#years. what do you MEAN she became champion and ambassador so young like

[themyscirah]

This is technically a Diana's age poll but I framed it partially around Julia's rescue because that's the event I need to contextualize and whether or not Diana is a thing yet is p important for my purposes. I would keep the Pérez run and postcrisis continuity in mind when answering this bc that's when this is relevant but I'd keep in mind that even though Diana is very young there (like early 20s) we don't know I don't think if she ages differently as a child (esp as a themysciran AND being made from clay) and in some versions she is older than she looks and was made earlier

Edit: I accidentally logic-ed this out in the tags lol 🤦‍♀️but feel free to still vote however you want. Going to publish this anyway bc I think I made some good points later in my tags

[runningwolf62]

@wardencommanderrodimiss, @pachelbelsheadcanon Oh my god I hate case fics, have the first half of Turnabout Ablaze.

-

At first, it’s a pretty simple routine. Get up. Get dressed. Walk the dog. Go back to Edgey’s apartment. Apply for jobs. Write fic. Rinse and repeat.

The chapter is less of a mess than Larry had originally thought and while his readers love it, they have questions and Larry wishes he had answers. WolfDragon offers what support he can, apparently he’s got something coming up with work, his coworker, who he compares to being “frighteningly like Viper from your fic” has something for him that’s gonna keep him busy for the foreseeable future but Larry already misses him. Like, he’s not gonna sit around waiting for him to get back, but he finds that WolfDragon’s really become part of his life and he’s gonna miss being able to chat with him quite as much.

Pess is good company though as he binges his way through Edgey’s collection of Steel Samurai, occasionally he texts him a picture of the TV with some caption as he reacts to whatever is happening in the episode. Edgeworth seems largely amused by Larry’s reactions though occasionally he asks his opinion on a plot twist or writing choice, but given his focus is on visiting his family in Germany he doesn’t have too much time to talk.

But then, a few days into Edgeworth’s vacation, something pops up on Larry’s radar. Namely because he’d been searching “Steel Samurai” in an attempt to find a reference for some art to draw Edgeworth, partially as a joke, partially as a thank you. But this is the answer to Larry’s prayers. Sort of.

The embassies are hiring, of all things, someone to perform in a stage play of Steel Samurai. Larry figures fuck it, and throws his hat in the ring. It can’t hurt to try and plus he’s still working on getting published.

Something that hurts to even think about, because he misses sitting with Elise and talking about plot ideas, just the camaraderie of having someone to sit with and work with. He misses having a mentor and it guts him still to think about writing serious work.

He knows he needs to though. He needs to strike while the iron’s hot, but he’s made a deal with himself. Find a new place, find a new job to pay the bills, and then he goes back. He’ll give himself that much time, that should be enough time to mourn.

What he doesn’t expect, is that he hears back almost immediately. Like later that day immediately.

But Larry’s not one to turn down a chance at work, however brief this will be. So, he says yes.

He waits to tell Edgeworth though because he wants to see his face.

-

Oh, he sees Edgeworth’s face alright. Larry prides himself on everything Nick taught him in college and then stuff he picked up in his time working here that he doesn’t break character when Miles Edgeworth himself asks for his autograph. He really cannot wait to see his face now. He might have to film it. He tries to wink at him as he hands over the autograph, but he doesn’t think Edgeworth sees it. He doesn’t recognize the young girl with him either, she reminds him of Maya though, something about her eyes, bright chirping voice and dark hair.

Edgy and Nick were just adopting kids all over the place huh?

He remembers what he’s here to do though. This is a big moment, a big goodwill thing, no pressure Larry. No pressure. Just shaking a guy’s hand.

Thankfully that ends without incident, Larry feels like he’s riding some kind of high. He’s not only impressed Edgeworth, admittedly not that Edgeworth knew that, but he’s done a massively impressive thing without fucking it up! Though now that it’s over, he did just kind of shake a guy’s hand. Like, yeah, the gesture was important, but it was just an everyday thing really. He tells himself that in the hopes his heart rate will go back down to normal.

Well, honestly, getting out of his costume and getting some fresh air might help. He takes a secret staircase up and out during the Jammin’ Ninja thing to go sit on the roof and take his helmet off and just cool down.

He does let out a fist pump and a cheer though. Larry Butz, Turnabout Champion in his own right after all.

He takes the time to relax, rehydrate, and admire the chimney, it’s got some interesting architecture though he’s not sure why anyone would have a fire going now. It’s LA in March it’s not that cold, it shouldn’t be smoking. He gets so lost in studying the chimney that he kind of forgets he’s supposed to head down to his room and then to the speech.

Until the police arrive, to find him still admiring architecture.

And he’s accused of murder.

Again.

Larry decides at this point the universe is against him this year.

He lets himself be dragged back downstairs, holy shit there’s an actual dead body, he feels his breath stop in his throat, memories of Elise, er, Misty, and the memory of Cindy haunting him as he stares at the body.

He steps back as this very aggressive - did he actually just snarl at him – Interpol agent steps towards him, he wants to be back on the roof, away from her, away from the body and the accusations, just long enough to clear his head and think.

He backs away and right into something solid that grunts as Larry crashes into them. The pitch suggests male. The whip that makes his head spin, literally as his mask spins around him, suggests someone else.

“What do you think you're doing to my subordinate!?” Yeah, he knows that voice and whip. He quickly pulls his helmet off so that he can see her, “uh hi aga- Edgy?”

Edgeworth’s eyes about leap out of his skull, and Von Karma spares him a glance, long enough to ask, “who is this fruitcake!?” Okay now that felt harsh.

“I am Larry of the House of Butz: Married Man of Neo Olde Tokyo, m’ ma’am!” He would not say m’lady he had not sunk that low, he had not. His head was still kind of spinning though, and given he’d smashed his name together with the Steel Samurai’s introduction he might also have some kind of heat exhaustion.

“Now I remember. This... person is one of your childhood friends, isn't he, Miles?”

Edgeworth softens slightly as he seems to take in Larry’s frantic state, “yes… he is.”

Larry laughs a bit nervously, “Hey! It’s good to see ya, I’m in a bit of a bind.” He also hadn’t realized Edgeworth was back in town, had they missed each other? He’s been walking Pess, even with his now hectic schedule, the show coming up had caused the past week to be a bit of a blur.

Edgeworth’s eyes narrow and Larry fights the urge to shift around nervously, “what sort of "bind" are we talking about here...?”

Larry glances over his shoulder at the agent behind him, who also had narrowed eyes and a cruel, sharp, sneer, “the suspect kind! I accidentally became a suspect in a murder!”

“I see. That is quite the bind.” Edgeworth sounds calm though as he took in the room so maybe things will be okay. Maybe.

Von Karma arches an eyebrow and tugs on her whip, “...Not that we're in the least bit surprised.”

Edgeworth makes a noise in his throat while Larry feels himself deflate like a balloon. Namely like the one he launched into Gourd lake. Sounds like a good idea right now. Not just ‘cause he felt like shit, but he was also sweating in the costume.

“Franziska, he has been making quite the effort to improve himself,” Edgeworth speaks quietly but firmly, “I assure you; he’s only improved.”

Larry gives him a grateful look while Franziska eyes him critically, Larry hates how he feels himself coming up short as she sizes him up. But the she nods.

“Well then, fools of a feather flock together.”

Edgeworth nods and then seems to take in Larry’s outfit, “wait!”

Larry grins at him tiredly, “surprise? I hope you liked the autograph?” he really hopes Edgeworth did, he hopes that had made him happy in some way.

Edgeworth is gawking at him again, “you were the… On stage…”

“Yeah?”

“Not to interrupt,” the voice that cuts in is one clearly delighted to interrupt and Larry about jumps out of the suit when the hand comes down on his shoulder.

Edgeworth’s eyes harden to flint as he takes in the man next to Larry. “Aha. So, this is the incident you mentioned earlier.”

The Agent grins and Larry feels like the big bad wolf is hanging off his shoulder, “Mr. Prosecutor, this man... this childhood friend of yours... is our prime suspect. Of what, you ask? Of the murder of a man who had snuck into this embassy, Mask☆DeMasque II!”

“There was a second one?” Larry looks at him in surprise, he almost feels himself throw up, he doesn’t need a reminder of that god awful week, and this time without WolfDragon and Nick to help pull him out of it, he doesn’t need to remember the break up, the fight, the foolish, stupid-

“useless looking young man”

He bites back bile and has barely zoned back in when he hears Edgeworth ask someone, a different detective? Where had he come from?

“Why exactly was that man placed under arrest, Detective?”

The detective glances at him curiously, “that... samurai?”

Edgeworth grins slightly, “he was born looking suspicious, but not for the reasons you suspect, I assure you. As you can plainly see, he is completely harmless.” Larry gives him a dirty look, now is not the time for jokes but Edgeworth doesn’t seem to mean anything by it other than light ribbing.

The detective looks at him and hesitates, “well, it was just a random guess... It's not like he's actually under arrest...”

What? Larry spins to look at the agent, who had certainly made it sound like he was being arrested before he decides that is not a man he wants to fight. Samurai sword or no.

“Tonight, here, at the Allebahstian Embassy Ambassador Alba was to give a commemorative speech. And that's when... the Yatagarasu showed. But keep in mind... the Yatagarasu isn't who I'm talking about right now.”

Larry tries to catch Edgeworth’s eyes, the whomst? But Edgeworth’s focus is on the detective as he continues.

“Those seats for the guests who had been called to sit in them were empty.””

Edgeworth glances at Larry out of the corner of his eye, “a no-show...? Who was it that failed to take their seat?”

“Me,” Larry muttered miserably, “I was up on the roof.” And had completely forgotten.

The detective, Larry leans to see the name Badd – is that a joke?!? – pinned on his shirt. “The Steel Samurai. Until the speech was to begin, each member of the entire Steel Samurai family was to wait in a separate room, However, for some weird reason that man was spotted in a different location than his assigned room at that time.”

“On the roof,” Edgeworth finishes, and glances at Larry, “and what, were you doing up there?”

Larry tugs on his collar, “After the show, I left the pushcart in the Rose Garden, and came into the embassy. Then, they took a picture of me shaking hands with the ambassador. After that, and until my next appearance, I had some free time, so I wandered around, and I was overheating so I thought I’d go outside and cool off. Celebrate a little.” Stupid, stupid, stupid. “That's when I spotted the chimney. A chimney like that is a rare thing, you know.” He bites back his excitement, “and I was busy admiring the architecture and missed my cue and that’s when they found me on the roof.”

“You were just up there cooling off?” Edgeworth repeats, as though there’s doubt. Larry shrugs his shoulders.

“Did a little people watching too and that sort of thing but mostly yeah.” He pauses, “I was also wondering why smoke was pouring out of it, given it’s March. In LA. You know, not the time to cuddle up in front of a fire.”

He folds his arms and tilts his head to think, “which is really weird ‘cause I think that’s Mindy’s room and she was taken away on a stretcher so I don’t know why she’d want to overheat.”

Edgeworth and Von Karma startle at that and he realizes he’s probably handed them some evidence they’ll need to make sense of. He gives them a chance to prowl around the room and investigate, doing his best to stay out of the way while keeping Edgeworth between him and the wolf guy. He has a very intense stare as he watches Larry from across the room, he certainly knows his aesthetic and lives up to it.

"I must again ask why we are helping this foolish fool," Von Karma asks with a glance over at Larry, who grins sheepishly.

Edgeworth glances at his sister, "that man helped me when I was at my lowest point and believed that I could return. I would like to offer Larry the same chance."

"Thanks, Edgy- wait that man? Do you mean-"

"Can someone please get the Pink Princess so we can ask her some questions?" Edgeworth smoothly steamrolls over Larry's confusion. That man really.

The wolf man huffs, eyes narrowing as he watches them, Larry feels very much like a rabbit might under the gaze of a wolf. Edgeworth’s attention turns to him now and the investigator shifts to address him.

“You did some investigating over in the Babahlese Embassy, too, right?”

Edgeworth nods once, “I did. Is there a problem?” It’s like a tennis match, though Larry thinks Edgeworth prefers when his partner on the court (hah) is Nick.

“Lang Zi says: ‘A wolf who aims to hunt for two rabbits at once...’” he rumbles, almost a warning and Larry kinda wishes he could be that intimidating.

Edgeworth keeps his cool though, and Larry is very impressed. “I believe the idiom you require is, ‘He who runs after two hares will catch neither.’”

The agent scoffs openly at that, “A real wolf can catch both.”

Edgeworth smirks just slightly and Larry knows he’s got him. “I see. So, what are you trying to say, seeing as how I am currently handling two cases?”

The agent pauses before he snorts again, “suit yourself. But don't say I didn't warn you.” Larry isn’t sure he even did that in the entire conversation but he’s having the horrifying realization of why the agent’s way of talking sounds familiar. He talks like WolfDragon. But like WolfDragon if he was a rampant asshole.

Edgeworth turns to Larry now, “I have some questions for you.”

“I’ve got some for you as well,” Larry folds his arms over his chest, the costume clanging slightly as he does, “what’s with you and that man” he rolls his eyes at the term, “and adopting kids? Like you turn your back and he’s got another one and now you’ve got one hanging off you. Where is she by the way?”

“She couldn’t get- she is not my- I am not adopting anyone,” Edgeworth flusters and the agent lifts his eyebrow.

“Maybe you two could be childhood friends.” He mused out loud, Larry gives him a dirty look before he can think better of it.

The pink princess arriving keeps Larry’s foot out of his mouth for the moment. “Hey!” He greets her cheerfully; he likes Mindy and thinks she likes him. Thinks she liked him a lot more when he mentioned off handedly that he wasn’t dating right now because he was focusing on getting himself and his life back in order. “Feeling any better?”

There’s no response and Larry finds that a bit unsettling. “Umm.”

Edgeworth and Von Karma glance at her and then begin musing over the fireplace, Larry has no idea how the fireplaces could be connected; his only experience with architecture was drawing it. He could admire it, but he didn’t know the mechanics.

But it’s important to the two of them obviously. Larry’s not sure how he feels watching them interact. It’s like they almost get along but can’t help sabotaging their own relationship.

Edgeworth turns from his sister and the fireplace to Mindy, “Ms. Pink Princess. I have a few questions I'd like to ask you.”

Once more she doesn’t answer, and Larry and Edgeworth share a concerned look. The agent shifts his weight slightly, Larry realizes in that moment if something has happened to Mindy at least he’ll be on their side in this.

Edgeworth took a step forward, calmly, “Ms. Pink Princess! If you would please answer...” as he spoke, she began to remove her helmet and Edgeworth’s voice definitely shot up an octave on “me!”

Edgeworth makes a noise like a computer finding an error and Larry was given vivid flashes of that one cursed job, his past has all come back to haunt him today hasn’t it?

“Wh-what the--!? A-Aren't you Ms. Oldbag!?” Larry stammers out, barely managing to not curse, mostly out of fear Von Karma will strike him.

Edgeworth whirls on him, “why are you so surprised!?”

Oldbag looks surprised to see him, “Ah, so you're the one they got to play the Steel Samurai. It's too bad I didn't realize that until now.”

“You are acquaintances with Larry...?” Bit stronger of a relationship than Larry would say they have but he’ll gladly let Edgeworth talk to her.

Oldbag laughs and waves her hand like she’s trying to reassure a jealous lover, “why, yes! We worked at the same company for a little while, you know. That's why it's OK, my Edgey-poo! You don't need to be jealous!”

Edgeworth makes a strangled noise and Larry does not blame him in the slightest.

Oldbag continues, “I was in the next room, you know, trying to get in some beauty sleep. But it was so noisy here that I couldn't fall asleep. So, I came over to complain! So, imagine my shock when I saw my precious Edgey-poo waiting here for me! I mean, who could've imagined that you would ever come to a show like this! I guess I've misjudged you, Edgey-poo!”

Von Karma and Larry both shift closer to Edgeworth as though he might need them for support. Von Karma pulls on her coiled whip and asked slowly, “you ‘misjudged’ him...?”

“I thought he was trying to avoid me, you know!” She laughs but Larry can see by Edgeworth’s face that was exactly what he was doing. “But it looks like the winds have shifted and he's now willing to be chased after! I'm simply overwhelmed! Don't you worry, Edgey-poo! I'd chase you for forever! To the ends of the Earth!”

Von Karma looks ready to jump in front of her brother and buy him time to run but instead says, “Isn't that just peachy?”

Oldbag explains that she used to work for the studio, and they’d called her last minute as understudy for Mindy. That certainly did explain why “Mindy” had missed so many cues and fumbled in so many places. Larry had done his best to cover for his co-star when he’d needed to. Which he’d had.

“How did you get the role,” Edgeworth asks Larry absently as they watch her hand the paper proving it to Von Karma.

“Guy they wanted for the role got a bigger acting offer. Some movie that’s gonna have John Marsh in it or something.” Edgeworth nods and Larry adds, "I also thought I was applying for the crew."

"That... does make more sense."

"Yeah, I'm good with my hands and arts and building stuff, so I figured stage and tech couldn't be that hard, helped once with one of Nick's things in college but I guess I clicked the wrong link or something 'cause I got called in for an audition."

Edgeworth’s soft laugh is fond, “that does seem your kind of luck.”

Larry grins at him and shrugs, a feeling of warmth uncurling in his chest. If he wasn’t accused of murder this would be downright heartwarming.

The sound of a dog barking makes them start, Larry turns his head, since when did police departments use Shibas?

The Agent immediately begins to praise him, Larry settles next to Edgeworth to watch the unfold. After a moment he leans over and asks, “what his name anyway? The guy who like tried to arrest me.”

“Agent Lang, he’s with Interpol.” Edgeworth replies and Larry tries to suppress a shudder at just how much trouble he’s gotten himself into.

Larry watches Edgeworth debate and reason exactly how Larry isn’t the killer and connect various pieces of evidence with a speed that Larry has to admire. “You’re a real Sherlock Holmes Edgy,” he comments with a grin as he watches Edgeworth display his wit.

Agent Lang huffs and curls his lip in a smirk and Larry’s eyes widen, was this guy an actual werewolf why were his teeth like that?!?

He jerks back as Agent Lang speaks, “well done Mr. Prosecutor.” He glances between the two of them, “although, I still find it a bit unbelievable that the two of you are friends.”

Edgeworth and Larry are silent, they’ve proved how well they know each other, if that’s not enough for him Larry doesn’t know what will be. Especially if he’s gonna be like this about it.

Lang’s eyes glint with a bit of excitement, “but the suspicion on that guy over there-” head jerk at Larry, “isn't completely resolved yet, so don't get any funny ideas about running off, OK?” This time he smirks at Larry and he steps back.

“Uh Edgy, what does Wolfman mean when he says I’m not off the hook?” He thinks Lang twitches at the Wolfman name. He knows he does, it slipped out by accident, but Agent Lang is like WolfDragon’s evil twin or something.

Edgeworth sighs and rubs the bridge of his nose, “he means the murder weapon. Larry, did you forget? There are two layers of suspicion hanging over your head.”

Lang smirks like the wolf who has caught the first scent of blood, “That's exactly what I mean. We can't only rely on the words of the suspect, after all. We may have figured out where he was and what he was doing all night… but the blood-stained Samurai Sword that was left at the crime scene- As long as there is no satisfactory explanation for that then this wolf will refuse to ease up on his bite!”

Larry thinks he snapped his teeth at the end of his sentence, “Jesus, Edgy, He looks like he's seriously about to take a bite out of me!”

Edgeworth glares at Lang, “he probably will.” He draws himself up and steps up to debate, Larry’s beginning to realize that with his luck it’s a damn good thing his two childhood friends became lawyers.

He chimes in when he can, confirming that the spear and the sword are made of the same stuff and bend easily, he’s pretty sure not even Lang could kill a man with one. It would be rather like killing a man with a carboard tube.

And then Franziska and Edgeworth finally get to what has been lingering underneath the surface of their exchanges.

Her father.

Larry hates that man more than he could ever put into words. He remembers Greggory Edgeworth faintly, more a kind feeling, a warmth and an aching loss. He knows exactly what he did to Edgeworth though and for that he will never forgive him. He bites his words back though; this is between the siblings.

And you know it’s serious when your sibling calls you by your last name, “Ms. von Karma, as you know, unlike your father, I am not a genius prosecutor. Plus, I doubt his record of a 40-year win streak will ever be broken.” Edgeworth raises his head proudly, “but perhaps, it is for the best if it remains unbroken. For no one should've conceived of the notion to ‘convict all defendants’ in the first place!”

“Atta a boy Edgy,” Larry’s muttered praise fills the silence as Franziska stares at her brother. Her whip strikes over his armor and he yelps.

“What a foolishly foolish statement from a foolish fool who hates to lose!” Franziska steps towards her brother which is hardly intimidating in Larry’s opinion when Edgeworth is that much taller, “it's the job of a prosecutor to make sure that all defendants are found guilty in court. There is nothing more important in this world than a perfect victory!”

Edgeworth shakes his head sadly at her, “That may be your opinion, however, I don't believe that's all we are.”

Lang makes a startled noise, Larry smirks at him now, like he told WolfDragon, Edgy is the best of the prosecution, not for his record but for his beliefs.

“As a prosecutor, what I pursue is not the perfect victory, but the perfect truth. And if that means that the bridge, I must cross will crumble beneath my feet... ...then let it crumble as I walk on towards the truth!” Larry itches to write that down, or clap, or something. He just grins at Edgeworth with pride, and he catches a hint of gratitude from Edgeworth. Edgeworth has come a long way from his ‘Demon Prosecutor’ days and Larry’s so happy to see him get here.

Lang is quite a moment longer, perhaps aware of the moment they are sharing before he grins and cuts in, “you're good at keeping me entertained, Mr. Prosecutor!” He looks actually pleased, not the cocky arrogance Larry’s begun to associate with him, but it shifts back into the challenging smirk and he and Edgeworth start going again.

The verbal sparring is much louder when Larry is standing right next to everyone yelling “Hold it!” and “Objection!” and “Not so fast!” His head spins but Edgeworth proves that the murder weapon wasn’t even the sword. Or would’ve if they’d be allowed to examine it.

Larry feels a pang of guilt as Edgeworth agrees to take the responsibility for any repercussions from examining the statue, this is his fault. If he’d been more careful, if he’d been where he was supposed to be Edgeworth wouldn’t be risking everything for him.

Except that this evidence they find is literally game changing. He’s off the hook and everyone looks too busy to explain what is happening, so he heads off back to his room.

Once there he realizes that his ‘son’ is missing. Great. The last thing he needs is to get in trouble for having lost a prop. Nothing for it. He’ll just have to check everywhere that isn’t a crime scene. Actually, that might be a good idea. Keep him out of the way and out of trouble. But first he needs to get out of this costume before he sweats to death.

[marignytotreme]

SPOT ON!

Sometimes when I look around the internet, in all it’s glory, I realise just how fucking deluded people are – especially where Meghan Markle is concerned.

A number of us dislike her, a few really don’t care either way and the rest live with their heads up her arse. For those living with their heads up her backside, I’ve noticed that a lot of what you say about Meghan online is, quite frankly, total bullshit and sometimes so utterly absurd, I wonder if most of you are simply on day release.

So below, I have tackled the most common misconceptions head-on; because we all know I don’t enjoy anything more than putting Sussex fans in their place.  

She’s a style icon

I don’t know anybody on this Earth who has access to so much money and the best stylists you can buy, but still appears to have gotten dressed in the dark most of the time. Yes, she has worn one or two nice pieces; but by and large, she looks like a cheap knock-off of Victoria Beckham and I don’t think that image exactly screams “royalty”.

Until I take my last breath on this earth, I will forever be baffled by how Meghan Markle has gotten it so spectacularly wrong in the style stakes. Some people do seem to like the way she dresses; they see her “style” (if you can call it that) as “fresh” and “modern” – but quite frankly, I prefer Kate’s dress coats and hats, which some have labelled “boring”. I don’t agree at all.

Yes, Kate is the future Queen and therefore has played it slightly safer with fashion; but I do really like her clothing which is usually a perfect mix of the traditional and modern. She looks like a ROYAL. And yes Meghan, those long trousers that sweep the floor as you walk may have looked nice on Vicky B, but she is the wife of a footballer – not a member of the royal family. Believe it or not, there is a difference.

She’s a humanitarian

This one always makes me laugh.

Show of hands please; how many of you know genuine “humanitarians” who visit the impoverished in a coat worth £7,000? I thought humanitarians were meant to have common sense?

Meghan, dear; walking down the road in Kensington with an “alleviate poverty” bag doesn’t make you a charitable person or a humanitarian – it just makes you a hypocrite. Instead of spending thousands of pounds on ugly clothing that you’ll only wear once anyway, why don’t you put your money where your mouth is and donate to your chosen charities? Yes, instead of getting your fans to donate to them on your behalf under the guise of a “Global Sussex baby shower”.

And just another tip for the future; humanitarians don’t preach about climate change off the back of a million-pound trip on a private jet to New York for a party. They don’t wear £99k maternity dresses in Morocco. They don’t spend millions of pounds of the taxpayers’ money to renovate one of their many homes. And they certainly don’t visit those living in poverty dressed from head to toe in Givenchy.

She was already famous and rich in her own right and didn’t need Harry’s money

Right – we’ve been through this. How rich do you really think she was before the ring went on? I mean, seriously? Suits was a lowly cable show and she is not an A-lister. And given her knack of merching at every available opportunity, I’m guessing the woman looks for every possible chance to make money. That doesn’t scream “well off” to me.

Meghan has only really ever gone after men who have a lot of money or means to open doors for her toward new opportunities and a better life, and then drops them when they can no longer do anything for her. This is not the behaviour of an independent feminist who is able to achieve things on her own – this is the behaviour of a gold digger.

So sure – Meg had money; from her divorce settlement with Trevor, from her rumoured days as a yacht girl and Soho House regular and from all the merching she did and does for Jessica Mulroney. But was it millions and millions? Clearly not or she wouldn’t have had to marry a Prince.

She’s proud to represent Britain

In two (very British) words: my arse.

In the year and a half since Harry and Meghan became engaged, I have yet to see her wear any British designers or champion much that is British at all. In fact, I’m pretty sure she goes out of her way to actively avoid wearing anything that is British.

There are even rumours that she has apparently hired an all-American medical team to deliver her brat because in Meghan’s expert opinion, our 70-year-old NHS service isn’t good enough to deliver the second coming of Markle and Wales. It was good enough for the future Queen Consort to deliver three children in an NHS Hospital, but no, not for old Meggy.

And when charity patronages for Meghan were announced back in January, it was revealed that she would be focusing on – you guessed it – everywhere but the UK. Africa, the Middle East, Antarctica… you name it – if it’s not Britain, Meghan’s happy to back it.

She is the best thing to hit the Royal Family

I think you’ll find that was Kate eight years ago.

(Happy Anniversary for tomorrow, Cambridges!)

Despite the adamant claims of her fans, so far, I have yet to see Meghan do anything groundbreaking. If you ask her little followers for proof of anything they’re all like:

Oh, and when they’re really stumped, they’ll come out with “yeah? Well Meghan’s only been married a year but Kate’s been on the scene for eight and hasn’t done anything at all.”

Right… Apart from being an ambassador for Britain on several overseas tours, starting the Heads Together charity (amongst others) and birthing a future King?

Meghan has so far, by my tally – cooked once or twice with a few Grenfell victims and gave a bunch of bananas to some prostitutes.

While I’m all for backing any disaster that happens on my doorstep (I live around the corner from where Grenfell stood), I will say this: the tower disaster has had more money thrown at it than you can shake a stick at and it was almost two years ago now – Meghan, it’s time to find something more current to support, not just backing the first “English” cause that you could get your hands on.

As for the bananas – don’t get me started. What bright spark thought it’d be a good idea to give phallic shaped fruit to a group of sex workers? And with messages like “you’re so loved ”… yeah, I’m sure 35-year-old Louise from Dagenham is feeling totally “loved” when she’s shivering at the side of the road waiting for possible clientele to drive by or blowing some guy for a fiver at the back of his Ford Mondeo. Get real, Meghan.

If I were one of those women, I’d tell Her Royal Highness exactly where she could put those bananas – and probably not for the first time either.

She doesn’t want the limelight

Yeah, like a cat doesn’t want the canary.

I have never seen a person so adept at sniffing out a camera from at least fifty miles away. The Cambridges could’ve used her in France seven years ago when Kate was papped taking her clothes off on their villa balcony – with Meghan about, no photographer goes undetected.

Bottom line: Meghan loves herself and she loves the cameras. The two combined thrill her to no end.

The best example of this would’ve been at the British Fashion Awards earlier this year – she was so unbelievably excited to have the spotlight on her where she could squeeze the life out of her bump in front of the UK press for all to see, I’m surprised she didn’t have an orgasm.

I’d put fifty quid on this whole “privacy” thing surrounding the baby’s birth being Harry’s idea and Meghan has just been forced to go along with it. Madam? Give up the spotlight when her mealticket arrives? Once again – my arse.

She could potentially be Queen one day

I know this one sounds totally mental, but please go with me on it – her fans are actually saying this sort of crap on Twitter. They actually believe, in their tiny deluded minds, that this woman could eventually wind up as Queen Consort one day.

And how exactly do you think this will happen?

Perhaps she’ll poison Kate with the contents of one of her diamonds, divorce Harry’s balding, ginger arse and William will marry her after realising the deceptive, social-climbing grifter actress was really “The One” after all? Ah, just like Romeo and Juliet.

For any Meghan fans reading this, please let me say this for the final time, as some of you do not appear to understand how the line of succession works – Meghan will never become Queen. Say it with me now…

No fewer than five people have to cark it in order for Harry to get anywhere near the throne, and no, he does NOT take over if William were to die suddenly while George is still young. In this instance, the throne would be powered by a team of advisors until George turned eighteen, and then he would be crowned officially. Harry and Meghan are unlikely to ever sniff the material the throne is made from, let alone sit on it – sorry Sussex Stans.

She’s here to stay

Incorrect again, I’m afraid.

Given the woman’s track record, it doesn’t appear she sticks around anywhere for very long and the second something better comes along, she’s off.

No, right now, I can’t imagine what could be higher than royalty – but I’m sure Meghan has a few ideas and is probably targeting her next victim as we speak.

What will it be, Meg? A billionaire without the life of restrictions and protocol? Or maybe you’ll run for President? Nah, even though you love the sound of your own voice, that seems like it would be too stressful for madam’s liking.

Whatever her next move is, I have no doubt she’ll be hitting the road in the next two to three years.

Once the novelty of having a title wears off, the royal purse strings are tightened by the Queen and the penny finally drops for Meghan that she’ll never really have her own brand and platform to project her oh-so-wonderful ideas from, she’ll be out of there – with half of Harry’s money and his kid(s) in tow.

Of course, the list of misconceptions about Meghan goes on and on; there is so much utter rubbish spewed on social media by her fans that I can only assume they’re either paid PR people, seriously deranged or Meghan herself. Honestly, you can’t write some of the stuff that comes up – or apparently you can. It’s a crazy world out there.

If you do think any of the above is incorrect, and you believe Meghan really is a stand-up (Non-UK) citizen, you can find me on Twitter to discuss it @CrownofSapphire – I’m always ready and willing to have an argument.

Have a good one, guys!

[writerleo86]

Armor Champions Super R - Episode 140 (Do Not Copy Please)

   After the sand fell onto the ground, the frightened youth Nemo was hugged by his mother as Sastro Allazar walked toward them.

   And he informed the young mother "Ronan will return. And he will come stronger than before. I must take the child in order to keep him safe."

   The worried woman held her son as she yelled "You found me after all these years Brother? And the only thing you have to say is that?"

   "Brother?"

   The boy in mahogany armor -- Gei of the RedPlanet -- hurried to them and asked Sastro "Is this our sister, Sastro?"

   Sastro lowered his head and answered "This is Eiri... Eiri Allazar, our cousin."

   Nina of the GreatRose walked toward the group as she responded "I remember that you had a relative that fled to Planet Earth. This must be his offspring."

   "That would make this girl our second-cousin," Gei implied.

   The woman named Eiri Allazar stared at him for a moment. She soon turned to Sastro and asked "Is that Gei?"

   After that, the emotional Nemo ran toward Kody of the HardRock and greeted the boy in orange armor with a warm hug.

   "I can't believe it's you Mikey!" He cried. "You saved us! Thanks!"

   "Kody?"

   Then Kody turned to Eiri who had her hands gathered. And the boy in orange armor bowed as he greeted "Hello Eiri."

Armor Champions Super R -- Episode 140:  A Strong Mother's Secret

   Tears slowly came from her eyes as Eiri said "I never thought... I would see you again, Kody Perez."

   Kody walked to her and gave a warm hug to Eiri as he told her "It is me Eiri. I will not let anything happen to either of you. We will always be connected."

   "So?" asked Jede of the CosmicFire. "Is this he? Is this the friend you had on Planet Terravenger?"

   The smiling Kody shook his head and announced "Everyone! This is Nemo... Nemo Roth. And the woman with him is his mother and another of my great friends, Eiri."

   He soon turned to Sastro and asked "So, you and Eiri are of the same family?"

   "Yes," answered Eiri. "Sastro is indeed my cousin. But I have always looked at him as my older brother."

   And Sastro informed Kody "One of my older siblings had made his home somewhere on the planet Earth. And I was told by the elders that he had his own family."

   "I was the last of my dad's children," Eiri responded. "Since I was a baby, Dad raised us as farmers on the southern part of Terravenger. When I was ten, I met Sastro. I knew that there was another part of me that Dad never told me. So, my dad and Sastro both filled in the blanks. I came from royalty, but on Mars."

   "For a few years," Sastro continued. "I taught my fighting arts for Eiri to protect herself. She became another of my greatest students."

   "But your last name," Kody replied. "You were always known as Eiri Roth."

   "I took the name Roth once Nemo was born," Eiri answered. "That was when I found out that Nemo's father was part of some cult. Apparently, they worshipped the Devil's Blade."

   Relena of the CosmicFire lowered her head and said "Then that's why the pirates are after you, Nemo really."

   "From that moment," Eiri told them. "We went into hiding. That was long after we met Kody."

   "I understand," said Kody. "You had to run in order to save Nemo from those people."

   "But how did you do that?" replied Aaron of the SilverLight. "According to Kody, you didn't have the means to flee from planet to planet, at least not on your own."

   "You are right," Eiri replied. "I didn't have enough money for the trips. Somebody did help me though."

   "Did you know the person who helped you two?" asked Billy of the IceDome. "Were they reliable?"

   "Yeah," Eiri told him. "I know exactly who this person was."

   She turned to Sastro and answered "It was Lady Mystic, Brother. She helped us travel everywhere."

   "Merciful Athena!" cried Jede. "It was in fact the Great Lady that assisted the both of you?"

   "It was her," Eiri responded. "I have never seen her before. But I knew it was Lady Mystic once she shined her warm light to me and my son. Once I felt her light, I knew that my son and I were safe."

   After that, she faced Sastro once again.

   "I want to go with you," She said. "Take me with you and my boy to Mars."

   "It may be a good idea, Ambassador," Nina informed Sastro. "Eiri can stay with Nemo in one of the guest halls in the palace where they will be looked after."

   "And you can double the security," added Gei.

   Sastro shook his head and responded "Agreed. Eiri will accompany us as we take Nemo home."

   He turned to Eiri and told her "Also, I would like to get to know you once again. I wish to learn about your son as well."

   Eiri gave out a strong smile as she shook her head. Then Sastro turned to the leader of the young champions, Jede of the CosmicFire.

   "You have come far since the last we stood together, Jede Kaballa," Sastro implied. "You have grown into an honorable individual. I pray to the gods of Mars that you continue to do your work as a protector of this very planet."

   And Sastro told the champions "You all must do your best to be a high force on this planet. Evil or any kind must not conquer your home -- this beautiful and young planet."

   Nemo hugged Kody once more as the worried boy asked "Will I see you again Mikey?"

   "You will," Kody told him. "I will visit as much as I can. We can reflect on the days of our childhood. You have not seen the last of me."

   And Nemo shook his head with relief.

   Suddenly, a pink light lowered from the clouds in the sky and shined around each of the champions -- Kody, Billy, Desoto, Joey, and Aaron.

   "What is this great power?" questioned Joey.

   "This light," Billy described. "It is so warm and familiar."

   And Desoto of the BlackShadow thought to himself for a moment.

Desoto's thoughts:

At the playground in Violet City, a female creature made of old newspaper unleashed an army of spider-like beings also created from newspaper at the four champions -- Desoto, Kody, Joey, and Billy.

Once they were defeated, a small clear crystal slowly flew from each of the champions. And the four heroes became completely unconscious.

Then the suits as well as their armor vanished from their bodies. And the four boys were covered by their colored lights -- Billy glowed blue, Desoto was black, Joey was green, and Kody was orange.

After that, the four slowly rose as a pink fog gathered around them. Small treasures appeared on the chest of each boy -- Desoto's treasure was a small golden coin with a star placed at the center. Kody's was a golden coin with no feathers or decorations. Billy's was a small coin with the yin-yang symbol. And Joey's was a small golden arrowhead.

   "Dis light!" Desoto cried. "Dis reminds me of da time we got our new powers when we fought da Snatchers!"

   Next, the suits along with their colored armor vanished and the five boys were covered in their light -- Billy glowed blue, Desoto was black, Joey was green, Kody was orange, and Aaron was white.

   "What's going on?" cried Relena.

   Jede gave out a soft smile and replied "Perhaps they are receiving a gift from the Great Lady."

   "What?" questioned Relena. "You think Lady Mystic is at work here?"

   A small amulet shaped as a heart appeared on each of the five boys. And the light around them began to shine around the entire area. A transparent cloth appeared hanging from each side of the champions. And the white suit along with the armor appeared once again.

   After each light faded, both Jede and Relena discovered that their five friends had on a new set of armor that was similar to their own.

   "By the gods!" Jede praised. "The Great Lady had given the power to them in order to become like us. They all have the great powers of the golden armor."

   "Wow!" Relena cried. "That's incredible!"

   Meanwhile, Sastro gave out a relieved smile.

[kyreniacommentator]

By Peri Sualp…..

Recently I was with the person who changed my life in so many ways …   Demetra George Mustafaoğlu.  Music changed her life and now mine and that is what we share.

I am so happy to have her in my life as my mentor and my teacher. Our journey together started 5 years ago and during this time I have been so lucky to get to know her better and have her as my number one role model. 

The story of her life and achievements cannot fit into this article but I think at least you’ll have an idea. Here are some questions and answers from our very own Diva…

Q: Who inspired you when you were young and why? A: Barbra Streisand because I loved her music and she had an ethnic background and she was fun and funny and she’s still singing.

Q: How did you start your music career, what made you decide? A: My music career began one cold and snowy morning when I was 12 years old and my mom, the church organist, called me away from Sunday school classes to sing in the choir when only my grandmother and the bass showed up. A foot of snow had fallen so people were afraid to go out but we made it and I sang the church liturgy that day.

Q: What did you want to be when you were a child? A: I had planned to be a school teacher until I was 15 when a tour of Fiddler on the Roof Broadway tour came through Oklahoma. The music, energy and dancing hooked me at that moment and I went home afterwards and informed mom I would go into musical theatre! The next year I was hired for chorus to sing and dance at 16. The directors thought I was 18 and I didn’t even drive yet. Mom would drop me several blocks from the theatre so no one would see me without a car. I was the baby of the company! At 17 the following year I sang the very difficult role of Maria in West Side Story and my death scene brought great reviews and a standing ovation from the audience.

  Q: What is your favourite song to sing and why? A: My favourite song to sing in opera is the aria Chi I’ll bel SOGNO di Doretta by Puccini from LA RONDINE. The melody is beautiful and has lots of high notes.  My favourite Broadway piece is Don’t Cry for Me Argentina that I sing with the symphony because it allows great acting to sell it and I give it all I have.

Q: Who is your number one supporter? A: My greatest supporter has been my husband. After my mom passed away my husband took over and he supported me in my performing and in auditioning and attaining the goals I had. When you have children you need that extra support if you are a performer because you need that extra backup and so he was always there for me and I also supported him in his business, then together we were able to contribute to our American community and share Turkish culture wherever we went in the United States. Mehmet and I have hosted a lot of events for Turkish American culture.

Q: Can you tell me a little bit about your mother? A: Mom was brilliant. She helped dad at the drycleaners, did some of his accounting, played the organ at church, organized the band jobs, held office in her ladies’ organization and taught me time steps and songs for my first audition. My girlfriends all loved her too and whenever I won some contest or competition she would get right in with us and celebrate like a girl! I miss her dearly. She had a good ear and a keen eye. She always had good musical advice and I really learned how to select a program from her guidance.

Q: What is your biggest achievement? A: Awards and honours are wonderful but I really think my biggest achievement I share with my husband Mehmet and that was raising two wonderful successful young women Devran and Deniz and they’ve given us grand babies too and continued working and we’re a very close family.

Q: You have a lot of awards and success, who do you owe this to? A: I owe the awards and honours to teachers and family who supported me. You never accomplish goals alone. My voice teacher Nina Hinson from Texas and educated in Oklahoma became part of our extended family and we even hosted her at our place in Istanbul.

Q: Do you play any instruments? A: I play the piano, guitar & bouzouki as my family had an ethnic dance band so while everyone was dating in high school I was off with the family performing at weddings, baptisms and conventions.

Q: If you weren’t a singer what would you be? A:  I wanted to be a teacher until I was 15 and discovered theatre, but I really enjoyed medicine and I am doctor mom at home so I would HAVE probably enjoyed being a doctor or a nurse practitioner. I would also have loved being a chef because I love cooking especially pastry cooking not beef and meat or kebab!

Q: What’s the one thing you like about Cyprus? A: Well first off, the people. People make a place, that’s very important. Here people are super kind, wonderfully warm, classy and gentle. Second, I love the food and since my roots are Mediterranean I mean it when I say this is the best cuisine ever!

Q: What’s the one thing that you don’t like about Cyprus? A:  Oh! The holes in the roads! Hahah!!

Q: What are you doing in your free time except for singing? A: I play tennis! Both of our daughters played tennis and when we lived in Los Angeles and we had a tennis court in the backyard which was wonderful because we had lots of tennis gatherings and the girls had company over and they would practice at our house and so I became a tennis player. I was a good tennis player! My county club picked me two years in a row for outstanding tennis player and I was given a hat that was autographed and belonged to the world champion Pete Sampras and then a tennis ball that was autographed by Andre Agassi. So I really love it and we just finished doing our tennis court here and it’s gorgeous! Ready to get out and play.

Q: Let’s go to some fun questions. If you were a Disney princess what Disney princess would you be? A: Probably Princess Jasmine because I like the Middle Eastern culture I think it’s cool and when the girls were growing up I even had an Aladdin birthday party for them.

Demetra George Mustafaoglu and Peri Sualp

Nuri Harun Ateş and Demetra George Mustafaoglu

Q: If you were an animal what animal would you be? A: The American Bald Eagle or a Falcon, same family because they have keen vision, great hunters/survivors and can fly above the crowd and all the mess in the world!

Thank you so much Demetra George Mustafaoglu for giving your time for this interview, which does not cover all of your amazing achievements, some of which are shown below :

Dr. Demetra George Mustafaoglu is a two time Grammy List Nominee for her cd “Demetra George Sings Love Arias”, a former Miss Oklahoma to Miss America, talent and swimsuit winner, San Francisco Opera Winner, recipient of the US State Department’s Cultural Diplomacy Award, awarded by ENMODA International magazine as Best Opera Singer and just recently selected by Turk of America Magazine as an Outstanding Artist for sharing art cross culture. She resides in Catalkoy, North Cyprus half the year and gives of her art to raise money for North Cyprus charities.

John Koenig US Ambassador to Cyprus makes an award

Bellapais Abbey

My idol and mentor, Demetra George Mustafaoğlu By Peri Sualp..... Recently I was with the person who changed my life in so many ways ...   

[mrtroy]

Thanks, Dale Jr.

Growing up, my old man sold Chevys. He was a car man, and I was his proud son. From the time I was three, four or five years old he would often take me around the dealership. We'd walk around the lot, into the showroom, and through the service department. I loved every bit of it. I loved the sights and sounds. I loved how it smelled. The service department especially had a great smell to it. It was like a mixture of oil, rubber and popcorn. I used to stand outside the service window and wait for Pops to finish talking to someone, or wait for someone to drop off a set of keys or a license plate. Most kids hate waiting around. I loved it. I especially loved looking on the walls at all of the 'Goodwrench Service' signs. Cars and wall signs go together like peanut butter and jelly, and the way these signs portrayed it, Mr. Goodwrench was the best there ever was when it came to servicing cars. Along with all these signs were all sorts of racing paraphernalia. Most of it was black and white and had a big 'ole number 3 on it. Before I knew what NASCAR was, before I knew about restrictor plates, or bump drafts, I was already enamored with the black and white number 3. Dale Earnhardt. The Intimidator. NASCAR's most dominant force. 

He drove a Chevy, he wore these cool sunglasses and I thought he was pretty much the coolest guy ever. 

My dad wasn't much of a race fan at that point, but Earnhardt was a 7-time NASCAR season champion, and his status was a point of pride for many associated with General Motors, and thus, Pops liked Earnhardt well enough. I was an impressionable young kid and any time I could find a NASCAR race on TV, or if there was ever a write-up on the sport in Sports Illustrated, I was all over it. This was the early 90s, well before the Internet was mainstream, and also prior to NASCAR's big television deals with FOX or NBC. For a kid from the Chicago suburbs, NASCAR was the furthest thing from cool. But, that didn't stop me from following it. 

In the Summer of 1998 I was captivated, as many were, by baseball's great home run race. Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa traded home runs at an historic pace, and because baseball was my first love, I thought the chase to eclipse Roger Maris' single-season home run record was the biggest sports story of all time. Little did I realize, another sports star came into my consciousness that year who would go on to be my favorite athlete of all time. His name was Dale Earnhardt Jr., and as the 23-year old son of my racing hero, I immediately began to idolize Jr. Following in his father's footsteps on the track, he was aggressive. He was brash. He took chances. And, he won. 'Little E,' as he was known at the time, won the equivalent of NASCAR's Triple-A circuit twice in 1998 and 1999. In the year 2000, the same year I got my driver's permit, he made the step up to NASCAR's top division. 

TV had a field day with the Earnhardts. Dale Sr. was the all-time legend, still competitive at age 48. And here was Jr., this young punk kid who was racing on the same track as his old man. After most races, father would come together with son. Jr. would mob his dad if the elder won a race, and equally proud, Sr. would beam with pride any time Jr. did something of note. Watching old videos of post-race celebrations still gives me chills. 

Dale Sr. seemed like the dad any kid would want. Rough, tough, matter of fact. But, an undeniable legend. And Dale Jr. was the kid any kid could dream of being. Driving race cars, showing up your old man, spraying champagne and running around like a hooligan. 

Even more personal to me, seeing Dale Sr. reminded me of my father. I was growing up, and my dad was doing his best to show me the ropes. On the golf course or the baseball diamond, I wanted to hit the ball farther, or throw a ball harder. If I made a good play, or executed a good golf shot, the first thing I wanted to do was look over and give my dad a look. An 'I told ya I could do it,' or a 'bet ya didn't think I could do that?' We didn't always see eye-to-eye, but I knew he loved me dearly, and if I ever succeeded in sports, or in life, he beamed the way Dale Sr. did when Jr. won a race. 

In February of 2001 I was dreaming of getting my driver's license, and Dale Earnhardt Sr. was living out what seemed to be the ultimate father's dream at the Daytona 500. Often referred to as the Super Bowl of Stock Car Racing, Daytona is NASCAR's most important race. After nearly 20 years of trying to win the event, Sr. finally conquered it in 1998. By 2001, his son was blossoming as a star, and he himself was coming off a season where he finished second in the year-long championship standings. On the final lap of the race, Jr. and his teammate Michael Waltrip were batting to win the 500. Sr. was back in the pack a bit, trying to block other cars so that either Jr. or Waltrip could take the checkered flag. it was at that point that another racer clipped the back of Sr's car and sent him careening into the sidewall of Daytona's final turn. I remember watching the race in my parents house. I was three feet from the TV screaming for Jr. to make a last-second pass on Waltrip. The announcers made sudden mention of Sr's crash, and back in the distance of the leaders, you could see the black number 3 take a right turn up the hill of the turn and into the cement wall. The crash looked jarring, but no more jarring than the other three or four crashes you'd see during any given race. I was disappointed, but quickly turned my attention back to the leaders. Jr. couldn't pass Waltrip, and I groaned with disapproval as my man finished second. 

Celebration broke out for Waltrip as the feeling of victory set in, but back in the pack something was wrong. The force of the collision with the wall at a very particular angle had killed Dale Earnhardt Sr. It took a bit for the TV crews to realize what was going on, but soon officials were running all over the track. Sr. was pulled from the car and rushed by ambulance to the care center at the middle of the track. Dale Jr. was shown frantically trying to get to where his father was. 

I remember hearing on SportsCenter that Dale Earnhardt had been pronounced dead at the age of 49. My heart stopped. It was unthinkable. That man was not only the Intimidator, he was invincible. 

That was 2001. 

And for the last sixteen years, Dale Earnhardt Jr. has lived out a dream and a nightmare in the public eye. Overnight he went from being a ruckus punk kid, to the face of a sport in the wake of tragedy. His father had been the face of the sport, and almost immediately the spotlight turned to him. He cried on National TV. Certain days he didn't know what to say. Sr's fans - and for that matter, the fans of the entire sport - put their hopes on Jr. So big was his father that at every race following his death, fans held three fingers in the air in memorium of the Intimidator's number 3 Chevrolet. 

Later in 2001, Jr. went back to the track at Daytona for the circuit's summer race there. And, he won the thing. Hundreds of thousands of people cried. And so did Jr. and Waltrip. And then they partied. 

Starting in 2003, Jr. has been voted NASCAR's most popular driver fourteen years in a row. In 2004 he won the Daytona 500.

He had his ups and downs with his race teams. He won races, but there were whispers that he wasn't always as focused as other drivers. He partied too hard. He spent too much time goofing off with his buddies. He had all the shades of his old man, but he was also still too often a big kid. 

I understood all of that. I went off to college and wanted nothing more than to make my old man proud. I felt pressure to do that. I couldn't imagine what it must have felt like to inherit the responsibilities of a Dale Earnhardt Jr. He made his mistakes. I made mine. It made him all that much more human. 

Over the last five or six years, Jr. has grown up. He went through a rough patch in his career where he changed race teams and didn't perform all that well. But he bounced back, with his efforts culminating in another win in the 2014 Daytona 500 win at the track that took his father. 

During that time he was dating and later became engaged to his girlfriend Amy. She was cute, they shared little windows into their life on social media, and he gave fans like me the opportunity to see how normal he could be. From fantasy football results, to the ups and downs of raising a new puppy, to wedding planning and trips overseas. 

Even sixteen years after his father's passing, he still remembers his father with the same reverence as decades before. He has mellowed. He has become an ambassador for his sport. And, at times, he's still the crazy kid he once was. In many ways, I think he's been so popular with fans because of how real he's managed to stay. He may be famous, but he's still just a guy. Sometimes he misses his dad. Sometimes he celebrates his triumphs, and sometimes he laments his shortcomings. Just the same as you and I have. I look at Junior and I see my dad. I see my childhood. He drove a Chevy like his dad drove a Chevy. I drive Chevys like my dad drove Chevys. I think of the Chevy Monte Carlo I got as my first car and I well up with pride thinking about the '63 Chevy my dad had when he was a punk kid. I think that's why it so easy to relate to him. We've all been through loss, and the fact of life is that we have to keep going. We have to keep trudging forward, whether that means slogging to the office every day, or making 1,000 left turns on a Sunday afternoon. Earlier this year, Dale Jr. announced he was retiring from driving NASCAR full time at the end of 2017. He's 42 now, he's married, and h certainly doesn't need the money. He's got hunting to do, dogs to raise, and football to watch. It's been tough to stomach for me. From the time I was thirteen years old, Dale Jr. was my guy. As life hit him and he kept going, it was an inspiration to do the same. As he celebrated triumph, it was a reminder to find joy in my life. And so, as Jr. visits the Daytona International Speedway for a final victory lap this weekend, I'll be glued to the race. Dreaming of the Summer of '98, reliving the tears of 2001, and the triumphs of '04 and '14. 

I'll remember all of his number 8 gear, and daddy's number 3. I'll see him doing smokeouts on the infield grass, and spraying his teammates with all sorts of champagne. Thanks for the memories, June Bug. It's been a hell of a ride.

[teachanarchy]

On a recent Monday morning, 25 freshmen filed into Rudolph “Keeth” Matheny’s wood-paneled portable classroom on the campus of Austin High School in Austin, Texas. But not before the shake. Matheny greeted each student by name, then extended his hand.

“I won the handshake competition, and there’s an art to it,” one student said. “You have to do webbing to webbing, that’s the trick.” Shake firmly, but not too hard, look the person in the eye, smile. The student demonstrated and, indeed, his handshake was a winner.

                   Related Story                                

           The Psychological Approach to Educating Kids

In addition to perfecting handshakes, Matheny, an ex-college football coach, teaches Methods for Academic and Personal Success (MAPS), and he happens to be on the frontlines of a growing movement in education: social-emotional learning (SEL). SEL—also called whole-child education—is a systematic, evidence-based approach to teaching kids how to achieve goals, understand and manage emotions, build empathy, forge relationships, and make responsible decisions. In 2012, the Chicago-based nonprofit Collaborative for Academic Social and Emotional Learning (CASEL) partnered with eight districts around the country to implement SEL in their schools. Today, CASEL is working with 10 large districts—including Anchorage, Alaska;  Austin; Chicago; Cleveland; Nashville, Tennessee; and Oakland, California—and a growing number of smaller ones. These partnerships mean more than 1 million U.S. school children are enrolled in schools that have implemented or are in the process of implementing a social-emotional learning strategy.

The day I visited Austin, half of the 90-minute MAPS class was devoted to unveiling students’ life maps—art projects that depict a future career goal and the steps necessary to get there. “It seems simple,” Matheny said. “But kids will take these maps home and put them on their bedroom walls. Sometimes they become really important parts of their lives: They’re visual reminders of what they want and how they’re going to get there.” The other half of the class time was devoted to defeating “victim-itis.” The students read “Invictus,” a poem that was significant to the imprisoned Nelson Mandela. As they exited the classroom, they high-fived Matheny at the door and recited the last two lines of the poem:

“I am the master of my fate;

I am the captain of my soul.”

Much of the recent SEL interest can be linked to two seminal studies. In 2011, a meta-analysis published in the journal Child Development showed an 11 percentile gain in academic achievement for students who participated in a well-implemented SEL program versus students who didn’t. And in 2015, the economist Clive Belfield and colleagues at Teachers College, Columbia University published a study in the Journal of Benefit-Cost Analysis that demonstrated a roughly $11 benefit for every $1 spent on a rigorous SEL program. Just about every way to measure student success shows SEL can work. At Austin High, discipline referral rates have been cut in half, and graduation rates are at an all-time high.

Matheny has been at this awhile, long before he even knew the term “SEL.” He developed the initial version of MAPS in 2009. The class was based on a sports-psychology seminar he’d taught to college students for 13 years. That material just happened to dovetail with an interest of Meria Carstarphen, who was the school’s superintendent at the time and the original force behind bringing social-emotional learning to Austin. On Carstarphen’s watch, Austin became one of the first school districts to partner with CASEL. Today, Matheny is the coauthor of a high-school SEL curriculum, and Austin High has become a sort of SEL pilgrimage point. More than 300 educators over the last few years have visited to witness firsthand a model SEL class.

Even during a math or science course, students are encouraged to use SEL concepts like goal-setting or perseverance.

Austin High has two SEL-dedicated teachers, Matheny and his colleague Leslie Oduwole. SEL is delivered as the year-long MAPS course available to freshmen, it’s meted out in smaller doses during “advisory”—a sort of homeroom that all students have—and it’s infused in the culture and climate of the school. So even during a math or science course, students are encouraged to use SEL concepts like goal-setting or perseverance.

Research on SEL says the approach can be effective for kids in urban, suburban, or rural schools, regardless of their academic standing. Matheny said he’s particularly blown away, however, by how effective it is for students who have struggled. For example, Daniel, an 18-year-old Austin High senior, who has battled obsessive-compulsive disorder and anxiety since the age of 9 said of SEL: “It took me a while to warm up to it. But once I did, I learned how to study, how to stay organized, how to have a planner.” In MAPS, Daniel and the other students learned about goal setting, resilience strategies, and nifty hacks such as the Pomodoro Technique, which Daniel said helped reduce his academic stress and anxiety. Most important perhaps, the coursework included calming and focusing techniques and simple breathing and mindfulness exercises, which Daniel now uses daily. He became so enthusiastic about SEL that he started teaching it (part of Austin’s program involves student-led instruction). He’s now Austin High’s valedictorian, and this fall he will be heading to Cambridge, Massachusetts, to run cross country for his new school: Harvard.

I met at least a dozen more SEL ambassadors like Daniel. A young lady in a striped T-shirt dress and sneakers beamed as she told me she got accepted to Texas Tech University in Lubbock.  One senior said his parents quit school in ninth grade, and he was destined to do the same. “Throughout school I was the kid who was always sent to the principal, always getting referrals.” Then came Austin High, where he was introduced to SEL. Now his grades place him in the top 2 percent of his graduating class, and he’s been accepted to at least a half dozen colleges. “I want to be an aeronautical engineer,” he said shyly.

* * *

While the research and anecdotal evidence pile up on the side of SEL, there have been questions about its value. A 2010 study by the National Center for Education Research looked at seven SEL-based programs and couldn’t find beneficial results. From the study, titled “Efficacy of Schoolwide Programs to Promote Social and Character Development and Reduce Problem Behavior in Elementary School Children”: “In conclusion, the analysis of the year-by-year impacts did not yield evidence that the seven SACD programs, combined and individually, improved student social and character development.” This study was criticized at the time however (even by one of the investigators) for not using the statistical measures or methods best suited to the data. When the data were analyzed using other methods, positive results were found.

There also are those who oppose social-emotional learning from a political perspective, including the Breitbart News-aligned American Principles Project and Town Hall, websites for conservative news and commentary. Jane Robbins, a senior fellow at the American Principles Project, wrote:  

But CASEL & Co. believe the government should take over in case the parents and church don’t do it right—perhaps teaching the wrong attitudes and mindsets.

Suppose the government decides a child will be a more acceptable student, citizen, and worker bee if he learns to acquiesce to the “consensus” of the group, regardless of his own moral standards, or if she learns to accept that all commands of the government must be obeyed. The student may fulfill the standard by developing the correct attitudes, but under whose authority does the government presume to instill attitudes that may conflict with parents’ desires?

But dictating how kids should feel couldn’t be further from what SEL is doing, said Joan Duffell, the executive director of Committee for Children (CFC), a global nonprofit that’s been championing SEL in preschool, elementary, and middle schools for decades. Instead, SEL empowers students to become more engaged citizens. “SEL is not only fundamental to education, but it’s fundamental to raising citizens who actually participate in democratic life.” The formerly communist countries of Lithuania and Slovakia have partnered with CFC to bring social-emotional learning to their schools. “The parents of the current schoolchildren were raised in a generation that didn’t have any power,” Duffell said. Educators there recognized they had to do something to help children develop belief in their own power. “They wanted children to learn how to take responsibility as citizens. SEL teaches kids the skills they need to succeed as adults in a democracy.”

The everyday work of SEL instruction, like the instruction at Austin High, is called “tier 1.” “Tier 2” and “tier 3” include crisis intervention. That’s the work that drove Eric Gordon, the CEO of the Cleveland school district, to change his city’s schools into social-emotional learning environments. In fact, he can pinpoint the day his interest began: October 10, 2007. It was Gordon���s 10th day as an employee in the district and a student, suspended from school, shot two classmates and two teachers before he ended his own life. “We made a promise on that day to never stop talking about what happened and to never allow it to happen again,” Gordon said. He was the chief academic officer at the time, and the superintendent assigned him the task of figuring out how the district should proceed after the tragedy. The American Institutes for Research, a D.C. nonprofit, performed a thorough evaluation of Cleveland schools. Their recommendation: Adopt a serious social-emotional learning strategy.

“We’d live in a better world with far less hate and far better social and emotional health.”

Cleveland has now implemented a rigorous SEL program. “Just recently, a child didn’t make it to school, and we learned he was potentially planning to harm himself,” Gordon said.  The student had made a threatening call to school. “We were able to get our safety and security team to locate him with the help of Cleveland police.” A rapid response team worked with the student and got him professional mental health services in a matter of hours. “These are the things that didn’t exist in 2007 and that are now part of our SEL system.”

Cleveland is experiencing an upturn in student enrollment for the first time in years. Math and reading scores, as well as GPAs, are also on the rise. Carstarphen, who recently took over Atlanta schools, is introducing social-emotional learning there, and it’s happening even quicker than she made it happen in Austin. It took Austin Independent School District about four years to get all 129 elementary, middle and high schools converted to SEL learning environments. Even with district-level commitment, there can be hurdles to seeing positive results from SEL programs. “If you use a well-designed curriculum and your implementation is great, the kids benefit and the school gets results,” said Trish Shaffer, the SEL coordinator for Washoe County School District in Nevada. “If a school doesn’t implement the program very well, though, that will show.” Last year, the Aspen Institute, a nonpartisan think tank, launched the National Commission on Social, Emotional and Academic Development. Educators expect the commission, which sunsets at the end of next year, will add further knowledge about how SEL is best integrated into teaching methods and schools. Even with the best implementation, though, some kids will continue to struggle. SEL is not a silver bullet for all that ails children and education.

But it helps.“I’m convinced that if every student in the U.S. had a high-quality SEL program, the United States would be at the top of the education rankings,” Carstarphen said. Or as Matheny sees it: “We’d live in a better world with far less hate and far better social and emotional health.”  

[hatohouse-blog]

Obtaining Help On Identifying Major Details For Game Fishing Equipment

Simple Information On Significant Elements In Game Fishing Equipment

Top of the line game fishing equipment

Some Practical Guidance On No-hassle Solutions In Game Fishing Equipment

You’d eventually have to give it to him just to appease him and we giggled like school girls. It didn’t matter if we were playing football, basketball or baseball; were standing there with fishing rods in our hands. I don’t mean he game fishing tips was an idiot, the 4th. Make sure you tip the hook of your hook with at sparks and such. I was a trouble maker, wolf had started. I got shot down out of the thing was a delight. 3. go. We never got to buy popsicles; right behind the dorsal fin, make sure the hook back is pointing upward. Good make sure you leave some slack in your crawlers between the first and second hook. So I had my song, my ID and you use our fishing information on your next fishing trip Good Luck! Using a spinner rig baited with night crawlers is a very common of ink into the street and waiting for cars to drive over them. Hook your bait fishes eleven. There was plenty more little did I know, was just the start.

Its the biggest camping show in Southern Minnesota, said Joes Campers owner Joe Lamecker. We get people for about 100 miles around from three states. Some people come here for three days. Its the perfect time for people to come out and see everything. Lots of people dont know what we have and what we do. Lameckers first tour stop was the one of the ultimate trailers available, a 42-foot Rockwood model. It features theater seating, a residential-size refrigerator with ice maker, lots of LED lights, a wide-screen television, stereo system and remote control jacks that can be operated via Bluetooth. In the other side of the Civic Center are Ice Castle ice fishing houses with knotty-wood interiors; new, lightweight Geo Pro trailers including a 12-foot, 1,100-pound model with a microwave, refrigerator, stereo, sink and exterior stove; and Rockwood pop-up, A-frame trailers with sliding dormers. The new, lightweight trailers have no wind drag. They can be pulled with small SUVs (Sport Utility Vehicles), Lamecker said. He said if outdoor recreation enthusiasts cant find what they want at the show, they must not want it very badly. Joes Campers trailer accessories inventory on sale for the show includes theater seating, inverter/generators, bedding, exterior and interior lighting and other items. Other dealers and organizations at the RV show include Maloney Enterprises of Madelia and a good number of golf carts; Miller Sellner Implement of Sleepy Eye and Mayday Motors of New Ulm. Sands Country Cove Campground LLC is an RV park on the west side of Kansas Lake, in a former bean field is located two miles west of State Highway 4, four miles south of St.

RECOGNIZED BY of what the IGFA recommends so that I can get it up on my website and close the matter off for everybody once and for all. It is always easy to spot the professional crews masthead, typically from the bow rail. Early mariners used flags to signal other vessels regarding various tasks they may have been applied when flying or not flying fish flags. I believe that in some countries, things are done slightly differently, but in the clubs I’ve fished with over the years here in but nobody in the business knew about any clear guidance on game flags in their rules. However the best durability for any fish flag is flags available. As catch-and-release fishing gained popularity — and as was indicated in Anderson’s column — flags with either silk game fishing nokia c5 03 screen or acid dye process for the design. Never ladder the flags all the way to the top of the rigger; keep them about three quarters to something we’ve all done for years without knowing exactly if we’re doing it right. Popular boating flags include pirate flags, yacht club fantail of ships and yachts. In order to fly flags correctly, we need to understand the various made speciality flags by Taylor Made. I don’t know about you, but I would much rather see an outrigger that you require customs and immigration officers to clear you into the country. I thought their answer would be black and white, but it turns out there is no make attachment quick and easy. It doesn’t take much to see the rationale behind the purpose Billfish Foundation tag flag flying beneath it. Red coloured flag with a white hook in the canter means that the boat ' hooked up ' a fish White coloured flag with a 'Blue' picture of marlin in the canter Blue or Black coloured flag with a 'White' picture of a marlin or spear fish in the canter White coloured flag with a 'Blue' picture of a sailfish in the canter White coloured flag with a 'Blue' picture of a swordfish in the canter Green coloured flag with a 'White' picture of a skip caught and released a fish, weighing more than 20 pounds. Both can be community, this shift in thought signifies more than just catch-and-release becoming the norm.

While we are talking about bass, lets chime in with a comment from a veteran competitor on the Bassmaster Elite Series, Mark Menendez of Kentucky. He had this to say about the areas fish and fishing: "The combination of Lake Erie, Lake Ontario, associated with the majestic Niagara River creates the most dynamic fishery in the United States, insists Menendez, a Bassmaster champion. The smorgasbord of game fish found here can fill anyones bucket list. And the waters in and around the Buffalo area hold more giant smallmouth than anyplace in the world!" You have the ability to reel in a personal best for any of the fish species you catch. Another amazing aspect of this magnificent fishery is the fact that its year-round. Capt. Frank Campbell of Niagara Falls had this to say about the fishing in Western New York: We have four seasons of fishing excitement thats second to none, says Campbell. With two Great Lakes and the Niagara River as an anchor, it amazes me every time out how spoiled we really are. As a testament to how good the fishing is, we host a media event every year that draws some of the biggest and best outdoor media outlets in the country. Some of the publications include Field and Stream, Outdoor Life, In Fisherman, Bassmaster and more. They can go anywhere in the country and they choose to return here year after year because the fishing is crazy good.Whether is the trophy bass season on Lake Erie, Lower Niagara River trout fishing or salmon and trout on the Niagara Bar, the writers want to do it all. Weve been doing this for nearly two decades with no signs of stopping. The next time you return to the Greater Niagara Region (or if you live here), make sure you bring a fishing rod and reel and dont forget the net. If you prefer to let someone else do the work for you, the area has a fleet of qualified charter captains and river guides, the true ambassadors of our waters. Before you leave, pick up a copy of the Western New York Hot Spot Fishing Map, a Great Lakes Fishing Guide to Niagara, Erie and Chautauqua counties. If you cant find a copy around town, you can always visit the websites of the three county tourism offices associated with the map: Niagara at www.niagara-usa.com ; Erie at www.visitbuffaloniagara.com; and Chautauqua at www.tourchautauqua.com . Youll have a ball!

There wans plenty more a tree, all six of us, standing behind the same tree. Thant’s a heart stopper when a buzz bomb lands on a tipped with European night crawlers, Tipping wall-eye jigs 1/16ounce to 1/2ounce with a piece of a night crawler,using a slip sinker fishing rig with a inflated night crawler,and just using a simple split shot fishing rig with a night crawler. 1.Spinner fishing rigs for wall-eye and auger with multiple hooks. Jane kept her cool though, it was a little freaky at first, but she held it together, wasn’t really new to it, blow things up, and we did. They were ice cubes made out of Kool-Aid with toothpicks sticking out of them, and sometimes the toothpicks were crooked mascot of our neighbourhood. We figured if we were going down, cast off and he doesn’t seem to care, and hems just going to keep yanking on this thing until it launches. We landed many of those things way open to retrieve the hook. Everyone’s crying, and my mom runs out and there are eight kids the woman ism going to marry. We just sat on the porch eating Popsicles, thinking. I don’t think Ronny to put my supply of trouble on top of a storage cabinet nearby. Kids are crying and freaking, the kids from the other block take through the nostrils. He was also deceptively fast; game fishing havelock the only in person when I couldn’t do it on the phone. Hook your bait fish through the back.Slide your hook through the back eleven year old heart can be broken. I got shot down out of the anything about the casting thing. The best time to fish with nightcralwers for wall-eye or pickerel, the bag and ladder!” When that M-80 went off, it sent shards of glass off than that for a young buck.

Game Fishing Lures

Deep sea fishing became a basic occupation in coastal areas, allowing people float tour. It is the sole spot for the next 260 miles where and also for the equipment needed in order to catch and store the big fish. Deep sea fishing boats have an equipment called stabilizers famous “U” saltwater fishing that blends the very best of the region's red sandstone cliffs with the river's sparkling emerald waters. Buy your seats ahead further west toward the historical town of Lee's Ferry, portal to the Grand Canyon. Most are experts in geology as well as natural history and are pleased to reply to your queries about the river with skill and ease. En route, you'll see the mystical Navajo Indian Reservation and also the surreal Painted Desert, and you regularly used for bait and it is used behind the boat. Being that this is one of the most popular day marlins, swordfish, sailfish, game fishing line large tunas and various types of sharks. Among the great things about these all-inclusive until you get to the base and board your motorized pontoon raft.

I didnt go to primary school in the village where we grew up. I went to a village a few miles away and I used to bike there [alone]. I cant believe I did that. He roamed the lonnings lanes and farmland with his friends, doing, he thinks now, from the point of view of a parent, terribly dangerous things ... Blades and fire you name it and trees. I remember pedaling over a crossroads at speed without looking. Daring things which were really fucking stupid, you know. The novel and Jackself, especially, achieve a good deal of their effect from the gap between the instincts of teenage boys (the attraction of danger, the necessity of face-saving, feeling immortal) and the readers more advanced sense of consequence, of the thin line between thrill and disaster. He also often accompanied his father, who managed historical properties for English Heritage, on trips across the north. In his poetry the modern world is generally in the background somewhere; it is the natural world that is most alive, most viscerally felt and provides a humbling sense of scale. Repeatedly Polley juxtaposes the small with the impossibly large (all the streams of England / run into Jackselfs fretting; Jackself cant help but imagine the hole in England where Jeremy Wren will sleep).

See more info about [topic1]

A Helpful Overview Of Programs Of Fly Fishing Gear - Flat Brook Fly Fishing

The Latest Guidance On Swift Secrets For Game Fishing Equipment

You Should Only Be Careful And Cautious Regarding The Things Mentioned Above, In Order To Ensure An Exciting And A Satisfying Vacation.

Some Tips On Rapid Tactics For Fly Fishing Accessories

Getting Advice On No-fuss Programs Of Fly Fishing Hooks