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JAR21
VIP Member
I wonder whether all the branches are the same. I thought they all had the vile logo when I went.
funkimunki1984
VIP Member
Jess would be welcomed like a fart in church. Nope
IKickLikeKatya
VIP Member
And Tom Gordon looks like he will burst into tears any moment. Seema Malhotra is cool, calm and collected. I guess not all labour are arseholes.
i'm.just.highly.selective
Well-known member
@Notworthy You could try changing the icon theme set in your phone's general settings (on mine it's under 'colours'). I have an option that makes them all monochrome (I've just realised that's why my icon hasn't changed, despite the update).
Milliemoo99
VIP Member
It can surely be fought with the science itself. Just because children are signed up for a trial, surely on one level this doesnt necessarily mean that puberty blockers will be prescribed?
If the NHS has any sense, they will proceed with immense caution. The children will be given proper counselling that provides a balanced perspective about why they feel they need these puberty blockers, In this way the children and their parents will be reassured that their wishes are being taken seriously, as they are.
In the meantime the scientists and NHS and of course the media, will be reviewing the 'treatments' available and check the whole risks and benefits scenario that any drug taken needs.
If the scientists and the media then start discussing the risks around puberty blockers sensibly...the ones Im remembering are: ..things like the enforced sterility, never ever having the chance to have a child naturally, the chemical changes to the body, and things like lower bone density, (im not sure I know them all, but Im sure they are bad!) The potential lack of ever having an orgasm or sexual function on any level ....
balanced against the desire/need/ feeling that they are a different gender or sex. (Which maybe also needs a bit of redefinition, about what exactly is meant by gender or sex? )
The desire for boys to wear a dress or girls to wear trousers, or boys to wear make up and girls to go make up free, the ability to cross dress ( which of course you can choose to in any case do regardless of sex)
And maybe also a conversation about same sex attraction, leaving aside all the ''be kind'' arguments , what are the definitions of lesbianism and homosexuality? Thinking of the numbers of sensible people who comment about issues like why should a lesbian be attracted to a transwoman? as surely this contradicts the definition of lesbian as same sex attracted?
Personally I think this kind of discussion could get complicated extremely quickly, because so much of the detail has to be about personal choice, and cannot be ....defined.......and its also so personal individual sexuality and preferences have nothing to do with me
Theres due to be a documentary soon about Queen James, the king of Scotland and Great Britain in the time of the Tudors, who had ambiguous relationships with both men and women, interesting but difficult to define!
Mismatched Pegs
VIP Member
I am not clicking that link
Sorry, can I just ask what QMLAT means? I’ve tried googling and nothing comes up.
Ceelea
Chatty Member
Why am I not surprised...
JAR21
VIP Member
Bloody hell! I'd recorded the end of the 5th set and was avoiding the tennis thread!How depressing, the French Open winner has been accused of domestic violence by several former partners but was able to just negotiate a settlement with the State and be let off without a criminal record
Alexander Zverev - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
"
First allegation of domestic abuse
In October 2020, Zverev's ex-girlfriend Olga Sharypova, in an article in Racquet magazine by journalist Ben Rothenberg, accused Zverev of physically and emotionally abusing her over the course of their relationship.[398] Sharypova named multiple instances where Zverev allegedly became violent towards her, including punching her in the face during an argument that took place in the pair's hotel room while Zverev was competing at the 2019 Laver Cup.[399] Zverev denied the allegations and issued a statement after Sharypova's initial accusations: "I very much regret that she makes such statements. Because the accusations are simply not true."[400]
A second article by Rothenberg about the allegations was released in August 2021, this time in Slate magazine. The second article picked up Sharypova's story where the first left off. It includes this description of the alleged violence escalating in October 2019:
Rothenberg reports that "Sharypova has repeatedly said that she is not interested in pursuing criminal or civil action against Zverev." She told Rothenberg she wanted to be open and honest to help other women who tend to stay silent in such situations due to fear of not being believed.[401]
Zverev secured an injunction from a Berlin court against Slate later in August 2021, barring it from publishing the assault allegations without stronger evidence. In response, Slate stated that it stands by the reporting in the article and has not removed the article from its website. They protested that the injunction was obtained without the organization having an opportunity to present evidence, and they appealed the decision.[402] Commentator Mary Carillo stepped down from her presenting role at the 2021 Laver Cup in response to the ATP's handling of the allegations.[403][404][405]
Following a 15-month ATP-commissioned investigation conducted by The Lake Forest Group (a third-party consultant working with the ATP's outside legal counsel, Smith Hulsey & Busey), the ATP announced in late January 2023 that they will not punish Zverev due to insufficient evidence to substantiate the allegations.[406]
Second allegation of domestic abuse
About six months after the ATP declined to take action against Zverev, in July 2023, allegations from a second woman became public through a court filing. A penalty order in a Berlin criminal court was requested over alleged bodily harm against Brenda Patea, Zverev's ex-girlfriend and the mother of his daughter.[418] On 2 October 2023, the court issued a penalty order against Zverev for "physically abusing and damaging the health of a woman during an argument in Berlin in May 2020". The order included a fine of €450,000.[419][420] Zverev lodged an appeal against the order which, under German law, results in a public trial.[420][421]
Patea spoke publicly for the first time about the alleged abuse on 1 November 2023 in an interview with the Süddeutsche Zeitung. She said that during a dispute in May 2020, Zverev pushed her into a wall and choked her.[422]
In January 2024, Zverev was appointed to serve on the ATP Players Advisory Council. The ATP has been criticized for allowing him to serve on the council while the domestic abuse charge is pending in a criminal court.[423][424] Also in January 2024, Zverev was featured on the second season of the Netflix series Break Point in an episode focused on his comeback from injury. Netflix was criticized for ignoring both allegations of domestic abuse. One columnist argued that "Break Point promised to take viewers behind the curtain of professional tennis and reveal the personalities behind it. That promise is null and void if Zverev – and the media – isn't willing to be honest."[425]
At the beginning of the 2024 Australian Open, a court official announced that Zverev was scheduled to face trial in the Berlin Criminal Court, beginning in May 2024.[426][427] The timing of the announcement, combined with Zverev's semifinal run at the tournament, brought heightened interest in and scrutiny of the allegations from both the press and the public.[428][429][430] The trial began on 31 May 2024.[431]
On 7 June 2024, the trial was terminated when the judge dropped all charges, since a settlement had been reached out-of-court and both parties had resolved their dispute. The former couple wanted to end their public feud and "look forward", especially in regard to the joint custody of their child. Zverev agreed to voluntarily pay €200,000, of which €150,000 would go to the German State Treasury and €50,000 to charitable organizations. The settlement did not include an admission of guilt by Zverev,[432][433] and the legal procedure concluded without any criminal record. The original €450,000 penalty order which had been issued to Zverev was also terminated.[434]"
Sorry!
ButtonDownTheHutches
VIP Member
We’re pretty gutted about it on there
