Victoria Fox's Blog, page 245
April 8, 2023
Taylor Swift and Joe Alwyn Break Up: Relive Their Love Story
Taylor Swift and Joe Alwyn are no longer in the lavender haze.
The couple has parted ways after six years of dating, according to multiple outlets.
As for where it all began? Taylor and the actor first met in 2016. When exactly hasn’t been shared publicly by Taylor or Joe, but fans speculate they first crossed paths at the 2016 Met Gala due to the song “Dress,” which features lyrics, “Flashback when you met me/ Your buzzcut and my hair bleached/ Even in my worst times, you could see the best of me.”
Taylor, 33, and Joe, 32, reportedly made their relationship official on Sept. 28, 2016, which is believed to be their anniversary based on her lyric change in her “September” cover.
From then on, Taylor made it her mission to keep this romance all to herself.
“It was her goal to keep it a secret,” an insider told E! News in 2017, adding that the “Look What You Made Me Do” singer “barely told any of her friends.”
S Club 7 Thanks Fans for Support After Paul Cattermole’s Death at 46
Members of S Club 7 are showing gratitude towards their fanbase amid a difficult time.
The British pop group shared a message to their band’s Instagram Story following the death of S Club 7 member Paul Cattermole.
“Thank you to all of our incredible fans and friends who have shared their love for our brother Paul,” their April 8 message began. “In this difficult time for all of us, it gives us strength to know that he will never be forgotten.”
The group’s words comes after they shared the heartbreaking news of the singer’s death at age 46. A cause of death has not been shared publicly.
“We are truly devastated by the passing of our brother Paul,” they wrote on Instagram April 7. “There are no words to describe the deep sadness and loss we all feel. We were so lucky to have had him in our lives and are thankful for the amazing memories we have. He will be so deeply missed by each and every one of us.”
Knicks’ Immanuel Quickley gets Damian Lillard endorsement for Sixth Man of the Year
Immanuel Quickley of the Knicks has the support of Damian Lillard in his candidacy for sixth man of the year.
The Trail Blazers star tweeted that Quickley would be his choice for the price, a Knicks super sub seen and enjoyed.
“It’s pretty cool to have guys like that supporting you. [MSG broadcaster] Mike Breen was showing me Friday morning,” Quickley said. “It’s one of [assistant coach Johnny Bryant’s] guys, so it’s kind of someone I’ve known since I’ve been in the league for a while.
Quickley became one of the best bench players in the league this season by reaching career highs in points and minutes.Noah K. Murray for the NY Post
Lillard backed Immanuel Quickley to win the Sixth Man of the Year award.AP Photo/Craig MitchelldyerQuickley had a stellar third season, a major factor in the Knicks’ surprising fifth-place finish in the Eastern Conference.
He has average career highs in points (14.7), rebounds (4.1), minutes (28.8) and field goal percentage (44.9).
Quickley follows the players he fights against for the award, especially Malcolm Brogdon, as the Celtics are on national television frequently. But he insisted he was not rooting against him.
“I’m not a hater,” Quickley joked.
On Sunday, Isaiah Hartenstein will become the first Knick since Justin Holiday in 2016-17 to appear in all 82 regular season games.
The Clippers’ free agent addition started slow, but had a strong second half of the season as one of the team’s top reserves.
“That means a lot, especially these days,” Hartenstein said, referring to the era of load management, in which gamers are often kept away from games to rest. “I take great pride in that. You’re going through some nagging stuff. Keep pushing, keep doing the little things to make sure your body feels good. … Our staff did a really good job of making sure I progress in the right direction.
Julius Randle was also close to appearing in all 82 games before injuring his left ankle in the team’s 77th game on March 29.
He hasn’t played since.
Cavaliers coach JB Bickerstaff offered some brief thoughts on the upcoming series against the Knicks, according to Cleveland.com:
“We understand them and have a ton of respect for them. Having played them recently and seeing them up close, you know what to prepare for and how well prepared they will be,” he said. “We have to play to our strengths and be who we are. This has brought us so far. Obviously we will make minor adjustments with the staff, but we strongly believe in who we are and what we have done.
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‘I will pursue legal action – they will face repercussions’
On Friday, less than 24 hours after being assaulted by an angry mob in San Francisco, former University of Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines appeared on Fox News Channel’s “Tucker Carlson Tonight” to discuss the ordeal.
Gaines had been a vocal critic of transgender women competing in and sometimes dominating women’s sports.
She told FNC host Tucker Carlson that she would take action against her alleged abusers, swearing they would face “repercussions”.
“You know, I’m worried about my safety. I have to be now,” she said. “When you have people who want to do that, and you know why they want to do that, it’s because they don’t have a reason, they don’t have logic, they don’t They don’t have science, they don’t have common sense on their side. It’s on my side. And so they overtake through violence, whether it’s physical or verbal violence.
“But what it means to me doesn’t discourage me,” Gaines continued. “It assures me that I am doing the right thing. It won’t silence me. When they want me silenced, it just means I have to speak up.
“Really quick, is there – anyone in the state of California in a position of authority, a political figure, for example, has he stood up for you?” asked Carlson.
“No,” Gaines replied. “Not the dean of students, not the campus police. I will say the San Francisco city police who came in, did a phenomenal job of escorting them, three hours later. But I’m going to take legal action. I will ensure that the people who physically abused me, the people who put me in this position, will face repercussions.
Follow Jeff Poor on Twitter @jeff_poor
breitbart
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April 7, 2023
City to pay $500,000 to fix bikini barista dress code suit
EVERETT, Wash. (AP) — A legal battle over a dress code for bikini-clad baristas at cafes is ending after a town north of Seattle agreed to pay $500,000 to the owner and employees who sued him six years ago.
Everett City Council voted unanimously this week to allow Mayor Cassie Franklin to sign the settlement agreement with Jovanna Edge and her employees, the Daily Herald reported.
The plaintiffs sought more than $3 million in damages and attorney fees.
Under the agreement, the city will retain most of its rules for probationary licensing of coffee stands and other quick-service businesses, but will no longer require baristas to wear at least tank tops and shorts.
Instead, the city will align dress code rules with an existing lewd standard of conduct that makes it a crime to publicly expose too many of your private parts. Another provision requires business owners to post materials for employees with information on how to seek help if they are trafficked or otherwise exploited.
“I’m glad we’re for baristas and against people trying to get them to do things they don’t want to do,” city council member Liz Vogeli said after the vote.
The settlement could end a saga that began in 2009 when the city said it received complaints prompting investigations that found some stalls were selling sex performances and sex acts and allowing patrons to physically touch baristas. Four people were arrested and prosecuted.
In 2013, two espresso stand owners were arrested for encouraging prostitution and the exploitation of a minor, as well as a Snohomish County Sheriff’s Sgt. exchange of sexual favors. The sergeant resigned and the owners were convicted.
In 2017, the city created the Dress Code Ordinance requiring employees, owners and operators of “quick service facilities,” from coffee stands to fast food restaurants, to wear clothing that covers the top. and lower body under penalty of fines.
The story continues
Edge, the owner of the Everett Hillbilly Hotties bikini barista stand, and employees Natalie Bjerke, Matteson Hernandez, Leah Humphrey, Amelia Powell and Liberty Ziska filed a lawsuit arguing that the order violated their First Amendment rights .
“Some countries require you to wear a lot of clothes because of their religious beliefs,” Hernandez wrote. “But America is different because you can wear what you want to wear. I wear what I’m comfortable with and other people can wear what they’re comfortable with.”
The case was the subject of various court rulings, but in October a U.S. District Court judge ruled the dress code ordinance unconstitutional.
Ramerman told the board the city could appeal, but a loss would result in a score much higher than the $500,000. The city spent nearly $400,000 defending the ordinance.
The settlement “still gives us our best tool to compel stall owners to ensure that their employees do not engage in illegal behavior,” the city attorney said.
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China announces ‘combat readiness patrols’ around Taiwan
China’s military says it launched drills around Taiwan in yet another act of retaliation for a meeting between the speaker of the US House of Representatives and the president of the self-governing island democracy claimed by Beijing as part of its territory
BEIJING — China’s military announced drills around Taiwan on Saturday in yet another act of retaliation for a meeting between the speaker of the US House of Representatives and the president of the self-governing island democracy claimed by Beijing as part of its territory .
The People’s Liberation Army said the three-day “combat readiness patrols” were a warning to Taiwanese who want to make the island’s de facto independence permanent. He gave no indication whether they might include a repeat of previous drills which included firing missiles into the sea, which disrupted sea and air flights.
President Kevin McCarthy spoke with President Tsai Ing-wen in California on Thursday, adding to a series of foreign lawmakers who met with Tsai to show their support in the face of Chinese bullying. Beijing reacted on Friday by imposing a travel ban and financial sanctions against American groups and individuals associated with Tsai’s American visit.
Taiwan broke away from China after a civil war in 1949. The ruling Communist Party says the island is forced to rejoin the mainland, by force if necessary. Beijing says contact with foreign officials is encouraging Taiwanese who want formal independence, a step the ruling party says would lead to war.
“This is a serious warning against collusion and provocation between the separatist ‘Taiwan independence’ forces and outside forces,” a statement from the PLA said. The “Joint Sword” exercises are a “necessary action to defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity”.
Chinese President Xi Jinping’s government has stepped up efforts to intimidate the island by flying fighter jets and bombers nearby and firing missiles into the sea.
The United States has no formal relations with the Taiwanese government but maintains extensive informal and commercial ties. Washington is bound by federal law to ensure the island of 22 million has the means to defend itself if China attacks.
“We will never give way to ‘Taiwan independence’ separatist activities in any form and will certainly take resolute measures to defeat any foreign interference,” said a spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the Cabinet, Zhu Fenglian, according to the official Xinhua news agency.
“The complete reunification of our country must be achieved, and it can, without a doubt, be achieved,” Zhu said on Friday.
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ABC
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Medical abortions are on the rise: what they are and where women are getting them
(We have updated this article to reflect the The Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade .)
Taking pills to terminate a pregnancy accounts for a growing share of abortions in the United States, legal or not. Now that the Supreme Court has overturned Roe v. Wade says medical abortion will play a bigger role, especially among women who lose access to abortion clinics.
What is medical abortion?It is a regimen of pills that women can take at home, a method that is increasingly being used around the world.
The protocol approved for use in the United States includes two drugs. The first, mifepristone, blocks a hormone called progesterone which is necessary for a pregnancy to continue. The second, misoprostol, causes uterine contractions.
When can it be used?The Food and Drug Administration has approved medical abortion up to 10 weeks of pregnancy. World Health Organization guidelines say it can be used for up to 12 weeks at home and after 12 weeks in a doctor’s office.
Is it effective and is it safe?Yes on both counts.
In American studies, the combination of these pills causes a complete abortion in more than 99% of patients and is as safe as the traditional abortion procedure administered by a doctor in a clinic. Various research has shown that medical abortion has low rates of adverse events, and a recent Lancet study found that patients are generally satisfied with it. A growing body of evidence from overseas suggests that abortion pills are safe even in women who do not have a doctor to advise them.
“Some people still assume we’re talking about something dangerous or desperate, but that information is becoming more and more mainstream,” said Abigail RA Aiken, associate professor at the University of Texas at Austin, who leads a group there. medical abortion research.
Who uses this method?About half of people who get legal abortions in the United States (and three-quarters in Europe). During the pandemic, medical abortion became more common because patients wanted to avoid going to clinics in person, and a change in federal law made it easier for them to obtain prescriptions via telemedicine.
It usually comes down to personal patient preference, said Dr. Maria Isabel Rodriguez, an associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Oregon Health and Sciences University, who has worked on abortion research and birth design. policies. “Some people like surgery because it’s quicker, they can have anesthesia, and it’s over in a set time,” she said. “Medication can feel more private, some want it in their homes, some say it feels more natural to them, and some say it feels more possible to deal with a loss.”
Learn about America’s abortion issuesMedical abortion is also used illicitly by those who live in a location that restricts legal abortion or by those who cannot get to a clinic. The abortion rate in the United States is higher than officially reported by doctors, according to evidence, because people order pills online. This invisible abortion rate could increase if more states decide to ban abortion – the bans would apply to both surgical and medical abortions.
Who prescribes abortion pills?Doctors with special registration required by the FDA
But he recently lifted the rules that required an in-person date. This means more providers are offering medical abortions through telemedicine. The doctor and the patient meet online and then the doctor sends pills to the patient’s home by post. (Some physical pharmacies are certified to fill prescriptions for the pills, but this is not yet common.)
New start-ups specializing in telemedicine abortions, such as Hey Jane and Just the Pill, have started offering the service in states that allow it. But 19 states prohibit the pills from being prescribed via telemedicine or delivered by mail. In these places, patients should always see a doctor in person to pick up the pills. Other states prohibit medical abortion after a certain number of weeks.
How will new state restrictions on abortion affect medical abortions?With Roe’s cancellation, about half of the states would have to completely ban abortion. These laws will affect all methods of abortion, including procedural abortions and pills.
What about overseas pills?Online pharmacies overseas sell the pills. An organization called Aid Access offers women in all 50 states advice and prescriptions from European doctors before shipping pills from India. These extralegal channels are becoming increasingly popular as access to abortion becomes more difficult. After Texas enacted a law in September banning abortion after about six weeks, requests for abortion pills to Aid Access tripled.
The FDA asked these groups to stop sales of these drugs in the United States, saying they were circumventing US drug safety protocols. But researchers who have analyzed the pills in the labs have found that the pills ordered through these services are usually genuine.
The second of the two drugs in the official regimen, misoprostol, can also terminate a pregnancy when used alone. It is about 80% effective on its own, although it sometimes needs to be taken more than once. This pill is also used to treat ulcers and is available without a prescription in many countries, including Mexico. But the only FDA-approved method in the United States is to use both pills.
Are pills from overseas legal?No. It is illegal to sell prescription drugs to Americans without a prescription from a licensed physician in the United States. But enforcement from foreign suppliers has been sparse, as is the case with other drugs Americans order from abroad. And sales would be hard to stop because the drugs usually arrive in unmarked packages in the mail.
“I’m not here, so I have no legal risk,” said Dr Rebecca Gomperts, the Dutch doctor who runs Aid Access. She says she has lawyers advising her, both at home and in the United States. “I know where I am from, I respect the law.”
In general, recent state laws do not punish women for obtaining abortions, but have focused their enforcement on abortion providers. Exceptions are the older laws of South Carolina, Oklahoma, and Nevada. That could change now with the overthrow of Roe and if illicit medical abortions become more common. In recent months, some states have moved to increase criminal penalties for prescribing, supplying, or delivering pills.
“It is not a codified crime to self-manage abortion” in all but these three states, said Farah Diaz-Tello, senior attorney and legal director of If/When/How, a policy and advocacy group. defense of reproductive rights. “But it’s not legal for a person to ask for prescription drugs without a prescription.”
What is the process?The first pill, mifepristone, usually has no noticeable effect on patients. The second, misoprostol, taken 24 to 48 hours later, causes cramping and bleeding that intensifies, Dr. Rodriguez said.
The process takes about six to eight hours and is most intense for about an hour. She recommends that patients stay at home, with no other obligations. Ibuprofen and a heating pad are also recommended, as the pain can be severe and the bleeding is much heavier than during a period. After the pregnancy ends, cramping and clotting stop, although women usually bleed, like a period, for about a week.
In rare cases, less than 1% of the time, a patient bleeds more than expected and requires medical attention. Similarly, rarely, an abortion is not completed and must be followed by another dose or surgical abortion. Women who have these complications can be treated by a doctor experienced in the treatment of miscarriages; symptoms and treatment are the same. Once a medical abortion is started, it cannot be reversed.
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Pope Francis skips traditional Good Friday procession at the Colosseum in chilly Rome
Enlarge this image People hold candles during a Via Crucis (Way of the Cross) torchlight procession on Good Friday in Rome on Friday, April 7, 2023. Alessandra Tarantino/AP
Alessandra Tarantino/AP
ROME — Pope Francis, hospitalized recently with bronchitis, skipped the traditional Good Friday nighttime procession at the Colosseum because of chilly weather in Rome, staying instead at his home at the Vatican while thousands of faithful turned out for the torchlit event.
This Good Friday was the first time a pontiff was a no-show at the Colosseum Way of the Cross procession since 2005. Then, a weakened and ailing St. John Paul II, eight days before his death, silently watched the Way of the Cross ritual on TV at his apartment in the Apostolic Palace.
The Vatican had said Francis would preside at the ancient Roman arena at the procession that recalls Jesus’ suffering before his crucifixion and death on a cross. But just a few hours before the procession’s start, the Vatican, citing the “intense cold” that has made evenings unseasonably chilly in Rome these days, revealed that Francis would stay at his residence in a hotel in Vatican City and follow the event from there.
The 86-year-old pope was discharged from a Rome hospital on April 1 after being administered antibiotics intravenously for bronchitis.
Earlier on Friday, Francis presided at a two-hour long early evening prayer service in St. Peter’s Basilica. Good Thursday, a day earlier, saw the pope attend a lengthy Mass in the basilica and in the afternoon go to a Rome juvenile prison where he washed and dried the feet of a dozen young residents in a symbolic gesture of humility that imitates what Jesus did for his 12 apostles ahead of his crucifixion.
The Colosseum appointment is a highlight of Holy Week ceremonies. At this year’s procession, in which a tall, slim, lightweight cross was carried by faithful, some 20,000 people turned out, holding lighted candles in the darkness outside the arena. When the procession ended, and a cardinal, instead of the pope, gave a blessing, a shout of “Long live the pope!” rose from the crowd.
Francis chose as the procession’s theme “voices of peace in a time of war.” Read aloud were accounts of suffering, of migrants and refugees from war, civil warfare or hunger, in Africa, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, South America and elsewhere.
Enlarge this image Pope Francis celebrates the Passion Mass on Good Friday inside St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican on Friday, April 7, 2023. Andrew Medichini/AP
Andrew Medichini/AP
The selection came from among the many accounts of suffering that Francis has heard from migrants and others who spoke with him during his overseas trips and other occasions.
Among the accounts were those of a Ukrainian youth who at first fled to Italy where his grandmother works to escape the war at home, but later, homesick, returned to Ukraine. Following that account was that of a young Russian who said his brother died, presumably after being sent to fight in Ukraine, which Russia invaded in February 2022.
Francis has repeatedly lamented the suffering of the Ukrainian people and issued many appeals for peace.
The pope did keep his appointment at an early evening Good Friday prayer service at St. Peter’s Basilica. Wearing crimson-colored vestments, Francis, who has a chronic knee problem, used a wheelchair to reach the central area of the basilica and preside over the service.
During the Good Friday basilica ceremony, the pope at times sounded hoarse while reading aloud and when he gave his blessing at the end of the nearly two-hour long service. At one point, he stood up to kiss a figure of Jesus on a tall cross which was brought to him, then bowed his head in silent reflection.
While Rome has lately experienced spring-like weather during the day to Rome, temperatures have dipped into the high 30s Fahrenheit (about 4 degrees Celsius) after dark.
Francis is also scheduled to preside at an Easter Vigil Mass on Saturday night in the basilica. On Sunday, he is due to be in St. Peter’s Square for a mid-morning Mass. He is expected to deliver a long speech that reviews wars and other conflicts in the world, known by its Latin name, “Urbi et Orbi.”
Khloe Kardashian, Gwyneth Paltrow and More Who Gave Kids Unique Names
What’s in a name? An awful lot, if you’re a celebrity parent.
Kim Kardashian, just one of the stars who famously gave her kids unique names, has admitted to feeling the heat when it came to choosing legendary monikers for her and Kanye West‘s four children: North West, 9, Saint West, 7, Chicago West, 5, and Psalm West, 3.
“When I had a surrogate, I found that time would fly by faster, and I wouldn’t feel the pressure of coming up with the name,” she said on Live with Kelly and Ryan last year. “So, I would say naming my last two was definitely harder with the pressure of letting time go by.”
And while she did once consider “just naming” her youngest son Rob in honor of her brother Rob Kardashian, Kim felt the need to go above and beyond. “But then it’s North, Saint, Chicago, Rob,” she explained to Jimmy Kimmel in 2019. “It doesn’t really go.”
Former model accuses onetime Harvey Weinstein associate of sexual assault
Enlarge this image Harvey Weinstein and Fabrizio Lombardo at the 64th Venice Film Festival on August 31, 2007 in Venice, Italy. Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images
Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images
In New York State Supreme Court on Thursday, a former model filed a lawsuit alleging that she was raped by Fabrizio Lombardo, a onetime associate of disgraced Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein. The suit also named Weinstein, Disney, and Miramax as defendants, saying they “were negligent or recklessly indifferent to the harm that Lombardo inflicted.”
The suit was filed by Sara Ziff, who founded Model Alliance, a nonprofit advocacy organization for workers in the fashion industry. She alleges that in 2001, when she was 19, she was raped by Lombardo after a film screening. “Mr. Lombardo invited Ms. Ziff to go to a nearby hotel with him on the pretense that they would be joined by Harvey Weinstein and another young woman who attended the screening,” the suit contends, noting that Ziff thought it would be a business opportunity as a model and aspiring actress.
The lawsuit says that instead it was “a trap set by Mr. Lombardo to get Ms. Ziff alone and rape her.”
At the time, Lombardo was an executive with Miramax, the film studio co-founded by Weinstein. The former movie mogul is currently serving 39 years in prison for sex crimes in New York and California. NPR has reached out to Lombardo’s representatives, but has not been able to get any comment.
According to The New York Times, Ziff filed a police report in 2017, but no charges were filed. NPR hasn’t been able to independently verify what the police report alleged. She told the Times she had been hesitant to come forward before now. “I couldn’t even talk to anyone about it for the first few years, let alone imagine taking legal action,” said Ziff, now 40 years old.
Ziff says she reconsidered when the Adult Survivor’s Act passed last year. The legislation extended the time adult sex crime victims can bring civil claims that would otherwise have expired under the statute of limitations.
Weinstein once credited Lombardo with saving his life and reportedly served as best man at Lombardo’s 2003 wedding. Lombardo was head of Miramax Italy.
In 2018, Lombardo was named in a sexual harassment class action lawsuit against the Weinstein company and others, which claimed that Lombardo enabled Weinstein’s abuse by helping to “procure and deceive potential victims.” Lombardo never appeared in court and the suit was later settled. He hasn’t responded to this latest allegation.
This week’s lawsuit also names Weinstein, Disney, and its subsidiaries Buena Vista, and Miramax. Disney did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but Weinstein’s attorney Imran H. Ansari said in a statement to NPR, “Certainly Mr. Weinstein had no control over any alleged conduct by Mr. Lombardo, nor would he have any reason to know what Mr. Lombardo was doing nor where Mr. Lombardo was at the time that Ms. Ziff alleges she was raped. As such, Mr. Weinstein firmly denies that he has any liability for the alleged conduct of another.”
Over the years, Ziff has worked on legislation to stop sexual harassment and abuse in the fashion industry. Her organization has also launched an industry-specific support line for people who’ve experienced sexual harassment and assault.
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