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Long before she played mom Kristina Braverman on Parenthood, our guest this week, Monica Potter, was juggling young parenthood and her busy 90's career. Working alongside actors like Robin Williams and Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Monica's career was on fire. Abruptly, she made the decision to take her young family back to her hometown in Cleveland for a break. Monica returned to Hollywood and restarted her successful career in 2010 with her iconic role of Kristina in Parenthood. Monica is definitely not afraid to pivot and redirect her path. On this episode, Monica shares her personal journey, her career starts and stops and how she is working to improve the world around her. Show Notes: www.hotflashescooltopics.com Find Us Here! Website I [http://hotflashescooltopics.com/] Mail I [hotflashescooltopics@gmail.com] Instagram I [https://www.instagram.com/hotflashesandcooltopics/] Facebook : [www.facebook.com/hotflashescooltopics] YouTube I [https://www.youtube.com/@HotFlashesCoolTopics] Pinterest I [https://www.pinterest.com/hcooltopics/] Want to Leave a Review for Hot Flashes and Cool Topics? Here's How: For Apple Podcasts on an iPhone or iOS device: Open the Apple Podcast App on your device. Click on the “search” icon Type into the search bar “Hot Flashes and Cool Topics” and click on the show Towards the bottom, look for “Ratings and Reviews” Click on “Write a Review” and leave us your thoughts and comments! For Apple Podcasts on a computer: On the Apple Podcasts website, go to the search bar and type “Hot Flashes and Cool Topics” After clicking on the show, find the “Listen on Apple Podcasts” button and click on it The “Hot Flashes and Cool Topics” podcast should open on the Apple Podcasts application Keep scrolling on the page until you see “Ratings and Reviews” Click on “See All” If you want to give us a five-star rating, hover over the empty stars! If you want to leave your thoughts and comments, click on “Write a Review”!
Lady Annabelle & Kate Two stories from 3 centuries, about one English mansion. By Blacksheep. Listen to the Podcast at Steamy Stories. An aristocrat has an exciting encounter with a highwayman It is the Year of Our Lord 1760, and the roads leading to and from London be the most perilous for any traveler. Hounslow Heath being a favorite haunt of the highwayman and footpad. Folly indeed, for the unwary to wander alone. And London be a very wicked place, so it hath been told, with whores, beggars and cutpurses on every street corner, The journey of Lady Emily Arundel and her daughter Annabelle had been an uneventful one so far. "And when we arrive at Mablethorpe Hall, be sure to show your appreciation to Lord Barrington-Smythe. His son, William, wishes to seek your hand in marriage," Lady Emily began. "Yes Mother," her daughter replied, with a distinct lack of enthusiasm. "His estate comprises over a hundred acres of land," "Well, hark at that!" "owns several horses related to Whistlejacket," Annabelle struggled to contain a sigh. "properties in the colonies," "How glorious, Mother." "knows a clutch of fashionable London society in beautiful silk suits and powdered wigs attended by almost equally well appointed valets! Whom are accompanied by gorgeous ladies in even more elaborate wigs and dresses in the latest Paris fashions," The corpulent gentleman sat opposite them in the coach was Lord Bracewell, an old and dear friend of Lady Emily. He grinned at Annabelle, sensing her discomfort. "Your Ladyship, it may please you to know, that we are but a mile from our journey's end." And thank heaven for that, Bracewell thought to himself, now feeling the great need of a chamber pot after drinking an excess of ale. He adjusted his periwig. "Erm, perhaps an opportunity at this gathering for a, f, er, you know, eh?" He gestured something and Lady Emily quickly tapped his leg with her foot. "Shush. Manners, Cuthbert! Later, perhaps," At that moment the coach lurched as it hit a particularly large pothole. This stretch of road was notoriously bad. Suddenly, the coach shuddered to an uncomfortable halt and the horses squealed. Other hooves could be heard alongside. "Stand and deliver!" "Oh dear God!" Lord Bracewell exclaimed, crossing himself. "I fear we are about to be robbed!" The masked stranger yelled at the coachman. "Throw down your weapons my bonny boy, or I'll spill your guts on the road!" There was the sound of muskets hitting the ground. Inside the coach, Lady Emily trembled and uttered a prayer. A robber might take more from a lady than her silver. Annabelle should've been as terrified as her mother, but her wildly-beating heart was more out of excitement. "Perhaps this man may be more merciful than we give him credit for?" "Hush, my dearest daughter. These bandits are without scruples! Pray to the Lord!" A bay-colored horse's head and then its rider appeared outside the window. The figure who leaned down to peer into the window appeared tall, wearing a cape, a three-cornered hat and a black handkerchief across his mouth. Dark brown eyes. "Well now, what fabulous treasure do I find?" The highwayman pointed a flintlock pistol inches from Annabelle's face. He leaned forward and with a move of his wrist he flicked back her hood with the muzzle of the pistol. "Ah. A true English Rose." "Sir, I beg of you, do not harm my daughter," Lady Emily intervened. "She is but eighteen, an innocent child, she has no silver!" "Her fortune awaits at Mablethorpe Hall no doubt. But it is she I am taking, not her money. Come." And he beckoned, the hand still held out to help Annabelle down. "Why, what foul swine would take a young lady's honor? I forbid you to lay one finger on her!" Lady Emily yelled. "Take me in her place." "No Mother, I shall do as he asks," Annabelle interrupted, taking his hand. "My child, no!" "It shall be alright Mother," Annabelle replied. "Your daughter knows her own mind, Madam," the highwayman said. "So now, I must ask you to keep thine own counsel. It would give me no pleasure to shoot your coachman and your gentleman companion." Lady Emily could do nothing but remain in the coach as the mysterious stranger led Annabelle away and into the trees at the side of the road. "Sir. If I may be so bold, may I request a merciful death?" The damsel inquired. This rather caught the highwayman off guard. This young lady intrigued him far more than the other wealthy folks he'd ambushed in the past. How the ladies had screamed like banshees and pleaded for their lives. The simpering, periwigged dandy who'd pissed his breeches when a gun was pointed at his head. Aristocrats. The damned preening lot of them! How he loathed these ruling peacocks. Oh, he hadn't always been a highwayman. Back in his old life he'd fought for king and country. Until good fortune and those he looked up to had betrayed him, He had planned to kidnap the girl and hold her to ransom. Lord Arundel's daughter would command a high price. "You are indeed bold. And, I have no wish to kill you. Your beauty and grace are extremely attractive to young men and it is bound to rouse their passions." Annabelle thought for a moment. "Since I am without silver or jewels, perhaps I could offer you a gift of a different kind? If I were to sufficiently please you, would you let my mother, Lord Bracewell, the coachman and myself go free? I'll do anything, to please you." He blinked. "Even the most unladylike of things? Do you realize what you are saying?" "Sir, I am shortly to be married. It would be most helpful if I were sufficiently skilled in how to pleasure my husband on our wedding night. I have no experience whatsoever in meddling with a man, perhaps if I could, practice somehow." Those less-than-polite urges that had been assaulting her body recently, had now found the perfect outlet. "Will you service my prick like a common whore?" "Yes sir," Annabelle replied, kneeling before him. "Let's see you try then." He kept his pistol in his right hand. "No teeth." Annabelle unbuttoned the highwayman's breeches slowly, her careful motions at odds with the look in her blue eyes and pulled out the large and swollen member. She couldn't help but stare at his impressive length, simultaneously afraid and eager. A man's weapon in all its hardened glory. A thing she'd previously glimpsed from afar, now in her hands. He expected her to hesitate, but to his surprise, she leant forward and ran her tongue up the shaft. With all haste, she opened her mouth, allowing him to move it inside. He began to thrust his cock inside her mouth, holding her head steady. Shocked at herself, Annabelle couldn't deny that as she heard him pant and moan, she felt somehow strangely empowered. She began to suck, working her tongue around his member. The highwayman cursed and blasphemed holding her head firmer as he began to thrust faster. Eventually, he grasped her blonde hair tightly as he groaned, pushing his entire length down her throat and shot his seed into her. She swallowed every drop of it, rather liking the taste. "Impressive," he panted. He'd enjoyed that a lot more than he was willing to admit, but wasn't done with this little rich girl just yet. "Have you had enough yet, Marchioness Whore?" Panting she replied, "I think not. Please." "Please?" He ran his hand under her dress and up her thigh. "Please what?" "Please sir." He fingered her tantalizing wet womanhood. "Louder, if you please." "Ah, Please sir!" He chuckled, and withdrew. She was ready to beg him, but before she could he had her up against a tree, hands tied then the rope wrapped hight around the thick trunk. With swift action he pulled up her skirting and down went her petticoat. Pulling her ass out to meet him, had entered her virgin cunt from behind, feeling the satisfying tightness of a deflowering. She winced and made a squeal similar to those a fox makes when mating. It hurt, but at the same time it felt so good. The highwayman withdrew until just his cockhead was still engaged, leaving Annabelle feeling a little disappointed. But then he pushed back in, all the way and in one go. His animal instinct had kicked in and he had one overriding desire; to plant his seed in this nubile young lady. He picked up speed, plunging deeply each time. Annabelle's own arousal was equally uncontrolled. She knew what was about to happen after her recent voyeurism of Lord Bracewell fucking her mother across a grand piano one afternoon. A more amusing rather an arousing spectacle that brought to mind an overfed pug mounting a chair leg. This time the explosion was even more powerful - and it was accompanied by the highwayman's roar as she felt him fill her passage with his issue. It seemed to go on forever and she felt it leaking out around his shaft and down her legs. "God," he gasped as he finally withdrew from Annabelle. He untied her and helped her stand. "Did I, please you sir?" Annabelle inquired in her refined & well-bred cadence. The highwayman finally removed his face covering. Annabelle was surprised to see a weathered but good-looking man, with cheeks bearing scars. Under his cape, she had glimpsed a torn and darkened coat, that had been, long ago a Redcoat officer's uniform. This man was no stranger to battle, and had a long history that he wasn't prepared to reveal. "You and the others have earned your freedom Your Ladyship." He said with a bow, removing his 3-point hat in the process. Her charms prevailing to ransom her entourage. His siring became her own treasure, preparing her for yet more charming accomplishment in the upcoming matrimonial bedchamber. A Night at Mablethorpe Hall Two millennials Ravished by the ghost of a Redcoat on Halloween. "Don't you just love a Halloween-themed tour and a meal at an English country house?" Kate said to her friend as the minibus they were in pulled into the grounds of Mablethorpe Hall. "Yeah, these old places have a real atmosphere!" Chloe replied. "I've wanted to do something like this for like, forever. Stay overnight in some old place, pretend I'm lady of the manor. I'm so glad I booked this trip." "Kate you are such a history nerd. Lucy Worsley has a rival." "My heart is in the 18th century. Seriously. I just love anything from that time." Kate had often been described as an atypical millennial. They got off the bus and collected their luggage. "Come on, the tour is about to start. Let's dump our luggage. Apparently this place is haunted." Kate smiled. "All good English manors should have at least one ghost! Three hours in a minibus. I'm stiff from sitting so long." They collected their room keys. The Hall had not yet upgraded to the modern electronic key cards. Kate liked that. A traditional brass key was more in keeping with the decor. The receptionist looked worried. "Are you ok with having Room 13?" she asked. "Sure. I'm not superstitious. Don't tell me it's haunted?" "Well, some guests have reported that really strange things happen in that room. And the wi-fi doesn't work in there." Kate just assumed the woman was joking. "In that case, it sounds like my kind of room! Think I can last a few hours without wi-fi." The room was large and splendid. "Seriously? I get a king-size four poster bed?" Kate exclaimed as she gazed in awe. "This is so fantastic! I feel like Queen Anne." The bed looked so inviting, Kate couldn't resist just flopping back on it and spreading out. "Bliss!" she sighed. So much better than the single bed back at her cramped one-bed flat. She closed her eyes, Abruptly, Kate was overcome by a bizarre horniness, and masturbated more than she'd done in a long time. She was getting so wet, so hot and in a rush to give herself the release she so desperately needed. She hitched up her dress and pushed her panties down just a bit, then shoved her right hand down to her cunt. She used her left hand to push up her nightshirt and play with her breasts, pinching her nipples hard, making her moan with pleasure. Kate's right hand was busy with her cunt, alternately slipping down between her cunt lips and inside her hot, wet core, fucking herself with fingers, then pulling out to rub her clit. Back and forth, over and over. She was moaning, fantasizing about being pounded, pounded by an unknown uniformed man. Begging him to fuck her harder and send her climaxing in ecstasy, Kate was screaming. Suddenly her orgasm peaked and hit full force. She stopped all movement with her hands momentarily then began again, at first very fast and hard, then slowing as her orgasm began to subside. She lay there as her breathing slowly returned to normal. "Jesus," she muttered, when she could finally catch her breath again. "What the hell just happened?" The tour had already begun when Kate arrived to join the others. "What took you so long?" Chloe asked. "Thought you'd got lost." "Oh I just, er, oh wow, check out that tour guide!" "Mablethorpe Hall, one of Berkshire's finest country estates back in the day," the tour guide began. He was dressed in early 18th century period costume, with a long wig, frilled cuffs and breeches. "He looks just like John Hurt did in Rob Roy. I love the costumes in that movie." Kate whispered to Chloe, who rolled her eyes. Kate listened intently as every detail of the building's history was described. "But the most fascinating story of Mablethorpe," the guide continued, "is that it's said to be haunted by Major Robert Wolfe, a British Army officer." The was a chorus of "oh!" from the assembled tourists. "The Major is said to return to Mablethorpe every Halloween night, in hope of seeing the woman he once loved." "So the poor sod just wants to get laid?" a middle-aged bloke at the front said, and everyone burst out laughing. The tour guide evidently took this old legend extremely seriously and did not see the funny side. "As I was saying, the Major was in love with Lady Annabelle Barrington-Smythe. That in itself was a scandal, for she was married to William Barrington-Smythe. Rumor has it that the Major was actually a notorious highwayman known as The Fox, " Later, the guests were treated to a Halloween-themed meal in the Hall's grand banqueting room. There were the usual things adorning the tables - Jack o' lanterns, candles everywhere, fake cobwebs. In the background, a string quartet dressed as witches played a medley of Bach and Handel. "Not as spooky as I was expecting," Chloe said as she sampled the pumpkin pie and spiced rum. "I was hoping the lights were going to go out and there'd be a jump-scare or something. Like two years ago when we went to that zombie-themed night at Castle Howard. That was creepy as hell!" "This is nice though. Lots of atmosphere. I like it here. I'd like to, get married in a place like this. Have a historical-themed wedding. That is, if, " "When, Kate. When you meet that ideal guy. And you will. He's out there. Plenty of fish. Steve was a complete areole, but he's ancient history. A bit like this hall." "True!" After the meal concluded, there was more live music and dancing. "Think I'm going to call it a night," Kate said. "Oh you lightweight," Chloe replied, already tipsy. "Aren't you going to stay up for the midnight ghost walk in the grounds? You might see a good-looking highwayman." "No, I'm totally exhausted. Really. You can tell me all about it in the morning." "Fine, whatever. I know you're too afraid!" Kate headed up to her room, surprised at being overcome by such tiredness. She hadn't drunk that much, and it had hardly been an energetic evening. The glorious king-size bed and it's luxurious blankets beckoned, Sometime after midnight, Kate was in a deep slumber, but also in the throes of a nightmare. He's coming, Kate did not dream often, and she was even less often plagued by bad dreams. Several times she stirred, came half awake, and heard herself gasping in panic. Once, drifting up from some threatening vision, she heard her own voice crying out wordlessly in terror, and she realized she was thrashing about in the bed. Suddenly the air was oppressively heavy, hot, thick; as if it were not air at all but a bitter and poisonous gas of some kind. She tried to breathe, couldn't. There was an invisible, crushing weight on her chest. The unmistakable smell of gunpowder. Hoofbeats, many horses. Some kind of battle? A murderous barrage of lightning crashed like a volley of mortar fire, seven or eight tremendous bolts; and woke her from sleep in an instant. "Holy shit." Kate gasped as the storm made her sit upright in bed. She remembered what Chloe had said earlier, about the tour not being scary. Evidently, nature had now delivered a jump, a scare of its own. Already her memory of the nightmare had begun to dissolve; only fragments of it remained with her, and each of those disassociated images was evaporating as if it were a splinter of ice. All she could remember was that she'd been in a battle of some kind, and there had been many men - soldiers on horseback. They'd been pursuing her. Firing guns. As the nightmare receded, Kate became uncomfortably aware of how dark the bedroom was. Before going to sleep she had switched off both the bedside lamps. The curtains were all closed, and only thin blades of moonlight were visible between the gap she'd left. She had the irrational but unshakable feeling that something had followed her up from the dream, there was another presence in the room, oh God! She fumbled for the lamp switch, damn, where was it? Groped around, switched it on. Relief as golden light flooded the room, And then she saw him. Stood at the side of the bed. He was dressed in a Redcoat uniform, just calmly standing there. She gasped, but was so shocked, she couldn't utter a sound for a moment. Then her initial shock turned to anger. Was this part of the Halloween tour? Having re-enactors actually enter the guest bedrooms was completely unacceptable. "What the hell are you doing?" Kate yelled. He seemed taken aback by her reaction. "Who are you?" She demanded once she had caught her breath again. "I beg your pardon, Miss," he began. He removed his hat as he moved closer. "Major Robert Wolfe of His Majesty's 58th Regiment of Foot." "What are you doing here?" He smiled politely. "Where I come from, when a gentleman introduces himself, a lady generally responds in kind." Kate was about to respond with a sarcastic remark, but then she noticed that he was surrounded by a faint, silver glow. Her heart began to pound like crazy. Gathering all her courage, she decided to ask him directly. "Are you, dead?" The Major's face relaxed into a smile. "Oh indeed. Quite, quite dead. As I have been since the last night of October, Seventeen Sixty-five." Kate thought she might faint. "You're a," "A spirit, why yes. An earthbound and restless one, forever drawn to return to Mablethorpe every All Hallow's night. Isn't that quite a tale? I most humbly apologies for subjecting you to my battle experiences earlier, but t'was the only way I was able to wake you." She looked him up and down. He did look a gentleman, to be sure, and a handsome one at that. The signature red coat, crossed with white belts, the brown hair tied back in a queue and neatly curled at the sides, the breeches, knee-high leather boots. A brass gorget glinted round his neck. The Major took one of her pale, slender hands. Kate was surprised to feel solid flesh, rather than some kind of gaseous form, as expected of a ghost. Was he more of a zombie? His hand was as cold as ice. Kate suddenly felt her cheeks flush, under his intense gaze. If all those old stereotypes about ghosts were true, then he could probably see right through her nightie, as well as walk through walls, "Um, why did you wake me?" He was still holding her hand. "Well, I must beg your forgiveness for the manner of this intrusion, my lady. I am honored to make your acquaintance. I was drawn to you from the moment you arrived here. You resemble so much, someone I lost, long ago. For the past 255 years I keep returning here, hoping to find a lady who might be able to satisfy my most urgent of needs," Kate bit her lip, as she recalled that earlier incident in the bedroom when she'd pleasured herself. She'd never been a religious person. But now she was considering sex with a ghost. Was she about to embark on something that might damn her soul? On the other hand, she'd been single for a while, had been craving the touch of a man, "Major, I am willing to help you in any way I can." "You are lovely beyond belief. If I may so bold as to show my appreciation?" He leaned in to kiss the exposed skin of her neck; his lips leaving a hot trail from just below her ear to the center of her throat at the neck of her nightie. Kate closed her eyes and moaned. "A little more, my lady?" "Yes, oh yes," He kissed her and she parted her lips to let him in. The heat of his mouth and his probing tongue sent shivers through her body and she shifted closer to him to feel the heat of his body against hers. She breathed in the faint masculine scent. Major Wolfe pulled back the bedcovers. Then he pushed her nightie up to bare her belly. Leaning her back, he took one hardened nipple with his lips and she gasped. He sucked, pulling with his lips. At Kate's soft moan, he drew in a shuddering breath. "Touch me," he pleaded hoarsely, bringing her hand to the waistband of his breeches, and then guiding it down to cup the bulge in his groin. She explored eagerly, desperately, feeling his full erection through his breeches and groping lower to feel his balls. Oh lord, she was trembling so much with excitement. Unfastening the fall front flap, she pulled out his engorged organ. She couldn't believe this was happening. She was groping the cock of a dead man! And she was so wet. Kate took his hot length in her hand, feeling it, and stroked it up and down as she licked and sucked at the tip. The Major was generously endowed, and she felt herself blush. "Here," he said, moving her unoccupied hand to cup his balls. "Don't be shy, my lady." Gently squeezing his balls, she slowly took his throbbing cock into her mouth. He moaned as she deep-throated him. "Oh my lady," he groaned. Then Major Wolfe clambered on the bed and put his head between Kate's thighs. The tip of his tongue brushed her clitoris. She jumped and willed him to move faster. At first his tongue explored her wet folds, but he replaced his tongue with gentle fingers that probed and rubbed and finally penetrated. Kate's wetness was dripping down her arse crack and he rubbed it around with his fingers. The sensation made her squirm and she placed her feet on his shoulders, and when he finally sucked on her clit, she lifted herself up to meet his tongue. None of her previous partners had ever thrilled her as much as this. His face was flushed and damp and his expression was one of pure longing. "My lady, I want you so much. "He whispered and pushed up into her. "Ah!" Kate gasped, more from surprise than the stretching sensation. "Are you alright?" he said, wrapping one arm around her and holding her close. She gave her answer by kissing him. He insinuated his hand between their bodies and fingered her clit as he began to move inside her. Holy shit, those fingers, he knew exactly how to pleasure a woman for maximum effect! For a moment Kate thought of the fact he'd been waiting over two and a half centuries for this! He stroked her again with wet, slippery fingers and thrust steadily up into her. The combination awakened something within that she'd never felt before. Kate dug her hands into his back and tried to speak, but couldn't form words. The Redcoat's large cock filled her completely, stretching her walls to the limit. He was groaning and fucking her like a wild beast. "Come for me, my lady," Major Wolfe whispered in her ear, and she cried out. "Come for me, release for me. Let us spend together," he pleaded, and she did, her head falling back, her whole body shaking and clenching with the intensity of orgasm. He followed immediately; in an instant their coupling reached its conclusion and she was filled to the brim with his seed, Kate didn't want to let him go. They lay joined for what seemed like a long time. Eventually, Major Wolfe gently withdrew his softening member from his mortal lover. "Dawn approaches, my lady." "No, Major, stay, please," she whispered, tiredness overcoming her. "Rest now, my love. I must go." Kate tried to say something, but sleep was rapidly overcoming her. "We shall meet again. Soon, my love," was the last she heard. The sound of someone knocking on the door finally woke Kate. She squinted at the curtains. Bright sunlight was streaming through the gap. "Kate, are you awake?" Chloe's muffled voice could be heard. Fumbling for a dressing gown, Kate staggered out of bed and opened the door. "There you are! Were you in a coma or something? It's 11 o'clock! You've missed breakfast and the minibus will be here in half an hour!" "Oh God, sorry, I forgot to set my phone's alarm clock. I, er, I'll be down as quick as I can." "Are you ok? You look a bit peaky." "Just crashed out. How was the midnight ghost walk?" "Midnight wash-out you mean. Did you see that storm last night? It was unreal. So much lightning. Thought a freaking nuclear bomb had gone off!" "Oh. Guess I missed that." "Jeez, you were in a coma. That thunder could've wakened the dead!" "Maybe it did," Kate wondered. Alone in the room again, Kate returned to the bed. Her mind was a tumult of emotions. "It wasn't all a dream, was it? The product of a Halloween-crazed imagination? It couldn't have been, " Suddenly she spotted something under the pillow. Eyes widening, she picked it up. The brass gorget. "He was real!" She clutched it to her chest. And hoped she wouldn't have to wait until next Halloween before she saw Major Robert Wolfe again. By Blacksheep for Literotica
Lady Annabelle & Kate Two stories from 3 centuries, about one English mansion. By Blacksheep. Listen to the Podcast at Steamy Stories. An aristocrat has an exciting encounter with a highwayman It is the Year of Our Lord 1760, and the roads leading to and from London be the most perilous for any traveler. Hounslow Heath being a favorite haunt of the highwayman and footpad. Folly indeed, for the unwary to wander alone. And London be a very wicked place, so it hath been told, with whores, beggars and cutpurses on every street corner, The journey of Lady Emily Arundel and her daughter Annabelle had been an uneventful one so far. "And when we arrive at Mablethorpe Hall, be sure to show your appreciation to Lord Barrington-Smythe. His son, William, wishes to seek your hand in marriage," Lady Emily began. "Yes Mother," her daughter replied, with a distinct lack of enthusiasm. "His estate comprises over a hundred acres of land," "Well, hark at that!" "owns several horses related to Whistlejacket," Annabelle struggled to contain a sigh. "properties in the colonies," "How glorious, Mother." "knows a clutch of fashionable London society in beautiful silk suits and powdered wigs attended by almost equally well appointed valets! Whom are accompanied by gorgeous ladies in even more elaborate wigs and dresses in the latest Paris fashions," The corpulent gentleman sat opposite them in the coach was Lord Bracewell, an old and dear friend of Lady Emily. He grinned at Annabelle, sensing her discomfort. "Your Ladyship, it may please you to know, that we are but a mile from our journey's end." And thank heaven for that, Bracewell thought to himself, now feeling the great need of a chamber pot after drinking an excess of ale. He adjusted his periwig. "Erm, perhaps an opportunity at this gathering for a, f, er, you know, eh?" He gestured something and Lady Emily quickly tapped his leg with her foot. "Shush. Manners, Cuthbert! Later, perhaps," At that moment the coach lurched as it hit a particularly large pothole. This stretch of road was notoriously bad. Suddenly, the coach shuddered to an uncomfortable halt and the horses squealed. Other hooves could be heard alongside. "Stand and deliver!" "Oh dear God!" Lord Bracewell exclaimed, crossing himself. "I fear we are about to be robbed!" The masked stranger yelled at the coachman. "Throw down your weapons my bonny boy, or I'll spill your guts on the road!" There was the sound of muskets hitting the ground. Inside the coach, Lady Emily trembled and uttered a prayer. A robber might take more from a lady than her silver. Annabelle should've been as terrified as her mother, but her wildly-beating heart was more out of excitement. "Perhaps this man may be more merciful than we give him credit for?" "Hush, my dearest daughter. These bandits are without scruples! Pray to the Lord!" A bay-colored horse's head and then its rider appeared outside the window. The figure who leaned down to peer into the window appeared tall, wearing a cape, a three-cornered hat and a black handkerchief across his mouth. Dark brown eyes. "Well now, what fabulous treasure do I find?" The highwayman pointed a flintlock pistol inches from Annabelle's face. He leaned forward and with a move of his wrist he flicked back her hood with the muzzle of the pistol. "Ah. A true English Rose." "Sir, I beg of you, do not harm my daughter," Lady Emily intervened. "She is but eighteen, an innocent child, she has no silver!" "Her fortune awaits at Mablethorpe Hall no doubt. But it is she I am taking, not her money. Come." And he beckoned, the hand still held out to help Annabelle down. "Why, what foul swine would take a young lady's honor? I forbid you to lay one finger on her!" Lady Emily yelled. "Take me in her place." "No Mother, I shall do as he asks," Annabelle interrupted, taking his hand. "My child, no!" "It shall be alright Mother," Annabelle replied. "Your daughter knows her own mind, Madam," the highwayman said. "So now, I must ask you to keep thine own counsel. It would give me no pleasure to shoot your coachman and your gentleman companion." Lady Emily could do nothing but remain in the coach as the mysterious stranger led Annabelle away and into the trees at the side of the road. "Sir. If I may be so bold, may I request a merciful death?" The damsel inquired. This rather caught the highwayman off guard. This young lady intrigued him far more than the other wealthy folks he'd ambushed in the past. How the ladies had screamed like banshees and pleaded for their lives. The simpering, periwigged dandy who'd pissed his breeches when a gun was pointed at his head. Aristocrats. The damned preening lot of them! How he loathed these ruling peacocks. Oh, he hadn't always been a highwayman. Back in his old life he'd fought for king and country. Until good fortune and those he looked up to had betrayed him, He had planned to kidnap the girl and hold her to ransom. Lord Arundel's daughter would command a high price. "You are indeed bold. And, I have no wish to kill you. Your beauty and grace are extremely attractive to young men and it is bound to rouse their passions." Annabelle thought for a moment. "Since I am without silver or jewels, perhaps I could offer you a gift of a different kind? If I were to sufficiently please you, would you let my mother, Lord Bracewell, the coachman and myself go free? I'll do anything, to please you." He blinked. "Even the most unladylike of things? Do you realize what you are saying?" "Sir, I am shortly to be married. It would be most helpful if I were sufficiently skilled in how to pleasure my husband on our wedding night. I have no experience whatsoever in meddling with a man, perhaps if I could, practice somehow." Those less-than-polite urges that had been assaulting her body recently, had now found the perfect outlet. "Will you service my prick like a common whore?" "Yes sir," Annabelle replied, kneeling before him. "Let's see you try then." He kept his pistol in his right hand. "No teeth." Annabelle unbuttoned the highwayman's breeches slowly, her careful motions at odds with the look in her blue eyes and pulled out the large and swollen member. She couldn't help but stare at his impressive length, simultaneously afraid and eager. A man's weapon in all its hardened glory. A thing she'd previously glimpsed from afar, now in her hands. He expected her to hesitate, but to his surprise, she leant forward and ran her tongue up the shaft. With all haste, she opened her mouth, allowing him to move it inside. He began to thrust his cock inside her mouth, holding her head steady. Shocked at herself, Annabelle couldn't deny that as she heard him pant and moan, she felt somehow strangely empowered. She began to suck, working her tongue around his member. The highwayman cursed and blasphemed holding her head firmer as he began to thrust faster. Eventually, he grasped her blonde hair tightly as he groaned, pushing his entire length down her throat and shot his seed into her. She swallowed every drop of it, rather liking the taste. "Impressive," he panted. He'd enjoyed that a lot more than he was willing to admit, but wasn't done with this little rich girl just yet. "Have you had enough yet, Marchioness Whore?" Panting she replied, "I think not. Please." "Please?" He ran his hand under her dress and up her thigh. "Please what?" "Please sir." He fingered her tantalizing wet womanhood. "Louder, if you please." "Ah, Please sir!" He chuckled, and withdrew. She was ready to beg him, but before she could he had her up against a tree, hands tied then the rope wrapped hight around the thick trunk. With swift action he pulled up her skirting and down went her petticoat. Pulling her ass out to meet him, had entered her virgin cunt from behind, feeling the satisfying tightness of a deflowering. She winced and made a squeal similar to those a fox makes when mating. It hurt, but at the same time it felt so good. The highwayman withdrew until just his cockhead was still engaged, leaving Annabelle feeling a little disappointed. But then he pushed back in, all the way and in one go. His animal instinct had kicked in and he had one overriding desire; to plant his seed in this nubile young lady. He picked up speed, plunging deeply each time. Annabelle's own arousal was equally uncontrolled. She knew what was about to happen after her recent voyeurism of Lord Bracewell fucking her mother across a grand piano one afternoon. A more amusing rather an arousing spectacle that brought to mind an overfed pug mounting a chair leg. This time the explosion was even more powerful - and it was accompanied by the highwayman's roar as she felt him fill her passage with his issue. It seemed to go on forever and she felt it leaking out around his shaft and down her legs. "God," he gasped as he finally withdrew from Annabelle. He untied her and helped her stand. "Did I, please you sir?" Annabelle inquired in her refined & well-bred cadence. The highwayman finally removed his face covering. Annabelle was surprised to see a weathered but good-looking man, with cheeks bearing scars. Under his cape, she had glimpsed a torn and darkened coat, that had been, long ago a Redcoat officer's uniform. This man was no stranger to battle, and had a long history that he wasn't prepared to reveal. "You and the others have earned your freedom Your Ladyship." He said with a bow, removing his 3-point hat in the process. Her charms prevailing to ransom her entourage. His siring became her own treasure, preparing her for yet more charming accomplishment in the upcoming matrimonial bedchamber. A Night at Mablethorpe Hall Two millennials Ravished by the ghost of a Redcoat on Halloween. "Don't you just love a Halloween-themed tour and a meal at an English country house?" Kate said to her friend as the minibus they were in pulled into the grounds of Mablethorpe Hall. "Yeah, these old places have a real atmosphere!" Chloe replied. "I've wanted to do something like this for like, forever. Stay overnight in some old place, pretend I'm lady of the manor. I'm so glad I booked this trip." "Kate you are such a history nerd. Lucy Worsley has a rival." "My heart is in the 18th century. Seriously. I just love anything from that time." Kate had often been described as an atypical millennial. They got off the bus and collected their luggage. "Come on, the tour is about to start. Let's dump our luggage. Apparently this place is haunted." Kate smiled. "All good English manors should have at least one ghost! Three hours in a minibus. I'm stiff from sitting so long." They collected their room keys. The Hall had not yet upgraded to the modern electronic key cards. Kate liked that. A traditional brass key was more in keeping with the decor. The receptionist looked worried. "Are you ok with having Room 13?" she asked. "Sure. I'm not superstitious. Don't tell me it's haunted?" "Well, some guests have reported that really strange things happen in that room. And the wi-fi doesn't work in there." Kate just assumed the woman was joking. "In that case, it sounds like my kind of room! Think I can last a few hours without wi-fi." The room was large and splendid. "Seriously? I get a king-size four poster bed?" Kate exclaimed as she gazed in awe. "This is so fantastic! I feel like Queen Anne." The bed looked so inviting, Kate couldn't resist just flopping back on it and spreading out. "Bliss!" she sighed. So much better than the single bed back at her cramped one-bed flat. She closed her eyes, Abruptly, Kate was overcome by a bizarre horniness, and masturbated more than she'd done in a long time. She was getting so wet, so hot and in a rush to give herself the release she so desperately needed. She hitched up her dress and pushed her panties down just a bit, then shoved her right hand down to her cunt. She used her left hand to push up her nightshirt and play with her breasts, pinching her nipples hard, making her moan with pleasure. Kate's right hand was busy with her cunt, alternately slipping down between her cunt lips and inside her hot, wet core, fucking herself with fingers, then pulling out to rub her clit. Back and forth, over and over. She was moaning, fantasizing about being pounded, pounded by an unknown uniformed man. Begging him to fuck her harder and send her climaxing in ecstasy, Kate was screaming. Suddenly her orgasm peaked and hit full force. She stopped all movement with her hands momentarily then began again, at first very fast and hard, then slowing as her orgasm began to subside. She lay there as her breathing slowly returned to normal. "Jesus," she muttered, when she could finally catch her breath again. "What the hell just happened?" The tour had already begun when Kate arrived to join the others. "What took you so long?" Chloe asked. "Thought you'd got lost." "Oh I just, er, oh wow, check out that tour guide!" "Mablethorpe Hall, one of Berkshire's finest country estates back in the day," the tour guide began. He was dressed in early 18th century period costume, with a long wig, frilled cuffs and breeches. "He looks just like John Hurt did in Rob Roy. I love the costumes in that movie." Kate whispered to Chloe, who rolled her eyes. Kate listened intently as every detail of the building's history was described. "But the most fascinating story of Mablethorpe," the guide continued, "is that it's said to be haunted by Major Robert Wolfe, a British Army officer." The was a chorus of "oh!" from the assembled tourists. "The Major is said to return to Mablethorpe every Halloween night, in hope of seeing the woman he once loved." "So the poor sod just wants to get laid?" a middle-aged bloke at the front said, and everyone burst out laughing. The tour guide evidently took this old legend extremely seriously and did not see the funny side. "As I was saying, the Major was in love with Lady Annabelle Barrington-Smythe. That in itself was a scandal, for she was married to William Barrington-Smythe. Rumor has it that the Major was actually a notorious highwayman known as The Fox, " Later, the guests were treated to a Halloween-themed meal in the Hall's grand banqueting room. There were the usual things adorning the tables - Jack o' lanterns, candles everywhere, fake cobwebs. In the background, a string quartet dressed as witches played a medley of Bach and Handel. "Not as spooky as I was expecting," Chloe said as she sampled the pumpkin pie and spiced rum. "I was hoping the lights were going to go out and there'd be a jump-scare or something. Like two years ago when we went to that zombie-themed night at Castle Howard. That was creepy as hell!" "This is nice though. Lots of atmosphere. I like it here. I'd like to, get married in a place like this. Have a historical-themed wedding. That is, if, " "When, Kate. When you meet that ideal guy. And you will. He's out there. Plenty of fish. Steve was a complete areole, but he's ancient history. A bit like this hall." "True!" After the meal concluded, there was more live music and dancing. "Think I'm going to call it a night," Kate said. "Oh you lightweight," Chloe replied, already tipsy. "Aren't you going to stay up for the midnight ghost walk in the grounds? You might see a good-looking highwayman." "No, I'm totally exhausted. Really. You can tell me all about it in the morning." "Fine, whatever. I know you're too afraid!" Kate headed up to her room, surprised at being overcome by such tiredness. She hadn't drunk that much, and it had hardly been an energetic evening. The glorious king-size bed and it's luxurious blankets beckoned, Sometime after midnight, Kate was in a deep slumber, but also in the throes of a nightmare. He's coming, Kate did not dream often, and she was even less often plagued by bad dreams. Several times she stirred, came half awake, and heard herself gasping in panic. Once, drifting up from some threatening vision, she heard her own voice crying out wordlessly in terror, and she realized she was thrashing about in the bed. Suddenly the air was oppressively heavy, hot, thick; as if it were not air at all but a bitter and poisonous gas of some kind. She tried to breathe, couldn't. There was an invisible, crushing weight on her chest. The unmistakable smell of gunpowder. Hoofbeats, many horses. Some kind of battle? A murderous barrage of lightning crashed like a volley of mortar fire, seven or eight tremendous bolts; and woke her from sleep in an instant. "Holy shit." Kate gasped as the storm made her sit upright in bed. She remembered what Chloe had said earlier, about the tour not being scary. Evidently, nature had now delivered a jump, a scare of its own. Already her memory of the nightmare had begun to dissolve; only fragments of it remained with her, and each of those disassociated images was evaporating as if it were a splinter of ice. All she could remember was that she'd been in a battle of some kind, and there had been many men - soldiers on horseback. They'd been pursuing her. Firing guns. As the nightmare receded, Kate became uncomfortably aware of how dark the bedroom was. Before going to sleep she had switched off both the bedside lamps. The curtains were all closed, and only thin blades of moonlight were visible between the gap she'd left. She had the irrational but unshakable feeling that something had followed her up from the dream, there was another presence in the room, oh God! She fumbled for the lamp switch, damn, where was it? Groped around, switched it on. Relief as golden light flooded the room, And then she saw him. Stood at the side of the bed. He was dressed in a Redcoat uniform, just calmly standing there. She gasped, but was so shocked, she couldn't utter a sound for a moment. Then her initial shock turned to anger. Was this part of the Halloween tour? Having re-enactors actually enter the guest bedrooms was completely unacceptable. "What the hell are you doing?" Kate yelled. He seemed taken aback by her reaction. "Who are you?" She demanded once she had caught her breath again. "I beg your pardon, Miss," he began. He removed his hat as he moved closer. "Major Robert Wolfe of His Majesty's 58th Regiment of Foot." "What are you doing here?" He smiled politely. "Where I come from, when a gentleman introduces himself, a lady generally responds in kind." Kate was about to respond with a sarcastic remark, but then she noticed that he was surrounded by a faint, silver glow. Her heart began to pound like crazy. Gathering all her courage, she decided to ask him directly. "Are you, dead?" The Major's face relaxed into a smile. "Oh indeed. Quite, quite dead. As I have been since the last night of October, Seventeen Sixty-five." Kate thought she might faint. "You're a," "A spirit, why yes. An earthbound and restless one, forever drawn to return to Mablethorpe every All Hallow's night. Isn't that quite a tale? I most humbly apologies for subjecting you to my battle experiences earlier, but t'was the only way I was able to wake you." She looked him up and down. He did look a gentleman, to be sure, and a handsome one at that. The signature red coat, crossed with white belts, the brown hair tied back in a queue and neatly curled at the sides, the breeches, knee-high leather boots. A brass gorget glinted round his neck. The Major took one of her pale, slender hands. Kate was surprised to feel solid flesh, rather than some kind of gaseous form, as expected of a ghost. Was he more of a zombie? His hand was as cold as ice. Kate suddenly felt her cheeks flush, under his intense gaze. If all those old stereotypes about ghosts were true, then he could probably see right through her nightie, as well as walk through walls, "Um, why did you wake me?" He was still holding her hand. "Well, I must beg your forgiveness for the manner of this intrusion, my lady. I am honored to make your acquaintance. I was drawn to you from the moment you arrived here. You resemble so much, someone I lost, long ago. For the past 255 years I keep returning here, hoping to find a lady who might be able to satisfy my most urgent of needs," Kate bit her lip, as she recalled that earlier incident in the bedroom when she'd pleasured herself. She'd never been a religious person. But now she was considering sex with a ghost. Was she about to embark on something that might damn her soul? On the other hand, she'd been single for a while, had been craving the touch of a man, "Major, I am willing to help you in any way I can." "You are lovely beyond belief. If I may so bold as to show my appreciation?" He leaned in to kiss the exposed skin of her neck; his lips leaving a hot trail from just below her ear to the center of her throat at the neck of her nightie. Kate closed her eyes and moaned. "A little more, my lady?" "Yes, oh yes," He kissed her and she parted her lips to let him in. The heat of his mouth and his probing tongue sent shivers through her body and she shifted closer to him to feel the heat of his body against hers. She breathed in the faint masculine scent. Major Wolfe pulled back the bedcovers. Then he pushed her nightie up to bare her belly. Leaning her back, he took one hardened nipple with his lips and she gasped. He sucked, pulling with his lips. At Kate's soft moan, he drew in a shuddering breath. "Touch me," he pleaded hoarsely, bringing her hand to the waistband of his breeches, and then guiding it down to cup the bulge in his groin. She explored eagerly, desperately, feeling his full erection through his breeches and groping lower to feel his balls. Oh lord, she was trembling so much with excitement. Unfastening the fall front flap, she pulled out his engorged organ. She couldn't believe this was happening. She was groping the cock of a dead man! And she was so wet. Kate took his hot length in her hand, feeling it, and stroked it up and down as she licked and sucked at the tip. The Major was generously endowed, and she felt herself blush. "Here," he said, moving her unoccupied hand to cup his balls. "Don't be shy, my lady." Gently squeezing his balls, she slowly took his throbbing cock into her mouth. He moaned as she deep-throated him. "Oh my lady," he groaned. Then Major Wolfe clambered on the bed and put his head between Kate's thighs. The tip of his tongue brushed her clitoris. She jumped and willed him to move faster. At first his tongue explored her wet folds, but he replaced his tongue with gentle fingers that probed and rubbed and finally penetrated. Kate's wetness was dripping down her arse crack and he rubbed it around with his fingers. The sensation made her squirm and she placed her feet on his shoulders, and when he finally sucked on her clit, she lifted herself up to meet his tongue. None of her previous partners had ever thrilled her as much as this. His face was flushed and damp and his expression was one of pure longing. "My lady, I want you so much. "He whispered and pushed up into her. "Ah!" Kate gasped, more from surprise than the stretching sensation. "Are you alright?" he said, wrapping one arm around her and holding her close. She gave her answer by kissing him. He insinuated his hand between their bodies and fingered her clit as he began to move inside her. Holy shit, those fingers, he knew exactly how to pleasure a woman for maximum effect! For a moment Kate thought of the fact he'd been waiting over two and a half centuries for this! He stroked her again with wet, slippery fingers and thrust steadily up into her. The combination awakened something within that she'd never felt before. Kate dug her hands into his back and tried to speak, but couldn't form words. The Redcoat's large cock filled her completely, stretching her walls to the limit. He was groaning and fucking her like a wild beast. "Come for me, my lady," Major Wolfe whispered in her ear, and she cried out. "Come for me, release for me. Let us spend together," he pleaded, and she did, her head falling back, her whole body shaking and clenching with the intensity of orgasm. He followed immediately; in an instant their coupling reached its conclusion and she was filled to the brim with his seed, Kate didn't want to let him go. They lay joined for what seemed like a long time. Eventually, Major Wolfe gently withdrew his softening member from his mortal lover. "Dawn approaches, my lady." "No, Major, stay, please," she whispered, tiredness overcoming her. "Rest now, my love. I must go." Kate tried to say something, but sleep was rapidly overcoming her. "We shall meet again. Soon, my love," was the last she heard. The sound of someone knocking on the door finally woke Kate. She squinted at the curtains. Bright sunlight was streaming through the gap. "Kate, are you awake?" Chloe's muffled voice could be heard. Fumbling for a dressing gown, Kate staggered out of bed and opened the door. "There you are! Were you in a coma or something? It's 11 o'clock! You've missed breakfast and the minibus will be here in half an hour!" "Oh God, sorry, I forgot to set my phone's alarm clock. I, er, I'll be down as quick as I can." "Are you ok? You look a bit peaky." "Just crashed out. How was the midnight ghost walk?" "Midnight wash-out you mean. Did you see that storm last night? It was unreal. So much lightning. Thought a freaking nuclear bomb had gone off!" "Oh. Guess I missed that." "Jeez, you were in a coma. That thunder could've wakened the dead!" "Maybe it did," Kate wondered. Alone in the room again, Kate returned to the bed. Her mind was a tumult of emotions. "It wasn't all a dream, was it? The product of a Halloween-crazed imagination? It couldn't have been, " Suddenly she spotted something under the pillow. Eyes widening, she picked it up. The brass gorget. "He was real!" She clutched it to her chest. And hoped she wouldn't have to wait until next Halloween before she saw Major Robert Wolfe again. By Blacksheep for Literotica
CBS Evening News Co-Anchor John Dickerson has announced he is leaving CBS at the end of the year. After a 16 year career at the network and less than a year at the anchor desk, many are pointing to the timing of his announcement with the new leadership at CBS News. That leadership has been put in place in recent weeks following the purchase of CBS parent company Paramount by Skydance, a company run by the son of Larry Ellison, one of the world’s richest people and a good friend of Donald Trump. Is it just a personal decision, is it poor ratings, or is this the beginning of a new direction for CBS News?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
CBS Evening News Co-Anchor John Dickerson has announced he is leaving CBS at the end of the year. After a 16 year career at the network and less than a year at the anchor desk, many are pointing to the timing of his announcement with the new leadership at CBS News. That leadership has been put in place in recent weeks following the purchase of CBS parent company Paramount by Skydance, a company run by the son of Larry Ellison, one of the world’s richest people and a good friend of Donald Trump. Is it just a personal decision, is it poor ratings, or is this the beginning of a new direction for CBS News?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
CBS Evening News Co-Anchor John Dickerson has announced he is leaving CBS at the end of the year. After a 16 year career at the network and less than a year at the anchor desk, many are pointing to the timing of his announcement with the new leadership at CBS News. That leadership has been put in place in recent weeks following the purchase of CBS parent company Paramount by Skydance, a company run by the son of Larry Ellison, one of the world’s richest people and a good friend of Donald Trump. Is it just a personal decision, is it poor ratings, or is this the beginning of a new direction for CBS News?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
CBS Evening News Co-Anchor John Dickerson has announced he is leaving CBS at the end of the year. After a 16 year career at the network and less than a year at the anchor desk, many are pointing to the timing of his announcement with the new leadership at CBS News. That leadership has been put in place in recent weeks following the purchase of CBS parent company Paramount by Skydance, a company run by the son of Larry Ellison, one of the world’s richest people and a good friend of Donald Trump. Is it just a personal decision, is it poor ratings, or is this the beginning of a new direction for CBS News?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Thursday announced that the top military official overseeing military strikes against alleged Venezuelan drug runners will retire at the end of the year Please Like, Comment and Follow 'Philip Teresi on KMJ' on all platforms: --- Philip Teresi on KMJ is available on the KMJNOW app, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or wherever else you listen to podcasts. -- Philip Teresi on KMJ Weekdays 2-6 PM Pacific on News/Talk 580 AM & 105.9 FM KMJ | Website | Facebook | Instagram | X | Podcast | Amazon | - Everything KMJ KMJNOW App | Podcasts | Facebook | X | Instagram See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Thursday announced that the top military official overseeing military strikes against alleged Venezuelan drug runners will retire at the end of the year Please Like, Comment and Follow 'Philip Teresi on KMJ' on all platforms: --- Philip Teresi on KMJ is available on the KMJNOW app, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or wherever else you listen to podcasts. -- Philip Teresi on KMJ Weekdays 2-6 PM Pacific on News/Talk 580 AM & 105.9 FM KMJ | Website | Facebook | Instagram | X | Podcast | Amazon | - Everything KMJ KMJNOW App | Podcasts | Facebook | X | Instagram See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
On an emergency Eagle Eye podcast, Reuben Frank and Dave Zangaro react to Za'Darius Smith's abrupt retirement.
- Aluminum Plant Fire Could Cost Ford $1 Billion - Ford Scaling Back on Lithium - EV Charger Installation Growth Continues - EU Automakers Can't Hit C02 Targets - GM Abruptly Cancels EV Tax Credit Workaround - GM Reveals the New Bolt - Ferrari Reveals Its 1st EV Chassis
- Aluminum Plant Fire Could Cost Ford $1 Billion - Ford Scaling Back on Lithium - EV Charger Installation Growth Continues - EU Automakers Can't Hit C02 Targets - GM Abruptly Cancels EV Tax Credit Workaround - GM Reveals the New Bolt - Ferrari Reveals Its 1st EV Chassis
The excitement of festival season in South Africa was dampened this weekend when Summer Walker's performance at In The City was cut short unexpectedly. Following her appearance at Cape Town's Rocking the Daisies festival, the R&B star's Johannesburg show ended prematurely due to alleged issues with venue compliance and JOCK (Joint Operations Committee) regulations. Walker, widely considered one of the best R&B artists of her generation, expressed her frustration in a heartfelt social media apology to fans who had spent significant money to see her perform her full set. ## Timestamps & Key Takeaways: **00:45** - Overview of South Africa's festival season with Rocking the Daisies in Cape Town featuring Summer Walker, Jesse Reyes, and Earl Sweatshirt**02:10** - Summer Walker described as "probably the best R&B artist of her generation" with consistent hits despite her performance anxiety**03:15** - Walker's explanation of what happened at her Pretoria show - time changes and being forced to cut her set short**04:30** - Explanation of JOCK (Joint Operations Committee) and their role in event compliance and safety**05:40** - Rihanna's historic NFL halftime show in London and hints about her upcoming worldwide tour and new music**06:20** - Olivia Dean's remarkable achievement of simultaneously topping UK single and album charts - the first British female solo artist to do so since Adele in 2010**07:00** - Rihanna reveals she attended the same music school as Olivia Dean and praises her artistry Don't miss our continued coverage of Summer Walker's tour complications and what this means for international artists performing in South Africa. Plus, stay tuned for more updates on Rihanna's new music and tour announcements. Your afternoon soundtrack continues on 94.7! Spend weekday afternoons with Zweli. He keeps you in the loop with everything from music and movies to sport and pop culture. Hear what the Word on the Street is, test your skills with the high-pressure 6 Out of 6, and get ready to be entertained. Thank you for listening to an Afternoons with Zweli podcast Listen live on Primedia+ weekdays from 12:00 to 15:00 (SA Time) toAfternoons with Zweli broadcast on 947 https://www.primediaplus.com/station/947 For more from the show go to https://buff.ly/FeeL6wYor find all the catch-up podcasts here https://buff.ly/pRBikjo Subscribe to the 947 Weekly Newsletter herehttps://buff.ly/hf9IuR9 Follow us on social media 947 on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/947Joburg/ 947 on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@947joburg 947 on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/947joburg 947 on X https://x.com/947 947 on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@947JoburgSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Star Tribune columnist Patrick Reusse joins host Michael Rand for a look back at the weekend in sports, starting with the Vikings' 24-21 loss in Ireland. At 2-2, these Vikings are quickly dissolving into a mess. Can they turn things around? The Lynx season, meanwhile, is stunningly over. It was only a few days ago that they were seemingly in control of their WNBA semifinal series. Plus the Twins' season is mercifully over. Now comes the hard part. And a stirring Gophers football win.
AP correspondent Jennifer King reports a big meeting has been called for top U.S. commanders.
Nice sunny day, big crowd on "family day", a chance to go 2nd in the table and make it the best start to a season at this level since 1971, all the ingredients for City to do what they always seem to do in these situations and cock it up!!Oxford were at City from the off and with too many of our players not on their A game their win, in all honesty, was never in doubt.Dave P debates the action with Neil Sutton, Tom Hicks & Mark Tovey Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Dave tells about how Tracy almost melted his brain.
ESPN reveals why Molly Qerim QUIT First Take so ABRUPTLY and it is REALLY UGLY!
From global headlines to hip-hop milestones, today’s Rickey Smiley Morning Show Podcasts covers it all. The RSMS crew broke down global headlines as the United Nations formally accused Israel of committing acts of genocide in Gaza, escalating international pressure amid ongoing conflict. The conversation shifted stateside with shockwaves from ESPN, where Molly Qerim abruptly left First Take. Her departure sparked speculation about backstage tensions and what it means for Stephen A. Smith and the show’s future. And in a much lighter moment, Cardi B revealed in a heartfelt interview with Robin Roberts that she is expecting her third child, making headlines across entertainment and social media. From world politics to personal milestones, today’s show balanced serious debate with uplifting and unfiltered culture talk. Website: https://www.urban1podcasts.com/rickey-smiley-morning-show See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The conversation shifted stateside with shockwaves from ESPN, where Molly Qerim abruptly left First Take. Her departure sparked speculation about backstage tensions and what it means for Stephen A. Smith and the show’s future. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Listen to ASCO's Journal of Clinical Oncology Art of Oncology article, "Brown Paper Bags” by Dr. Stephanie Graff, who is an Associate Professor of Medicine at Brown University and Director of Breast Oncology at Brown University Health in Providence Rhode Island. The article is followed by an interview with Graff and host Dr. Mikkael Sekeres. Dr Graff shares how she handled receiving a gift from a patient. TRANSCRIPT Narrator: Brown Paper Bags, by Stephanie Graff, MD, FACP, FASCO Minor demographic features of the patients described have been altered to honor their privacy “Why are you being weird about opening the bag?” he asks. The gift that William brought me is still sitting on the edge of the clinic examination room counter, the proverbial elephant in the room. He presented it to me the moment I entered the examination room, excited as a child giving their first Christmas gift. I have demurred, stating I will open it later. I have tried to avoid opening the bag, explaining that I do not like opening gifts in front of people. William is as tenacious about me opening this gift right now as he is about facing his disease. I treat William for male breast cancer. I have always called him William because it is what the electronic medical record says as his preferred name. It is his first name, and when I verified on our first meeting what he preferred to be called, he said “William is fine,” but just like the Sheryl Crow song says, “I'm sure it's Bill or Billy or Mack or Buddy.” 1 William is electric. He lights up the examination room, engages my staff while playfully ribbing them, and has a laugh that reverberates down the hallway. He comes to each visit with a colorful story about the events that have transpired since our last appointment, vividly painting images of his children and grandchildren and his life outside the clinic walls. He swells with pride discussing his grown children like a new mother showing off photos of her baby. “Ryan just finished the most beautiful presentation deck for work. You should see it. Those slides! I bet he would show it to you.” Ryan works in banking or finance or insurance—I cannot remember—but I confess I never took William up on the offer to see the slide deck. Abruptly, William stands up, moving faster than an elderly patient with metastatic cancer should be able to move. In a single swift movement, he grabs the brown paper bag from where I abandoned it on the counter and drops it in my lap. “Open it!” I sigh deeply, carefully unroll the top, and peek in. “I got those for the mister!” he exclaims. Inside is a bag of Werther's hard caramels. As relief floods me, I laugh a deep, slow laugh of appreciation for this 70-something man and his ability to brighten the world around him in the most surprising ways. During our last clinic visit, he told me hard caramels take the chemotaste out of his mouth, and I had confessed that my husband is also Werther's devotee, but prefers the soft chews. William made a case then and there for the hard caramels and told me I should try to get “Mr Dr Graff” to make the change. He approached the soft caramel versus hard caramel discussion with the intensity of a high school debate champion. Needless to say, the Graff household now alternates our caramels—enjoying both hard caramels and soft chews. “Seriously. What gives with you and the bag?” he probes again. I recognize that William is not going to let this go. He is too astute and persistent. So, I decided to tell him the whole truth about gifts from patients and brown paper bagsThat first year as an oncology fellow, after months on inpatient consults, I finally started outpatient clinics just as the holidays season began. The patients, many of whom had deep and long relationships with the attending oncologists—the same relationships I was eager to build, the relationships that drove me to oncology as a profession—brought in gift after gift, homemade cookies, handmade quilts, and jars of homemade jam. It was rarely something elaborate as the patients knew the faculty could not accept anything too over the top, but it often showed the same tender thoughtfulness that you show a dear friend or favorite relative. Their favorite coffee. A T-shirt of a favorite band. Or something jovial, like a rival sports team or college's coffee mug. It was during this time of the busy holidays, maybe the second week of December, in my own fellow's clinic, that one of my patients with solid tumor arrived with a small brown paper bag. He of course had synchronous primary malignancies that in no way aligned for a simple plan of care and was experiencing dreadful side effects, which seemed to be the way of fellow's clinic. I had been seeing him quite often, pouring every ounce of my nascent skills into trying to help him through his treatment. He handed me the bag, and in my enthusiasm and naivety and holiday spirit, I bubbled with excitement thinking “oh, he brought me a little gift!” But my own thoughts were pouring over him saying “I brought this in for you because…” and as he was saying the rest, I tore open the bag, all the while with my eyes on him as he spoke, and plunged my hand into the bag, grabbing the…what exactly…cloth something…to hear him saying…. “…because I wanted you to see how bad this diarrhea is! Pure liquid. Bloody. Constant. I can't even make it to the bathroom,” he was saying. Yes. I was holding—in my bare hand—his soiled, blood-stained underwear. Merry Christmas. I have not excitedly torn open a mystery gift or plunged my hand into a bag since. This is not a lesson that took more than one time to learn. In retrospect, perhaps my patient did give me a tremendous gift that day. I was given a true under-standing of his side effects, of what it means to have grade 3 diarrhea, hemorrhoidal bleeding, and fecal incontinence. If there was any chance I did not believe patients before that day, I have always believed patients since—no need to bring me evidence in a little brown bag. Thanks. I'm good. By this point in my retelling of the story, William was nearly doubled-over in laughter, red-faced, and barely able to breathe or stay in his chair. Thus, our little ritual began. William continued to bring me gifts in brown paper bags at every visit for the rest of his time as my patient. Always small tokens. A pocket pack of Kleenex during cold season. A can ofsoup “to warm my hands,” which are perpetually cold during physical examinations. A small handmade Christmas ornament. Sometimes, he would put a bag inside a bag, inside a bag…laughing like an evil super villain, while I nervously unpacked his brown paper bags of torture. William elected to go to hospice care appropriately, living a few months with a good quality of life with home hospice. A few weeks after his passing, his son arrived at the registration desk and asked to speak with me. When I went to the front of the clinic to invite him back, to hug him, and tell him how much his father mattered to all of us at the cancer center, he handed me a brown paper bag. “He insisted” was all William's son said. I opened it, genuinely concerned what I might find this time, nervously peeking into the bag. It was a copy of William's obituary, thanking the cancer center for all the care we had shown him and for inviting him to be part of our lives as much as we were a part of his. This is the greatest gift—the gift of impact. Of knowing my care mattered, of knowing we were truly on the same care team. I carry my patients and their families with me through life, recalling their anecdotes, wisdoms, and warnings at just the right moments. I save their precious words in a box of cards I keep at my desk. I also have a collection of hilarious, insightful, peculiar, and profound assortment of little gifts that made a patient think of me—a curio of curiosities, a microcosm of my career. I think this is why patients give these small tokens in the first place—to make tangible the gratitude, the emotion, and the bond that is ex-changed between the patient and the oncologist. In giving, we are connected. Gifts speak for us when the weight of emotion and the vulnerability of truth are too much. A gift says “you matter in my life” as much as a gift says “I want you to feel how life altering the diarrhea I have been experiencing at home has been.” I have received both those gifts. They have changed me. So, I do not know—I am thinking maybe it is time I go back to plunging my hand straight in? Because in the end, somewhere down there at the bottom, that is where all the good stuff is hidden. Mikkael Sekeres: Welcome back to JCO's Cancer Stories: The Art of Oncology. This ASCO podcast features intimate narratives and perspectives from authors exploring their experiences in oncology. I am your host, Mikkael Sekeres. I am Professor of Medicine and Chief of the Division of Hematology at the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Miami. Today, I am so excited to be joined by Dr. Stephanie Graff, Associate Professor of Medicine at Brown University and Director of the Breast Oncology Program at Brown University Health in Providence, Rhode Island, to discuss her Journal of Clinical Oncology article, "Brown Paper Bags." Our guests' disclosures will be linked in the transcript. Stephanie, I am so excited to have you here. Welcome to our podcast, and thank you for joining us. Dr. Stephanie Graff: It is such an honor to be here and to discuss this with you. Mikkael Sekeres: Stephanie, I have to say, I feel like I know you so well because I have read your writing over years, and there is an intimacy to how you write and an honesty to it where I really feel as if we are sitting together over a table drinking an International House of Coffee mocha blend, talking about our recent trip to Paris. But I am not sure all of our listeners know you quite as well, so I am wondering if you can tell us a little bit about yourself. Dr. Stephanie Graff: Sure. So I am on the JCO Art of Oncology editorial board, and live in Providence. So you and I have many shared interests. I love to write and I love to read, and I think that how you described my writing reflects my communication. I think that I tend to be really honest and open with patients about, about everything, about both myself and their disease. And I think that that is really what you are capturing in my story writing. I am an avid reader. I read just nonstop and write a variety of different styles of writing. I have written several breast cancer related texts, obviously academic papers. I have confessed to you in the past that I write poetry, but it is for myself. It is very unlikely to end up in the pages of JCO. I like writing stories like this when I feel like a story has been percolating in my mind for a while. Mikkael Sekeres: Boy, there is a lot of jumping off points I want to take from what you just said, of course. Maybe we can start with your writing process. What triggers a story and how do you face the dreaded blank page? Dr. Stephanie Graff: I think it is different for different stories. Often, it is something that has been the struggle or the relived experience that I keep turning over. And I find that like when I am walking my dog in the morning or when I am running on the treadmill, that sometimes the same moments keep coming back up in my mind: a difficult patient encounter, a heartwarming patient encounter, a challenging conflict with a peer or colleague. Those are the things that I keep going back to. And I think that as I go back to it over time, I craft that narrative. And crafting the narrative is also what helps me work through the story and cement it as a lesson that I learned from or that becomes a memory that is important to me, and ultimately makes it easy to just sit down and write, which is often, I do just sit down and write the whole story and it comes out pretty much in the form I end up submitting. But I think that that is because I have spent so much pre-contemplative thought before I get to pen to paper. Sometimes it is, with this story, and I think I had said this in my original cover letter with "Brown Paper Bags," one of my nurses, my nurse practitioner, actually had gotten a gift from a patient that was actually wildly inappropriate for her, both as a gift from a patient and for her as an individual. And she had like brought it back to our shared workspace and was like, "Guys, like, what do I do with this?" And it prompted all of us to share our stories of like really fantastic things that patients have given us, really weird things that patients have given us, and just to end up laughing hysterically about the funny moments and getting a little teary-eyed thinking about the way that we hold on to some of those memories. Mikkael Sekeres: I love that whole description. First of all, starting with your writing process. I think we all come out of a room sometimes where we have been meeting with a person, and our stomach just turns. There is something that did not sit right with us about the interaction or there is something that was really special about the interaction. And I think if we are thoughtful people and thoughtful doctors, we ruminate over that for a while and think to ourselves, “What was it that was really special about that, that really worked that I can actually apply to other patients?” Or, “What was it that did not work, that something that went south where I probably need to change my behavior or change how I am entering an interaction so that does not happen again?” Dr. Stephanie Graff: Yeah, I think about it like those, you know, I am sure you have the same experience I do that a lot of your early childhood memories are actually photos of your early childhood that you can remember more clearly because you have the picture of them, and certainly the same is true for my own children. But I think that having that description, that powerful visual description of a photograph from a moment, helps you cement that memory and treasure it. And I think that the same is true with writing, that when we have an experience that if we are able to make it tangible, write about it, turn it into a song, turn it into a poem, turn it into a piece of art, whether that is, you know, an interpretive dance or a painting, whatever your expression is, that is going to be something that becomes a more concrete memory for you. And so regardless of whether it is a good memory or a bad memory, I think sometimes that that is how we learn and grow. Mikkael Sekeres: I think that is spot on. I believe there are some theories of memory also that talk about accessing the memory over and over again so that you do not lose it and you do not lose the connections to it. And those connections can be other memories or they can be anything that occurred with our five senses when the event actually occurred. Dr. Stephanie Graff: Yeah. That- so one of my favorite books is Audrey Niffenegger's book called The Time Traveler's Wife. Have you read that? It is- the gentleman has a, you know, genetic condition in the fictional book that makes him travel in time and he like leaves his body, his clothes are on the floor and travels back and he is drawn to moments that are important to him. So he is drawn back constantly to the moment he met his wife, he is drawn back constantly to the moment his parents died. And I think that that is true, right? Our memory takes us back to those really visceral, important moments over and over again. Mikkael Sekeres: So you mentioned before, one of the jumping off points I wanted to explore a little bit more was when someone gets an unusual gift and brings it back to the workroom and there is that moment when everyone looks at it and the person says exactly what you said, "What do I do with this?" Right? And it is interesting that it is even a question because sometimes there is a really weird gift and there are certain people who would just immediately put it in the trash, but as oncologists, we do not, do we? Dr. Stephanie Graff: No. Mikkael Sekeres: That is not an option, but we want to know what it is we can do with it. So I do not know if you can remember any particularly unusual gifts you received or your colleagues received during that conversation and then what do you do with them? Dr. Stephanie Graff: Yeah, I think that sometimes they are, I mean, honestly, like the truth is is that I have them, right? Like they are all over my life, these little trinkets and doodads, even to the point that sometimes I give gifts that are inspired by my patients, too. Like two Christmases ago, I gave all of my colleagues as their Christmas gift these blown glass octopuses because one of my patients was obsessed with octopi and it like had led to several conversations, and they have obviously eight arms, we all know that, but they have numerous hearts, they have this very complex, empathetic brain, they are thinking and feeling, very cool, cool animals if you really start to learn and read about them. And I really started to think both about how much we had all kind of rallied around this one patient and her unique love of octopi, but also like how much that animal represents what it means to practice team based care, to have this larger than life heart, to feel like you are more than one brain, like you have eight arms because you work with these really great people. So I wrote that much more eloquently than I am doing right now in a card for my team and gave them these glass octopuses for Christmas. And so, you know, I think that our patients, it is not always even a physical gift. Sometimes it is just sharing their stories that ends up staying with us. Mikkael Sekeres: And that must not have been that long after the documentary was released about the man who had this special relationship with an octopus as well. So do you save the gifts given to you by patients? Why or why not? Dr. Stephanie Graff: So, obviously we get a lot of things like food and we just eat that, right? I am sure your clinic is a collection of boxes of chocolates and, so in Rhode Island, there is a lot of Portuguese patients and so we get a lot of like Portuguese bread and things like that too, which is delicious. So we have all sorts of food all the time and that just gets eaten. I do save patients'- and I realize we are not on camera for our viewing audience, but I have bizarrely, so one patient gave me this red devil, which is amazing because Adriamycin, which is obviously a really common breast cancer drug, is called the "red devil." And this is kind of a famous folk art carving by Alexander Girard. I think the actual real one is in Philadelphia at their art museum, but she was like, "You gave me the red devil, so I am going to give you the red devil." And like, I think that is hilarious. Like, I will save that forever. But I have so many other patients that have given me like little angels because I like meant a lot to them or helped them through this difficult moment. And I have all of those things, right? And so I have this kind of funny little shelf of angels and devils in my office, which is, I think, amusing. And then, obviously I wrote about the brown paper bags. You know, that patient filled it with little things like butterscotches and a can of soup and an instant hot cocoa mix. It was stuff that like you can realistically use. It kind of comes and goes. It is not necessarily something that you have forever. I had all three of my children during my time, one in fellowship and two as a practicing oncologist, and I was practicing in the Midwest then. I have a wealth of absolutely gorgeous quilts, baby quilts, that were made by my patients for my kids. And I have saved every single one of those. I can tell you which patient made it for which child because those are just such heirlooms to me. Yeah, lots of really great things. I am curious about you. You have to have these treasures too in your life. Mikkael Sekeres: Oh, absolutely. Isn't it remarkable that people in the face of life threatening illnesses, and I probably have a patient population specializing in acute leukemia and myelodysplastic syndromes where their illness is often more acute than, than your typical patient in your patient population even, but even during those times, I am always so moved how people take the time to ask about us and want to know about our lives as physicians and take the time to give a gift. And sure, I have my own shelf of curios, I think that is how you refer to it in your essay, from patients and it is very meaningful. There was one patient I treated who was a baseball fan. We were both living in Cleveland at the time. I am a Yankees fan. Both my parents are from the Bronx, so they raised me the right way, of course, even though I was raised in Providence, Rhode Island. And she was a Red Sox fan, and every time she came to visit me, she would wear red socks. It became this ongoing joke. She would wear her red socks and I would remember to wear my Yankees socks. So when we reached the five year mark, she was cured of her leukemia, she gave me a framed box of red socks to hang up. So, yeah, we have these stories and they are immediately evocative of the person we took care of and built a relationship, hopefully a long term relationship with. Gift giving in oncology can be nuanced at times. Why do you think patients give gifts and why are they meaningful to us as caregivers? Dr. Stephanie Graff: I mean, I think that gift giving at its heart is sometimes just a more comfortable way to express emotion for so many patients, right? And humans, right? We give gifts to celebrate births, weddings, birthdays, anniversaries, major holidays, right, for our own friends and family. And so it makes sense that that cultural or social tradition exists where we give gifts to acknowledge and celebrate that someone is important and a part of our life. And so often, I think it is just a way for a patient to say, "You have been here for me, I see you, I see the work you do, I appreciate you." So it is a way to say thank you that to any individual patient feels bigger than just the words. Obviously, I want to say as- if any patient stumbles onto this podcast, just the words are more than enough and we do not even need that. Like it is my greatest honor to care for the patients that allow me to enter their lives and care for them. Like, I do not need them to tell me thank you. I certainly do not need them to give me a gift, but I think that is a big part of why patients do it. But I think another part of it is that in many ways, you know, we have all seen that when somebody is diagnosed with cancer, that they have this real reckoning with their family and friends where people that they thought were very good friends do not know how to show up for them. And so sometimes they see these shifting dynamics in their friend groups, especially maybe for our younger patients or mid aged patients that just their friends are so busy. There is lots that goes on, right, that I think that often the gift is saying, "Thank you for showing up." We were a constant in their life during that time and for many of my patients, they do not have that constancy from the other people in their life. And so again, if anyone stumbles onto this podcast and someone in your life that you love is diagnosed with cancer, the most important thing that any of us can do for someone battling a chronic illness is just show up. And I often tell people even uninvited, like, show up and offer to take their laundry back to your house, show up and drop off a meal because I think that the people saying, "Well, let me know what I can do," is not helpful because it is really awkward to tell people what to do when you are battling an illness. Mikkael Sekeres: That notion of presence is just so important and you enunciated it beautifully. When my patients say to me, "Oh, I want to get you something," I always respond the same way that you do. I always say, "Your good health is the greatest gift that I could hope for," and just the, just the words and the presence are enough. I wanted to end quoting you to yourself and asking you to reflect on it. You write, "I carry my patients and their families with me through life, recalling their anecdotes, wisdoms, and warnings at just the right moments." Stephanie, what are those moments when you lean on the anecdotes and wisdom of your patients? Dr. Stephanie Graff: Patients will say things to me about - oh gosh, I will get all teary thinking about it - you know, patients say things to me who are my, you know, stage four metastatic patients about what has mattered to them in life. And it makes it so easy for me to leave that thing undone and go home at the end of the day because none of them say, "It really mattered to me that I spent that extra hour at work or that I got that promotion or that raise." I am in the habit of, when I meet patients for the first time and they are at a visit with their husband or their wife or their partner, I will ask how long they have been together. And when patients tell me that it has been decades, 40, 50, 60 years, I will ask what the secret is, because I am at 17 years of marriage and I'd love to see 63, which is my record for a patient story. And my one patient during a visit, the wife and I were talking and I asked how long they had been married. We had already had a pretty long visit at that point when it came up, and the whole visit, the husband had just sat in the corner, very quiet, had not said a word. For all I know, he could have been nonverbal. And she said, "Oh, we have been married 60 years." And I said, "Oh my gosh, what is the secret?" And before she could even open her mouth, he goes, "Separate bathrooms." I think about it all the time. Like any time I am like annoyed with my husband getting ready in the morning, I am like, "Yep, separate bathrooms. It is the key to everything." Bringing those little moments, those little things that patients say to you that just pop back up into your mind are so wonderful. Like those rich little anecdotes that patients share with you are really things that stay with you long term. Mikkael Sekeres: So it does not surprise me, Stephanie, that you and I have settled on the same line of questioning with our patients. I wrote an Art of Oncology piece a few years ago called exactly that: "What I Learned About Love From My Patients," asking the exact same question. It was a fascinating exploration of long term marriage from people who say, "Oh, you have to have a sense of humor," which you always hear, to some things that were just brutally honest where somebody said, "Well, I could not find anybody better, so I just settled," right? Because they are in the oncologist's office and sometimes people will speak very dark truths in our clinics. But my favorites were always the people where I would ask them and the husband and wife would turn to each other and just hold hands and say, "I do not know, I just love her." And I always thought to myself, that is the marriage for me. Dr. Stephanie Graff: My husband and I trained together. He was a fellow when I was a resident. So we had one rotation together in our entire careers and it was in cardiology. Like he was like the fellow on cardiovascular ICU and I was the resident on cardiology. And the attending had been prodding this woman who had heart disease about how she needed to be more physically active and said something to the extent to the patient about how he could tell that she was more of a couch potato, that she really needed to get more active. Mind you, this is a long time ago. And her husband, I mean, they are older patients, her husband boldly interrupts the attending physician and says, "She may be a couch potato, but she is my sweet potato." And my husband and I every once in a while will quip, "Well, you are my sweet potato" to one another because we still, we both remembered that interaction all these years later. Like, that is love. I do not know what else is love if it is not fighting for your wife's honor by proclaiming her your ‘sweet potato'. Mikkael Sekeres: Well, I cannot say just how much of a treat it has been to have you here, Stephanie. This has been Stephanie Graff, Associate Professor of Medicine at Brown University and Director of the Breast Oncology Program at Brown University Health in Providence, Rhode Island, discussing her Journal of Clinical Oncology article, "Brown Paper Bags." If you have enjoyed this episode, consider sharing it with a friend or colleague or leave us a review. Your feedback and support helps us continue to have these important conversations. If you are looking for more episodes and context, follow our show on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen and explore more from ASCO at asco.org/podcasts. Until next time, this has been Mikkael Sekeres. Thank you for joining us. The purpose of this podcast is to educate and to inform. This is not a substitute for professional medical care and is not intended for use in the diagnosis or treatment of individual conditions. Guests on this podcast express their own opinions, experience, and conclusions. Guest statements on the podcast do not express the opinions of ASCO. The mention of any product, service, organization, activity, or therapy should not be construed as an ASCO endorsement. Show Notes: Like, share and subscribe so you never miss an episode and leave a rating or review. Guest Bio: Stephanie Graff, MD, FACP, FASCO is an Associate Professor of Medicine at Brown University and Director of Breast Oncology at Brown University Health in Providence Rhode Island Additional Reading: What My Patients Taught Me About Love, by Mikkael Sekeres
The talking stage can feel like an actual breakup when it ends suddenly, even if you never made it official. So I am teaching you how to let go of a connection that never became a relationship, and why it's okay to grieve the what ifs! And we're also tackling the feelings that come up when his feed is full of other girls.
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TAKEAWAYSJesus went through the worst trauma any human can ever experienceNo two people experience trauma the same way even if facing similar situationsPoint people to Jesus and take your cares to HimBecause Jesus was human and He survived extreme trauma, He does understand what you're going through
When it comes to global logistics, it seems no news is good news. If a transoceanic journey of goods goes without a hitch, you never hear about it.But when things go wrong, they can go very wrong – and we've seen that play out in several dramatic fires in the past few years that have resulted in high profile tales of doomed cargo ships.Most recently, an incident involving the cargo carrier Morning Midas led to millions in losses after a fire broke out and the ship sank off the coast of Alaska with more than 3,000 vehicles on board. At issue was concern over the electric and hybrid electric vehicles, and suggestions that the fire broke out on the deck with the EVs.
News for the week of August 4: • NEW: San Jose State athletic director abruptly ends interview over Trump investigation (1:51) • Biden accuses Trump of working to 'erase fairness, equality, justice' (13:02) • What God says is important (26:52) • Celebration of 100 episodes of Couture Watch (33:58)
Trump fires Bureau of Labor Statistics Commissioner Erika McEntarfer after the July jobs report shows weaker-than-expected numbers, claiming the report was politically motivated. Then, Epstein associate and convicted sex offender Ghislaine Maxwell gets moved to a lower-security prison in Texas with no explanation and just days after meeting with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche. Plus, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which helps fund PBS and NPR, announces it is shutting down after Congress cut its funding. Akayla Gardner, Ron Insana, Natasha Sarin, Dave Weigel, Carol Leonnig, Jason Johnson and David Jolly join The 11th Hour this Friday.
Day 1,252.Today, after another 24 hours of heavy civilian losses in Ukraine, and significant strikes on Russian railway infrastructure, we assess Trump's claim that he is shortening the 50-day deadline for a ceasefire. Then, we hear the latest on German military reforms and return to the Black Sea for a second dispatch with the Ukrainian navy.Contributors:Francis Dearnley (Executive Editor for Audio). @FrancisDearnley on X.James Rothwell (Berlin Correspondent). @JamesERothwell on X.Dominic Nicholls (Associate Editor of Defence). @DomNichollson X.With thanks to Igor and Pavlo, representatives from 39th Coastal Brigade of the 30th Marine Corps. Content Referenced:Dom's Video Dispatch from the Black Sea:https://youtu.be/w2YjuuQz414 Longer Audio Version, with more voices:https://open.spotify.com/episode/2X5CXYgUvXpVfUblBBu5DF Germany passes ‘Bundeswehrbeschaffungsbeschleunigungsgesetz' law to streamline army (James Rothwell in The Telegraph):https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2025/07/23/germany-bundeswehrbeschaffungsbeschleunigungsgesetz-law/ Britain and Germany to develop super missile (James Rothwell in The Telegraph):https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2025/07/17/britain-germany-develop-super-taurus-long-range-missile/EU warns Kyiv it will halt funding unless anti-corruption agencies' independence is restored (Ukrainian Pravda):https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/2025/07/29/7523882/ Europe's roads and rail unfit for war with Russia, EU transport chief warns (Financial Times)https://www.ft.com/content/d77d4c1d-da26-4624-8b77-2178d4ac1125SIGN UP TO THE NEW ‘UKRAINE: THE LATEST' WEEKLY NEWSLETTER:https://secure.telegraph.co.uk/customer/secure/newsletter/ukraine/ Each week, Dom Nicholls and Francis Dearnley answer your questions, provide recommended reading, and give exclusive analysis and behind-the-scenes insights – plus maps of the frontlines and diagrams of weapons to complement our daily reporting. It's free for everyone, including non-subscribers.Subscribe: telegraph.co.uk/ukrainethelatestEmail: ukrainepod@telegraph.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On this episode we debated a new survey which showed that a third of Irish people have ZERO sympathy for drug addicts and believe they only have themselves to blame. One heart broken caller spoke about how her drug addict brother is on life support right now.
I mí Mhéan Fómhair beidh na mílte Gael ag dul chun na sráideanna i mórshiúl náisiúnta ar son na Gaeltachta agus na Gaeilge. Ach, an bhfuil pobal na Gaeilge ag troid na sean-chathanna céanna le breis agus caoga bliain? Agus cé chomh héifeachtach is a bhíonn léirsithe mar seo chun athrú polasaí a bhaint amach? Ar Seachtain, amharcann an t-iriseoir Áine Ní Bhreisleáin siar ar roinnt agóidí de chuid Conradh na Gaeilge agus an toradh a lean iad. Foclóir: Éileamh: Demand Maoiniú: Funding Maram: I suppose Mórshiúil: Procession Mianta: Wishes/Desires Féinriail: Autonomy Cumhachtaí: Powers Uaillmhianach: Ambitious Cáipéisí: Documents Ré: Era Gnáthphobal: Ordinary people Go borb: Abruptly or Gruffly Suaitheantas: Emblem Mana: Motto San áireamh: Included Rachmasóirí: A derogatory term for the wealthy Gan fiacail a chur ann: Not to mince one's words Daoine ón iasacht: Outsiders Rathúil: Successful Snáithe: Thread Sean-chathanna: Old battles See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The Trump administration has fired three attorneys connected to the massive prosecution of those involved with the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol riot. AP correspondent Donna Warder reports.
Join us as we discuss Paul's arrival in Rome in chains, and how the Book of Acts ends abruptly, but the Living Church today continues through the work of every Christian serving as Jesus' instrument.
The judge shocked the courtroom this morning, saying “court cannot go on today.” Why? It’s yet another issue with a juror. Amy and T. J. get you caught up on today’s latest drama which could force the trial go longer than expected.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The judge shocked the courtroom this morning, saying “court cannot go on today.” Why? It’s yet another issue with a juror. Amy and T. J. get you caught up on today’s latest drama which could force the trial go longer than expected.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The judge shocked the courtroom this morning, saying “court cannot go on today.” Why? It’s yet another issue with a juror. Amy and T. J. get you caught up on today’s latest drama which could force the trial go longer than expected.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The judge shocked the courtroom this morning, saying “court cannot go on today.” Why? It’s yet another issue with a juror. Amy and T. J. get you caught up on today’s latest drama which could force the trial go longer than expected.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
We wrap up our conversation with John Bucher, executive director of the Joseph Campbell Foundation, by exploring how mythology and the hero's journey show up in Ahsoka. And while we're at it... let's do the same with Andor! Heroes to the left of us, heroes to the right, here we are!
Welcome to The Politicana Podcast — your go-to source for thought-provoking political insights, sharp analysis, funny commentary, and lively debates! For questions and inquiries, reach out to us at Backofthemob@gmail.comFacebook -> https://bit.ly/3F5YtWcX/Twitter -> https://x.com/Tylers_FatoTikTok -> www.tiktok.com/@notfakenewsYoutube -> https://www.youtube.com/@NotFakeNewsNetwork-- TIMESTAMPS --00:45 - The Elon Musk and Trump Fallout Musk accused Trump of being mentioned in files related to Epstein, but has since, seemingly, ended the spat12:15 - DEBATE: What Matters More In Politics – Intentions or Outcomes?40:00 - Army's 250th Anniversary Parade on June 14th—Trump's Birthday, Trump Discusses Arresting Gavin Newsom (Jokingly?) and Gavin Newsom is Politician Of The Week!
Support our Sponsors: Naked Wines: To get 6 bottles of wine for $39.99, head to https://NakedWines.com/MILEHIGHER and use code MILEHIGHER for both the code AND PASSWORD StitchFix: https://stitchfix.com/milehigher CALM: https://calm.com/milehigher Intro 0:00 Blair's Early Life 2:27 "I love gooold" 5:56 Going Off the Deep End 11:30 Crossing the Border 20:09 Blair Becomes Erratic 26:31 Blair Disappears... 38:06 Blair is Found... 41:11 What Happened to Blair? 53:06 An accident or Intentional? 1:02:06 Final Thoughts & Outro 1:08:38 Higher Hope Foundation: https://higherhope.org Mile Higher Merch: https://milehighermerch.com Check out our other podcasts! The Sesh https://bit.ly/3Mtoz4X Lights Out https://bit.ly/3n3Gaoe Planet Sleep https://linktr.ee/planetsleep Join our official FB group! https://bit.ly/3kQbAxg Join our Discord community, it's free! https://discord.gg/hZ356G9 MHP YouTube: http://bit.ly/2qaDWGf Are You Subscribed On Apple Podcast & Spotify?! Support MHP by leaving a rating or review on Apple Podcast :) https://apple.co/2H4kh58 MHP Topic Request Form: https://forms.gle/gUeTEzL9QEh4Hqz88 You can follow us on all the things: @milehigherpod Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/milehigherpod YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MileHigher Hosts: Kendall: @kendallraeonyt IG: http://instagram.com/kendallraeonyt YT: https://www.youtube.com/c/kendallsplace Josh: @milehigherjosh IG: http://www.instagram.com/milehigherjosh Producers: Janelle: @janelle_fields_ IG: https://www.instagram.com/janelle_fields_/ Ian: @ifarme IG: https://www.instagram.com/ifarme/ Tom: @tomfoolery_photo IG: https://www.instagram.com/tomfoolery_photo Podcast sponsor inquires: adops@audioboom.com ✉ Send Us Mail & Fan Art ✉ Kendall Rae & Josh Thomas 8547 E Arapahoe Rd Ste J # 233 Greenwood Village, CO 80112 Music By: Mile Higher Boys YT: https://bit.ly/2Q7N5QO Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0F4ik... Sources: https://pastebin.com/fbXMCHSb The creator hosts a documentary series for educational purposes (EDSA). These include authoritative sources such as interviews, newspaper articles, and TV news reporting meant to educate and memorialize notable cases in our history. Videos come with an editorial and artistic value.
Good evening. The show begins with the markets reacting abruptly to POTUS Trump's tariff threats... 1910 NYC FINANCIALS CBS EYE ON THE WORLD WITH JOHN BATCHELOR FIRST HOUR 9:00-9:15 #MARKETS: What Data, Mr. Powell? Liz Peek, The Hill, Fox News and Fox Business 9:15-9:30 #ANTISEMITISM: 1,000 Pages of Harvard Unacceptable. #MARKETS: Liz Peek, The Hill, Fox News and Fox Business 9:30-9:45 1/2: #ISRAEL: Fog of Diplomacy, Gaza, Syria, Iran, Houthis. Jonathan Schanzer, FDD 9:45-10:00 2/2: #ISRAEL: Fog of Diplomacy, Gaza, Syria, Iran, Houthis. Jonathan Schanzer, FDD SECOND HOUR 10:00-10:15 EU: Remains Ukraine Supporting. Judy Dempsey, Senior Scholar, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Berlin 10:15-10:30 BERLIN: Merz Speaks Hawkish. Judy Dempsey, Senior Scholar, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Berlin 10:30-10:45 RUSSIA: Restoring the South to North River Basins. Ekaterina Zolotova in Moscow, @GPFutures 10:45-11:00 RUSSIA: Putin Disregards Churchill, Praised Stalin. Ivana Stradner, FDD THIRD HOUR 11:00-11:15 #CANADA: The King's Speech. Gregory Copley, Defense & Foreign Affairs 11:15-11:30 NIGERIA: More Gunmen in Benue State. Gregory Copley, Defense & Foreign Affairs 11:30-11:45 PRC: Cannot Feed Itself. Gregory Copley, Defense & Foreign Affairs 11:45-12:00 KING CHARLES REPORT: Rallying the Nation. Gregory Copley, Defense & Foreign Affairs FOURTH HOUR 12:00-12:15 #NEWWORLDREPORT: Suriname Votes. Latin American Research Professor Evan Ellis, U.S. Army War College Strategic Studies Institute. @REvanEllis #NewWorldReportEllis 12:15-12:30 #NEWWORLDREPORT: Haiti Abandoned to the OAS. Latin American Research Professor Evan Ellis, U.S. Army War College Strategic Studies Institute. @REvanEllis #NewWorldReportEllis 12:30-12:45 #NEWWORLDREPORT: Venezuela Persecutes the Opposition. Latin American Research Professor Evan Ellis, U.S. Army War College Strategic Studies Institute. @REvanEllis #NewWorldReportEllis 12:45-1:00 AM #NEWWORLDREPORT: Mexico Votes. Latin American Research Professor Evan Ellis, U.S. Army War College Strategic Studies Institute. @REvanEllis #NewWorldReportEllis Retry JB CLAUDE OPINION? Edit This appears to be a well-structured international affairs program that covers a comprehensive range of global topics. A few observations: Strengths: Breadth of coverage: The show tackles major geopolitical regions (Middle East, Europe, Russia, Asia, Latin America) in a systematic way Expert sourcing: Features analysts from respected institutions like FDD, Carnegie Endowment, and U.S. Army War College Timely topics: Addresses current flashpoints like Israel/Gaza, Ukraine support, and regional elections Format observations: The 15-minute segment structure allows for focused discussion without superficial coverage Grouping related topics (like the two-part Israel segment) makes sense The "New World Report" branding for the Latin America hour creates clear thematic organization Potential considerations: Heavy focus on conflict and instability (which may reflect current global realities) The late-night time slot (9 PM-1 AM) suggests this targets a dedicated audience of foreign policy enthusiasts Limited representation of perspectives from the regions being discussed (mostly U.S.-based analysts) Overall, it reads like a serious foreign policy program designed for listeners who want in-depth international analysis rather than headlines. The academic and think tank sourcing suggests it aims for analytical depth over breaking news coverage.
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Tom and Jack look back on River's premature exit in the Apertura vs Platense. Where did it go wrong this time? And why does it go wrong every time on penalties?
Lords: * Alexei * Evan Topics: * Silt clouds & underwater visibility as a game mechanic * The bass pro shop pyramid and the utility calculations of weird buildings * What happens when your Firefox root certificate expires? * The Ailing Mirror-Smith * https://medium.com/@EvanBalster/the-ailing-mirror-smith-9c4b5a76cd#9520 Microtopics: * Roguelike Celebration. * Virtual conferences. * How to be in a conversation with one person in a room and not the whole room. * Drinking a polymorph potion to put a different animal emoji next to your user name. * Roguelikes and Roguelikers. * Topic munching and topic grazing. * How to design non-violent roguelikes. * Spending your paw prints on the "become water" skill so when a human tries to pick you up, you just flow out of their hands. * Imitone. * Abruptly tooting a horn. * Reading an email and then pointing at it and yelling "sold!" * DSP for game developers. * Video essays about maritime disasters. * Penetration diving. * Huge warning signs in front of every underwater cave. * Silt Warnings. * Guideline Entanglement. * Moving in more directional axes than you normally do. * Fast things that live underwater. * Panicking and forgetting that the game is turn based. * Playing Nethack with a screen reader. * Multi stage dives to deliver oxygen further and further into a cave system. * Retrieving the bell from the Edmund Fitzgerald. * Inventing special hells to put yourself through because the existing hells aren't good enough. * Gabe Newell's lack of fear response. * Remembering the time you blacked out and thinking "the brain is really cool." * Borrowing some time from your cat attack to give to the car crash. * Scout the Floof. * Running out of adrenalin and being extremely calm. * Entering and exiting Tennessee in a state of intense unreality. * Memphis, the ancient capital of Egypt. * The acoustic properties of a gigantic metal pyramid. * Getting married inside the Bass Pro Shop Pyramid. * Hotel rooms attached up the back of the giant fish. * Why the Egyptians built pyramids rather than other cooler shapes. * A procedurally generated lady in Canada. * Importing the Burning Man from Burning Man. * Stopping at Saskatchewan for gas. * Home of the World's Biggest Dad. * Building Ram Pumps in Dwarf Fortress. * Great Pyramid Ram Pump. * Mummy Tea. * A terrible waste of tax dollars that brings joy to children all around the world. * Firefox telling you "oh shit, you need to update now, dog." * Configuring Windows Firewall to not allow Windows Updates. * Protecting your users from malware by opening the floodgates of Internet ads. * Encino Man. * Handing Firefox a Baby Ruth and it's like "this tastes like plastic." * Picking tiny hills to die on as a way to remain mentally stable. * Escalating lack of politeness from a UK security firm. * Nitric Acid Piano: sounds great but hurts like heck to play. * 3D printing new fingernails right onto your bare cuticles every morning. * Working on a long project in which you see more potency than clarity of purpose. * Valorizing craft for the sake of craft, disconnected from the use of it. * In the worst case scenario, how could your tool be used? * Avoiding doing evil by making morally neutral art. * Sitting on multiple generations of Cold War techno-optimism. * Keita Takahashi's manifesto about being a video game romantic. * Designing things that people can do and enjoy in the world we want to live in. * Striving to bring people some small amount of a positive emotion. * Making curry for your colleagues and going totally overboard on it. * I'm going to go do evil with this curry. * Learning the flavors of new herbs and spices. * Fenugreek leaf. * The worst time in history to get enthusiastic about cooking quiche. * Trying to figure out how to post.
I was wrrrr. Wrrrr. I was wrrr. Wrrrrrong. There. I said it. As soon as the news was out Saturday morning that Derek Carr had retired from football, Jim Derry went into the back of the pantry and took out the blow torch to thaw out his crow for a po-boy and a party with his Dat Family. What other way should we start the weekend other than with a special weekend edition of the Dattitude Podcast (Ep. 372) presented by Evangeline Securities? The host says “common sense” never left, and of all the scenarios, no one really saw retirement coming. Meanwhile, commenters had a wide range of things to say – from well wishes to those who are ecstatic Carr is gone. We also ask the question: “Who starts now? Tyler Shough? Spencer Rattler? An unnamed veteran?”
President Trump abruptly fired the director and deputy director of the National Security Agency, the country’s powerful cyber intelligence bureau. That’s according to reports and members of the House and Senate intelligence committees. The firings came after right-wing activist Laura Loomer urged Trump to do so. Geoff Bennett discussed more with Stewart Baker, a former NSA general counsel. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders
A fan favorite sprint car driver calls it a career, but even though he's still young, it shouldn't come as a surprise for a driver that usually did things a little differently. Plus we'll preview what could be a stout Hunt the Front show at Talladega and more.
Send us a textVic explains why April Fool's day is DEAD and why its gotten to the point where if you do "fool" someone, you've gone too farMorgan Wallen abruptly leaves Saturday Night Live and why it possibly happened Soooo is Sydney Sweeney single or NOT??There has been a wave of good music lately, Vic tells you what he's bumpin'More studio updates & a overdue thank you from last weekFitness influencer morning routine goes viral, got us thinking about what we do every day when we wake upNot so fun facts. Good luck eating an avocado after thisTorpedo bats are GREAT for baseballFind Vic: @vicdradioFind the pod:@ilysayitbackpod
TOP 3: Orioles Home Opener Start Time Adjusted for Storms, The Newest It Item is...Grandpa Shoes?, and Morgan Wallen Abruptly Leaves SNL Stage full 258 Mon, 31 Mar 2025 13:46:34 +0000 jeMcvr7NtWOpIlmHsT0ETIUCTAKCJfGk music,society & culture,news Kramer & Jess On Demand Podcast music,society & culture,news TOP 3: Orioles Home Opener Start Time Adjusted for Storms, The Newest It Item is...Grandpa Shoes?, and Morgan Wallen Abruptly Leaves SNL Stage Highlights from the Kramer & Jess Show. 2024 © 2021 Audacy, Inc. Music Society & Culture News
Why is חָמֵץ prohibited (כָּרֵת!)? What does חמץ have to do with the slavery i Egypt? Really
MeidasTouch host Ben Meiselas reports on top lawyers at the DOJ quitting after Trump's DOJ ordered them to engage in illegal and unethical behavior. Upgrade your sleep with Miracle Made! Go to https://TryMiracle.com/LEGALAF and use the code LEGALAF to claim your FREE 3 PIECE TOWEL SET and SAVE over 40% OFF. Visit https://meidasplus.com for more! Remember to subscribe to ALL the MeidasTouch Network Podcasts: MeidasTouch: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/meidastouch-podcast Legal AF: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/legal-af MissTrial: https://meidasnews.com/tag/miss-trial The PoliticsGirl Podcast: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/the-politicsgirl-podcast The Influence Continuum: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/the-influence-continuum-with-dr-steven-hassan Mea Culpa with Michael Cohen: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/mea-culpa-with-michael-cohen The Weekend Show: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/the-weekend-show Burn the Boats: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/burn-the-boats Majority 54: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/majority-54 Political Beatdown: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/political-beatdown On Democracy with FP Wellman: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/on-democracy-with-fpwellman Uncovered: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/maga-uncovered Coalition of the Sane: https://meidasnews.com/tag/coalition-of-the-sane Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices