it’s possible he says it without thinking). I talked about this moment in detail in the original post, regarding Danny’s strategy and the challenges he faces as his plan starts to go awry, so I won’t repeat myself here, but I will point out that Danny keeps this mask on for as long as he can, even after revealing that he knows they are the Hand, even after Alexandra shows up and starts behaving condescendingly toward him. He embodies the Danny Rand of Rand Enterprises identity for as long as possible, so that they don’t see him as a physical threat until he wants them to, and so that when the moment arrives, it can be as impactful as it needs to be. He wants them off their guard, unsettled, frightened.

[ID: A close-up of Danny from the shoulders up, same scene as above. He is resolute.]

Danny: “I am the Immortal Iron Fist, weapon of K’un-Lun.”

    I think this is genuine. Yes, it’s a shock-and-awe tactic to tell the Hand who they’re really dealing with, but I also think that in this moment, Danny rediscovers some of his confidence. He believes that, after all of his shame and failures, he has found a plan that will work. He has finally tracked down the Hand, he has breached their defenses in a way they were not expecting, and he believes that he can now destroy them. And then he gets emotional. This is about honor and vengeance, and they need to know who it’s coming from and what they are paying for. “I am the Immortal Iron Fist, weapon of K’un-Lun”– he is retaking his ownership as defender of his city, because he needs to, because he believes he finally can. He has conviction in his identity as the Iron Fist for the first time since the last few episodes of his solo show. And man, it hurts so much to find out that he is wrong. 

[ID: Screenshot of Danny, Luke Cage, Jessica Jones, and Matt Murdock (in civvies with a grey scarf tied over his face), standing in a tight circle in a dimly-lit room (a restaurant). Danny is talking to Jessica.]

Danny: “Hey, I’m, uh… I’m Danny.”

Jessica: “Jessica.”

    Here is our final scene of Danny introductions: the team dinner, in which he introduces himself to Jessica, and tries to do the same to Matt (who is being grumpy and incognito and therefore is unreceptive to introductions). This one doesn’t have the emotional complexity of the previous examples– Danny is super cheerful and endearing here, delighted to meet these other superheroes and to have found more allies, and he introduces himself with a healthy, informal “Danny”. The beginning of the team-up is the start of the breakdown of his character arc, but it’s a very cute scene regardless– a glimpse of the happy, well-adjusted (or at least adequately repressed) Danny that we had not seen in the MCU at this point since the beginning of IF Season One.  

[ID: The same scene. The four of them are standing around a plate-laden table. Matt is leaning intently toward Danny with his hands on his hips, listening to him speak.]

Danny: “Sworn protector of K’un-Lun.”

    Part of Danny’s relaxed-ness comes from his belief, again, that with these new allies, his revenge quest is achievable. He is also clearly relieved to have help. He introduces himself as just “Danny” initially– using the most informal and least baggage-laden version of his identity, forming a personal connection with them– and then introduces himself as the Immortal Iron Fist, “sworn protector of K’un-Lun” later, when he starts explaining his role in the fight against the Hand. He is very relaxed about referring to himself in this way here, partly because– again– his sense of self and security has been bolstered, he is feeling good and hopeful, and also, it’s just necessary context that he knows he needs to provide. Specifically, he refers to himself as such to Matt, because he has gathered at this point that Matt has Chaste connections, and therefore assumes that he knows about the Iron Fist legacy. Little does he suspect that overly-emotional Matt failed out of Chaste School before learning any of the important backstory, and is therefore clueless. 

[ID: Screenshot of Misty Knight looking over Luke’s shoulder at something that clearly upsets her.]

Danny (off-screen): “You got a chair?”

    Please indulge me for just a second: Am I bitter that we didn’t see Danny properly introduce himself to Misty? Am I bitter that their relationship was almost entirely neglected in these shows? Yes, just a little. 

    Anyway…

    Overall, Danny’s emotional arc in this show suffered for the sake of the team-up, and I feel like there is not as much significance in these introductions– these shorthands for Danny’s identity struggles– as there should have been/would have been if this were his show. That said, I do think they are important, and I loved digging into this. Danny’s journey is one of my favorites out of all of the Netflix Marvel protagonists, and I love taking it apart and examining it. 

    Again, I’m sorry this post was so long delayed, and thank you for the question!

[somemilanlove]

What Am I doing at the Magnolia Table?

Hey there!! 

If you’re reading this you’re probably asking yourself if it’s a post worth your time and hopefully your 5 sec scroll, scroll, stop attention span has given you time to pause here with me. My name is Rachel, a small town west texas girl, mom of 4 little humans who are my everything and also take my everything to keep up with. I am a former high school science teacher who now fancies herself an IG Public Figure, Entrepreneur, Fitness Influencer.  My life is pretty busy filled with to do lists, laundry, homework, & parent teacher meetings on top of the additional daily tasks of my Mom-Boss side hustle.

It’s because  of this non-stop mania where I serve others, seemingly, all day long  that I’ve decided to spend the next 365 days very much like Julie Powell did back in 2002. If you’ve never seen the chick flick Julie & Julia then add it to your watch list on Netflix because #1 its a good one, and #2 this blog will make so much more sense to you when you do. I happened to watch this movie a couple nights ago with my husband (who sat through the entire thing with me almost as in to the movie as I was btw) when she to found herself uninspired and wondering what her purpose and happiness in life was to be found.

Unlike Julie I am not a writer, I did not go to school to become a journalist, novelist, or professional blogger of any kind. I’ve worn many hats in my short 33 years of life but never those. The closest I come to being a good cook are the “fancy” meal ideas I make for Xmas and Thanksgiving  from my hand-me down Home Living Cookbooks.  Which i usually eat happily while the others around me would much rather enjoy a Sonic burger. Before that my cooking skills came from my grandmother, who made simple meals of meat and potatoes, or your typical Mexican dishes with beans and rice usually being the main course since money wasn’t always available for the meats. I added to those “skills” working for McDonald’s at the age of 14 and continued on learning by reading recipes as  the internet became more available to me.  Showing my age there huh.

As any rebel girl does I did not marry out of high school, I went to a small college where I worked two jobs and lived off ramen and campus cafeteria food. Later on I became a nurse out of necessity. I became a mother at age 21 and did the right thing by everyone but me and married young. As a nurse I was following in my mother in laws footsteps ( a woman I very much adore and who I hope to make proud with everything I do.) it was there that I learned a few new things about cooking Mexican food, had cookbooks readily available & more free time to play with a full kitchen.

I have always enjoyed being in the kitchen. Feeding people and gift giving are my love languages. As a young girl I would watch my mom make her simple foods with what little we had, steal a tortilla any time I could, As a teen my grandmother gave in to letting me be the one to help her in the kitchen since no one else would volunteer and she couldnt get rid of me anyway.

Soon after my oldest was born and I was done with nursing school my husband and I realized we just were not compatible, I moved into an on campus dorm with my son in tow and started working on my next goal, my bachelors in Biology. I went to school full time, hired a nanny and worked night shift on the weekends. Just to be able to afford the gas money for my work commute on the weekends & the young college student who watched my son during class. My student loans covered everything in between one semester at a time. Soon after I met the young man who would soon become the father of my second son ( months later)  and 2  beautiful daughters (years later) , my husband, & my best friend.

The next 3 years went by faster than I can remember, with days filled with my own homework, classes, and playtime with my boys, & my nights filled with caring for the local seniors at the retirement home. Any days off were spent working my second job 80 miles a way, managing at the same place that gave me my start. I kept learning new ways to cook, bake & expanded my print out recipe collection.

Graduation came and went like a whirlwind. The day most people are excited about freaked me out. Here I was to leave what had been my home for the past 3 years to go out into the real world. My routine of in and out of campus buildings, familiar fresh paint smells, professors rushing past & lazy freshmen littering the quad between classes was all I had known. The routine of overworking myself and stretching myself thin had also become normal. Checking boxes of what was right by society was also very normal.

After graduation I moved back in with my mother in law. I worked at the local nursing home at my usual night shift & the pressure of finding my own place and being a grown up on my own was on!! And it was heavy!! Not because anyone placed it on me but because I expected it of myself. Within a few short weeks I had applied to jobs using my newly acquired degree as leverage, or so I thought. After a few weeks went by I panicked I spent the afternoon spilling my guts and fears about student loan repayment to my mother in law who suggested I teach. “Just jump into the certification course in Midland, I’ll call Gil Ray.” She was the Head of all the school nurses after all, and new the people who I needed to talk to. Within a week I was interviewed, hired, and on the right track to taking a blitz certification course 2 hours away.

Its seemed like the right thing to do at the time since I was already a mom of two little boys and a single momming it. This is probably the first time I admit this openly to anyone outside of my immediate family, but I had zero interest in becoming a teacher. I was afraid of moving out of the small town we lived in & leaving my family & support system. So I did what looked right & even though I felt less for it. I know it seems I am rambling on and this is supposed to be a dialogue about food and what an amazing recipe is in store for you, but like I mentioned before I’m not here as a writer to dazzle you with my own original new recipes or as an amazing cook/chef or foodie, simply a mama on her journey to figure out her place in this world.

Between the time of my certification and Day 1 of my new job I had reunited with my college flame, baby daddy & did the grown up thing and moved in together. We continued to grow our family & I continued to feed them with loving recipes when I had time, which turned out to be the weekends (when i wasn’t coaching) and  holidays when I would hope to impress friends and family with my amazing skills.

Fast Forward 5 years and you’ll find me leaving that teaching job, working for myself as a virtual health and wellness coach, helping mamas lose that baby weight, eat healthier and do the same for their friends and family too. You’ll find me back here at my table, with a little girl in tow, free time to think about my purpose in life and how I might find what lights my fire. I love what I do but something tells me I am meant for something different in life. I’m not sure what and to be honest, I feel selfish for thinking I have the right to know. Especially when so many before me didn’t have the luxury to even realize they may have been meant for more.

My hope is that over the next 365 days of me doing what I enjoy, what I love may come to mind, I might be blogging one night and spark a conversation with myself and know once and for all “this is it”. 

Whatever that might be.

[woodsrobertlove]

Artificial Sweetener Market Global market outlook, research, trends, parameters and forecast to 2025

Artificial SweetenerMarket report provides a detailed analysis of artificial sweetener market, which includes current industry situations such as market size, growth and demands, market outlook, major players with their key strategies such as investment, mergers and acquisitions, value chain analysis and swot analysis. It covers the market canvas and the growth opportunities in the coming years. The report has been made with an in-depth analysis along with important inputs from the various industry experts. The research is carried out with both extensive primary and secondary data sources with bottom-up and top-down approaches. Giving a fleeting introduction to the prerequisites of the industry, the report starts with an outline of industry chain structure and portrays the industry environment. It emphasizes on the overall size of the market and forecast of Artificial Sweetener Market by product type, region, and application. It likewise has a finite analysis of the strengths and shortcomings of the market. It likewise contains key drivers of the market with their data and market competition scenario among the vendors and company profile. Request Free Sample Report @https://goo.gl/LvtqWV The statistical surveying report examines the share and size of prominent application segments. The examination assesses the current competitive landscape, prevalent business models, and the likely advancements in offerings by significant players in the coming years. Major players within the global Artificial Sweetener market have been profiled in the report, Some of the key players in the worldwide market includes: Nestlé S.A., MacAndrews & Forbes Incorporated, DuPont, Cargill, Tate & Lyle PLC, Niutang Chemical Ltd., Symrise AG, Ajinomoto Co., Archer Daniels Midland Company, Ingredion Incorporated, Wilmar International Limited, Associated British Foods PLC, American Sugar Refining, Inc., and Roquette Freres.. Artificial Sweetener market report additionally covers every one of the regions and nations of the world alongside the development status, including market size, volume, and share, and in addition, value information, import and trade, and the regional forecast. The significant regions covered in the report are:-North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Latin America, Middle East and Africa (LAMEA). Artificial Sweetener Market Research study focus on these types: - monosodium glutamate, acesulfame-k, aspartame, saccharin and sodium benzoate. Artificial Sweetener Market Research study focus on these applications:- dairy products, bakery items, beverages, confectionery and others. Study Objectives of Global Artificial Sweetener Market are: -This report provides the reader with supreme insights and pin-point analysis for changing competitive dynamics. -It provides a futuristic perspective on the various factors driving or detaining the growth of the market. -It provides an eight-year forecast measured with regards to how the market is projected to grow. -It also helps in understanding the key product segments and their future prospects. -It provides a comprehensive analysis of the changing competitive dynamics and keeps you ahead of the competitors. -It helps in formulating knowledgeable business decisions by having wide-ranging insights of market and by making a detailed analysis of market segments. Know more about this report @ http://garnerinsights.com/press-release/Artificial-Sweetener-Market Overall the report gives an entire study of the parent Artificial Sweetener market, key techniques followed by leading Market Key Players and upcoming segments. Former, current and forecast Artificial Sweetener market synthesis in terms of volume and value along with research conclusions is a decisive part of Artificial Sweetener study. So that the report helps the fresh aspirants to inspect the upcoming opportunities in the Artificial Sweetener market.

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[bluemagic-girl]

Parents can now charge their children in household chores in exchange for lifts

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});

Disgruntled moms and dads who are fed up of staying addressed like a taxi can now ‘CHARGE’ their little ones to do residence chores in return for lifts with new ‘Parent Taxi’ app

App tracks length like taximeter and lets you to set jobs for each range of miles 

Household chores include cleaning the automobile, feeding relatives pet and washing up

Sends receipt straight to their smartphone, or you can put up it on social media 

By Dianne Apen-sadler For Mailonline

Published: 10:05 EDT, 17 July 2019 | Up-to-date: 10:20 EDT, 17 July 2019

Mothers and fathers who are sick of currently being addressed like a absolutely free taxi company by their little ones can now cost them in chore time many thanks to a new app.

It tracks the miles concluded like a genuine taximeter and allows the proprietor to make domestic responsibilities worthy of a particular sum of vacation time.

The app can also ship a receipt straight to a kid’s smartphone and remind them what is owed.

If your little ones still usually are not lending a serving to hand close to the residence, you can even publicly shame them into undertaking so by sharing the receipts on social media.

Skoda launched the cost-free application, which can also observe previous excursions and the whole quantity of journeys, before this week.

Moms and dads who are ill of getting dealt with like a free taxi support by their young children can now cost them in chore time many thanks to a new app

Blogger Jo Middleton, who experimented with the app with her teenage daughter Belle, stated: ‘This is the app I’ve been ready for!

‘It’s genuine that young ones typically have a much better social existence than grown ups and as final result that can mean a great deal of automobile journeys every single 7 days. 

‘Although I appreciate encouraging them to get out and do far more, I imagine it really is a great thought to swap miles for some assist about the household in return.’

Errands that can be asked for of the kids include cleaning the auto, feeding the family pet, tidying their bedroom and executing the washing up.

The Czech automobile manufacturer lately identified that parents across Britain travel an typical of 1,648 added miles a yr to help their little ones.  

Its review also located that parents in Northern Ireland generate the furthest at the ask for of their offspring – an common of 2,142 miles a 12 months.

The normal excess time used in the car just about every 7 days getting youngsters to athletics golf equipment or friends’ houses was three hours. 

It tracks the miles finished like a actual taximeter and allows the owner to make domestic duties really worth a selected total of journey time

HOW Numerous Added MILES DO Mom and dad Devote DRIVING THEIR Young children About Across THE Uk?

Northern Eire – 2,142

London – 1,789

South West – 1,760

Scotland – 1,759

South East – 1,677

East Midlands – 1,654

Wales – 1,635

East Anglia –  1,550

North West – 1,515

North East – 1,481

Yorkshire and the Humber – 1,425

West Midlands – 1,399 

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[mummyof5miracles]

NEW POST!! Today I've decided to do a review of a pub that's known for its bad reputation , this isn't a paid review and nothing was exchanged for it I just simply wanted to share that things aren't always what they're made out to be... anyway give it a read over on mummyof5miracles.com #woodside #telford #shropshire #business #midlands #westmidlands #whatsontelford #pubreview #pub #pubs #review #blogger #barreview #atmosphere #mummyblogger #mumlife #parenting #momblogger #mommyblogger #blogger #mumblogger #pbloggersuk #instablogger #bloggers #pbloggers #parentingblog

[tipsoctopus]

Vallejo 2.0: Nuno in danger another transfer disaster amid interest in £17.5m colossus - opinion

Wolverhampton Wanderers didn’t make too many additions during the summer transfer window, but it is awfully telling that two of the players that joined have already seen the exit door at Molineux.

One of which was Jesus Vallejo, who ultimately struggled with the demands of the Premier League. After dropping one clanger, he was rarely trusted by Nuno Santo ever again as he made a total of just seven appearances, only one start was in the top-flight, and that was in their biggest defeat of the season – a 5-2 to Chelsea.

The Greatest Bargains in Premier League history – How much did they cost?

World Class score: 95% | Expert score: 80% | Veteran score: 65% | Intermediate score: 45% | Amateur score: 30% | Try Again: 5%

It’s clear to see that English football is a different ball game as the 23-year-old arrived with experience in La Liga for parent club Real Madrid and in the Bundesliga for Frankfurt.

This week, the west Midlands outfit have been linked to what could become a similar case, should they win the race for the player.

According to Sdna, Wolves along with West Ham, Palace and Sheffield United are all interested in Olympiacos’ 6 foot 6 colossus Pape Abou Cisse this summer, and any move could cost the club around €20m (£17.5m).

However, this is something Nuno must avoid otherwise he’ll be staring down the barrel at yet another transfer mistake at the club.

The 24-year-old is capped on the international stage for Senegal and has been playing in Greece’s top tier – but just like with Vallejo, he’d arrive with no experience in England.

Despite Cisse finding the net against Arsenal in the Europa League, and subsequently earning him a place in the Team of the Week, it isn’t enough to suggest that he could deal with the step-up in quality that a switch would bring.

And thus, the Portuguese boss must rethink his thoughts behind this one as there must be far better options than this Olympiacos titan.

While in other news, Fernandes and Dias react to Joao Moutinho on Instagram…

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[clubsocial-india]

New on Sports Illustrated: Manchester City-Leicester City Preview

It is Champions League or bust this year for Manchester City as the two-time Premier League champions operate under the cloud of a potential two-year ban from European competition handed down last week by UEFA.

Looking to get into a rhythm ahead of their midweek round of 16 tie versus Real Madrid, the Cityzens face Leicester City in a showdown of top-three teams in the Premier League.

The Premier League title is a lost cause for City (17-3-6), who are 22 points adrift of champions-elect Liverpool with 12 matches remaining and their closest pursuers. Pep Guardiola's side can still achieve a domestic cup double for the second straight season, looking to win the Carabao Cup for a third consecutive year while also reaching the fifth round of the FA Cup.

But it is Ol' Big Ears that remains City's elusive white whale since Sheikh Mansour bought the team in 2008. His millions have fueled the rise of City to an elite football club in Europe, but some of those millions are the reasons UEFA claim the Manchester club have operated above the Financial Fair Play laws, leading to Friday's stunning announcement from the federation headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland.

Club CEO Ferran Soriano has said the team will appeal the ruling to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne, Switzerland, and released a video statement through the team Thursday in which he said, "The owner has not put money in this club that has not been properly declared.

"We are a sustainable football club, we are profitable, we don't have debt, our accounts have been scrutinised many times, by auditors, by regulators, by investors and this is perfectly clear."

On the pitch Wednesday against West Ham United, City played the part of a team who have closed ranks and embraced the us versus the world mentality given the circumstances. Guardiola's side dispatched of the East London side 2-0 as Kevin De Bruyne set up a goal by Rodri on the half-hour before adding the second just after the hour.

De Bruyne's corner kick Rodri flicked inside the right post was his Premier League-leading 16th assist, two off his career best set in 2016-17. The Belgium international is on pace to shatter Thierry Henry's single-season record of 20 established with Arsenal in 2002-03.

Ever the perfectionist, though, De Bruyne felt his team could have done better coming out of the midseason break as their showdown at the Bernabeu with the 11-time European champions looms Wednesday.

"It was OK," the star midfielder told City's official website. "I think we saw its' been three weeks without football and we felt a little bit of rustiness, but we played a good game.

"We still have a lot to play for with the two cups and Champions League so let's hope we can find rhythm as quickly as possible and win some titles."

The two matches this week also serve as a boost for the match fitness of centre back Aymeric Laporte, who is expected to play his third match since a lengthy spell on the sidelines with a knee injury. He became the first player in Premier League history to be part of 43 wins in his first 50 matches.

To a degree, City's ban is Leicester's boom as the Midlands side have a far bigger margin of error if CAS do indeed uphold the UEFA decision. The Foxes (15-5-6) are four points behind City for second but nine clear of Chelsea for fourth in their best season since their dream run to the Premier League title in 2016.

Brendan Rodgers' side have played to draws on either side of the midseason break, including a scoreless deadlock at fellow European hopefuls Wolverhampton on Friday. Leicester City held out for the point despite playing the final 14 minutes with 10 men after Hamza Choudhury was given his walking papers following a second booking.

Choudhury will serve his ban in this match, but the midfield is further thinned with the absence of defensive ace Wilfred Ndidi, whom Rodgers ruled out of this contest with a knee injury that sidelined him the previous two league fixtures.

"Wilf won't be available for the weekend," the gaffer told the club's official website. "He's still in a process to try and get fit so we'll see how he is next week. I'm not sure.

"He's doing work inside, but you then have to progress that to outside and then when he can join the team. It's another intensity to join the team and then to play."

Defender Ryan Bennett could be tipped for his Leicester City debut as the January loanee from Wolves was ineligible to face his parent club. A candidate to fill the gaps in central midfield is Matty James, who has yet to feature this season as he recovers from an Achilles injury.

Looking to get back on the goal-scoring prowl is veteran striker Jamie Vardy, who has 17 goals and leads Manchester City counterpart Sergio Aguero by one for the league's Golden Boot. Vardy last billowed the net in the reverse fixture at the Etihad in December, staking Leicester to a short-lived lead in a 3-1 defeat.

Vardy has six goals in 13 lifetime matches against Manchester City, while Aguero has five in nine versus the Midlands club, including a four-goal effort in the 2017-18 season. Vardy's one-time strike partner and current Manchester winger Riyad Mahrez could be in line for a start with David Silva likely to be held out with a hamstring injury to try and make him available to face Real Madrid.

Manchester City have not done the double over Leicester City since 2014-15 but are 5-2-1 in the last eight meetings in all competitions. They have just one win in their last six visits (1-3-2), however, to King Power Stadium.

February 22, 2020 at 05:30AM Manchester City-Leicester City Preview from Blogger https://ift.tt/2HMVcKC

[courtneytincher]

Boris Johnson’s Conservative Revolution

(Bloomberg Opinion) -- When, how or if Britain gets an early general election is unclear, but Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government has been on a snap-election footing since Day One. Whenever it comes, and whatever the state of Brexit at the time, the next election could dramatically redefine the battleground of British politics.One possibility is a vote of no confidence in Johnson’s government sometime this autumn; Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn signaled Monday he would put down a no-confidence motion in early September. Even without that trigger, it’s hard to imagine that Johnson can govern for very long with a majority of one and no obvious mandate for the radical course he has proposed.The slew of headline-grabbing pledges from Johnson may look like the usual campaign giveaways. But the program of tax cuts for the wealthy, large spending increases for hospitals, new rail links in the north, 20,000 new police recruits, and, of course, an ironclad promise to leave the European Union — with or without an exit deal to smooth the way — on Oct. 31 are more likely part of a revolution within the Johnson camp to reposition the party with voters. Indeed, if you spliced Nigel Farage’s Brexit Party with a traditional Labour Party platform, the resulting policies would look a lot like those of today’s Conservative government.And that’s precisely the idea. The 2016 Brexit referendum famously cut across party lines, with both Conservative and Labour voters among the 52% who voted to leave the European Union. Johnson seems intent on refashioning his party in the image of that majority.To do that, Johnson needs to lure voters away from the Brexit Party, which was the biggest winner in May’s European Parliament elections, and also attract traditional working-class Labour Party voters in Leave-voting areas such as the West Midlands (some of whom also voted for the Brexit Party). A number of conservative thinkers have been advocating a shift in policy that would appeal to precisely those voter groups.Those thinkers may differ somewhat on prescriptions, but they start from the point that the traditional conservative emphasis on individual freedoms and minimal state interference made sense when the right was leading the fight against Communists and the socialism that was still prevalent in the 1970s and ’80s. But today’s problems — the skills gap, obesity, inequality — require a different approach; this Margaret Thatcher-era understanding of conservatism is not fit for the post-austerity, post-globalization age.The new conservatism must instead place just as much value on “locality and security,” argues Tim Montgomerie, the Conservative blogger and activist who created the influential ConservativeHome website and recently set out a blueprint for the new government in Prospect magazine:Too much of the contemporary right only sees each of us as taxpayers, entrepreneurs or employees. The contemporary left only sees us as workers, welfare claimants, or members of identitarian groups defined by gender, sexuality or ethnicity. Neither sees us first and foremost as parents, children, neighbours, churchgoers, volunteers or, for example, patriots.Montgomerie’s “conservatism of the home” challenges the party to elevate localism above material individualism. He calls for vigilance against corporate cronyism and helping those who have lost out during austerity. Tax cuts, he argues, should target the casualties of globalization (Johnson’s would reward its beneficiaries). U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren’s agenda should be right at home in Britain’s Conservative Party, he argues. There is much to recommend the approach, though it’s far from clear that Johnson’s is anything as thoughtful. Nick Timothy, a Conservative thinker and former adviser to Theresa May (whom many blame for her disastrous 2017 election strategy), argues that economic liberals — those traditional Thatcherites who are suspicious of state intervention — have lost touch with today’s voter. In an article for the Daily Telegraph, he praised Johnson’s announcement of a 1.8 billion-pound ($2.19 billion) cash injection for the National Health Service as an example of how Conservatives can show commitment to “security and solidarity” as their core offering to voters.To complete his internal party revolution and test the new voter base, though, Johnson needs to win an election. An election immediately after a no-deal Brexit would surely be the preference: He could claim to have delivered on the referendum, promise a raft of new spending initiatives, and ride a wave of relief (if not euphoria) before it crashes on the reality of a fraught new trading order — and the prospect of years of negotiating with the EU and others.Johnson, the consummate campaigner who has already delivered his party a bump in the polls, must like his chances. Corbyn may be threatening a no-confidence vote, but the Labour Party is in crisis, divided over Brexit and helmed by an unpopular leader who cannot be confident of his own party’s election chances. The Liberal Democrats have been revived as a Remain-supporting opposition party, but their new leader, Jo Swinson, remains untested, despite her party’s recent by-election win in the Welsh seat of Brecon and Radnorshire.It’s a gamble Johnson could also lose. It is true that Parliament has not figured out a way to stop Brexit from happening on Oct. 31, but if moderate Conservatives opposed to a no-deal Brexit prove to be anything as united and ruthless as hard-line Brexiters were under Theresa May, that showdown surely lies ahead. A united front among Remain-supporting parties, as demonstrated in the recent Brecon and Radnorshire election, could also prove a powerful force. And any backlash from markets and investors would be a blow to Johnson’s claims that Brexit is a beacon of opportunity.If that happens, Johnson may ultimately need to recruit Farage — the man he said needed to be put “back in his box” — to help. Whether what emerges from the other side of this fog can still be called a small-c conservative party remains to be seen.To contact the author of this story: Therese Raphael at traphael4@bloomberg.netTo contact the editor responsible for this story: Brooke Sample at bsample1@bloomberg.netThis column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.Therese Raphael writes editorials on European politics and economics for Bloomberg Opinion. She was editorial page editor of the Wall Street Journal Europe.For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com/opinion©2019 Bloomberg L.P.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines

(Bloomberg Opinion) -- When, how or if Britain gets an early general election is unclear, but Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government has been on a snap-election footing since Day One. Whenever it comes, and whatever the state of Brexit at the time, the next election could dramatically redefine the battleground of British politics.One possibility is a vote of no confidence in Johnson’s government sometime this autumn; Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn signaled Monday he would put down a no-confidence motion in early September. Even without that trigger, it’s hard to imagine that Johnson can govern for very long with a majority of one and no obvious mandate for the radical course he has proposed.The slew of headline-grabbing pledges from Johnson may look like the usual campaign giveaways. But the program of tax cuts for the wealthy, large spending increases for hospitals, new rail links in the north, 20,000 new police recruits, and, of course, an ironclad promise to leave the European Union — with or without an exit deal to smooth the way — on Oct. 31 are more likely part of a revolution within the Johnson camp to reposition the party with voters. Indeed, if you spliced Nigel Farage’s Brexit Party with a traditional Labour Party platform, the resulting policies would look a lot like those of today’s Conservative government.And that’s precisely the idea. The 2016 Brexit referendum famously cut across party lines, with both Conservative and Labour voters among the 52% who voted to leave the European Union. Johnson seems intent on refashioning his party in the image of that majority.To do that, Johnson needs to lure voters away from the Brexit Party, which was the biggest winner in May’s European Parliament elections, and also attract traditional working-class Labour Party voters in Leave-voting areas such as the West Midlands (some of whom also voted for the Brexit Party). A number of conservative thinkers have been advocating a shift in policy that would appeal to precisely those voter groups.Those thinkers may differ somewhat on prescriptions, but they start from the point that the traditional conservative emphasis on individual freedoms and minimal state interference made sense when the right was leading the fight against Communists and the socialism that was still prevalent in the 1970s and ’80s. But today’s problems — the skills gap, obesity, inequality — require a different approach; this Margaret Thatcher-era understanding of conservatism is not fit for the post-austerity, post-globalization age.The new conservatism must instead place just as much value on “locality and security,” argues Tim Montgomerie, the Conservative blogger and activist who created the influential ConservativeHome website and recently set out a blueprint for the new government in Prospect magazine:Too much of the contemporary right only sees each of us as taxpayers, entrepreneurs or employees. The contemporary left only sees us as workers, welfare claimants, or members of identitarian groups defined by gender, sexuality or ethnicity. Neither sees us first and foremost as parents, children, neighbours, churchgoers, volunteers or, for example, patriots.Montgomerie’s “conservatism of the home” challenges the party to elevate localism above material individualism. He calls for vigilance against corporate cronyism and helping those who have lost out during austerity. Tax cuts, he argues, should target the casualties of globalization (Johnson’s would reward its beneficiaries). U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren’s agenda should be right at home in Britain’s Conservative Party, he argues. There is much to recommend the approach, though it’s far from clear that Johnson’s is anything as thoughtful. Nick Timothy, a Conservative thinker and former adviser to Theresa May (whom many blame for her disastrous 2017 election strategy), argues that economic liberals — those traditional Thatcherites who are suspicious of state intervention — have lost touch with today’s voter. In an article for the Daily Telegraph, he praised Johnson’s announcement of a 1.8 billion-pound ($2.19 billion) cash injection for the National Health Service as an example of how Conservatives can show commitment to “security and solidarity” as their core offering to voters.To complete his internal party revolution and test the new voter base, though, Johnson needs to win an election. An election immediately after a no-deal Brexit would surely be the preference: He could claim to have delivered on the referendum, promise a raft of new spending initiatives, and ride a wave of relief (if not euphoria) before it crashes on the reality of a fraught new trading order — and the prospect of years of negotiating with the EU and others.Johnson, the consummate campaigner who has already delivered his party a bump in the polls, must like his chances. Corbyn may be threatening a no-confidence vote, but the Labour Party is in crisis, divided over Brexit and helmed by an unpopular leader who cannot be confident of his own party’s election chances. The Liberal Democrats have been revived as a Remain-supporting opposition party, but their new leader, Jo Swinson, remains untested, despite her party’s recent by-election win in the Welsh seat of Brecon and Radnorshire.It’s a gamble Johnson could also lose. It is true that Parliament has not figured out a way to stop Brexit from happening on Oct. 31, but if moderate Conservatives opposed to a no-deal Brexit prove to be anything as united and ruthless as hard-line Brexiters were under Theresa May, that showdown surely lies ahead. A united front among Remain-supporting parties, as demonstrated in the recent Brecon and Radnorshire election, could also prove a powerful force. And any backlash from markets and investors would be a blow to Johnson’s claims that Brexit is a beacon of opportunity.If that happens, Johnson may ultimately need to recruit Farage — the man he said needed to be put “back in his box” — to help. Whether what emerges from the other side of this fog can still be called a small-c conservative party remains to be seen.To contact the author of this story: Therese Raphael at traphael4@bloomberg.netTo contact the editor responsible for this story: Brooke Sample at bsample1@bloomberg.netThis column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.Therese Raphael writes editorials on European politics and economics for Bloomberg Opinion. She was editorial page editor of the Wall Street Journal Europe.For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com/opinion©2019 Bloomberg L.P.

August 06, 2019 at 05:30AM via IFTTT

[millsylovesbooks]

Cross by @d.a.roach YA Fantasy Myth, Magic & Dragon’s Release Date: February 19th Pre-Order it today! http://a.co/eLv9UB7 Ray Cross wasn’t a hero; he could die too easily. But some things are worth risking death... Ray Cross was born with a genetic disorder, resulting in a fragile body; his organs and blood vessels will rupture with any hard impact, so standing up to his best friend's controlling boyfriend could kill him. Ray's life in Midland, MI gets decimated when his parents reveal they are not his real parents and his real father, a king from a secret land hidden in the far north of Canada, is dying and wishes to meet his son. With his doctor and newly-met twin, Ray travels to the forgotten village of Yardis, where magic, myth, and corruption are abundant. But the longer Ray stays in the village learning the truth of his past and reconnecting with his father, King Vintras, the more he discovers an evil force threatening the king and his village. But there’s more than the king and a village tied to Yardis and Ray. He finds friendship and more from a band of brothers who are part witch, dragon, and healer. With new alliances and new abilities, Ray wars with himself on playing it safe or risking it all to save the ones he loves. Can Ray rise above his fragile disorder to become the hero for once in his life? @d.a.roach 👊🏻📖 #AuthorsAreMyRockstars #AuthorLove #LoveBooks #Bookstagram #BookWorm #BookAddict #BloggerLife #BookNerd #BookLover #Blogger #TBR #Bookishlife #bookstagrammer #BookishAF #oneclickproblems #BookPusher #BookishGirl #LoveToRead #BookWormProblems #bibliophilelife #AddictedtoReading #BritishBookGeek #readingismagical #followforfollow #likeforlike #follow4follow #like4like

[musicaljojo]

Heights of Abraham - Matlock Bath - October 2021

Heights of Abraham – Matlock Bath – October 2021

As a Christmas gift last year, we were bought a family day out to the Heights of Abraham by my dad, which I thought was a fantastic idea as Haribo often gets so many Christmas gifts, it was great that we had a day out already paid for us and we decided to visit in Haribo’s October half term. Where is it? The Heights of Abraham is situated with the town of Matlock Bath in Derbyshire. The…

[okkrist-blog]

WEDNESDAY BRIEFING: ALABAMA DRAMA DING-DONG

Is it the turning of the Trump tide, or simply a victory for decency? Roy Moore, the tainted Republican candidate thumpingly endorsed

by the president, has lost his run for the Senate in Alabama. Jubilation among Democrats at the victory overnight of their candidate, Doug Jones, has been accompanied by sighs of relief among senior Republicans who feared the spectacle of a man accused of pursuing underaged girls being elected to represent their party in Congress.

Results showed Jones had won the seat with 49.9% of votes against Moore’s 48.4%. In his victory speech, Jones declared the campaign had been about “dignity, respect and the rule of law”.

Moore declined to concede as he appeared before supporters in Montgomery, the state capital. His campaign chairman raised the prospect of a recount. Moore complained he had been “painted in an unfavourable and unfaithful light” during the race. Donald Trump, though, congratulated Jones on a “hard fought victory” in a tweet that was uncharacteristically tame. “The Republicans will have another shot at this seat in a very short period of time,” said the president. “It never ends!”

Guardian US columnist Richard Wolffe says Moore’s defeat reveals the limitation of Trump-style politics: “No accusation of fake news that can cover the tracks of the disastrous results for the president. This wasn’t a marginal contest in some familiar swing state. We’re talking about Alabama, one of the most Republican states in the union … If Trumpism has any future, any constituency moving forward, it should be thriving here.”

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‘Davis-proofing’ the divorce – EU lawmakers are moving to personally censure David Davis after he talked down last week’s breakthrough agreement as not legally binding. In an unusual move, the European parliament’s main parties have announced an amendment to their Brexit resolution, on which MEPs will vote today, condemning the Brexit secretary personally for damaging trust. Michel Barnier, the EU’s chief negotiator, has warned that the UK’s divorce deal with the EU depends on the British government sticking to the deal made last week on Ireland, citizens’ rights and the financial settlement – “we will not accept any backtracking”.

Meanwhile, rebel Conservative MPs are backing Dominic Grieve, who will press ahead today with plans to force the government to guarantee MPs a vote on any final Brexit deal. And it is feared that hundreds of thousands of EU citizens could miss out on their right to “settled status” in Britain post-Brexit. The Migration Observatory at Oxford says difficulties in providing a history of living in the UK and meeting other requirements could complicate numerous cases.

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Sexual harassment in Bollywood – Women in India’s film industry have shared their stories of sexual assault and harassment with the Guardian. “The casting couch is one of Indian cinema’s most open secrets,” says Anna MM Vetticad, journalist and author. This year, in Kerala state, a male actor known as Dileep was arrested for allegedly orchestrating the kidnapping and sexual assault of a prominent female actor. The case led to formation of a women’s film collective aimed at quashing mistreatment. “It is an industry where actors have to wear any kind of dress or do intimate scenes,” says the female actor Padmapriya, winner of a National Film award. “And people assume, if you’re up for doing that, then what’s the big deal?”

Night out ends in tragedy – A Norfolk man has been found dead after walking off into a sub-zero night wearing only a T-shirt and jeans. Ian Tang was last seen by friends at 2.30am on Sunday morning leaving the KA club in the town of North Walsham. A motorist later spotted him walking along a road between 5.45am and 6am. Tang’s body was found yesterday, close to the village of Swafield, near North Walsham, after an extensive search. The death is not being treated as suspicious but police say they are trying to piece together the exact circumstances.

More muscles the better – Women mostly prefer a strong-looking man even if they say they don’t, according to researchers. A panel of 160 women were shown photographs of male bodies, with the head blanked out, and asked to rate them for attractiveness. “Our data couldn’t find even a single woman that preferred weaker or feminine male bodies,” said Aaron Sell, a senior lecturer at Griffith University in Australia. The men were also given a strength test, and it was by far the strongest predictor of attractiveness, explaining a 70% of the difference in scores. Being tall added a few points; being overweight deducted a few. “Our results suggest that even if you’re a bit overweight, looking strong can buffer that. Basically, being a strong, fat guy is OK, which I think would bring comfort to many.”

‘She came out crying’ – In a UK medical first, a baby girl has survived after being born with her heart outside her body. Three weeks after her early delivery by caesarean, Vanellope Hope Wilkins has undergone three delicate operations at Glenfield Hospital, Leicester, to correct the condition, known as ectopia cordis, and move her heart back inside her chest.

Her parents, Naomi Findlay, 31, and Dean Wilkins, 43, have told of their relief after being told during the pregnancy that Vanellope’s hopes were slim. “Twenty minutes went by [after the delivery] and she was still shouting her head off – it made us so joyful and teary,” said Wilkins. Branko Mimic, lead surgeon at the East Midlands Congenital Heart Centre, says Vanellope still has a long road ahead.

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Lunchtime read: What the Force did after awakening

The verdict is out on Star Wars: The Last Jedi. “An explosive thrill-ride of galactic proportions,” writes Guardian film critic Peter Bradshaw, as Rey and Kylo Ren cut, parry and slash onwards to destiny, while a grizzled Luke Skywalker re-emerges from the shadows.

“The Last Jedi gives you an explosive sugar rush of spectacle. It’s a film that buzzes with belief in itself and its own mythic universe – a euphoric certainty that I think no other movie franchise has. And there is no provisional hesitation or energy dip of the sort that might have been expected between episodes seven and nine.”

Sport

José Mourinho has questioned whether Manchester City’s players have the same “education” as their Manchester United counterparts and insisted the Premier League leaders were to blame for the brawl at Old Trafford that has left the clubs facing the possibility of disciplinary action. Some hope has been restored for Crystal Palace, meanwhile, after they plucked an improbable win from the jaws of defeat against Watford.

Tyson Fury has set his sights on a title fight with Anthony Joshua after being cleared to box again following a deal with UK Anti-Doping. And in Ashes news, Joe Root has urged his players to forget about England’s wretched past at the Waca and jolt their flatlining defence back into life in the third Test after Trevor Bayliss issued the squad with final warnings over their off-field behaviour.

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Business

US stock futures, Treasury yields and the dollar have all fallen overnight in Asian trading, while Asian shares edged up as crude oil futures took back lost ground. South Korea says it may tax capital gains from trading in Bitcoin and its ilk, while Australia’s central bank chief has warned of a “speculative mania” around cryptocurrencies.

Sterling has been trading at $1.333 and €1.133 overnight.

The papers

The premiere of – and verdicts on – Star Wars: The Last Jedi make most fronts, but that aside it’s a mixed bag of leading stories.

The Guardian splashes on an exclusive about corporate spies infiltrating activist groups. The extraordinary story of the baby who survived after being born with her heart outside her body makes the front of the Sun and the Mirror. There’s a dash of Brexit, with the Express reporting a poll boost for Theresa May following last week’s deal. The Times claims European commission president Jean-Claude Juncker has been “dragged into” a wiretapping investigation in Luxembourg, where he was formerly prime minister.

Abuse on social media aimed at Tory MPs during the election campaign is the Daily Mail lead (a broader take on that story is here), while the i follows up the prime minister’s column in yesterday’s Guardian on the importance of tackling climate change. Meanwhile, the Telegraph warns that a gas shortage could push up fuel bills. The Financial Times thinks Fox and Disney are close to a deal. Metro leads on a court hearing for a Tory aide charged with raping a woman in the Houses of Parliament.

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from Blogger http://ift.tt/2Ayyp3Z via IFTTT

[a-dreaming-fool]

Biography: Malala Yousafzai: Heart of an Activist

Malala was only a fifteen years old, Pakistani girl, about to go to school, when a Taliban gunman stepped in her school bus and shot her in the head. But she survived.

On the twelfth of July, 1997, Malala Yousafzai – a name meaning “grief-stricken,” named after a poet and female warrior from Afghanistan – was born to Ziauddin and Toor Pekai Yousafzai, parents of a lower-middle-class family, in Swat Valley, Pakistan – a quiet but favored tourist spot, known well for its festivals during the summer. With two younger brothers, Khushal and Atal, she studied in a school called Khushai Public School founded by her father, Ziauddin, whose diplomatic and humanitarian work in educational activism has brought her much inspiration. This peace in her hometown ended, however, when the Taliban arrived.

The Taliban, self-proclaimed Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a political movement of Sunni Islamic fundamentalism in Afghanistan. Essentially extreme religious nationalists, they have become a major threat to much of the Middle East and its governments, as they’ve waged war in Afghanistan with suicide bombings and other attacks, and conquered some areas of Pakistan – including the hometown of Malala.

As the Taliban has a strong belief that girls and women should not be educated, and thus, have no right to education, they began to attack all-girls schools in Swat Valley. On September, 2008, an eleven-year-old Malala delivered a speech at a press club in Peshawar, Pakistan, to a media-filled audience; entitled: “How dare the Taliban take away my basic right to education?” It was the first day of a long journey of educational activism.

During the latter part of the year, Aamer Ahmed Khan of BBC wanted to do a more detailed coverage on the developing influence and control of the Taliban in Swat Valley; to show how ordinary citizens live under these dangerous circumstances. To do this, they concluded, a young girl living in those conditions could blog anonymously about her life and experiences. They fell in touch with Ziauddin in this search for a young girl, but no one was willing, as it was seen as too life-threatening for the children by their families. Until, finally, Ziauddin suggested his own daughter – Malala. It was a unanimous agreement from the editors of BBC. However, to secure her safety, BBC made sure she wrote under a pseudonym. She chose, along with her mother, the name “Gul Makai” from a character in a Pashtun folktale.

In the early days of January, 2009, her first blog entry was published in their local BBC, BBC Urdu. She would write them by hand on pieces of paper, then submit them to a reporter, who would scan and send them attached to e-mails. More blog entries were posted, following her thoughts as the military arrived, commencing First Battle of Swat.

After bombing hundreds of girls’ schools, the Taliban released an edict stating that girls are not allowed to go to school after the fifteenth of January, 2009. This brought an air of uncertainty in Malala’s school. The school recommended that the girls come to school in their casual wear, not in their uniforms, just to be safe. Additionally, fewer and fewer girls showed up, their families afraid of the consequences from the Taliban if they did. On the final day of school, and the first day of their December break – with no announcement from their principal on the date of the resume of classes – Malala and her friends looked up at the building as though it was the last time they’ll ever see it.

Once the ban took place, more schools were destroyed in their area. In her blog, Malala said that she and her friends were still talking about homework and examinations as though they were still going to return to school after the break. The optimistic were hoping they’ll be able to by February, but not too many shared the same thoughts.

Unfortunately, by February, girls’ schools were still closed. Uniting with these schools, private institutions for boys chose to stay closed as well, until the ninth of February, at least. When this day arrived, the Taliban only allowed girls to attend their primary education classes, which were co-education. Seventy students attended, out of the seven hundred who enrolled. Girls-exclusive schools, however, remained closed.

There was much gunfire in the streets. Her father comforted her, saying, “This is firing for peace,” as he had read in the newspaper that the government was going to sign a peace deal with the Taliban soon. However, later on that same night, when the peace deal was being announced, another round of stronger gunfire began outside.

Three days later, Malala was able to appear in their national current affairs show called Capital Talk, speaking out against the Taliban. Another three days after, the leader of the Taliban announced the lifting of the ban on female education, and that girls will be allowed to attend their classes until their exams on the seventeenth of March, with the condition that they were their burqas, a long outer garment worn by women to fully cover their head to their shoulders, transparent only at the area of their eyes.

So, on the twenty-fifth of February, girls-only schools were finally opened. Malala and her friends played and had fun in their classes like before, although only twenty-seven students attended. But at this time, the Taliban was still active. Tension rose between the military and the Taliban, however, and fear of this peace being more temporary than permanent spread in the area. However, soon, the Taliban was no longer as active, and on the twelfth of March, her BBC blog ended.

After a while, a New York Times reporter approached Malala and her father about filming a documentary. Through this, it was recorded that the Pakistani Army arrived around May, to regain control of the area during the Second Battle of Swat. Malala and her family evacuated and separated; she and her mother and siblings staying in the countryside with relatives, and her father going to Peshawar to protest and gather support, criticizing the Taliban at a press conference. As a result, her father received death threats over the radio from them. Here, Malala felt truly inspired by her father’s determined activism, and during that summer, she decided to become not a doctor, as she once dreamed, but to be a politician and to save their country.

Because of this documentary, Malala was already getting much attention from the world, appearing in various radio stations and television shows to advocate for female education. On December 2009, she finally revealed herself to be Gul Makai, the mystery blogger in BBC Urdu.

By 2011, she received a nomination for the International Children’s Peace Prize of an international children advocacy group, and soon won the National Youth Peace Prize and the National Peace Award for Youth from their prime minister, Yousaf Raza Gillani. A year later, Malala began to plan a foundation to help poor girls attend school.

Her profile became more public, recognized more and more everywhere in the world. But as it did, the more she received death threats – in the newspapers, sent to her own home, through social media. None of it stopped her, however, and it is because of this that the Taliban decided unanimously to kill her.

It was the ninth of October, 2012. She just had an exam in her school in Swat Valley, and was on her way home in a bus – until a masked gunman entered and demanded Malala to reveal herself, or everyone in the bus will be killed. Malala spoke up, and thus, she was shot in the head – going through it and down to her neck and ending up in her shoulder. Two more girls were wounded, but functional enough to explain what had happened. Malala was only fifteen years old.

Closer to death, she was sent to a military hospital in Peshawar, where she was operated on, removing portions of her skull to treat her swelling brain as well as the bullet in her shoulder. Offers to help her from Pakistani, Britain and Germany came in, but by the fifteenth of October, Malala was sent to the United Kingdom for more treatment. All of the expenses were paid by the Pakistani government.

Two days later, she woke up from her coma and was so far responding positively to her treatment. It was during this time that the United Nations released a petition to support her cause and to demand that all girls will go to school, with the slogan: “I Am Malala.”

But it wasn’t until the eighth of November when she was able to sit up on the bed; a month later when she was finally discharged from the hospital to be rehabilitated in her temporary home in the West Midlands; and another month when she had another operation to reconstruct her skull and was reported to being in a stable condition.

All of this – from the murder attempt to her recovery – were being covered by the media all over the world. People protested against the shooting in Pakistan; many more speaking out, such as the president of Pakistan, Asif Ali Zardari, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, the former president of the United States Barack Obama, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, British Foreign Secretary William Hague, and celebrities such as Madonna and Angelina Jolie. Over two million citizens signed a petition that led to the first Right to Education Bill in Pakistan.

A year later, on her sixteenth birthday, Malala made her first public speech since the murder attempt in the United Nations to call for worldwide access to education, in front of an audience of more than five hundred youth education advocates from all around the world – the first Youth Takeover of the UN. They called this, “Malala Day.” But to Malala, this day was not hers; it is the “day of every woman, every boy and every girl who have raised their voice for their rights.”

Another year later, she co-received the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize, along with Kailash Satyarthi, an Indian children’s rights activist. Malala was only seventeen years old, the youngest Nobel laureate. She was also included in the Twenty-Five Most Influential Teens of 2014 of the Time Magazine.

Later that same year, a militant group of ten attackers called “Shura” was suspected to be behind her attack. They were arrested, and in April, 2015, were sentenced to life in prison by Judge Mohammad Amin Kundi with chance of possibility of parole and release after twenty-five years. Unfortunately, eight of them were released due to the lack of evidence connecting them to the attack.

This does not stop Malala, though. On her eighteenth birthday, she opened up a school by the Syrian border for refugees, to educate and train girls from ages fourteen to eighteen. It was funded by her not-for-profit foundation called Malala Fund. Currently, she is studying Philosophy, Politics and Economics in Lady Margaret Hall, University of Oxford.

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New Report of Artificial Sweetener Market Overview, Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis, Growth Opportunities by 2025

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Cornwall has so many wonderful things to see. This time of year is always a bit of a weird one and reminds me how far I've come. Five years ago I was packing up my home to leave the West Midlands and come home to Hampshire as a single parent. I lived in a women's refuge sharing a small room with my two year old for ten long months. My life is SO different now. I am a working mum, I am healthier - mentally and getting there physically and in a loving, happy relationship. Holidays like this mean so much to me and I'm so happy to be sharing this with my little family. . . . . #Ontheblog #blogger #blogstyle #bloggerlife #creativelife #lovemyblog #creativelife #dowhatyoulove #makeithappen #thisisthelife #liveauthentic #onmydesk #whereiwork #ontheblogtoday #livecreatively #theeverydayproject #solopreneur #instablogger #ukparentblogger #kcacols #tribalchat #pinklinker (at St Michael's Mount)

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Luke Dowling's cunning January ploy could be a promotion-clincher for West Brom - opinion

According to John Percy at the Telegraph, West Brom could offer up to £1.5m in order to keep Grady Diangana at the Hawthorns for the rest of the season.

What’s the word?

It’s believed that the 21-year-old’s parent club West Ham have a right to recall him by January 27th, which leaves the Baggies hanging in the lurch for another week.

The hierarchy at the west Midlands club think a seven-figure offer will be enough to persuade the Hammers into letting him stay.

It is also reported that they are considering a further £3m fee to keep him on for another season regardless of the division they’ll be operating in.

West Ham could use the funds to bolster David Moyes’ transfer kitty this month.

Cunning ploy

This move would be an interesting, yet cunning, ploy by sporting and technical director Luke Dowling and his colleagues.

Diangana has been one of the brightest stars of not only Albion’s squad but in the Championship too, after finding the net five times on top of providing six assists, per Transfermarkt.

The loss of the winger would be devastating to their title and promotion chances as seen with their recent dip in form.

Watch West Bromwich Albion Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below

The Baggies haven’t won in five league matches, which is no coincidence when you see that Diangana has missed every game through injury and only just made his return during the second half last time out.

West Ham must also know that his services would be well sought-after in the second-tier, so it puts an awful lot of pressure on Albion to seal this deal.

Can you remember how much each of these transfer icons cost? Only experts will get 100% on our quiz…

Dowling, Bilic and those involved will have acted smart if this move pays off as in the grand scheme of things, £1.5m is small fry as promotion lands you a very lucrative financial packet – Aston Villa landed around £170m for beating Derby County in the playoffs.

Think of the return on investment come the summer on that.

And in other news, here’s how West Brom could look after clinching three of their reported targets this month…

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