#uk cloud accountants

[globalintegrauk]

7 Strategies To Future-Proof Your UK Accounting Practice

In 2020, the global accounting software market was valued at $12.01 billion. By 2026, it is projected to reach $19.59 billion with an 8.5% CAGR (Mordor Intelligence, 2020).

However, ICAEW statistics show that 25% of all businesses still use paper records. This number includes many UK accounting practices and that is a serious concern. There seems to be a disconnect with the traditional process driven accounting industry and the new age businesses. Technology has become too ingrained into the generation of today. The new age business owners grew up with the technology and are swift in adapting to it and they expect their service providers to be just as technology savvy as them.

UK accounting practices must also adapt to the needs of clients instead of remaining stuck with age-old methodologies. Taking action toward implementing digital innovation is the next step for many accounting firms. Changing with the times is a necessity to attract more customers and increase profits. Here are 7 strategies for preparing Outsourcing UK accounting firms for the future.

1. Invest in the cloud & automation technologies

Over the past few years, cloud technology has expanded more rapidly than ever, especially for the accounting industry. Automated accounting systems enable accountants to automate numerous accounting tasks. Much popular accounting software is now on the cloud and keeping data on the cloud is acceptable for most businesses. QuickBooks Online, Xero, Dropbox, Dext, FreeAgent, and Kashflow are some of the cloud software popular with accounting firms. Integra balance is an emerging accounting automation software and is quickly gaining popularity with outsourced online accounting firms for its bot-based accounting automation solution.

2. Create a referral plan

Any business benefits from word-of-mouth referrals, but accounting and tax firms benefit even more. The easiest approach to encourage recommendations is via a referral program that rewards customers for referring you to new businesses. For each referral, existing customers can receive free services or additional benefits to encourage them to reach out to their friends, family, and associates. Ideally, this could be a self-sustaining marketing strategy that gives you all the benefits without any additional marketing expense.

3. Reduce inefficient spending and outsource where necessary

Identify where you are overspending by reviewing all of your expenses. Consider operating your firm remotely instead of paying costly office rent. Accounting firms can save money by outsourcing almost all their bookkeeping, accounting and tax jobs. Many highly profitable UK accounting firms have been using outsourcing as a strategy for many years now.

Outsourcing helps your staff to spend more time with the clients, meeting them face to face and thereby creating opportunities to add more value addition, earn clients trust and possibly win more new business. There are several accounting outsourcing service providers, and you need to carefully select the right provider that will fit well for your firm.

4. Elevate your firm’s brand and perceived value

If your Outsourced accounting services are perceived as valuable, you can increase your prices. Branding and management, strategic marketing, and exhibiting thought leadership in your industry can help elevate your brand. Give your website a facelift, make it more user-friendly whether your users are checking it out from their laptops or mobile.

5. Review your current marketing strategy 

Your marketing strategy can also be improved by identifying a suitable target market. Thanks to social media, reaching out to target audiences has become much easier. You might want to refresh your website’s content if you have neglected it for a long time. Consider SEO, online advertising, and social media marketing. Make optimal use of free platforms like Google My Business, directories, etc. Write blogs about accounting tips, growth hacks for business, and industry updates regularly. Use keywords to optimize your website.

6. Re-evaluate the pricing for your services

The market changes constantly, so you should always revisit your pricing. To become more competitive, you can increase your service fees or reduce them. Rather than using a set pricing model, switch to a value-based model. A new client may choose an accounting firm with lower fees.

7. Provide additional services and remove unnecessary ones

To stay competitive, it becomes crucial to provide services such as financial planning, retirement planning, bookkeeping, and payroll in addition to the basic services. This will also help you boost your revenue. Get your team trained via virtual programs/certifications in the areas of expertise you choose to add to your services. If you are providing services that are not making you any profit, it would make sense to remove them.

Implementing these 7 strategies will help you future-proof your accounting practice at least for the next decade. Now that you know how you can future-proof your accounting practice, you can put these tips into action. For your accounting outsourcing needs, check out services from Integra Outsourcing today!

[brainjohncena-blog]

Payroll Considerations

Effective payroll management is critical for organizations to guarantee employee payments are correct, timely, and in compliance with tax rules. Businesses must stay up to date on payroll deadlines and commitments to avoid penalties and keep operations running smoothly.

-> Payroll Services for Specific Industries in the UK:

Payroll Services for Home Carers in the UK: Home care agencies and individual carers can benefit from payroll services suited to their specific requirements, such as handling varying hours, overtime, and holiday pay.

Payroll for Nurseries in the UK: Nurseries and childcare providers require payroll systems that allow for flexible staffing schedules while adhering to child-care standards.

-> Cloud Payroll Software Solutions:

Cloud-based payroll software gives businesses flexibility, scalability, and accessibility. It allows them to administer payroll from any location with an internet connection. With features like automated calculations, real-time reporting, and compliance updates, cloud payroll software is an efficient alternative for organizations of all sizes.

-> Conclusion:

Being aware of significant dates and deadlines for the fiscal year 2024-25 is critical for organizations and people seeking to comply with tax legislation and manage their finances successfully. Businesses may streamline payroll management and maintain smooth operations throughout the fiscal year by using industry-specific payroll services and cloud payroll software solutions.

Read full blog: https://www.brainpayroll.co.uk/blog/financial-year-2024-25-important-dates-to-remember

[globalbookkeeping123]

Cloud Accounting Software

You must have heard about the term cloud accounting in the modern world of accounting. This word has gained a huge engagement between recent 5-6 years.

[cloudbookkeepinguk]

via Twitter https://twitter.com/ukcloudaccount

[wangxianficfinder]

Fic Finder

Apr 12th

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1. For the ficfinder: In the last "In the mood for", no 8 reminded me of a fic but I cant recall the one. Wwx is travelling by himself, writing letters to LZ, he stays in a town and it ends up cursed. LZ and the juniors arrive to solve the case. Wwx is acting weird and hides his letters. The juniors read the letters and find out wwx is angry and full of resentment about how he's been treated. They find out the curse resonates from him. They talk it out to resolve matters. It was written really well. Any idea? @kesterling

FOUND! i found it myself, it kept bugging me. The fic is sadly deleted but on the wayback machine: Dock of the Bay by Haysel.

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2. Hi! This is for Fic Finder. All I remember is the ending, where Yu Ziyuan had her arms cut off, and that there was a part that mentioned that this was punishment enough as she would have to live her life with no pride. Also, she had an affair with Jin Guangshan, and Jiang Cheng was his child, and she had to become his concubine, I think. Hope someone knows which fic this is!

FOUND? sounds like the deleted "OOC!" by A_flower_in_the_snow. It's avaiable on the wayback machine.

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3. Hi, once again.

I’m looking for a fic that I seriously can’t find, at all.

So it would really be a great help if you could.

Wwx was brought to cloud recesses for healing after madam yu had whipped him so bloody he couldn’t move and wa sin active danger of dying.

The disciples who brought him there did so on a donkey I think?

Anyway they asked LZ to please befriend Wwx.

The healers weren’t sure if Wwx would survive. He does.

And joins the lan, befriending LZ oh and he can’t fight with his sword anymore because of the damage and something about his heart having been weakened.

That is all I remember.

Have a nice day/night. @ravenwithwings

NOT FOUND!🔒🧡 rain falls and soaks into the earth series by RoseThorne (T, 57k, WangXian, WIP, Near Death Experience, Attempt Drowning, Madam Yu Bashing, Recovery, No war AU)

FOUND! 🧡 Company by WithBroomBefore (T, 29k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Pre-Relationship, Getting Together, POV LWJ, Fix-It, Pre-Canon, at least to start, WWX goes to Cloud Recesses, But Not In The Usual Way, fear of character death, Everybody Lives, Hurt/Comfort, Happy Ending, Light Angst, good teacher LQR, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, brief discussion of past minor character suicide, Kitten, Not YZY Friendly)

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4. Hi!! I'm looking for a fic I can't remember the name of, a modern AU, possibly set in the UK where lwj is part of some sort of anarchist/ community activist group and wwx joins. Most people in the group already know wwx and are reallly good friends with him but lwj is super skeptical about him. Also at some point I think wwx goes missing and lwj is super worried??? I can't remember anything else... thank you in advance🙏🙏🙏 @kavlobebeki

FOUND? now to begin the road by detectorist (E, 28k, WangXian, Modern AU, Pining, Miscommunication, Misunderstandings, Getting Together, Light Angst, Food as a Metaphor for Love, Activism, Politics, Rooftop Conversations)

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5. Hi, I'm wondering if anyone else remembers a fic similar to leading tone by silencemostofall, and pastel by antebunny, but that's set in the canon era while they're at Cloud Recesses? A few details I remember was that the coloured mark that indicated Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian's relationship started to fade, and that Jiang Cheng was allowed home to celebrate his birthday, while Wei Wuxian's was completely ignored by the Jiang Sect and so he spent it drinking and was caught by Lan Wangji. Apologies that I don't have more! @flaxenhairedsamurai

Hi, I was number 5 on the fic finder on April 12. Just letting you know I found the fic I was looking for! It was Mark Me With Your Devotion by an orphan account. Thank you, and I've bookmarked it so I don't lose it again!

FOUND! Mark me with your devotion by orphan_account (M, 18k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Soulmates, soulmate AU with a twist, The twist is not a curse though, I'm sorry but everyone is kind of toxic in this, Angst with a Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, A-Yuan is adorable, First Time, Canon-typical Sex, Cultivation Partners, Fluffy wangxian, Nothing else is all that fluffy, Night-hunting together, Their studies are different that's why they keep going on missions and not staying in Gusu much)

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6. There was this fic on ao3 I don't remember, much, but it had this part, where lwj refused to go near his child(/children??) Because when wwx was pregnant he slowly grew ill or I dunno I think there was some complications (?) and when it was finally the time of delivery, wwx fell into coma I think. And lxc was angry with lwj for not even looking at his child / children when both wc were so excited for the baby.

There is a similar wx comic on Twitter. Can you please find both of them? The ao3 fic and the Twitter comic too please?

FOUND? I don’t know the Ao3 but I do know the comic similar to the description which made by AlasseTassir in twitter and they post it on their pixiv.

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7. A while back I found and lost 😥 a fic where WangXian, I think, were smuggling Wen Ning (and probably Wen Qing) across a border somewhere and they put a fake mustache on one of the two and people kept complimenting them on how nice it looked. I think people even copied the mustache after that? Maybe even the bad Wens? That's literally all I can remember about it. I've tried every tag I can think of and haven't been able to find it. Hopefully someone will know. TIA! @lilyinthesnow

FOUND! Bloom where you are planted by luckymoonly (M, 44k wangxian, MM/WQ, Canon Divergence, Fix It, courting, Mpreg, Sunshot Campaign, Fluff, Happy Ending, getting together early, Romance, WWX giving birth in the middle of the war? Most likely than you think!, Yúnmèng Siblings Feels, Smut, Drama, Blood and Violence, Minor Character Death, There Is Only One Bed, No Fall of Lotus Pier, Crossdressing, Shotgun Wedding, Mention of miscarriage (not WWX), wangxian Have a Breeding Kink, Giving Birth, Soft granduncle LQR)

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8. hii i need help finding a fic. I remember it is ongoing it is a time travel one where wei ying travels back to the past decides not to join the jiang sect but to be rouge i remember he stole gold from the sects which made the economy go to shit the emperor got involved and disbanded the wen sect wei ying is now rich he is studying to pass some exams he has a nice house with a mini farm meets lan zhan and they fall in love and we find out from lan qiren that wei ying is a royal bc his father was a prince but he ran away to be a servant to the jiang sect and sometime near the last chapters the emperor gives permission to wangxian to marry and to take with him some princes and princesses to raise away from the palace. @wangxian4evermdzs

FOUND? Starting Over by SplitGirl28 (M, 69k, WIP, Time Travel Fix-It, Back to Childhood, Change his life, Different lifestyle, But WWX is still gifted genius, Unrestrained WWX, Living his ideal life)

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9. Hi all! 👋 I am so sorry to bother you if you’ve already found this fic but I’ve scoured across the internet all day and decided to go ahead and ask anyway! I’m looking for a fic that has Wei Ying being adopted into the Lan clan as a child, he was scared to be kicked out and became rather solemn and a perfect lan clan member, on the other hand Lan Zhan has grown to be shameless and flirts with Wei Ying every chance he gets. There’s also some Jiang Bashing, OCs, and maybe some time travel? Help🥹

FOUND? could be the deleted "Uno Reverse" by A_flower_in_the_snow. It's on the wayback machine.

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10. Hello!! I swear I just read it and now I can't find this fic- but it's supposed to be an AU where wwx stayed behind during Lotus Pier's attack and Madam Yu and JC escaped but wwx stayed to fight, and lwj heard wwx was missing and he rushes to help wwx and he runs in JC and JY also trying to save wwx? Thank you in advance!

FOUND? for as long as he will let me by RavenclawLoki (T, 8k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Hurt WWX, Love Confessions, Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, First Kiss, BAMF JYL, WangXian Get a Happy Ending)

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11. Hi, thanks so much for all your efforts!!

I’ve been looking for a fic and hope it hasn’t been deleted. Wei Ying, Jiang Cheng, and Jiang Yanli were mermaids but were also semi-amphibious? They could go on land for short periods and they helped fight the Wens during the Sunshot Campaign. Wei Ying is married off to Lan Zhan and he lives in the Cloud Recesses. Most of the story is centered around Wei Ying adjusting to his life on the surface amongst humans and navigating the relationship with his new husband.

FOUND? you’re a bird in the water / i’m a fish on the ground by plonk (Not Rated, 8k, WangXian, Merpeople, Canon Era)

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12. Hi, can you help me find a fic . The story goes somewhat like Lan Wangji was in a nighthunt and had taken shelter in an inn . There was a storm, and Wei Ying came to that inn seeking shelter with a few orphan kids . Those kids and Wei Ying were both from the same, and they escaped from being sold ? I think Wangji was a bit older than Wei Ying. Also, Wei Ying could use his cultivation powers without any medium like swords or instruments. 🙏

FOUND? ❤️ Seen and not heard by eatmyass (E, 51k, wangxian, case fic, no sunshot, kid fic, dadxian, strangers to lovers, found family, LWJ pov, pining, fake/pretend relationship, first time, falling in love)

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13. Helppp! looking for a fic I read awhile ago and it just wont leave my mind, So basically Wangxian had an age gap LWJ was like 16 or 17 and WWX in his 20's but like "the cloud recesses" is some sort of mansion and the lotus siblings visit them in cloud recesses. I think it was tagged E if that helps

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14. Hi! For Fic Finder. Thank you very much for your help. There’s a fic I thought I bookmarked but can no longer find.

The first fic is a dark Lans fic set during the Cloud Recesses arc. WWX and JC are betrothed in this universe. But LWJ and WWX fall in love. LWJ manipulates the environment and JCs insecurities to break them up. I believe it’s in a two part series.

Thank you!

~*~

15. Story of Yanxi Palace based fic. WY is the empress/consort who hides in a box from Sizhui. LZ knows he's inside the box, and as a prank/punishment, he uses the box to play a boardgames with Sizhui

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16. Hi! I really am looking for this story in AO3 and still can't find it. It was about Wei Wuxian who got married to Wen Chao but Lan Zhan couldn't take it so he plans to take Wei Wuxian back by claiming Wei Wuxian each time he got (even in the wedding night of WWX and WC) and destroying the company of the Wens. As they (LWJ & WWX) continued the deed, WWX ended up pregnant and LWJ is more than determined to take WWX back. I do hope you can help me find this story. Thank you in advance!😘 @gegegeeee

FOUND? 姻緣 | this marriage was always predestinedby saccharinings (E, 43k, wangxian, Cheating, Infidelity, not between wangxian, WWX is married and LWJ persuades him to cheat on his husband with him, Dark LWJ, A/B/O, Feminizing Language, Exhibitionism, Size Difference, WagnXian Have a Breeding Kink, Stomach Bulge, Possessive LWJ, Manipulation, WWX Wears Lingerie, Rape/Non-con Elements, for one part, Hair-pulling Kink, Alpha LWJ, Omega WWX, Mirror Sex, Vibrators, Phone Sex, Rimming, Edgeplay, slight choking kink, Light Bondage, Inappropriate Use of Gūsū Lán Forehead Ribbon, LJY’s Big Fat Crush on Milfxian, Pregnant WWX, WangXian Endgame, Spanish Translation)

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17. I'm looking for this fic that's basically a bunch of drabbles in one. Each chapter title is one word and serves as the theme for that chapter. I remember it having quite a lot of chapters, but I only remember one titled "kneeling" where Wuxian kneeled before Wangji (if you need a better picture, imagine that one scene in CQL where Wuxian kneeled and put his head on Yanli's lap in that one episode) @mindaneacc

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18. Hey, I'm looking for a fic where LZ and WY are already married and living in Gusu. But they get separated from each other due to an illness/curse going through the Wen Sect, so LZ leaves to give medical aid. In the process, he ends up adopting Wen Yuan. There is a sweet connection between WY and Lan Qiren. But most importantly Wen Qing managed to assassinate Wen Ruohan. @mother-of-pigeons

I remember 18, though I can't find it either. The sickness/curse in question made people burn from the inside; it was contagious from breathing in the ashes of the people dying. There was a honestly touching scene with Wen Chao dying while Wen Ning kept him company. Wen Qing assassinated WRH because she was treating him for the illness, for which they'd finally found the cure, and he announced that he therefore would use it as a weapon against the other sects, by deliberately infecting them and holding the cure hostage. The only ones they'd allow to have the cure are the Lans, because they're the only ones who came to help. He also intended to marry WQ, as he'd lost both his sons and needed new ones. I think it might have been part of a series, with the first part showing how WangXian got together.

FOUND!🔒Distance Makes the Heart Grow Fonder by Titans_R_Us (T, 11k, WangXian, Arranged Marriage, Mutual Pining, Temporary Separation, BAMF WQ)

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19. Hello!! Here I am again looking for a wangxian fic. It's one that I read through here but never found again, anyway, the things I remember from the fic are: the sects transform into animals, being shapeshifters, the Lan are dragons like WWX, I also remember that the transfer of core occurred but the core has a mind of its own and it goes back to WWX's body, WWX faints and Wanji makes a soulmate connection... Those are the only things I remember!!

Note: I think Ao3 should have category filtering in our subscriptions, because I think I subscribed to the story but I already looked and couldn't find it... @sweettiebah

FOUND? sounds like "Revealed Truths Against Dragon's Fire" by Preludian_Staves. It's hidden on AO3 but avaiable on the waback machine.

~*~

20. Hi! I'm looking for a fic with a red string of fate au where wwx jumps off the cliff, but has a moment of weakness when he looks at lwj and end up tying himself to lwj before dying... And when he wakes up he discovers lwj kept the string bc when he wakes up as mxy he can see it connecting him to lwj. He flees and tries to put as much distance as he can between them but lwj still finds him at dafan mountain... It's a multi chapter (I think) with a happy ending. Help please? 🥺

FOUND? 💖 a trail of blood to find your way back home by blackelement7 (T, 19k, wangxian, JC & WWX, what if a soulmate string au, but without the soulmates aspect of it, a reflection on the nature of marriage, WWX is full of regrets, so is LWJ, Mutual Pining, Miscommunication, JC & WWX Reconciliation, JC is trying his best but words are hard and his brother is stupid, Siblings, Canonical Character Death, but it’s just WWX, accidental 3zun feels, WWX as the most unreliable of narrators)

~*~

[jaegeraether]

Sunsets and footballers (Part 20)

Lucy Bronze x Reader (20)

Masterlist (other parts here)

YFN had just received an email from the company she now worked for, Lumos. She tried to research the company and the first thing that popped up was a popular charity, followed by several other companies sharing the same name. Eventually she found her company which had nothing beyond a basic internet site and new social media accounts, so she knew they were being honest when they said they were brand new and starting up.

The salary they’d offered her was already high, with the promise of increase based on performance, both hers and Lumos’. The amount of money they were putting into the business and expenses were also much higher than she expected. Someone really wanted this to work.

She looked over at Lucy who was making her own sandcastles and smiled. Once the email had come through, Lucy had insisted she read it and took her time to mull it over. YFN loved that she was doing anything she could to let her make a future in the country, and especially around her profession. That was her Lucy. Always three steps ahead.

She took her phone out to film a little snippet of her as she made her giant sandcastle. She couldn’t help the smile on her face looking at how happy she was. Lucy’s big kid was shining through. She looked up and saw YFN filming her and grinned, gesturing to her sandcastle as if to show it off. YFN ended the video and put it away, looking at Lucy sitting in the sand, a leg either side of her creation. She was wearing black shorts, her whole body tanned from Spain, abs shining with the sunscreen YFN put on her, regardless of the clouds. Her heart felt full just watching her.

“Admiring the view?” Lucy grinned.

YFN felt her face reddening, though she didn’t know why. She wasn’t ashamed to look. She nodded, pressing her lips together to hide a cheeky smile.

“Can you send me that video, little one?”

“Yes ma’am.”

She sent the video and went back to the email on her laptop. The email was promising, and she found herself excited at everything she read.

Her phone rang and she looked at the number, Lumos. She answered it, putting it on speaker, knowing Lucy would be interested.

“YFN speaking.”

“Hi YFN, it’s Joe, how are you?” She sounded lovely, like a mum.

“Hi Joe, lovely to hear from you again. I’m great, just at the beach soaking in all of the sunshine the UK has to offer.”

She laughed. “I dare say it’s nothing compared to what you’re used to in Australia. I hope I haven’t caught you at a bad time.”

“No, not at all. I was expecting this today, I’m free to chat.” She smiled at Lucy who gave her a supportive thumbs up.

“Excellent. Okay, well I thought we’d just go through the basics of what we’re hoping to accomplish as a company, our goals and along those lines. If you have the email open, we’ll just run through it together. Also, how’s the work Visa coming along?”

“Perfect, I have it open now. I’ve also spoken to my Visa agent and he’s confident they’ll have it approved by tonight. They’re happy with the contract and 6-month minimum guarantee that you’ve sent through.”

“Outstanding, that’s what we want to hear! Just send that through as soon as you receive it, or if you need any other information. Fingers crossed! Okay, let’s get started. So firstly, as you know, I’ve wanted to start this company for quite a period of time. I have a lot of friends and acquaintances in and around the industry, and we’re not seeing the movement in female football that we’ve wanted, so Lumos is a plan to change that. Now, the World Cup has been brilliant for progress, and we plan to latch onto that and keep the momentum building. Over the past year and especially the past few months, I and my friends in the industry have put our feelers out, gotten some feedback and have established interest by a lot of the players. Now, I understand it will start slow, but we’re willing to put the work in and definitely also put the funding into it.”

Lucy looked impressed, nodding as she was talking.

“That sounds fantastic, Joe..”

“I’m glad you agree! To be quite honest with you, YFN, you’ve been the lynchpin I’ve been looking for. I’ve been looking for someone with your experience and after reading your columns and seeing the interviews you’ve conducted, I’m beyond impressed. The research you put into your work, and the way you speak and ask questions to your interviewee’s are smart, and incredibly respectful. I can see that’s important to you, and it’s very important to me. We shouldn’t be asking the same boring questions, or we’ll get the same media trained answers.”

“Oh I completely agree. I was a bit worried at first that this job would encourage me to ask those simple and sometimes far too personal questions, so I’m really happy to hear you say that because people don’t realise that we can go beyond the norm of interviewing, and still remain just like that. Respectful. Not only that, but players will be more willing to open up, accept interviews, and request us if they’re comfortable around us. They’ll also want to use us to get their messages across and I know that if we do this right, the momentum will build and more players will be using us to fulfil their media duties.”

“Outstanding, that’s exactly what I wanted to hear! We’re so, so lucky that you happened to meet Katie so she could recommend you to us. We’ve been looking for you for quite a while.”

YFN was a little embarrassed, she didn’t know how to accept compliments and blushed. Lucy reached over and squeezed her leg in support. “Thanks Joe, that’s lovely to hear. I hope I can live up to your expectations, and I’m excited to get started! It’s a blank slate which means so much opportunity for the company.”

“100% agree. Any chance you’ve found our website and social media accounts?”

“I did just before you called..”

Joe laughed again. “Of course, you have. Straight into work! Excellent. We’re going to get along so well, I already know it. Our IT guy is Noel, and his contact details are in the email. Right now I’ve asked him to make the accounts all bare minimum, as I imagine you’ll want to create a theme to follow..”

“Yes! Absolutely, so I plan on organising a meeting with the whole team for Monday, I just wanted to make sure you were happy with that first..”

“Yes, please! And just for the future, this is your team, your baby. Anything involving the creation of this, meetings, team logistics, etc, all of that is yours. Obviously I’ll still like to be kept up to date with the progress and the plans, but to be completely fair with you, YFN, I run several businesses so I’m quite busy. This company is still in its start-up stages, so I’ll have much more time for it, and I do have a soft spot, this is always going to be one of my priorities, however I just wanted to make sure we’re on the same page with this.”

“That’s perfect, I’ll send you through weekly updates and expenses, planning, coverage and everything we change or create along the way. I appreciate the honesty and the communication also, I think until we establish that solid footing, you and I will have to be in a lot of contact to ensure we’re achieving the expected goals, and keeping everything in budget.”

“You don’t know how much this is music to my ears.”

YFN laughed, feeling positive and happy with the plan thus-far. Joe seemed perfect, offering her everything and having the blind faith in her to start up the business almost from the ground, up. “I think we’re starting at a good time, though. We’re catching the start of the seasons, so it gives us time to iron out any issues before the finals for both the WSL and the Conti Cup. A good timeline will be for us to have full coverage by Round 5 on the Conti Cup, and January for WSL, covering both through to the Final. Then we should be fully prepped and running smoothly for the UEFA Women’s Champions League.”

“That’s a very respectable timeline and exactly my thoughts. January will be perfect if we can have full coverage by then.”

“I think it’s achievable, I’ll have a better idea after I research a bit more and talk to the team. I’m sure everyone’s keen to get started! Also, it’ll be quite a heavy work period as we start up, and then when we finally start to get footing, we’ll be expanding to make sure we have the people to cover all games and the email also says you’re hoping for international team and coverage of the other leagues in Europe?”

“Yes,” Joe sounded a litte sheepish. “I know, I know, it’s quite a high expectation, but we’ll get there eventually. Let’s start with the WSL and Continental Cup. Definitely want to be all over the UEFA Women’s Champions League, that’s the first major goal. From there, you and I can talk about expanding to cover Tier 2. Then, depending on the timeline, we want to cover Tier 3 and Tier 4 so we can encourage grassroots and young girls upcoming through the leagues. Then we want Liga F, Serie A, Feminine, etc, also following the national teams, NWSL in the US, A-Leagues in Australia and onwards.”

“Very large goals! That’s great, a lot to look forward to and to aim for. We’ll make sure to split the goals up to feel more achievable for the team, but I think if they know the long-term goal, it’ll make everyone determined and ready to settle down into the job.”

“That’s exactly what we want. The team building and team trust in each other is vital to make this business a success. Anything you need, let me know and we’ll work through it together, that includes extra positions or professionals. I imagine a recruiter may become useful if you become inundated with the logistics.”

YFN nodded, even though she couldn’t see her. She was taking notes eagerly, excited by the conversation as she responded, a little distracted as she typed. “I’ll definitely let you know if we need anything to help us expand..”

“I heard you’re meeting some of the players, also?”

YFN stopped typing and tilted her head. Lucy groaned. She looked over at Lucy who had a frown on her face, gesturing to the phone. “Um… Joe I have Lucy close by who wants to say something I think?”

Joe was aware that YFN was dating Lucy. YFN had made sure she’d told Joe, fearing a conflict of interest, especially with the need to visit Spain. Joe had had the opposite reaction. She thought it was great that YFN was so involved in the industry, knowing that dating Lucy made her closer with the inner circle of football than just being part of a media group. As for Spain, she’d encouraged her to go, offering to pay for flights and knowing that the more she was involved with Barcelona, the easier it would be to expand into Liga F and onwards. She was particularly interested in Alexia Putellas and Aitana Bonmati as they had so much influence in the sport. Joe’s ambition was multi-faceted, but positive on all fronts. She wanted to encourage the young female footballers of tomorrow, give women strong rolemodels to idolise, and to bring much needed attention to all of women’s football in general, all around the world. Popular footballers like Lucy, Alexia, Aitana, could help expedite their growth and influence.

“Of course! I assumed she was there with you and then Lucy’s post confirmed it.” She laughed.

Lucy’s post? She looked at a now cheeky looking Lucy as she passed her the phone and stole Lucy’s to check on said “post”. She’d posted the video of her building sandcastles on the beach and grinning at the camera, but more importantly, she’d posted a selfie Lucy had taken of the two of them, YFN sat in-between her legs and being pulled back by Lucy who was kissing her cheek as she smiled. Her mouth dropped open. Hard launch. She looked at the caption.

“Happy place with my happy little Australian” *red heart*

She’d tagged her and YFN looked at the phone in Lucy’s hand, unsure how it hadn’t blown up from all of the notifications it must have had. Lucy winked at her as she moved next to her, resting her hand on her thigh and stroking her thumb there.

“Hey Joe, it’s Lucy.. funny you should mention that, I actually hadn’t told YFN that just yet..”

“Hi Lucy… oh, I’m sorry! I’d heard a few little whispers from a few friends..”

Lucy laughed. “That’s okay, she had to find out eventually.” She looked at YFN who looked curiously at her gorgeously tanned athlete. She couldn’t help reaching out and playing with a few strands of Lucy’s hair that were wildly playing in the wind. “I might as well tell you both.. YFN said a while ago that one of the first things she’d want to do is to have a get-together with a few players to ask them what they want, their likes and dislikes and to start building those relationships.” YFN’s fingers stroked down the side of Lucy’s face from around her temple, down to her jaw as she watched her speak. Lucy leant into her as she did. “So a few of the girls and I made a few phone calls to get some players together for dinner tonight.”

YFN’s fingers paused on her jaw, her eyes softening and heart filling. How did she get so lucky?

“That’s fantastic! A very strong start to everything! Relationship building is the most important thing for us, we want to build and maintain those special relationships with all of the players, so this dinner tonight is going to be the perfect start for that. I speak for our whole company when I say a big thank you to you, Lucy. This is just… beyond the start I was expecting.”

“You’re welcome, and to be fair, I know a lot of the players are excited for this. As you said, word has been spreading for a while now and heating up in the last few months so we’re all excited to see this come to life. The girls I’ve spoken to have been so under represented and misrepresented for so long that they’re excited for this to happen. YFN’s going to have a lot of work, but I know she’s going be the most amazing asset for you and create magic, like she does with everything else.”

YFN’s hand dropped and she looked at Lucy with an embarrassed but thankful expression. Lucy touched that little dimple, her eyes unable to leave it. She handed the phone back to YFN who was almost crying. So much work. She wondered how busy she would be in 13 days when she needed to head to Spain. Joe was aware of it, of course, and immediately approved, reminding her that she didn’t need her permission.

They spoke for a little while longer, talking about the email and the team members they had. The call ended and YFN folded up her little note taking book, pulling the band over it. Lucy’s mouth on hers was surprising, but not unwelcome. She kissed back eagerly, tilting her head and their tongues meeting. It grew a little bit more desperate as their hands tangled in each other’s hair, and Lucy pulled her on top, straddling her in a sitting position. YFN groaned into her mouth at the feel of Lucy’s body against hers. Then her phone rang again.

She jumped, assuming it was Joe calling back and looked at the phone.

“Nan calling. Baby bro calling.”

“Oh shit, Joe really distracted me.” She answered the phone on loudspeaker, sliding off of Lucy, noticing her confused expression. “Hi Nan, hey bro.”

Lucy understood and settled herself behind YFN, legs either side of her and pulled her back to lean on her body. She pulled a blanket around them.

“Hello!”

“Hey sis.”

They changed to Facetime and it was impossible for them to not see Lucy. YFN’s nan adjusted her glasses to better see and her brother looked surprised and unbelieving.

“Oh shit, you weren’t joking.” He choked.

Lucy laughed. “Hi! It’s nice to finally meet you both. I’ve heard so much about you two.”

“Oh, YFN, she’s stunning.” Her nan said, making her choke out a little of the water she was sipping. Lucy and her brother laughed as she coughed the water out of her lungs.

“It’s not just about looks, nan!”

“No, but it certainly helps, doesn’t it?” She laughed.

YFN could feel Lucy’s whole body vibrating as she laughed behind her. She rolled her eyes knowing that Lucy loved compliments.

“Oh and I saw the photos online, very nice!”

Her nan was far past retired, she was a pensioner who spent most of her time playing games on the iPad YFN had bought her, and looking through Instagram and Facebook she’d installed on there for her. She had no idea how to use them and only had a few friends and followers, but that’s all she needed. After that, Lucy took out her phone and followed them both, making sure it was okay first and warning them about random follows that would ultimately pop up.

They spoke for a while, Lucy immediately loved by both, of course. Everybody loved Lucy. Lucy and her brother clicked surprisingly well, perhaps even better than YFN did with him, though she suspected a part of it was his idolisation of athletes and Lucy was nothing if not an athlete. She felt Lucy’s abs against her back, her strong biceps cradled around her own arms and she held her and laughed with her family like this wasn’t the first time they’d all spoken. God, that woman.

By the end of the phone call, Lucy had already managed to convince them both to come over and watch a game, offering to pay for their flights and accommodation. YFN made a mental note to argue with her about that later, or pay before Lucy could. Somehow she’d even convinced her nan who had always said she was too old for flying, Lucy managing to sweet talk her about first class and how much room and food you got. She was excited at the prospect of seeing them both. She’d seen her nan only a few weeks before, but the distance was cruel. Also, she hadn’t seen her brother in 8 months as he was living in Japan, exploring and doing god knows what.

They ended the phone call after a good period, both agreeing to come and watch England play at some point in the near future. She was excited at the thought of seeing her family soon and wriggled back into Lucy to show her happiness.

When the call disappeared from the screen, she saw the notifications and groaned nervously. She opened the post.

*Lucy Bronze MBE tagged you in a post*

*Caitlin Foord liked a post you’re tagged in.*

*Caitlin Foord commented on a post you’re tagged in.*

*Jordan Nobbs liked a post you’re tagged in.*

*Jordan Nobbs commented on a post you’re tagged in.*

*Alexia Putellas liked a post you’re tagged in.*

*Ruesha Littlejohn liked a post you’re tagged in.*

*Millie Bright liked a post you’re tagged in.*

*Ridley liked a post you’re tagged in.*

*Ridley commented on a post you’re tagged in.*

*Leah Williamson liked a post you’re tagged in.*

*Mariona Caldentey liked a post you’re tagged in.*

*Katie McCabe liked a post you’re tagged in.*

*Katie McCabe commented on a post you’re tagged in.*

She didn’t finish reading the notifications before she cleared them and put her phone away. She’d look later. Right now, she was with Lucy, and she was more than aware that she only had her for one more day. Lucy hummed her approval and kissed her temple.

“Busy third date, hm?”

“Cute lunch, majestic sandcastle, exciting work call, successful first meeting with my family… I’d call that a brilliant third date.”

Lucy nodded against her. “It’s getting late, little one. We need to go; I want us to get unpacked and showered before we go out for dinner.”

“Okay…”

“What’s on your mind? I can hear you thinking.” Lucy nuzzled behind her ear.

“I was just thinking about how I need to say goodbye to you in a day..”

“Don’t think about that.” She whispered. “Let’s enjoy it.”

“I am. My heart is starting to feel sad already though..” She turned slightly to look at Lucy. “Also, just out of curiosity, are we going to not have sex tonight, or just be quiet so Jordan doesn’t hear us?”

Lucy’s head fell back as she laughed. It was one of YFN’s favourite sounds. “Oh, we’re having sex tonight. As for the noise… I’m going to make sure you’re thinking about it for the next 13 days so… good luck staying quiet.”

[grits-galraisedinthesouth]

Canellecitadelle @Canellelabelle

The British public is a hard public to win over. We judge harshly first and are cold and guarded first. But once, you have earned a spot in our heart, you have earned one in our home; and this is exactly what Catherine has done with 2 decades in the spotlight.

For a Commoner marrying the Heir of the most high profile Monarchy in the world, the task of adapting was a matter of survival. Yet, she looks, sounds and acts with more elegance, more dignity and more alacrity than Blood Royals themselves. And yet, this kind and honest young woman, who has never put a foot wrong in 20 years, was still viciously crucified this week by the world press; led by the British press and by haters online, all the while recovering from major surgery

If the worse crime Catherine has ever done, after spotlessly behaving for 2 decades is editing her OWN mother's day picture, with her OWN children and taken by her OWN husband, so she could post it on her OWN social media to surprise the world on Mother's day with her health improvement and say "thank you" to us for our support; a "thank you" the world violently spit back in her face out of rabid jealousy and bitterness; then I would like to hand her her sainthood in the house of Windsor: she is truly perfection in a very imperfect world judging her and in a very imperfect Royal family watching her

As bad as her vicious enemies try to break her, Catherine always comes back on top. Life challenges taught her to make the sweetest lemonade out of the most bitter lemons

Today, after all the targeted hate campaigns, she still comes on top as the Nation favorite and most loved Royal, in both the YouGov poll in the UK and Ipsos poll in the US

Her Influence has only become even more massive, worldwide. Catherine is cultural Icon of our time. The name "Kate Middleton" is now a very marketable brand that stands on its own and even, has the power of affecting Stocks

The Adobe stocks were trending at 552.45 on Monday morning. After rumours trended on X that she used adobe clouds to edit her picture, by monday evening, adobe stocks were trending at 561.42, adding $3 Billion in value to adobe stock in half a day

This morning, they were up to 579.14

Catherine's name alone is now a powerful Royal Warrant on its own

Her first official return picture on X broke the internet for almost a week straight and was viewed 82 million times in 48 hours on X alone. The biggest account on X, elon Musk with 175 mil followers got on a highest viewed tweet this year of 66mill views

Her Haters did not hurt her, they made her stronger. Bullied her whole life, first by female classmates at age 12 in school, then harrassed nationally by the british press and paparazzi in her 20s for being prince William's girlfriend, to now being viciously targeted internationally by the world press and haters in her 40s as prince William's wife, Catherine is very familiar with mental abuse and bullying. Yet, she has never embraced the victim mentality, she is a victor. She is confident enough to publicly take accountability for her own mistakes, and confident enough to calmy get on with it; In that, she is British to her core

The commoner they snobbed and despised has now taken over the House of Windsor, Her soft power unmatched; She has now inserted the generations of Coal miners and working class brits, who worked slave wages to build this country into the veins of the most privileged royal family in the world. Her son, Prince George is the first Heir in history with working class and coal miners ancestry in his veins. And in that Carole middleton, who was born in a condemned council flat in southhall and still became a self made millionaire; the one the world mocked and bullied for decades for being too low class for Royalty; The one who is currently in windsor caring for William, Catherine and their children with unwaverring love and loyalty; she at last won the last laugh

12:51 PM · Mar 13, 2024

[floreanfortescuetruther]

Autumnflower/Florean x August microfic ~ Red gloves

My main account is @yourlocalbadgerscales, I post microfics on @slitherpuffinstories! :3

Florean loved summer. And he hated autumn with a passion. He loved eating ice-cream in the warmth of the sun, he loved feeling the hotness from it on his cheeks as he tilted his head to face the endless blue sky. He loved the coolness of his father’s homemade ice-cream on his tongue as he sat and enjoyed the summer while it lasted.

But when July passed and autumn came, and the cold was on his skin all of a sudden, making his cheeks hurt if he sat outside for too long… when autumn came and made the world dull and grey and wet and cold, cold… ugh, how Florean hated it. The cold weather in the UK was torture for him.

So to be completely honest, he had no idea what had possessed him to step out the door today. He stood next to the road outside of his house, staring gloomily at the cloudy sky, indecisive of where to go. When he looked to his left, he saw a red glove on the empty, lifeless branch of a bush. He tilted his head and went to grab it. Florean held it in his own gloved hands, not sure what to do with it. So he pocketed it for now.

Suddenly, a voice was calling for him. Or someone, at least. He didn’t hear his name, just a slight panting and a “Hey! Hey, you over there!”. He turned around and was met by the sight of a boy his age, running towards him.

“Hey… I’m so sorry to bother you…” The boy seemed out of breath. Florean blinked and smiled carefully at him, letting him take his time. He hadn’t seen this boy before, or at least he couldn’t recall ever meeting him. Would probably remember if I had, he caught himself thinking.

The boy was wearing a red hat with a knitted little ball on top of it, under which a few strands of sandy blond hair poked out, stuck to his forehead. When the boy looked up, Florean noted that his eyes were a greyish shade of blue, like the darkest of clouds that had formed on the sky just now. The owner of said eyes flashed a tiny smile at him, revealing a little gap between his front teeth. The words Florean had meant to utter were caught in his throat, and suddenly he himself seemed short of breath.

“Er, I was wondering, since you stood here… have you seen a red glove lying around? I must have dropped it as I stood here earlier today, and now I can’t find it.” The boy looked past Florean’s shoulder. “Ah, I can’t see it… darn it. I’m really freezing.” He held up the hands that he had kept in his pocket until now, showing off the one gloved hand and a bare one. “It’s so cold today, isn’t it? I usually love autumn, I love the colours of the leaves and how they crunch when I walk on them, and summer is way too hot for me anyways. Oh, am I ranting again? Mum always say I do. I’m August, by the way. August Ollivander. Did you say your name yet? I seem to have forgotten it already, if you did.”

Florean had never felt more warm and fuzzy, not even in summertime. He smiled. For a boy who usually used to rant just as much as any kid, he was awfully quiet. He licked his lips and blinked a few times.

“I’m… I’m Florean. Fortescue.” He smiled warmly. “Nice to meet you, August.”

He was suddenly aware of the red glove he had in his pocket. He clutched his hand around it, but for some reason, he didn’t feel like giving it back just yet. So he pulled his hand out again and held it out for August to shake.

“I like Autumn too”, he lied. “Especially August.” That didn’t feel like a lie.

August smiled even bigger and took his hand, shaking it using his bare hand. It was pale but red at his fingertips.

“We could keep looking for your glove, if you like?”, Florean asked. “Or… we could go home to my place and get you warm again. My mum wouldn’t mind at all, she’ll be thrilled! I was just going home anyways, to eat ice-cream. I live right here.” He nodded towards the house right next to them. August’s eyes flickered over to the house and then back to Florean.

“Yeah, sure!” He laughed softly. “But ice-cream? In this weather? I usually only eat ice-cream in the summer, you know.”

“Oh, well”, Florean shrugged. “My dad says that you can eat ice-cream whenever, and I agree with him. At least you can eat the ice-cream he makes whenever. It’s so good! I promise you.”

August’s eyes widened.

“I knew that I recognised the name Fortescue!”

The two boys made their way towards the house as they spoke. August told Florean about the one time when he was eleven and his dad, a famous wandmaker, had made him find himself his own wand from the shop and had trashed the whole place while trying, and as Florean laughed his heart out, August took his hand and pulled him towards the house more eagerly. It wasn’t what Florean was used to when it came to friends, but he didn’t have the heart to pull away, not even as they entered the house and called for his mom to come to the door.

The rest of the day, Florean caught himself sighing softly, a big grin plastered across his face, every time August looked over at him and smiled at him, his freckly nose all wrinkled up.

[eretzyisrael]

by Hadar Sela

“More than 50 journalists have sent an open letter calling on Israel and Egypt to provide “free and unfettered access to Gaza for all foreign media”.

The letter is signed by correspondents and presenters for broadcasters with UK bases, including the BBC’s Jeremy Bowen, Lyse Doucet and Mishal Husain.

It says the need for comprehensive on-the-ground reporting is “imperative”. […]

The letter calls on Israel’s government to “openly state its permission for international journalists to operate in Gaza”.

It also asks Egyptian authorities to allow foreign press access to the Rafah crossing between Egypt and Gaza.”

In addition to Jeremy Bowen, Lyse Doucet and Mishal Husain, the other thirteen BBC journalists who signed the letter include Orla Guerin, Clive Myrie, Fergal Keane, Quentin Sommerville and Tom Bateman.

The next morning, Jeremy Bowen put out the following Tweet:

That edition of BBC Radio 4’s ‘From Our Own Correspondent’ was aired on February 17th and Bowen’s piece is the lead item (from 00:37 here). 

“International media have been campaigning to gain access to Gaza in the months since the Israeli bombardment began – with only occasional access granted, which is closely supervised by the Israeli military. More often, news organisations have relied on Palestinian journalists already living and working in Gaza, who continue to operate under dangerous conditions. Jeremy Bowen reflects on the difficulties of telling the story of the Israel-Gaza war.”

Bowen: “Israel and Egypt – the two countries that control the borders – don’t let international journalists into the Gaza Strip. […]

I can only surmise that Israel is not allowing reporters to work freely inside Gaza because their soldiers are doing things they do not want us to see.”

Later in the item, Bowen refers to the case against Israel brought to the ICJ by South Africa, claiming that “the court has ruled that Israel has a plausible case to answer on allegations of genocide”. After that debatable interpretation of the court’s ruling, Bowen goes on to tell BBC audiences that:

Bowen: “…foreign journalists might uncover evidence that backs up those accusations of war crimes as well as the even more serious one of genocide. Till we get in, we’ll never know.”

In other words, Jeremy Bowen – and presumably his co-signatories too – would have the public believe that only reporting on the ground in the Gaza Strip by him and his colleagues can provide an accurate account of what is happening there.

That assertion, however, is not even remotely supported by the records of Bowen and others among the signatories when they have been given free access to report from the Gaza Strip in the past. Here are just a few examples:

In 2012, Bowen (and others) tried to persuade BBC audiences that an Israeli operation against Hamas was in fact part of an election campaign:

EXAMINING THE BBC’S PORTRAYAL OF OPERATION ‘PILLAR OF CLOUD’ AS ISRAELI ELECTIONEERING

During the same operation, BBC journalists vigorously promoted a story concerning the death of the son of a BBC employee which was later shown to be inaccurate. Jeremy Bowen was the corporation’s Middle East editor at the time.

REVISITING A FIVE YEAR-OLD BBC STORY

During the 2014 conflict, Bowen promoted unverified casualty figures and devoted considerable energy to denial of Hamas’ use of civilians as human shields while providing amplification for accusations of ‘war crimes’ and ignoring the issue of shortfall missiles.

BBC CLAIMS THAT ISRAEL TARGETED A CENTRE FOR THE DISABLED IN GAZA SHOWN TO BE INACCURATE

HAMAS PR DEPARTMENT INVOKES BBC’S BOWEN

BBC’S BOWEN SAW NO HUMAN SHIELDS IN GAZA – BUT REPORTS THEM IN MOSUL

IN WHICH THE BBC’S JEREMY BOWEN REPEATS HIS ‘NO HUMAN SHIELDS IN GAZA’ CLAIMS

During the same 2014 conflict, the BBC’s Lyse Doucet produced remarkably little – and distinctly unhelpful – reporting on the topic of Hamas’ tunnel system as well as reporting from locations in Gaza including the Shuja’iya neighbourhood.

BBC FAILS TO ADEQUATELY INFORM AUDIENCES ON TERRORIST TUNNELS (AND WORSE)

TWENTY-THREE SECONDS OF BBC REPORTING ON GAZA TUNNELS

EXAMINING LYSE DOUCET’S CLAIM THAT SHE REPORTED NEW HAMAS TUNNELS ON BBC

BBC’S DOUCET PROMOTES AND AMPLIFIES HAMAS “MASSACRE” PROPAGANDA ON WS RADIO

BBC NEWS PASSES UP ON THE CHANCE TO CORRECT GAZA MISINFORMATION

Orla Guerin’s contributions to BBC coverage of the 2014 conflict included promotion of unverified Hamas-supplied casualty figures and the notion of Israeli ‘occupation’ of the Gaza Strip nine years after disengagement. Like her colleague Jeremy Bowen, Guerin also saw no evidence of Hamas’ use of human shields during her time reporting from the Gaza Strip.

ORLA GUERIN’S PARTING SHOT BREACHES BBC EDITORIAL GUIDELINES

BBC COMPLAINTS: ‘IT WAS HARD FOR JOURNALISTS IN GAZA TO SEE ROCKETS BEING FIRED’

In 2018 Jeremy Bowen misled BBC audiences on the topic of the background to the ‘Great Return March’.

BBC’S MIDDLE EAST EDITOR ‘EXPLAINS’ GAZA VIOLENCE

In 2021 Bowen produced a particularly egregious report about deaths caused by a shortfall missile.

BBC’S JEREMY BOWEN REWRITES THE BEIT HANOUN SHORTFALL ROCKET INCIDENT

In other words, even at times when BBC journalists have had free access to the Gaza Strip during periods of violence and armed conflict, their physical presence on the ground did not guarantee accurate and impartial coverage. 

Indeed, the current conflict demonstrates precisely how years of serial BBC avoidance of topics such as the Hamas tunnel network, weapons smuggling, Hamas’ use of human shields and its abuse of civilian facilities such as hospitals, schools, universities and mosques have been profoundly unhelpful to members of the BBC’s funding public who are now trying to understand the background to the events since October 7th. 

[myemuisemo]

"On the Great Alkali Plain" part 2, from Letters from Watson, arrived in my inbox this morning, bringing with it a predictable cloud of dust from approaching horses (since this isn't a George R.R. Martin novel, so we're not going to introduce characters just to kill them off immediately).

But what a caravan! When the head of it had reached the base of the mountains, the rear was not yet visible on the horizon. Right across the enormous plain stretched the straggling array, waggons and carts, men on horseback, and men on foot. Innumerable women who staggered along under burdens, and children who toddled beside the waggons or peeped out from under the white coverings.

Either we're running late on the Oregon Trail (since Doyle did not have social media to live-blog progress across the dusty waste) or the year 1847 is important, and these are Mormons.

“Shall I go forward and see, Brother Stangerson,” asked one of the band.

These have got to be Mormons.

“Nigh upon ten thousand,” said one of the young men; “we are the persecuted children of God—the chosen of the Angel Merona.”

Tell me you're a Mormon without telling me you're a Mormon.

“We are the Mormons,” answered his companions with one voice.

OMG, they're Mormons.

This makes the geographic names a little dicey -- the Mormon Trail ran through Wyoming, similar but not identical to today's I-80, so the Rio Grande River should be nowhere nearby -- but Doyle didn't have access to Google Maps, and it's not like his readers in the UK would go factcheck. Even with the Transcontinental Railroad completed back in 1869, most places in the Great American Desert were still remote in the 1880s, and California on the far end was still feeling the effects of isolation. Doyle also misspells the Angel Moroni and uses a masculine-ending name on a Sierra, so he's working from popular myth and the memory of things he's read. I wonder how many letters with corrections he received.

(At the time Doyle was writing, "Mormon" was the term used by the group themselves. Since about the 1980s, church leadership started urging the use of "Latter-Day Saints" instead. When I lived in Phoenix, that's near a big LDS population in Mesa, so I wince at using the older term. From here on out, if I'm quoting Doyle, I'll use "Mormon," but if I'm talking, I'll stick to LDS.)

The big reason the LDS wagon train is headed west is because they practiced polygamy at the time, and this was considered both illegal and immoral in larger U.S. society. (That's not a critique of polyamory today, when enthusiastic concept and clear rules are normalized.)

So far Doyle's account of the LDS party is generally positive -- they're organized, efficient, knowledgeable about their surroundings, prepared for danger, and responsible toward people needing rescue, if a bit holier-than-thou -- but I can't believe he's going to handle polygamy with anything other than distaste.

Polygamy is the thing LDS have been known for (to their chagrin after the mainstream LDS church banned it), so at the end of this section, Doyle's original audience is split into two groups:

Readers who have no real idea what a "Mormon" is and accept it as just one more crazy American thing, who now figure Lucy is rescued and wonder what goes wrong later to lead to murder; and

Readers who know about polygamy and are feeling dread for Lucy.

[docholligay]

Transit

“Oh, I mean, last time,” I say with a chuckle of hubris, spitting in the eye of God, “we’d come up around the Strawberry Fest*, and the train was so packed in--you know, it was, everyone was leaving at the same time, so we had to stand--” 

“I think we lost each other.” Bel adds.

“Yeah, I was telling Jill, ‘fuck it, we’ll find them in Ely, it’s not very big.’” I have a broad smile, a fool, an idiot, and I shake my head at my mom, “But it’s not like that, the winter fair.” 

And you what? I was telling the truth. It was not the same as the Strawberry Fair, and the issues we encountered were not the same as the ones from Strawberry Fair, but my grand silliness was in assuming there would be no problem at all. 

Come with me, on a tale of not exactly woe, but perhaps a very exciting 20 minutes in some other nation’s history as we attempted to get back to Ely. 

Background information:

It is COLD. This is coming from me, Lord High Chancellor of “y’all don’t know from cold, I am so very manly tee hee” it was fucking cold, alright? In the realm of 30F/-1C, which, back home, is chilly I’ll say, but not such a huge deal as to attract notice. But. This country is wet**. This country is so fucking wet. This country is a kitchen sponge continually being misted with ice cold water. Stepping outside is the equivalent of being smacked in the face with a damp wool sweater. It takes my hair, my fine, short hair, an hour to dry. And so, we are walking through clouds on the verge of freezing. 

Taking into account the above, and also the fact that I am both proud and an idiot, my feet are completely numb. I’m not saying much, but I’m having trouble keeping my feet under me. Doc, what does this have to do with being proud and an idiot? I chose the cute shoes that day, friends, with naught but a wool sock and a thin leather sole between me and the ground. It was, how do you say, unwise. 

If we miss this train (Read: cluster of trains) we will be trapped in Cambridge for the better part of an hour or so. 

To be perfectly arrogant, in addition to being proud and an idiot, I can bear up under quite a bit, and simply set feeling anything to the side in pursuit of an experience. I forget that other people are not necessarily built that way, and my mother is very tired and a bit dead on her feet. 

In conclusion, we have to get this train back to Ely. 

Dani (cleverly (?--we report you decide)) spots a train going to Birmingham by way of Ely, which’ll take off sooner than the one we were originally planning on taking. Excellent! Brilliant, as they say, even. It also gave me an idea of what a Cross Country train, which I will later be taking to Birmingham, looks like. It seems fine, which is broadly how I would describe most of the trains in the UK that are not EMR, where hope goes to die. We sit, chatting. It’s lovely. We laugh about not wanting to go to Birmingham. What a delightful time. 

And then, that angel’s trumpet of coming destruction: The vioce of a calm British man on a trainline. “This train will be delayed as the driver is stuck in Cambridge traffic.” What can I do but start laughing? As I understand it, the Mill Road Winter Fair is one of two great calamities that befall Cambridge a year, and it dovetails with interview week***. Apparently, this is not largely known to people who presumably should know better, and so here we are, sitting on a train to Birmingham, discussing our options about switching to another, better, perhaps faster train. 

I look at Dani and Bel with the same sort of look, I imagine, that people give me when we’re in the woods and I ask if they want to go along the ridge or if they’d rather drop down into the valley. I understand the words they are saying, but I do not understand the implicatons of them. We’re going to stay on, declares Dani, with a sense of assuredness that comes when you have a train in the hand versus two in the bush, and we all agree that this seems as good an idea as any. 

For a few minutes, at least. 

And then, the voice of the announcing angel comes again, and tells us that anyone going to Ely should really consider getting off the train, as they aren’t sure when the driver will be there and the train the next platform over is terminating at Ely. Oh, by the by, that train leaves in three minutes. 

A wave of humanity rises as if in a Japanese woodcut, all moving in a herd toward the platform across the station. Now, for my American and Canadian readers, at the very least, let me explain how a smaller train station in the UK looks. They aren’t big, particularly, but because of how trains work, to get to another platform, you have to go over or under, generally over, with a set of stairs****. An entire crowd of people is running to the stairs, running up and over the platform in a desperate bid to not be stranded in Cambridge. As we run up the stairs, a voice assures and disappoints, that the train to Ely will be delayed, and, in my extreme foolishness and naive trust of the “National” Rail “””System”””, I think, “Lovely! They’re holding the train for us!” 

OH DOC DOC. 

We make it to the other platform, and the train, my friends, my companions, is not even there. Leaving in three minutes, my god. So now we watch. The train to Birmingham is helpfully being delayed minute by minute, as the second it turns 16:13, the train will be leaving at 16:13, until, of course, it is 16:14, and then the train will be leaving at that time. Our train to Ely, however, exists in that mysterious liminal space of merely ~delayed~, which keeps things fresh and exciting. 

Which will take off first? We eye the Birmingham train across the distance, nearly daring it to leave before thhe train to Ely even arrives, looking at each other on the platform, eyes dashing about like frightened animals. From where will relief come? Is there any escape from Cambridge? 

There are many opportunities to place bets here, as suddenly, a third horse enters the race! 

A train to Norwich, via Ely, pulls into the station next tot he train to Birmingham. Apparently Ely is a good place to go through, if not rest at. We turn to each other. I have not the knowledge to divine the future, and turn thus to my oracles of public transportation, they who dwell in the Fens and hear the whispers of the eels, who follow the rivers of iron on boats run by the capricious gods of Great Northern and CrossCountry. Unfortunately, they don’t seem to have any clue what to do either. The delight of the British train system is that it is happy to supplly you with the ability to make many wrong choices. We debate. We watch. 

We crawl BACK across the stairs and platform, and get on the train to Norwich. 

As we sit, the train to Birmingham pulls away. 

*This is the wrong name for it, but it’s also what I said, so, [sic]

**I keep saying this, and Dani keeps saying, “Is it? I think it’s been a bit dry.” and I am mere moments from popping her in the face, wherein water will gush from her like a sodden foam ball. 

***This is, apparently, the one week where they do every single interview for The Smart Youths to see if they’re getting into Cambridge. What a low stress environment. Fantastic idea. 

****I was absolutely unaware of this when I previously went to the UK, and sent an email to Dani trying to ask about how difficult it was to change trains, but my question about what the fuck a train station even looks like was so basic that it took two or three emails before she even understood what I was asking. So I am here for you, my fellow Americans.

[stallionmusume]

Watching Road to The Top just makes me appreciates Ayabe as a character.

It's sad that people dismiss her character as "forced" suffering, when her struggle of "being haunted by the ghost of her twin" isn’t just forced drama!

There is a phenomenon where, when a co-twin dies at birth, the surviving twin can still experience grief, loneliness, a sense of incompleteness, or even separation anxiety.

However, several scientific and media accounts describe unexpected lingering sorrow among twins who lost their co-twin at or shortly after birth, even among the twins that didn’t know they were born as twins - Song H, Fang F, Larsson H, Pedersen NL, Magnusson PK, Almqvist C, Valdimarsdóttir UA. Loss of a co-twin at birth and subsequent risk of psychiatric disorders. Elife. 2021 Jan 28 When a twin sibling dies, the surviving twin may experience particularly complicated feelings. Many twins feel their identity is so intimately bound with that of their twin sibling that their death can result in profound feelings of loneliness. The surviving sibling may feel they have to compensate in some way for the loss of their brother or sister, perhaps by behaving in a certain way, trying to be more like them, or by suppressing their own grief because they feel responsible in some way for their parents’ grief. - Child Bereavement UK

So Ayabe whole deal with her death twin imouto isn't just mere cheap forced drama, but it has also taken from actual phenomenon that do happen.

What I like is that we were shown Ayabe taking things harshly on herself and "making up" a scenario in her head where her deceased twin sister hates her. This was a result of Ayabe suppressing her grief for a long time, as she was unable to cope with her loss and loneliness, feelings she couldn’t even comprehend or explain. Most likely, her parents didn’t provide her with support, or Ayabe might have kept these feelings to herself out of guilt, believing she exists only because of her twin sister’s sacrifice.

This also says a lot about her as a person. She isn’t just an edgy and cold-hearted girl. She’s a grieving girl, haunted by her own sorrow and carrying it all on her own. Furthermore, she has such deep self-hatred that she believes her existence and achievements don’t mean anything and only happened because she was allowed to live at the cost of her sister’s life. Not only that, but she wants to believe she’s a terrible person, and that’s why she forcefully isolates herself and acts cold toward everyone. She truly believes people don’t need to care for her and that she doesn’t deserve any kindness from anyone.

She thinks of her twin sister as the "stars," the very thing guiding her clouded mind and heart, giving her a reason to run and win. But it’s not her sister who becomes her stars, it’s her own guilt. Because she feels responsible for "taking" her twin’s life, she believes she needs to win to make up for it. This is self-punishment she inflicts on herself under the guise of fulfilling her twin sister’s wishes.

I’m sure Ayabe knows this deep down, but she’s probably coping by telling herself that this is her only "stars." I mean, she wants to win for her dead twin sister, so there’s nothing wrong with that, right? But the anime subtly shows us that this isn’t her real goal. This is her punishing herself, trying to convince herself that everything is her fault. All of this stems from years of suppressing her grief and loneliness—feelings she carries alone. Ayabe most likely doesn’t know how to properly cope because no one truly understands what she has experienced or how she feels....

My headcanon is that her parents most likely have no idea what she’s going through. Considering Ayabe’s personality, she probably doesn’t tell them anything.

Another hc is that her parents do know, but they don’t know how to deal with it because they likely blame themselves. I don’t think Ayabe comes from a bad upbringing (at least the anime or canon material doesn’t hint at anything like that). So I like to think that the whole family is unconsciously grieving for their dead families at birth, because it would explain why Ayabe behave that way.

She becomes my favorite character after rewatching Road to the Top because she has so much layered personalities and characterization that people tend to overlook....

I really love her so much & I hope we get to see her again in the anime....

[brainjohncena-blog]

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[dailyunsolvedmysteries-movedd]

UFO sightings in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire documented with reports in Scotland on the rise

UFO sightings in Scotland are on the up. UFO Identified, created by ufologist Ash Ellis, collated all the data from Scotland and the UK, with Scotland jumping from 43 sightings up to 52.

Aberdeen and the north-east accounts for five of these mysterious sightings in 2022. Two of these sightings happened in Aberdeen, while the other three all occurred in Peterhead between January and December of last year.

The first sighting was in Peterhead on January 22 just before 7pm, when three lights which formed a triangle shape were spotted in the skies above the Buchan town for around two minutes, before moving behind a cloud and disappearing for good.

The next sighting was spotted above the streets of Aberdeen for around 90 seconds on March 25 at 7pm, when there were reports of a bright ball of light which was stationary before it began to "dance’" and started to move from west to east, becoming dimmer as it travelled. It was back to Peterhead for the next sighting in the north-east for the first daytime sighting in this list.

On July 10 just before 3pm, a "glowing white object" was seen hovering above the town for around three minutes, which appeared to be motionless at first before speeding up and moving out of view, with the object reported to be in an orb shape.

Another summer report came next, this time back above the city of Aberdeen on August 18, when a rectangular green object was seen for around three seconds, with those who saw the UFO claiming there was a green aura or haze coming from it.

The final sighting of the year was back in Peterhead at 7.43am on December 12, after reports of a low and bright light in the shape of a star. It began to dim before changing direction and heading off towards the North Sea, lasting around five minutes.

[cloudbookkeepinguk]

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