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Questa settimana entriamo nel vivo della Trasformazione Digitale affrontando temi cruciali come l'AI, i pagamenti, il mondo delle startup e gli analytics, il tutto attraverso la voce dei protagonisti del settore.Ascolta le interviste esclusive con:
Tratto dalla diretta video Facebook, Instagram e YouTube "METALITALIA PUB" del 3 novembre 2025, l'ora che segue rappresenta il resoconto di una chiacchierata tra Jacopo Casati (giornalista, promotion manager e digital specialist), David Scatigna (uno dei proprietari di Metalitalia.com) e Carlo Paleari (redattore di Metalitalia), con tema principale la seconda giovinezza delle "vecchie" glorie del Metal e gli annunci dei live del 2026. In particolare parliamo del concerto recente dei W.A.S.P., del festival a Ferrara con Megadeth, Anthrax e molti altri (quasi che sembra un Gods Of Metal) e delle date estive dei Savatage. Oltre a qualche ammiccante spoilerata su cosa aspettarci nel prossimo futuro a livello di eventi...Il podcast è disponibile su Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, Google Podcasts, YouTube, Deezer, Spreaker e molti altri.
Before tarot became a tool for fortune-telling and self-reflection, it was a luxury pastime enjoyed by nobles in Renaissance Italy. In this episode, we trace tarot's surprising journey from hand-painted trionfi decks in the courts of Milan and Ferrara, to its transformation during the French occult revival, and finally to its modern role as a guide for intuition, psychology, and personal growth. Along the way, we meet poets, mystics, rebels, and artists who reshaped the cards into a mirror for the human experience. This is the story of how a courtly card game became a global language of symbolism and self-discovery, and why The Fool's journey still resonates with us today.
Twilight opens in a garden where beauty wears a mask to protect it from the years, and twilight brings regrets and confessions. A young courtier stumbles upon a Duchess at dusk—painted, jewelled, and demanding. She wants him to be her father confessor, but what does Lucrezia Borgia want to confess and why does he run away? My first video podcast on Spotify... Publication: First published in God's Playthings (E. P. Dutton, New York, 1913), under Marjorie Bowen's principal pseudonym. Setting and subject: Ferrara; Lucrezia Borgia in her final twilight. Author: Marjorie Bowen (Margaret Gabrielle Vere Long, 1885–1952), prolific British writer of historical and supernatural fiction. Noted for: Lush atmosphere, moral chiaroscuro, and “twilight tales” that fuse history with the uncanny ⭐ Join my Patreon ⭐ https://patreon.com/barcud Go here for a library of ad-free stories, a monthly members only story and early access to the regular stories I put out. You can choose to have ghost stories only, or detective stories or classic literature, or all of them for either $5 or $10 a month. Many hundreds of hours of stories. Who needs Audible? Or, if you'd just like to make a one-off gesture of thanks for my work https://buymeacoffee.com/10mn8sk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Hour 3 of The Plank Show with Chris Plank and Blake Gamble closes out the week with one last look at Saturday's massive SEC Clash with VolNetwork's Vince Ferrara.
Plongez dans la traque d'Antonio Ferrara, braqueur mythique surnommé le roi de la belle. Né en banlieue parisienne, il se forge très tôt une réputation redoutable dans le grand banditisme. Spécialiste des braquages minutieusement préparés, il fascine autant qu'il terrifie. Mais c'est en 2003 qu'il entre dans la légende avec son évasion spectaculaire de la prison de Fresnes, sous les yeux médusés des gardiens. Une plongée au cœur du grand banditisme français, où le crime devient un art, et la liberté, une obsession. Jamais deux sans trois En cavale après son évasion spectaculaire, Antonio Ferrara tente de disparaître. Planques, faux papiers, déplacements constants : sa vie n'est plus qu'une suite de fuites et de précautions. Après trois mois de filatures, c'est à Paris que tout s'achève : Ferrara est arrêté sans un coup de feu. Retour derrière les barreaux, procès à répétition, années d'isolement, la légende du braqueur s'éteint lentement. En 2025, Ferrara est de nouveau arrêté en Belgique, soupçonné de préparer un nouveau braquage. À 52 ans, celui qu'on surnommait “le roi de la belle” n'a visiblement jamais cessé d'aimer la liberté… ni la poudre. Pour découvrir une autre traque, cliquez ci-dessous : [INÉDIT] Mohammed Merah, le terroriste au scooter : des voyages à la rencontre des “frères” (1/4) [INÉDIT] Mohammed Merah, le terroriste au scooter : les meurtres des militaires (2/4) [INÉDIT] Mohammed Merah, le terroriste au scooter : le siège de 32 heures (3/4) [INÉDIT] Mohammed Merah, le terroriste au scooter : le début des doutes (4/4) Crédits : Production : Bababam Textes : Clément Prévaux Voix : Anne Cosmao, Aurélien Gouas Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Plongez dans la traque d'Antonio Ferrara, braqueur mythique surnommé le roi de la belle. Né en banlieue parisienne, il se forge très tôt une réputation redoutable dans le grand banditisme. Spécialiste des braquages minutieusement préparés, il fascine autant qu'il terrifie. Mais c'est en 2003 qu'il entre dans la légende avec son évasion spectaculaire de la prison de Fresnes, sous les yeux médusés des gardiens. Une plongée au cœur du grand banditisme français, où le crime devient un art, et la liberté, une obsession. La grande évasion Dans cet épisode, Antonio Ferrara prépare l'impensable : s'évader de la prison de Fresnes, l'un des établissements les plus surveillés de France. Ill orchestre depuis sa cellule un plan d'une précision militaire, mêlant complicités, explosifs et mise en scène digne d'un film d'action. Dans la nuit du 12 mars 2003, l'explosion retentit : Ferrara s'enfuit sous les balles, humiliant l'État et déchaînant la machine policière. Commence alors une traque acharnée, menée par Christophe Molmy, déterminé à rattraper celui qu'on appelle Nino. Pour découvrir une autre traque, cliquez ci-dessous : [INÉDIT] Mohammed Merah, le terroriste au scooter : des voyages à la rencontre des “frères” (1/4) [INÉDIT] Mohammed Merah, le terroriste au scooter : les meurtres des militaires (2/4) [INÉDIT] Mohammed Merah, le terroriste au scooter : le siège de 32 heures (3/4) [INÉDIT] Mohammed Merah, le terroriste au scooter : le début des doutes (4/4) Crédits : Production : Bababam Textes : Clément Prévaux Voix : Anne Cosmao, Aurélien Gouas Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Plongez dans la traque d'Antonio Ferrara, braqueur mythique surnommé le roi de la belle. Né en banlieue parisienne, il se forge très tôt une réputation redoutable dans le grand banditisme. Spécialiste des braquages minutieusement préparés, il fascine autant qu'il terrifie. Mais c'est en 2003 qu'il entre dans la légende avec son évasion spectaculaire de la prison de Fresnes, sous les yeux médusés des gardiens. Une plongée au cœur du grand banditisme français, où le crime devient un art, et la liberté, une obsession. Hollywood style Ferrara passe à la vitesse supérieure : ses braquages de fourgons blindés, millimétrés et spectaculaires, s'apparentent à des scènes de cinéma. Entre planification froide, usage d'explosifs et tactiques de guerre, son équipe impose la terreur et le respect. Face à ces coups répétés, les enquêteurs resserrent peu à peu l'étau. Repéré après des années de cavale, Ferrara est arrêté en 2002 ; mais la suite de son histoire promet encore rebondissements et surprises. Pour découvrir une autre traque, cliquez ci-dessous : [INÉDIT] Mohammed Merah, le terroriste au scooter : des voyages à la rencontre des “frères” (1/4) [INÉDIT] Mohammed Merah, le terroriste au scooter : les meurtres des militaires (2/4) [INÉDIT] Mohammed Merah, le terroriste au scooter : le siège de 32 heures (3/4) [INÉDIT] Mohammed Merah, le terroriste au scooter : le début des doutes (4/4) Crédits : Production : Bababam Textes : Clément Prévaux Voix : Anne Cosmao, Aurélien Gouas Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Christian College Sex Comedy: Part 19 It Doesn t Matter, and I Don t Understand. In 30 parts, By FinalStand. Listen to the podcast at Explicit Novels. Being dead is wonderful; you never get tired and you have all the time in the world to regret how you ended up this way "You are so good to me, Zane, and I appreciate it," Barbie Lynn murmured. "You never give me less than 100% and I've never felt like you take me for granted." "It is you and only you, Sarah, Cindy, Eve, umm, help me out here," I grinned. Barbie Lynn lilted in the voice of an angel while she pressed off the glass with her upper body and leveraged down onto my cock. I shifted one hand off an ass cheek to move it to the back of her neck and pull her face in and up to mine. She also constricted her anal muscles around my shaft, concentrating on my cockhead. "Does this make my body more familiar to you?" she panted, our lips only inches away. "Not as much as these eyes, these eyes of my own beautiful seraph," I whispered. Barbie Lynn completed the kiss. Her hips rotated up slightly and mine shifted lower and under so that my penetration reached deep inside. For thirty seconds we kept the tender kiss going before she had to break free. "Oh, Jesus, Zane, this feels so good, I can't, oh, Lord Jesus," she gasped out as I shifted out, then back in rhythmically. "More time, I want more time with you, Zane," Barbie Lynn panted with a heavy breath. "We have tests this afternoon and Vivian is waiting," I shook my head in disappointment. Fierce passion engulfed both of us. Clearly, I got my money's worth from the contractor who had installed the shower because the glass wall didn't give way despite our enthusiasm. "Lord Jesus loves, ," Barbie Lynn screamed across campus. Her arms locked my head and shoulders in place, her face grinding into my chest. Her torso desperately tried to impale her hole deeper onto my rod. Her scream degenerated to an uncontrolled growling against me while I kept her back to the glass and up against my body. "Zane, I know I've been really needy today but you've been so kind and understanding, and I appreciate you putting up with me the kind way you have," Barbie Lynn snuggled into me. "You are the best." That's what I wanted to talk to Barbie Lynn about, taking me for granted and using me like a sex toy. Boy, I just saved myself from acting like a total ass! "Babe, you are better than I deserve." I kissed her neck as I lowered her legs down to the tiled floor. "If I ever take you for granted, promise me you'll kiss me, rub your body against me front and back, and then walk away. I guarantee you I'll fall on my knees and beg for forgiveness." "I like it when you beg," she said with a glimmer in her eye. "Why am I being nice to you again?" I teased. Barbie Lynn simply let her eyes go wide and innocent with a cute little smile on her face. "Oh, yeah," I whistled, "you give me hope, happiness, and warmth in good times and bad." "My body has nothing to do with it?" she questioned in a coquettish fashion. "It's passable," I shrugged as I cut the water off, "but I hope you will fill out one day, you know, quit the training bra and become a little more womanly." Mind you, Barbie Lynn hadn't seen a training bra in ten years. Hourglasses went to Barbie for lessons on how they should be shaped and her ass was the perfect balance between fantasy cheerleader and soccer girl. "Thank you for spending time with someone as poorly endowed as me," she purred. "I admit that I'm holding out for Doctor Burns. He's got it going on," I struggled to say convincingly. Barbie Lynn fought valiantly to hold back her reaction to the thought of seeing our over-70-year-old male Biology teacher in any sexual manner. "Burns without his clothes on is an image I could have forever gone without," she shuddered. "Gosh, I value you more than my own personal desires so I guess I'm stuck with you, Barbie Lynn," I sighed playfully. "Would you two get out of the shower!" barked Vivian. She was sitting in a chair in the main room. We stepped out of the shower, grabbed the waiting towels, and began drying each other off. Vivian surprised me by keeping a somewhat detached eye on the two of us. Maybe she wanted to make sure Barbie Lynn and I didn't turn drying into fondling, thus ending up with us rolling on the tiled floor. The floor would be uncomfortable but having hot, sweaty Barbie Lynn flesh pressing into me, I put this on my 'to do' list. We quickly got dressed and moved to where Vivian was standing and waiting. It wasn't until we were making our way to the elevator that Vivian spoke. "Barbie Lynn, would you take the elevator? Zane and I need to take the stairs," she said. "Sure thing, Vivian," Barbie Lynn smiled. She stepped up to me and kissed me on the lips. "I'll see ya Sunday night, slugger." "I kinda, sorta have a standing date with Heaven," I cautioned her, "so if you come by, be careful." I didn't miss Vivian rolling her eyes in exasperation. The elevator came and took Barbie Lynn away. I waved Vivian to the stairwell, held the door for her, and together we went down. "What are we going to do?" I broke the insufferable silence. "What do you mean?" Vivian evaded. "Damn it!" I snapped. Since I stopped moving, Vivian decided to stop too. "Yes?" she looked to me with what I was learning to read was a disarming friendliness. "I want to make you happy but I don't want to change, Vivian," I grumbled. "So, what are we going to do?" "How much of your time and energy are you willing to devote to Christ?" she countered. I had to think that over. Monday was no good; it was Recovery night. Tuesday was 'make it up to the girls' night. Wednesday was Specialty Night, Thursday, that was no good; it was Orgy Night. Friday was first date night, Saturday was SYFY/Party night and Sunday was second-date night. "I am on a committee at Church on Wednesday nights and I go to both Sunday school and Church service on Sundays," I offered. "Isn't that enough religious stuff?" "Zane, do you have sex at Church?" Vivian pierced me with her eyes. I was so boned because while I was preparing some sort of verbal obfuscation, Vivian sighed and looked down at the stairs. "Why do I even bother?" she moaned with despair. She looked up at me, clearly in pain, "It is a Church, Zane. Doesn't that mean anything to you? Because it definitely means something to me." "Vivian, it is a building, made of stained glass, brick, stone, and lumber," I responded heatedly, "and I don't need any of those to be in God's presence." "It was sex in a church," Vivian nearly screamed. "Come on, now, do you respect anything at all?" "You are right, I don't respect a building simply because someone declares it to be holy. I don't recall my vote being consulted. I don't respect people who bully with scripture but won't study the original Greek and Latin texts it was written in to learn what was really said. I don't respect anyone who refuses to think for themselves and listens to some two-bit liar like Pastor William." "He is your pastor," Vivian growled back. "He deserves, " "Nothing," I snapped. "He's an adulterer, and I've seen it with my own two eyes so don't you dare lecture me on him. If you defend him, it is only because you don't know shit about him." Vivian glared at me but I could see she was trying to see if I was making stuff up. "I respect you, Vivian, and that's no lie," I continued. "Since our fight I haven't a clue what to do with you but I have respected you. You believe in give and take; you believe in consequences and redemption. The only other person I've met like you is Iona. I trust Iona with more than my life; I trust her with Rio's." "Right now you are pissing the hell out of me, but that doesn't change the fact that I trust you and respect you," I added. "I don't need someone with spiritual authority to tell me what to do; my heart does that for me." "Zane, it is the constant sex," Vivian groaned. "I thought I could take it but it never seems to slow down with you." I had to think that over. "Vivian, you can't confuse love and sex," I insisted. "You are in love with your boyfriend and you two have been through some rough patches and survived. Sex without passion is masturbation, Vivian. If you are ever tempted, fall back on your love for that man because when you love something, there is nothing you will let stand in your way." I could see the turn in the argument defused some of Vivian's wrath and sent her mind down different pathways. "Okay, then why is it okay for you to have sex without love?" Vivian said as we resumed our progress downstairs. "I love in different ways, Vivian. I love Iona and Rio as best friends, there is nothing I wouldn't do for them. I love Heaven and Paige because they do for me things that make me want to do for them right back. I love Brandi and Opal because they are fun and they give me the space to be me. I love Barbie Lynn, well, just because it feels natural and right. Christina, Christina, I will always love without cause or reason. I love her," I related. "If Christina asked you to stop seeing all those other women, would you?" Vivian asked with a glimmer of hope. "I don't know. Our pseudo-agreement lets me have my college years to go wild before I give it all up to be a good husband and father," I replied. "Are you thinking of going to Christina and asking for her help with me?" "Yes. Yes, I am," Vivian told me. "The only problem with that plan is that it requires Christina to declare her feelings toward me and make a commitment about what she wants to do with me," I pointed out. "Good luck with that." We hit the bottom of the stairs at a run and raced through the halls and doors on our way to the Dining Hall. We found Christina and company waiting outside for us when we got there. Christian handed a thick envelope over, my bribe to Deacon of the Warlord's motorcycle gang. "Heaven, date night Sunday? I've found a theater playing Hugo," I asked my fox-faced girl. "What? You think you can ask me out on Friday for a date on Sunday? What kind of girl do you think I am?" she growled. "Heaven, you weren't here for most of the week, and you have to admit the world had gone crazy. Come on, Babe," I pleaded. "I'll have to think about it," Heaven grumbled. Behind her back all her other friends were stifling their grins. All those grins fell behind impassive masks when Heaven turned around facing them and stomped back and forth. "What's the problem, Heaven?" Hope asked. "Barbie Lynn comes skipping across the yard from her dorm with a smile that outshines the Sun, Heaven began. "She said she's been doing intensive physical therapy," Christina interrupted. Yay! I've graduated to being considered exercise equipment. "Harrumph," Heaven grunted. "How come his hair is wet? Besides, he's taking another girl home for the weekend." "It's Iona," Chastity explained. "Think about how wound up he's going to be by Sunday evening, because you know he's not going to do anything Iona's uncomfortable with." "Yes," added Faith, "he'll be ready to knock 'em out of the ballpark after a whole weekend of physical denial. Maybe you shouldn't go out with him; he's probably going to be pretty fierce." Heaven glared at all her friends before turning on me. "Fine, I'll go out with you, but if I can still walk by curfew, you had better know I'm going to make next week hell for you. Are we clear?" Heaven threatened. "Is that all Zane is to you, a sexual release valve?" Vivian gasped before I could answer Heaven. "You are making light of a serious moral struggle for him." "Vivian, Zane was the first man to tell me he loved me and I've believed," Christina said. "He saved me from a fight and academic troubles by putting his body on the line," Chastity added. "Me too," continued Hope. "He pretty much saved my life," Faith chimed in, which oddly twisted back to ruining her life with Christina and company when I exposed her as the Chancellor's spy. Maybe the girls had made up somehow. "He's put up with more of my crap than I care to get into. He loves me for who I am, and he's my lover and boyfriend," Heaven clarified. "If you spent one night with Zane making love, you would know I'm more of an addict than anything else. It is just that I get, grumpy when he's not around every minute of every day." Everyone's eyes sort of gravitated toward me. "You are all great women but I have to go to class," I grinned, then took off. Vivian raced to catch up with me. "Do you have commitment issues?" she panted beside me. "No. I was getting hard. All that feminine compassion directed my way was getting me sexually aroused and they were all staring at my crotch," I explained. "I figured running away was the best resolution for what was coming down the pipeline." "Have you ever considered chemical castration?" Vivian asked. WHAT? The last quarter of the school day went rather well, considering I had to juggle balls once between classs. (Apparently I resemble a dancing bear or something.) My second chore required me to bounce a soccer ball on my knees for a trip to the soccer field. Considering some of the crap I've had to do here, I almost volunteered to do it walking backwards. Karate started out so surprisingly normal (not my normal, but normal-normal), I should have known better. We had barely finished warming up and stretching when Gabrielle Black walked into the room. She stood against the far wall poised for our dispersal into teams. When first team knelt and waited for Coach Gorman's instructions for today, Gabrielle made her approach. "Coach Gorman, we seem to have had some difficulty connecting so I decided this would be the best place to meet," Gabrielle said in a deceptively upbeat manner. "I'm teaching a class," Gorman replied deadpan. "I teach several classes. I guess that makes me a teacher. In fact, I'm teaching right now, get lost." "I'd rather not." Gabrielle gave her deadliest smile. "Care to make me?" They really need to start psychological testing of the staff at FFU, or at least stop giving them daily doses of testosterone. "Since reason and rationality have clearly avoided you like the plague," Gorman growled, "why don't you tell me what you have in mind?" "A little sparing match," Gabrielle suggested. "So you really need to see if you can kick my ass, or is it just that you have to be Alpha bitch?" Gorman countered. Several of the more religious-minded students gasped, but they didn't realize this wasn't a game. Someone needed to do something, and of course it had to be me. I didn't very well have the time to overdose Rio with caffeine and throw her at Gabrielle. Besides, I am sure that's a war crime. "Me first!" I declared as I broke free of my second-team circle and walked toward the two adults. This was the point where I expected one or both of the women to tell me to ass out, mind my own business, I'm stupid, or something. Gabrielle stepped back and stripped off her jacket and slipped off each boot. I figured that since I was about to die, I'd best get rid of my gi; that way they'd have something to drape over my lifeless eyes. "Zane, what are you doing?" Cappadocia belatedly hissed at me. "Eh, you know, sometimes a woman has to be put in her place," I joked. It wasn't like Gabrielle was going to take it easy on me in the first place. Several girls laughed at what they were sure was levity on my part. You see, I was about to become a legend. Unfortunately, it was the legend of Don Quixote, damn fucking windmills dressed in tight black form-fitting outfits. To the credit of my limited intellect, I approached this fight with a totally different philosophy than any I'd faced before. I discarded every tenet of Thai kick-boxing (except the one that says never do anything that will make the lady-boys mock you). I went completely defensive, abandoning any hope of striking Gabrielle. I figured if such an opportunity presented itself, it would only be a trap. It took Gabrielle about two seconds to unravel my master plan, then she was on me like a fart in an airplane bathroom, choking the life out of you with nowhere to run. Because I am such a badass, it took Gabrielle eight more seconds to land a telling blow. I staggered back but instead of coming at me, she shifted to my side. Since I had my arms up to defend my head, she was slipping out of my field of vision. There was an added bonus; I discovered I couldn't hear her move over the mats. I somersaulted in the other direction which bought me a few more seconds, but I never regained my feet. Once more she opted to shift to my flank than come head-on. A man on his knees cannot out-turn a woman on her feet. I caught her knee in my shoulder, propelling me face-first into the mat. I tried to turn with the blow so I could keep eyes on her. Gabrielle slammed into my shoulder blade and I slapped the mat hard. I pressed up with my arms but Gabrielle was on my back so fast I might as well have been standing still. For a second our legs struggled as she tried to put me into a leg lock. Then her body rolled over on me and drove three fingers into my spine right above the coccyx. Blinding pain exploded over my body and I screamed. I wasn't paralyzed but I didn't need to be; I was in too much God-damn pain. Gabrielle's body was tight against my back. One hand cupped my chin and the other was placed on the back of my skull. She gave my head a quarter-twist. "You are dead," she whispered. Technically, she would have merely snapped my spine at the base of my skull. My cells would have struggled on for a few more minutes but that hardly seemed to be the point. Gabrielle stood up within inches of me and gave me an emotionless, pitiless stare. "Did you get what you wanted?" she asked softly. "We'll see," I grunted, then rolled onto my back. "Did you put me in my place?" she queried next. I had to chuckle, then I had to choke back on the pain. "Oh, yeah, we are perfectly placed." Seeing her brows crowd together in displeasure, I added with a pained gasp, "You've clearly never stood on a mirror and looked up at your cleavage the way I am now." Gabrielle reached down and touched my wrist before letting her fingers work up to my elbow. She pulled me up quite rapidly and gave me a soulless, piercing gaze. "You are insane," Gabrielle noted. That wasn't said as a joke or a condemnation. She said it as if she was recognizing a kindred spirit. When you are ten years old, being best friends with an assassin sounds pretty cool. Most of us grow out of that. After all, being buddies with a person who has a casual disregard for human life might come back to haunt you if they ever decide you are an encumbrance they can do without. "When I beat you, can I draw a smiley face on your forehead?" I blurted out. Why did I say those things? Maybe it was a brain tumor, or maybe Gabrielle was right and I am insane. Maybe my buddy Don Quixote was telling me the windmill is still standing. "What do I get when I beat you, again?" she inquired. "I've developed an inside track on some authentic saltwater taffy," I shrugged. Gabrielle didn't seem very impressed. "I could feel honor-bound to jump on the next grenade thrown your way?" "I'll think of something when the time comes," Gabrielle informed me. Turning to Gorman, she said, "Are you ready?" "I'd like a, Wilhelmina started to say as she stood. Dana put a hand on Willy's shoulder and shook her head. "I've got this," Coach said. She stood up and discarded her gi, depending on your point of view, she was fortunately/unfortunately wearing a white sports bra. Wait! Am I in chest-to-chest proximity with Gabrielle while scoping out Dana? Was I dropped on my head repeatedly as a child? Maybe I should hunt down my former nanny and ask her. "Let's make Zane's idiocy, Dana continued telling Captain Willy, ", worth more than the beating he took." Gorman stripped off her pants, revealing white biker shorts. It was very cinematic; Gorman in white and Black in black. Sadly, I believed White needed some serious Divine intervention to win this showdown. "Zane," Gabrielle requested my attention with that deathly quiet voice of hers. I must have looked pretty scared because she almost smiled at me. "You can let go of my hand now." Jumping back felt like a surefire way to test her killer instinct so I let go of her hand and backed away slowly and carefully. Only after I gave us some space did I contemplate the trust she'd put in me, allowing anyone to be that close outside of combat. I was walking past Dana when she grabbed my shoulder, stopping my progress. She pointed me to the spot on the floor she had just vacated. Wow, I had my ass kicked and still made First Team. I moved over to my new place in the hierarchy and thanked Dana in the only way I knew how. "Does this mean you are going to sit on my lap when you get back?" I said with a voice as sincere as I was serious. "Zane," Coach Gorman said over her shoulder. She was keeping her eyes on Gabrielle, "when I get back, I am giving grave consideration to having a general melee, and I'm placing a bounty on your head if we do. You will have all weekend to recover." A general melee sounded a whole lot like a 'beat up the new guy' kind of thing, and I had planned on devoting my weekend to Iona. Further banter was ended by Black and Gorman facing off. Willie gave the 'Go' and things went John Wu-crazy. My bright shining moment was delivered right off the bat. Gorman went fullout, denying Gabrielle the ability to control the maneuvering in the fight the way she'd controlled me. My beating hadn't been in vain; Gabrielle undoubtedly knew Gorman's fighting style but Dana knew nothing of hers. My body had bought Dana what little insight Gabrielle had been willing to give up. After all, Gabrielle knew my game from the moment I'd thrown out my challenge. Still, she had to beat me up to get at Dana. I could take on most members of the first team and, as Dana constantly reminds the world, I can take a beating, which meant I was the body for the job. I've fought Gorman on several occasions and she's damn impressive. Gabrielle was doing crap I'd never seen before and I wasn't even sure was humanly possible. I swear, if she'd turned into a Terminator, I couldn't have been more surprised. Dana's fighting prowess only went up in my estimation because she wasn't impaled on Gabrielle's fist in the first thirty seconds. It wasn't a misstep that screwed up Dana's game plan; her mistake was predictability. One second she was pushing Gabrielle back and the next she was on the floor, struggling to keep Gabrielle from establishing a chokehold. For a second I contemplated grabbing up Cappy and Willy, then rushing Gabrielle. After all, it would have been a shame for Dana to die alone. It would also seriously curtail my desire for an open-casket funeral but hey, Dana is almost a friend. Dana wasn't finished yet. Unknown to me, she has the ability to dislocate and relocate her shoulder. No one in the class wanted to consider how painful that had to be. The loud popping noise was enough to make us decide to miss dinner. Dana got an elbow and fist in before they separated. They went at it again, but this time, it was harder on Dana. I could feel that her confidence was shaken now that she had a clearer measure of Gabrielle's strengths and weaknesses. Gabrielle remained a steadfast cypher. If Dana was turning out to be a tougher opponent to crack than she'd expected, Gabrielle wasn't showing it. What she was doing was exhibiting the iron stamina of a triathlete. Dana wasn't fighting for air but I didn't see Gabrielle even breaking a sweat yet. Had I been Dana, this would have been the time I started crying out to a vengeful God for forgiveness. Dana didn't do that. Instead, digging down to her dogged determination and fighting on, her game, her gamble, was for Gabrielle to screw up somehow and take advantage of it. She had to hope that something came up before her endurance failed. And in the fourth minute of the fight, it happened. Of course it was a trap. I couldn't blame Dana for risking it because fighting hard, non-stop, for over four minutes is its own form of torture. Gabrielle caught Dana's leg, swept the other one out from under our Coach, then finished up with driving an elbow into her hip as they hit the mat. There is fast, unbelievably fast, a weasel on speed, and then Gabrielle, and if you gave a weasel enough speed to keep up with Gabby, the weasel would explode first. Dana is fast, but I'm faster and I know I didn't have a prayer of blocking Gabrielle at this point in their fight. The blow to Gorman's hip seemed to have temporarily paralyzed that leg. Without the leg, her torso below the ribcage was fatally exposed. Getting repeatedly punched in the stomach sucked. Sadly, Dana thought the same thing and totally missed Gabrielle flipping her over onto her stomach. Gabrielle came down with a palm to the center of Dana's spine. It had to hurt, but I had little doubt that if Gabby had used her fist, the spine would have been broken. "We are done here," Gabrielle announced calmly as she rose to her feet. No one said a word until Dana stirred on the ground. With varying degrees of speed, the first team swarmed over Dana. I alone approached Gabrielle. After she finished dressing and stood, she acknowledged my presence. "Did you learn what you wanted to know?" I asked. "Yes," she stated, once more into her emotionless mode. "Then you asked the wrong question." I drilled her with a combination of bravery and anger. Gabrielle walked away without acknowledging my statement. She got to the door and stopped before exiting through the door. "What do you think I should have asked?" she said with a vapor of condescension. "You should have asked us if we can help," I told her. Maybe I'm na ve, but I'm sure she's facing her past alone. Purity is a paradox; we are awed by it yet we are repulsed by it as well. Vivian was terribly subdued as she walked me back to the dorm. It was the two of us because my Handmaiden mistress was Erica, a second-team Karate classmate. She'd given me a rain check due to the trauma we had all just been through during class. "You can use my room this weekend if you like," I broached the silence. "I'll ask Rio and Mercy to be somewhere else and Barbie Lynn can stay with you." "I don't want to sleep with Barbie Lynn, Zane," Vivian replied. "I want to sleep in my own bed." "That's bull- , I decided saying "shit", while a minor infraction, wouldn't do my argument any good. "You know Barbie Lynn to be kind-hearted and decent. She's not going to molest you. You two will be totally platonic." "I don't know what to think," she replied. "I never thought Barbie Lynn would be the one to have sex outside of marriage." "I knew she was flirty but that was it," she continued. "Now, now she's moved into your room and is having sex with you as if you were a married couple." She sighed. "Fine, not like a 'normal' married couple so we don't need to go there." Ah, no mention of anal sex I see. "Vivian, I don't like to talk about my relationships with other women but I think Barbie Lynn would understand," I tried to explain. "There was no seduction between us, we collided. I showed up at FFU pretty depressed. I'd spent a long month with my Aunt trying to adjust to America and a place and lifestyle I didn't know." "My Aunt and I fought a lot and that Sunday Pastor Bill and his buddies tried to shake me down for my inheritance. I had the feeling that is why they wanted Aunt Jill in their church, and after all the crap Jill had been through, I felt that sucked," I said. "I'm in my room, sad and pissed off, then Barbie Lynn Masters comes soaring into my life." "She thought I was 'Glenda's' brother, I told her my name was Zane, and next thing I knew we were all over one another. She gave me a blowjob and I gave her multiple orgasms and we parted ways. She thought she might see me once a month and I had no idea this was a girl's college. You are aware of the humiliation that followed," I concluded. "Zane, that explains nothing," Vivian observed. "Okay, I could have been clearer," I admitted. "What I was trying to say is that Barbie Lynn didn't change. I allowed her to do what she wanted to do with a guy all along. She is still the same woman who goes after life full of enthusiasm, who likes to work with kids, teaching Sunday school and going to church." "And you want me to sleep with her when I've avoided the pleasure for the past three years?" Vivian refused to give in. "I'd want you to sleep with Iona if she wasn't already heading out with me. I have a few others I could ask but that would be awkward. I like Opal and Brandi but I also know they'd hit on you if given half a chance," I outlined. "I can sleep alone, Zane," Vivian stated. "I know that, but do you want to?" I asked. Vivian didn't immediately reply. "You climbed into bed with me and some of the ladies, Vivian. There is a certain quality provided by a sleeping companion that you enjoy. You wanted it enough to put some faith in me and Barbie Lynn last night," I added. "Zane, why are you making a big deal about this?" Vivian inquired. "Your happiness matters to me," I answered. Vivian and I walked into the dorm and into the elevator before she spoke. "Coach Gorman warned me about this," Vivian groaned. "Do you realize how much easier my life would be if you grabbed my breast or something like that?" "Is that an invitation?" I perked up. "No," she stated decisively. Her glare emphasized the point. "I mean my job keeping the Devil in line would be easier if he wasn't constantly giving me my favorite cupcakes." "What's your favorite cupcake?" I grinned. "Behave yourself," she sighed, somewhat amused and somewhat exasperated. "Yes, ma'am," I nodded. "That's a good boy," Vivian acknowledged. "When I'm a good boy Heaven gives me a ginger cookie," I prodded. "We are Not going to go there," Vivian declared authoritatively, and that was that. I thought I would have to stop by and pick up Iona Beckett on my way out. I was obviously forgetting I was dealing with the most organized person I'd ever met. I know Iona looks after all her own affairs and most of mine, plus I suspect she keeps an eye out for Rio as well. She was waiting in the main area of my 'room' when Vivian and I arrived, her overnight bag beside her. I gave her a kiss and hurried to my room, where someone had already packed a weekend worth of stuff for me. I do not deserve one tenth of the affection aimed my way. Being hung by my toes from a ceiling fan is a small price to pay for what I receive. Still, I make a note to avoid girls with bizarre foot fetishes while in close proximity to ceiling fans, my life is pretty freaking weird enough already. I gathered my stuff, gathered up Iona, and made my good-byes. Brandi was kind enough to snuggle up to my back, reach around and pinch my nipples. It was playful, not painful, so I didn't mind too much. Besides, I had bigger fish to fry. When I told Rio that she'd need to share another bed with Mercy for the weekend she nodded. "No problem, Bro," Rio told me. She then stepped up under the guise of hugging me good-bye and tried to nut me. She's a dangerous friend to have but since I can count her public displays of affection for me on one hand, I was ready for her. "Damn it," Rio snarled, "you can't give my room to that Jesus-freak!" By 'my room' she really meant my (Zane's) room and 'Jesus-freak' was Vivian, who was eight feet away looking at her. "It isn't going to kill you two to behave for two days, Rio," I stated. Mercy, standing right behind Rio, remained unfortunately silent on the subject. "Rio, if you two would agree to abstain until I got back, I'd be willing to let you stay, but you are the King Kong of bedroom antics and Vivian needs the space," I explained. "Fine, we'll crash at Aunt Jill's," Rio smirked. "I'm sure she can't shut the door before I get a foot in. She's far too nice to break it or kick me out." Oh yeah, I cannot begin to describe what Jill's reaction to a Mercy-Rio lesbian love-fest at 2:00 in the morning would be like. It would probably involve paramedics and a defibrillator. "Okay," I shrugged. I fished out my keys and tossed them to Rio. "Sweet!" Rio trumpeted. "We'll meet you at the car." "We are not going," I corrected Rio. "Iona and I will stay here, camp out on a sleeper-sofa, and take in some Pay-per-View. Come by and pick us up for the party around nine tomorrow night." "Your loss, Princess," Rio mocked me and walked away. Mercy loyally padded along. "I'm sorry, Iona," I said to my petite friend. "I promise I'll make it up to you." "I'm not looking for any particular place but a particular man," she smiled serenely. "Sadly, I still have a piece of business to attend to and I see the person I need to see," I said as I spotted Valerie playing a competitive game of pool versus Raven of all people. When Valerie had taken her shot I stepped up to her side. "Can I catch a ride to the Dixie Roadhouse in the next few minutes?" I whispered. "Sure. Wait, are you expecting me to hang around when you go inside?" Val smirked. "I've already gone a round with Gabrielle Black today so I don't feel I deserve a second ass-whooping. I'd appreciate you sticking around at least until the gunfire starts," I chuckled. "Fine, I'll stay, but you'll owe me one," Valerie smiled. "By the way, how tough is Gabrielle?" "I'll let you know when my concussion fades," I responded. "That good, huh?" Valerie persisted. "In less than thirty seconds she snapped my neck. It took her less than five minutes to break Dana's back after that, and right there at the end I swore I saw a lone bead of sweat on Gabrielle's brow," I related. "Just so we are clear; if I ever see her chasing your ass down like Gorman did that day, you are on your own," Valerie snorted. "I thought you were a bad-ass," I taunted her. I really didn't want her fighting Ms. Black on my behalf. "Granddad is a bad-ass; I'm a teenage girl who is good with bikes and can handle myself in a brawl but I'm not a true bad-ass. What I am is smart enough to not attempt the craziness that is your life," she huffed. "Being smarter than me is hardly an accomplishment to be proud of," I jibbed back. Raven, who had been pretending to not be eavesdropping, made this choking sound at that comment. "Let me finish Raven off and I'll take you there," Valerie said. "Valerie, she's killing you," I noted. "I like a challenge," Valerie countered. She must because Raven only had one ball left to sink while Valerie had four. Less than a minute later Raven sent Valerie and I heading for the stairs. Iona gave me a slight nod and grin. Rio came storming up at us half-way down. "You motherfucker," she snarled. "Problems?" I replied cautiously. "Mercy said she wasn't going with me," Rio growled. "What did you do?" I asked. "I slapped the bitch," Rio retorted. I could tell that pissed Valerie off; I wasn't too happy either. "You put her up to this, didn't you?" "I certainly did. I told her that she was going to have to step up instead of taking advantage of you all the time," I explained. "Did it hurt?" Rio knew I wasn't talking about Mercy's pain. "Yes," she rumbled. "If I can't trust her, I can't use her." "Whatever you decide to do, I'll live with," I shrugged. "I hope you know how hard it was for her to do what she did." Thankfully, Valerie was far more controlled than Rio and judged the conversation to be too delicate for her input. "Mercy is my deal, Zane. She's my responsibility and I'll take care of her without your interference," Rio stated aggressively. "It doesn't work that way. People aren't one dimensional and you can't expect to help people and not have them change," I countered. "You changed Mercy, for the better, and that includes her desire to take up some of the responsibility you've borne onto her shoulders. And the only reason for her to do that is, you annoy her so much." "Yeah," Rio finally deflated, "she was looking pretty miserable." "Buddies take your pizza; friends take your pain, Rio. Get used to the fact that there are three of us standing beside you when you need us," I reminded her. "I wasn't asking for anyone's help," Rio insisted. "In that case, get in Zane's car and take a trip. When the cops finally pull you over you will have three years friend-free in prison," Valerie now interjected. "Ha!" Rio snorted. "That's no good. Zane already promised to break me out if I get sent away." "Zane," groaned Valerie, "do you have even a passing acquaintance with common sense?" "I get a lot of that," I answered. "What now, Rio?" "I go back to my room," she sighed, "apologize to Mercy, then come back upstairs and work out a deal with Vivian for use of your room." "No tying them up and gagging Vivian and Barbie Lynn in their sleep," I cautioned Rio. "Fuck you," Rio muttered darkly. "Fuck you and your mind-reading ability. Fine, I'll be good, okay, I'll be as good as I can be." With that, Rio tossed me back my keys and then bounded downstairs and out the door. "I swear to God I would have tossed her out a window by now, if I were you," Valerie snorted. "Umm, she grows on you, kind of like a tapeworm," I chuckled. "I think my invitation to catch a bullet has been voided now that you have your keys back," Valerie noted. "I'll catch you tomorrow night." "Sure thing, but I may need you for that 'thing' if I can set up a meeting," I replied. That thing was meeting up with a possible undercover officer which held the possibility of being a real disaster. Valerie was being kind enough to ignore her instincts, and her advice to me, by helping me out. Valerie shook her head in skeptical amusement at my poor decision-making before we walked back upstairs. That bit of drama over, I swooped in, picked up Iona (figuratively) and escaped my room before anyone else could intervene. I thought we were doing quite well until I spotted someone sitting on the hood of my car, with a suitcase. "Hey, Paige, what's up?" I inquired with a good deal of exasperation. It was kind of stupid, actually. I knew exactly what she was doing here; I hadn't invited her and I didn't want her coming along on Iona's weekend. "I thought I'd let you spend the weekend with me," Paige smiled smugly. A light breeze tossed her alabaster hair across her translucent albino features. "You are late, by the way." "No, Paige, this is Iona's, I started to say. "It would be wonderful spending the weekend with you, Paige," Iona stepped up and hugged her. "It will be so great; their house is huge, Aunt Jill is so kind, and there is the sorority right next door." "Okay, Paige, you can come along, but this is a no sex weekend. Are we clear?" I warned her. "We'll see," Paige smirked. "I plan to sleep both nights in his bed, completely naked and rubbing against him," Iona beamed. "He'll crack," Paige wagered. "No, he won't. I trust him," Iona pledged. Paige appraised me for a second. "Okay, I'm game. We'll see if we can break him," Paige allowed. I once joked with some Kappa Sigmas about joining a monastery. I'm being driven to reconsider that option. After that exchange I was happy enough to make it to my home in one piece. I'd have been happier if there wasn't a police car in the driveway. I was walking onto the porch when my ladies spoke up. "Zane, why would the police be here?" Iona worried. "Zane, if they arrest you and I then attack them, will they let us share a cell?" Paige mused. "Iona, I have a few ideas and none of them are good," I responded. "Paige, they don't house men and women together, but I can probably smuggle a message to your side and tell all the lesbians what a screamer you are." Iona didn't get to question and Paige didn't get pick on me before I opened the door and went inside. "Hey, Aunt Jill," I called out, "I'm home and I've brought Iona Beckett and Paige Zeller with me." We had already talked over Iona's stay with Jill; Paige would be a whole new series of complicated hurdles. "Zane," Aunt Jill greeted me heartily. She was coming off her lounger while Officer Danica Campbell rose from the sofa and gave me a measured look. "This is Officer Campbell of the Lancaster Police and she has an official criminal matter to discuss with you," Jill finished in a worried tone. "Mr. Braxton, if I could have a word with you on the porch," Danica put forth the question that wasn't really a request. "Of course, officer," I responded. "Ladies, could you please hang out here with Aunt Jill for a few minutes and I should be back as soon as possible." I walked back to the porch. When Danica passed me, I shut the door and we turned to face one another. "Zane," Danica smiled. "Hey, it is good to see you, Officer Danica Campbell, but I have a feeling this isn't a social call," I sighed. "You are correct. There was an incident at the Dixie Roadhouse last night and your name came up during the inquiry. The Sheriff's Department contacted the PD and I decided that it would be more discrete that I meet you at your home as opposed to on campus," Danica related. "What can you tell me about the Dixie Roadhouse?" "I went there with a few buddies, got into a fight, and beat a Warlord named Big Ted into unconsciousness," I informed Danica. "What do you know about a guy named Peter 'Deacon' Baker?" Danica asked. "He's like a big deal with the local chapter but I don't actually know the guy," I replied. She studied me for a moment then appeared to accept me at my word. "This is a different crop of girls," she said with smirk. "Yes, they are friends of mine. Iona is a best bud and Paige is, Paige. She's very smart but very hard to get along with at times too," I explained. "How is your other friend?" She tried to sound casual. "I was curious if she'd be here tonight." "I'll tell her that," I grinned. "It will make her week when she hears you've asked about her. She still thinks you are very special." "She's quite a handful," she grinned back. "Not that I'm complaining. I can hardly get over the sensation of her nipples on my back as she drove into me." Heaven was going to love that, I was sure. Her eyes wandered northward to the adjoining property. "More girls?" I followed her gaze to see three Kappa Sigmas coming through the tree-line. "Those are some Kappa Sigma sorority sisters, friends of mine. They are cool," I told her. "Uh-huh," she sounded skeptical. "There has to be a story behind that that statement, I'm willing to bet." She pulled out a business card from her breast pocket. "Here's my card, in case something regarding the case occurs to you, or whatever." The girls were almost on us so I had to whisper. "You aren't, like, married, or divorced from somebody with violent tendencies, are you?" I inquired softly. "No," she chuckled, "and cause for you asking that question has to be yet another interesting story, I'll bet. Maybe you can tell me about it if we get together." "Mr. Braxton," she said a bit louder as she took a half-step back from me, "have a good weekend and try to stay out of trouble." "I'll do my best, Officer Campbell," I responded. "Ladies," she made a passing recognition of the Kappa Sigs as she left the porch and headed for the car. Only when Danica's cruiser pulled onto the road did the Kappas speak. "Hey, Zane," Leigh spoke up first, "isn't that the speed trap lady?" "Yeah, she's nailed me before," I admitted, and immediately regretted my choice of words. "Really?" Paris prodded me. "Isn't she a bit old for you?" "No, speed trap, she pulled me over but I got off with a warning ticket," I back-pedaled. "So, she got you off," Ferrara skewered me. "Which of her orifices was required for that?" "Aarrrggh," I cried heavenward. "Fine, Iona and Paige Keller are inside. Together with Jill, they will be making dinner for those of us who care to share our table. I have to go a bar and pay off a biker gang chieftain before he hunts me down and kills me." "Can we come along?" Leigh smiled. "We don't want to fight or anything like that, but I'd like to get some video of it, in case something fun happens." "That's right," Ferrara joked. "Something like him being beaten up, shot, stabbed, or killed. Leigh, Zane has sustained two beatings on our behalf. Let's not go for a third time before the month's out." "He didn't take a beating in the second fight," Paris corrected her sister. She was right; in the fight at the mall my opponents hadn't landed a blow. "I heard he was pretty roughly abused when he went to jail over that," Ferrara gave me a knowing smile. "All that conjecture is fascinating, ladies, but I do have a guy to pay off so go inside, make yourself at home, and I'll be back soon," I announced. I kissed each sister; Ferrara on the cheek, Paris on the lips, and Leigh with a tonsillectomy. I double-timed it to my car and didn't look back. The Fading Light And The Lord Mafia. I made it to the Dixie Roadhouse five minutes late. There were only fifteen bikes parked out front so I figured that if something went wrong I'd only be kinda dead, as opposed to the totally dead, killed in five or more fashions. There were three biker babes outside the door, drinking beers and talking; one was thankfully Willa. I made sure I had the money before disembarking from my car and heading in. "Hi there, Zane," Willa greeted me. I recalled that Belle would be working at the bar near UV campus tonight and tomorrow. "Hey, Willa, Katt, and Janet," I grinned. "Willa, if I get out of this, can I have a moment of your time when I get back?" "Sure," Willa seemed curious. "I would like to talk to you too." That was a bit odd but okay. When I entered the Dixie Roadhouse it took me a moment for my eyes to adjust but I knew where Deacon's table was from my last visit. Deacon was there with two of his associates, all in similar states of disrepair. My first thought was: What in the hell happened to them? The second was: Wow, they let someone in a half-body cast out of the hospital rather quickly these days. It looked like a herd of water buffalo had worked out the dance routine from that prison scene in the play Chicago, he had it coming, all over their bodies. None of his infirmities kept Deacon from glaring with horrible malevolence at me as I approached. "Here is your five thousand dollars," I stated as I lay the envelope on the table. None of them made a move on the money and I began to worry. Then I took in the full effects of their injuries and I figured out that not one of the three could reach over and get it. I opted to push the money across the table to the closest cripple. One of the guys managed, with some pain, to pick up the envelope and count the money. "It is all here," the guy mumbled to Deacon. I could see in Deacon's eyes that his hate for me was far from quenched but I didn't know why. It wasn't like I came back and kicked his ass, oh fuck, maybe I had. "I'll be going, then," I said as I backed up four steps. "I hope you feel better next time we meet." With that, I rapidly evacuated myself from the building. I found myself de-stressing next to Willa outside. "So, who in the hell fucked up Deacon and his buddies that bad?" I inquired. "Some people were hoping you could tell us," Willa prodded. "It wasn't me if that is what you are worried about," I assured her. "Tell me what happened." "From what little we've been told or been able to figure out, Deacon and his two senior officers stepped out to their rides around 11:30 last night when they got jumped," Willa related. "Then it gets weird, weirder," Katt continued. "Their attackers dragged them thirty yards over to the electrical shed," she pointed. That way no one could see them from the bar. "Then they proceeded to beat the ever-living hell out of them," Janet concluded, then took a swig of beer. I had to think about that for a moment. "Didn't they see who did it?" I questioned. "Blackbeard and Booth (who I assumed were the other two broken bikers) were knocked out before they saw anything and Deacon hasn't related what he saw, his jaw is wired shut because it's been broken in four places," Willa tried and failed to hide her grin. I had to think about that for a second; Deacon's jaw looked like it was carved out of granite. "Ladies (an affectation they found amusing), if Deacon and his two buddies had gotten into a fight outside the Roadhouse, wouldn't the rest of you come running, and wouldn't they have called out if they saw a gang of guys they didn't know coming toward them?" I ruminated. "That makes sense," Katt confirmed, "but what does that mean?" "One person," I muttered; "one really, really skilled person." "No way," Janet shook her head. "I can and have one-punched a person and I'm only so good," I countered. "I would have figured out which bike was Deacon's, picked the third one closer to the door to hide behind. After that, when he passed by me, I would come around the bike at a crouch-run and kick the closest target where the ear and jaw meet. If I do it right his brain beats around inside his skull a few times and it's lights out," I explained. "It looks like you've given this some thought," Willa observed. "No; the move is standard kick-boxing and the tactics are the usual for ambushing a dangerous animal. If you come at it head-on, you might still win but the price is much higher. Deacon and the other two talking in a place they felt safe was the 'distraction' for the ambush," I explained. "Oh," Willa contemplated the scenario. I could see her eyes walk over the parking lot as she considered the events playing out. "Of course, that still leaves you facing two opponents, right around six feet and 220 to 240 who are adept at violence," I pointed out. "If you could hit the second guy the same way fast enough and somehow render the last one incapable of speech, Willa concluded. "You would have to be insanely fast and if someone was that good, what would they be doing at a biker bar in Lancaster, Virginia?" "Don't you know? This is the destination of choice for all international assassins on the run?" I joked. "Willa, can I have that moment now?" She shrugged, grinned, and walked with me to my car. It was refreshing to be side-by-side with a woman not interested in jumping my bones. If she'd been a lesbian instead of what she was, it would have been perfect. "You are too young for me, Zane," Willa headed me off. "Cool," I answered, which was not what she expected. "I need to talk with you a bit but not here. I don't want to risk anyone else listening in." Now Willa appeared to be curious. "Okay. The abandoned roadside motel on Chandler Road, 2:00 pm tomorrow," she responded. "Thanks, Willa. And also, do you know where I can get some fake ID's?" I asked as I got into my car. "I'll see what I can dig up," Willa smirked. She rejoined her buddies on the porch and was chatting away as I took off for home. I knew that my ordeal for this evening was far from over. There still was the hurdle of finding a place for Paige to sleep and making sure she stayed in the room Jill and I agreed on. The struggle with Jill over Rio had been epic enough; I certainly didn't expect the sounds of women's laughter and modern music to be the first thing I heard when I stepped out of my ride. Mind you, Jill thought Rio still had moral fiber. If I told Rio she had even a single moral fiber left she'd span Heaven and Earth hunting the mythical beast down a la King Pellinore. On the plus side, Aunt Jill knew nothing of Paige so I could play up that angle. I walked indoors to a chorus of 'hey' and 'Zane' coming from the kitchen. I strode into a flurry of dinner-prep activity. Apparently we were attempting Italian sausage ravioli, broccoli & carrots, mashed potatoes, salad, and gazpacho. Okay, I was pretty sure Jill thought ravioli was the invention of Chef Boyardee and
Plongez dans la traque d'Antonio Ferrara, braqueur mythique surnommé le roi de la belle. Né en banlieue parisienne, il se forge très tôt une réputation redoutable dans le grand banditisme. Spécialiste des braquages minutieusement préparés, il fascine autant qu'il terrifie. Mais c'est en 2003 qu'il entre dans la légende avec son évasion spectaculaire de la prison de Fresnes, sous les yeux médusés des gardiens. Une plongée au cœur du grand banditisme français, où le crime devient un art, et la liberté, une obsession. Gangster depuis toujours Né en Italie et grandi dans les cités de Choisy-le-Roi, il découvre très tôt la loi de la rue. Des petites bagarres aux premiers braquages, son destin bascule lorsqu'il se retrouve derrière les barreaux… avant de réussir une évasion aussi audacieuse qu'inexplicable. Ce premier coup d'éclat marque la naissance d'un gangster, prêt à faire exploser les codes du grand banditisme français. Pour découvrir une autre traque, cliquez ci-dessous : [INÉDIT] Mohammed Merah, le terroriste au scooter : des voyages à la rencontre des “frères” (1/4) [INÉDIT] Mohammed Merah, le terroriste au scooter : les meurtres des militaires (2/4) [INÉDIT] Mohammed Merah, le terroriste au scooter : le siège de 32 heures (3/4) [INÉDIT] Mohammed Merah, le terroriste au scooter : le début des doutes (4/4) Crédits : Production : Bababam Textes : Clément Prévaux Voix : Anne Cosmao, Aurélien Gouas Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
"El ascensor", la que podría ser la nueva historia de Stephen King, Niñas fantasmales que te observan en la oscuridad y el aterrador caso de la mujer que se bilocaba (que estaba en dos sitios a la vez, vaya) . Estos y otros misterios en el programa 7 de la temporada 8 de misterios cotidianos. Hoy tenemos de invitado a Javi Ferrara.
Bienvenue dans la traque. Cette semaine, découvrez une toute nouvelle saison. Une histoire hors du commun, celle d'un homme qui a défié la justice et l'État français avec une audace inouïe. Plongez dans la traque d'Antonio Ferrara, braqueur mythique surnommé le roi de la belle. Né en banlieue parisienne, il se forge très tôt une réputation redoutable dans le grand banditisme. Spécialiste des braquages minutieusement préparés, il fascine autant qu'il terrifie. Mais c'est en 2003 qu'il entre dans la légende avec son évasion spectaculaire de la prison de Fresnes, sous les yeux médusés des gardiens. Une plongée au cœur du grand banditisme français, où le crime devient un art, et la liberté, une obsession. Découvrez cette nouvelle saison prochainement disponible sur toutes les plateformes d'écoute. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
La luce guida i nostri ritmi, ma cosa succede quando cambia? A Obiettivo Salute Risveglio parliamo con il professor Roberto Manfredini, direttore della clinica medica universitaria di Ferrara, dell'impatto della luce - naturale e artificiale - sul nostro orologio biologico. Dall'inquinamento luminoso all'arrivo dell'ora solare, scopriamo come questi fattori influenzano sonno, energia e benessere... e cosa possiamo fare per ritrovare l'equilibrio.
Les classiques du jour : - Pat Benatar "Heartbreaker" - Elliott Smith "Son Of Sam" - The Clash "Rock The Casbah" Les nouveautés du jour : - Portugal. The Man "Angoon" - HAIM "The Story of Us" Le journal de la musique : - Bruce Springsteen honoré du Legacy Award à Los Angeles - Marguerite, entre musique et cinéma - Guns N' Roses : incident en concert à Buenos Aires One Hit Wonder : Jet "Are You Gonna Be My Girl" Le live du jour : Bruce Springsteen "Born In The USA" (Live at Parco Urbano G. Bassani, Ferrara, Italy, 2023) Hébergé par Audiomeans. Visitez audiomeans.fr/politique-de-confidentialite pour plus d'informations.
Christian College Sex Comedy: Part 9 The Sinister Science Club In 30 parts, By FinalStand. Listen to the podcast at Explicit Novels. Anyone can be who they want to be; the challenge is being who you need to be Raven Thorpe was awarded the 'honor' of working with me, a designation she groaned over, and other girls glared at her with jealousy. After class she attempted to shoulder past me but I tapped her arm. "Can we talk for a second?" I inquired. "Don't you have to scurry off and take care of your schedule?" she replied blandly. "Can you stop being a bitch for fifteen seconds so we can figure out which author we can work on?" I snapped angrily. She pulled up short as if she expects to be pimp-slapped next. "Okay, who do you have in mind?" she requested. "And if you say William Shakespeare, I am going to smack you with my book bag." "I was thinking the political works of Edmund Burke," I suggested. Raven blinked. "Seriously, I didn't think you even knew who Edmund Burke was, much less that he was the father of modern conservatism," Raven congratulated me. It was almost like she wanted to pat me on the head and give me a doggy bone. "I was thinking of concentrating more on his works during the American Revolution, but if that's what you are more comfortable with, we could cover his later period works instead," I offered. "Good point, Zane. Let's talk it over during lunch," Raven suggested. "Zane," summoned a female voice from outside the classroom. "Go on," Raven smirked, "enjoy your disproportionate level of abuse." "You act like I have any choice in the matter," I shrugged. It was of little consolation that Raven made it ten more feet from the door when she got snatched up too. This time out, my mistress got to point to a feature on her body and I had to give it a flattering description, I know, my life is utter hell. I had no idea where the Science Club met; I even began to get the sinking feeling they carefully controlled any information about themselves, sort of like a secret society, or the CIA. "Hello, I'm Paige," spoke this girl, who apparently materialized out of the ether. I'm not paranoid; I've spent the past two years in a region where you have to be alert because Tigers are common and I say this girl freaking ghosted me, Man. "I'm with the Science Club. You will come with me right now," she smiled like said predator cat trying to disguise herself as a white rabbit. "You are albino," I noted. She had long white hair, alabaster skin, and a red shadow to her eyes. She was also the only girl to date I'd seen with the dark blue jacket that was part of our winter uniform. She also had a jaunty blue hat and white stockings instead of socks. "You have eyes," she rolled hers, "now come along." I started to follow her. "So what is this meeting about?" I asked. "It isn't a meeting; we require you for something," she replied. "What is it?" I became more cautious. "It is a surprise," she mocked me. "Stop wasting my time and come along." "Cool, I'm out of here." I grinned, turned, and left. Paige staggered and seemed unable to grasp my departure. "Where are you going?" she snapped tartly. "To Archery Club," I replied, while still walking away. "But, but you said you would come," she stuttered. "Am I a person? Are you?" "Yes and yes," she replied with irritation. "Are you an idiot or a child? Because those are the only reasons to forgive your spoiled behavior," I turned and said. Paige glared. "So you assume you are smarter than me and can be rude to someone who is doing you a favor." "We are the ones doing you a favor," Paige snapped back. "Now we want you to repay us." "Did you discuss payment when you did me the favor of rewiring my room? No? Good, because if you had, I would clearly be suffering a form of amnesia," I gave back. "If you want something, you can ask as a friend or you can offer me something that makes it worth my while. Now go back to Cordelia and tell her you have returned alone because you were so much smarter than me. If you could only 'speak friend', I continued walking away. "Wait," Paige called out nervously. "I, I, and I could almost hear the wheels turning. "Speak friend and enter." I stopped in midstride. "So you read through my school records and know my top ten influences," I turned and responded. We stared at each other for almost a minute until she finally gave up and put on her sunglasses. I retraced my steps back to her. "Favorite member of the Fellowship?" I tested her. "Legolas," she responded. I scoffed and she had the human decency to look embarrassed. "Ha," I scoffed again. "Horny girls go for the elf; the marrying kind goes for Aragorn." "Who is yours, then, wise guy?" she volleyed. "Boromir," I declared my allegiance. "Ah, of course; the veteran warrior in a doomed struggle; he forsakes his honor only to redeem it in a hopeless fight, perishing in the arms of his brothers," Paige retorted. "I thought you would have gone for Aragorn, the Uncrowned King." "Hmm," I winced, "my second choice was actually Frodo but that would have sounded gay." "You can't be gay; you are not clever enough to conceal that," she stated. "See, now you are sounding like Saruman the White," I teased. "Let me guess: because I'm an albino," she grumbled. "You are an albino? I was talking about your facial hair and that arrogant, know-it-all vibe you've got going on," I joked. Paige stared at me, suddenly speechless, finally taping her chin. "At least you didn't call me Gollum," she admitted. "Nah; too much hair and not enough skin slime," I explained as I ran the back of one finger over her cheek. She flinched slightly. "Are you going to, please, come with me now?" she asked much more politely. "Are you going to have sex with me?" I grinned. "What?" she squawked. "Just joshing you," I smiled. "You are far too pretty to be interested in me. Let's go." I'd clearly unsettled her because she didn't say another word to me until we were going downstairs in the Clegger Science Building. "Do you really think I'm pretty?" she asked as we finished the last set of stairs. "I must confess I find most women attractive, but you are far prettier than most," I replied. "Do you still want to have sex with me?" she said in a casual voice. I took her hand and placed it on my heart. "Hah," she snorted, "I get it; your heart is beating so yes, you want to have sex with me." "I was going to say that a steady heartbeat indicated I was telling the truth, but someone keeps insisting they are smarter than me," I teased her. Am I really asking for another sex partner? What's wrong with me? Her reaction wasn't what I expected it to be and then I realized that she still had something over on me, the reason for me being here. Bitch. She opened a door into a dark room and ushered me in. There appeared to be about ten ladies in the room, playing with a variety of electronics. "Delivered as promised," Paige called out. "What did he hit you with?" a short caramel-skinned girl inquired. "Fellowship of the Ring," Paige grinned. Mother-fuckers! "Did he offer to have sex with you?" Cordelia asked playfully. "Yes. And not only gave me a 'pretty' but also a 'far prettier'." Paige gave me a smug look. "Ha, ha, ha," I muttered. Idiot me forgot that psychology is also a science, and the reason we don't have a chess club at FFU was also evident; the Science Club devoured them. "Come on, Zane," Cordelia batted her full lashes at me. "We need a little favor and it won't take fifteen minutes." "Couldn't you simply coerce me into doing this?" I stated. "I'm sure this whole rigmarole of making me think I'm doing you a favor has to be making things more difficult." "We are all friends here," Cordelia smiled. "No, if we were all friends here, Iona would be at my side," I scolded her. "I admit you did a great scam getting me in this room, but you aren't nearly as good at lying to my face as you think you are." "Iona, Paige started to say. "Don't!" Cordelia snapped, then took a deep breath. "If you threaten Iona he will hit you, no," she corrected, "He'll hit me," Cordelia reasoned out. "There are eleven of us," another girl, Pandora Jaspers, stated, somewhat angry and confident. "I've seen him fight, Pandora. I saw him drop Mercy Chaplain. I've seen him fight Cappadocia Davis and Coach Gorman too," Cordelia said coolly as we stared at one another. "Unless we curl up in a ball on the ground, he'll beat us down. We'll hurt him, but Zane can take more pain than we can because he cares about her." "On that note, I'm gone again. Good going Paige; I'm sure you can think of something to make your sisters understand," I shrugged and moved for the door. "Zane, I need you to strip down and let us attach a series of video and biometric sensors so we can create a 'Virtual Zane' for a little project we are working on," Cordelia blurted out. I had to think hard about this; not because I didn't want to do it but because I had to figure if this was an honest play or another convoluted turn of the screws. I turned and looked at Cordelia. "There was no way in hell you ever thought I was a professor and you miraculously materialized outside my first class with the knowledge I was actually a freshman, damn, Cordelia, can't you just ask for stuff?" I berated her. "If you ask, you depend on another to get what you want; if you deceive, you win or lose on your own abilities," she shrugged. "Besides, I did ask you to kiss me; remember?" "Good enough; where do you want me to stand?" I responded. "Wait," Paige gawked. "Now he is doing it." "Alright ladies," one girl grinned. "Everyone pay up. I told you we should simply ask him." With that, I stepped over to a table and began stripping. Slowly the girls around me stopped what they were doing and openly ogled me. I guess the real me was better than the video. "Aren't you curious about what we are going to do?" Pandora inquired. "You are probably going to tell me that I'm posing naked because it is easier to dress an 'uncluttered' form, or something to that effect, but really, I like Cordelia and Iona is one of my two best friends," I mulled it over. "Besides, in case you missed it, I've seen all your faces." Once they took that bit of news in, things went along smoothly, though they had some debate amongst themselves on whether my cock needed its own 'reference point', a sensor attached. The amusing thing was, when the girl running the computer imaging asked me to keep my cock still, I had to reply that certain reactions weren't under my control, which caused a rather awkward moment. When I was finally finished there was another quiet interlude as I got dressed. "So," Cordelia wondered, rocking back and forth on her feet, "if we need more, data, could we get you to come back?" "Sure," I smiled back, "you know where I live, and you certainly know what my digits are. Cordelia, I want you to consider that if something happens in my room that ends up on the web that betrays the trust people have put in me, I'm not going to come after all of you looking for excuses. Are we clear?" "Is that a threat, Zane?" Cordelia beamed playfully. "Cordelia, I'm always one step away from being tossed out of here on my ass, so those who chose to trust me and take up my cause are doing it because they are decent folk. I'm not like most people; I can't afford to toss friends away like most of the rest of the people in this room seem to be comfortable with." "Or what," Paige smirked, "you'll beat us up?" "No, Paige. I value trust, so if you take that away from me, I'll find out what you value and take that away from you," I stared at her intently. "I know what you are going to say, Paige," Cordelia jumped in, "and Zane being expelled will only mean that he has no other distractions from dealing with us and he'll still have people inside the school all too willing to help him." "Zane, how about if something is done, we give you an off switch for various sections?" Cordelia offered. "Sounds great; let me know how the project works out, but now I have to go to Archery," I replied, before slipping out the door. "How did he know we were going to wire his room?" I overheard Paige whisper to Cordelia. "You don't seriously think he came here solely because we tricked him, do you?" Cordelia answered. "He knew we would try something and he wanted us to know that he knew." Yes, I had bumbled into the message I'd wanted to get across despite myself. Does Anyone Want Me Here? I had escaped school with a double date for Thursday Night (Chastity and Hope), then stopped by the house to plead with Aunt Jill to let Rio stay for the weekend. I gave a rational case, a compassionate reason, and then fell down on my knees and told her I really, really, really wanted her to stay. Something in that last argument made Jill relent and I phoned the good news to Rio. All that groveling resulted in me making the Festivities Committee Meeting by only two minutes. I swept into the room abruptly and as the story of my life goes, everyone stopped talking and looked at me. A quick scan of the room told me that two of the eight women knew to expect me, or at least some guy, while the others clearly assumed I'd lost my way. "Can we help you, young man?" an older woman with hair mostly turned to gray. "Welcome, Glenn," Mrs. Wellington said. "Ladies, Pastor William has asked us to introduce Mr. Braxton to the good works of our Church." There was a pause. "Thank you, Mrs. Wellington, but no one alive calls me Glenn anymore, and I'm not old or accomplished enough to be Mr. Braxton, like my Father or Uncle Tim. My teachers call me Zane." "Oh, you are at the University?" a third woman asked politely. She was asking if I went to the University of Virginia. "No, I don't go to UV; I go to FFU, it is a long story," I replied with trepidation. "I have a daughter at Freedom Fellowship," one of the women responded with concern. "What is her name?" I tried to be polite, what were the odds? "Pandora Jaspers," Mrs. Jaspers answered. "Seriously? I've done Handmaiden duty for her, and today I saw her at the Science Club," I sighed with relief. "What did she have you do?" yet another woman inquired intently. "I helped her create an umbrella walkway when it was raining so that all the students could get to class without getting soaked," I informed them. "Have you been to 'camp'?" a sixth woman hinted at something. "Camp, no, I can't say I've ever been to a camp," I evaded, because I had no idea what they meant. "That's enough, ladies," Mrs. Wellington said. "We have business to take care of. We can worry about Mr. Braxton's confusion at a later time." Oh, they think I'm gay. Camp = Gay camp where fundamentalists are sure I could be cured of being homosexual. I try not to laugh. "Mr. Braxton, I want you to sit at the chair there," Mrs. Wellington pointed to a chair away from the table, against the wall. "I want you to take personal notes for the members, things that don't go into the official record. Doreen Saxon," she indicated the gray haired woman "is our secretary. She takes the official notes of the meeting, so pay attention." The Meeting for the first of September was called to order, the record of attendance including the difficulty of my name, they kept trying to call me Glenn Braxton while I politely asked for Zane. They went with Glenn. The rest of the group worked out like this: Rochelle Wellington was Chairwoman, Kendra Bainbridge was our Treasurer, and Doreen Saxon was the grey-haired Secretary. The rest of the group consisted of Claire Baker, Theresa Geiger, Columbia Jaspers, Heidi Moulin, and Sahara Penny, the Pastor's wife. As the meeting progressed there was little I could do but watch the group dynamics at work. For starters, Bainbridge was at Wellington's throat; they clearly didn't like one another. The other was an oddity; no one interacted with Sahara Penny. I wasn't sure if it was her non-white heritage (Middle Eastern of some sort), her meek nature, or some past sin, but I decided to take advantage of it. I got up quietly and began walking around the table. "Glenn," Mrs. Saxon asked, but I ignored her because, damn it, how many times do I have to tell them my name is Zane? I walked over and knelt by Sahara. "Zane," Mrs. Wellington addressed me, "are you looking for the bathroom?" Bingo! "No, Mrs. Wellington. I was hoping to get some background information on the current discussions as well as contact information for the group. Since the rest of you are treating Mrs. Penny like she has the plague, I figured she would be the perfect candidate to tell me what is really going on here," I grinned at her. "It is always the quiet ones who know the most." And everyone stopped talking. Sahara not only looked shocked and frightened to see me, she looked like she wanted to sink under the table when I told the rest of them my reason for being here. "I assure you, Mr. Braxton, we are fully including Sahara in the process," Mrs. Bainbridge snorted indignantly. "I will gladly accept your reprimand if you can please tell me the last five words you said to her since I arrived," I requested, with as much innocence as I could beg, borrow, or steal. "I asked her about the children's clothing for the Nativity this year," Kendra said after a long pause. "That was Claire, not Sahara," I corrected her. "It is in my notes, but I'm sure Doreen can corroborate my recall of events." "Well," she said testily, "I'm sure I said something to her." Silence. "I apologize for disrupting the meeting. I'll crouch here quietly and conference with Sahara while the rest of you complete the business of the day," I told them, then turned back to Sahara. "Now, what the heck is up with the live turkey at the Thanksgiving celebration?" In the end, I gathered my information, the meeting concluded its business, and the room emptied until it was me, Sahara, Kendra, and Rochelle. "A Christian gentleman would apologize," Kendra informed me. "Well, I guess that makes us both poor Christians, because a good Christian woman wouldn't have lied to me," I calmly replied. Kendra gaped like a fish out of water. "Rochelle!" Kendra snapped to the Committee head. "Zane, you apologize to Kendra right now," she commanded me, without much passion. "Kendra Bainbridge, I apologize for my rude and uncalled for behavior," I said with a bow. Neither woman had expected me to fold up like that, so all Kendra could do was huff and storm out of the room. "Thank you," Sahara whispered, as she touched my hand. "I don't always know the right side to fight on but it is usually by the side of the person being bullied," I grinned. "It is the Christian thing to do," I added with a wink. That left me with Rochelle Wellington: MILF, Lance the asshole's Mom, and wife of the Mayor. She looked like she wanted to stand up but couldn't. Me, I had a Sorority meeting to get to, I missed dinner so I had to grab something first, and why in the hell was I even thinking what I was thinking? I sat down beside her. "What's wrong?" I began. She looked at me, tired and somehow forlorn. "You wouldn't understand, Mr. Braxton, Zane," she sighed. "Try me; the worst that could happen is, I give the expression that every teenager gives an adult when something important is being said but we are too caught up in our own lives to understand." "Oh, good point, young man," she sighed, "but I'm afraid I don't have anything even remotely interesting to talk about." I waited patiently. "I'm feeling sorry for myself. My baby is leaving the nest and it has been so long since I've been alone in the house, I don't know what to do with myself." "Lance is an only child?" I wondered. "Oh, no, he is the youngest of five," she responded with sadness. My jaw dropped and she stared at me. "What, did you start having kids when you were ten?" I gawked. "What?" she sounded confused. "I have a hard time believing you are forty, much less the mother of five grown children," I stammered. At first Rochelle was embarrassed and a bit uncomfortable, but slowly the compliment seeped its way into her psyche. "I, I have a home gym," she suggested as an answer. "Well, whatever you've been doing has worked. Your husband is one lucky guy, and I hope he appreciates you and all you do to look, act, and feel so young," I wowed her. "I'm not feeling all that young right now," she slipped back into her depression. "Where does it hurt?" I changed my focus. "I don't know what you mean?" she asked. "People keep their stress in different places; the back of the neck, the mid-back, shoulders, or temples," I informed her. "I'm not comfortable talking with you about that," Mrs. Wellington replied warily. "Sure," I said popping out of my seat. "I apologize if I crossed any lines," and I made for the door. "Wait, Zane, I apologize. I'm tired and a bit cranky. I know you didn't mean anything and besides, I'm sure you already have a girlfriend," Rochelle admitted. "Please don't spread this around, but I have several girlfriends at the moment. They know about each other, I'm not going to lie about my sex life, but they are usually interested in different things," I told her. "You have, multiple girlfriends, different things? Like what kind of different things?" Rochelle spilled out her confused thoughts. "Some women like sexual contact," I related, "while others like romantic time together, and still others want companionship." There was another long pause. "But you are at Freedom Fellowship University, she trembled. "I've never taken a student's virginity, if that's what you are asking," I answered. "Oh, I understand. I've taught all my children that they should be virgins on their wedding day," Rochelle said with some pride. "I have to disagree with that," I shocked her, "but that is one of the reasons that women are better than girls." "And how would you know this?" She now turned in her chair to face me, trying to sound affronted but coming across as deeply curious. "Umm, I've had sex with girls in their teens and women in their forties, and women know more, pace themselves better, and generally have better bodies," I explained. "Teen girls need a few more years to fill out." Rochelle was utterly speechless, and part of that had to do with the fact that I was being frank and honest, yet not openly coming on to her. "You must not think much of me, then," she mused, "teaching my children my views on virginity." "Where did you get that from? If anything, you are proving yourself to be an intelligent, warm, caring, and compassionate woman and mother, who happens to look like she's less than forty years old," I added. "You did what you thought was right. I can't argue with that." "Well, good," she replied. "Now for my part, I was taught that a real man gives his lover multiple orgasms and he should never reach fulfillment before his partner does. Any man who does so is being selfish," I stated. "How did you come by this, thinking?" she inquired with a small voice. "Umm, I've had sex around five hundred times with thirty different partners," I told her, "so I've not only learned from very good teachers, I've field tested their ideas." "How can you possibly consider yourself a good Christian, Zane?" she accused me. "Compassion, respect for all living things, and forgiveness, that's what I believe in and what Christianity stands for in my eyes," I explained. "The Bible is clear on sex and the sanctity of the marriage bed," Rochelle insisted. "Mrs. Wellington, everything after the death of Jesus is conjecture. We both accept that Jesus was the Son of God, but after he dies, who is to say who was being touched by the Divine, who was building on JC's teachings, and who was simply making stuff up," I held up my hand to stop Rochelle's protest. "The Catholics have a thousand Saints, most of whom we don't hold to be divinely inspired. You chose to believe that virginity is a girl's sacred duty, but I don't recall Christ saying anything on the subject. You can certainly quote later Gospels or the Old Testament, but that makes it your choice, not the Word of God," I finished up. Another long pause followed. "I keep my stress in the top of my shoulders," she suddenly said. I stood up and moved behind her, deciding to not question her changing opinion of me. "It helps if you take off your jacket," I suggested, then helped her shimmy out of it. She tensed up as my hands weighed down lightly on her shoulders so I kept my touch gentle. Two minutes into the massage, I began squeezing harder and harder, moving my palms back and forth over her bra straps from upper arm to neck. "Rochelle," I whispered into her ear, "I am going to rotate your shoulders." I rolled over each shoulder one at a time but when I finished, I pushed her slowly forward until she was resting her elbows on the table and held her head on her upturned hands. When I went back to the massage, I worked her over harder and extended my reach from her mid-back to neck. This was clearly a case of begging forgiveness instead of asking permission. I took my time, relaxing her to a completely detached state. When I brought her back to reality, I was kneeling beside her and tapping her on the arm. "Rochelle? Are you okay," I asked in a gentle, caring voice. Dreamily, she turned her head from its resting place on her arms to look at my eyes straight-on and mere inches away. "What, huh?" she muttered. "How do the shoulders feel? Has your stress gone away?" I inquired. "Yes, yes," she popped up, alert once more. "It feels really good, in fact. I haven't felt this way in years," she added with a smile. "I think it is time for us to go," I suggested. "Can I help you with your jacket?" "Of course," she nodded. "Thank you for helping an old lady out." I held it while she put in one arm after the other but when I settled it on her shoulders, I stepped in and held her there for a moment while I pressed myself against her so she could feel how I felt about 'old ladies'. Rochelle froze when she felt my cock, rigid in my slacks, pressed against her ass. I was unsure if I'd gone too far when she pushed ever so slightly against me. "I've got to be going. I will see you on Sunday but I'm home all weekend with one of my girlfriends in case you need me," I informed her. I slipped out before she could respond because not only did I have a Sorority function to attend, I also needed to figure out where I could score some Viagra because I clearly had no common sense where sex was concerned. Besides, Sahara was obviously in need of attention because Pastor Bill wasn't giving it to her, and Bainbridge was lashing out due to years of sexual frustration, I repeat: I have no common sense. Every One Like a Fingerprint to Me When I was racing to get to the Kappa Sigma House, I hardly expected to be met by one of their pledges and absolutely no one else. After I sat down in the den and the pledge, Tina, got me a soda from the kitchen, we found ourselves staring at one another. "So, I'm here on the correct night; right?" I asked. "Yes, you are, Zane," she bubbled with anticipation. "Where is everybody?" I prodded her. "They are taking care of Sorority business but they will come get us when they are ready," she grinned. I knew I was missing something but I didn't know what it was. "Is it hot in here?" I wondered. "Yes," Tina said after a bit of concentration. "Tina, can I have some Advil? I'm getting a headache," I yawned. "Okay," Tina responded, still happy, and still sitting down. "Ah, fuck, you drugged me, didn't you?" I groaned. I doubted I could still stand and then proved my doubts as I slid off the chair. "Damn," I slurred. Tina walked over to me, took my drink away, and gently maneuvered my body to the floor. "If it is any consolation, I was selected as the pledge most likely to seduce you," she stated with real sympathy. I might have smiled at her, I wasn't sure, but I definitely passed out. Cough! Someone plunged cleaning detergent underneath my nose and fired me back to consciousness. Holy Mother of God, I'm cold, my wrists and ankles hurt, I'm outdoors in the woods illuminated by torches and surrounded in a semi-circle of bare-footed figures in ankle long brown robes and black hoods. I was cold because I was naked and my limbs hurt because I was suspended on a cross, not a 'T' cross but an 'X' cross. I certainly know some kinky, fucked-up people. "Zane," a modulated voice addressed me, "you are on trial before Kappa Sigma for your treatment of one of our sisters. You have abused the trust of one sister by seeking romantic relations with another. What do you have to say for yourself?" "If the question is that I had relations with Leigh, then had a similar encounter with Paris, then I confess. In my defense, I never sought to deceive either one and will make amends if permitted," I promised. "Sisters, we have heard his defense. Will any of you vote in his behalf?" she intoned. No one stepped forward. "Zane, we will give you one chance to save yourself. If you fail, you will be shaved bald and painted in a permanent purple dye." I assume that means seven days on human skin. "If you can pick out the woman you have wronged, beg her forgiveness, and are forgiven, you will go free." I was getting pretty nervous since they were all totally covered except for their toes when the 'leader' nodded and the girls all opened their robes to reveal string bikinis in a variety of colors. Their faces were still covered, though that wasn't really a problem for me anymore. "Choose Leigh and Paris, beg their forgiveness, and you may be pardoned," the 'leader' commanded. "That's not fair," I answered right back, "because they are not before me now." "Think carefully," the girl with the modulated voice cautioned me. "No, seriously; I'm looking at Josephine, Maria, Cynthia, Sarah, Ferrara, Petra, Yvette, Tawny, Jersey, and Monique," I named them left to right. "What?" Sarah gasped to her assembled sisters. "Do we have name tags on?" Behind me, I heard snickers turn into giggles, Leigh and Paris. Tawny stepped forward. "How did you know?" she inquired, clearly not the girl with the modulated voice. "Ah, Josephine has a birthmark on her ankle, Maria has the darkest skin tone, and Cynthia's breasts don't angle down the middle or to the side but somewhere in the middle." "Sarah has slender thighs and her calves curve just so below the knee; Ferrara always paints her nails in these crazy patterns; Petra scrapped her knee backpacking two weekends ago; Yvette, has that tattoo over her right nipple; Tawny, you have a slender neck, a, 38C chest, and a strong swell from your waist to your hips; Jersey is the tallest and has that scar she got in a boating accident in high school; and finally, Monique has the perkiest nipples and the most slender calves," I recited. Man, even the crickets went quiet after that. "Zane, did anyone help you with this test?" Tawny finally asked. "Nope." "How could they?" Leigh came to my defense. "You didn't make the line-up until thirty minutes ago." "Jersey, go check his phone log," Tawny directed her sister. "I'm getting really cold," I whispered to Leigh. She looked from my eyes to my waist with sympathy. Jersey walked out of the light but quickly returned with my phone. "His last call was at 2:10 p.m. but he did have a data download at 6:45, it seems to be a bunch of women's names and phone numbers," Jersey relayed the information to them. "It is my church group, I swear. Honestly, they are all married women in the Festivities Committee that bastard of a pastor assigned me to," I pleaded. "No phone calls?" Tawny persisted. "No phone calls," Jersey confirmed. "Okay, Zane, how did you know who we were with our faces concealed?" Tawny wondered. "Is that a serious question?" The deafening pause was its own answer. "You are women; I pay attention to women and to me, each female form is as exacting as a fingerprint. Until now I thought all of this was a joke," I related. "I mean, if you wanted to scare me, you would have given me something difficult to figure out." "And you picked all this up at one party?" Tawny sounded bewildered. "Have I mentioned how much I like women?" I reminded her. "But you brought twenty women with you; you always had a woman by your side. How?" Tawny still struggled to understand. "I repeat: have I mentioned how much I like women? I see nothing wrong with being with one woman and looking at others, but I believe it is wrong to be with one woman and thinking about someone else," I explained. "You should always appreciate the one you are with." "Umm, does any sister believe Zane has earned a reprieve?" For two seconds no one reacted, then Jersey stepped forward. "He knew about my scar," was her excuse. Five more stepped forward right after that and all had done so by the tenth second. "Very well Zane, you are forgiven," Tawny announced. Yay, me! "But I have one other issue to address. Zane, I can't have you cutting a swath through my girls so I'm going to demand that you stick to one and only one Kappa Sigma per semester." I stared at her until she finally had to question me. "What?" "I wish you would stop treating me like a child," I chuckled. "What makes you think I'm not being serious?" Tawny growled. "We've kissed. You can tell a lot about a person in the way they kiss, and you are very caring and thoughtful," I told her. "Why would I be out here in the woods naked if I didn't trust you?" "You kissed him!" yelped Leigh. Tawny smirked as she looked at her. "You left me alone with a naked Zane in your room; he looked cold and lonely," she told Leigh. I was cold and lonely because Tawny tossed Leigh out of her own room and then wouldn't let me get dressed, but only Tawny, Christina, and I knew that. "Besides, Zane, you are naked in these woods because we tricked you into our house and spiked your drink," Tawny pointed out. "Ah, but would I have been dumb enough to take that drink if I hadn't first trusted you enough to show up, wait, that didn't come out right," I mumbled. "Are you agreeing to my terms?" Tawny teased. "Nope. I prefer to hold to the illusion I'm living in the Free World," I declared. "You can certainly tell your sisters what to do because they volunteered for this but I only hang out here because all of you have been so nice to me. If I've been a poor guest, I'll just leave, because I'm not going to pretend I like one sister less than another." "Zane, you are deep in the woods, tied to a cross, and the only people who know you are here are all bound by Sacred Oaths of Sisterhood, Blood, and Secrecy," Tawny stated sweetly, as she came up and stroked my cheek. "You aren't in the best place to be dumping us." "Good point," I agreed defiantly. "Maybe I should wait to get on my high horse when I can actually get on a high horse, but I'm still not going to take it back." "We could always keep him in our secret basement," Monique suggested. When everyone looked at her she added, "Hey, he liked my nipples. Finding a guy who is good with nipples isn't as easy as you would think." Huh, what? I had a definite feeling I was losing control of events. "You have a secret basement?" I gulped. "I didn't know you had a secret basement." "Well, duh," Paris snickered. "It wouldn't be much of a secret if you knew about it." "We are not keeping Zane chained up for our amusement," Tawny warned the girls. "We specifically changed the Charter back in '02 so that we can no longer keep men on the premises for more than forty-eight hours." Yay? "We also can't leave him here," Tawny continued. "I'm sure Christina will have search parties out looking for you before sunrise." "I'll stay out here and stand guard over him," Leigh volunteered. "No," Tawny scolded Leigh. "We can't let him get fucked to death either." Leigh looked truly heartbroken. "I think we have to let Zane get off this time," Tawny sighed. "I was trying to get him off," Leigh grumbled. "Give it a rest, Leigh," Tawny demanded. "Paris, give our guest something to drink so we can wrap this up." Paris disappeared behind me, then reappeared with a glass of water. "Drink up," she smiled beatifically. "Just promise me I'm not going to wake up in some landfill or tied to a lamppost somewhere public," I groaned. "Drink it down right now and you might wake up next to me," Tawny challenged. Needless to say, I drank and quickly, because I'm an idiot who keeps too much blood in the wrong head. When I woke up, I was back in the Sorority house with a different sweet pledge smiling at me and that smell of ammonia in my nostrils. She handed me a folded piece of paper. I said 'you MIGHT wake up next to me' the paper read. 'P.S. See you and the Ladies at our Halloween Bash.' "What's your name?" I asked the pledge. This time the home was filled with the noises of occupancy. "Larissa," she giggled. "So, are you Leigh's boyfriend?" "Ah, no; I'm community property; the other sisters hand me around like a box of chocolates," I joked. "Really! That is so great," she bubbled with excitement. "I can't wait until I get initiated. I want you to make me scream the way you had Leigh singing." Does no one get my jokes? "Larissa, I am sure you will pass your initiation, no sweat," I told her as I stood up, feeling a bit drunk. Larissa walked with me to the door and gave me a quick peck on the cheek as I turned to head for my car. I made it to campus with seconds to spare. The crawl up to the Solarium was done in relative quiet, though Barbie Lynn decided to sample my tonsils before letting me up. Not two steps inside the door my phone rang. "Hello, is this Zane Braxton?" this familiar voice greeted me. "That would be me. What can I do for you this night?" I responded. "This is Felicity Tolliver. I wanted you to know that I had dinner with Rochelle Wellington tonight and I think having you on her committee has really improved her mood," she informed me. I reached the top of the landing and nearly dropped the phone. Iona sat nervously on my bed, which she had made up because I never do it that well. She was wearing lingerie that definitely made her whole form much more feminine. "Felicity, Rochelle and I talked mostly, plus I showed her some techniques to help alleviate stress," I related, "but you can tell her it was a pleasure to work with such a vibrant and beautiful woman. You two are a lot alike." There was a pause, then, "I'll tell her that," Felicity said. "I will be at my home in case she needs something this weekend. I would like to see both of you, as would my Aunt," I offered. "That would be nice," she sounded upbeat. "We could also discuss getting some FFU girls coming over to your place and the workshops you could teach on campus in October and November," I suggested. "That sounds great too," Felicity agreed. "I would like to spend some time at FFU and having some girls know where Lance's house is would be nice. When do you want to meet?" "How about after dinner, say 8:00 o'clock?" I suggested. "You can bring Lance." "After dinner is fine but Lance has a church workshop on Saturday nights," Felicity sighed. Oh hell, does this woman even get taken to first base? "He's always so busy with his fraternity at school, the Young Christian Men's Republican caucus, and the Christian Men's League at church." Does this guy spend any time with women at all? "Consider it a date," I replied. "Now I have a very good reason to go to bed, so good night." "Good night," she parted in a friendly manner, which allowed me to hang up and start undressing as I approached the bed. I looked down at my bed buddy once I'd stripped down to nothing. "You look lovely, Iona," I greeted her. "What do you want to do?" "I'll do whatever you want," Iona said with a tremor in her voice, looking down at her lap. She looked stunning in her burgundy bra and panties, which were far more lace than substance. I felt the hand of, Christina (?) in all this. "Thank you, Iona. What I really want is to lie down, you beside me so that I can look into your eyes and gently trace lines along your body, and then I want to go to sleep with you in my arms. That's what I really want." "Really?" she perked up in surprise and relief. I crawled under the covers, holding them open so she could join me. "I like this a lot," she murmured, as she settled in at my side, snug in the covers. I shifted to my side and cupped her chin before exchanging several soft kisses with her. Afterwards, I did as I told her I would; my hand caressed her body, avoiding nipples and cunt but doing my best to get everywhere else. I elicited sensual moans and ticklish giggles. When I had forced her to push me off so she could catch her breath, I felt I had given Iona what she wanted, and more importantly, what she could live with. I sat back and stared at the Moon through my glass roof. Iona's smiling face slowly invaded my view. "I give up, Iona," I pleaded. "Right now I want some sleep." "That's okay. I will sit here and watch over you," she sighed. "That's, that's a little creepy, actually," I confessed. "I've watched all of the Twilight movies so I know what secretive romances are all about," Iona explained. Unfortunately, I knew little of the Twilight series of movies. I knew it involved vampires and werewolves and some chick named Bella but I'd never actually seen any of that. Had I known it involved a 100-year-old vampire breaking into some teenager's room and staring down at her while she slept, I would have been much more concerned, but for now I went to sleep. A lesson in why I shouldn t get out of bed in the morning. I woke up to every heterosexual teenage boy's second favorite dream (the first being a morning blowjob) of a perfume-scented head resting on each shoulder as you wake. There were the tiny complications of only having gone to bed with one woman and that, by their breathing, I could tell they were both awake. "Good morning," I said cautiously; technically morning since it was 5:00 a.m. "Good morning, Zane," Iona and Barbie Lynn greeted me. They both ran hands over my chest, though they gave a sudden jolt when their hands touched. I had one arm around Iona and I used that to give her a hug. My other arm was pinned by my side by Barbie Lynn's body. I gave Barbie's thigh a squeeze and she wiggled in response. "Okay, Barbie Lynn, this is Iona's night, so what are you doing here?" I scolded my blonde nymph. "I'm sorry," Barbie demurred then looked to Iona and repeated the "I'm sorry." "I understand," Iona replied, hesitating before saying after further introspection as she snuggled in, "I want to wake up this way every morning too. I like the way he smells and the way he makes me feel all warm inside, and now you owe me a night, to be shared," she stated hopefully. "One of these days I'm going to get a say in how I spend my free time," I griped. Iona looked hurt but Barbie Lynn merely sneered. "Don't you worry none, Iona. Zane, if you could wake up next to myself and Iona tomorrow morning, would you?" she drawled like sweet molasses. "Yes," I grumbled petulantly, "but I'd still like to talk about it." "Trust us, Suga, we know what's best for you and what you want. Just let us girls take care of you and you take care of all the Man Stuff." "We'll take good care of you," Iona dog-piled on, but in a nice way. "If it makes you feel better, you can punish us," Barbie Lynn offered. "We've been bad." "Huh?" Iona and I questioned. Barbie flipped over and wiggled her ass against me. "Good point. You two get to the foot of the bed, facing away from me, now!" I demanded. "Why me?" Iona honestly worried. "What did I do wrong?" "Do it, Iona. This is virtually a rite of passage," Barbie Lynn lied to her. "No, it is not, and if you don't want to do it, you don't have to," I told her. She didn't know what I was going to do and she clearly was scared, but when Barbie Lynn crawled out from under the covers and moved to the foot of the bed, resting on all fours, ass toward me, she followed suit. "If Barbie Lynn is going to do this," she muttered, "then so am I." I followed them, positioning myself between their calves and massaging their ass cheeks lightly. Barbie shifted back and forth in anticipation; Iona couldn't de-tense. Smack! "Oh, Yes!" Barbie Lynn yelped, then playfully wiggled her other, unmarked cheek within reach. "I've been really bad!" she chirped cheerfully. "No! Bad Girl," I shook my finger at her. "I'm starting to believe you aren't learning your lesson." We both knew that spanking Barbie was like throwing gasoline on a fire. Unfortunately, my purpose right now was to get them both back to their rooms, not work off my morning arousal. I moved behind Iona and forced her legs apart. She was clearly uncomfortable when I put a hand on each hip and slowly rocked her back and forth. Barbie Lynn sat back and watched with an enchanting glow highlighting her features; clever, intuitive, and lovely all at once. I settled my body onto Iona's back, my hard-on pressing into her ass cleft and one hand rubbing her stomach. "Zane?" Iona whispered in a scared little girl voice. "Yes," I answered, while kissing her along her shoulder ridge. "You, you didn't do this to Barbie Lynn," she choked out. "Do you want me to treat you as if you were another woman?" I continued, brushing her hair to one side so I could tease her neck with my lips. That got her to finally relax. "No," she gasped. "Iona, you explaining sex to Zane is like a bobcat telling a wolf how to hunt deer," Barbie Lynn teased Iona. "He gets to know you, what you like, and what you want, even if you don't know what that is." I spent another two minutes giving Iona a sensual massage, rubbing her upper arms, down along her sides, then tracing the lines of her panties before finishing with her inner thighs. Smack! "Oh," Iona gasped from the light impact. "Why didn't you spank me as hard as you spanked Barbie Lynn?" she wondered. "Did you want me to leave a handprint on your ass?" I asked. "No, I guess not," Iona admitted. "Can you answer me something?" "I'll try," I replied. "Why do you have those marks on your wrists and ankles?" She inquired. The room was dark so Barbie Lynn hadn't seen my little gift from the Kappa Sig's until Iona showed her what to look for. "Zane?" Barbie Lynn demanded to know, her persona going from sensual lover to protective Dorm Mother. "Let's not get into this right now," I sighed. They looked past me to one another but thankfully respected the peace I had requested. Had they not left together, huddled in quiet conversation, I would have been happier, but I had to be satisfied with fifteen more minutes of sleep instead. By the time I made it to the shower, everyone already knew not to ask, they were already seeking answers on their own. Getting to breakfast involved a play-debate where I had to be the 'Bad Guy,' aka the Liberal, Baby-killing, Godless Democrat, while my mistress of the moment was the heroic Republican. I graciously allowed her to trounce me, to the cheers of my fellow classmates, when I declared that all churches should be converted to homes for unwed mothers and that church-endorsed marriage should be banned for not accepting homosexuality. Did I know my audience or what? Never a Simple Morning I love women, even though they will surely be the death of me. Case in point: breakfast. I'm about to sit down with my normal companions (Rio and Iona) when a blur shoves Rio aside and takes a seat next to me. "Zane, I've been going over the books in the school library and some, Raven began. "Bitch, you did not just bump me and steal my seat," Rio seethed. Raven looked over her shoulder at Rio. "We are not in kindergarten anymore. Grown-ups chose their own seat," Raven lectured. "Wait!" I cried out to forestall Rio's pelting Raven with the contents of her food tray. Rio gave me barely enough time to twist my tray sideways, half-stand, and pull the Hellion onto my lap. I wouldn't displace Iona and that was the only place in this section of the table for her to sit. "Nice hood ornament," Raven smirked. "You and me are far from done," Rio snarled. "What, you don't know what 'ornament' means so you opt for something out of 'Goodfellas'?" Raven taunted. "Stop!" I barked. "Rio, Raven, Raven, Rio; Rio is my twin-soul and Raven is going to help me get through English this semester so for my sake, would you both please play nice?" Neither girl would budge so I took the initiative. "Raven, I think we can get access to the libraries at UV and George Mason; I'm sure they have tons more material for us to use," I offered. "How are you going to manage that?" Raven was skeptical. "Yeah, Brainiac," Rio parroted. "How are you going to do that?" "I'll have one of the Sorority sisters help me with UV and we'll have Iona hack Lance Wellington's password from his phone," I explained. "That will get us into Mason." "Only an idiot would store their password on a portable storage device," Raven stated with confidence. "Someone smart enough to get into George Mason wouldn't do that." "Ha, ha, ha," Rio laughed. "Raven, there are smarts, then there are real smarts. Any knucklehead can crack some books and get into a law school but it takes an adult to know when the rules do and don't apply." "That makes no sense," Raven stated with authority. "Raven, would you even consider trying to access UV or George Mason?" I asked. "No," she admitted, "because we don't go there." "Men build fortresses to be impregnable; God inspires men to storm them anyway," I replied. "Which translates as, 'if Zane says he's going to get something for you, he'll do it," Rio said. "Okay," Raven mulled it over, then, "So, Zane, how did you get those rope burns on your wrists?" "Yeah, Zane, how did you get those marks on your wrists and ankles?" Rio inquired devilishly. I stole an accusatory look at Iona for ratting me out about my ankles. "I went over to the Kappa Sigma
Hour 2 of Wednesday's 3 Man Front included Chris Stewart discussing the tradition around the Third Saturday in October, Vince Ferrara's preview of Alabama vs Tennessee & your calls on all things college football!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Vince Ferrara from 99.1 The Sports Animal stopped by 3 Man Front on Wednesday to share his intel on this year's version of the Volunteers, how Tennessee will try to slow down Ty Simpson & more ahead of Saturday's game in Bryant-Denny!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Sébastien Lecornu ha riportato ordine all'Assemblea nazionale, ottenendo un risultato politico significativo in tre mosse: ha ridato centralità al Parlamento, annunciato un'imposta eccezionale sui grandi patrimoni e promesso la sospensione della riforma delle pensioni fino al 2028, quindi dopo le presidenziali. Lecornu ha garantito che non ci sarà alcun aumento dell'età pensionabile né della durata dei contributi fino a gennaio 2028, come richiesto dalla CFDT. La sospensione costerà 400 milioni di euro nel 2027 e interesserà 3,5 milioni di francesi, ma sarà compensata da risparmi per evitare un aumento del deficit.Ha inoltre proposto un contributo eccezionale sui grandi patrimoni per finanziare investimenti strategici e aumenti fiscali mirati per alcune grandi imprese, con l'obiettivo di redistribuire meglio il carico fiscale. Lecornu ha anche ribadito il ruolo centrale del Parlamento, rinunciando al ricorso all'articolo 49.3 della Costituzione e invitando le opposizioni a partecipare alla discussione su bilancio e riforme. Ne parliamo con Marc Lazar, titolare della cattedra Relazioni italo-francesi per l'Europa alla Luiss e Professore di Storia Politica e Sociologia, direttore del Centro di Storia di Sciences Po a Parigi, Presidente del Comitato Scientifico della stessa università.La Cina impone tasse portuali alle navi UsaLa Cina ha introdotto un nuovo regime di tasse portuali speciali per le navi di proprietà o gestite da imprese, organizzazioni e individui statunitensi, in risposta a misure analoghe adottate dagli Stati Uniti. Le tariffe partono da 400 yuan per tonnellata netta e aumenteranno progressivamente fino a 1.120 yuan nel 2028. La misura riguarda anche navi battenti bandiera americana, costruite negli Usa o controllate da entità con partecipazione statunitense superiore al 25%.Si tratta di una mossa speculare a quella di Washington, che ha imposto restrizioni al settore navale e cantieristico cinese. Pechino accusa gli Stati Uniti di violare gli accordi commerciali e di danneggiare gli interessi cinesi. Un portavoce del ministero del Commercio ha dichiarato che la Cina è pronta a "combattere fino alla fine" nella guerra commerciale, pur restando disponibile al dialogo. Interviene Patrizio Bianchi, Professore Emerito di Economia, Cattedra Unesco "Educazione, Crescita e Uguaglianza", Università degli Studi di Ferrara.Istat: in povertà assoluta 5,7 milioni di persone, in gran parte stranieriSecondo l'Istat, nel 2024 oltre 2,2 milioni di famiglie italiane (8,4% del totale) vivono in povertà assoluta, per un totale di 5,7 milioni di individui, pari al 9,8% dei residenti. I valori restano stabili rispetto al 2023. La povertà colpisce soprattutto le famiglie con componenti stranieri: l'incidenza è del 30,4% se c'è almeno uno straniero, e del 35,2% se tutti i membri sono stranieri, contro il 6,2% delle famiglie composte solo da italiani.Il Mezzogiorno registra i livelli più alti di povertà (10,5%), seguito dal Nord-Ovest (8,1%) e dal Nord-Est (7,6%), mentre il Centro resta l'area con i valori più bassi (6,5%). Aumenta la povertà nelle Isole, passata dal 11,9% al 13,4%. Nei comuni piccoli non periferici delle aree metropolitane l'incidenza è più elevata (8,9%), mentre nelle grandi città scende leggermente. Tuttavia, al Sud e al Nord sono proprio i centri metropolitani a registrare i tassi più alti. Commentiamo il tutto con Massimo Baldini, docente di Scienza delle Finanze presso l'Università di Modena e Reggio Emilia.
En este episodio hablamos con Javier Ferrara, miembro de Parquesvr, una de las bandas más irreverentes y lúcidas de la escena actual. Acaban de sacar El Palco, un temazo afilado que apunta directamente a los chanchullos y miserias que se cuecen en el palco del Bernabéu. Javier es del Atleti, pero la herida de la final de Lisboa fue tan profunda que decidió apartarse del fútbol… por salud. Sobre esa relación amor-odio con el balón, sobre la música como espacio de resistencia y sobre cómo reírse para no llorar, hablamos largo y tendido en este capítulo.
Was passiert, wenn du deine Ferien nicht mehr mit Google oder Tripadvisor planst, sondern komplett mit künstlicher Intelligenz? Alberto Ferrara, KI-Experte aus der Schweiz, hat es ausprobiert. Drei Solo-Reisen, begleitet von Claude, ChatGPT und Perplexity. Ohne Reiseführer, ohne Bewertungen, nur im Dialog mit der KI.Im Gespräch mit Chris von BEYONDER erzählt Alberto, wie er durch präzise Prompts personalisierte Empfehlungen erhielt, welche Tools er warum bevorzugt hat, wie er den Datenschutz gelöst hat und was Unternehmen aus dieser Erfahrung lernen können.Diese Episode ist für dich, wenn du Inspiration für den KI-Einsatz im Alltag suchst, erfahren willst, wie sich KI auf Tourismus, Marketing und Kundenkontakt auswirkt, und wissen möchtest, wie du deine Sichtbarkeit in KI-Systemen erhöhst.Und am Schluss wird klar: Ferienplanung mit KI ist erst der Anfang.Links zur Episode:Zum Artikel zur Episode: beyonder.ch/blogSichere KI für dein Unternehmen: amazee.ai/booster
Una puntata speciale registrata al festival di Internazionale a Ferrara.Con Francesca Albanese, relatrice speciale delle Nazioni Unite sulla situazione dei diritti umani nei Territori palestinesi occupati.Ferdinando Cotugno, giornalista, autore di Il tempo di ritorno (Guanda 2025).Giada Messetti, sinologa, autrice di La Cina è un'aragosta (Mondadori 2025).Ci piacerebbe sapere cosa pensi di questo episodio. Scrivici a podcast@internazionale.it Se ascolti questo podcast e ti piace, abbonati a Internazionale. È un modo concreto per sostenerci e per aiutarci a garantire ogni giorno un'informazione di qualità. Vai su internazionale.it/abbonatiConsulenza editoriale di Chiara NielsenProduzione di Claudio Balboni e Vincenzo De SimoneMusiche di Tommaso Colliva e Raffaele ScognaDirezione creativa di Jonathan Zenti
In this episode, we are discussing Ms. 45 (Ferrara, 1981) and Revenge (Fargeat, 2017), two films that take the "rape-revenge" subgenre and turn it on its head. We're looking at how these films transform a victim into a vigilante, reclaiming their agency and power through brutal, unapologetic acts of violence. We explore the catharsis and controversy of this trope, and question what it reveals about the deep-seated societal anger surrounding sexual violence.So, prepare for a bloody and brutal journey, because these women aren't just getting even—they're starting a war.
Send us a textJoin me and writer/translator Michael Curtotti on a discussion about the literary patronage of the Este court. Centered around Micheal's new translation of the playwright and novella author Cinzio, our discuss dives deep into the cultural moment of Duke Ercole d'Este's Ferrara. Michael walks us through the history of Cinzio and his work, both in theater and prose. Further, Michael leads us through his translation of the short story that would eventually influence Shakespeare's Othello, primarily investigatin notions of Renaissance misogyny and racism.Acquire Michael Curtotti's "Cinthio's Desdemona: The Story that Inspired Othello": https://beyondforeignness.org/book/cinthios-desdemona-the-story-that-inspired-othelloSupport/Watch/Follow: linktr.ee/italian_renaissance_podcastGet additional content by becoming a Patron: patreon.com/TheItalianRenaissancePodcast Support the show
"One summer morning, my husband, son, and I arrived by car from Sirmione and spent the day wandering through the city's walkable center. Verona revealed itself slowly, with Roman ruins beside medieval churches, Renaissance palaces glowing in the sun, and piazzas alive with the laughter of locals. The soft pink of its buildings shimmered in the warmth, giving the city a dreamy, romantic air" - Katerina Ferrara, Venice and the Veneto Ultimate Festival & Travel GuideToday is a fun conversation with Katerina Ferrara about her connection to Italy and how she immersed herself in traveling and exploring the many places you can go in Italy on a unique travel adventure. We talk about Katerina's journey falling in love with Italy, learning the language and discovering the magic of the festival days while on holiday in Italy. There is much to enjoy and celebrate. Soon after Katerina researched the many traditions, the food and wine festivals, the holy days and the saints days for her Travel Guides on Italy. Katerina loves to immerse herself in a place and discover the heart of the location. Katerina has captured the magic of the festival days and the time to celebrate with the locals while in Sicily, Puglia or Venice. Katerina is great traveler and seeker of Italy and shares her experiences and discoveries on the Immersion Travel Podcast and on there is so much more on her information packed website.Enjoy this Conversation and do check the Shownotes below for all of the special details and places that were mentioned in today's show.Shownotes at MichelleJohnston.lifeVisit - Katerina Ferrara Instagram - Katerina FerraraGet your hand on Katerina's Travel Guides for Immersive Travel and Festivals in ItalyImmersion Travel Podcast on You TubeImmersion Travel Podcast on Apple Podcasts Immersion Travel Podcast on SpotifyShownotes at MichelleJohnston.lifeA Writer in Italy InstagramSubstack - At My TableMichelle's Books© 2025 A Writer In Italy - travel, books, art and lifeMusic Composed by Richard Johnston © 2025Today's end music - 'Chances'Richard's Music is available on Spotify and Apple Music - Album 4240Support the show
In this explosive roundtable, Michael Jaco brings together Kerry Cassidy, Brad Olsen, Laura Eisenhower, Donna Ferrara, and Mike Bara for a hard-hitting discussion on the mysteries and upheavals shaping our world. The panel unpacks the enigmatic Three I Atlas and why it may hold more significance than we've been told. They also examine disturbing revelations tied to the Charlie Kirk incident, the hidden networks behind human trafficking, and the quiet influence of financial institutions pulling strings on a global scale. Beyond current events, the group highlights startling historical anomalies, connections to secret societies, and the ongoing efforts of truth-seekers to expose corruption and awaken humanity. Each guest also shares updates on their latest research and previews of upcoming events where these urgent issues will be brought to light. This is more than a discussion — it's a bold exchange of insider perspectives and suppressed truths meant to challenge, inform, and inspire. 00:00 Introduction and Panel Overview 00:43 Donna Ferrara's Upcoming Event 01:59 Three I Atlas Discussion Begins 02:36 Brad Olson on Three I Atlas 03:53 Mike Barra's Apology and Insights 07:38 Carrie Cassidy on Richard Hoagland and Three I Atlas 15:05 Laura's Perspective on Three I Atlas 18:10 Donna Ferrara's Reflections 22:54 Brad Olson on New York Awakening Summit 25:11 Mike Barra on Conference Focus 29:04 Carrie Cassidy on Charlie Kirk and ET Groups 32:01 UAP Hearings: A Dog and Pony Show 32:36 Technical Difficulties and Swan 25 33:20 John Walson's Astronomical Discoveries 35:26 Secret Space Programs and Government Cover-Ups 37:09 Connecting the Dots: Historical and Religious Significance 40:31 Weaponization of the Zodiac and DNA 46:29 Montauk Project and Controlled Information 47:01 Charlie Kirk Incident: A Turning Point 57:48 Concluding Thoughts and Future Events LANDING PAGE for people to get a "FREE" precious metals consultation with Dr. Kirk Elliott: https://www.kepm.com/jaco/ Affordable Cell Activation Technology with LifeWave: Experience miracles with a deep discount as a Brand Partner https://www.lifewave.com/michaeljaco https://michaelkjaco.com/liveyoungerwithmj/ Power of the Patch Information Resource: Go to: https://liveyounger.com/ AGE REVERSAL WITH GHK-Cu Copper Peptides contained in X-39 and X-49 https://copperpeptidebreakthrough.com Join us every week for Michael Jaco's Miracle Monday Meeting at 6:00 PM EST for Product Testimonials & Questions This 50 Minute Meeting Will Teach You Everything You Need To Know About Phototherapy & LifeWave!! ~ Great for Guests, Customers & Brand Partners ~ ⏬ Click the link below for Meeting access ⏬ Join Zoom Meeting https://us06web.zoom.us/j/87949021063 JoinMichaels Business Builder Webinar ~ Friday 6:00 EST Tune in weekly to Michael Jaco's LifeWave Business Builder Webinars feature LifeWave's top leaders sharing proven strategies, business tips, and real-world success stories to help you grow your organization and achieve lasting financial success. ⏬ Click the link below for Webinar access ⏬ https://us06web.zoom.us/j/86714931635?pwd=WQ8UTQc8o95A1g5q7bOAnRW79mPJep.1 Shop Intuitive Wellness Products to reverse the devastating effects of the vaccine impacts on cardiovascular, reproduction and greater potential for death at any time in history. Also increase overall health and resistance to all disease and inflammation. https://intuitivewellness.michaelkjaco.com/ INTUITIVE ULTRA CLEANSE/INTUITIVE OCEANS VIDEO ON DETOXING ALL FOODS: https://www.diseasediscoverychallenge.vip/food-dtox WAVWATCH - The revolutionary selfcare watch that's designed to support the health of your mind AND body! This one-of-a-kind watch provides anxiety relief, pain support, productivity boost, immune system enhancement, and more!
Ep 158 Description: “If something feels good and you are not harming anyone, keep doing it, because pleasure will give you health, as simple as that.” —Samara Ferrara Imagine for a moment that your body's capacity for pleasure is your greatest strength in birth. That every fear, every past pain, could be transformed into a source of profound power and release. This isn't a fantasy; it's an ancient wisdom rooted not in fear, but in profound joy, release, and presence. Samara Ferrara is a professional home birth midwife in Mexico who brings a blend of science, spirit, and sacred care to her work. Having witnessed birth as a child and later birthing her own three children at home, she embodies a deep trust in the body's innate wisdom. Her courageous journey of healing from past trauma offers profound insight into how women can reclaim their sovereignty and transform the birthing process through pleasure. Tune in as Debra and Samara dive into the heart of Samara's practice, exploring how her personal story with pleasure and spiritual connection guides her work. She also shares a moving homebirth experience that revealed birth as a rite of passage and opens up about how motherhood, loss, and life's deepest cycles have shaped her sacred service to others. Connect with Debra! Website: https://www.orgasmicbirth.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/orgasmicbirth X: https://twitter.com/OrgasmicBirth YouTube https://www.youtube.com/c/OrgasmicBirth1 Tik Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@orgasmicbirth LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/debra-pascali-bonaro-1093471 Episode Highlights: 03:23 Introduced to Home Births 08:38 The Role of Doulas and Support Teams 13:31 Addressing Trauma and Finding Healing 15:58 Motherhood, Loos, and Deepening 19:51 Creating Pleasure in Birth and Parenting 25:26 Educating Children on Pleasure and Health 28:42 Explore Joy Resources:
In tutta Italia ci sarà uno sciopero generale nazionale a sostegno della popolazione palestinese e della missione internazionale della Global Sumud Flotilla, indetto da diversi sindacati di base. Con Paola Caridi, presidente di Lettera 22.Nei giorni scorsi l'azienda tecnologica Colossal Biosciences ha annunciato di essere sempre più vicina a riportare in vita il dodo, un uccello terrestre originario di Mauritius che si è estinto più di trecento anni fa. Con Alice Mosconi, paleoantropologa molecolare. Oggi parliamo anche di:Libri • Donata Columbro, Perché contare i femminicidi è un atto politico (Einaudi) Fuoriclasse. Internazionale a Ferrara.https://www.internazionale.it/festival/fuoriclasseCi piacerebbe sapere cosa pensi di questo episodio. Scrivici a podcast@internazionale.it Se ascolti questo podcast e ti piace, abbonati a Internazionale. È un modo concreto per sostenerci e per aiutarci a garantire ogni giorno un'informazione di qualità. Vai su internazionale.it/abbonatiConsulenza editoriale di Chiara NielsenProduzione di Claudio Balboni e Vincenzo De SimoneMusiche di Tommaso Colliva e Raffaele ScognaDirezione creativa di Jonathan Zenti
Send us a textWe continue our journey through the Este court of Ferrara, moving from Borso's decoration of the Palazzo Schifanoia to the ambitious reign of Ercole I. We explore his transformation of Ferrara with the Addizione Erculea and the dazzling Palazzo dei Diamanti, before turning to his son Alfonso and the overlooked brilliance of court painter Dosso Dossi. Finally, we trace how Este patronage shaped Renaissance literature through Ludovico Ariosto's Orlando Furioso, a chivalric epic that fused fantasy, wit, and courtly ideals into one of the great masterpieces of the age, one that enabled further crosscurrents between the visual and written world. Support/Watch/Follow: https://linktr.ee/italian_renaissance_podcastWorks Discussed:Palazzo Schifanoia Frescos: https://youtu.be/20FIWIDxEbg?si=_-6t4Iba48X0ozuKPalazzo dei Diamanti: https://www.wga.hu/frames-e.html?/html/r/rossett/diamant.htmlDosso DossiPortrait of Alfonso I, ca. 1534, https://it.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Battista_Dossi,_ritratto_di_Alfonso_I_d%27Este_-_Modena.jpgTriumph of Bacchus, ca. 1514: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dosso_dossi,_trionfo_di_bacco,_00,1.jpgApollo and Daphne, ca 1525: https://youtube.com/shorts/P3o367FdT_c?si=mwY2Z-7Rr0T2PmycCirce/Melissa, ca 1524: https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melissa_(Dossi) Get additional content by becoming a Patron: patreon.com/TheItalianRenaissancePodcast Support the show
What if the “real estate market” isn't actually one market at all? In this episode of Life at Ten Tenths, we're joined by the one and only Matthew Ferrara — philosopher, speaker, and real estate expert. Matthew was our very first guest after having switched podcasts. (Episode 14) He's back with fresh perspective on today's shifting market. Together we dive into: Why there's no such thing as one real estate market (there are millions!) The big difference between being a surfer vs. being a swimmer in business How to stop chasing price reductions and start mastering listing inventory management Why consumer confidence comes from you — not from AI, algorithms, or the latest tech tool How mindset + emotional intelligence shape your success in any market Matthew brings his signature mix of wisdom and energy to help you see this market for what it really is: an incredible opportunity to build skills, deepen relationships, and grow your business with intention.
Vince Ferrara from 99.1 The Sports Animal in Knoxville stopped by 3 Man Front on Wednesday to break down Saturday's showdown between Tennessee & Georgia and discuss his thoughts on the concerns about the Bulldogs' offense this season. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Hour 2 of Wednesday's 3 Man Front featured Chris Stewart's preview of Alabama vs Wisconsin, Vince Ferrara's preview of Tennessee vs Georgia & the latest injury updates for the Crimson Tide. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Giorgio Rimondi"Leggere Frankenstein"Dal fantastico letterario alla queer theoryOrthotes Editricewww.orthotes.comCi sono molti modi di leggere Frankenstein. Si può privilegiarne la dimensione finzionale, coglierne il potenziale speculativo, valorizzarne le istanze (proto)femministe. Qui si è scelto di collegare la sua dimensione fantastica al dibattito sul potere della scienza (e della tecnologia a essa correlata), evidenziandone i risvolti psicoanalitici nonché i legami con la queer theory. Ciò, a partire dal fatto che alcuni ritengono di poter assimilare la «mostruosità» della creatura shelleyana alla condizione trans e, più in generale, ai temi della comunità LGBTQIA+.Si tratta di una lettura inedita, basata sulla convinzione che Frankenstein rappresenti una straordinaria – e preveggente – risposta alla tradizione del pensiero occidentale, che ha sempre inteso separare la techne dall'episteme, il problema della conoscenza da quello della tecnologia.Il Frankenstein di Mary Shelley è stato a lungo etichettato come il «libro di una donna». Ellen Moers lo descrive come un «mito femminile della nascita» che rivelerebbe l'ambivalenza dell'autrice nei confronti della maternità; Kate Ellis lo interpreta come una critica alla famiglia borghese e alla separazione fra sfera maschile e femminile; Sandra Gilbert e Susan Gubar sostengono che il romanzo descriva «l'alienazione di una donna in una società maschile», mentre Mary Poovey lo definisce un «mito dell'impotenza femminile» che giustifica l'incontrollabile desiderio espressivo dell'autrice.Giorgio Rimondi vive e lavora a Ferrara. I suoi percorsi di studio attraversano dimensioni disciplinari diverse, dalla letteratura alla musica transitando per la filosofia e la psicoanalisi. Fra le pubblicazioni più recenti si segnalano Le lacrime di Lacan (2020), L'invasione degli Afronauti (2022), L'impossibile necessario (2024).IL POSTO DELLE PAROLEascoltare fa pensarewww.ilpostodelleparole.itDiventa un supporter di questo podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/il-posto-delle-parole--1487855/support.
Eddie and Rocky talk with Enquirer reporter David Ferrara about the big drug bust in Cincinnati, on 700 WLW!
Eddie and Rocky talk with Enquirer reporter David Ferrara about the big drug bust in Cincinnati, on 700 WLW!
Send us a textIn this episode, we explore the rise of the Este family and the transformation of Ferrara into a vibrant Renaissance court. From Niccolò III's political maneuvering to Leonello's humanist vision and groundbreaking artistic patronage, we trace how the Este shaped culture and power in northern Italy. We then turn to Borso d'Este's reign, examining his use of art and spectacle to project authority, including his enthroned bronze statue. Along the way, we uncover surprising details—like a controversial monument restoration—and set the stage for Ercole I's ambitious ducal legacy. Support/Watch/Follow: https://linktr.ee/italian_renaissance_podcastImages DiscussedPisanello, Portrait of Leonello d'Este, 1441-44 https://www.wga.hu/html_m/p/pisanell/1paintin/este.htmlPisanello, Medal of John VIII, 1438 https://www.wga.hu/html_m/p/pisanell/2medals/palaeol.htmlPisanello, Medal of Leonello d'Este, ca. 1444 https://www.wga.hu/html_m/p/pisanell/2medals/leonell1.htmlAntonio di Cristoforo, Niccolo Baroncelli, and Leon Battista Alberti, Equestrian Monument to Niccolo III, 1441 https://equestrianstatue.org/nicolo-lll/Niccolo Barroncelli, Monument to Borso d'Este, ca. 1452 https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Monument_to_Borso_d%27Este_(Ferrara)Get additional content by becoming a Patron: patreon.com/TheItalianRenaissancePodcast Support the show
Summer Vacation is over and football season is here.Full SEC & ACC Preview with 'Press Box Radio' Host Mike Grace & 99.1 - Knoxville, TN - 'The Sports Animal' Morning Host Vince Ferrara talkCFP Playoff format, Arch Manning, hot seat coaches, sleeper teams, breakout players + picks. Jason recaps Scottie Scheffler's incredible 2025MLB Races are coming down the stretchNFL Pre Season notes and nuggetsFantasy drafts are here - a couple of philosophies to think aboutNFL HOF'ers finally - Brent Musberger and Sterling SharpeSubscribe, rate & review "Powers on Sports Podcast" on your favorite podcast platform.Twitter/X: @jposportsYouTube: Jason Powers Sports Channel for the video interviews.
Dr. Stephen Ferrara, a distinguished retired Navy Captain and the Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs, joins us on WarDocs to share his inspiring journey through military medicine. Dr. Ferrara opens up about his motivations, which are deeply rooted in family ties and pivotal global events, such as the Gulf War, that led him to pursue a career as a vascular and interventional radiologist. His insights reveal the profound responsibilities of advising the Secretary of Defense on military healthcare policies, managing vast budgets, and advocating for the welfare of military healthcare professionals. Dr. Ferrara's narrative is a testament to the dedication and teamwork that mark the Military Health System, underscoring its essential role in national security. The episode offers a window into the unique challenges and deeply rewarding experiences of serving as a military medical professional. Dr. Ferrara recounts his swift deployment aboard the USNS Mercy following the devastating 2004 tsunami and his subsequent support of Army operations in Afghanistan. These experiences highlight the adaptability and commitment required in military medicine, where providing care in disaster zones and combat situations becomes a way of life. The personal side of his story unfolds as well, sharing the dynamics of balancing a dual military family life, managing deployments, and instilling values of public service in the next generation. Dr. Ferrara delves into the complexities of maintaining readiness and supporting healthcare initiatives amid budget constraints. He discusses leveraging partnerships with organizations like the VA and Medicare to enhance medical skills and generate revenue, ensuring the system's commitment to outperforming the private sector in patient outcomes. With congressional support and a focus on efficient governance, Dr. Ferrara's perspective sheds light on the resilience and innovation driving military healthcare forward. Chapters: (00:04) Military Medicine Leadership and Career Insights (12:13) Military Service (18:51) Military Health System Excellence and Leadership (27:10) Strategic Partnerships for Military Health (40:43) Military Health Leadership and Service Chapter Summaries: (00:04) Military Medicine Leadership and Career Insights Dr. Stephen Ferrara's extensive career as a retired Navy Captain and current Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs, overseeing the military health system and advocating for military healthcare professionals. (12:13) Military Service Military medical professionals serve in disaster zones, combat, and global health missions, while balancing family life and instilling values of public service. (18:51) Military Health System Excellence and Leadership Transitioning from military physician to health policy and national security roles, emphasizing readiness and supporting warfighters. (27:10) Strategic Partnerships for Military Health The military health system faces budget constraints but strives to outperform the private sector through efficiency, good governance, and partnerships. (40:43) Military Health Leadership and Service Dr. Steve Ferreira shares insights on health affairs in the defense sector, highlighting his career and significant experiences. Take Home Messages: Leadership in Military Medicine: The episode highlights the significant leadership roles within the military health system, emphasizing the importance of advising top defense officials on healthcare policies, managing large budgets, and advocating for military healthcare professionals. The leadership insights shared underline the critical role of maintaining readiness and strategic planning in military medicine. Unique Challenges and Rewards: Serving in military medicine involves unique challenges, such as providing care in disaster zones and combat situations. The episode explores the adaptability and commitment required in these environments, illustrating the profound sense of duty and fulfillment derived from serving both the nation and its service members. Balancing Personal and Professional Life: The narrative also delves into the personal aspects of a military medical career, including the dynamics of balancing a dual military family life, managing deployments, and instilling values of public service in the next generation. This balance is a critical component of a successful military medical career. Strategic Partnerships and Innovation: The episode discusses the importance of strategic partnerships with organizations like the VA and Medicare to enhance medical skills, generate revenue, and maintain the military health system's commitment to excellence. These collaborations are vital for bridging budget gaps and ensuring the system's sustainability. Excellence and Resilience in Military Healthcare: The episode sheds light on the resilience and innovation driving military healthcare forward, focusing on efficient governance and the system's mission to outperform the private sector in patient outcomes. It highlights the dedication of military health professionals and the importance of congressional support in providing the necessary resources for continued excellence. Episode Keywords: Military Medicine, Dr. Stephen Ferrara, Navy Captain, War Docs Podcast, healthcare leadership, vascular radiology, military healthcare challenges, Gulf War, Afghanistan, USNS Mercy, military medical career, defense health system, resilience in healthcare, military health professionals, military medical deployments, strategic partnerships, VA and Medicare, military health budget, military family life, military healthcare excellence Hashtags: #MilitaryMedicine #WarDocsPodcast #HealthcareLeadership #NavyMedicine #VascularRadiology #MilitaryHealthcare #MedicalReadiness #StrategicPartnerships #HealthcareInnovation #NationalSecurity Honoring the Legacy and Preserving the History of Military Medicine The WarDocs Mission is to honor the legacy, preserve the oral history, and showcase career opportunities, unique expeditionary experiences, and achievements of Military Medicine. We foster patriotism and pride in Who we are, What we do, and, most importantly, How we serve Our Patients, the DoD, and Our Nation. Find out more and join Team WarDocs at https://www.wardocspodcast.com/ Check our list of previous guest episodes at https://www.wardocspodcast.com/our-guests Subscribe and Like our Videos on our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@wardocspodcast Listen to the “What We Are For” Episode 47. https://bit.ly/3r87Afm WarDocs- The Military Medicine Podcast is a Non-Profit, Tax-exempt-501(c)(3) Veteran Run Organization run by volunteers. All donations are tax-deductible and go to honoring and preserving the history, experiences, successes, and lessons learned in Military Medicine. A tax receipt will be sent to you. WARDOCS documents the experiences, contributions, and innovations of all military medicine Services, ranks, and Corps who are affectionately called "Docs" as a sign of respect, trust, and confidence on and off the battlefield,demonstrating dedication to the medical care of fellow comrades in arms. Follow Us on Social Media Twitter: @wardocspodcast Facebook: WarDocs Podcast Instagram: @wardocspodcast LinkedIn: WarDocs-The Military Medicine Podcast YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@wardocspodcast
The Drunken Odyssey with John King: A Podcast About the Writing Life
Sophia Ferrara joins John down the rabbit hole of Charlotte Brontë's early private storytelling.
Male friendships are reportedly in a recession, so it seems many men are leaning heavily on their partners for emotional support. Dr Angelica Ferrara coined a term for that, Mankeeping. It explains how women often take on the roll of managing men's social lives, from checking on their friendships to being their sole emotional sounding board. Dr. Ferrara is a visiting fellow at the London School of Economics and her research explains why "Mankeeping" impacts not just men themselves, but everyone around them, especially women. She spoke to Emile.
Starting off hot with two updates in doping cases: first, Jannik Sinner has rehired one of the men responsible for the clostebol contamination. In Tara Moore's case, CAS ruled that the actual beef was legitimate, but the figurative beef with the ITIA, sadly, was not. The DC tournament had outsized buzz this year, thanks to Venus Williams' wild card and surprising performance, owner Mark Ein's boosterism for DC-area tennis, Fernandez's impressive run, and de Minaur's late-stage heroics. Later, we touch on the Canadian Open, coaching drama, some big local retirements, and answer a few fun listener questions. 01:30 Sinner rehires fitness coach Ferrara after a year in timeout 10:35 Tara Moore's case concludes with a 4-year ban 14:20 She's still The Venus Williams 30:25 de Minaur wins a heartbreaker against ADF 33:55 Leylah Fernandez wins biggest career title (+ scheduling complaint in Montreal) 39:50 Canadians in the Canadian Open: retirements, withdrawals, but at least Mboko remains standing! 46:30 Coaching changes: two “supercoaches” constantly putting themselves in the talk 51:30 Listener questions: Toronto recs 57:50 Tournament essentials 62:25 An FMK like no other
Temas:-Análisis de cuadros ATP y WTA Canada 2025-Genie Bouchard se retira-Rune, Tsitsipas y Zverev con nuevos entrenadores-Sinner contrata a Ferrara nuevamente
This week on Labor History Today: author Mark S. Ferrara joins labor educator Linda Donahue to explore the hidden history of the workers who built and lived along the Erie Canal. Based on Ferrara's book The Raging Erie, the conversation uncovers the stories of Native Americans whose land was taken, immigrant laborers who carved the canal by hand, orphan children who worked as mule drivers, and the canallers who helped shape America's expansion westward. As the Erie Canal celebrates its 200th anniversary, this episode shines a light on the hardship, solidarity, and resistance that defined life along its banks—and the enduring legacy of labor beneath the surface of this iconic public project. Click here to enter the Unions Power America sweepstakes; Grand Prize is $40K + a dream holiday trip to NYC, plus, they've got some life-changing cash for First, Second and Third Prizes! Questions, comments, or suggestions are welcome, and to find out how you can be a part of Labor History Today, email us at LaborHistoryToday@gmail.com Labor History Today is produced by the Labor Heritage Foundation and the Kalmanovitz Initiative for Labor and the Working Poor. #LaborRadioPod #History #WorkingClass #ClassStruggle @GeorgetownKILWP #LaborHistory @UMDMLA @ILLaborHistory @AFLCIO @StrikeHistory #LaborHistory @wrkclasshistory
In this sermon, Pastor Tim discusses the attributes of God—His omniscience, omnipotence, and omnipresence—and how these aspects influence our understanding and worship of Him. Pastor Tim emphasizes the importance of having a proper perspective of God, the role of faith, and the necessity of seeking God's wisdom and power in everyday life. The sermon encourages believers to live in alignment with God's will, exhibiting trust and surrender in every area of their lives, while also addressing common doubts and misconceptions about God's nature.For more on LifePoint Church go to lifepointaz.com Find all our links in one easy spot https://linktr.ee/lifepointaz Follow us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/lifepointaz Follow us on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/lifepointchurchaz/
You'd have to be very bad at interviews, or really just conversations, to not get something from Abel Ferrara, who's the perfect combination of endearing and pugnacious, amenable to ideas while unable to entertain even a hint of bullshit. He's especially verbose discussing Turn in the Wound, his most recent documentary, which premiered at last year's Berlinale and is now streaming on the Criterion Channel and parallels the effect of Russia's war on the citizens of Ukraine with, in a slightly opaque but ultimately wise manner, concerts conducted by Patti Smith. Like many of Ferrara's documentaries––Mulberry St., Chelsea on the Rocks, or Piazza Vittorio––it wrings pathos from a concern for people and the places they live. I was only too happy to talk with him about this film and its endless concerns. I also want to note that myself and Instagram sensation Rohmer Fits will be screening Éric Rohmer's A Summer's Tale on Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday of this week's posting. Tickets are here and we hope to see you there: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/amnesiascope-a-tale-of-summer-tickets-1488838077769?aff=oddtdtcreator
Bob Scannell has been the leader of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Dorchester (BGCD) for the past 38 years. BGCD serves over 4,000 youth each year and have over […] The post Bob Scannell, CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of Dorchester (with Mary Kinsella Scannell and Erin Ferrara) appeared first on PLAN of MA and RI.
Credits: 0.25 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ CME/CE Information and Claim Credit: https://www.pri-med.com/online-education/podcast/frankly-speaking-cme-435 Overview: In this episode, we discuss how screen time—from adolescence through adulthood—can disrupt sleep more than we might realize. Hear what the latest research says about topics like blue light and sleep duration, discover practical strategies to sleep smarter in this digital world, and learn how sleep deprivation can impact the health of your patients. Episode resource links: Zhong, C., Masters, M., Donzella, S. M., Diver, W. R., & Patel, A. V. (2025). Electronic Screen Use and Sleep Duration and Timing in Adults. JAMA Network Open, 8(3), e252493-e252493. Liu, Y. (2016). Prevalence of healthy sleep duration among adults—United States, 2014. MMWR. Morbidity and mortality weekly report, 65. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2017). Announcement: sleep awareness week, April 23–29, 2017. Morb Mortal Wkly Rep (MMWR), 66(15), 411. Chaput, J. P., Dutil, C., Featherstone, R., Ross, R., Giangregorio, L., Saunders, T. J., ... & Carrier, J. (2020). Sleep duration and health in adults: an overview of systematic reviews. Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism, 45(10), S218-S231. Hartley, S., Royant-Parola, S., Zayoud, A., Gremy, I., & Matulonga, B. (2022). Do both timing and duration of screen use affect sleep patterns in adolescents?. Plos one, 17(10), e0276226. Salfi, F., Amicucci, G., Corigliano, D., D'Atri, A., Viselli, L., Tempesta, D., & Ferrara, M. (2021). Changes of evening exposure to electronic devices during the COVID-19 lockdown affect the time course of sleep disturbances. Sleep, 44(9), zsab080. He, J. W., Tu, Z. H., Xiao, L., Su, T., & Tang, Y. X. (2020). Effect of restricting bedtime mobile phone use on sleep, arousal, mood, and working memory: a randomized pilot trial. PloS one, 15(2), e0228756. Guest: Mariyan L. Montaque, DNP, FNP-BC Music Credit: Matthew Bugos Thoughts? Suggestions? Email us at FranklySpeaking@pri-med.com
While the crew is on vacation, we revisit this classic from 2017 where Joe Ferarra plays Who Wants to be a Bourbon Millionaire. TBD music is by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Important Links: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/theabvnetwork Our Events Page: bourbonpalooza.com Check us out at: abvnetwork.com. The ABV Barrel Shop: abvbarrelshop.com Join the revolution by adding #ABVNetworkCrew to your profile on social media.
In this week's episode, Elizabeth is joined by Yhasmina Tiphaine Ferrara—fashion and beauty content creator—for an honest, inspiring conversation about rebuilding life from the ground up.At 33, Yhasmina made the life-changing decision to walk away from both a relationship and a career in wedding planning that no longer felt aligned. She shares how that pivotal moment became the catalyst for manifesting and rebuilding her dream life.Yhasmina opens up about finding love and building a fulfilling career in fashion and beauty, all while navigating a complete personal reset. Her story is one of resilience, reinvention, and trusting yourself—even when the path forward is unclear.If you're navigating change, dating in your 30s, or ready to step into a new chapter, this episode will leave you feeling empowered and inspired.Connect with Yhasmina Tiphaine Ferrara:Instagram: @yhasmina.ferraraFollow Us for More:Real Time Heal with Me & Nicole Sachs: https://www.yourbreakawake.com/realtimehealInstagram: @wellnessprocesspodTikTok: @thewellnessprocessProduced by Dear MediaSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.