#wales 100 records

[ingravinoveritas]

Incredibly cute pic of Michael and his curls via Huw Stephens on Twitter.

[thissying]

📷: Frits van Eldik NOS Sport

'At his first introduction to autosport, Max already went like a comet.'

A rainy day in the summer of 2013, somewhere deep in Wales. Jos and Max Verstappen arrive at the Pembrey Race Track in complete secrecy. The youngest Verstappen - 16 years old at the time - reports to Dutch GP2 team MP Motorsport, which has been active in (international) motorsport for 20 years. Team boss Sander Dorsman meets him. Max Verstappen is introduced to motorsport for the first time among the sheep and birds. “He immediately went like a comet.”

Motorsport commentator Allard Kalff approached MP Motorsport in 2013 at the request of Jos Verstappen. If they want to participate in a car test for Max. It must remain secret. It can not happen in the Netherlands and prying eyes are unwanted. The Verstappens do not want any publicity. Son Max is still a world class driver in karting at that time. There shouldn't be any pressure when he gets into a racing car.

The location for the secret test in Wales is chosen because MP Motorsport engineer Tony Shaw had previously been there with two young lads: the current Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton and former world champion Kimi Räikkönen. The landscape is mainly dominated by sheep and birds. "Tony Shaw said after the first test day: Max handled it better than Lewis and Kimi did," Dorsman remembers Verstappen's first appearance in a racing car.

Track record “The first day of the test was quite difficult,” Dorsman continues. "It rained a lot. Max picked it up fantastically. The next day it was drier. He immediately smashed the track record. That was also impressive. And for us it was nice that exactly a year and a day after the test in Wales he won his Formula 1 contract. For everyone who worked with him, that was of course great. So young and already that good. Things can happen quickly."

Birds hit In the anniversary book about twenty years of MP Motorsport, Verstappen himself writes that, mainly, he was nervous. "I didn't know what to expect at all. There were sheep and birds everywhere. I think I also hit a lot of birds. I felt like the car sounded very loud."

Dorsman: "Looking back, they were just two very special days. The way I remember it, he didn't seem nervous at all. When he arrived, we walked around the circuit. We also drove around the circuit in his father's car. Everything to prepare him well. You start from scratch with a boy like that. It went well, very well."

Dorsman now also sees Verstappen on the circuits surrounding the Formula 1 races. The GP2 class is the gateway to the premier class in motorsport. The team boss has seen many drivers come and go in recent years. Max Verstappen is going to make himself heard a lot more, in his opinion.

"He has had a fantastic debut season and now has to follow through. His strength this season will be that he has much more experience in Formula 1. He can benefit from that." According to Dorsman, it is easy to explain that the 18-year-old Verstappen sets the bar high for himself in his second year. "That's a family trait. He got that from his father. Max gives 100 percent to everything."

Future In his second year at Toro Rosso, Verstappen is being watched by all the major teams. The question is what the Dutchman will do after this season. "There is pressure on him to continue to perform. However, that applies to every top athlete. And Max is familiar with that feeling from his time in karting. He had to improve there every season, too. If he can achieve his goal of 100 world championship points and a podium place, that is great. In any case, he will continue to surprise everyone," Dorsman is sure.

[youryurigoddess]

The Small Back Room — Hour of Glory (1949)

Good Omens 2 begins with the visit to The Small Back Room not because it was meant to serve as an exposition scene for Maggie and her record shop. It’s a substantial foreshadowing of the main plot and the relationship changes between Aziraphale and Crowley.

As all the other classics referenced throughout the show, this 1949 Powell and Pressburger production is easily available online — whenever you have 100 minutes to spare, I highly encourage you to watch it.

Our story begins with the arrival of Stuart, a British military captain, who makes his way through a labyrinth of offices towards a small building — the research section led by an eccentric, queer-coded, bow tie wearing professor Mair — to ask for help with a secret Nazi weapon.

That’s when the professor calls our hero, Sammy Rice — an engineer and bomb disposal expert in the service of Her Majesty’s government and, not accidentally, the most brooding, wounded man in Powell and Pressburger’s impressive canon of dysfunctional and alienated characters.

Due to a prosthetic foot keeping him from active service and confining to work in the titular back room instead, Rice is dramatically slipping into alcoholism. Haunted by self-loathing and disappointment with the internal politics, he can’t see the point of his research anymore.

Sammy is also conducting a clandestine affair with the secretary of his research unit, Susan. They live in the same building and meet regularly, but can’t openly enjoy their company or even dance due to his injury, which makes him even more bitter and pathologically determined to wear her angelic patience down.

Susan puts up with it until the minister is forced to resign. She knows that if non-scientists take over, their section will become useless, Rice even more difficult, and the war possibly lost. She urges him to take action and when he dramatically refuses to make a difference, she leaves him.

Seemingly at his lowest now, Rice becomes a sudden chance to redeem himself. Captain Stuart calls him about two unexploded booby traps found in Wales, but left to himself, he dies during a heroic attempt to dismantle one of the thermos-like devices before our engineer arrives at the scene.

In a nerve-jangling finale, Stuart’s notes help Rice dismantle the second device. He becomes a hero, gets an officer commission as head of the new scientific unit, and discovers that Susan not only came back in the meantime, but repaired everything he drunkenly destroyed in the apartment after their breakup.

The parallels seem straightforward enough for me to add that in this context the role of Maggie through most of S2 may particularly reflect Crowley’s stagnancy in both work and love life. And if you’re unsure why the demon identifies with the heroic roles and characters, you might want to read this post on the subject.

Now, The Small Back Room was distributed in the US under another title — Hour of Glory. Which happens to be a specific Bible term referring to Christ’s “hour”, the period supposed to consummate all of his work on Earth and reveal God’s ultimate plan of salvation: the Son’s death.

John 12:20-36 Jesus replied, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me. Now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and will glorify it again.” The crowd that was there and heard it said it had thundered; others said an angel had spoken to him. Jesus said, “This voice was for your benefit, not mine. Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.”

Christ’s hour began in the garden — this time the garden of Gethsemane — as he prayed passionately for the cup to be passed from him, similarly to Aziraphale declining Metatron’s offers on screen, both regarding the hot drink and his reinstatement as part of the Heavenly Host:

Luke 22:42 “Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”

All throughout the Old Testament, we see God’s wrath being described as a cup poured out on sin and those guilty of it. By accepting it, Jesus took the toll of all the sins — from Eden up until the last one to be committed right before his Second Coming — on himself, for the sake of his beloved humanity.

The passion of Christ continued as Judas betrayed him with a kiss, his disciples abandoned him, and the high priest accused him of crimes he was not guilty of. Even Pilate, the prefect of Rome, pretended to uphold the law; and remember we already expect a S3 trial based on another Archers movie.

All in all, it’s an hour of great injustice and pain, but also glory of God. We’re led to believe that the Ineffable Plan will similarly triumph over the great one (or whatever Metatron tries to implement at the moment), as it did in S1. And its ending will be a good one, back in a garden.

[covid-safer-hotties]

The Long Covid Groups say patients are being abandoned as dedicated clinics close despite a rise in UK cases - Published Sept 8, 2024

As the UK Covid-19 Inquiry resumes with a focus on healthcare systems in each of the four nations, the Long Covid Groups (comprising Long Covid Support, Long Covid SOS, Long Covid Physio and Long Covid Kids) are shocked and deeply concerned to learn that Long Covid clinics are being closed at a time when reported cases are continuing to rise.

Charities and many medical experts have long maintained we are in the midst of a global health crisis. Without a concerted effort to address this issue, the closures will only add to the significant burdens already being faced by healthcare systems and economies.

Recent data from the US has suggested that Long Covid may affect up to 7% of the population and prevalence could rise further. The latest ONS updates have shown that incidence of long-term sickness is at record levels and has been on an upward trajectory since early 2020. Staff shortages and high levels of school absenteeism are frequently reported across the UK. The annual productivity loss in the UK resulting from Long Covid is currently estimated to be £1.5 billion.

This stark picture contrasts with the lack of support Long Covid patients are receiving. At the start of the year, there were close to 100 Long Covid clinics for adults and 13 hubs for children and young people (CYP) in England. Earlier this year however, the highly regarded NHS England national programme was stood down with responsibility for Long Covid services being delegated to each of the Integrated Care Boards (ICBs). In recent months, patients and staff have reported the closure and a severe scaling back of clinics including Devon, Hampshire, Hertfordshire, Lancashire and Surrey. Key personnel and resources are being subsumed into other NHS services and, in some cases, staff are leaving the NHS altogether. Some CYP hubs are being forced to take on patients from those that have already closed with no extra funding.

In the other UK nations, the provision of Long Covid services is individual to each health board with no centrally agreed model on what Long Covid clinics should look like. They mostly focus on therapies designed to help patients manage their conditions rather than being clinician led. There is only one service dedicated to paediatrics in Scotland with none in Northern Ireland and Wales.

The Long Covid Groups urge all governments and healthcare providers to adopt a service model that prioritises dedicated clinics supported by experienced clinician-led, multidisciplinary teams. Given the complexity and multi-faceted nature of the condition, the Long Covid Groups stress that specialists from each of the relevant disciplines should work collaboratively. In partnership with patients, they call for a healthcare framework that is dedicated to successfully diagnosing, treating and preventing Long Covid; this will contribute towards relieving the operational and financial pressures on the NHS.

Amitava Banerjee, Professor of Clinical Data Science and Honorary Consultant Cardiologist & Long Covid SOS Trustee

“The evidence for the health, healthcare and economic effects of Long Covid, whether on individuals or societies, is unequivocal. Therefore, we must ensure that coordinated research and care are prioritised for Long Covid."

Sammie McFarland, CEO & Founder, Long Covid Kids

"Appropriate funding and resources would provide clinicians with the best possible opportunity to improve patients' lives, but this hasn't been forthcoming. Rising school absenteeism and Long Covid in children are red flags demanding immediate action. Closing specialised clinics risks creating a healthcare vacuum with far-reaching consequences for healthcare, education, families, and the future workforce."

Professor Mark Faghy, Vice-Chair of Long Covid Physio

“The scaling back and closure of services around the UK at a time when the prevalence of Long Covid is rising seems counterintuitive. Before these decisions were made, there were calls from patients and healthcare workers to grow services and ensure consistency across the UK but it seems to be going the other way.”

Nikki Smith, Founding Member, Long Covid Support

“With many people now getting Covid-19 multiple times, the risk of having on-going symptoms of Long Covid is increasing, which will result in more pressure on the NHS, fewer people able to work and an even bigger hit on the economy. It must be a priority of our new public service Government to ensure effective Long Covid clinics that are up to date with the latest research, are accessible by all.”

[coochiequeens]

Australia enough already. This is the fourth story from Down Under in a week.

By Genevieve Gluck August 29, 2024

A high-risk and serial sex offender who preys on children has been accused of running a child abuse ring from within a male prison in New South Wales. Media reports have referred to Dean Angus Bell, 31, as “female” on the basis that he began claiming to be transgender behind bars and adopted the name “Jessica Isabelle Rose.”

On August 27, Bell was arrested at Junee Correctional Facility following a four-month investigation into the production and distribution of child sexual abuse material among fellow inmates. He has been charged with eight counts of producing child abuse material, eight counts of disseminating child abuse material, and knowingly or recklessly directing a criminal group.

As reported by Daily Mail Australia, Bell referred to himself as the “Leader of the Pack,” with the “pack” involving a group of male inmates accused of sharing letters with each other which detailed graphic descriptions of first-hand experiences of sexually abusing children, along with plans to commit additional rapes upon release. NSW Police stated that murder was mentioned in one of the letters.

Bell, currently incarcerated for breaching an extended supervision order by accessing child sexual abuse material, is said to have run the group from his prison cell. He appeared in Wagga Wagga Local Court on Tuesday accused of running the child abuse ring and will return to court in October.

But despite his lengthy record of sexually abusing children, Daily Mail Australia referred to Bell as a “notorious female pedophile” and “Ms. Rose” in their recent report – even though five years ago, a now-deleted Daily Mail article about Bell referred to him as a male.

Bell, who is officially classified as a high-risk sex offender, has been in and out of jail since the age of 18. In 2013, at the age of 20, he was found to have been using social media to groom a 13 year-old boy for sexual abuse.

In September of 2014, Bell contacted a 14-year-old girl, who he attempted to have convince her friend, another 13-year-old boy, to perform sex acts on him in exchange for $100, cigarettes, and drugs. Additionally, Bell was found in possession of child sexual abuse material, and had been taking photos of children in public.

Reduxx also discovered an X account from that period which appears to have belonged to Bell and uses a childhood photo of himself as a profile picture. Posts made to the account show his obsession with Justin Bieber, and Bell inviting followers to participate in video chats with him.

The child sexual predator was then sent back to prison for a minimum of two years and was released on June 19, 2017, but within hours, was discovered to have again tried to establish contact with the same 13 year-old boy. In a text message sent to the boy’s friend, he described being “depressed” at not being able to see the child, and his contact sent him the boy’s phone number. The incident was reported to police by the boy’s mother after she found a text message Bell sent to her son.

Once again, Bell was sent back to jail for 13 months, and scheduled for release in July of 2018.

A risk assessment report on Bell’s behavior conducted by expert psychologists at the time concluded, “Compared to other adult male sex offenders, Bell’s score is in the 99th percentile,” labeling him a high-risk sex offender.

“It is concerning that, despite having spent 21 months in custody for interactions with persons under the age of 18, one of Bell’s first actions after release from custody was to ‘allegedly’ attempt to contact his victim,” the report read.

Disturbingly, the next year, Bell was found to be living next to a day care center, primary school and high school, prompting concerned residents to organize a petition to have him removed from the area. The petition received nearly 30,000 signatures.

Bell is not the first sadistic Australian pedophile to be referred to as a “female” by media, obfuscating his birth sex and misleading readers.

As previously reported by Reduxx, another Aussie predator who was found to be facilitating child sexual abuse while behind bars was similarly treated as a “woman” by both courts and the press.

Robert Gordon Cummins was in custody on child sex offenses at Perth’s maximum-security Casuarina Prison when he devised a scheme to establish a child sex trafficking ring in Thailand upon his release. Along with two other inmates, Cummins schemed to set up a doll-making business called “Little Angels” as a cover, with the intention of employing low-income women from rural areas in order to gain access to their children.

After he was released on parole in 2008, Cummins became the “pipeline” for carrying out the plan, and began researching properties for sale and information about false passports while contacting Thai mothers whose children were being considered for potential abuse. Cummins also sent financial contributions to the impoverished women to build up their trust.

In exchange for pleading guilty, testifying in court, and confessing to the plan, Cummins was handed a reduced sentence of two years and seven months. He was released the day after the trial ended in September 2012, but would go on to be convicted of further sex crimes in later years.

[ititledit]

Terrible headline choice, but overall I'm glad child free women are getting some mainstream coverage

________________

The number of women choosing not to have children is growing and the global birth rate is plunging.

While their reasons vary from climate worries to financial concerns and health complications, those making the decision to be "child-free by choice" say societal acceptance is yet to come, often leaving them feeling ostracised.

The BBC spoke to members of Bristol Childfree Women, a social group with more than 500 members, set up by women and for women who have decided not to have children.

While Caroline Mitchell always knew she never wanted children, she wasn't prepared for how hard reaching "child-bearing age" would be.

The 46-year-old, who lives with her husband in Brislington, Bristol, said while it never bothered her when she was younger, she had not anticipated the barrage of personal questions she would face as friends and acquaintances started to have children.

"I have felt like a freak because of it," she said.

"I feel like my perspective and my experience is just not acceptable."

In Caroline's eyes, society is set up for motherhood.

"You realise how you're quite excluded from a lot of life," she said.

"It's really hard for me to meet people, because it's all about the women you meet at the school gates or the writing clubs for mums."

Caroline said she thinks that sometimes women with children believe the "whole world" is set up for child-free women.

"Actually, it's really exclusionary," she said.

Many in her circle of friends have children and while they have never knowingly done anything to make her feel different, she says, the fact they are "all doing one thing" and she is doing another has been "quite hard".

While Caroline is "100% certain" and "very comfortable" in her identity, she admits she has, on occasion, “agonised" about her decision.

She said that was down to the "cultural expectation" of what was normal and the concept that if you were a woman, having a child was "the natural thing to do".

Official figures released in 2022, external show record numbers of women are reaching the age of 30 child-free.

More than half (50.1%) of women in England and Wales born in 1990 were without a child when they turned 30 in 2020, the first generation to do so, according to the Office for National Statistics.

Megan Stanley, who is originally from Oxfordshire and lives in Bristol, was so certain about her decision to not have children, she has been trying to get sterilised since the age of 19.

When it comes to her painful periods, Megan said it feels "cruel" to go through the "suffering every single month for a body function" she feels she does not need.

"I know that sterilisation doesn't solve periods but it does alleviate a lot of those major symptoms," she said.

But the 31-year-old said she has come up against hurdle after hurdle.

“The doctors would say ‘you're still a bit young’ or ‘you might change your mind’,” she said.

The furthest Megan got was when she was 29 and had an appointment with a surgeon.

"I'd prepared everything - my medical history, prepared all my line of reasoning. I'd even gone as far as to get a testimony from the therapist I was seeing. I'd gone the full mile," she said.

However, permission was not granted once the gynaecologist asked about her relationship status.

"At the time I'd been dating my now long-term partner for maybe three months," Megan said.

She told the doctor that her partner also definitely did not want children and he had already had a vasectomy.

Megan said the doctor then told her that if her partner had a vasectomy, “then you don't need to have this done, do you?"

It was then that Megan said she realised it was "inescapable" and they were "just not going to do it".

"Why should what happens to my body be beholden to what he's done to his?" she said.

"It's got to the point now where I long for the menopause. That's what I'm looking forward to."

Caroline believes women without children may be “complicit” in keeping cultural expectations as they are.

"We don't talk about it - so there's still this thought that it's what everyone does," she said.

"Motherhood is just everywhere all the time, in your face."

She said it was hard not fitting in with the "norm of society" and at times, she had wished she was "different".

"My life would have been easier in some ways," she said.

Yet for many women, whatever choices they make, they seem to beat themselves up about it and "seem to be not very accepting of everyone's choice", Caroline added.

Fiona Powley said she knew she did not want to be a mother from the age of 12 after seeing her own mum struggle with motherhood.

“I just thought motherhood didn't look like lot of fun," she said.

Now 49, Fiona runs the Bristol Childfree Women group, external and while she is currently experiencing menopausal symptoms, she has "no panicking feeling" that she did not use her ability to reproduce.

"It feels very comfortable," she said.

Ironically Fiona now looks at herself and thinks she could have actually done “quite a good job of parenting" but she "never really wanted it enough".

However, like Caroline and Megan she said new people she meets can react negatively when she tells them she chose not to have children.

“There's being told you'll regret it. What's your point of existing? If you don't have children you're not valid as a woman," Fiona said.

Fiona has even been called "selfish" and some have questioned who will look after her when she is old.

“It's almost like people feel uncomfortable," she said.

“It's probably because it never occurred to them that they also had a choice.”

Megan can sympathise.

In the past, the reaction to her not wanting children has been quite "visceral", she said.

She claims some people have painted her as "a child-hater, or a mean person” because of it.

"I think my not wanting kids is just an innate thing to who I am," she said.

Fiona said there were so many reasons why people decide not to have children.

Looking back, she thinks her own reasons were "probably quite unhealthy", but she knows that she is not going to "suddenly wake up as an old lady and feel bitter and regret".

Caroline said she would be a "resentful mother", adding there were a "huge amount of upsides" to not having children, like focusing her time on her relationship with her husband and her hobbies.

Megan agrees.

“There’s a lot of joy to be had in not having kids," she said.

“It isn't all about freedom and money. It's about choice."

[dream-in-fall]

The theory of "The Hidden Morse Messages"

These people have done a unique work. They discovered and deciphered The Hidden Morse Messages.

@theastrophysicistnextdoor

Here's my theory "The Hidden Morse Messages."

1 SHE’S IN MA PHONE (or He's) Ma phone is an outdated name for a magnetophone. During World War 2, german engineers developed a device for recording sound on magnetic tape.

Crowley uses such a device and even gets inside - into it magnetic field. Together with Hastur. And we know that you can get stuck there, just like Hastur got stuck. Who exactly is this "She" or "He" who is in the "ma phone", I do not know yet. Perhaps the "dreadful eternity" itself.

2 HAVE A DREADFUL ETERNITY

- it is said to someone who is stuck in this "dreadful eternity"

- it is said about some eternity that has become dreadful, because it has become closed perhaps. (It's a little difficult, I know).

3 TOMMY’S A LEGEND I think we're talking about Tommy Westphall here. And about Tommy Westphall universe hypothesis.

In short, there is a kind of crossover of all (or many) shows /series in the consciousness of Tommy Westphall. A little more: In a 2003 article published on BBC News Online, St. Elsewhere writer Tom Fontana was quoted as saying "Someone did the math once… and something like 90 percent of all [American] television took place in Tommy Westphall's mind. God love him."[9] (link 2) When directing episodes for the eighth series of the revived Doctor Who in 2014, Ben Wheatley had the art department create a replica of Tommy Westphall's snowglobe, which Wheatley placed in the TARDIS set as a reference to the hypothesis.[11] (link 2)

4 PAUL’S OUR MIXING HERO Re-recording mixer Paul McFadden. He was actively involved in the creation of a huge of TV series. This man literally lives in the universe of a TV show. (Tommy Westphall universe).

He was not only a sound engineer, but also a dialogue editor. I wouldn't be surprised if he is the co-creator of this magic (secret dialogues and hidden hints).

5 HEAVEN LOOKS DOWN ON YOU BECAUSE YOU ARE PATHETIC ABANDON ALL HOPE YE WHO ENTER HERE CHEER UP IT’S ONLY ETERNAL DAMNATION DO NOT LICK THE WALLS

Here is one of my generalizing theories of Morse messages. We are really stuck in the universe of Good Omens, like a hellish web. This universe is full of references to literature, music, series and movies. In addition, a large of dialogues in the series are written in such a way that you can read between the lines and find new meanings. We literally "lick the walls." That is, we examine every pixel on every damn frame. Heaven (the creators) suggests that we give up all hope of saving our long-suffering souls. But they cheer us up - it's a sweet eternal damnation. Heaven looks down on us because we will never be able to find all the hidden meanings.

In this post: 20% jokes 5% sarcasm 20% pathos 100% love and admiration for the creators of Good Omens 40% hope to find another meaning of these secret messages 15% of the fatigue from Googling.

p.s. I'm going to formulate a more complex theory, good luck to me

[your-divine-ribs]

Beach Life Part 1

Words: 3.2k

I got a few requests ages ago to write a beach picnic and skinny dipping with Van and this is part 1 of that I wrote a while ago // hopefully I’ll get part 2 written at some point // just fluff, friends to lovers 🩵

Imagines Masterlist Main Masterlist

The sky is pure cerulean with not a cloud in sight, the air warm with a gentle breeze that caresses your skin as you exit your friend's house with him, making your way down the driveway to where his car's parked kerbside. Beautiful sun-kissed days like this are a rare occurrence in this most typical British Summer where reports of 'highest rainfall ever recorded' have been dampening your mood, so when the highly anticipated forecasted heatwave hits the North Wales coast you jump at the chance for a beach day, much to Van's dismay.

"It's too bloody hot," he grumbles, pulling on the collar of his t-shirt with one hand and fanning himself ineffectually with the other. "You know I'm not made for beach life don't ya love?"

You laugh, taking in his flushed appearance and his lily-white legs that look like they've never seen the sun before today. "Oh stop complaining you mardy bugger! It's gorgeous weather. You really look like you could use some sunshine too!"

You purposefully look down at his pale legs peeking below his shorts, giggling, which earns you a gentle nudge in the ribs. "Oi! We can't all be bronzed and beautiful!"

"Don't worry, I've packed the factor 50," you smirk, patting the large beach bag which is slung over your shoulder as you make your way around to the passenger side, then you lower your voice but make sure that Van can still hear you. "Although I think factor 100 would have been more fitting!"

He narrows his eyes at you over the roof of the car. "Keep teasing me and you're gonna be in big trouble!" He warns playfully.

It's not a long drive to the beach thankfully as Van has no air conditioning so you crank the windows fully down, letting the wind blast in and toss your hair wildly around. You have The Strokes Heart In A Cage blaring out of the car's tinny speakers and you're both nodding your heads and singing along. There's a heady atmosphere in the air and it's not just the heat, this day feels full of the promise of something... the excitement of spending the day together with no interruptions and no band interference. It's a rare occurrence as since Van's debut album was released it seems like everyone wants a piece of him and you're relishing having him all to yourself.

You've been friends with him for three months now since you moved here from London after your parent's acrimonious divorce. You'd struck up a friendship when you'd moved into a small cottage across the road from him and his best friend Larry. He'd spotted you and your mum struggling with furniture on moving day, both of you stubborn enough to try and do everything yourselves without the help of 'useless men' as your mum had phrased it. But of course how could you resist the kind offer of help from the enthusiastic lad with the scruffy hair and the slightly crooked smile? He'd come bounding over the road with offers of assistance and cups of tea, eyes bright as he'd chatted away, his affable, friendly manner impossible not to instantly warm to. Since then you'd practically been inseparable... when Van's band commitments hadn't impinged of course.

"Here we are!" Van announces as he turns on to an narrow unmade road, the car bouncing around as it rolls slowly over the bumpy terrain.

You glance around, taking in your surroundings, feeling confused. "It's the wrong turning, the beach car park's further down the road. It's at least a few more miles."

"Nah, we're not going there," Van replies, and you wait for him to elaborate but he doesn't, he just carries on driving with a smug grin on his face like he's in on some secret that you're not privy to.

"Well where are we going then? This doesn't lead anywhere! It's probably the driveway to some farmhouse or something."

"Just you wait and see..."

Van tries to inject some mystery into his voice but you hate surprises. You turn this way and that, seeing nothing but rolling fields on either side. You can clearly see the sea up ahead but the track gets even narrower, barely big enough for the car to fit through, the branches from prickly bushes intruding through the open windows. You yelp as one of them brushes your bare arm, lightly scratching you.

"Where the hell are we going? It's probably private property. We could be trespassing. We might..."

Your words catch in your throat as Van steers around a tight bend in the road and all of a sudden you're faced with a breathtaking view of the beach and the sea beyond a small hedgerow. Van pulls up quickly, turning off the ignition and turning to you.

"What d'ya reckon then? My dad told me about this place. It's a way off from the main tourist area so it's usually dead quiet."

You stretch up in your seat, trying to get a clearer view of the beach, unconvinced that there won't be hordes of holiday makers there in this glorious weather. You can't see anyone but you're sure that as soon as you make your way down over the dunes it'll be just as busy as the main seafront.

"Well it looks good from here..."

You grab your beach bag from the footwell, exiting the car quickly, excited to get to the beach. Family holidays were few and far between whilst you were growing up due to the rift in your parents' relationship so you rarely ventured out of the city. Now you live on the coast you spend as much time as you can on the beach regardless of the weather. There's something so calming about being near the sea, looking out on the huge aquamarine expanse and watching the steady swells rise and fall, hearing the waves crashing on to the shore and feeling the sand between your toes.

Van doesn't share your love of the coast though. Growing up in a small seaside town as an aspiring musician he's always been quite vocal about how much he'd wanted to get out his whole life and into the big, wide world. Even now he's made it and his life is full of touring and visiting far flung cities he still complains when you drag him for walks on the beach whenever he's home. So you were particularly surprised when you'd suggested spending a whole afternoon by the sea and he'd actually agreed, although reluctantly, even offering to bring along a picnic.

"You carry on," Van calls as he walks around to open the boot of the car. "Just have to get a few things. I'll catch you up. The path there leads right down to the beach."

You don't hesitate, eager to see for yourself this hidden gem that Van's found, picking your way carefully down the narrow stoney path that he's indicated. It's only a short distance to the sand and as soon as your feet sink into it you're kicking off your sandals, smiling up into the warm sunshine, breathing in the salty air.

"What d'ya think then? Good, eh?"

Van comes to stand beside you, laden down with a huge picnic hamper and a folded chequered blanket tucked under his arm, a huge smile on his face and his eyes wide in anticipation as he waits for your reaction.

And it's not just good. It's perfect. You're speechless for a moment, taking in the expanse of sand, the sun shining on the glittered emerald sea, the only sounds the waves gently breaking on the shore and the faint cry of gulls as they wheel and dip in the sky. There's not a soul in sight, and you can't quite believe that you have the whole beach to yourselves. Normally you're fighting for a spot amongst a crowd of sun-seeking holiday-makers, sharing your space with bickering families and screeching toddlers, all desperate for that slice of the great British seaside holiday. It's hardly idyllic though. It pales in comparison to the scene before your eyes.

"Oh Van, it's beautiful... it's perfect. I really didn't believe it when you said it'd be so quiet. I'm just expecting hordes of tourists to come rushing down over those dunes at any moment."

"Knew you'd like it love. And don't worry, no one comes here... apart from me mum and dad. They come here all the time to walk Little Mary. You know how she loves the beach, but dogs aren't allowed on the main beach in town."

You giggle as you recall the few times you've volunteered to take Mary for walks, the way she gets so excitable when there's crowds of people around.

"It's probably just as well, can you imagine her on that crowded beach?"

Van laughs too, placing the picnic hamper down on the sand and grabbing the edge of the blanket to shake it out. "Yeah, for saying she's so tiny she's definitely got big dog energy!"

You dart forward to grasp the opposite edge of the blanket before the breeze can snatch it away, stretching it out and bending down to place it on the sand as Van does the same. You're just smoothing out the wrinkles as Van rises up and by some embarrassingly timely stroke of fate, a large gust of wind whips up behind you, taking the hem of your flimsy sundress and flipping it up around your hips.

You straighten up in an instant, red-faced and gasping, trying to cover your modesty whilst you resemble Marilyn Monroe in her iconic pose, albeit a much less sultry version.

"Ah shit, where the hell did that wind come from?"

Your eyes dart to Van who's staring at you with eyes like saucers, his jaw hanging agape, until he clocks you've noticed him looking and he turns away, embarrassed. You quickly sit down, smoothing down your dress.

"Maybe I should have worn my bikini underneath," you giggle as he turns back, warily, looking a little flustered.

"Yeah, fuckin' hell I got a right eyeful then!" He chuckles, then a mischievous glint lights up his eyes as he adds, "not that I'm complaining!"

Your cheeks flush even more at his cheeky comment and you look down, unsure how to react, opting to just laugh it off, digging in your beach bag as a distraction, taking out your sun cream.

"Bloody perv!" You giggle, watching him sink down on to the blanket next to you.

Even though you and Van are just friends there's definitely been something simmering between the two of you for a while now. Van's an affectionate person and he's always been touchy-feely with you, but a casual arm slung over your shoulder has definitely lingered longer than normal the past few weeks, a guiding hand on the small of your back as you make your way through crowds at a gig has more often than not found it's way curled around your waist. The most recent development is the cheeky comments that have been fired at you left, right and centre. You've often wondered whether Van's just testing the water, seeing how you'll react. He knows you didn't only leave your childhood home behind when you moved from London, but also a disastrous relationship. Your last boyfriend, and the only one you'd ever had, was a serial cheater and a womaniser. He'd treated you like dirt and you're still smarting from it three months on, reliving the bitter heartbreak whenever you consider moving on and starting to date again.

But you have been considering it... a lot recently thanks to Van's attentions.

"Hope you packed your bikini anyway, gonna get you in the sea later," he says, fingers working on the catches of the picnic hamper.

"You... going in the sea? But you hate it. You've always moaned when I've suggested it before."

He shrugs. "Just fancy it today. It's not normally warm enough for swimming, but it's fucking roasting today."

"Well I didn't bring it, I'll just have to watch you. I can paddle on the shore. It's no big deal."

Van stops what he's doing and turns to face you. "Oh no, you're not getting out of it. You're coming in, even if I have to pick you up and dump you in fully dressed!"

"Fuck off!" You laugh, squirting sun cream on your left arm and starting to rub it in. "You wouldn't dare!"

"Try me!"

"You know I'll kick your ass if you pull anything like that!" You grin, then your conversation turns to good-natured banter, back and forth and back again, each one of you firing out cheeky insults about who'd get the upper hand if you were to get embroiled in a fight.

You're both laughing freely until Van drops a bombshell that's implied as a joke, but actually you're pretty sure he's deadly serious about the suggestion.

"I guess we could just go skinny dipping!"

You laugh so hard it comes out like a snort, raising up your hand to cover your mouth. It's a ridiculous idea but you can't deny the way the idea's made your pulse quicken, images racing through your head of Van's naked body brushing up against yours in the cool water.

"Ha ha yeah I can just see that, we'd probably get arrested for indecent exposure!"

"By who?" Van grins, holding up his hands to indicate the empty beach. "There's no one around. It's deserted. No one would see us."

Oh shit... he is actually serious...

Your heart's started thumping now, your palms feeling clammy. You wipe them surreptitiously on your dress, wondering how to respond. Token gestures of affection and playful flirting are one thing, getting naked in front of one of your closest friends who you're definitely attracted to is another.

You decide to play it safe and make a joke out of it. "Knowing our luck we'd strip off and your mum and dad will have decided it's a lovely day to bring Little Mary for a walk!"

Van's grin widens at the thought and he starts chuckling loudly, but when his laughter dies away he still seems keen. "That'd be a bloody nightmare! No chance of them turning up today though. My grandad's down for the weekend and he's staying at theirs."

"That'd be even worse, imagine your grandad catching us in the buff!"

"Fucks sake, if he saw my skinny white naked ass it'd probably finish him off!"

You both burst into fits of laughter, hysterically so, laughing so hard that your stomachs are aching and you have tears rolling down your cheeks. It disperses the tension though, Van focussing his attention back on to the picnic hamper again once you've both calmed down.

Van's never been one to brag about his culinary skills, in fact it's usually the opposite, so it had surprised you when he'd insisted on preparing a picnic hamper. You watch him, full of curiosity as he opens up the wicker lid, delving inside and bringing out various Tupperware containers.

"Someone's been busy," you comment, impressed as he lays the containers on the blanket, then he produces a bottle with a flourish. "Oh my god is that champagne?"

"Uh-huh," he nods. "Only the best for you Y/N."

"Aww thank you," you smile coyly, taking a plastic champagne flute off him when he offers it to you. He really has thought of everything. "So what's this all in aid of anyway?"

Van sets about removing the foil from the top of the bottle and twisting the cork. "Well... I know you've been feeling down about that idiot boyfriend of yours..."

"EX-boyfriend," you quickly correct him, noting his smile.

"Yeah... EX-boyfriend... AND a little bird told me it's your birthday next week..."

"Who told you that?" Your eyes widen in shock.

"Your mum... I saw her mowing the front lawn last week and she just happened to tell me. Thought a little celebration might be in order."

"Awww thank you, that's so sweet. You really didn't need to go to all this trouble though."

"I know," he smiles back at you. "I wanted to though."

You feel a warm glow pass through you at the sentiment, knowing that he's done all of this for you. After a few twists the cork bursts from the bottle with force, making you yelp in surprise. Immediately the frothy liquid begins to bubble over the top so you dart forward a hand with your glass to catch it, both laughing as it rises quickly up the thin glass and trickles over into your lap, soaking you.

"Ahhh shit, sorry!" He laughs, his hand moving forward to brush the damp material which is draped across your thighs, lingering a little too long as your eyes meet and you look away to hide a blush.

"S'okay, it'll dry quick in this heat," you assure him, reaching for one of the plastic tubs as a distraction which thankfully works, Van eager to show off all the treats that he's prepared.

He's really gone to town. There's sandwiches with several fillings, all cut up and stacked neatly in one container, chopped up salad vegetables with some kind of dip, quiches and crackers and other savoury nibbles, and even various fruits in another container.

"Oh wow strawberries!" You exclaim, reaching forward to grab one excitedly. "I've had such a craving for these all week! You must be a mind reader. All this is great... really. Did you do it all yourself?"

He nods enthusiastically before cracking a grin and reaching for a strawberry himself. "Well... I guess I might have had a little help. Larry might've lent a hand."

More like Larry did everything, you think, but you don't say anything, not wanting to take away from the sweet gesture that Van's made in treating you.

"These are so good!"

The strawberries are heavenly, huge ripe fruits bursting with flavour and so juicy that as soon as you bite into one the juice is dripping down your chin. You giggle, embarrassed by the mess you're making, shooting up a hand to wipe the stickiness from your skin. "Oh my god, just look at the state of me!"

Van is looking, a lot closer than you realise. In fact he can't take his eyes off you, the way the strawberry juice stains your lips. They're as plush and ripe as the fruit itself, and he wonders whether they'd taste the same. Probably even sweeter, he muses.

He teases you as you wipe at your face, only managing to smear the red syrup further over your chin. He grabs for a napkin and raises up his hand to dab at the mess, leaning right in, close enough to make you suck in a breath which you try to hide with another shy giggle.

"What a mess, can't take you anywhere," he teases. "First you get covered in champagne and now you're all sticky."

"Hold on, you're the one who covered me in champagne!"

"Don't worry, you can just wash it all off in the sea later..."

[princesscatherinemiddleton]

Princess of Wales - 2023 Statistics (FULL YEAR)

In 2023, the new Princess of Wales completed (by my count) 137 engagements. While this is around 30 engagements fewer than 2022, 2023 is still Catherine's second busiest year and - by far - her year with the most appearances not in the Court Circular. As well as this, she was sighted (or appeared) 17 times and appeared in a whopping 43 official (or unofficial and leaked!) photographs.

She gained three new military positions throughout the year and finished with 29 patronages. Of her 137 engagements, 76 were related to one of her patronages, averaging at one patronage visit every 2 engagements. Her most visited patronage was, of course, the Royal Foundation of the Prince and Princess of Wales, with 48 visits. This was followed by the Rugby Football Union and the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club (with 4 visits each). She performed no engagements on behalf of Action for Children, The Air Cadet Organisation (she visited the air cadets during her visit to RAF Fairford, but this was not recorded as an official engagement), EACH, Family Action, the Maternal Mental Health Alliance, the Natural History Museum, NHS Charities Together (although she met with NHS workers to celebrate the NHS's 75th birthday), Place2Be, RAF Coningsby, the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, the Royal Photographic Society, or the 1851 Trust.

Of her engagements, 70 have been solo and 41 accompanied by her husband, the Prince of Wales. Three were also with her children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis, five with a range of foreign royals, as well as 16 with either the whole or most of the working British Royal Family, and two with both foreign royals and members of the BRF.

118 of her engagements physically took place in England, with all bar 3 physically occuring in the United Kingdom (with none in the Republic of Ireland). Of the 118 engagements which took place in England, 37 occured in London and 51 in Windsor. Catherine’s engagements also took her to 31 other areas of the UK. Catherine also performed engagements in Wales and Scotland. Catherine also undertook two engagements in France (for the Rugby World Cup) and one in Jordan (Crown Prince Hussein's wedding).

During the year, she performed engagements on a variety of themes. 42 of those engagements were predominantly related to her Early Years initiative, while 12 were linked to the military and 11 linked to culture, sport and diplomacy apiece. 10 engagements were specifically linked to the Coronation, while she also completed 9 engagements linked to mental health, 7 linked to children and young people, 3 linked to the outdoors, and 2 linked to the Commonwealth. Catherine also completed 19 engagements which could not otherwise be categorised.

Clotheswise, her most worn designer has been Alexander McQueen, with 28 outfits, followed by 14 outfits from Holland Cooper, while 11 items of clothing were unidentified. Her most carried bag designer was Mulberry (11), followed by Emmy London with 6, and 1 which was unidentifed. Mulberry has been her most carried bag designer in every year apart from 2020. Her most worn shoe designer continued being Gianvito Rossi (with 39 wears), followed by 8 pairs from Emmy London, and 6 from both Veja and Aquazzura. Once again, Catherine predominantly wore pieces inherited from either Diana (10) or the Queen (16). Aside from them, she also wore Daniela Draper jewellery 12 times. When it comes to accessories, her most worn item was her Anderson's belt (6 times), and she continued to return to hats made by Philip Treacy (6 times). She also wore 9 unidentified pieces. According to my (100% wrong) calculations - created from my own criteria (where items are counted each time she wears them), she wore £65,669.41 worth of new clothes this year and £267,495.29 worth of clothes in total.

[my-vanishing-777]

A high-risk and serial sex offender who preys on children has been accused of running a child abuse ring from within a male prison in New South Wales. Media reports have referred to Dean Angus Bell, 31, as “female” on the basis that he began claiming to be transgender behind bars and adopted the name “Jessica Isabelle Rose.”

On August 27, Bell was arrested at Junee Correctional Facility following a four-month investigation into the production and distribution of child sexual abuse material among fellow inmates. He has been charged with eight counts of producing child abuse material, eight counts of disseminating child abuse material, and knowingly or recklessly directing a criminal group.

As reported by Daily Mail Australia, Bell referred to himself as the “Leader of the Pack,” with the “pack” involving a group of male inmates accused of sharing letters with each other which detailed graphic descriptions of first-hand experiences of sexually abusing children, along with plans to commit additional rapes upon release. NSW Police stated that murder was mentioned in one of the letters.

Bell, currently incarcerated for breaching an extended supervision order by accessing child sexual abuse material, is said to have run the group from his prison cell. He appeared in Wagga Wagga Local Court on Tuesday accused of running the child abuse ring and will return to court in October.

But despite his lengthy record of sexually abusing children, Daily Mail Australia referred to Bell as a “notorious female pedophile” and “Ms. Rose” in their recent report – even though five years ago, a now-deleted Daily Mail article about Bell referred to him as a male.

Bell, who is officially classified as a high-risk sex offender, has been in and out of jail since the age of 18. In 2013, at the age of 20, he was found to have been using social media to groom a 13 year-old boy for sexual abuse.

In September of 2014, Bell contacted a 14-year-old girl, who he attempted to have convince her friend, another 13-year-old boy, to perform sex acts on him in exchange for $100, cigarettes, and drugs. Additionally, Bell was found in possession of child sexual abuse material, and had been taking photos of children in public.

Reduxx also discovered an X account from that period which appears to have belonged to Bell and uses a childhood photo of himself as a profile picture. Posts made to the account show his obsession with Justin Bieber, and Bell inviting followers to participate in video chats with him.

[blueiscoool]

A Roman Tiny Tortoise Figurine Found in England

In July last year, a small Roman copper alloy tortoise or turtle figurine was discovered by metal detectors near the village of Wickham Skeith in Suffolk, England.

There is no exact date, but experts date it to the early 2nd century AD, as a similar example was unearthed in settlement layers dating to around 100-400 AD during excavations in the Roman city of Colchester.

At just over one inch long and just under one inch wide, the figurine’s body is shaped like a typical turtle/tortoise shell, sub-circular in plan and D-shaped in section. While the top of the shell is very worn, it appears to have once been decorated with two sets of crescent-shaped grooves, positioned on either side of the midpoint. The figurine has a crudely shaped head protruding from the apex of the shell, and four feet projecting from the sides. The left forelimb seems to have been broken away some time ago, leaving only a short stump. There is also a small tail on the lower edge. The underside of the shell is flat and does not appear to have been decorated.

Tortoises or turtles were most often associated with the god Mercury in the Roman world and Mercury is often found accompanied by turtles/tortoises in iconography. Mercury was the god of commerce, communication and travellers. A possible reason for the association with Mercury was that tortoise shells were used for making lyres, stringed musical instruments used in antiquity, the invention of which is attributed to Mercury in mythology. It may have been associated with Sabazios, too, a god of the Phrygians and Thracians.

Metal detectorists who report their finds to the Finds Recording Team have resulted in an increasing corpus of Roman turtle/tortoise figurines in recent years. Several similar figurines have also been recorded in Suffolk, near Barking, and near Little Blakenham by the Portable Antiquities Scheme over the years.

The wee tortoise was reported to the Suffolk Finds Liaison of the Portable Antiquities Scheme for documentation and has now been returned to the finder.

The Portable Antiquities Scheme is an initiative to encourage the recording of archaeological objects found by members of the public in England and Wales.

By oguz kayra.

[senditothemoonn]

I LOVE YOUR ART!!! The recent Britbros art you did has me SOBBING, I 100% agree with your headcanon - they would 100% be so very competitive!!! I must ask-! Is France ever invited to those game nights? I feel like Scotland would love to invite France - but France would be like 'absolutely not, i have see ur brother vault across a table because someone took his knight. i am not going.'

OH MY GODHHDJDBDHF I LOVE THE IDEA OF FRANCE COMING TO THE BOARD GAME NIGHT

And he for sure would be incredibly wary, knowing England's track record. I can see Scotland forcing his brothers to invite France and England agreeing on the condition that he chooses the game. He goes with Twister in the hopes that France will break an arm or something.

Of course it's England who ends up in the emergency room after throwing his middle aged back out. Cue four looks of superiority and one of pity (thank you, Wales) and now I am having URGES to draw these losers playing Twister omg

[haveyoureadthistransbook]

Believe Me: A Memoir of Love, Death and Jazz Chickens by Suzy Izzard

goodreads

Critically acclaimed, award-winning British comedian and actor Suzy Izzard details her childhood, her first performances on the streets of London, her ascent to worldwide success on stage and screen, and her comedy shows which have won over audiences around the world. Over the course of a thirty-year career, Suzy Izzard has proven herself to be a creative chameleon, inhabiting the stage and film and television screen with an unbelievable fervor. Born in Yemen, and raised in Ireland, Wales and post-war England, she lost her mother at the age of six. In her teens, she dropped out of university and took to the streets of London as part of a two-person escape act; when her partner went on vacation, Izzard kept busy by inventing a one-person act, and thus a career was ignited. As a stand-up comedian, Izzard has captivated audiences with her surreal, stream-of-consciousness comedy--lines such as "Cake or Death?" "Death Star Canteen," and "Do You Have a Flag?" have the status of great rock lyrics. As a self-proclaimed "Executive Transvestite," Izzard broke the mold performing in full make-up and heels, and has become as famous for her advocacy for LGBT rights as she has for her art. In Believe Me, she recounts the dizzying rise she made from street busking to London's West End, to Wembley Stadium and New York's Madison Square Garden. Still performing more than 100 shows a year--thus far in a record-breaking twenty-eight countries worldwide--Izzard is arguably one of today's top Kings of Comedy. With her brand of keenly intelligent humor, that ranges from world history to pop culture, politics and philosophy, she has built an extraordinary fan base that transcends age, gender, and race. Writing with the same candor and razor-sharp insight evident in her comedy, she reflects on a childhood marked by unutterable loss, sexuality and coming out, as well as a life in show business, politics, and philanthropy. Honest and generous, Izzard's Believe Me is an inspired account of a very singular life thus far.

Mod opinion: I haven't read this memoir yet and since I don't really like memoirs I probably wont, but it sounds like a interesting book.

[ukrfeminism]

5 minute read

A toxic culture of sexual assault, harassment, racism and bullying has been alleged by more than 100 current and recent UK staff at outlets of the fast-food chain McDonald's.

The BBC was told that workers, some as young as 17, are being groped and harassed almost routinely.

The UK equality watchdog said it was "concerned" by the BBC's findings and is launching a new email hotline.

McDonald's said it had "fallen short" and it "deeply apologised".

It added that all employees deserved to work in a safe, respectful and inclusive workplace.

The BBC began investigating working conditions at McDonald's in February, after the company signed a legally binding agreement with the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) in which it pledged to protect its staff from sexual harassment.

At the time, McDonald's insisted: "We already have a strong track record in this area."

But our investigation has revealed a very different picture.

Over a five-month period, we reached out to McDonald's workers to ask about their experiences of working there. Of the more than 100 allegations from employees we spoke to, 31 related to sexual assault, and 78 related to sexual harassment.

We also heard 18 allegations of racism, while six people made allegations of homophobia.

Warning - this article contains distressing content

Claims the BBC has heard include:

A 17-year-old current employee in Cheshire who says a colleague 20 years older than her called her a racial slur word and asked to show her his penis, and said he wanted to make a "black and white" baby with her

A former worker who was 17 when a senior manager at a Plymouth restaurant choked her and grabbed her bottom. A shift manager also sent her sexually explicit images

A manager in Hampshire who suggested a 16-year-old male worker perform sexual acts in exchange for vapes

A manager who preyed on 16-year-old new female starters in a Cheshire restaurant, trying to pressurise them into having sex

A woman who said she was called a slur word and subject to racist jokes at an Aberdeen branch

A current worker in Essex who says she faced antisemitic abuse

A current worker in Oxfordshire, originally from India, who says crew members spoke in "gibberish" to imitate her and called a Pakistani colleague a terrorist

Male managers and crew members at a branch in Wales making jokes about putting cash bets on which of them could sleep with a new recruit first

An outbreak of gonorrhoea at a branch in Northern Ireland where sexual relationships between staff members were commonplace

Multiple workers told us that McDonald's managers at the outlets across the UK were responsible for the harassment and assaults.

All too often, senior managers are said to have failed to act on complaints.

Staff have also told the BBC of sexual relationships between managers and more junior members of staff, which is against company policy.

Young women have described feeling constantly judged about how they looked.

One current worker said she was seen by her male colleagues as "fresh meat" when she started at her branch in Nottingham. Other female workers told us they were forced by managers to wear uniforms that were too tight for them.

"There is a saying at McDonald's, "tits on tills" - boys in the kitchen, girls on the counter. The idea is to put attractive people at the front," said Lucy, who's 22 and worked in Norwich.

"It's the expectation that if you work at McDonald's, you will be harassed," added Emily, who's 20. She left her branch in Brighton last year, after a male colleague in his 60s kept stroking her hair in a sexually suggestive way and making her feel uncomfortable.

McDonald's is one of the UK's largest private sector employers. The fast food giant has more than 170,000 people working in 1,450 restaurants.

Its staff are also one of the country's youngest workforces. Three quarters of its employees are aged between 16 and 25. For many, it is their first job.

Most workers are not directly employed by the company as McDonald's uses a franchise system, which means individual operators are licensed to run the outlets and employ the staff.

'I went to work in fear'

Shelby was just 16 when she started working at a McDonald's restaurant in Berkshire last year.

She said older male colleagues would use the cramped layout in the kitchen as an excuse to touch junior female staff inappropriately.

"They'd grope stomach, waists, bums," she said. "Every shift I worked, there would be at least a comment being made, or I'd be brushed, a hand brushed across me, or it would be a more severe thing, like having my bum grabbed, hips grabbed."

There was one man in his 50s, in particular, that managers "warned" young staff members to stay away from, Shelby said.

One day last summer, she said she was standing at the front counter when he came up behind her and grabbed her onto him, pulling her onto his groin.

"I just froze," she said. "I felt disgusted."

Shelby says she told senior management about what was going on in the store, but nothing was done. In her resignation email, she said it was a "toxic work environment".

McDonald's said it was "deeply sorry" to hear about what Shelby went through. It added that it was investigating why any issues that she raised were not formally escalated at the time.

Managers turning a blind eye

We do not know how many of the workers we spoke to made formal complaints. But a number of them told us they did - only for them to be ignored.

In the case of 17-year-old Chinyere in Cheshire, who was sexually and racially harassed by a much older man, she initially raised it with a female colleague who was responsible for staff wellbeing. She told her to ignore the man's behaviour and go back to work. After months of harassment, Chinyere confided in her stepfather who wrote to the franchise, to corporate headquarters and the police.

The man was then fired. Chinyere believes if her stepfather hadn't intervened, nothing would have happened. McDonald's described her experiences as "abhorrent and unacceptable" and apologised unreservedly. It said it took swift action as soon as the issue came to its attention and that the man was dismissed within three days. They added: "It takes a great deal of courage to speak up and as soon as we were made aware of the situation the individual in question was offered both internal and independent external support."

Another worker in Birmingham, who says she was smacked on the bottom by a male colleague when she was 19, reported it immediately to her manager. But despite it being caught on camera and her having a visible bruise, she was forced to continue working with him, which made her so uncomfortable that she eventually quit.

Several workers also said that when complaints were made about managers, they were then moved from one McDonald's restaurant within the franchise to another, rather than being fired.

Other employees said they didn't complain as they couldn't risk losing work. Young staff at McDonald's are often on zero hours contracts - it means their hours are flexible, but also that they are at the mercy of shift managers who decide their rotas.

What to do if you have been sexually harassed at work

Report it: Charity Victim Support says you can report it to your manager, HR representative or trade union who will take action.

Keep a record: Including dates, times and details of what happened, as well as any relevant emails. These could be helpful if you decide to report it.

Get help: Victim Support operates a free and confidential 24/7 helpline and live chat service. Call 0808 16 89 111 or use the live chat at: victimsupport.org.uk/live-chat.

Call the police: If sexual harassment escalates into violence, threats or sexual assault, you should report this to the police by calling 101. If you are in danger, call 999.

Training 'not taken seriously'

In the February agreement, McDonald's pledged "zero tolerance" on sexual harassment and to deliver training for employees.

But staff have told the BBC the training is not being taken seriously by managers.

One employee described perching an iPad next to a McFlurry machine and speeding through the harassment training video while he made drinks.

Baroness Kishwer Falkner, chairwoman of the EHRC, said every firm should have zero tolerance of sexual harassment and protect its workforce.

McDonald's culture has faced scrutiny globally. In the US it is facing multimillion dollar lawsuits brought by employees over sexual harassment allegations.

Its chief executive, Steve Easterbrook, was fired in 2019 after it was revealed he had inappropriate consensual relationships with McDonald's employees.

Allegations of sexual harassment at McDonald's first surfaced in the UK five years ago when the Bakers, Food and Allied Workers Union (BFAWU) says it received 1,000 complaints. There was very little reporting of the allegations at the time - this could be because some cases were settled using confidentiality clauses.

Sarah Woolley, BFAWU's general secretary, said the new allegations uncovered by the BBC were "shocking".

Alistair Macrow, chief executive of McDonald's UK & Ireland, said there was "simply no place for harassment, abuse, or discrimination" at the company.

"Every one of the 177,000 employees in McDonald's UK deserves to work in a safe, respectful and inclusive workplace. There are clearly instances where we have fallen short and for that we deeply apologise," he told the BBC.

"We will investigate all allegations brought to us, and all proven breaches of our code of conduct will be met with the most severe measures we can legally impose, up to and including dismissal."

Mr Macrow said that more than 2,000 managers had completed full awareness training and that most restaurant teams were now working within the new protections which aim to create "a safe and respectful workplace". He added that the company has stringent rules to ensure its workplaces around the world are safe and respectful.

[angel-and-the-serpent]

@janeway-lover Part 2 cause word limit iffy

As Bee left, Crowley turned to his phone, walking over to the small coffee table in the middle of the staffroom with his toast. Having a free period 1st was always good, especially on a Monday. He scrolled through his various apps, nothing calling out to him before his eyes lingered on a post from their brother school, Samaels Academy for boys. "We are pleased to welcome our new school Librarian, Mr. A.Z Fell. Mr Fell, Previously from Wales, Will be taking the position left by Mr Pulsifer. Mr Fell will be starting in week 3, and we wish to give him a big welcome into our school. Remember, school sports day is-" Crowley's eyes skipped over the reminders, He didn't care. He wasn't required to go, and none of his students would be going so it didn't matter to him. His eyes lingered on the man in the picture, it was a picture of two people. One whom he recognised was Gabriel, the stuffy school principal of the boy's school, and the other person who he was certain was A.Z Fell. This man was Gorgeous He had short white-blonde hair, and clear blue eyes that looked like the sky on a day like today. The man had style, Crowley had to admit, although her could never see himself in a beige waistcoat set, he couldn't seem to imagine Mr. Fell wearing anything else. He most certainly would fit in with the teachers and students at the brother's school, which was all known and had a reputation for being the most prestigious and proper school in the entire region. Yes, St. Agnes’ and Samaels schools were ‘sibling’ schools, but they were both completely unlike the other. St. Agnes was private, yes, but had a high acceptance rate, and its payment rates were low seeing as it was in the centre of town and had a high attendance and student roll. Samaels on the other hand were almost impossible to get into. They only took 100 each year, and if you were out of the zone, you couldn't come. Even after that, the payment rates were high, and many families have been recorded having to leave halfway through the year due to costs. St. Agnes’ girls students were always seen everywhere, always being loud, outspoken and known for teaching young girls how to take their place in the world. Samaels, was again, very proper, with the students being forced to do everything correctly, down to the sock brand on their uniforms. Which is why, Crowley was pleasantly surprised to see such a kind-looking teacher at such a ruthless school. But then again, Crowley looked like a Goth most of the time, with his dark red hair, black turtleneck and black jeans, and people were always surprised to find out he was a teacher at an all-girls school, not a tattoo parlour. So who was he to judge the book by the cover? Bored of the staffroom, and having finished his toast, Crowley left the room and decided to go and help out with some of the older students' classes, a favourite thing of his, it was often known and spoken about, that Crowley was one of the most chill teachers in the whole school, often just drifting around in class, telling you where you were right and wrong, then out of nowhere, having a full-on discussion with you about whatever subject you wanted to talk to him about. This is why kids liked him so much, although he would never know this, they liked that he was so open, so trusting and that so many of them felt like he was actually listening to what they were telling him. He was so many students' favourite teacher, and made students for one, actually enjoy a science lesson.   

[beardedmrbean]

Nov. 29 (UPI) -- On this date in history:

In 1877, Thomas Edison demonstrated a hand-cranked phonograph that recorded sound on grooved metal cylinders. Edison shouted verses of "Mary Had a Little Lamb" into the machine, which played back his voice.

In 1890, the first Army-Navy football game was played. Navy won 24-0.

In 1929, U.S. Navy Lt. Cmdr. Richard Byrd and three crewmen became the first people to fly over the South Pole.

In 1935, Nobel Prize-winning physicist Erwin Schrödinger published his famous thought experiment dubbed "Schrödinger's cat," to illustrate a paradox of quantum mechanics.

In 1947, despite strong Arab opposition, the United Nations voted for the partition of Palestine and the creation of the independent Jewish state of Israel.

In 1963, U.S. President Lyndon Johnson appointed the Warren Commission to investigate the assassination of President John Kennedy.

In 1981, actor Natalie Wood drowned while on a boat trip to Santa Catalina Island, Calif.

In 1986, movie icon Cary Grant died of a stroke at the age of 82.

In 1989, Romanian Olympic gymnastic hero Nadia Comaneci fled to Hungary. She eventually reached the United States.

In 1990, the U.N. Security Council passed a resolution authorizing "all necessary means," including military force, against Iraq if it didn't withdraw from Kuwait by Jan. 15, 1991.

In 1991, a dust storm in Coalinga, Calif., triggered a massive pileup by more than 250 vehicles on Interstate 5, killing 15 people and injuring more than 100.

In 1994, voters in Norway rejected a proposal to join the European Union.

In 2001, George Harrison, lead guitarist of the Beatles, died of cancer. He was 58.

In 2011, Dr. Conrad Murray was sentenced to four years in prison for an involuntary manslaughter conviction in the death of Michael Jackson. He was released on parole Oct. 28, 2013.

In 2012, the United Nations voted 138-9, with 31 abstentions, to give Palestinians non-member observer status.

In 2021, Twitter founder Jack Dorsey announced his resignation as CEO of the social media platform He was replaced by Parag Agrawal, who was ousted in October 2022 upon Elon Musk's purchase of the company.

In 2022, 46% of people in England and Wales described themselves as Christian in a census survey, the first time that figure represented less than half the populations of the two countries.