When Nicky Devlin pounced to nod in his side’s second with 20 minutes to go after Marko Lazetic’s spectacular effort was tipped onto the bar, the home fans matched their side’s energy levels on the park as they hoped for a grandstand finish.
“The positive thing was we were connecting with the fans, showing some desire, passion, and personality on the pitch and fighting for Aberdeen football club,” Thelin said.
“We have to build on this now and learn from this. We always have to go out on the pitch to show how hard we are fighting for them.
“We did that today, the fans pushed the players to the last minute. We have to have that mentality every game. Now we will see the strength of character we have as a team in another important game on Sunday.”
The swell of support inside Pittodrie as they watched their side drive forward in the final half hour will also serve as encouragement for the embattled Thelin, who can take solace from the support within the fan base.
Donetsk are a side that arrived with a reputation for dynamic attacking play, having scored 14 goals in seven domestic league appearances, but Aberdeen matched their drive and zeal when the game was at its most frenetic.
Pigs are flying and Satan has on a puffer jacket. I know these things because the impossible is happening — I am writing about why Marjorie Taylor Greene,Nancy Mace and Lauren Boebert are right.
And why California’s Republican congressional representatives should be ashamed and shamed.
You may know these women as beacons of the far right, maybe even the fringe-right, in Congress. Hailing from Georgia, South Carolina and Colorado, respectively, they have dabbled in QAnon conspiracy theories, including about sex trafficking and powerful pedophiles, among other questionable actions.
But I’ll say this for the trio — they’ve stayed true to their beliefs, even under direct pressure from the White House. So a (limited) shout-out to Greene, Mace and Boebert.
What am I talking about? Jeffrey Edward Epstein, of course (I think he committed enough crimes to earn his middle name included, serial killer style).
Boebert, Mace and Greene are three of only four Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives who have signed a discharge petition (a kind of work-around to bypass leadership) to release the full Epstein files, supposedly containing a trove of information on men who bought and sold sex with teenage girls.
“These are some of the richest, most powerful people in the world that could sue these women into poverty and homelessness,” Greene said at a recent news conference with some of the victims. “Yeah, it’s a scary thing to name names, but I will tell you, I’m not afraid to name names, and so if they want to give me a list, I will walk in that Capitol on the House floor, and I’ll say every damn name that abused these women. I can do that for them.”
And, to my immense shock at having something in common with Greene, I say — that is how it’s done, lady. You go.
Not a single Republican House member from California has backed releasing the Epstein files. Every California Democratic representative has signed. So let’s talk about that.
I am sick of Epstein. Why are you writing this?
Like most of you, I too am tired of hearing endless political chatter about Epstein.
For the blessedly uniformed among you, Epstein was an extremely rich dude. No one is quite sure where all that money came from, but he apparently used a great deal of it to buy influence with powerful men, and sex traffic underage girls — allegedly children as young as 11 .
He died by suicide while in jail in 2019 (lots of conspiracy theories on whether it was in fact suicide) but in 2021 his paramour-partner Ghislaine Noelle Maxwell was also convicted of child sex trafficking and other offenses.
Epstein and Maxwell have ties to Donald Trump, including a much-discussed “birthday book” that honestly I do not care about other than to say, “Ick.” That has made the whole thing an endless political brouhaha.
But many of the many victims of Epstein and Maxwell have called for their information to be released by the Justice Department, which holds more than 100,000 pages of the investigation. They, like survivors of sexual assault everywhere, want accountability, if justice remains elusive. They want names named. They want to stop being afraid, stop being stuck by their pain and their past, and allow the world to decide, if courts won’t, just how much truth they are telling.
These are brave women who were brutalized as children for the pleasure of men with money. They have a right to have their stories known if that’s what they choose.
This is not politics. This is decency.
The California problem
Like Greene, I’m willing to name some names. Here they are — California’s GOP representatives in the House:
Releasing the Epstein files requires only one of them to sign the discharge petition. Just one of these fine representatives from the Golden State could do the right thing, stand for a bipartisan value that Californians of both parties hold — sex trafficking is bad — and show what real leadership looks like.
Anyone? Anyone?
“If Epstein survivors want this information released, it should be released. These women have had the courage to speak out and it’s infuriating that Congress would block release of information — they’d rather help with a cover-up than stand with survivors,” state Assemblymember Maggy Krell (D-Sacramento) told me.
She’s a former state Justice Department prosecutor who specialized in trafficking, and has worked on controversial bipartisan legislation at the Capitol with Republican Sen. Shannon Grove of Bakersfield. That legislation earned her the ire of her own party, but on an issue this important, she did what she believed was right over what was easy.
“Protecting kids and standing up for survivors of human trafficking should not be a partisan issue and in California, we’ve shown it doesn’t have to be,” Krell said.
In fact, the discharge petition in the House is a bipartisan effort — introduced by Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky and our own Ro Khanna of California, a Democrat.
In particular, I’d like to call out Kiley for his hypocrisy. Recently, he introduced a bipartisan sex trafficking bill in Congress that’s a smart idea — the National Human Trafficking Database Act, which would create a database at the Department of Justice that tracks cases across the country. He did it with Reps. Harriet Hageman (R-Wyo) and Hank Johnson (D-Ga). Sens. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) are carrying the bill in the Senate.
“We must do everything we can to prevent human trafficking and having the necessary tools at our disposal will bring us closer to stopping this awful crime,” Kiley said in a press release.
Huh.
Seems like Kiley gets the issue. Seems like he’s saying the right things. And for a guy about to be gerrymandered out of his own district — with his own party not seeming to care — he doesn’t have much to lose by doing the right thing and signing the discharge petition. My email to his office on the topic remains unanswered.
Liz Stein, an Epstein and Maxwell survivor who spoke at the news conference, said (as reported by the 19th News) that her life has never been the same since the abuse started. Since then, it has “felt like someone shut off the lights to my soul.”
There. Is. No. Excuse.
“This is not a partisan issue, but an American issue,” New Mexico Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández, chair of the Democratic Women’s Caucus, said in a press release. “To my Republican colleagues, if these heartbreaking stories aren’t enough, sign the petition for your daughters and for all the women in your lives that you would want protected from pedophiles. Because it’s not just about Epstein, but about all the women and children who are trafficked, abused, sexually assaulted, and ignored in their pain. The survivors today told their stories to not only push for the Epstein files to be released, but for a better future where women and girls are believed and supported, and abusers are held accountable.”
I can’t say it any more directly. Hiding behind politics on this one is the act of a coward.
If you won’t stand up against the rape of children, what do you stand for?
The BBC is set to deliver a Regency drama that’s certain to leave viewers weak at the knees, reports Surrey Live.
Audiences have lavished praise on the period piece, with one eager fan sharing their Rotten Tomatoes review: “Seen this in a movie theater elevates it to another level.
“The top of the top in the romance/drama/comedy genre, and one of the best movies of all times [sic].”
Another elated watcher wrote a glowing second review: “I would have to say, personally, this is the greatest movie I have ever watched.
“The story was so compelling, the characters like no other.”
Further praise came from a third delighted viewer who admitted: “I love every single minute of this movie.”
Netflix will be remaking Pride and Prejudice(Image: FOCUS FEATURES)
Joe Wright’s cinematically gorgeous 2005 version of Pride and Prejudice is slated for arrival on BBCiPlayer this month, just in time for its 20th anniversary celebrations and synchronising with what would have been Jane Austen’s 250th birthday.
This cinematic rendition sparked debate among die-hard Pride and Prejudice aficionados, especially as it followed a decade after the BBC’s much-cherished 1995 series featuring Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle as the definitive Mr Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet.
Firth’s embodiment of Mr Darcy transcended the pages when he later mirrored the iconic role in Bridget Jones’s Diary, amassing an even wider fanbase and solidifying his portrayal as the ultimate Mr Darcy for many.
However, Matthew Macfadyen stepping into the prestigious shoes of Austen’s beloved hero for the 2005 film did stir some dissent among admirers, especially as the actor was known then for his work on Spooks.
Pride and Prejudice (2005) featured an all-star cast(Image: FOCUS FEATURES)
However, his performance alongside Pirates of the Caribbean and Bend It Like Beckham star Keira Knightley, who played Elizabeth Bennet, managed to win over even the most doubtful critics.
Wright’s Hollywood rendition boasted stunning cinematography, featuring expansive shots of the English countryside, including a memorable scene of Lizzy perched on a cliff in the Peak District.
Complementing the striking visuals was the enchanting score by Italian composer Dario Marianelli.
For those unfamiliar with Austen’s classic, Pride and Prejudice follows the spirited Lizzy and her sisters as they navigate societal expectations to secure their futures through marriage.
Despite their mother Mrs Bennet’s, portrayed by Brenda Blethyn of Vera fame, frantic attempts at matchmaking, several of the Bennet sisters do find a match.
Amidst all this, Lizzy defies convention by seeking a marriage based on love rather than wealth.
Her initial awkward interaction with Mr Darcy sets them both on a transformative journey that challenges their preconceived notions and changes them irrevocably.
Pride and Prejudice (2005) remains a firm favourite(Image: FOCUS FEATURES)
Pride and Prejudice boasted an impressive cast including Rosamund Pike, the late Donald Sutherland, Carey Mulligan, Talulah Riley, Jena Malone, Tom Hollander and Rupert Friend.
The film is certainly worth revisiting before Netflix’s upcoming adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, which will feature Emma Corrin as Elizabeth Bennet, Jack Lowden as Mr Darcy and Olivia Colman as Mrs Bennet.
Netflix has assured that the upcoming series will be a true-to-source, classic adaptation of the novel, with Dolly Alderton, author of Everything I Know About Love, handling the scriptwriting.
Filming for Netflix’s Pride and Prejudice is set to take place in the UK this year.
Pride and Prejudice (2005) will be streaming on the BBC iPlayer from May 26
