The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is getting set to hold a full capacity event this weekend, marking the first time since COVID-19 placed restraints on the promotion’s schedule last year.
While the UFC has weathered the global pandemic, setting a precedent by not cutting back on its events and thinking outside the box to find creative ways to broadcast fights without putting its athletes or fans in danger, the promotion eyes a return to form after the virus put a hold on live audiences in 2020.
Here’s a breakdown of the upcoming event, and what to expect leading up to UFC 261.
Never to be outdone, the UFC came out swinging in announcing its return to full capacity crowds.
In a video posted on Twitter on March 15, UFC President Dana White dropped the huge bombshell, saying the upcoming card would take place on April 24 at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville Florida. The event, unlike other sporting venues, will feature a packed house — with over 15,000 fans scheduled to attend.
“What’s up everybody, UFC president Dana White here. And I have been waiting a year for this day, to tell you – we are back,” White said in a video. “UFC 261 on April 24th will be in Jacksonville, Florida with a full house of fans. Full capacity at the Five Star Veterans Memorial Arena. And you know I’m bringing an incredible card.
“This is a stacked card in front of 15,000 UFC fans,” White exclaimed. “Ladies a gentleman, we are back!”
— danawhite (@danawhite) March 16, 2021
Following White’s announcement, MMA aficionados voiced that support for the promotion setting a standard that other sports may soon adopt. UFC fanatics wanting to see the fans repopulate the stands reinforced initial opinions on the move to allow in-person viewing, opening their wallets when tickets for the event went on sale on March 16. Tickets for UFC 261 sold out in minutes, becoming one of the fastest sell-outs in UFC history.
While several sports continue to limit fans, the UFC will be the first major sports organization to see fans return without placing a limit on attendees. The news is not surprising given the promotion’s perseverance through the pandemic. The UFC was the first major sport to hold an event during the outbreak in May of last year. Many of its prior fights were held in isolated locations with reduced fans, such as the UFC Apex in Las Vegas or Fight Island in Abu Dhabi.
A lot of heavy lifting took place to merge an unrestricted live audience with a massive UFC card.
First and foremost, Governor Ron DeSantis‘ leadership during the mass pandemic opened the doors for both the UFC and fight fans across the country. While DeSantis has his share of detractors, his methodical approach to the coronavirus served as a direct catalyst and promoted good business that continues to pay dividends for the Sunshine State.
For those unaware, during this time last year, UFC 249 was scheduled to take place on April 18 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York but was postponed shortly after due to the pandemic. The event was eventually rescheduled, with Florida hosting the event on May 9 and DeSantis giving the UFC the greenlight to conduct the fights safely behind closed doors.
DeSantis’ willingness to roll out the red carpet for the UFC caught the eye of White, who saw Florida as a potential playground to allow UFC fighters and fight fans to return to the eight-sided arena.
The UFC will once again call on the Governor to set a precedent and host the first packed sporting event since the virus swept through the United States. DeSantis is aided by Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry in bringing this event to fruition.
Fight fans couldn’t have asked for a better card, with three title fights taking place at UFC 261.
While the undercard has a plethora of up-and-coming talent, the main card is chock-full of notable names to make any MMA fan lick their chops. UFC veteran Anthony Smith (34-16) kicks off the PPV in a fight against Jimmy Crute (12-1), the #13 ranked light heavyweight. That fight is followed by dangerous striker Uriah Hall (17-9) who will look to continue his three-fight win streak against former UFC Middleweight Champion Chris Weidman (15-5).
The real meat of the card, however, lies in the final three bouts of the night. The trio of fights will feature a UFC title on the line, as three champions will step inside the octagon to defend their belts.
Valentina Shevchenko (20-3), the current Women’s Flyweight Champion, will face off against former strawweight champ Jessica Andrade (21-8). Following that five-round fight, Women’s Strawweight Champion Weili Zhang (21-1) will defend her title against former champ Rose Namajunas (10-4). And in a surprising main event, fans will see a rematch from last July when Kamaru Usman (18-1) puts his middleweight belt on the line against BMF champion and Florida’s own Jorge Masvidal (35-14).
Finally leaving their “bubble” at the UFC Apex center, White has voiced his excitement to bring his product back to a live audience. With the state not placing restrictions on Floridians, White has been presented with a golden opportunity to revitalize the UFC as much of the country eyes the light at the end of the COVID tunnel.
But despite Florida ranking 23rd in cases per 100,000 and 28th in deaths per 100,000, many news outlets across the state remain up in arms, calling the lack of COVID-19 guidelines “reckless.” White, however, downplayed media attention surrounding the event on Tuesday, noting that all employees will still be tested and that fans will have the final say in whether or not to wear masks.
“In Jacksonville, everything is opening up again. Even in Vegas, it’s going to be open June 1st, but 100% open in July,” White said. “There’s still going to be some things that are set in place. We’re still going to have a bubble for the athletes, and things like that. But as far as the fans, you can wear a mask, or you can not wear a mask. It’s up to you. It’s your decision.”
Jacksonville’s mask mandate, which had been in place since June of last year, was lifted the same day tickets went on sale for UFC 261. Mayor Curry opted to end the city’s mandate.
UFC has, however, decided to implement protocols ahead of the PPV, announcing a partnership to help combat the virus and provide a safe atmosphere for everyone involved. Specifically, the promotion will now be working with CLEAR and their Health Pass technology. The tool can be utilized by fans, and after registering, they will be securely linked to a database, providing a confidential COVID-related health questionnaire.
All ticket holders will be required to enter their information into the database in advance
On Thursday, DeSantis, along with Curry, will attend a press conference for UFC 261 in Jacksonville at 4 p.m. Both officials will be present alongside White and the six fighters competing in title fights at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena. The presser will stream live on Twitch, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, and UFC.com.
“Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry will be a part of Thursday’s UFC 261 press conference in Jacksonville, the promotion announced. 4 pm et. They’ll join the 6 fighters competing in the title fights and Dana White, said ESPN and MMA journalist Ariel Helwani on Twitter.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and and Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry will be a part of Thursday’s UFC 261 press conference in Jacksonville, the promotion announced. 4 pm et.
They’ll join the 6 fighters competing in the title fights and Dana White.
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) April 21, 2021
On Friday, the UFC will hold their official weigh-ins at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena at 4 p.m. All weigh-ins will stream live on the platforms listed above.
On Saturday, UFC 261 will kickoff, with the early preliminary card set to begin at 5:45 p.m. The prelims will follow at 8 p.m., and the main card will kickoff at 10 p.m.
Speaking with The Capitolist, Curry confirmed that he will be attending UFC 261. We reached out to the Governor’s office to see if DeSantis would also be on hand but did not receive an answer.
If you want to know how to watch UFC 261, you can watch fight night on PPV through ESPN Plus.


'Hey, be ready': Area high school wrestling teams attacking the uncertainty ahead
March seems so long ago. For Louisville wrestling coach Rocky Laughlin, though, the memories from the spring feel like it was just yesterday.
The Leopards had a team which already had won the state dual championship, anchored by a pair of wrestlers in Garett Lautzenheiser and Davin Rhoads who had won individual titles as sophomores in 2019.
As they arrived in Columbus on March 12 for the state individual tournament, the Leopards did so fully expecting to not just contend for, but also win, the Division II state championship over the next three days.
Louisville never got the chance to achieve that dream. None of Ohio's wrestlers got the chance. Because of concerns over the emerging COVID-19 pandemic, all of Ohio's winter sports tournaments got postponed that day, only to be canceled a little more than a month later.
Those memories have remained with those wrestlers eight months since that day. Only now, those thoughts serve as a bit of motivation as they look to start their next season.
"The end of last year was hard," Laughlin said. "I think, for us, it's helped a little bit as a team because a lot of them still feel like we have something to prove. . . . We'll see how it goes and we'll do what we can do to make sure that we get to wrestle."
Getting to wrestle is all that matters right now.
It's a mindset which covers the entire sport as the first day of regular-season competition, slated for Dec. 3, approaches. In fact, it's even more pronounced with each passing day, as the same thing that ended their season in March remains a threat to impact the upcoming season as well.
In a memo to schools last week, the OHSAA reaffirmed its commitment to the winter sports season, including wrestling, starting as scheduled. However, as COVID cases continue to rise across the state, it's already had an impact in the schools themselves.
"For right now, we've got kids on quarantine, so your numbers are lower in the (wrestling) room," Perry coach Brent McBurney said. "Obviously, the lower the numbers, the tougher it is to get those good, intense workouts. So, you've got guys here some days and then they're gone for two weeks. It does make it tough."
Tough, however, doesn't mean impossible.
For a sport which prides itself on discipline and toughness — both physically and mentally — the things required in order to be able to compete in this unique season are just something else to be overcome.
In some ways, actually, they're just more of the same. Sanitizing the mats in the practice room has been standard for years, although the coaches acknowledge it's being done at even more regular intervals than before.
Checking temperatures and answering symptom-related questions may be new, as are the masks being worn by individuals when they're not wrestling. Still, wrestling coaches believe that the sport's focus on preventing the spread of infections before is no different than its focus on preventing the spread of COVID now.
"That's kind of how we operate," Wadsworth coach Clay Wenger said. "That's part of our sport. For me as a coach, that's what I'm telling my athletes, too. This is part of the process. I don't think other sports realize you have to pass a skin check to compete, you have to be healthy and you also have to make weight before you even step on the mat."
While many of the familiar fundamental health and hygiene protocols are ramped up even more this season, there will be noticeable changes.
Many of the biggest annual events on the high school wrestling calendar already have been wiped out for the season. That includes such tournaments as the Ironman at Walsh Jesuit, the Bill Dies Tournament at Firestone and the Top Gun at Alliance.
Beyond that, many schools eliminated traditional trips to out-of-state events — such as Perry to the Beast of the East Tournament in Delaware. Even many of the tournaments still being conducted have been cut down to one-day affairs with significantly smaller fields than normal.
The Brecksville Holiday Tournament, for instance, is usually a massive, two-day, 40-plus-team extravaganza of highly-competitive wrestling right after Christmas. This year, it's been reduced to a much more exclusive field, including Perry and Louisville, which will compete in just one day.
It's not just the format and size of the tournament that have changed, but also the procedures at the tournament.
"You'll have a place where your team will goes," Laughlin said. "Where they warm up, where they hang out, where they eat. Then, what I believe is they plan to bring each weight class to a mat and that weight class doesn't leave the mat. They wrestle the whole weight class on one mat. They'll wrestle the weight class, they'll clean it and then they'll bring the next weight class in."
With bigger tournaments eliminated or greatly reduced, coaches are forced to change some things up with their schedules and get more creative.
In lieu of big tournaments, coaches have taken to scheduling more duals and tri-matches. They've also scheduled more on back-to-back days in order to mimic what would normally occur at multi-day tournaments.
Coaches also want to make sure their top wrestlers are being challenged by other top competition. Tournaments such as the Ironman, Dies and Top Gun guarantee that in a normal season and prepare elite wrestlers for the state tournament.
Many of the area's perennial powers are finding their way onto each other's schedules for duals and tri-matches.
"It's a fine line," McBurney said. "You have some kids that need that scheduling and you have some kids that don't need that schedule. But at the same time, we've always felt we've gained so much from those experiences. Wrestling the best competition really shows your weaknesses and really gets you to become better."
All of that, of course, presumes everyone is at as close to full strength as possible. That goes back to an issue — wrestler availability — that coaches have dealt with since practice officially started on Nov. 13.
Area coaches are routinely dealing with wrestlers, like the rest of their school classmates, being quarantined because of a positive COVID-19 test or due to contract tracing. And as community spread of the virus increases, so does the likelihood of that happening more often in the weeks to come.
"That's part of the process we have to face," Wenger said. "What I told my team today was, this year has to be about the team. This year has to be, when you step on that mat, you're wrestling for Wadsworth, you're wrestling for that Wadsworth wrestling team.
"That can mean that you're bumping up a weight class or going down a weight class, or you're weighing in at a weight class above, but you're going up two weight classes. It's going to be a challenge, but I told them, hey, be ready."
Reach Chris at email@example.com.
On Twitter: @ceasterlingINDE


This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Sandy • Kyle Beckerman cleaned up a blocked free kick. Robbie Findley made his second chance count. And Real Salt Lake beat the Seattle Sounders 2-0 Saturday night at Rio Tinto Stadium.
Beckerman, the Real Salt Lake captain blasted a shot past Seattle goalkeeper Michael Gspurning in the 41st minute for the ultimate game-winner.
Findley provided the dagger just seconds into the second half. The forward took a Javier Morales pass and blasted it at Gspurning. The rebound made its way back to Findley and he buried his next attempt to double the lead.
The Seattle trio of Obafemi Martins, Eddie Johnson and Lamar Neagle were kept quiet most of the night.
Johnson nearly stole a Khari Stephenson back pass in the fifth minute that could have spelled danger for RSL, but since then Salt Lake has tightened things up and has managed to keep the Sounders without a a shot until the 74th minute.
RSL forward Alvaro Saborio started for his club for the first time in more than two months because of injury and international duty.


Here are a few pop culture tidbits that happened to catch our eye.
■ Nevada at least temporarily winds up with two Miss Nevada’s Outstanding Teen winners because of a reported scoring irregularity. It’s a beauty pageant. Nobody said there’d be math.
■ Police say a man charged with robbing the Bellagio spent more than $10,000 on hookers and shopping spree. It’s Las Vegas, so you were expecting a visit to Mom’s and a Wal-Mart run?
■ Members of boy band 5 Seconds of Summer prank fans by dressing in Target employee uniforms and hawking their albums. Hang on to those red shirts and khakis, guys.
■ President Obama confesses to having had a crush on Linda Ronstadt ▶ back in the day. Him and everybody else …
Contact reporter John Przybys at email@example.com or 702-383-0280.


As fun as video gaming is, there is room for improvement, especially when it comes to developing titles for children. Since studios weren’t changing on their own, the UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) took action in September 2020 with the Age Appropriate Design Code.
Now, Congress is urging US companies to follow suit, but what does this Code actually involve? Here's everything we know about these new child-friendly standards in video game development.
What Is the Age Appropriate Design Code?
Children are more vulnerable than adults as they play PC or mobile games without realizing the risks involved. The ICO is a data protection agency, so it’s mostly focused on safeguarding people’s data and related rights, but the Code covers children’s best interests in general.
The Age Appropriate Design Code asks developers in the UK to meet certain conditions when designing titles for children or titles that children might use. These standards are there to protect young gamers from the pitfalls of their favorite hobby.
After the 12-month transition period, ending September 2, 2021, companies violating the Code can expect penalties. These range from warnings to severe fines, amounting to around $ 23.5 million or 4 percent of the developer’s annual revenue—whichever is higher.
Why Does the US Care About the Age Appropriate Design Code?
Since the Code came into effect, Congress has been contacting big companies and urging them to meet the same standards in the US. Trahan House shared the letters to Blizzard, Disney, Microsoft, Epic Games, and others. The likes of Facebook, Google, and TikTok got them too.
The hope is to build on the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), strengthening the rights of all young gamers. It would stop game designers from manipulating children, abusing their data, and profiting from their unsafe activity.
Congress members state specific examples in the letters:
The prevalence of micro-transactions—often encouraged through nudging—have led to high credit card bills for parents. Loot boxes go one step further, encouraging purchase before a child knows what the “bundle” contains— akin to gambling.
While there are several ways to make online gaming safer for kids, parents and any adults responsible for children’s wellbeing could breathe easier knowing governments and developers have their backs in minimizing threats.
What Gaming Companies Must Do According to the Age Appropriate Design Code
So what must game companies do to adhere to these rules? The Age Appropriate Design Code can be split into 12 main ideas.
1. Undertake a Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA)
Companies must submit their project for a DPIA, ideally before designing the game or service. The process checks whether the system is safe for children to use and identifies any problems so developers can counter them. Spotting these early can save time and money.
2. Deliver Age Appropriate Content
Something developers will need to become very familiar with are age ranges, their abilities, and how to accommodate them safely.
Basically, a video game’s designers must be as specific as possible about the age range of their target audience and tailor its system to accommodate children. This means, for example, being able to confirm players’ age and deliver a service with minimal risk to their data privacy.
3. Provide Clear Information
Someone’s age affects what they’ll understand and what the best way is to help them absorb information, especially important or complicated details about safe gaming.
The Age Appropriate Design Code encourages companies to be crystal clear with young gamers. They must include features like child-friendly language, bite-sized explanations, notices before every in-game moment that collects data, and prompts for adult consent.
4. Protect Children’s Data
If data processing is essential to the game, companies should collect the absolute minimum from children. And they mustn’t use that data in a way that harms their young users, physically or emotionally. This includes sharing it with third parties.
The ICO also expects titles to have safeguards in place that protect children from content that can manipulate, exploit, or traumatize them.
As a result, following official rules regarding children is a must. The Code highlights organizations like the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP), and Office for Fair Trading (OFT) among others.
5. Avoid Nudge Techniques
Since the Code specifically mentions nudging as a feature to avoid, designers should use it at their own peril. It basically involves stylistic choices that encourage people to go for one option over another when buying products, for example.
In online gaming, the designer might make an upgrade more prominent or less rewarding than others. When asking for permission to access your data, they might phrase the “no” option in a very negative way.
Children are more susceptible to manipulation, so the ICO warns developers against having any nudging techniques in games for young users. This can prevent unnecessary expenses and sharing of personal data.
6. Make High Privacy Settings the Default
When a child uses a game, its privacy settings should be at their tightest by default. This means minimal data collection and no sharing with third parties.
The player should also be able to clearly see how the settings affect their gaming experience. If they try to change anything, notices and explanations must be simple enough to understand.
The ICO suggests two additional features, starting with the option to make changes permanent or temporary, meaning they’ll switch back to high privacy after a session.
Then, there’s the ability to have individual settings for different users. On console, for example, a child shouldn’t have to share or keep changing an adult player’s privacy settings, which might be much lower.
7. Improve Geolocation Control
Firstly, there should be a clear explanation as to what geolocation is or a prompt to ask an adult about it. Secondly, the child should be able to see when they're being tracked.
Even more importantly, geolocation must be off by default. If it is turned on, the game must be able to automatically switch it off again after a session in case the child forgets or didn’t mean to activate it in the first place.
8. Disable Profiling
The Code discourages profiling in general when it comes to children, unless a game’s design can protect them from its potential harm. Like geolocation and data sharing, it should be turned off by default.
While profiling can tailor the gaming experience to people’s tastes and make it more fun, it can lead to overspending, distraction, and abuse of personal details. At the end of the day, if adults can lose control or fall for scams, children are far more vulnerable.
9. Enable Parental Controls That Respect Children’s Rights
As one of the main ways to protect children, video game companies must have good parental controls on their products. However, it’s not just protecting children from dangerous sites or stopping them from gaming all day that interests the ICO.
The Age Appropriate Design Code states that young gamers have a right to privacy and that they must know about the parental controls in place. To be exact, the game should tell them what their parents are able to monitor and when they’re actually doing so.
10. Provide Online Tools for Children to Exercise Their Rights
All this transparency makes children feel comfortable and safe when gaming, as does knowing exactly what to do when there’s a problem or they have technical questions.
Whether it’s about a violation to their privacy, deleting their data, or just needing help in changing settings, game designers must make relevant tools prominent and easy to use for different age ranges.
11. Apply the Code to All Toys and Devices With Data Processing
Considering the high-tech toys available today, from handheld gaming devices to smart teddy bears, a child’s privacy can be at risk on several fronts. So, companies that deal with all kinds of children’s digital entertainment are on the ICO’s watchlist.
Whether they design video games or toys, they have to tick the boxes above, ensuring their young customers’ wellbeing is their main priority.
12. Uphold Published Policies and Community Standards
Finally, once a game passes its DPIA and the company establishes its core principles that will keep users safe, it’s essential to not violate these policies and standards.
It’s a bad move to begin with, but if you fail the ICO and risk children’s security without a very good reason, extra pressure and penalties will follow.
Children’s Online Activity Can Be Fun and Safe
Hopefully the Age Appropriate Design Code will inspire the US enough to establish its own super secure system for young gamers. It forces companies to change a lot in terms of strategy and design, but everyone can benefit in the long run, especially children.
They should be free to enjoy the digital world without being tricked or leaving their parents with huge bills. With safeguards and supervision, there’s lots to do online, from video games and Netflix to eLearning opportunities for all ages.


A decline in pupil numbers and an uncertain economic climate has led to a West Sussex independent school to announce its closure, the Worthing Herald has reported.
The Towers Convent School released a statement that said “unsustainable pressures” had been placed on the school, with all efforts to save the school being unsuccessful, including negotiations for mergers.
The Roman Catholic school is situated in a French chateau in the village of Upper Beeding and has 174 pupils – mostly girls.
The statement read: “The Towers was founded in 1903 by The Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament and has provided pastoral care and educational excellence ever since.
“Over recent years, The Towers has seen a gradual decline in pupil numbers, which together with an uncertain economic climate, has placed unsustainable pressures on the school’s ability to survive. Despite an exhaustive number of initiatives to help save the school, including negotiations for mergers, all efforts have been unsuccessful.
Over recent years, The Towers has seen a gradual decline in pupil numbers, which together with an uncertain economic climate, has placed unsustainable pressures on the school’s ability to survive
“Following the announcement of a consultation period with staff over the proposal that the school may close, parents and staff have rallied in support of The Towers to try to find a solution to save the school.
“Having carefully considered the proposals put forward and having reviewed the financial risks involved to the charitable trust, the Trustees of The Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament advised staff that, with regret, they consider that the possibility of reaching agreement which would avoid closure of The Towers has been exhausted and, as a result the consultation period has now come to an end.”
The Towers will close at the end of the summer term (July 2020).
The school was involved in community partnerships such as sharing its swimming pool with a local primary school weekly, and hosting workshops for local primary schools.


Today, we are interviewing Giovannie Espiritu, an Actress, Filmmaker, Writer, and Acting Coach.
Giovannie Espiritu was nominated alongside Academy Award Nominees Alfre Woodard and Amy Irving for Best Supporting Actress at MethodFest for the Mynah Films feature film Fiona’s Script.
Her primetime credits include a recurring role on ER (NBC), Bones (FOX), Gilmore Girls (ABC), and Trauma (NBC). She can currently be seen as the lead in the Amazon series, “Dyke Central,” which was featured in After Ellen, BuzzFeed, Bust Magazine, and Curve Magazine as a top LGBTQ series to watch.
As a filmmaker, she was featured in Elizabeth Banks’ WhoHaHa Media for her parody song, “An Introvert’s World,” and her storytelling has been featured in Ms. Magazine. A three-time Outfest Fusion Filmmaker, her short film, “Ultra-Feminist,” was awarded Honorable Mention. Her film, “Ally3000,” just won Best Screenplay at the Culture and Diversity Film Festival and picked up three more awards in the Best Shorts Film Competition.
She coaches kids/teens online nationwide through HollywoodActorsWorkshop.com and was just named as one of the top 40 Audition Coaches in Los Angeles by the Hollywood Winners Circle, founded by Wendy Alane Wright, a top talent manager. Her students are represented by the top agencies in the Bay Area, and Los Angeles and notable student alumni include William Lipton (Daytime Emmy Nominee, Cameron on General Hospital) and the Espina Sisters (Hosts of Dreamworks’ “Life Hacks for Kids on the Road”).
In her spare time, she rock climbs and advocates for Domestic Violence Awareness/Prevention and LGBTQ equality. She has served on the Board of Directors for C.O.R.A. (a Bay Area domestic violence hotline and agency) and been awarded a Certificate of Recognition from the Senate for her community service.
Let’s hear about her amazing journey…
How did you get into what you do right now? Please tell us more about your journey.
I got into acting as a fluke. I was in a fundamentalist Christian cult as a teenager. I used to love talking to telemarketers as my link to the outside world. One of them suggested I get into voice-overs. I sent a dinky recording to the most prominent agency I could find – Stars Agency in SF. They called me in, signed me, sent me on my first audition, and I ended up booking it and recording the same day. That was my foray into the business. Filmmaking came later.
Who are your role models?
I love Amy Pohler, Mira Nair, Kate McKinnon, Alice Braga, and so many amazing actress/writers… but I’m reading about Lucille Ball and Shirley McClaine.
What inspires you?
My kiddo is my inspiration to build a more empathetic world through storytelling.
Please tell us about your film, ‘Ally 3000’.
My film, Ally 3000, just won three awards in the Best Shorts Competition. It’s an international film competition and has some prestigious winners. Rick Prickett, who chairs The Best Shorts Competition, had this to said, “Best Shorts is not an easy award to win. Entries are received from around the world from powerhouse companies to remarkable new talent.”
Ally 3000 seems like it is a very timely short… it’s about a CEO at a tech firm who has to make a decision about a product that alleviates white guilt and highlights micro-aggressions that women of color go through in a corporate setting.
What’s your most memorable experience?
When I booked my first role on ER, I went back to the Philippines as part of my uncle’s wedding, and the major of the Manila gave me a key to the city and threw a parade. My family comes from the poorest part of the Philippines – a shantytown called Tondo… and it was a big deal for one of their own to “make it” in the business. I thought it was funny because my first role wasn’t “making it” at all – it was just the very beginning of my journey.
Which social media channels work best for promoting your work? What exactly do you do on the social media channel that makes it work for you?
Because this business is relationship dependent, I find that Facebook has been the best way to keep in touch with friends in the industry, and Instagram has been a better way to keep in contact with fans. I’m still a wee bit wary of social media and data-collecting, but I’m getting better at it. I hate networking in person (I’m an introvert), so social media helps me with my social anxiety since I can plan out what to say before it tumbles out of my mouth.
What’s your greatest fear?
I feel like I’ve been through so much turmoil in the early part of my life that I don’t like o think about fears anymore. The fundamentalist cult I was in kept me scared all the time… so I don’t like returning to that mindset.
Looking back, what’s one thing you wish you understood better before you ever got started?
Sometimes I wish I knew how hard this industry was, especially for women, and particularly women of color… but I think that the naivety served me well. I just kept going and never stopped… honestly because this is all I know how to do, and I have a kid that I have to provide for.
What are the strategies that helped you become successful in your journey?
I believe in always learning and constant and never-ending improvement. I am always striving for excellence in whatever I do… but also, I allow myself to fail and learn from my mistakes and give myself grace throughout the learning process.
What keeps you going when things get tough?
I have a saying that has gotten me through really tough times, “But the great thing is…” and then I fill in the blank. It helps me think about the positive aspects of any situation.
Any message for our readers.
Follow your bliss. There is a unique thing that you were meant to do on this earth. We are meant to be more than just a cog in the machine… unless, of course, being a cog makes you happy.
How can people connect with you?
For kids teens and adults that want to learn to act, people can reach me through my teaching website hollywoodactorsworkshop.com.
To learn about me as a filmmaker, writer, and actress, go to giovannieespiritu.com.
You can also check out my Instagram.


Claims to Greek islands, the persecution of the domestic opposition and attacks on Syria’s Kurds – Turkey remains a difficult ally for Germany. Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) did not want to hide that during her visit there. After a dispute with his counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu, Baerbock met leading opposition politicians over the weekend, including representatives of the pro-Kurdish HDP.
Despite the Turkish invasion plans, Berlin wants to continue to support the Syrian Kurds with medical supplies. This emerges from the response of Niels Annen (SPD), State Secretary for Economic Cooperation and Development, to the request of MP Daniela De Ridder, which is available to the Tagesspiegel in advance. Since the beginning of the pandemic, Germany has spent 33.7 million euros on health care in the regions of Syria not controlled by the Damascus regime.
At 30.4 million euros, most of the money went to aid projects in Idlib in the northwest, which is ruled by Islamists. However, around 3.3 million euros were used for the autonomous region in the north-east, which is dominated by Kurds. In addition, there are four million euros of German funds that are used there by the Malteser. Annen writes: “According to the current status and subject to Parliament’s budget law, continued support for basic health structures can be expected in 2023.”
Foreign Minister Baerbock warned Ankara of a new Syrian invasion; Turkish troops have occupied areas there with Arab Islamists since 2018. Human rights activists speak of torture, kidnappings and expulsions of Kurds there. The Kurdish self-government felt compelled to ask the Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad for help.
In May, Turkish head of state Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced his intention to completely smash Syria’s Kurdish autonomous region. Development Minister Svenja Schulze (SPD) shows backbone when she finances health projects there despite Erdogan’s threats against self-government in north-east Syria, said De Ridder. “The Turkish government is trying to mediate in the Kremlin’s hunger war against Ukraine – but this should not make us forget that Erdogan is aggravating the plight of civilians in Syria.” The Lower Saxony SPD MP is the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s special representative for Eastern Europe.
On Thursday, Ankara’s army killed four police officers from the Kurdish Autonomous Government using a drone. Out of consideration for Ankara, the federal government is only holding unofficial talks with the self-government of the region, also known as Rojava. It has been governed by an alliance under the secular Kurdish party PYD since 2012. Erdogan regards the PYD as a sister organization to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party PKK, which is also banned in Germany.
The US has officially supported Syria’s Kurds with arms in recent years. Above all, the Kurdish YPG liberated northern Syria from the “Islamic State” (IS). Washington warned the NATO partners in Ankara that a Turkish invasion would lead to a resurgence of IS – which Foreign Minister Baerbock also addressed during her visit to Turkey.
Only a few US troops remain in Syria, and Russia has the majority of air sovereignty. So far, Assad’s protective powers, alongside Russia and Iran, have refused the Turkish invasion. There are Russian-Turkish patrols on Syria’s northern border, and in a few days Russian President Vladimir Putin and Erdogan will meet for the second time in a month. The Sunni Islamists, who are allied with Turkey, are particularly dangerous for the Shiite mullahs’ regime in Tehran.
The Turkish opposition welcomed Baerbock’s comparatively clear stance. “Direct statements and confrontation are sometimes unavoidable,” said pro-Kurdish HDP co-head Mithat Sancar after speaking with Baerbock in Ankara. AKP Minister Cavusoglu always speaks directly, and now his German counterpart has behaved so clearly for the first time. The opposition in Turkey has been under massive pressure for years. The HDP is threatened with a ban, the ex-party leader Selahattin Demirtas has been in prison since 2016, although the European Court of Human Rights ordered his release.
According to a survey by the Metropoll Institute, the AKP would have failed to achieve an absolute majority in the current alliance with the far-right MHP in June. Inflation in Turkey is officially 80 percent. Again and again Erdogan tries to present foreign policy successes.
Because of the “Kurdish question”, Erdogan had prevented Sweden and Finland from being accepted into NATO for weeks after Russia’s attack on Ukraine. Stockholm and Helsinki had to pledge that they would take tougher action against PKK sympathizers and not support northern Syria’s Kurdish self-government.
As reported, Ankara’s army has been bombing suspected PKK positions in Iraq for years. Nine Arab tourists were killed in a rocket attack a few days ago. Iraq’s central government in Baghdad requested an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council.
The Kurdish region in northern Iraq, administered by a pro-Western government, is widely recognized internationally, and the Bundeswehr helped the Peshmerga, who act as an army there, in the fight against IS. The mandate expires in the fall. Tobias Lindner (Greens), Minister of State in the Foreign Office, recently told the Rudaw broadcaster that there were “good reasons” for a longer Bundeswehr mission.
Despite all the criticism, Baerbock then said that Germany and Turkey are dependent on each other – Ankara is an “indispensable partner”.


Hiring Rhett Lashlee and Ellis Johnson as the offensive and defensive coordinators was Malzahn's first priority.
And Malzahn will fill out the rest of his staff with heavy input from Lashlee and Johnson.
"I want to give these guys ownership in our assistant coaches," Malzahn said. "Now at the end of the day, I’ll make the decision. But being a former coordinator, I know how important it is to get guys you can work with and fit in with your philosophy, and are hard workers.”
Johnson indicated that he has a plan for pursuing assistants, but he wouldn't say what the positional breakdown would be. Those decisions hinge on who Auburn finds to fill out the rest of Malzahn's staff.
"I just know there will be four guys on the defensive side of the ball," Johnson said. "We've got some flexibility in that. I'm not stuck on any one way to do it."
Malzahn worked with all but three members of Chizik's staff during his three year stint, including a group -- Taylor, running backs coach Curtis Luper, offensive line coach Jeff Grimes, special teams coordinator Jay Boulware and safeties/linebackers coach Tommy Thigpen -- that helped Auburn win the 2010 national championship.
Asked about the difficulty of releasing those former colleagues, Malzahn admitted the task wasn't easy.
"There's no doubt," Malzahn said. "You get extremely close to people when you work with them. It was extremely tough."
After Lashlee's hire, Malzahn was also asked about the possibility of more Arkansas State assistants following him to Auburn, a question he deflected.
"Our plan was to hire coordinators and give them some ownership," Malzahn said. "We're open to everyone; we just want to get the right fit. That's what we're working on right now."
-- Al.com reporter Charles Goldberg contributed to this report.
For more news and notes on Auburn football, check out al.com's Auburn football page, and make sure to follow the Tigers on Twitter:


Russia and Moldova intend to conclude a number of agreements to boost cooperation in solving humanitarian problems as part of a session of the intergovernmental commission underway on Tuesday. Russian Vice-Premier Alexei Gordeyev said as much when opening the session.
According to him, it is necessary to make all efforts to maintain free communication between citizens of the two countries, "to remove all barriers on this way." He made it clear that bilateral agreements in healthcare, education and tourism were at issue.
According to Gordeyev, the Russo-Moldovan intergovernmental commission has been rather efficient over the past two years. He said that agreements have been reached on delivery of Russian natural gas to Moldova and its transit via Moldovan territory and the problem has been settled of supplying Russian electricity to Moldova at privileged prices. Apart from that, the Vice-Premier added, the creation of a joint energy enterprise, Inter RAO UES Balkans, has been completed.
First deputy Prime Minister of Moldova Vasile Iovv, co-chairman of the commission, remarked that Russia and Moldova had reported a growth in trade over the past year. He added that the current potential of bilateral cooperation was not being used in full.
Turkish President Erdogan called for a revision of the 1923 Lausanne Treaty, which consolidated the results of the First World War for Turkey in 1923
On December 10, 1948 the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly, its thirty articles enshrining basic and fundamental rights guaranteeing dignity of the human person and equality for all, regardless of race, color, creed or gender. A pipe dream?
Vladimir Putin's aircraft landed on Hmeymim airbase of the Russian Air Force in Syria in the morning of December 11


So says director Kyle Richards.
And it’s downloading from The Pirate Bay. as I write this
PS: for anyone who can’t wait, here’s the YouTube version »»»
Will it be an improvement on Movie 43?
Stay tuned 😉
And on TPB »»»
Ahoy, pirates! Here be “The Amateur Monster Movie”, the first feature film by Kyle Richards and King’s Tower Productions. We are willfully providing it to you for the taking because we are uninterested in distribution-as-usual. Here’s why: Let’s look at what a movie is once its digital: it’s data. Data that can be endlessly replicated and distributed throughout the world for a cost that could be considered “insignificant”. It certainly doesn’t cost us anything for you to download it. And it didn’t cost us anything to upload it. It seems logical that in this scenario, there would be no money involved, as the only costs are the operations of computers that would be running regardless. With this in mind, we believe the future of film, television, music, and all media distribution is changing. As we move towards fully digital entertainment and away from DVDs, Blu Ray, and the like, the costs of distribution dissipate. And the price of acquiring said media should dissipate for the viewer as well. This is our little contribution in striving towards a world where all movies, television, music, and media are accessible at no charge to anyone who can access the internet. An internet which we also hope will be available at no charge to everyone who should seek it out, worldwide. This is the best way for everyone to share and learn about one another’s thoughts, ideas, cultures, creativity, inspirations, and more. If the technology exists and the will to make it so exists, then it is only a matter of time. We choose to take that path now, in hopes that we may provide a cost-free, ad-free alternative to increasingly expensive and ad-filled media from the big corporations, despite their lowered costs of operation. It may seem like a far-fetched idea now, but every big idea had to start small. This movie was made in that mindset. No money was spent on cast, crew, locations, or equipment. Only food and small items for props and makeup were purchased all the way through the entire shoot. Come editing, it became inevitable to accumulate some larger costs, the greatest being time cost, three and a half years were put into this movie, but we also do have financial debts to repay. The good news is they are not insurmountable and the future bodes brighter. Increases in technology continue to cut down on lengthy turnaround periods, and in time we hope to produce higher and higher quality films at a lower and lower cost, eventually arriving in a situation where there is no cost to either see the film or make the film; eliminating money, intrusive advertisements, and internet “tollbooths” from the equation entirely. The creative possibilities such a scenario would allow for in all media are practically limitless. Though we have no illusions or desires of striking it rich off this movie, we are working to help pay off our expenses and if you enjoy the movie, purchasing a DVD at http://www.spadeheartclub.com is a great way to help us out. The DVDs contain two full commentary tracks, a behind the scenes featurette, an outtakes reel, and six deleted and extended scenes. There are no unskippable trailers or ads; there are no trailers or ads, period. It is just a pure, jam-packed, content-loaded DVD. We made it so people who loved the movie could have a copy of their own and know more about how it was made. And we’re selling it at the best price we can, and will continue to do so until there’s a way to make it free as well! Another, maybe even better way to help us, is to review the movie somewhere online once you’ve seen it. Go to our imdb page, do a write-up in your blog, post a link on your facebook, or anything else/all of the above! The farther we can spread the word, the better! We ain’t in the business of makin’ dollars; we’re in the business of building an audience, the business of beginning a revolution of free digital media worldwide. It’s time for us to stop artificially creating a supposed monetary value on that which costs its makers nothing to distribute. It’s time to end prosecution against file sharing. Help us keep things rolling in that direction by telling everyone you know about “The Amateur Monster Movie” and where they can watch it for FREE! Thank you, Kyle Richards King’s Tower Productions
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On the 12th of October 2012, Francois Hollande made a speech to the crowds assembled in Dakar, the capital of Senegal. He told them ‘The time of Françafrique is over. There is France and there is Africa. There is a partnership between France and Africa’
The day before, the French president had confirmed that the French military would give logistical support to Malian troops. Three months later logistical support became military support as French troops landed in the country. French soldiers were crucial in helping government forces retake the West African nation. Their active presence is now winding down.
The very arrival of the French army was enough to prompt shouts of ‘Françafrique!’ from critics. Many fear that the Malian government’s invitation to the French will lead to a protracted stay, and a return to the neo-colonial interference of the 20th century.
Alex Burd went to the School of African and Oriental Studies [SOAS] in Russell Square, London, to talk to Dr Marie Rodet, an expert in Francophone Africa to discuss the scale and impact of Françafrique on the former colonies and their masters.
This podcast explores the past and the present of Franco-African relations. From the history and the structure of the relationship and Malian independence to the motives for French intervention in Mali and the future of Françafrique.
Alex started by asking Dr Rodet what’ Françafrique’ means.
MARIE RODET: Well Françafrique is the combination of two words, France and Afrique – Africa – and it was coined probably around the 50s, 60s. Not especially from a negative point of view at the time. It was Houphouet-Boigny, the first President of the Ivory Coast who came up with this word.
But later it was taken over by people criticising the complex relationship between France and its former colonies. The idea was that these relationships were obscure and they were sponsored by obscure financial means like the Africa-Élysées http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fran%C3%A7afrique cell . That’s why it has been highly criticised. Money will have been dedicated to support a specific coup and specific corrupt financial relationships between France and former French colonies in Africa. So regularly in the history of the relationship between France and its former colonies you get the term being used. But it is not only with former colonies, it is in connection with all African countries where France has important investments and economical interests. So for example we can include in Françafrique, Equatorial Guinea. And at some point we could have included Rwanda which is no longer very good friends with France following the genocide.
So regularly in the history you have this term coming up, especially in the media, not only in France but more generally in Europe and in the Western world and in Africa. People suggesting that it would be the continuing model of the relationship between France and the African ‘backlot’.
ALEX BURD: You mentioned that it was linked to aid. Is it generally used in relation to economics – where the French would send aid to their former colonies?
MR: Most of the time it’s not about aid but rather about French interests in Africa. It is also about the sponsoring of specific elections, not only in Africa but back in France. There are rumours, for example, that Omar Bongo, the former President of Gabon had supported presidential elections financially in France for twenty years.
So it’s a network of influence and of people involved as intermediaries between the interests of a certain elite in Africa and the political power in France.
AB: Mali was one of the former colonies and it is the one that France is currently involved with. What was their path to independence like? Democratic or more violent?
MR: I wouldn’t say it was a violent one, but it was not a completely peaceful one either. It was a complex one. At first, in 1959, Mali and Senegal tried to build together a federation – the Malian federation – composed of what was known at the time as the Sudanese Republic (nowadays Mali, and Senegal). It got full independence from France in 1960 as a federation but soon after, a couple of months later, the federation broke up, probably because of political influence and disagreements about the leadership of the federation – there were just too many leaders. From Mali there was Modibo Keita and from Senegal, Sédar Senghor .
Senghor was closer to France, he was not for breaking up the relationship with France. Modibo Keita, on the other hand, was clearly a socialist and was willing to move away from this network of influence with France. Probably what happened is that Senghor, with the support of France was able to break up the Federation (Charles de Gaulle – General de Gaulle at the time – was not on good terms at all with Modibo Keita, nor with the federation of which Modibo Keita was about to gain the leadership). Senghor accused Modibo Keita of being willing to engineer a coup or something like that. So from the start, the first President of Mali was not especially in this so-called Françafrique relationship, not on good terms with France (especially with General de Gaulle) because he was a socialist and willing to implement a clear socialist policy in Mali.
AB: You say that Senegal is much closer to France following independence than Mali was. Did other former colonies like Niger and Ivory Coast follow the Senegalese path or the Malian?
MR: No, you can’t really compare the relationship between Mali and France to the relationship between Gabon and France or the Ivory Coast and France. There are not the same economic interests in Mali, it has a low key economic interest for France (though that might change). That is why it would be too simplistic to read the French intervention in Mali as a pure product of Françafrique. In Mali there are no big economic or political interests for France. It is very different in neighbouring countries like Niger, Ivory Coast, Gabon, even Senegal, partly because the French community in countries like the Ivory Coast and Senegal is much more sizeable than in Mali.
AB: Many former French colonies in West Africa have, since independence, experienced conflict. France has intervened, or not intervened, with differing success, or levels of involvement. Why does France continue to get itself involved in the business of what happens in its former colonies?
MR: That’s a very complex question, but it is important to keep in mind that since independence there have been a number of governments in France and in Africa. You have had political change. Since independence you have not had exactly the same kind of policy towards Africa. I wouldn’t even say that France has an official African policy. Take, for example, the Ivory Coast. Most of the intervientions – even the latest one in Saint-Affrique – were accompanied by official French claims that they were there to protect their own citizens and it was not about supporting or contesting the political power. Of course, on the one hand there are the official claims and on the other there is the practice. The situation on the ground may change and the initial intentions may have to be adapted to the situation on the ground.
So to come back to the military intervention in Mali. I think the French were prepared to intervene – but they didn’t know when or how. In this case what the French were very much concerned about was not their own economic interests in Mali – because they do not have so many – no, they were much more concerned about the consequences of such a conflict on neighbouring countries like Niger where they have really big interests with Areva [the nuclear power company] and Uranium. It was probably concern about the idea of expanding terrorism and Islamism in the whole region. When you think of Afghanistan, for example, you think, ‘well it is really far away so even if there are increasing problems there, the effect won’t be that immediate on Europe’. But when you think of Mali and the Sahel there are so many immigrants into Europe, relationships, historical networks etc. that Europe cannot afford to have such a conflict geographically so close to Europe. I guess that was one of the main concerns for the French. They tried to convince the US and other countries – but it didn’t work very well last year, until the French apparently with intelligence, were able to find out that Sanogo [leader of 2012 coup against President Amadou Toumani Toure] and his troops in Bamako, in central Mali, were in contact with the Islamists in the north to find common interests in having a continued destabilised situation and were trying to remove the interim President Dioncounda Traoré. That is why the French intervened. Because they understood that if Sanogo was able to completely destabilise the whole political situation then the conflict would expand and terrorism would expand.
They were also very wary of the potential attraction of such a conflict for young people in France. You can see the impact of the conflict in Palestine and Israel on the situation in France. France has been the victim of terrorism in the past, and anti-Semitic action, and Palestine and Israel do not even have a close historical relationship with France. But with Mali there is an important Malian community in France and so because of the history, and the historical links, the French government definitely felt linked to what was happening in Mali at the time.
AB: So the security concerns are genuine?
MR: Yes, definitely.
AB: : Jacques Godfrain, foreign minister to Jacques Chirac, said that ‘a little country, like France, with a small amount of strength can move a planet because of our relations with 15 or 20 African countries.’ Is the relationship with West Africa a way of maintaining French prestige?
MR: It is difficult to say. On the one side, both President Sarkozy and now President Hollande took a clear stance to say ‘we will end Françafrique’, or we will revisit or rethink the relationships. And I believe that they tried to do it. But it is a slow process and you still have these complex relationships going on – on both sides lots of people who have an interest in not changing the relationship.
But to come back to the issue of the Mali conflict, I believe this was not about protecting French influence in West Africa. It was a security issue. It was clear that if Mali, which is a landlocked country in the middle of West Africa in connection directly with the Sahara and in the south bordering the Ivory Coast and Burkina Faso, were to become completely destabilised it would be really dangerous for neighbouring countries and the whole region.
The Ivory Coast had been partly destabilised politically for the last decade. But other countries had experienced a kind of working democratic change in the past decade and Mali was seen as a model for that. Unfortunately it was not exactly the case. However, it was in the interests of the French (and not only the French – the Americans and international donors, too) to believe that Mali was a model for democracy. They invested a lot of aid money into the country at this time.
I think they probably invested for ‘stabilisation’ reasons as well. The Sahelian zone is prone to be destabilised because of poverty, refugee movements and all these factors increase the risk of people getting involved in illegal businesses and trafficking. There is a lot of trafficking – not only of cigarettes, goods and drugs but also human trafficking of immigrants trying to get to Europe through Mali and Libya etc. These networks were in the hands of people who at some point claimed they wanted an independent country because they wanted to maintain a hold of these networks. That’s why it’s not always clear whether for the terrorists it is an issue of Islamism or an issue of making good business in this part of the world, which is less under control from the central states because it is such a huge area, geographically.
AB: You mentioned the Ivory Coast briefly at the start. The closer relationship between Ivory Coast and France has been credited for being behind the ‘Ivorian miracle’ which led to a boost to their industrial and economic output as they started out being independent. Is Françafrique mutually beneficial? Or does one side tend to come off better?
MR: Well I guess that there is a specific elite in West Africa, and the rest of the continent, which may have profited from the relationship – political leaders of the past 50 years who have just been empowered by the relationship, but at the expenses of the local population. Of course you always have an elite interested in maintaining these relationships in France, because then France, can say, ‘we don’t interfere too much in what you are doing , but at the same time you must make sure that our interests in your country are protected.’ So it is mutually beneficial in the sense that it’s beneficial to a certain elite in Africa and to a certain economic and political elite in France. But in the long term I’m not sure it’s beneficial to anybody.
AB: It’s a similar relationship to what existed before independence where the people put in place by the French leadership continue to benefit whereas the general public see no benefit from the relationship.
MR: Yes, that’s a good comparison. It is why we talk about neo-imperialism, neo-colonialism in post-colonial Africa. Not only by France but by other political Western powers. The fact that they do everything to maintain their own interest there at the expenses, again, of the interests of the local population and in favour of the political elite.
AB: The individuals put in power by the French continue to benefit but why do you think that there isn’t a great push from within the African nations to break away from France?
MR: That is probably why you regularly have coups! In Africa part of the population doesn’t agree with this kind of political configuration. They see that members of the elite are getting richer and richer while they experience impoverishment.
The problem in Mali, to come back again to the Mali issue, is that for the past 20 years, they have experienced bad governance, corruption. And at the same time, internationally, Mali was advertised as a good model for democracy, but that was not – at all – the experience of the population. Within this context you understand why, when the coup happened,it was not contested by the population. The coup was not prepared at all; it was just an uprising in the military. It happened just because the President left and there was a void of power, so in the end the military said ‘well, we are in charge.’
There was so much discontent in the population with the current political situation that they naively welcomed this coup, thinking that maybe it would bring some change, a new political power, a new political elite in this country. So it was quite well received because people were just frustrated, there were so many people disenfranchised and impoverished by the situation in Mali for the past 10 years that of course people were hoping that it would bring something new and for the best.
And at the same time in the north you had the uprising, the rebellion for independence, by the Tuareg – which was also a response to some extent to the bad governance which was coming from Bamako. So while in the north you had rebellion, in the south you had a coup.
AB: Do you foresee an end to Françafrique or are France and its former colonies stuck in a cycle?
MR: In Mali, no one was ready to intervene – the UN was really slow at supporting this military intervention. It was only when the French intervened that all the international organisations started backing up the intervention. If the French had not intervened we’d still be waiting for an international intervention now, with the risk we all know about – expanding terrorism, expanding political destabilisation in the whole region.
I guess that very simply the best way to break with this cycle of mutual corruption between France and Africa and these kinds of complex networks of influence is to encourage good governance on both sides and to make strong political institutions. The problem is, that in the 80s, the IMF [International Monetary Fund] and the World Bank implemented structural adjustment agreements in these countries. The former colonies didn’t have much power compared to states in Europe. They were pressured to get rid of the few prerogatives they had because they were accused of being corrupted. So all the public services had to be privatised – and to whom? Big western companies, France Telecom for example, and EDF (Électricité de France). They are very strong now in Africa.
It is little wonder that many disenfranchised people in Africa get frustrated with the politicians and have the impression that a few of them capture the aid and are involved in corruption. But those same politicians are under pressure from the international institutions to sell the state one piece after another.
For more from Pod Academy visit our website at www.podacademy.org or search for us on itunes. We currently have content on the Iraq war – ten years on since the invasion, background on the Leveson report as well as piece on bell ringing. Music has been provided by Bafilabèn, to hear more visit his website at www.bafilaben.com. Thanks for listening.


U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer warned that Ukraine is at risk of losing the war without American aid in a press conference attended by a Kyiv Independent reporter in Lviv on Feb. 23.
Schumer's visit, along with several other Democratic senators, comes at a precarious time for Ukraine. Hold-ups in U.S. assistance continue to put a strain on Ukraine's defense capabilities, contributing to the loss of the key front-line city of Avdiivka, which Schumer acknowledged.
After months of bipartisan negotiations, the Senate approved a $95 billion foreign aid bill that allocates $60 billion for Ukraine. Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson has thus far refused to put the bill to a vote in the House, instead calling a recess until the end of the month.
Many of the senators' comments were personally directed to Johnson. Schumer invited the speaker to Ukraine and implored him not "to let politics get in the way."
Schumer added that the failure to support Ukraine would hurt the standing of the U.S. in the world and increase the likelihood of further conflict in the future, which could potentially require American boots on the ground.
"If we let autocrats of the world succeed here, they will not stop. We will see greater trouble and conflict in Europe, with China, Iran, in the Middle East," Schumer said.
"If we turn our back on Ukraine, it has implications that will go on for a long time...(and) America will lose out," the senator added.
Schumer's sentiments were echoed by fellow senator Richard Blumenthal, who directed his comments to Johnson and said that the U.S. must "pay now, or pay later," which he said meant that "our own men and women will be fighting and dying on the battlefields of Europe."
Senator Jack Reed added that aid is in Johnson's hands, and urged him to help give Ukrainians the tools needed to fight the Russian invasion.
"If we do not (send the necessary weapons), we will soon be asked to send young Americans because (Russia) will not stop with Ukraine," Reed said.
Despite the heroic effort that Ukraine has put up so far, the senators said that the West must provide more military assistance, such as air defense, demining equipment, and long-range weapons, including equipment with the capability of striking the Kerch Bridge connecting occupied Crimea with Russia.


Going into the health care field is a challenge for anyone, but it’s discouraged from the get-go for young women like me.
The questioning starts when you begin to express a desire to work in the health care field out loud. Instead of being asked confidently and curiously why you are interested in medicine, the question becomes: “Are you sure?” Because I am a Black, Muslim women, they may think I won’t make it because I lack the resources.
At the end of the day, this questioning is what keeps me and other students of color fighting to be successful in what we do, and remember who we’re doing it for: the people in our own communities. Recent opportunities I’ve had also reassured me that I really do want to pursue medicine.
Last month, I participated in the Summer Medical and Dental Education Program (SMDEP) at the University of Washington (UW)— an initiative that’s been operating across 11 college campuses for 27 years to recruit diverse talent in the health care industry. SMDEP introduces students from underrepresented minority groups to medical and dental fields with job shadowing, classes and professional mentorship opportunities. They also walk through the application processes and pre-requisites to enter medical and dental school.
The six-week program also gave us a close, inside look at the industry, with presentations from diverse health care providers who look more like us students. I even got to watch a (Black female) surgeon resident, Dr. Estell Williams, work at the operating table. Diversity makes health care better and more culturally responsive explains Dr. Patricia Precook, dean of the College of Nursing and Health Sciences at the University of Vermont.
“Interacting with a health care professional is such a personal relationship that it’s important that the provider you have understands the values and beliefs of the individual with whom they are working,” she said. “… If we don’t have the cultural context of the people we’re serving, we’re not going to be effective as health care professionals. It’s not just in medicine; it’s in nursing, speech pathology, physical therapy, radiation therapy – all the health professions.”
As our nation gets more diverse, it becomes increasingly important to racially and culturally reflect that diversity in all health care professions, something that has been long overlooked:
“…enrollment of racial and ethnic minorities in nursing, medicine, and dentistry has stagnated despite America’s growing diversity,” according to the Sullivan Commission. “While African Americans, Hispanic Americans, and American Indians, as a group, constitute nearly 25 percent of the U.S. population, these three groups account for less than 9 percent of nurses, 6 percent of physicians, and only 5 percent of dentists.”
Before starting the program, I had a lot doubts about the medical field. I thought that I was not smart enough, but in SMDEP, I realized that I wasn’t the only student struggling with some of the classes we need to take to enter these fields. Together, we were inspired by unlikely heroes in the health care field like Mohammad Deen, 27, a registered nurse who is pursuing nurse certification as an anesthetist at Samuel Merritt University.
Deen shared that he initially started as a medical interpreter in the Arabic language at just 18 years of age. At the time, he was eyeing an acting career and had no interest in the medical field, but served as an interpreter because it paid well.
One day, he translated for an Egyptian woman who had three children with congenital heart disease. A doctor had heard her story and flown the family to Chicago to help the woman’s one surviving daughter who couldn’t get care in Egypt. Mohammad did his job as the translator, helping to save the girl, but still was not persuaded to practice medicine.
As chance would have it, he ran into the Egyptian woman whose daughter he had helped to save. She thanked him and made Deen promise to help people in her situation. He couldn’t say no to this woman, and has since worked as a travel nurse for California Pacific Medical Center’s intensive care and cardiac care units, as well as a nurse for Northwest Rescue in critical care transport.
I have learned that a lot of people color have made it, each with a different path and story — from humanitarian nurse Mohammad Deen, to Dr. Ben Danielson, medical director of Odessa Brown Children’s Clinic and Dr. Estell Williams, a surgeon and resident at UW.
As a student who wants to be a doctor, I understand the importance of having a mentor and someone you look up to — someone who inspires and motivates you.
To support more professional pathways to heathcare, SMDEP is also in the process of expanding to include curriculum and career opportunities in nursing, pharmacy and public health, and has recently grown to specifically reach students who come from communities with steep health disparities. The Sullivan Commission reports that the paucity of minorities working as health professionals “is compounding the nation’s persistent racial and ethnic health disparities. From cancer, heart disease, and HIV/AIDS to diabetes and mental health, African Americans, Hispanic Americans, and American Indians tend to receive less and lower quality health care than whites, resulting in higher mortality rates.”
SMDEP also recruits earlier and wider in higher education, focusing “on students in the first two years of their college education because the experience of previous programs indicates that this is when students derive the most benefit,” as stated on its website.
For me, it was great timing. I had a lot of serious doubts about going into the medical field, but SMDEP reinforced this professional path as one that I really want to pursue.
Studying to become a doctor is certainly something I know I can’t do by myself. Everything that I have and will have will be from the blessings of Allah (God), as well as the support of my parents and mentors. This is what keeps me going.


Good morning and ROOOAAARRR!!!!!
It had been a stressful couple of days for Detroit Lions linebacker Rocky McIntosh after he was cut from the Lions on Sunday.
But even as he was being released, he had a feeling it wouldn't be his last time in Detroit. The Lions kept just five linebackers and would be moving running back Montell Owens to short-term injured reserve a couple of days later.
So McIntosh had a good feeling he would be back. Still, until it actually happens, there can be some moments of doubt.
"You're sitting there, waiting for that phone call," McIntosh, now back with the Lions, told ESPN.com on Thursday. "It almost brought me back to draft day. Just sitting and waiting to get a call.
"It could be kind of nerve-racking."
His NFL draft wait was a bit shorter, as he selected in the second round in 2006 by Washington. Now, McIntosh wanted to return to Detroit if possible because he already started to pick up the playbook. He just needed to re-learn some of the terminology over the past couple of days.
His first test, if he is active Sunday, comes against the best running back in the league -- Adrian Peterson.
With McIntosh back with the team, here's a look at the Lions from the rest of the Interwebs:
A roundup of our coverage yesterday: Ziggy Ansah practiced for the first time since he suffered a concussion on Aug. 24, but Jim Schwartz won't discuss why he was re-inserted into that practice. Also, Reggie Bush is the key to Detroit's offense.
Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press looks at three offensive keys for this season.
Kyle Meinke of MLive writes that Calvin Johnson feels 100 percent again. Meinke also writes that Minnesota receiver Cordarrelle Patterson and Detroit cornerback Darius Slay are a bit familiar with each other.
Former Lions linebacker Ronnell Lewis, who was released last week, was arrested on suspicion of DUI in Oklahoma, Ron Terrell from FOX23 in Oklahoma reports.
Paula Pasche from the Oakland (Mich.) Press writes about Johnson's new commercial, which depicts him with two personalities.


British woodworking show “The Chop: Britain’s Top Woodworker” has been canceled by AETN U.K.’s and Comcast’s Sky History channel following controversy over a contestant’s “far-right” tattoos.
Sky History first pulled the series last week pending an investigation into complaints about participant Darren Lumsden’s alleged Nazi body art, including the number 88 tattooed on his cheek, which is considered by some to be a numerical code for the phrase “Heil Hitler.”
“Following an independent investigation, AETN UK has made the decision not to broadcast any further episodes of ‘The Chop’ on Sky HISTORY,” A&E Networks UK said in a statement to TheWrap Friday. “A contestant’s tattoos included symbols that could be connected to far-right ideologies and could cause offence; we sincerely apologise for that and we are sorry that our processes did not prompt further investigation at an earlier stage.”
Also Read: Fall TV 2020: All the Premiere Dates for New and Returning Shows - So Far (Photos)
The statement continued: “The contestant continues to strenuously deny that he has, or ever had, far-right leanings. We are thoroughly reviewing our internal processes following the investigation. AETN UK and Sky HISTORY stand against racism and hate speech of all kinds.”
In its own statement, “The Chop” producer Big Wheel Film & Television added: “Big Wheel Film & Television acted professionally, appropriately and in good faith throughout the making of ‘The Chop,’ following robust due diligence and duty of care processes from casting through to delivery. All issues, problems and concerns identified in relation to Darren Lumsden’s tattoos during production were fully reported up to AETN UK, and the broadcaster’s directives and instructions in response were closely followed. Big Wheel Film & Television co-operated fully with the independent investigation put in place by AETN UK, and shared details of relevant processes, discussions and exchanges, along with supporting evidence and documentation.”
“Big Wheel Film & Television stands against all forms of hatred and intolerance, is committed to the highest professional standards, and strives at all times to treat people fairly. Now that the independent investigation into Darren Lumsden’s tattoos has concluded, no further comment will be made from Big Wheel Film & Television in relation to this matter.”


Unity for the benefit of all
According to the World Economic Forum, by 2023, the G7 group of industrialized nations is estimated to represent only one-quarter of global GDP, with global growth and trade emerging from developing countries.
How should the multilateral system adapt to emergent actors, interests and ideas?
Multilateralism has continuously evolved to adapt to changes on the international scene. Over the past 100 years, the founding principles of collective endeavour between countries have inspired action at an international level, including the establishment of the United Nations 75 years ago.
Today’s problems transcend borders like never before. One only has to look at climate change, migration and indeed, pandemics. Artificial intelligence, the digital revolution and going green to compete will throw up new opportunities – but the increasing economic inequalities will give rise to new challenges.
Responses to these concerns are not within the power of governments to deliver alone. Others must rise to the occasion: the private sector, multinationals, international organizations, non-governmental organizations and think tanks need to become an integral part of multilateral processes.
The Sustainable Development Goals, for instance, are the result of a ‘new’ form of multilateralism, an UN-led process that involves its 193 member states and global civil society.
The United Nations is needed today more than ever before. But it knows that it has to evolve. As part of its 75th anniversary, the UN ran a global public survey, asking over 1 million people how they see the UN and the future. The majority welcomed the institution and would like to see it become more innovative and inclusive.
The contributions in this issue open a discussion on how a revitalized multilateralism could benefit micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in the long run, as they are the backbone – and the future − of the world’s economy. MSMEs can take advantage of opportunities to enter global value chains and increase value addition within an effective multilateral trading system. However, they face particular hardships in the light of COVID-19, climate change and the rise of digitalization.
We have brought into the conversation the Director-General of the UN office in Geneva, the Vice President of Switzerland and the Deputy Director of the World Trade Organization. We collected the views of representative from the African Development Bank, the Brookings Institution and academia. And we gave the word to entrepreneurs from Guatemala, Kenya and Nepal.
There is hope, and there is a way, they say.
Join our discussion. We count on your cooperation.


YOUNGSTOWN Man sues over blood transfusion
Experimental testing found the blood was infectious.
By WILLIAM K. ALCORN
VINDICATOR HEALTH WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- A 47-year-old Boardman man has filed a medical malpractice lawsuit against the American Red Cross and Forum Health, alleging he contracted hepatitis C from an infectious blood transfusion.
Matthew Estes, in his suit filed in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court, said he received a tainted transfusion of fresh frozen plasma on April 24, 2001, during a partial leg amputation at Northside Medical Center.
Estes was notified that he "may have been exposed" to the hepatitis C virus (HCV) in a letter from the Forum Health Department of Pathology & amp; Laboratory Medicine to his doctor, dated March 11, 2002. The letter said that another donation from the donor of the blood plasma Estes received during surgery had tested positive for HCV.
Patient tests positive
Estes subsequently tested positive for HCV, said his attorney, Patrick Fire of Boardman.
The infectious plasma was supplied to Forum Health Northside Medical Center by the Red Cross' Northern Ohio Region, Fire said.
In his suit, Estes said he contracted HCV because the defendants were negligent in the testing, preparation, care and treatment of the blood products he received during his medical treatment. Other defendants are as yet unknown "John Doe" physicians and corporations.
Estes has demanded a jury trial. He is seeking judgments in excess of $25,000 for each of two counts: The first against the Red Cross and Forum Health; and the second against as yet unknown defendants.
Forum Health had no knowledge of the suit and would not comment, said Joanne McCliment, Forum's marketing and communications manager. Likewise, Karen Kelley, Red Cross communications and marketing director, said: "I have no knowledge of this lawsuit. But, even if I did, I would not be able to comment on any pending litigation."
Forum Health, in its letter to Estes' physician, Dr. Mark Hirko, said the blood Estes received was "tested and found to be nonreactive" for antibodies to HCV before shipment by the American Red Cross.
A subsequent sample -- collected 299 days after this donation -- from the same donor was included in an HIV-1/HCV Nucleic Acid Test research project to detect viral Rubonucleic acid (RNA) and underwent additional experimental testing that would otherwise not be performed.
"These tests were reactive for HCV. Your patient may have been exposed to HCV," the Forum Health letter said.
Facts about virus
Hepatitis C is a disease of the liver caused by the hepatitis C virus. Hepatitis damages liver cells and can cause the liver to become swollen and tender.
According to the national Center for Disease Control and Prevention, a chroniic HCV infection results in 75 to 85 percent of infected people; chronic liver disease afflicts 70 percent of chronically infected people; and deaths from chronic liver disease occur in 3 percent of those infected. CDC also sad hepatitis is the leading reason for liver transplants.


I was 11 years old when I got Latrell Sprewell’s autograph at the Madison Square Garden. Full disclosure: though I grew up in New York, I’m actually a Celtics fan because my dad loved Larry Bird. My dad used to have to go to Boston for business once a year and it was usually during the Celtics season. He would bring me, my brother, and my mom to a Celtics game every year. However, it was 2002 when we made the short trip to New York City.
Celtics at Knicks – November 2, 2002
The Knicks were hosting the Celtics, and while I was rooting for Boston, I was very excited to watch this Knicks team who had Allan Houston,Marcus Camby, and Latrell Sprewell. My brother Pat is a Knicks fan, but at the time he was especially a HUGE Marcus Camby fan. He wore his Camby jersey and I wore my Paul Pierce jersey.
We both had miniature Knicks basketballs. Our mission (as you would imagine) was to get autographs. Though we sat a ways away from the court, we were behind the Knicks bench. So, we got to the game early and we were able to move close behind the Knicks bench during warm-ups. Pat tried to get Camby’s autograph, but my eyes were on Latrell Sprewell. Not only was he pretty close to where I was, but he was injured and wasn’t warming up. He was within autograph-signing distance.
I made my move.
Sprewell was dressed in a brownish suit, and he was standing talking to one of the MSG trainers. I don’t even think kids nowadays can do what I was about to do, you probably couldn’t get anywhere close. But this was 2002, and so I reached over the gate and tugged on Latrell Sprewell’s pant leg. He looked down and saw me.
He looked pissed.
But I showed him my miniature New York Knicks basketball and asked like the polite 11-year old boy I was if he could sign it.
He did…and I was super stoked. I’ll never forget it.
I learned later on why Latrell Sprewell was injured that game. He had hosted a party on his yacht and, allegedly, a woman vomited on the yacht floor. Sprewell told the woman to leave the party, but the woman’s boyfriend objected. Infuriated, Sprewell took a swing at the boyfriend. He missed and ended up punching a wall…breaking his hand.
And this was a guy whose suit pant leg I tugged on. Yikes.
Off the court issues overshadow a potential hall of fame career.
If you remember how Latrell Sprewell’s career had progressed (and ended) it was a bit of a tragedy. But Sprewell was a good player. He posted 18.3 ppg, 4.1 rpg, and 4 assists per game throughout his 13-year career. Sprewell was a 4x All-Star who was a solid two-way player and was surprisingly a reliable free-throw shooter at 80.4% (229th all-time).
In the 2003-04 season, Sprewell was on the Timberwolves and he, along with Kevin Garnett and Sam Cassell were a “Big 3” before Big 3s became a thing in the league. Minnesota finished 58-24 and if it wasn’t for Kobe Bryant, the Timberwolves would have gone to the NBA finals that year.
It was on Halloween in 2004 when Minnesota offered Sprewell a three-year, $21 million contract extension. However, Sprewell was not happy with the deal and was quoted saying, “I have a family to feed.” Sprewell and his agent declined the extension in hopes that a team would sign him as a free agent for a lot more money.
About a month into the 2005-06 season, Sprewell still did not have a contract and Bob Gist, who was Sprewell’s agent at the time, stated that Latrell would “rather retire” than play at a minimal salary, and that his client would wait until “teams get desperate.”
Le’Veon Bell will try and do what Latrell Sprewell did over a decade ago. He, along with his agent, Adisa Bakari, will try and get a desperate team to pay him more than what the Steelers had offered him (which was five years, $70 million.) Le’Veon left $14.5 million on the table when he recently decided not to play a single game this season under the franchise tag. Bell cannot recuperate that $14.5 million; it’s gone.
Sure, by sitting out, Bell avoids injury because he simply is not playing. But who says he can’t injure himself in the very first game of next season in whatever uniform he’ll be wearing? What if he doesn’t even make it into a single game – did you all see what happened to Dez Bryant? Steelers offensive tackle, Jerald Hawkins, didn’t even play a single game because he tore his quad muscle during OTAs. Arguably, Bell’s healthiest season was when he posted 406 touches from scrimmage last year. That was his healthiest! Suspension-free! And he made $12.1 million.
Freak accidents happen
If you read my Thursday Night pick and my take on the Panthers vs. Steelers game last week, I talked about how I tore my ACL playing FLAG football. It was a freak accident…it was random…that’s why they’re freakish.
When Le’Veon Bell’s agent, Adisa Bakari tells us that it’s the “wear-and-tear” and the constant pounding that concerns him and is the reason why his client is sitting out, I have to call bullshit. You see, the freakish-type of injuries that would have a significant impact on Bell’s ability to receive a mega deal or the deal he wants in free agency is normally not a byproduct of the excessive repetition or the wear-and-tear that a running back endures. When was the last time a player went on the IR because of wear-and-tear? Really? Did you pay any attention to your client last season?! Again, 406 touches, and Bell seemed like he made out just fine health-wise.
Bell has made it clear that he wants to be the best offensive weapon in the league. So what are you going to do? Are you going to take the ball out of his hands? You think the New York Jets, who have a struggling 20-year old quarterback, are not going to give the ball to Bell at least every other play? You think the Raiders (THE RAIDERS!) who have a running back with one foot out the retirement door is going to just let Derek Carr throw the ball 50 times a game? Is Jon Gruden is really going to limit Bell’s touches?! Or how about the Indianapolis Colts, who finally have a formidable offensive line and a quarterback who has had past shoulder problems? You think they’re going to take the ball out of Bell’s hands? And don’t even get me started with the Browns. Are any of these teams really going to limit Bell’s touches?
How ignorant of an agent can Bakari really be? Does he realize that the workload for Bell is not going to change no matter where he ends up playing? Bell is arguably the best running back in the league! And the more reps he gets, the more prolific of a playmaker Le’Veon really is. Just look at his numbers and history as a running back in this league. What, is he going to be part of an RB committee? Please. He needs the reps to be the best. PERIOD. You want to be the best offensive weapon – running back and wide receiver? You got to put in the work. In this league, you get out what you put in; especially as a running back, and he already has a void season on his resume. Plain and simple.
Speaking of history in the league, let’s not forget Le’Veon missed the first three weeks of the 2013 season due to a foot injury and was suspended for the first four games of the 2015 season due to marijuana possession charges. Later that year, Bell suffered a torn MCL and missed the rest of the regular season. Then in 2016, Bell was suspended again, this time for three games – another substance abuse violation.
The clock is ticking
Le’Veon Bell will be 27 years old starting next season. He’s probably past his prime as opposed to someone like Todd Gurley, Christian McCaffrey, and Alvin Kamara who are all IN or BEFORE their prime. The average age of an NFL running back at his peak performance is 25.6 years old, according to APEX football statistics.
The graph shows that, since 2001, running backs who are 27 years old start their decline in production. So, history has shown us that once a running back turns 27, they are passing their prime.
Between the controversy, the antics, the suspensions, and the injuries, do you think a team will really be willing to dish out at least $45 million guaranteed to Bell? I am not so sure. The arrows point towards ‘no’ for me. Would you be willing to provide that much money to a player who provided false promises to his fans, coaches, and players? Le’Veon Bell tweeted to fans earlier this season that 2018 would be “my best season to date.” Yet…he has not,and will not, play a single game this season. He told everyone and the organization that he wanted to “retire a Steeler.” But there is a ONE HUNDRED PERCENT chance that Bell will be in a different uniform next year…or no uniform at all.
And that’s what I’m afraid of. I am afraid that Le’Veon Bell is going down a very similar path Latrell Sprewell once traveled.
What ended up happening to Sprewell?
Sprewell remained a free agent until his career unexpectedly fizzled. The Lakers showed interest in him. He could have played with Kobe Bryant and won two NBA championships. But it wasn’t enough for Sprewell. The Cavaliers, Rockets, and Nuggets were a few of several teams who also showed interest in Sprewell, but then decided not to pursue him; most likely because of his off-court behavior and his demands. The Spurs and Mavericks even offered Sprewell a deal! Nope. Sprewell and his agent decided it wasn’t enough money.
Latrell Sprewell’s career came to an end…because he couldn’t get the mega deal he wanted.
Sprewell would end up running into financial trouble after his career in the NBA. His homes were foreclosed, he had to auction off his yacht – that very same yacht where the woman vomited – and he became the most prominent delinquent taxpayer in the state of Wisconsin.
Back to Bell
Now what if a team doesn’t give Bell what he wants? Because let’s face it, Bell is all about the money.I know some may think that this is simply not true because Bell left or “sacrificed” $14.5 million this year. But you’re missing the point. Le’Veon left $14.5 million on the table in hopes of receiving even more money from a mega deal. This is what you call a gamble. That’s exactly what it is. Why do I go to a blackjack table and give up or “sacrifice” my chips? To get more chips – to get more money! We can go all in to get even more, and that is what Bell is doing.
So, if you think this isn’t about money, you’re wrong. I don’t buy the ground and pound and wear-and-tear bullshit. If Bell is given the deal he wants, that stuff means nothing to him. He’ll gladly get 450+ touches a season if it means raking in $50 million guaranteed.
He clearly isn’t about winning a Super Bowl; otherwise he’d stay put. The fact of the matter is, this is all about money because this is a gamble. And when we gamble, we want the money – we want the reward. Le’Veon wants the reward that he feels he deserves, and that’s FINE. I am just not sure if that will be practical.
So what happens now?
I really hope that Bell gets what he wants, but I also don’t want him to make the same mistake Latrell made over a decade ago. If Bell is given a lucrative deal in the offseason, he should look to be more receptive, even if it’s not quite the amount of money he wants, because Bell is against the clock; and again, he’s already sat out a full season. He’s getting older, and his production will go down, if it hasn’t already. Be smart, count your blessings, and go out there and be the best offensive weapon you can be for whoever you decide to play with. Take what you can get now, because you just never know what the future in the league holds for you; especially as a running back.
But if Bell’s already sat out one full season, who’s to say he can’t do it again? I hope Le’Veon Bell makes the right choice and I hope his holdout pays off for him, but I’m also not going to hold my breath.
- / 1 year ago
To me, Rachel Nichols is the personification of posting a black square on Instagram.