#laura derbyshire

[wine-porn]

Killing me Softly

A huge cab. Massive and alcoholic in the nose, a chokingly-dense mash of berry, apricot and slight prune distilled down into jelly and syrup giving off toasty notes over heated briar, ink and newsprint. Paso certainly builds them big, and finding balance is key. Here, things go mostly in the wine’s favor, though not for the faint-at-heart. I love this winery for a lot of reasons. First of all,…

[arwainian]

Reading This Week 2024 #27

words

Finished:

Counting Out Stitches by chinuplargepup (chinuplilpup) on ao3 ough... Dick and Joey....what an excellent point in time to set this too

The King is Dead, Long Live the King by Havendance on ao3 an excellent fic about what if Batman actually for real died and stayed dead. sad, interesting, very well written, I'd been meaning to finish it for ages and just this past week finally read the third and final chapter

a conversation at 4:30am by xscintillate on ao3

the rest of the Lesbian Historic Motif Podcast's fiction backlog:

"Cardinal's Gambit" by Catherine Lundoof, narrated by Onerae Clark "Your Fingers Like Pen and Ink" by Jeannelle M. Ferreira, narrated by Violet Dixon "Give Us This Day" by Jennifer Nestojko "A Soldier in the Army of Love" by Diane Morrison, narrated by Laura Pinson "The Adventuress" by Catherine Lundoff, narrated by Heather Rose Jones "Margaret" by Eleanor Musgrove, narrated by Heather Rose Jones "Moon River" by Mandy Mongkolyuth, narrated by Heather Rose Jones "Abstract" by Kat Sinor, narrated by Jasmine Arch "Palio" by Gwen C. Katz, narrated by Violet Dixon "The Spirit of Cabassus" by Ursula Whitcher, narrated by Heather Rose Jones "A Farce to Suit the New Girl" by Rebecca Fraimow, narrated by Violet Dixon "The Wolf that Sings on the Mountain" by Miyuki Jane Pinckard "From the Bird's Nest" by Jennifer Nestojko, narrated by Emma Ross "The Pirate in the Mirror" by Catherine Lundoof, narrated by Heather Rose Jones "To the Fair Muse who, Loving Me, Imagin'd More" by Annemarie KD, narrated by Heather Rose Jones "The Salt Price" by B. Pladek, narrated by Jasmine Arch "Battling Poll" by Rose Cullen, narrated by Heather Rose Jones "Daughters of Derbyshire" by Daniel Stride, narrated by Heather Rose Jones

my favorites were "A farce to suit the new girl" and "Battling Poll"! check them out, and check out the whole podcast

We Could Be So Good by Cat Sebastian like I said last week when I started reading it, enjoyable but not super compelling! But i like the relationship dynamic that's set up between the leads, so it was sweet and I finished it

"Consent" by Emily A. Owens absolutely a must read in terms of thinking through what the place of consent is in discussions of sex and sexual violence

"Sexual Violation and the Question of Experience" by Linda Martín Alcoff

"On Not Being a Victim: Sex, Rape, and the trouble with following rules" by Mary Gaitskill an essay on date/acquaintance rape, and how we understand being and feeling violated. it takes a little digression into attitudes about PC moral purity in opinions about media. all of it written from a personal anecdotal perspective that I think is written deeply compassionately to one's past self and will be sticking with me. however I don't like how it picks up race as a topic at the beginning and then quickly drops it

"Convicted Rapists' Vocabulary of Motive: Excuses and Justifications" by Diana Scully and Joseph Marolla

"The Right (Way) to Represent: The Emotional Politics of Remembering Mass Rape in Germany After 1945" by Katherine Stone

Always the Almost by Edward Underhill recently released YA romance I read for the queer lit bookclub bc its a gay romance involving a newly out trans boy. I have many complaints but the group chat has already heard them

Witch Hat Atelier, Vol. 12 by Kamome Shirahama, translated by Stephen Kohler I finished reading this RIGHT before I saw the trailer for the anime. i am overjoyed! excellent art and storytelling as always

Uzumaki by Junji Ito finished reading this right after the new Shelved by Genre episode came out, bc its due back at the library soon! has the sort of dramatic denouement that I was missing in Tomie

"The Unwanted Guest" by Tamsyn Muir borrowed @quiriusblack's copy of Nona the Ninth to finally read this bonus story. i love palamedes he's so insufferable

What Did You Eat Yesterday? Vol. 11 by Fumi Yoshinaga, transalted by Jocelyn Allen cute as always

Started/Ongoing:

You Should be So Lucky by Cat Sebastian set in the same friend group as we could be so good, this one has marginally more plot and I'm liking in better! love the main couple, and I like that they have similar struggles to the first around like living authentically as gay people in the 1950s and 60s and also trying to live safely

The Way of the Househusband, Vol. 11 by Kousuke Oono thought I had already read this but I guess I had not! as always light silly fun

[mlleclaudine]

Laura Ellen Bacon’s Monumental Willow Works Ebb and Flow in Amorphous Masses

by Jackie Andres - Colossal, July 3, 2024

“The Feeling Remains” (2022). Photo by Jean Michel Rousvoal

Laura Ellen Bacon transforms hundreds of pounds of willow branches into amorphous, oscillating forms. Ascending upward along the side of a building, wrapping around abbey columns, and situated in the English countryside as if manifested out of thin air, each monumental structure commands its environment.

The Derbyshire-based artist has worked with willow for more than two decades. She describes listening to the material intently and noticing how each branch carries a unique line quality. Finding beauty in accumulation as she weaves countless segments together, Bacon creates what she refers to as “three-dimensional drawings.”

Though some of her pieces can weigh upward of 500 pounds, each evokes a sense of fluidity and movement. “The work I make is fixed and motionless, but I attempt a sense of organic growth,” Bacon explains. “I enjoy the visual impression that the work is not finished growing and may slowly continue to reach, grasp, or take over the site.”

Her newest installation, “Rejuvenation,” engulfs the Denver Art Museum’s atrium, towering more than twenty feet high. The prodigious work is inspired by the natural root systems of willow itself, capturing how its capillary networks trail and expand.

See “Rejuvenation” through the fall, and find more sculptures on Bacon’s website and Instagram.

“Rêverie” (2023)

Detail of “Rêverie” (2023)

“Don’t Let Go” (2019). Photo by Michelle Tennison

Installation view of “Rejuvenation” at the Denver Art Museum. Photo by DAM Photography

“Inundation” (2014). Photo by Dewi Tannatt Lloyd

“Split Forms” (2012)

Photo by Sebastian King

Photo by Alun Callender

[importantwomensbirthdays]

Laura Knight

Painter and printmaker Laura Knight was born in 1877 in Long Eaton, Derbyshire, England. Knight was known for her paintings of dancers and circus performers. She was also an official war artist during World War II. Working women were a major theme in her artistic output. Knight was elected to the Royal Academy in 1936, and was the first woman to have a solo exhibition at the Royal Academy.

Laura Knight died in 1970 at the age of 92.

Image: Alexander Bassano

[noctem-novelle]

Book: A Cuban Girl’s Guide to Tea and Tomorrow by Laura Taylor Namey Genre: YA Romance Rating: ✩✩✩

Review below the cut!

This book was so sweet (haha) and the perfect antidote to my ~sad vibes~ a few weeks ago. A Cuban Girl’s Guide to Tea and Tomorrow follows Lila Reyes, soon-to-be co-owner of her family's Miami-based Cuban bakery, as she is sent overseas to visit family in England after a...less than stellar reaction to a trifecta of personal tragedies: the death of her beloved abuela, a breakup, and being abandoned (in her opinion) by her best friend. When she arrives in Winchester, Lila is determined to have a bad time and to do whatever she can to get herself an earlier flight back to sunny Florida. But she's not counting on a dreamy inn kitchen, new friends, or the sort-of infuriating boy who runs the local teashop. I really loved the characters, the plot, AND the setting. Winchester reminds me of Buxton and I miss it so much! The whole time I was reading, I was having flashbacks to rainy walks through the park or up Green Lane to High Street, probably heading to Scrivener's. I'm telling you, if you ever want the quiet English town experience, skip London and head straight to Derbyshire. I felt so bad for Lila, dealing with the weight of so much loss, and I definitely understand why she reacted the way she did. Sometimes you just need to feel in control of SOMETHING, you know? And Orion??? His endless knowledge about superstitions was v endearing. While I enjoyed the book overall, I'm giving this one three stars (a high three stars!) because the writing itself just wasn't my thing. There were times when the baking references were very overdone (hahahaha) and there were a few instances where it really pulled me out of the story. BUT, if you wouldn't be bothered by baking puns, and you're mostly here for the plot and characters, definitely read this one! I can’t wait to see the film adaptation!

TW: loss & grief

IG: @noctem.novelle

[news2024news]

BBC viewers urge for Victoria Derbyshire to replace Laura Kuenssberg http://dlvr.it/TB9Wwq

[athis333]

In 1946, at the age of 68, Laura Knight was sent by the War Artists Advisory Committee to Nuremberg to record the trials of the Nazi war criminals. The idea for this audacious mission came from Knight rather than from the WAAC, a fact that tells you a great deal about her: at an age when most artists of her reputation might have been inclined to rest on their laurels – by this time she was very famous indeed – Knight was still questing after challenging new subjects.

The result was remarkable. Faced with both the devastation of the German city, and the inconceivable crimes for which the men were being tried, Knight, a realist all her life, found her usual narrative methods unequal to the task. "I am trying out a rather crazy idea which gives me the opportunity for space and mystery," she wrote in her diary. "I do hope so much I can bring it off… Stanley Spencer could do it. I will fight for it." From her press box high above the proceedings, she diligently sketched Goering and the others: their drab suits, their headphones (for translation), their bald patches. But when the time came to turn all this to paint, she gave the courtroom only one visible wall, framing the dock instead with what she called "a mirage" of the ruined city – a fire even now burning among its rubble, the better, perhaps, to symbolise the impossibility of reparation.

The Nuremberg Trial was, you gather, received with a certain coolness at the Royal Academy's 1946 Summer Exhibition, but it is one of the highlights of a small new show of Knight's work at the National Portrait Gallery. For beside it, in a glass display case, are some of Knight's diaries from the trial, a collection of vivid documents that bring her disorienting painting into startling focus. On one page she has inked a sketch of Goering, a dramatic doodle that caricatures his widow's peak and the stubborn slope of his back. It is quite horrible. Beside it, in her neat hand, names jump out at you. "Today, Hess's eyes and mine interlocked," she writes, adding that she was unnerved to find herself wondering if she should smile at him. Reading these scant pages – I wish the curators had included more – is fascinating, but unsettling too. Knight's sheer appetite for her work is palpable: it seeps through the solemnity like light through a broken venetian blind.

Of course it was ever thus. Knight was born in 1877, in Long Eaton, Derbyshire, the youngest of three daughters. Her father having left the household soon after she was born, money was tight, and it was surely this formative experience of what it meant to be broke – her mother's dream that her daughter would study art in Paris ended before Laura was even a teenager – that fired both her work ethic (she would later turn out paintings in a single day) and her preoccupation with the value of her art; she had a tendency to price her paintings too highly, with the result that they sometimes did not sell.

But work gave her something else, too: a means to be extrovert at a time when women were all too often expected to be mice. As she put it: "An ebullient vitality made me want to paint the whole world, and say how glorious it was to be young and strong and able to splash with paint on canvas." This ebullience stayed with her, girlish and delightful, throughout her career. Her technical skills, which were considerable, she learned at art school in Nottingham, and from her husband Harold Knight, a Vermeer-wannabe who was its star pupil (they married in 1903); but her great charm as a painter, her flamboyance and use of colour, were all her own.

[...]

Most stirring of all, though, are the pictures she did during the second world war under the auspices of the WAAC. Yes, they are technical exercises. Yes, they are propaganda. But somehow none of this matters when you stand before them, your lip beginning sentimentally to tremble. My favourite is Corporal Elspeth Henderson and Sergeant Helen Turner (1941), which stars two young women who were awarded the Military Medal for bravery, both of them having continued to work on their switchboard even as their RAF base was bombed by the enemy. Oh, the expressions on the faces! They look so marvellously unimpressed. And while Knight has given all due attention to their uniforms, their equipment, and even to a map on the wall behind them, it is the distinctive orange-red of their lipstick that catches the attention, all their pluck somehow captured in the careful application of a little Max Factor.

[nicoverhaegen]

Milk of Lime 'Dozen'

“The fly is marking a mundane and uninvited companion of our human life. Its sudden appearance evokes a strange sense of familiarity while carrying heavy symbolism for our fleeting existence. It is an animal on the fine line between revulsion and beauty. Portraying the black iridescent body of this seemingly profane insect repels and attracts the eye equally and is forgotten with one incidental gesture of our hand.” A huge thank you to everyone who was involved in the making of this show. Your support means the world to us

Models in order of appearance: Lotta, Lisa-Marie, Augustina, Frederik, Daria, Lea, Kingsley, Martin, Soleil, Vanessa, Jonathan, Lafayette, Jonte, Anna, Subin, Laura, Luca, Artyom, Thalo, Polina

Creative Direction: Julia Ballardt & Nico Verhaegen

Styling: Charlotte Buchal

Casting: Moritz Alte

Soundtrack: Adriaan De Roover

Camera operator: Leon Moss

Choreography & Runway: Rozalie Klimesova

MAKE-UP TEAM (Tools provided by ELLIS FAAS)

Lead: Jenneke Croubels

1st assistant: Maria Ovejero

Assistants: Naomzz, Samantha Pottmaier, Darja Crainiucenco, Eva Herbohn, Mai Anh

HAIR TEAM (Products: Balmain Hair Couture)

Lead: Sanne Schoofs 1st assistant: Robbe Vermaeten

Assistants: Evara Collin, Liesbeth Cobbaert, Sinan Salihovic, Eavan Derbyshire, Taiga

BACKSTAGE PHOTOGRAPHY Kaj Lehner, Oriane Verstraeten, Lucinde Wahlen, Theresa Huber, Saeeda Shabbir, Lewin Berninger, Kevin Duong, Hieronymus Ahrens & Eva Weinkötz

Ceramic Jewelry: 3sechzig

Floral Styling: Studio Linné

Special thanks to: Viktoria Ballardt Sanne Schoofs Robbe Vermaeten Jenneke Croubels Maria Ovejero Moritz Alte Charlotte Buchal Adriaan de Roover Michael Cashmore Thomas Maria Stoehr Pauline Moos Kaj Lehner Oriane Verstraeten Lucinde Wahlen Kerstin Geffert Sara Springer Eva Weinkötz Marie Giselbrecht Alexis Mersman Jana Heinemann Bavo Verhaegen Lauren Bouden Alex Weinkötz Julia Geissler aka 3sechzig Daniel Ohlhäuser Larissa Ballardt Annick Peeters Gery Verhaegen Amina Shabbir Manuela Garcia Daimy Van Caudenberg Jacob Griffith Moritz Schlesinger Nicklas Jendryke Eva Degols Lalo Gonzales Victoria Huisman Zoë Derks Kim Peers Frederik Lovric Liederley Sasha Yatsiuk Maurice Thys Nele Visschers Doron Beuns Magdalena Balkowski & the Zeiss Großplanetarium Team Andreas Baßler Thijs Faas & the Ellis Faas team Balmain Hair Couture Scott Lipinski Christiane Arp Stefan Brunner & the FCG team Elke Timmerman Jasmien Wynants Polina Gribanova Rozalie Klimesova Lisa-Marie Krakehl Emma Krakehl Pia Ulrich (…)

[olko71]

New Post has been published on All about business online

New Post has been published on https://yaroreviews.info/2023/09/hs2-crazy-not-to-review-project-over-soaring-costs-shapps

HS2: 'Crazy' not to review project over soaring costs - Shapps

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By Katy Austin & Lora Jones

BBC Business

The former transport secretary has said it would be “crazy” not to review plans for the HS2 rail link as costs have soared.

Grant Shapps told the BBC that the Ukraine war and a spike in inflation mean any government would need to make “serious decisions” on affordability.

The BBC understands a definitive decision on HS2 could be made as soon as this week.

The government has so far refused to commit to the current plans.

HS2 is intended to link London, the Midlands and the north of England – the first part, between west London and Birmingham, is in mid-construction.

But the scheme as a whole has already faced delays, cost increases and cuts – including to the planned eastern leg between Birmingham and Leeds.

The last official estimate on HS2 costs, excluding the cancelled eastern section, added up to about £71bn.

This was in 2019 prices so it does not account for the spike in costs for materials and wages, for example, in recent months.

The numbers were given to Parliament in June and include up to £26bn for the whole of Birmingham to Manchester. They also exclude what is left of the eastern leg, and a scrapped Golborne link in Cheshire.

Speaking to Victoria Derbyshire on the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg programme, Mr Shapps said that no decision on the project’s future had been taken as of yet.

“We do have to respond to the budgets,” he said.

“We’ve not only been hit by the coronavirus, but the war in Ukraine… any responsible government has to ask whether that sequencing still stacks up for what the country requires.”

He added that when previous commitments had been made, “no-one knew we’d be in a war in Europe right now with all of the consequences, all of the costs, and all of the inflation.”And any government that doesn’t go back and then look at it is crazy.”

The prime minister and the chancellor have been discussing the future of the Birmingham to Manchester leg of the project against the backdrop of spiralling prices.

Getty Images

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt said last week that costs were getting “totally out of control”.

The June statement to Parliament included figures for how much had been spent on HS2 so far, although they were not completely up to date.

It said £22.5bn had been spent on the London to Birmingham leg, which is mid-construction, while £2.3bn had been spent on preparing other sections, on measures such as buying up land.

Work has been going on for a while to try and identify cost savings as concerns have mounted.

Johnson warns against ‘mutilated’ version of HS2

HS2 rated ‘unachievable’ by watchdog

Many in Westminster believe that almost all of the planned line from Birmingham to Manchester is likely to be axed, potentially ahead of the Conservatives’ party conference in the city on 1 October.

Former prime minister Boris Johnson has warned, however, against “mutilating” the project in a letter to Rishi Sunak.

It was under Mr Johnson’s government that HS2 was given the green light to start construction in 2020.

Cabinet minister Grant Shapps said on Sunday it would be “irresponsible” to carry on pumping money in because of cost increases and delays.

He said there was a “perfectly legitimate question” about the “sequencing” of the high-speed rail line.

Mr Shapps also suggested that HS2 was not the “be all and end all” for rail connectivity and said the government had spent £22bn on transport in the north of England since 2010.

However, he would not comment on whether or not separate plans for the Northern Powerhouse rail scheme between Leeds, Manchester and Liverpool would still go ahead if the northern section of HS2 is scrapped.

Labour has so far refused to confirm it would fund the HS2 line to Manchester if the Conservatives axe it, despite pressure from local mayors such as Greater Manchester’s Andy Burnham.

On Sunday, Darren Jones, new shadow chief secretary for the Treasury, said the Labour party would “love to build the HS2”, but said little “proper” information had been made available by the government.

“We’re only responding to leaks from the Tory party”, he said, adding that the party could not make infrastructure commitments worth tens of billions of pounds without seeing all the figures.

More than 80 companies and business leaders also sought clarity over the commitment to HS2 on Saturday.

The bosses of dozens of businesses and business groups – including Manchester Airports Group, British Land, Virgin Money, and the Northern Powerhouse – all signed a letter to the government urging renewed commitment to HS2, saying that repeated mixed signals are damaging the UK’s reputation and the wider supply chain.

In the letter, they expressed “deep concern” over “the constant uncertainty” that “plagues” the project.

HS2 is meant to create more capacity and speed up journey times.

The government has previously argued it would have economic benefits too, but critics think it is far too expensive and the money could be better used in other ways.

In March, Transport Secretary Mark Harper said there would be a two-year delay on the Birmingham to Crewe leg. Work on Euston was also paused while an “affordable” design was worked on.

However, a government spokesperson said on Friday that “our focus remains on delivering” HS2.

Related Topics

HS2

Grant Shapps

More on this story

Government refuses to commit to Manchester HS2 leg

15 September

HS2 rated ‘unachievable’ by watchdog

30 July

[duaneburnett]

Sunshine Coast Festival of the Written Arts, August 17-20, Sechelt, Sunshine Coast BC Canada 🇨🇦 TICKETS on Sale NOW! https://writersfestival.ca/

ABOUT: Join Canada’s longest running summer gathering of Canadian writers and readers, featuring established literary stars and exciting, new voices… with opportunities for writers and readers to mingle amidst Rockwood’s beautiful heritage gardens in Sechelt, BC. Running August 17-20, 2023.

Visit www.writersfestival.ca to learn more about the exceptional events, authors and books happening at this year’s festival and for information on how to buy tickets!

Our 2023 authors include Adriana Barton, Tamar Glouberman, Hilary Peach, Carrie Mac, John Vaillant, JD Derbyshire, Corinna Chong, Andrea Routley, Angela Sterritt, Bob McDonald, Jack Knox, Danny Ramadan, Tara McGuire, Jen Currin, Conor Kerr, Cecily Nicholson, J. Edward Chamberlin, Theresa Kishkan, Tom Rachman, Jody Wilson-Raybould, Amanda Lewis, Ellen Schwartz, Caroll Simpson, Janie Chang, Jessica Johns, Sheila Murray, Laura Trethewey, Ian Ferguson and Will Ferguson—PLUS esteemed moderators Kate Braid, Megan Cole and Andrea Woo.

Need even more? The Festival will also feature the musical talents of Simon Paradis, The Paperboys (Tom and Kalissa Landa), and Steve Mitchell.

Get ready for an astounding suite of conversations and readings — August 17–20.

TAGS #writersfestival #sechelt #SCFWA #sunshinecoast #events #summer #writers #authors #festival #sunshinecoastbc #exploreBC #explorecanada #canada #summer2023 #event #RockwoodLodge

[acadamycelebrancy65]

Celebrating Life With Jacqueline Ruddy

Hawkes, who has a ardour for creating tailor-made ceremonies that reflect a couple's or a person's journey via life, was educated by the Academy of Modern Celebrancy. He is a professional family liaison officer in addition to being an award-winning professional toastmaster and master of ceremonies. As properly as being part of one other particular person's journey, you get to have your individual highly effective experiences as a marriage or funeral celebrant. Some situations may contact you very deeply, such as the death of a young person or a very touching marriage ceremony story. A funeral celebrant is someone certified to host and officiate funeral companies.

I sorted out my social media presence early on however it was the face-to-face conferences that might seal the deal. Luckily, I was comfortable establishing relationships with folks from all walks of life and started going around funeral administrators introducing myself. Around the identical time (2016) she ditched bricks and mortar for canvas and lived in a tent for a 12 months, rooting her relationship with seasonal change and the pure world. Much of her own writing and explorations of rewilding stem from this experience. After years spent scribbling ideas in notebooks whereas exploring numerous professional paths, a serendipitous invitation to tackle the working of an off-grid shepherd’s hut website allowed Maddy to host her first seasonal retreat in 2018. From here grew her want to facilitate deeper conversations for different girls seeking to rewild and reconnect, and later that year she started her teaching training, focusing totally on developmental psychology.

And there had been no heart.So let’s take into consideration this… I felt really passionately about this issue. I’ve grown up in an trade with loads of emotion and which requires that innate sense of hospitality. So I did.I applied for a course with The Academy of Modern Celebrancy, obtained my head into the books, and in summer celebrant training online time 2021 I qualified as a marriage and naming day celebrant. With flying colours, dare I add.I’m now up and working and loving every second, particularly as my catering businesses are also thriving once again.

So a lot effort and time goes into the 3 day programme and I feel that puts me in a good place going forward to extend my service in this industry. Thank you Stuart and staff on the Academy, I look forward to changing into a member of your extended network. Anyone with aspirations to become successful in this line of service, I strongly encourage you to get in contact with the Academy of Professional Celebrants. So pleased I picked the Academy for my celebrant training. The course was professionally ran offering you with all the instruments wanted to turn out to be a successful celebrant. Also the support afterwards from the academy has been wonderful.

Laura Widdop – (Assessor)  Laura has over 15 years of expertise in delivering training in numerous sectors. She has been the Centre Manager and an Assessor with UKCAPSA for over 2 years. Laura is there to support celebrant courses to all candidates in any method she will.

I belief her insights and judgement and have at all times admired her dedication and energy. She is an inspiration and makes a difference to every life she touches. From a practical point of view, Lucy was a pleasure to work with in phrases of arranging the service. I am a Sheffield based celebrant for weddings, naming ceremonies and vow renewals covering South Yorkshire, Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire however will fortunately journey nationally and internationally.

The programme was nicely delivered and the workout routines given have been excellent that will help you get over your fear and have the flexibility to deliver a full ceremony. Everyone that has or is training with APC is in a help group and no one is valuable about what they are doing to get business and assist each other, like I actually have by no means seen earlier than. The Support that Stuart give to every individual is immediate and like gold mud, serving to you get enterprise and understanding the way to cross the hurdles as they arrive. Thank you to Stuart for this wonderful journey that I even have just began.

When you buy via links on our web site or newsletter, we could earn affiliate commission. Everything we recommend is independently chosen irrespective of affiliate agreements. ‘At 48, my marriage ended, the divorce settlement took two years and, at the finish, my husband stayed in the family house, I took on a new mortgage and signed away any rights to his pension. I continued work as a PE trainer however at 60, a bone scan showed I had osteoporosis in the backbone.

When restrictions lifted within the Summer of 2020, the family's adventures resumed, this time they did house-sitting across Mexico, Costa Rica, Panama and the USA. 'It is hard to be a nonconformist in terms of being pregnant, because everyone tells you that you simply want a mortgage and must quiet down and assist your beloved ones. The opinions expressed are these of the creator and usually are not held by Saga unless particularly stated.

I would not hesitate in recommending the Academy to anyone wishing to train in any of the fields Stuart covers. This man is selfless and wants one of the best for all those academy of modern celebrancy he trains. I didn't know what to expect from an internet course but I was soon put comfy by the course trainer Stuart Logan.

[hardynwa]

UK Teaching assistant jailed for two years after making pupils answer ‘sex questionnaire’

A teaching assistant in the United Kingdom has been jailed after he sent teenagers at the school where he worked a ‘sex questionnaire’ asking their bra sizes and whether they were virgins. Kevin Doxey, who worked at Anthony Gell School in Wirksworth, Derbyshire, admitted four counts of engaging in sexual communication with a child at Derby Crown Court. The 27-year-old had sent a picture of his genitals to one of the victims, alongside a winking emoji and message saying ‘I wish you were here’. One of his victims told her parents about what he had sent her and they contacted the police, which led them to seize his phone and found more messages to other young girls. Laura Blackband, prosecuting lawyer, said: ‘He obtained the Snapchat details of four girls who were all students at the school and sent a series of sexually charged messages to each of them. ‘The communication included a “sex questionnaire” which had a huge number of questions on them which we say could have led to possible sexual activity. ‘ was 15 and she was very distressed by the questions. He would ask her to pick a number and would get her to answer the questions. ‘She initially said no but when she was on a sleepover he texted her a photograph of himself with a winking emoji and three kisses. ‘She showed it to one of her friends and she said, “You need to tell someone about it.”‘ Teaching assistant jailed for two years after making pupils answer ?sex questionnaire? asking of their bra sizes and if they were virgins Three more victims were identified by police and said they were sent Doxey’s ‘sex questionnaire’. Blackband said a second victim told of how Doxey asked her ‘weird stuff’ over Snapchat, like asking if he could come and pick her up in his car and whether she was a virgin. Another girl said she had been sent ‘inappropriate’ Instagram messages by Doxey. Blackband added: ‘In the questionnaire, he asked questions such as her bra size and “what do you wear in bed?” ‘She said she didn’t want to answer any of the questions but he replied, “You have to.”‘ Two of his four victims, supported by their families, read their victim impact statements to the court. One said: ‘I was at school, a place where I felt safe and confident and all of that was taken away from me by a person in authority. I was a child, he was an adult, a teacher.’ Another victim revealed she tried to take her own life, adding: ‘Kevin was one of the main causes of this. ‘I recently saw him in Morrisons in Belper, I did not know he was working there and it brought back memories and I had to leave the store.’ One of the remaining two statements, which Ms Blackband read out, said: ‘I was only a child at the time, when I look back now it was shocking.’ The other said: ‘School was meant to be a safe place but Kevin took that away from me.’ Doxey will now be on the sex offender register for 10 years and was given a 10-year sexual harm prevention order. Read the full article

[michaelfenton]

Happy Valentine's Day!

[quiredaragoff]

Jurassic World: Dominio

Este año, vive la épica conclusión de la era Jurassic mientras dos generaciones se unen por primera vez. Chris Pratt y Bryce Dallas Howard están acompañados por la ganadora del Oscar® Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum y Sam Neill en Jurassic World: Dominio, una atrevida, oportuna e impresionante nueva aventura que se extiende por todo el mundo. Del arquitecto y director de Jurassic World Colin Trevorrow,…

[buggerygrips]

A segment about the recent news story, where Doki Doki Literature Club is part of an inquest into a 15 year old boy’s suicide.

The video clip is from Victoria Derbyshire’s programme, that I believed aired on BBC2 on the 28th June. In it, the presenter discusses this game, its age warnings and mental health risks to children. with Laura Dale, Lorna Fraser, and Helen Grounds.

Here’s a (long) transcript for this video.

VICTORIA DERBYSHIRE: Good morning, we're going to start this morning by talking about a free online game, after police and a coroner warned about the risks of it to children.

[The end of the trailer, of the characters in their cute anime style, is displayed as she talks]

VICTORIA: It's called "Doki Doki Literature Club", and it starts like a dating game set in a high school, and features a group of animated girls in a book club. Things do turn sinister, with characters self-harming and killing themselves. It's said to be suitable for players aged thirteen or over. It was launched last year and downloaded two million times in the first four months.

[Screen displays title card before returning to show Victoria again]

VICTORIA: An inquest will be held into the death of a fifteen year-old called Ben Walmsley from Bury, whose father said the game "dragged his son in", and a pre-inquest review is due to take place at 10 o' clock this morning in that case.

[As she talks, large letters on the screen appear, reading "Game is 'a risk to children'", "Emotionally vulnerable", "'Psychological horror'", "Suicide as a main feature" and "Not suitable for children"]

VICTORIA: Greater Manchester police have said "We believe this game is a risk to children, and young people, especially those who are emotionally vulnerable, and anyone with existing mental health concerns. A coroner has warned, "This is a psychological horror game, with suicide as a main feature", and notes too, "It does warn it's not suitable for children, however the graphics, etc, are clearly aimed at young people." We have contacted the game's creators, Team Salvato, but so far haven't heard back. Here's the trailer for the game, with that warning right at the start.

[A trailer for DDLC plays, beginning with a screen reading only "This game is not suitable for children or those who are easily disturbed" before showing its anime characters with upbeat music]

VICTORIA: Let's talk about this now, with the news editor from the video game website Kotaku UK, Laura Dale. Also mum of two and casual gamer Helen Grounds, she has played Doki Doki and is a fan. And Lorna Fraser is here, from the suicide prevention charity, Samaritans.

[The camera cuts to each of the three women in turn: Laura and Lorna are in the studio with Victoria, while Helen is displayed on a screen via video call. The interview takes place on a sofa in front of a screen displaying the DDLC logo and pictures of the characters. Midway through, a banner appears at the bottom of the screen reading: "Warning about online 'horror' game".]

VICTORIA: Welcome all of you, thank you very much for coming on the programme. Um, Laura. Describe the premise.

LAURA DALE: So, the basic premise of the game is that it starts off like a dating sim, as you said, that you go to this literature club, try to make friends with all these different girls, and it sort of subverts the expectations of that genre by becoming a horror narrative. Um, a little bit of spoilers for the game: one of the characters, as it turns out, is not happy that you're dating the other video game characters, and she manipulates events so that other characters will commit suicide and will sort of drive you towards dating her instead.

VICTORIA: And what's your reaction to this warning from the coroner and Greater Manchester police, about the risks to children and those who are vulnerable?

LAURA: I think that honestly it's the same as the risks of any piece of media that deals with these kinds of themes, be it video games or movies or books: if you have someone who is already in an emotionally vulnerable state, and you have them engaging with media that tackles these difficult themes, and they don't have an outlet to talk about that properly, that can be a problem. I think that a lot of it does just come down to... communication and making sure that if you've got a child who is already struggling with those themes, that you're aware of what kind of media they're engaging with.

VICTORIA: Helen, you've got two children, younger children. This game is said to be, said to be suitable for thirteen and up, and that's because it asks you to tick if you are thirteen and up, which of course any age, uh, could do. Despite the warning, do you think it is deliberately designed to look attractive to kids?

HELEN GROUNDS: Well, firstly it is a dating game, so yes aren't kids... to me, some people get the idea that anime style is "kiddy", because it looks cartoony, but in Japan anime can be for anyone, and it is over in the US and in the UK. And this type of game isn't a type of game for children. Uh, I would probably not say thirteen, um, but...

VICTORIA: So even that's too young?

[As she talks, the trailer plays again behind the video conversation window]

HELEN: I would say it's quite questionable, considering the sort of things that's in it, but it does say in the game when you actually start it up, there is ginormous text that says the game is not suitable for children, if you are easily disturbed you should not play this, it really does try and tell you, don't play this if you're under a certain age or if you are easily disturbed, and as someone who also does suffer from a mental health problem, I was thinking, ooh, should I actually play this? But I did, and it didn't affect me. If anything, some of the things that did come up kind of helped me realise that if a person sort of acts a certain way, maybe they really do need help.

VICTORIA: Right. Um. And how do you react to this warning from the coroner and from Greater Manchester police, and this is what the GMP say: "We believe the game is a risk to children and young people, especially those which are emotionally vulnerable and anyone with existing mental health concerns. I would ask parents to check the sites that children are using on a regular basis, as websites like this aren't flagged up by normal firewall settings.

[Both Helen and Laura nod]

HELEN: Yep, no, I totally agree. Uh, parents really need to know what their child is doing on the... online. I mean, I won't let my child go on my laptop on his own. He's only allowed to access certain things, and I sit with him, he would...

VICTORIA: And how old is he?

HELEN: He's... my oldest is eight years old. I, uh, he's only allowed to play a, a mouse game called "Hit the Button", which he's used in quite a lot of schools anyway. The only time he can use, access the internet is actually in school, which again, there's always a teacher there watching over the children when they're doing their IT, and I will sit with him, if he wants to do some homework, we'll go on Wikipedia together, and we research things together, we read it together.

VICTORIA: You said that--

HELEN: It's the thing--

VICTORIA: Yeah, uh, and you've said that you think thirteen is potentially too young. What would be a suitable age?

HELEN: Considering the things... I mean [sighs] it's a difficult, it's a difficult thing because, the issue is, free games like Doki Doki and Five Nights At Freddy's, they don't come under any kind of age rating, like video games that we buy in a game shop. So you can easily download them for free and not... they don't have to go through the whole stringency of going for... a, um, a certain rating like we have in the UK. Um... to be honest, I would say eighteen, considering there is quite some graphical parts in it. It is quite upsetting...

VICTORIA: Well let's be clear, when you play the game, do you see characters kill themselves? Sometimes in quite graphic situations.

HELEN: One of them especically, yes.

VICTORIA: Right. Lorna Fraser from Samaritans, how do you respond to that?

LORNA FRASER: Well, what we believe is, that this is an example of where it's really important for parents to be aware of the things that they do online. Just as you would want to protect your child in the offline environment, if, if your kids are going out, you'd like to know where they're going, who they're hanging out with, how they're getting home, this kind of thing. We would encourage parents to have these conversations with your kids, be aware of what they do online. You know, it's, it could give you a false sense of security because they're tucked away in their bedroom, or on their tablet or computer playing something, that they're safe at home. But just be aware that there are dangers. But it's also important to avoid any confusion around focusing on one particular game, because there will be others. So we don't want to give the message to parents, firstly to really alarm parents, because there are lots of good things online too, but not to give the message to parents that if your child isn't playing this particular game, then, then there's no cause for concern. You know, there are others.

VICTORIA: Laura, you're nodding your head in agreement.

LAURA: Definitely, um. There are certain, um, parts of what have been said about this particular game that do lead me to suspect that it may not have been the only game involved in this particular tragic event, um, without knowing specifically--

VICTORIA: We don't... well, we'll have to wait for the inquest, so we don't--

LAURA: Yeah. We'll have to obviously wait for the inquest, but there were statements made about this game by the father that are not things that are featured in this game, which would suggest that perhaps there were other games being engaged with that aren't the focus of this inquest. So, obviously, like... this is perhaps one game to look at and say, should your child be playing this, but also be aware of what else they're playing, there might be other potential risk factors available.

VICTORIA: I mean, the game itself warns that it's not suitable for children.

LAURA: Mm-hmm.

VICTORIA: Uh, Helen, as a mum of two, one being eight, says, "actually I think thirteen is too young". I mean, if you see in quite graphic situations, a character kill themself, would you agree eighteen would seem more appropriate?

LAURA: Um, the... games like this, as Helen mentioned, aren't rated by the, uh, any of the ratings boards in the UK. Most of the UK ratings boards would likely rate this at least a fifteen or an eighteen because it contains scenes of graphic violence relating to suicide, uh-

VICTORIA: So, um, sorry to interrupt that--

LAURA: Yes.

VICTORIA: So my question is: As a parent, if you're across all the stuff your kid's playing on tablets and laptops and phones, you might see the beginning of this, which says this game is not suitable for children. If that was me, I'd think, "Okay, so my teenager, my fourteen, fifteen in a year's time teenager, is alright playing this." And actually, if you played the game yourself as an adult, you might get to the end and think, this is not suitable for a fourteen, fifteen, sixteen year old.

LAURA: I, I certainly think that there are people who see that warning that says, you know, you should be over thirteen and would say, oh--

[The screen changes to show various scenes from the game trailer again as Victoria and Laura talk]

VICTORIA: It doesn't ,there isn't, there is not a warning that says you should be over thirteen, is there, let's be clear. All, what it says is that this game is not suitable for children, and you're supposed to tick the box if you are over thirteen.

LAURA: Yes well, my, my point being if there is a tick box that says "Are you over thirteen?", I can understand why parents would go, oh, my child is fourteen, fifteen, sixteen, he's probably fine with it, and... I think... there is definitely a concern to be made for, like, parents not paying attention to what their children are engaging with just because there's an age box that was ticked first.

VICTORIA: But I'm being realistic as a parent.

LAURA: Yeah.

VICTORIA: I mean, I might see it says thirteen, tick that box, I'd see the warning at the beginning, and then I would think okay, it's fine for my teenager.

LAURA: Yeah, I'm not saying that as a criticism of parents, like I, I understand where that difficulty is for parents, um. Yeah. I understand that, that difficulty.

VICTORIA: Um, Lorna. The NSPCC tell us the game creators, the game creators itself warn that it's not suitable for children and those that are easily disturbed. "Parents should be aware that the game contains highly sensitive and adult themes such as suicide. It's important for parents to have regular conversations with children about their online lives, that are as normal as asking about their day at school." What would your advice be to parents who are watching now, who might be concerned about this?

LORNA: To, to do exactly that, get to know what your kids are doing online, you know, make this part of everyday conversations so that it's not, it doesn't feel like you're prying into their private lives or, or doing anything like this. And, and also making mental health, emotional health part of everyday conversations, you know, these are things that families need to be talking about, because it helps to keep people safe.

VICTORIA: Okay. Thank you, all of you. Thank you very much Helen, thank you Lorna, thank you Laura. Thank you very much. A couple of messages here: Izzy on email says, "Doki Doki Literature Club is a horror game with a cute appearance, and it does tell you that when you start the game, it says children... or those who are easily disturbed, and you can go to a webpage that lists all the unpleasant content. It is up to parents to regulate and investigate the games that their children play, and ensure healthy communication, in case their child develops mental health problems." And this text, uh, from someone who doesn't leave their name: "I've been playing violent games like GTA from the first one, when I was six years old and Goldeneye on the N64, and I continue to do so twenty plus years later. I'm a successful individual with no criminal record and no tenancy to kill, rape or steal. Everyone is individual and every individual is different, but to blame the game explicitly is silly. The parents should have more of a grasp of what children are feeling like and offer support." Thank you for those, do keep them coming in. If you would like to contact someone about any mental health issues, you can find details of organisations offering information and support at bbc.co.uk/actionline. Or you can call for free at any time to hear recorded information on 08000 155 998.

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