text:
Q: How can I redirect to my youtube subscription page in Greasemonkey? I don't want to see distracting youtube recommendations on my start screen, I just want to be redirected to my subscription page whenever I go to the / path of youtube.
I tried to redesign the youtube page in my DOM by using javascript to redirect from the / path to the /feed/subscriptions path automatically.
I created the following script, which unfortunately only works on page reload.
// ==UserScript==
// @name        YT redir /home -> /sub
// @match       https://www.youtube.com/*
// @grant       none
// @run-at      document-start
// @version     1.0
// @author      -
// @description 5/30/2020, 12:16:13 PM
// ==/UserScript==

var current_location = location.pathname;
if(current_location == "/"){
     window.location.replace("https://youtube.com/feed/subscriptions")
}

I expected this script to also work when I browse youtube and click on the home or youtube logo button. However it only works on page reload.
How can I make this script work without having to reload youtube?
To work around this problem to achieve the same goal I tried to just replace the href attribute of the home button and the logo button.
// ==UserScript==
// @name        YT test
// @match       https://www.youtube.com/*
// @grant       none
// @run-at      document-start
// @version     1.0
// @author      -
// @description 5/30/2020, 12:16:13 PM
// ==/UserScript==

document.getElementById("endpoint").href="/feed/subscriptions";
document.getElementById("endpoint").removeAttribute('class');
document.getElementById("logo").href="/feed/subscriptions";
document.getElementById("logo").removeAttribute('class');

However, although these commands work in the JS console, they do not take effect as greasemonkey script even if I put the run-at attribute to document-end.
How can I make these changes automatic via Greasemonkey?

A: Problems:

*

*YouTube pages have multiple elements with the same id in one document, which is a violation of the HTML standard, so document.getElementById("logo") will find the wrong one. You can use document.querySelector('a#logo') instead.

*The page is built dynamically using JavaScript so the elements may appear long time after DOMContentLoaded event has occurred. You can use MutationObserver (may be resource-consuming) or setTimeout/setInterval (not precise).

*YouTube site is a SPA (single page application) which imitates navigation by using History API but userscripts are executed only on real navigation.

Solution:
There could be many solutions, arguably, but I suggest using a simple click listener in capture phase (the third parameter of addEventListener is true) so that you don't have to depend on the exact selector for the element, which may change unpredictably when the site code updates in the future.
// ==UserScript==
// @name        YT redir /home -> /sub
// @match       https://www.youtube.com/*
// @grant       none
// @run-at      document-start
// ==/UserScript==

if (location.pathname === '/') {
  location.pathname = '/feed/subscriptions';
}
window.addEventListener('click', e => {
  const a = e.target.closest('a');
  if (a && a.href === 'https://www.youtube.com/') {
    a.pathname = '/feed/subscriptions';
    a.className = '';
  }
}, true);

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Whether traveling for business or for fun, the Courtyard by Marriott Austin Airport Hotel has what you need to make the most of your stay. We are conveniently located off of East Ben White Boulevard and Riverside Drive, just 1 mile west of the Austin Bergstrom International Airport and only a short distance from the Circuit of the Americas, Texas State Capitol, Bob Bullock History Museum, The University of Texas, 6th Street, the Austin Convention Center and McKinney Falls State Park. Our 1,300 square feet of contemporary meeting space includes two meeting rooms with on-site catering. Our guest rooms feature Marriott's contemporary design, plush bedding packages, complimentary wired and wireless internet, complimentary airport shuttle, and the Courtyard Cafe featuring a full hot breakfast buffet seven days a week and lunch and dinner Monday-Friday. Come experience this one of a kind Courtyard in Austin featuring a full service bar open Monday-Friday and beautifully landscaped outdoor courtyard and gazebo. We look forward to welcoming you.


text:
Fury as customers pick up parcels themselves after huge backlog at Leeds Yodel depot
Pictures show huge piles of parcels piled up inside the depot at Gildersome
Phoebe TonksReporter
A backlog of parcels has been spotted at Yodel's Gildersome depot in Leeds (Image: Jessica Johnson)
Get the latest news from all parts of our city - sign up for our free email newsletter
Customers from across Leeds have expressed their frustration and anger this week as their parcel deliveries from courier company Yodel have been hit with repeated delays.
The company's Gildersome depot in Leeds has been inundated with parcels in the run up to the holidays, but many customers have still not received their deliveries despite paying for upgraded services.
One customer, Jessica Johnson even arrived to personally collect her parcel after it failed to turn up, despite having paid for next day delivery.
For the latest news and updates from Leeds click here.
She said: "I went to Yodel to personally collect my parcel as I had paid for next day delivery but it hadn't arrived."
"I was at the depot for around an hour waiting for three guys to look for my parcel."
It was during this wait, that Jessica spotted a huge stack of parcels awaiting delivery.
Yet she isn't the only one experiencing problems. Another customer also faced a similar situation according to complaints posted online.
One customer said: "I paid extra for next day delivery, to not get it next day because of this, but I can't complain at the company as it's the delivery company's fault, but they're understaffed so there's nothing they can do either. (It's) a little frustrating."
"I never have any problems with Yodel if I'm in," said another customer.
"But if I ever miss a delivery and reschedule it on their system, it always ends up going missing. It's happened to at least five parcels over the past twelve months."
Another had been waiting for her parcel since last month. "I've been waiting since 28th November," she said in a recent Facebook comment.
"And all you get from Yodel web chat is due to weather conditions they have a backlog."
Others had even reported order cancellations, as parcels had been lost in transit.
"This is why my order got cancelled," said one disgruntled customer. "Said it had been lost in transit and now I've had to reorder."
Despite the frustration and inconvenience however, others have been more sympathetic to the plight of drivers as they are inundated with extra parcels over the festive period.
One customer said: "Just bear in mind some drivers are working 12-14 hours a day. It's the sheer volume coming in that's the problem."
Another also added: " All couriers are the same. Not the driver's fault, remember that, it's more the powers that be. Not enough time/drivers to get it all out."
A Yodel spokesperson said: "Due to recent adverse weather conditions across the UK, we are managing a slight disruption to our delivery network in Yorkshire.
Enter your postcode to see local issues near you
"The safe and timely delivery of parcels remains our number one priority and we expect any delays to be resolved in the coming days.
"We do not anticipate any further disruption to our services over the festive period."
To get the latest email updates from LeedsLive, click here.
Christmas in Leeds
Met Office issues Leeds with severe 17-hour weather warning amid fears of huge disruption
LeedsPeople in Leeds have been warned to drive carefully with thick fog predicted by the Met Office

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
CREATE SCHEMA application
  AUTHORIZATION postgres;

SET SCHEMA 'application';

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Good job. Congratulations on your first bow buck.
Congrats on your first.Your ruined now.Keep up the good work.
Congrats again bro! What broad head were you using?
congratulations! thats a great first bow buck.
That's awesome, congrats on a nice buck !!
Congrats man the first one is always a great memory!
Sounds like a fun hunt! Congratulations!


text:
Looming Brisbane exit starting to hit Hunt
Eden Richards
Mon 7 Aug 2017, 06:00 AM
Brisbane Broncos utility Ben Hunt admits his impending departure from the club has finally started to hit him as finals football fast approaches.
The 27-year-old will leave Red Hill at season's end after agreeing to join the St George Illawarra Dragons on a five-year deal estimated to be worth more than $1 million a season.
It will be the first time Hunt has played for another NRL club after starting his rise to first grade with Brisbane in 2008, winning the inaugural National Youth Competition Player of the Year award in that same year.
Hunt then went on to make his first-grade debut at the Broncos in 2009 and has now played almost 200 NRL matches for the club.
Three Australian Test caps and one game for the Queensland Maroons add to his achievements while at the Broncos, and if his performance on Saturday night is anything to go by Hunt is a real chance for further representative honours in the future.
Hunt was outstanding in Brisbane's 54-0 win over the Gold Coast Titans on Saturday, shifting to hooker in the absence of Andrew McCullough who is out for the season with a knee injury.
Match Draw Widget
[2017] Telstra Premiership - Round 22: Titans vs Broncos
McCullough and Hunt have played together since their days in the NYC and for Hunt it was McCullough's injury that put everything in perspective.
"It's starting to feel a bit real. 'Macca' got injured and it sunk in a bit that that's the last game I'll play with him here," Hunt said.
"It just made everything sort of come at me real quick. I realise now it's going to be over real soon.
"I just want to leave everything I have on the field and do my best for this team while I still can."
The Titans saw just how good Hunt's best can be, with the Broncos livewire scoring three tries and setting up two others as he and his team ran riot.
Fantasy Widget
[2017] Hunt Ben - Broncos
More Url:
The performance has sent a warning to the rest of the competition and Hunt is now dreaming of a premiership farewell, but he knows there is still a lot of work to do.
"We have a lot to work on but we have a great team here. If we can put it all together and play the brand of footy I know we can then I know we'll give [the competition] a good shake-up," he said.
A lot of that will depend on Hunt's form in the dummy-half role, but for now he is confident he can do the job coach Wayne Bennett wants from him.
"Getting your hands on the ball first is always pretty good. You have control of where the ball goes and who should be getting it so a lot sort of rests on your shoulders in that regard. You just have to make sure you go to the right people," Hunt said of his new responsibilities at hooker.
"I want to go out and chance my arm when I can. That way I can try and contribute as much as I can in attack because I know I'm not Andrew McCullough in defence."
Next up for the Broncos is a Friday night blockbuster against the fourth-placed Cronulla Sharks at Suncorp Stadium.
Ben's new role puts Brisbane in the Hunt
Simple key to Broncos' romp
Hunt stars as Broncos thrash Titans
Titans v Broncos: Five key points
Round 1 rewind: Yow Yeh scores on debut
Memorable games of 2021: Ending finals chances
Sat 05 Aug, 2017
Taylor battling injury ahead of Broncos clash


text:
Q: calculate angle when delta x = 0,001 I'm busy with a homework assignment (differentiating), and I don't understand it because the book has no explanation given. In the book it says:
"Show that when your calculator is on the setting RAD(radians) and $\Delta x = 0.001$, that the angle of the slope of $O(0,0)$ to $y=\sin x$ is about 45°"
I don't know how to put my calculator on the RAD setting.
What I tried was $\tan^{-1}(\frac{\sin 0.001}{0.001})$, because $\frac{\Delta y}{\Delta x}$ is how u calculate the slope, and I thought that when u get the inverse tangent of the slope you get the angle.
I don't get 45° as my answer when I tick it into my calculator.
What am I doing wrong?
Please don't use symbols in your answers, I hardly know any.
Can someone edit my question into LaTeX?
Edit:
How come the arctan of 1 on my calculator doesn't return 45 but 0.7853...
Edit 2:
When I put it back on degrees mode and I take the arctan of 1 it returns 45. My question is solved, but can someone explain why the arctan is different in radians mode?
More importantly can someone explain why I need to put it on radians mode?

A: If you compute $\frac{\sin 0.001}{0.001}$ on your calculator, you should get $\approx 1$. $\arctan$ of that is $45$ degrees or $\frac{\pi}{4}$ in radians.


text:
Sport Aurora Constitution & ByLaws
View the Constitution
Sport Aurora Anti-Harassment and Discrimination Policy
Sport Aurora is committed to providing a happy and satisfying work environment in which all individuals are treated with respect and dignity. Each individual has the right to work in a professional atmosphere that promotes equal employment opportunities and prohibits discriminatory practices, including harassment. Therefore, this organization expects that all relationships among persons in the workplace will be business-like and free of bias, prejudice and harassment.
View the policy
Sport Aurora Code of Conduct and Conflict of Interest Policy
Sport Aurora has a relationship of trust with its partners (including, but not limited to, government, provincial sport organizations, national sport organizations, educational institutions, private businesses, event contractors and the community) due to the personal and often sensitive nature of financial, and other business-related information. Representatives of our partners have the legal right to expect their confidentiality will be protected.
The preservation of partner confidentiality is inherent in all duties and responsibilities performed by an employee, contractor or volunteer. This pertains to, but is not limited to the following: the fact that a partner has a relationship with the Sport Aurora, information of partner records, documents or e-mails and any information overheard or discussed regarding a partner.
The obligation not to disclose confidential partner information exists both during and subsequent to employment with Sport Aurora
Any information to which an employee, contractor or volunteer may have access to during the course of his/her employment including personal employee, contractor or volunteer information is considered confidential. This includes, but it not limited to Human resources information such as performance appraisals, disciplinary actions, job application information and Sport Aurora financial or budgetary information.
This information will not be discussed or shared with anyone, both during and subsequent to employment with Sport Aurora other than those with a legitimate right to know, where there is doubt, the Board of Directors will decide.
Disclosure of partner, employee, contractor or volunteer information by an employee, contractor or volunteer without proper authorization is regarded as a violation of the employee's, contractor's or volunteer's obligations and will result in disciplinary action up to and including termination of employment or affiliation with Sport Aurora, and may also result in legal action being taken by Sport Aurora and others.
Sport Aurora Complaints Procedure Policy
Complaints and appeals are managed fairly, efficiently and effectively. SPORT AURORA creates an environment where our staff and partners' views are valued.
Any person who wishes to make a complaint against SPORT AURORA, concerning staff or board member conduct shall have access to the complaints procedure.
All formal complaints will be heard and decided on within 15 working days of receiving the written complaint. The designated person will keep a Complaints Register which documents all formal complaints and their resolution..
This policy will be reviewed on an annual basis.


May serve to protect the cytosol against cysteine protease molecules released by damaged intracellular vesicles. Inhibits papain and soluble trophozoite extract.
Below are the list of possible Amoebiasin products. If you cannot find the target and/or product is not available in our catalog, please click here to contact us and request the product or submit your request for custom elisa kit production, custom recombinant protein production or custom antibody production. Custom ELISA Kits, Recombinant Proteins and Antibodies can be designed, manufactured and produced according to the reer's specifications.
Also known as Amoebiasin-1 (Cysteine protease inhibitor 1) (EhICP1) (ICP-1).
Also known as Amoebiasin-2 (Cysteine protease inhibitor 2) (EhICP2) (ICP-2).


text:
Vogue App
Vogue Archive
Vogue Podcast
Inside Gwyneth Paltrow's Latest Wellness Adventure: Bee Sting Therapy
Elizabeth Varnell
Photographed by Irving Penn, Vogue, December 1995
Ever the wellness adventurer, Gwyneth Paltrow recently caught our attention when she said she'd experimented with bee stings, a painful but ancient technique said to reduce inflammation and skin scarring.
While the bee-related health benefits of honey, royal jelly, and pollen are well known, bee venom is more of a mystery. Certainly, this more extreme form of apitherapy, utilizing melittin, the active compound in bee venom with anti-inflammatory properties, is not for everyone—after all, it can cause anaphylactic shock or even (in extreme cases) strokes in those who are allergic. Still, for centuries, homeopaths have used live bees, placed on tender areas of the body or acupuncture points (either alone or with acupuncture needles), to treat a range of skin maladies and their underlying causes. Now venom can be stored for strategic injections, and the area can be numbed beforehand and precisely targeted. Homeopaths are currently still the biggest advocates and practitioners of apitherapy, though many M.D.s and specialists say they are keeping an eye on studies involving the practice.
New York dermatologist Jeannette Graf, M.D., says rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis (MS), skin lesions, and chronic hives are all conditions that may benefit from strategic bee stings. These ailments often involve direct immune system attacks on tissue including skin or nerves. "Bee venom has the potential to help minimize symptoms—the science isn't really there yet, but there's potential for things that don't respond to Western medicine," Graf says. W. Clay Jackson, M.D., vice president of the board at the American Academy of Pain Management, agrees that melittin can be useful for nerve pain, MS, and arthritis, though he warns that stings or injections should be used alongside drug therapies that have been proven to slow the degenerative conditions. "Bee venom should be a complementary treatment, not the only treatment," he says.
In any case, it's a phenomenon worth keeping an eye on—but discuss it with your doctor before you get stung.
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text:
Оно́нськ () — село у складі Олов'яннинського району Забайкальського краю, Росія. Адміністративний центр Ононського сільського поселення.

Населення
Населення — 635 осіб (2010; 705 у 2002).

Національний склад (станом на 2002 рік):
 росіяни — 85 %

Джерела

Примітки

Посилання
 На Вікімапії

Населені пункти Олов'яннинського району
Села Забайкальського краю

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


"Willing to have a vote... tomorrow morning"
Thank you, John Barrasso of Wyoming, for basically condemning us to a full night of this. Come on, Obama. Thursday is supposed to be my day off, but Pam is making me come in to file with Linda. Just pick up your White House phone and do two things: answer Rand's question; let all those pizza deliverymen into the chamber.


text:
coppr
distilleries to visit
Krupnikas
Submit a distillery
copprWhisk(e)yEngland
England, like Scotland, has a history of producing single malt whisky. However, the production of English single malt whisky ceased around 1905 with the closure of Lea Valley Distillery by the Distillers Company Limited, one of the forerunners of Diageo.
In the 1887 book The Whisky Distilleries of the United Kingdom by Alfred Barnard, the following English distilleries were listed:
Lea Valley Distillery, Stratford, London (founded in the late 19th century) — produced both grain and malt whisky.
Bank Hall Distillery (Liverpool) — produced grain and malt whisky
Bristol Distillery (founded in the 17th century) — produced grain whisky which was "sent to Scotland and Ireland to make a Blended Scotch and Irish whisky, for whisky purpose it is specially adapted, and stands in high favour".
Vauxhall Distillery in Liverpool (founded in 1781) — produced grain whisky
In 2003, St Austell Brewery & Healey Cyder Farm announced the first production of a "Cornish" single malt whisky in 300 years. Although no substantial evidence exists that whisky was ever produced in Cornwall, it was the first commercial whisky to be produced in England in almost a century. The partnership released a seven-year-old whisky in September 2011.
The English Whisky Co. Ltd, founded by farmer James Nelstrop in 2006, started production and released a three-year-old product in 2009. This has been followed by sequentially numbered Chapter bottlings with varied alcohol by volume and flavour profiles.
The Adnams Brewery in October 2010 began production of vodka and gin, but in 2011 started to lay down stock of new spirit to be aged into single malt whisky.
In 2013 The London Distillery Company began production of the first single malt whisky in London since Lea Valley Distillery closed in 1903.
Two other English distilleries also producing whisky as of 2014 are The Lakes Distillery and the Cotswolds Distillery.
Adnam's Copper HouseCooper KingCopper RivetCotswoldDartmoor WhiskySpirit of YorkshireSt George'sThe Lakes
This article uses material from the Wikipedia article English whisky, which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0.
This site is not owned or affiliated to any of the distilleries listed. I am not involved in any capacity in the whisk(e)y, drinks or alcohol industries. This site is a purely personal effort to compile a list of distilleries I can visit.
This content is intended only for those over the legal drinking age in their country. Please share mindfully. For the facts:
www.drinkaware.co.uk
coppr | Distilleries To Visit
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It represents an EU-wide cross-sectoral partnership on innovation-related challenges and considers not only the impacts of social and technological innovation, but also the types of actors involved and their inherent interests. It thus effectively integrates the perspectives of civil society, SMEs, industry, policy stakeholders, and leading academics. This collaboration investigates the scope of sustainable innovation as a societal phenomenon and enables the elaboration of an assessment framework of sustainable innovation practices, whose application can be successfully integrated into public policy developments. CASI includes a rich and intensive set of activities carried out across the EU. Based on a carefully designed methodology, CASI will identify and describe sustainable innovation cases through a collaborative analytical process (mapping). More than 160 innovative practices from around the EU will provide a rich qualitative perspective and will serve as the basis for focused analysis, comparison and contrasting.
Through the process of mapping, practices representing unique social and technological innovations will be considered separately in order to inquire into specific factors of, as well as consequences for, sustainability vis-à-vis social and business-oriented challenges. Key players and stakeholders will also be identified through this process, as well as how they are affected by (or are affecting) policy-making. CASI will provide rich opportunities and various venues for stakeholders to engage in focused debates on sustainable innovation – on the role of innovation for sustainability, on enhancing the understanding of sustainability within the innovation context, as well as on policy developments that will ensure opportunities for continuing innovation in the context of sustainability.
Based on the combination of the different analytic approaches, CASI will develop a Common Framework for Assessment and Management of Sustainable Innovation (CFAMSI), and will test its application on issues of sustainability through cases of social and technological innovation, and additional in-depth qualitative research of relevant actors, policy and business models, and societal responses.


text:
.. highlight:: rst

License
========

The climlab package and associated documentation is freely available under MIT License

.. include:: ../../LICENSE
   :literal:


Video is king (why use video?). Click here.
Video is an effective way to convey your marketing message by unleashing the power of visual imagery. Attenburrow Aerial Survey and Film can produce videos to enhance your web site and support your marketing campaign through capturing potential customers' attention, generating interest and motivating them to discover more. We specialise in making short 'show reels' that capture the essence of your business and promote it to your potential customers. As Attenburrow Aerial Survey and Film specialise in using light weight, high quality, 4K resolution equipment – we can offer a high end product at affordable prices.
The brief: To produce a short video to promote Bramfield House School.
The brief: To produce a short film that captured the Trans Alps Mountain Bike Race to show sponsors.
The brief: To produce a short video that showed the facilities of The Cut Arts Centre that could be hired. The Cut Arts Centre, is rurally positioned and needs to reach out to its customers.
Contact: Mark Attenburrow to discuss your marketing needs in relation to video or aerial photographic requirements.


text:
Malgrat Turisme > Blog > News > The Catalan Traditions in Malgrat de Mar
The Commercial Area of Malgrat de Mar
Live Christmas in Malgrat de Mar
The Festivity of Sant Nicolau in Malgrat de Mar
Enjoy the sport in Malgrat de Mar
Gastronomic Journeys in Malgrat de Mar
The Catalan Traditions in Malgrat de Mar
Visiting a land and discovering its cultural idiosyncrasies is what every traveler of the twenty-first century aspires to, and in this sense, Catalan land is full of endearing celebrations and traditions that Malgrat de Mar welcomes in its population.
There are cultural manifestations typical of Catalonia such as Sardana, its traditional dance; the Catalonia's Day, the celebration of the national day of Catalonia; or Els Castellers, which are present at major acts and parties, but there are also other traditions that are part of part of live parties, such as Caga Tió at the traditional Christmas party.
The day of Catalonia, on September 11, remembers the brave defense of Barcelona after 14 months of siege, which ended with a sad end to the people of Barcelona. Every year, throughout Catalonia, there are reminders of this day with floral offerings and institutional events. In Malgrat de Mar, September 11th begins with a sung song of the Atzavara Choir and the choirs of the Aula Contrapunt, and a poem reading by the Poetry Group of the Cooperative's Library, all in front of the Malgrat de Mar Town Hall. Both acts end with the hoisting of the flag, the national flag of Catalonia. Next, the traditional flower offering is made by entities and associations in the Parc de Can Campassol, which ends with the reading of a manifesto. And finally, the day also ends at the Can Campassol Park with the sardana dance organized by the Sardana Association Malgratenca La Barretina.
Sardana, the traditional emblematic dance of Catalonia, has an ancestral origin in the tradition of dancing by taking hold of hands. In the sixteenth century is the first written reference we find, and until the nineteenth century we can not find it renewed according to the current parameters (composition, accounts and accompaniment of the instrumental group, La Cobla). At the beginning of the 20th century, it had a great popularity, and nowadays, Ballads, Sardanist Colles Contests, and the appreciated Aplecs de la Sardana (Meeting of Sardanes Colles) are organized in all the towns of Catalonia. In Malgrat de Mar, and thanks to the Sardanist Association Malgratenca La Barretina, the tradition of dancing Sardanes is still alive, and throughout the year they are organized at different times. In 2019, in Malgrat de Mar, you can dance Sardanas on September 8, participate in the Vigil Aplec day on October 5, and enjoy the 45th Aplec de la Sardana, on Sunday, October 6. And if you are bold, on December 8 you can participate in the 47th Improvised Colles Contest! All these Sardanist acts, organized in the Parc de Can Campassol of Malgrat de Mar.
One of the most well-known traditional Catalan manifestations anywhere and outside the Catalan territory are Els Castellers, the great revelation of recent years in Catalonia. A genuine cultural manifestation derived from a dance that ended with the takeoff of a human tower. Since the 90's the tradition has spread throughout the whole of Catalonia, and in 2010 they were recognized as Unesco's Intangible Cultural Heritage. The ever more complete human towers are known, valued and appreciated also outside the Catalan territory. In Malgrat de Mar, the relationship with the Castellers has been consolidated since 2013 when the Colla de Castellers de l'Alt Maresme, the "Maduixots", was set up, which with great pride raises human towers, which are increasingly complex.
And we have to talk about the beloved Caga Tió, a deeply rooted Catalan tradition that has its origin in the desire to show the children the love of nature, the need to take care of the environment so that it can return to us Fruits form these cures. In rural societies, a trunk of the forest was chosen, and for some days it was kept warm from the cold winter, and was fed and cared for. Then, on Christmas Eve, he was spoiled by singing a song, and finally, Tió gave good food. Nowadays, tradition has evolved, and Tió "caga" gifts to children, although it is maintained that the previous days must be taken care of by giving it food so that it can crawl later. In Malgrat de Mar, with other Catalan towns, the City Council offers children the possibility of shaking Tió in the Church Square.
Come to Malgrat de Mar and discover the most ingrained Catalan traditions in our territory!
Tags: castellers, catalan dances, catalan fests, catalan tradition, Christmas Malgrat, Malgrat de Mar, sardana


text:
Tag Archives: Shirt
All you need are two pints, the internet and a credit card. Can anyone swap Osca for Tracy?
Christmas Eve 2021. Mayhem and chaos run amok outside. Boris has just been on the radio telling people that the best gift you can give this year is the booster jab. F the f off you f'ing f and then f off some more with your patronising bullsh*t. Besides, we all know that the best gift would be the Brentford Adidas 80-81 home shirt, although the chances of finding one of those are about as slim as, well, no analogy needed. Please note: we would also accept the Osca 1983 shirt in any size beyond 'spray on'. Or perhaps just Terry Hurlock's phone number. Yet with football on pause until the festive pile up of Brighton, Manchester City and Aston Villa (we hope…..) let's take stock.
They must be out there, somewhere? I'm too scared to approach Terry Hurlock though
The chance of being able to afford any football kit for the foreseeable has long gone. Primarily because the spare change has been spent on Christmas presents. And stupidity. Thankfully, Brentford have chosen to roll the current home shirt into next season and so that's a few quid in the back pocket already. Although looking through the Umbro back catalogue for next week's Manchester City programme, here's hoping Kitman Bob has taken note of their previous templates when selecting our away / third kits for 2022. My word, they're just stunning. Umbro rather than Manchester City. Although also Manchester City.
The stupidity, I can only lay at my own doorstep. It's long been said that the internet or, at least, mobile phones should come with a built in breathalyser. Some sort of sign to warn: You are too dumb to use this device safely. Don't send that text message. Don't make that call. Don't visit that online auction website. If you aren't safe to drive you certainly aren't safe to use anything that may commit you to flashing the plastic at a later, more sober, date. It all sounds so obvious, in hindsight. In the cold light of day.
Yet an early December evening spent in The Griffin, a very heavily Guinness infused evening, talking football, shirts and other such Brentford related nostalgia ended up with a wobble home and yours truly noodling around the darker recesses of the internet. Not like that.
Instead, it was the usual search around the various shirt sites in case one of the aforementioned holy grails had turned up. It hadn't, of course. It never does. But, if nothing else, the more generic auction rooms sometimes have shirt related curios. And other things too.
Oh dear. Other things. The combination of a cyber-space wormhole and alcohol fuelled Christmas nostalgia meant that once the search for shirts proved fruitile (a combination of fruitless and futile) it would seem I just carried on looking. As you do. Until apparently bidding on a few other items. And I say apparently because this part was promptly forgotten about until an emailed invoice arrived at the end of last week, confirming that one of my bids had been successful.
Crap. What bid? Where? When? Checks invoice. Ah, that bid. Yes, it all came flooding back. And there was no ebay style 'just ignore it' option available, given they already had my card detail hard coded in.
There was no choice. The contract had to be honoured. Payment was made. The only saving grace being that with the auction house just down the road from the in-laws, at least they were able to pick it all up rather than add crippling postage to the already brutal 'hammer fees'.
And so yesterday, it arrived. Or should I say, they arrived. Boxes of random toys. James Bond cars. Thunderbirds spacecraft and the year's most in demand, must have Christmas gift. That is, if the year was 1993. Groan. Tracy Island, anyone?
So if anybody fancies swapping Tracy for Osca, I'll be in the Griffin for the Christmas Day pint tomorrow. Probably paid for from the pennies pot. And definitely not going online afterwards.
Have a great day, stay safe, enjoy Brighton and remember…..don't drink and bid.
Tags: Adidas, auction, Bees, Beesotted, Brentford, Brentford FC, Brighton, Championship, football, kit, Manchester City, Matthew Benham, Osca, Shirt, Thunderbirds
Categories Brentford, Brighton, Manchester City
Next season's home shirt revealed early and could this be the 'away' ?
Thursday morning. The usual eye in the storm of matchday build up. With Brentford not playing Everton until Sunday afternoon and the Newcastle game having been done to death, tools should have been downed. Cripes, we don't even have the GPG's exclusive fan led interview of Thomas Frank to catch up on as yet (although I understand that is currently in the process of being written up – type faster, Trevor). Then, last night, there was kit news. Big kit news. Next season's shirt has already been revealed. Spoiler alert, it's going to be this season's. And a massive clue dropped about what we'll be wearing on our travels. Get into your Tardis, channel your inner Liverpool 'away' and prepare to head back to the late 80s. Even better, we've already been treated to an artist's impression of what what may look thanks to the amazing powers of the people behind @BeesShirts on Twitter.
Yess!!! Next season's kit is revealed. It's this season's
The kit 'reveal' dropped yesterday afternoon. There was the story on 'official' and an email in the inbox. Chief executive Jon Varney telling us that in line with our core values, the club are listening to the supporters and even thinking about the environment.
"Whilst it is not normal practice for Premier League clubs to roll a kit over for two seasons, fans have told us that they would be in favour of the savings that a two-season shirt would provide. This season, our membership of The Premier League means that the income we receive from broadcast and commercial partnerships far outweighs the income we can generate from retail, therefore now is the perfect time for us to try something different without it having a material impact on our revenue."
It's a lengthy piece explains all the good reasons for doing this whilst also confirming that the sponsors would seem to remain in place, too, with Reg concluding: "I would like to thank Umbro for their support of this idea and also Hollywoodbets and SafetyCulture whose commitment to multiple-year relationships have made this opportunity possible."
For me, Clive, the chance to save £50 is a wonderful one. I love a kit reveal as much as the next fan. Likewise, the chance to add to the vast array of red and white hanging tin the wardrobe that have been accumulated over the years. At the same time, money is way tight at present and so means that, short of an absolute horror show, opting for 'away and/or 'third' next season becomes a slightly simpler choice. If it helps the environment then all the better although if Brentford are serious about this as a club then how about we get rid of the single use plastic bottles from the matchday catering, too?
Yet the key takeaway from this was squirrelled away deep into the article. One line that caused this kit nerd to go off the deep end and the aforementioned @Beesshirts to do their thing. It was the declaration that: "We hope the new away shirt design will excite our fans who remember the 80's and early 90's, whilst the new third shirt is designed very much for the future!"
On the assumption that the chief exec knows his history, this can only mean a variant on either the Chad kit worn when we gained our one season promotion in '92 or the Funky Bee equivalent. Blue on blue being our continual away variant over this entire period until the fractal blues of Hummel's wonder shirt put in an appearance.
So many good memories gained whilst wearing these colours. Division three at its best. And worst. That cup run. Liverpool. Winning at Fulham. Nice work, Bliss 😉 Obviously, promotion. Indeed, when I wrote a piece about our best ever away shirts – and I caveat this massively with the fact it was done prior to us being gifted the sheer beauty of brown/orange – the Chad version came out on top.
This is wonderful news if true. Absolutely wonderful. Short of going 'sash' or Jaffa cake (hey, there's always the 'third' kit to come) about as good as it gets. Even better, we now have that glimpse of how it may look. Oh to have such talent rather than my own shoddy photoshop. Oh to have these as our new choice of colours on the road. It may turn out to look something like this or, of course, we may have been sent off on a wild goose chase. However, if true then Brentford official may aswell just show us now. I mean, we've all guessed anyway. And if the Funky Bee or castle put in an appearance, somehow, then all the better.
Until then, marvel at these designs. Check out their website, too. And if you want anything match related, there's the player piece here.
..and the modern take
There's even room for the Funky Bee….
..and a Centenary special for @NickBruzon pic.twitter.com/WegWbHNXbi
— Brentford Shirts (@BeesShirts) November 24, 2021
The original and a personal favourite. At least, until the Jaffa cake became a genuine contender…
A present for my 21st birthday and still worth to this day
Tags: Bees, Beesotted, blue, Brentford, Brentford FC, Everton, football, kit, launch, Liverpool, Newcastle United, news, Premier League, reveal, Shirt, The Bees, umbro
Categories Brentford, Everton, Liverpool, Newcastle United
Looking sharp for the Manchester United game. And beyond..
Fair to say we're now up to our, err, elbows in pre-season prep for the Premier League. The weekend gone saw queues all the way around the block for the launch of the new Brentford kits (something likened by many to our lining up in the snow when Chelsea FA cup tickets went on sale first time around). There was the behind closed doors friendly defeat of Watford, with Ivan Toney picking up where he left off last season and then this evening Manchester United welcome the top flight's third placed club in another warm up game.
Prove otherwise
We've already spoken about the new kit on these pages – you can find that one here – but the good news being that up close and personal it looks better than those launch photos. Dare I say it, ten times…? The away, certainly.
Going past the club shop last Thursday evening on the way to H's swimming lesson, our cycle up Braemar Road coincided with the mannequins being arranged in the window. But enough about the Birmingham City defence. There they were. Plastic models (but enough abou…), bedecked head to foot in what we'll be wearing over the forthcoming campaign. The relief was palpable.
First sighting of new #BrentfordFC kits in club shop window.
A lot happier after seeing them 'for real'.
Sponsor doesn't look as jarring and away is 👍👍.
Goalkeeper's socks would go well with a pair of walking boots pic.twitter.com/8Rx4RpIZQL
— Nick Bruzon (@NickBruzon) July 22, 2021
Our away looks gorgeous. Discreet chevron shading running through the design whilst the home, whilst still sadly bereft of our own black trim, at least seems to have toned down the awful look of the sponsor that greeted the initial reveal. Perhaps it had been photoshopped in after the launch phots were taken. As if that would ever happen. Who knows?
Certainly the queues that ran all the way around the block and the huge wait for printing were testament to the popularity. Kudos to Chris and the team running the laminator. A three hour wait from start to finish to complete our order from going in. "Ah, we'll just stroll up at 9 o'clock," I casually said to Mrs Bruzon and H.
Hmmmm….The queue went from bus stop to bus stop. Griffin Park down to the New Road 65 shelter and beyond. It really was like taking a throwback to League One. Most of our time was spent waiting to even get access although the usual bonhomie that greets such occasions was alive and well. There's nothing like the thought of needing your shirt to travel to Manchester United the following week to get the blood pumping and the spirits high.
And that is now upon us. The table doesn't lie and with Brentford in third place – ten slots above the Old Trafford outfit – our early season form has been rewarded. Whilst the visit of Arsenal on Friday 13th will be the true acid test and our first real chance to go top of the Premier League on ability rather than alphabetical good fortune. Still, I'll take what I can get. Pull it off this evening or next month and the place is going to go nuts. With the Bees largely expected to be whipping boys, we've nothing to lose, everything to gain and the knowledge that this tin pot outfit actually knows what it is doing.
For anybody not able to travel tonight, the game is live on MUTV. Not that I can imagine we've too many subscribers. This Saturday's visit from West Ham is more likely when the half and halfers will be out and about. Still, with a monthly pass available online at £7.99, perhaps a one-off subscription may be the way forward. For Manchester United rather than West Ham. You can sign up here but don't forget to deactivate your card afterwards.
Nobody can deny our preseason is being taken lightly. The transfers are coming in whilst we've still not had any rumours of outward movement. No bad thing, given the number of Toney 17 shirts that were flying off the shelves at the weekend. I daren't imagine the stress should he even change his squad number, let alone be linked to a rival. Still, that's nothing different to any other campaign. It's Brentford, innit.
Old school queuing on Saturday
Tags: Arsenal, Bees, Beesotted, Brentford, Brentford FC, Chelsea, football, friendly, Ivan Toney, kit, Lionel Road, Manchester United, news, Old Trafford, Premier League, Shirt, The Bees, trasnfer, umbro, Watford, West Ham
Categories Brentford, Manchester United, Premier League
Just a bus stop in Hounslow. Yet….
The Premier League is getting closer. With tickets for the West Ham and Valencia pre-season games now on sale to Brentford ST holders, it doesn't feel long until we will all be back together once more. Even more exciting, the question of who will be in the Bees starting XI has been opened up that bit further with confirmation of our first signings of the summer. The last few days have seen the chewed up biros out in force with Frank Onyeka joining from FC Midtjylland and then, yesterday, confirmation that centre back Kristoffer Ajer has left Celtic for Lionel Road. Both, moves about as telegraphed as a 'joke' in an episode of Mrs. Browns Boys yet, like the alleged comedy, nobody was laughing. At least in Glasgow where there were the usual cracks about #teamslikeBrentford. Comedy genius the likes of which we've never heard before and a level that Brendan O'Carroll could only aspire too.
Who might be next?
But we digress. With Midtjylland holding Celtic 1-1 on Tuesday night in the Champions League second qualifying, Ajer has swapped the chance to be knocked out of Europe's top competition before his club's domestic league has even started for a chance to play in an actual competitive Premier league. A place where more than just Rangers might actually win the title. Insert fishing rod emoji and stand back.
It's a great move for him and a wonderful one for us. A Norweigan international and only 23 years old, he fits the Brentford model perfectly. Thomas Frank has described him as his "First choice" signing, telling the told the BBC that, "we think he fits the position specific profile perfectly, especially on the ball….Kris is very composed and can find the right passes between the lines."
Kris is now a Bee
Then there's Frank Onyeka. A player whose name has been mentioned for months. Not surprising , given the Midtjylland connection. Another international, the Nigerian is seen by Thomas as a box to box player who has become the dominant midfielder in the Danish league. Our head coach telling 'official' that, "His performances in the Champions League last season convinced us that he is ready for the Premier League."
Just as Kris is going to provide wonderful competition in defence, the battle for midfield places could be equally intriguing. Christian Norgaard and Mathias Jensen both featured all the way to the Euro 2020 semi-finals whilst we still have Vitaly Janelt and then, of course, Josh Dasilva is due to return from injury (at some point.Err….) . Again, all four players with international experience for their respective age groups and Vitaly, in particular, ending his close (closed?) season on a high for Germany.
Clanggggg. The sound of a name being dropped. I was one of several fans involved in some filming for the Premier League about Brentford yesterday lunchtime (due to go out on Sky / BT August 4th) . It was an article looking at us as a club, our history, at Thomas and what to expect in the forthcoming months. One of the questions was about how we are perceived? The bus stop in Hounslow, the tinpot club who fly under the radar. We know it. We've all heard it. We love it. Whilst there was a lot of praise and thanks for Kris, there were as many snide comments from the Celtic faithful. Fair enough. It's football. Nothing unexpected and the standard response from outside TW8 to anything we do.
Oh, I've missed it so much. Genuinely. The sneers. The frustration. Just the fact that we must be doing something right to elicit such a response. To sign such quality. We're going to get it from certain quarters all season which is amazing given how little of a shit we give about any of that nonsense, beyond thriving off it. Beyond lapping it up and telling the joke ourselves. As Billy Reeves, amongst others, has noted: "In July 2013 we gave up three-quarters of our ground to Celtic fans for a friendly. Today we sign their star defender for £13.5mill."
Football is definitely coming home (somebody really should write a song about that) and you can now count the weeks until the big kick off on the fingers of one hand. We've got the official shirt launch on Saturday and then the trip to Old Trafford next week.
Now to ring up the boss and see if I can work the day out of our Manchester office. Pretty sure there's a bus stop down this way I can travel from.
Just a bus stop in Hounslow…..
Tags: Ajer, Bees, Beesotted, blog, Brentford, Brentford FC, BT, Celtic, FC Midtjylland, football, Glasgow, kit, Manchester United, new, news, Onyeka, Premier League, Rangers, Shirt, Sky, Thomas Frank, transfer, Valencia, West Ham
Categories Brentford, Celtic, Midtjylland
Harry nails new kit. Hollywood walk of fame or shame?
Friday was Brentford kit launch day. It should have been the most exciting date on the calendar. One to rank with 13th August when the Bees walk out against Arsenal or perhaps even the moment which will see one North Stand observer finally marry his beloved in a few weeks' time. For clarity, not Buzzette.
Buzzette – still got it!
Yet the pressures of work meant that, sadly, any excitement (or otherwise) as the new designs dropped had to be parked. There was no flurry of over excited tweets from this self-proclaimed Kit nerd. Indeed, social media was barely touched so I can't account for Luis. Yet now, the laptop screen has been slammed shut firmer than a transfer window at the denouement of deadline day and we can take a more considered view.
Boom. From nowhere they appeared. The days of Mark Devlin's strip tease are long gone. A 7(seven) day preamble of brief flashes before the full reveal – the kit rather than our then chief executive. Instead, without warning it was with us. Much like an 'emergency' episode of Mrs. Brown's Boys when the originally scheduled programme has to be cancelled due to an over running news report / football fixture, it was in our faces with no time to prepare. Home. Away. Goalkeeper. But what do you think?
The Brentford 2021/22 Umbro shirts are here
In a way, the enforced delay from yours truly has probably been no bad thing, in hindsight. I may not have been responsible for my actions. And not in a good way. We have a new sponsor – Hollywood Bets – and being blunt, gut reaction to the logo was that it looks horrific. A jarring clash of a graphic and their colour scheme no way to replace the otherwise absent traditional black trim on the Brentford shirt. Moreso when you see how lush the mocked up versions from Jamie Maison on Twitter look . Oh Fullers, wherefore art thou?
What might have been….
The plus points are that stripes are bang on. Quantity and thickness. The red is a great shade and striped arms are great. I'm also a sucker for a round neck collar so top marks there – even if the two tone colour scheme is a missed opportunity. All white would have been immense. The Bee logo on the back of the neck is another lovely touch.
As for the away version, this is the initial pick of the bunch. Buttercup (apparently) yellow with black sleeve trim and badges, a v-neck and the sponsor (whilst still jarring) seeming more blended into this design. Then there's that subliminal diamond motif shading within the kit itself. It is, and I quote, "An eye catching design". Not my words Carol, the words of Brentford official. Who could disagree?
Umbro are up there with Hummel in my favourite kit manufacturers and so I'm, personally, thrilled we have them for a third season. At least. Then again, I do need to get out more. Yet until New Balance take over – and I get a monogrammed shirt for the price of a regular one – we couldn't have a better technical sponsor.
David Raya will be wearing all green. His shirt features "A pixel graphic sleeve and tonal crew neck". This time, a design described as "Exciting".
Pixel perfect?
Take your pick. Something for everyone? Whilst perhaps not up there as an all-time classic, that's less to do with Kitman Bob and the kit design ; more with the marketing team and our choice of commercial partners. Money talks and all that. It's not even a case getting snotty about betting companies – we've had 888, Matchbook and LeoVegas before so the ship has long since sailed about the 'evils' of gambling. It's just that on the initial reveal it looked awful.
Perhaps it's just me. Perhaps other love it. Do you? Perhaps time will ease the pain on the eyes or it will look much better in the flesh. I was privileged enough to see the amazing brown/orange for real before that was revealed to the world and have to say that it knocked my socks off. Up there with our best ever. The reaction from others on seeing the pictures first was, we could politely say, the opposite.. Perhaps, the same will apply here.
Let's not be stupid. I'm still going to buy one. As Mrs Bruzon said last night, "It's The Premier League shirt". Plus the first 1000 through the door when it goes on sale next Saturday (a club shop exclusive launch prior to online sales ) get Premier league badge printing for free.
Yet as Harry also said to me, "Dad? Where are the black bits?". And his child-size kit, presumably bereft of sponsor, will have none.
The Jaffa cake – up there with our best, ever.
As one, final thought…Might a dip into the Umbro back catalogue and the laced necks of the early 90s have been another alternate to the trim colour / collar conundrum? Just saying…..
Tags: Arsenal, Bees, Beesotted, blog, Bob, Brentford, Brentford FC, football, Hollywood Bets, kit, Kitman, new, news, Oteng, Shirt, The Bees, umbro, yellow
Categories Arsenal, Brentford, kit
Dark arts and fine goals. Plenty to keep us talking whilst waiting on the kit.
England humped Ukraine 4-0 in the Euro 2020 last eight, setting up a Wednesday night semi-final against Denmark. This, despite the best efforts of one Brentford legend. The Danes earlier victors over Czech Republic with dynamic Brentford duo Mathias Jensen and Christian Norgaard once again helping see that one out. A 60,000 crowd will be present at Wembley to see what has already been dubbed: Phil v Rasmus. At least, in TW8. By one person. And in domestic news, or rather, lack of domestic news we're only six weeks away from the Premier League kick off with Arsenal yet still remain in the dark about what we'll be wearing. Come on Bob, show us the kit.
First up though, the Euros. Wasn't that quite the stroll in the end? The Denmark game certainly whetted the appetite for what felt like the main event later in the evening. Their 2-1 win crowned by a defence splitting pass from Joakim Maehle with the outside of the boot to tee up Kasper Dolberg for the Danes' second just before half time. It was a moment of sublime skill. The ball delivered with all the finesse of Postman Pat, falling perfectly for Dolberg and all but ensuring progression before the quartered oranges had been served up and the tea poured.
The Czechs pulled one back early into the second period but that was as good as it got. The Brentford connection coming on to help settle any nerves and steer the team through. What a contrast from that awful moment in the game with Finland. What a way to recompose yourselves. Team spirit and incentive like never before. England won't have it easy on Wednesday evening, that's for sure.
If Gareth Southgate had urged caution and not getting carried away after the win against Germany, he's going to have his hands full expecting the same restraint this team around. Football's coming home etc etc being the quite understandable refrain. England were magnificent. Ukraine made to look non-existent. Harry Kane answering his recent critics in some style with a brace to follow up his goal against the Germans. The first coming with just four minutes on the clock and any pressure that might have been felt immediately dissipating. It stayed at the solitary effort, albeit never under threat, until half-time. And then – boom. First Harry Maguire and then Kane with his second put it out of sight within five minutes of the restart. My word. It was nuts.
With Jordan Henderson making it four just after the hour, young Harry turned to me and asked, "Dad? Do you think they'll get brackets?". Cripes, I'd have put nothing past them although sadly, it wasn't to be. Instead, England had to stick on a mere four goals. Kane almost hitting the hat-trick with a blockbuster of a shot that would have rivalled Ivan Toney at Wembley in the 'Imagine if that had gone in' stakes.
Who cares whether it was 1, 2 ,4 or 7(seven)? Nobody. All that matters in a tournament is getting through and last night saw two teams doing it in style. We talk about the Danish spirit but the same could be said for England. Gareth Southgate would note this after the game, saying that, "We're in the semi-final because of that spirit….I've seen lots of nations go out of tournaments because they haven't got the spirit these boys have got."
There was nothing going to stop this one. England with the momentum to see past any attempt to beat them. By fair means or foul. Even from the Brentford contingent with Natalie Sawyer regaling listeners to her Talksport breakfast show on Sunday with the story of how her other half ordered Chicken Kiev for dinner in the pub. Any attempt to call in the dark arts and sabotage the England effort.
Oh, Dougie. Nice try but such nonsense will never work. Honestly, who believes in such omen related stuff…? Instead, we've got our magic shirts on and lucky table already reserved for Wednesday evening. It's going to be monstrous. It's going to be magnificent. With England having played the quarter final out in Rome, the morning has been full of laboured puns about Italian jobs and London calling once more for what will be an epic clash.
Tasty.
Morale and momentum is high. The opposition not really being given a thought at present. Could Brentford derail the national express? Imagine the meltdown if Jensen or Norgaard popped up with a late winner or key moment ? If a certain cult hero started loading up on the bacon sandwiches? Roll on Wednesday night when we find out which way this one's going to go.
Back in Brentford, well nothing. No news. No sighting. The obvious question being – Where? Is? The? Kit? Come on already. We've just over a month until the Premier League starts with that Arsenal game yet no clue. Not even a sighting of updated training gear. No idea what our latest attempt to reinvent the red and white stripes will look like. No clue as to whether we'll be looking to new 'away' colours. The hot money / wishful thinking (delete as applicable) still favouring the sartorial thing of beauty that is the sash. Think Peru '78. Southampton. Crystal Palace. Think Manchester City pulling off one of the best efforts in modern times whilst Hull City AFC have been blessed by Umbro this time around…..
Who doesn't love a sash?
It can't be long, surely? With some sort of deal with 'The Turmeric Company' already hinted at by Brentford official, could this dictate a new shirt sponsor or (please no) vivid yellow-orange change colours? Will it drop from nowhere? A street art 'fly poster campaign? We've even used the fans a few times. Kitman Bob – if you are reading (you aren't) I remain available. One things for sure, the less serious, more light hearted campaigns are always well received.
Ultimately, it doesn't matter who launches it. We just want to see it. At this rate, I'm seriously concerned we'll be running out in shirts v skins when Arsenal come calling.
Is this a clue?
And as a final thought, the entire Last Word from 2019/20 aswell as all the programme articles (previously unpublished on line) and our season-finale guest columns from Natalie Sawyer and Kitman Bob remain available for download. The later in particular, my favourite column of the season as the inside story of the big build up to Wembley was revealed. With all proceeds going to Rob Rowan's memorial fund for CRY, we couldn't be looking to try and help a better or more personal cause to Brentford FC. If anybody can spare a few quid to help and wants to get hold of an amazing story, told averagely, then they can do so here. THANK YOU.
Tags: 4-0, Amazon, Arsenal, Bees, Beesotted, blog, Brentford, Brentford FC, Denmark, e-book, England, Euro 2020, football, Harry Kane, kindle, kit, news, Premier League, sash, Shirt, The Bees, umbro
Categories Brentford, Denmark, England
I, for one, welcome our Turmeric overlords.
Irony is alive and well when it comes to all things Brentford. Or life. It's amazing how things can come back to bite you but the announcement teased on Twitter by Brentford 'official' last night suggested we may have a new commercial partner incoming. In the Euros, there were plaudits all round for ITV and their coverage (not a typo) following the Croatia – Spain game. This, for the performance of Emma Hayes, manager of Chelsea women, in the co-commentator's seat. Then there's the small matter of England – Germany.
First up, Brentford. Let me take you back to March 2021. The home game with Nottingham Forest. Yours truly's programme column started as follows…
"How much turmeric does one club need? Quite a lot if you are Swansea City, who announced a partnership with The Turmeric Company to become their official supplier for the rest of 2020-21. Rather than for the traditional use in flavouring curries, their products are quickly becoming the gold standard for individuals looking to support their health and wellbeing through nutrition, with their bespoke formula containing key powerful natural ingredients. Not my words, the words of Hal Robson-Kanu. The Wales international being co-founder of the company rather than an amazing leap into the world of Accidental Partridge. Good luck to them. It sounds incredible (much like mushroom based coffee – remember that from a few years ago?) although no explanation is given as to whether it negatively impacts the players' balance when in the opposition penalty box."
Fast forward to yesterday afternoon and this announcement from Brentford official….
👀 Watch this space… @TheTurmericCo | #BrentfordFC 🐝 pic.twitter.com/pZMRl7Yv5Q
— Brentford FC (@BrentfordFC) June 28, 2021
What does this mean? A new commercial partner incoming? A new shirt sponsor, even? Perhaps nothing more than Matthew Benham taking control of our Twitter account once more and launching another of his cryptic clues ? The best translation I could get for that one would be us signing Tom Ince, son of Paul.
For those old enough to remember, the self-monikered 'Guvnor' was also one of the so-called Liverpool Spice boys alongside Robbie Fowler, Steve McManaman etc back in the 90s. For the record, the name based on hit parade topping all girl pop combo The Spice Girls rather than any laboratory made illegal substance.
We digress, as ever. What's happening in the world of Turmeric? If it is kit related, could we see the new Brentford shirt at the same time? Will the big reveal come today? Might we go for the holy trinity of a Frank Onyeka signing photo being published, whilst wearing a Turmeric sponsored top (suddenly thinks: please, no, not the away colours…….) and brandishing a half-chewed biro?
Who knows? All we can say is that domestic news must clearly be very thing on the ground. On a personal note, and I make no apologies for mentioning this again, the season review e-book was last night up to #5 in the Amazon kindle download charts for football. The meat in a Gareth Southgate / Harry Redknapp sandwich.
The reason for continuing to push this is that ALL monies received from anyone kind enough to download one go to the Rob Rowan Memorial fund for CRY. If you could pick up a copy, it would be the most incredibly received gesture whilst may even provide a few moments of entertainment. A Last Word compendium looking back at how we made it onto the Premier league aswell as including all the programme articles from the season, columns which have never been published on line before (there may be a reason for that). As ever, the link is here.
Next up, ITV football. Cue rant about commentators. About adverts. About Hoddle Twaddle style punditry as cringey as The Spice Boys nickname. About cliche by numbers. Yet for those of us just coming in from work last night, the Croatia – Spain game brought us Emma Hayes in the co-commentator's seat. My word, how good was she? Somebody who actually explained how the game was unfolding, what the teams were doing and the thought process around it rather than just repeating what the anchor had said or we had all just seen. A genuine breath of fresh air in a seat which has so long been the home of repetitive sound bite by numbers. With the Chelsea manager earning what felt like universal acclaim, all of a sudden ITV may not be the poison chalice it might have been when we come down to the decision of which challenge to watch the final on.
All being well, England will be present in that one. Tuesday evening's game with Germany is about as big as it gets in terms of history. In terms of occasion. Expect mention of 1966 and penalties. Of ruthless efficiency. Of Joachim Löw sniffing his fingers, wherever they may have been moments prior. Cripes, we may aswell just get a bingo card together right now.
But also expect England to progress. For all Germany are the historic powerhouse of European football, their performances have so far been a very mixed bag. England, on the other hand, may not be setting the world on fire in terms of blockbusting wins but with 7 (seven) points out of 9 from the group stage and no goals conceded, it is perfect progression. Perfect cup football. Get another win on the board and keep going. Gareth Southgate's game management spot on, so far.
One could almost say, ruthlessly efficient….
Tags: Amazon, Bees, Beesotted, blog, Brentford, Brentford FC, Croatia, CRY, e-book, Emma Hayes, England, football, Gareth Southgate, Germany, ITV, kindle, kit, Matthew Benham, news, Shirt, Spain, sponsor, The Bees, Turmeric
Categories Brentford, Chelsea, England, Euro 2020
Our Great Danes will go again but how much for a 'new' shirt?
It'll be a little while longer until our boys come back to Brentford. Denmark beat Wales 4-0 last night to reach a Euro 2020 quarter-final with Netherlands / Czech Republic. It was a game where we came for the goals and stayed for Robbie Savage's indignant cries of, "That was not a…." every time a decision went against the Welsh. With the Bees connection of Matthias Jensen and Christian Norgaard combined and, of course, the universal outpouring of love for Christian Eriksen following his cardiac arrest in the Finland game, it felt about as un-neutral a neutral game as we've ever seen before. Even the stadium in Amsterdam was almost exclusively the preserve of the Danes and, in the end, it all proved too much. For Thomas Frank, longer to wait for his squad to return whilst let's not forget Pontus is still with a Sweden team who don't face Ukraine until Tuesday.
The arrival of the Brentford 'two' was greeted with the usual outpouring on social media. Matthias even getting an 'assist' late on although also demonstrating yet again (as if any further demonstration was even needed) the old mantra about corner kicks – "Don't take it short. It never f*&king works" . Yet both fitted seamlessly into a Denmark side they are now an established part of on matchday and I can only expect more of the same next time out. No matter what it does to our domestic plans. Ah, the sweet price of successful recruitment strategy.
the connections between Denmark and Brentford are well, well documented
As has been well noted in recent times, we've more players in the tournament than Arsenal. With our opening Premier League fixture against the Gunners little more than six weeks away, the time for relaxing will be brief. At best.
But what to do in that time? Editor, bring forth the crowbar. Is there a finer way to spend a few hours than catching up on the events of last season? In reminding yourself just how Brentford reached the Premier League? In seeing just how deep our connection with the Denmark national side runs?
Well, yes, there are plenty of better ways than this but the annual Last Word season review is now available for download. A great story, albeit terribly told. And I know I bang on about this a lot but with all proceeds going to Rob Rowan's Memorial Fund for CRY then console yourself in the fact that anybody generous enough to do so is helping an amazing cause. I can only thank those who have already downloaded one already. I mean, it's literally one, but that's a start. The link is here if you want to take a look. Thank you !
For those of you wanting a fix of optimism, I've seen these shirts for sale on ebay. As a self-confessed kit nerd there's always an eye open to try and fill those last few gaps in the collection, no matter the cost (if anyone does have the Osca home variant where the stripes stop half way up……) but even I'd baulk at this. A combined price of £745…..!! Even the most expensive hospitality seat at Old Trafford is cheaper than that ! Eye watering stuff and, apparently, not a typo.
I love the Hummel kits. Up there with our very best and whilst these may claim to be in perfect, as good as new condition, those prices are beyond the wildest fantasies in terms of price. Surely?
'Ow much???
Perhaps this is deemed realistic in the current market. Unlikley, but.. If so, it may well transpire that there are untapped reserves of gold at the back of your wardrobe. Get rummaging. If nothing else, until Kitman Bob is allowed to release our new shirts into the wild keeping half an eye on these will provide some temporary distraction. Even if a bid is out of the question.
Tags: Arsenal, Bees, Beesotted, blog, Brentford, Brentford FC, Denmark, Euro 2020, football, Griffin Park, kit, Netherlands, new, news, Premier League, Shirt, Wales
Categories Brentford, Denmark
Kitman Bob, he writes what he wants. A week before destiny.
Brentford are in the Premier League. Repeat. Brentford ARE in the Premier League. If the Bournemouth play-off semi-final was immense, Saturday at Wembley against Swansea was next level. I'm still smiling now. Then, when it couldn't get any better, it did. The chance to share the build up from inside the Bees camp arrived, courtesy of none other than the legend that is Big Bob Oteng.
Our club Kitman and all-round Bees' hero has collected his thoughts from the end of that epic encounter with The Cherries right through the build-up to Swansea and the final whistle at Wembley. A sneak-peak behind the curtain of just what went on and just why we won. But written in his own quite wonderful words.
Over to you Bob. A week before destiny. In his words…. and pictures.
It's 4:55 PM and we've just won 3-1 in a game that had everything a football fan could wish for. As long as you're on the winning side that is!!
The players have done the usual applauding of the fans in every section of the ground and I follow behind after making sure the old footballs were present and correct in certain sections. I'm greeted with the obligatory 'Big Bob' song !
As I enter the dressing room there seems to be different vibe and I mean a totally different vibe to a dressing room that has just won a football match. Brian Mbeumo give us a little speech prompted by Thomas who then brings the room to a silence, says one more and then retreats to his office. As I head back to the kitroom it's the first time in these play offs I allow myself to start thinking of lions on the new shirt !!!
I arrive at the training ground early Monday morning, 6.40am. Thomas is already there which in itself isn't unusual but there are a number of other coaches also present. Something big must be happening !!
During the weekend Wembley emailed requesting how I would like the dressing room to look. I put in my request and they reply "is that all" as I can see we are in the East as we were last season. Also during the weekend I've had countless DM messages from fans requesting to know what colour keep we will be playing in. This continued throughout the week until the reveal on Friday. As the team finishing the season in the highest position, we get choice of kit colours.
What I had done previously on the Saturday evening was to ask all the Brentford players what they wanted to play in. Each one of them just said RED & WHITE. David wanted his favourite amarilla. It was such an air of confidence when they all said it. I more than anyone knew about that red/white supposed curse on teams at Wembley. Last season I pushed for blue, now I just felt it could be time for the curse to be broken and banished to history by the BEES.
Thomas had already told the players that he wants to build up to Saturday to be like an ordinary week. For the last two days nobody had really discussed what happened on Saturday because we were all there, we all witnessed it and there was a quiet air of confidence at Jersey Road.
On a Tuesday before a Saturday game is when I start to prep the match kit for the weekend but this was no ordinary game. I had to apply NHS badges to each playing shirt, to show gratitude for such a wonderful service that has served us all through such difficult times and not just during the last 18 months. Also new sleeve patches showing PLAY-OFFS.
As I prepped all the outfield players kits I started asking myself which one will get us to the promised land? Even a last-minute David Raya header would be welcome. They all will, as that's what good teams do. The nerves are now building !!!
WELL EARNED DAY OFF FOR THE PLAYERS !! However, I had to be in as new tracksuits and polo shirts are being delivered for the big day, ( no white suits )…
Today was quite relaxed for me. I'd prepped all the kit Tuesday / Wednesday and now I was waiting for the final squad to be confirmed or any additions from Saturday.
I walked over to pitch 2 with a hint of curiosity and I have to say the boys looked absolutely on fire. Not sure whoever we are facing are going to be able to contain them for 90min. Bernardo was walking the boys through some new set pieces For me Saturday couldn't come soon enough.
Brian Riemer confirmed the squad was as per Saturday. As we chatted in his office, he asked me what I think will happen, (déjà vu took me back to the same question last August. I said then we will win, but when I say it now I truly believed it. All based on the previous Saturday). I did my final checks and left Jersey Road with such a nervous feeling inside of me. Two more sleeps !!
Friday was a late report. 2pm for 3pm start. Thomas had gone round to every member of Jersey Road staff requesting that they be on the training pitch for 3:45pm precisely. At 3:40 all the staff slowly ambled from the pavilion across to pitch 2. Training was still going on ( patterns of play) – looked very nice these patterns !!
Training over ran. Brian, Thomas and Kev drilling down certain instructions to the squad. Once it finished, Thomas called over all the staff to join him with the players. We all formed a massive circle – it was actually the circumference of the centre circle. Thomas stood in between Pontus and Christian and delivered a speech that would have got me ready to play tomorrow. Two VIP coaches arrive at 4pm, we have a light snack and everything is loaded and we depart for the Hotel (dinner 7pm).
I keep my routine the same. Ring home and speak to the family. My little man is excited, he actually predicts that Vitaly would score, (his favourite player). Myself Manu and Bernardo have usual Friday away night Spanish ritual (sobre la mesa). To discuss the next day and life over the table. We started it Friday night before Preston away.
SATURDAY THE DAY !!
Especially on away games I like to get up by 7am and go for a walk before breakfast. On my walk I passed a bar called The Hive. I also have lots of thoughts about my friend Rob Rowan, I'm not really one for superstition but 95% of me thinks today is going to be our day !!
The usual bus ride to the stadium is replaced by myself Peter G, Sladey, Joe N, Lorna walking the 500 yards to the entrance to the stadium. We pass the Hive then, as if my magic, we are met by big Shaun. Big Shaun is the main security tunnel steward at Lionel road, now I'm convinced todays the day.
We arrive at the stadium 10:45am We walk round which seems to be underground beneath 90,000 seats. So many people in suits all directing us in the right direction. If it's your first time at Wembley you can be in awe. There were so many white sky OB trucks, it looked like a flock of flamingos at a watering hole.
The dressing room looks magnificent. It feels different to the last year. I set the players up in a totally different formation. Pontus likes to sit in the corner of any dressing room but this is going to be hard to achieve as it's shaped like a horseshoe.
There are two dressing rooms with a smaller one for the staff. I take 10 minutes to have a look around and have a look outside. I begin my favourite part of my working day (apart from a win at the end) ! By 12:30pm I'm happy and everything is done. 12:45 Mike the Swansea kit man pops in to have a catch up. We both have a laugh about not going to each other's respective stadiums next season.
The players arrive at 1:15pm. I sit in the corner of the staff dressing room playing word search on my phone, Reidy wants a change of socks, then it back to word search. I've done 5 levels on my word search game and then it's time for the warm up. The dressing room looks the same as it does on every away game. Sliders everywhere. Emiliano's sliders always in the centre of the room. I'm sure it's a thing with him.
The nerves are kicking in now and I try and find work to kill the time. The boys come in, do their rituals pads on shirts on then it's huddle time. Christian delivers an emotional speech and again I wish I was going out to play.
The first 45 minutes for me are the best in 25 years. I can remember it all which is very rare for me. At half time the boys are really calm. Thomas is calm. All the messages are delivered in a calm way and I know that today is our day. I'm so confident I didn't emerge for the second half until the 92nd or 93rd minute. Those last two minutes went really quickly but at the final whistle I went over to Mike and wished him commiserations. I run onto the pitch to join the huddle and just started jumping around. I don't remember much after, hence I've watched the game back in full twice and the celebrations countless at times on social media. Also all the pictures will be sent at some point.
This day and this season I will never forget both personally and professionally. It has sunk in for me because I always knew the at one point during my time with Brentford we would reach the promised land, and I am so grateful and privileged that I was a small cog in the wheel of this wonderful bus stop in Hounslow about to join the premier league express !!
Bob Oteng
Tags: Bees, Big Bob, blog, Bob, Bournemouth, Brentford, Brentford FC, BrentfordFC, Championship, final, football, Kitman, Oteng, Shirt, Swansea City, Wembley
Categories Brentford, Championship, Premier League, Swansea
Needs must when the devil vomits into your kettle.
Finally, the Championship is back for Brentford after the interminable two week international break. This highlights of which included a first cap for Ethan Pinnock aswell as those much celebrated goals for Ollie Watkins and Gibraltar. The former on his international debut. The later, a brief moment of respite against Montenegro that came either side of home defeats to Norway and the Netherlands. For once, no consolation in seeing the brackets wheeled out as the boys from the Rock took a second half shoeing from the Dutch after an inspired opening forty-five. This, despite the wonderful form of goalkeeper Dayle Coleing. Not often you can concede ten in two games yet still be lauded as a player of the week. That's now been and gone. Instead, we're off to Huddersfield Town for a TV game tomorrow lunchtime. Today, we have to sit tight and wait for Watford to host Sheffield Wednesday before Swansea travel to Birmingham City this evening. If ever there was a 'can both sides lose?' derby then here it is.
No celebration. No brackets
Of course we should just focus on ourselves. The squad, one hopes, mostly refreshed. Recent pictures of Rico 'on the grass' providing some optimism. How close he remains to full fitness is, of course, another question altogether. Likewise Josh Dasilva.
Both sorely missed in recent weeks. Both players who can only strengthen our chances in the run in should they be available. Both players who will be in the Premier League next season – one way or another. See also: Ivan Toney. Cripes, we've got some first XI when everyone is fit.
Might we see Rico in action again soon?
Whilst just looking out for Brentford is the text book answer to any question about the last stages of a promotion campaign, we all know that's nonsense when it comes down to it. Every decision, every goal, every result from our rivals is scrutinised in agonising detail. Moreso, when they are in action and we have an extra day to wait before our own game. Watford are the ones currently in second place. A 3pm kick off at home to Sheffield Wednesday in their game and, surely, no possible outcome beyond a win for the Hornets? Our only hope of a favour here being the Owls fighting a desperate rearguard against relegation. Who knows?
For Swansea, a trip to Birmingham City in the evening. Last time out Lee Bowyer's Blues were hammered at Vicarage Road. Tonight's test equally tough and they'll have to be ten times better to get anything out the bag here. The combination of Harlee Dean at the heart of the defence and the Swans propensity to be awarded penalties has me worried, that's for sure. The one real hope being that, like Wednesday, City are also perilously close to the trapdoor. The only thing keeping them out of the bottom three being their having played about a hundred games more than Rotherham United. Any salvation for them needs to start immediately.
With Brentford not in action until tomorrow, let's not pretend we won't be following both games with a combination of intrigue and blind optimism. I'm not expecting any favours out of either and know we'll have to rely on ourselves. Wednesday and Birmingham will only be able to offer the expected resistance of any team facing the dual factors of a relegation battle and promotion contenders. The bookies are giving 2.75 – 1 as the current price on Watford and Swansea in a win double. Lump your mortgage on it. I have. Well, if not the mortgage the remaining contents of my online betting account. Which should see me able to spring for a Creme Egg come Saturday morning.
Whatever happens, happens. None of it counts for anything if we can't hit our own winning streak. Whilst not a 'must win' game, the trip to Huddersfield is one where three points will be very, very welcome. Time is starting to run out for all of us. Brentford have nine games left. That's still almost 20% of the campaign – a significant proportion of course – but it doesn't feel like that many when they can be counted on your fingers and thumbs. Especially when you know how the pressure will crank up in those final few fixtures. If ever there was a time to show what we've got then it's now. The Terriers tomorrow and then Birmingham City at home on Tuesday. No irony to be lost there if, somehow, they rediscover the way to goal and any semblance of form today. Stranger things.
It doesn't feel like there are too many to go….
If you can't face watching either of today's games on TV then there are two alternatives. First up, The Beesotted podcast. Billy and team providing an hour long distraction in their own big game build up. You can get that here.
Then there's the combination of social media and kits. The World Cup of Brentford shirts seeing an epic head to head between Adidas 80 and Hummel 93. That one comes to a conclusion on Saturday morning and, whilst we are sadly lacking the Chad 92, Osca yoke and Funky Bee pin stripe, let's not pretend the two finalists are nothing but amongst the very best we've ever had.
You can vote below. Until then, that's me. See you on the other side. Tonight, Matthew, I need to be Birmingham City. And that's not a good thing for anyone, especially those of us who supported the club during the early 90s. Then again, needs must when the devil vomits into your kettle, or whatever somebody much clever than me once said.
Your two finalists in The World Cup of Brentford Home Shirts; the much lamented 1980-81 Adidas, and one of the smartest shirts ever worn, the Hummel of 1992-93. Winner will be announced before the Huddersfield game #BrentfordFC #WorldCupOfBrentfordHomeShirts
— 𝐁𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐈𝐧 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐮𝐫 (@beesincolour) April 1, 2021
Tags: Bees, Bessotted, Birmingham City, Blues, Brentford, Championship, football, Gibraltar, kit, Owls, Rico Henry, Sheffield Wednesday, Shirt, Swansea City, The Bees, Thomas Frank, Twitter, Watford
Categories Brentford, Gibraltar, Huddersfield Town


text:
This Mom Went Undercover on Instagram as an 11-Year-Old Girl to Show How Online Sex Abuse Happens
Sloane Ryan is a 37-year-old mom. With the help of makeup, fashion, and photo editing, she transformed into different identities less than half her age.
Cover image credit to YouTube/Bark. 5-minute read.
This article contains affiliate links. Fight the New Drug may receive financial support from purchases made using affiliate links.
Trigger warning:
In 2019, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children's CyberTipline received more than 16.9 million reports. Most were about child pornography, sex trafficking, molestation, or online enticement including sextortion. More than 17,900 victims were identified.
These are huge numbers, but numbers are hard to visualize. One tech company realized this and thought of a way to show the world the seriousness of one specific issue: online sexual exploitation of children.
Related: Belgium Detectives Shut Down Massive Child Porn Ring With Over 9 Million Images
Bark is a monitoring tool that uses AI to alert parents and schools when children are experiencing a variety of issues such as cyberbullying, depression, threats of violence, and grooming by sexual predators. After encountering a devastating case of an online predator grooming and abusing a 12-year-old girl online, Bark put together a special projects team to illustrate to parents, guardians, and schools the severity of the problem.
In the back of many people's minds, we know this kind of abuse happens. We've heard news reports of adults reaching out to minors on social media, video games, and chat forums, with the intent to begin an inappropriate relationship. They carefully groom or manipulate young people into sending nude images or filming themselves performing sexual acts.
Even though it is self-generated content, meaning the child or teen is taking the photos of themselves, this is still sexual abuse.
Bark came up with a plan. A longtime employee would pose as an underage girl on Instagram and see how long it would take for adults to reach out to the fake identity. Bark would record all evidence and work with law enforcement to report any and all potential predators.
In 2018, Bark alerted the FBI to 99 child predators, but that number surpassed 300 in 2019.
Related: Apple Fights Child Porn By Scanning Users' Uploaded iCloud Photos
The trick was the employee, Sloane Ryan, is a 37-year-old mom. With the help of makeup, teenage fashion, and photo editing software she transformed into multiple different identities less than half her age. There was Libby, the 15-year-old sophmore, and then, to test how young they could go, the special projects team created 11-year-old Bailey.
Sloane Ryan wrapped her chest tight in ace bandages and wore a pale blue sweatshirt. Her nails were painted with glitter polish and neon hair ties bunched on her wrist like bracelets. She posed with her hand on her hip, tilted her head, and smiled at the camera. The photo was then edited by another Bark employee to erase the 26 year age difference.
Related: For Parents: How To Spot Online Child Predators And Protect Your Teen From Them
Sloane Ryan was transformed into the prepubescent girl soon to be revealed to the Instagram world as Bailey.
The entire Bark team gathered together to build an identity for Bailey: her back story, vocabulary, and backlog of selfies. When the photos were ready, the team prepared to record the evidence. Ryan paired the iPhone she would be playing Bailey on to a TV and another colleague set up a video camera pointed directly at the TV to record the conversations as evidence for police.
Finally everything was ready. Sloane Ryan uploaded the faked photo of Bailey to her public Instagram with a handful of emojis and this caption:
v excitedd to see my friends this weekend at carly's party! Ilysm!!
Then they waited.
The responses
Sloane Ryan's written account of playing Bailey on Instagram went viral. In it, she wrote that she and her team didn't wait long until Bailey started getting attention from adult men. She wrote that it was unnerving how quickly it happened.
Related: Tech Companies Reported Over 45 Million Child Porn Images & Videos On Their Platforms In 2018
Two private messages came in under a minute. At the two hour mark, Bailey had 15 messages from adult men.
Another thirty minutes, and Ryan played Bailey in seven video calls with adult men and ignored two dozen other calls. She text-chatted with 17 men and saw the genitalia of 1. She denied multiple requests for above and below-the-waist nude pictures.
By the end of the week, 52 men reached out to an 11-year-old girl sending messages like this:
You're so pretty.
You should be a model.
Does your mom and dad let you have a boyfriend yet?
Don't be shy, baby.
Maybe I can be your Instagram bf if you would like? Up to you.
Just get on video chat, baby.
Some conversations ended with "dick pics" or a video of a man masturbating.
The man who asked about being in an Instagram relationship escalated the conversation to asking for "sexy pics." Since Bailey is only eleven, Ryan wrote that she doesn't know what that meant.
Related: In Order To Fight Child Sex Abuse, We Need To Stop Fetishizing It
The man responded with a photo of his erect penis and requested a photo of her shirtless. He assured her he could teach her how to proceed, and then began having a very explicit conversation with who he believed was an 11-year-old girl.
"Well, a lot of boyfriends like it when their girlfriend give them a blowjob. Do you know what that means?" the predator asked.
"No I dont," typed Bailey.
"That means…" He then graphically described oral sex in terms he thought 11-year-old Bailey could understand.
"I dont get it."
"You take my d—. You put it in your mouth, and you suck on it."
"Some girls like it, but it feels really good to the boy. That's just what a boy likes. Now what a boy and a girl really like together is…"
The man then proceeded to explicitly describe sex to 11-year-old Bailey, and ask for a picture of what's "between her legs." He also asked for a picture of her chest, and described sexual things he would do to her body.
"Can you send me a picture of you sucking on your finger? That way I can imagine you giving me a blowjob like we talked about earlier. I'll send you another pic of my d—."
Click here to learn how child exploitation and the porn industry are connected.
The work continues
The Bark investigation is a peek into a terrifying reality where adults manipulate teens and children into engaging in abusive relationships. If there's good news, it's that there are steps to grooming that you can learn about to protect yourself or your child.
After Sloane Ryan's article received national attention, she was doxxed. The anonymity the name "Sloane Ryan" afforded was necessary for pending legal investigations and also no doubt her own protection as the nature of this undercover work subjects her to objectification and abuse. Despite it all, her identity was revealed online and the Bark team decided to officially reveal "Sloane Ryan" as the real Roo Powell.
Related: WATCH: 37-Year-Old Goes Undercover on Instagram as 11-Year-Old—Here's What She Learned About Child Predators
In her subsequent article about her identity, Powell wrote her hope for what could happen as a result of the project, the article, and the documentary made about the project. Her wish:
"Parents and guardians all over the would understand just how pervasive predation is online, predators would recognize that they're harming children and would stop and get help, social media companies would see that they have an obligation to make their platforms safer, lawmakers would advocate for better legislation, and not a single victim would ever be blamed."
You can watch Bark's short documentary now about their project to combat online sexual exploitation of children.
To report an incident involving the possession, distribution, or production of child pornography, contact the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
cybertipline.com


text:
FEATURE: West Africans turning to technology to tame traffic
AFP, ACCRA
Tue, Mar 26, 2013 - Page 15
If you own a mobile phone and spend sunrise to sundown watching the traffic pass in Ghana's capital, then Iddrisu Mohammed wants you to be his spy.
With an iPad in his hands and two cellphones in his pants pockets, Mohammed crisscrosses Accra on foot, looking for people to become informants for Jamless, a recently launched traffic information service that hopes to restore a little sanity to the capital's hectic commute.
"What Jamless will do is give you the traffic situation in any part of Accra that you are and give you alternate routes to use if the place is jammed," said Mohammed, who is the company's informant manager. "You don't want to get to work late. You don't want to get home late. If you're on Jamless, you know the alternative route to use to get home early."
West Africa's population has been booming, and in many cases, infrastructure has failed to keep up, leaving residents of crowded big cities to grapple with impossibly congested commutes.
However, a number of clever entrepreneurs and frustrated commuters have turned to social media and other technology to help drivers defy the "go-slows" that start and end the work day for many.
In Nigerian mega-city Lagos, GidiTraffic and its more than 50,000 Twitter followers keep a running log of commute catastrophes in the metropolis of about 15 million people legendary for its hours-long slogs.
And in Abidjan, commuters can send traffic information by text, Twitter or Facebook to CivRoute, a Web site that offers traffic conditions for Ivory Coast's main city.
The services are sorely needed as cars proliferate in these growing west African countries.
In Ghana, home to a booming economy based on exports of gold, cocoa and oil, the number of vehicles per thousand people went from 21 in 2003 to 30 in 2009, according to World Bank statistics.
However, streets in cities like Accra are often undersized, under-maintained, or both. Harried commuters in the capital spare no road, be it a leafy residential street, an unfinished dirt track or a four-lane highway, in the quest to get to their home or office faster.
Before Jamless, "people usually got traffic through friends, through the newspapers and usually on radio," Mohammed said.
However, none of those offer real-time updates, as Jamless does.
Jamless was started by Guillaume Boniface, a former marketing professional for a French telecommunications company in Guinea's capital, Conakry. His experience of traffic there was an all-day malaise of stationary cars, something he saw repeated when he went around the region.
"Living in Guinea, I had this idea. All African cities had this traffic issue," Boniface said, recalling traffic jams that would often degenerate into arguments between truculent drivers until the police came to break it up. "Ghana seemed an easier country to start up."
As the company's chief executive officer, Boniface spends his time working with the country's mobile phone carriers and putting together Jamless' Web site in preparation for its launch in the coming months.
Jamless started small, with just a Twitter feed with a few hundred followers, through which Mohammed posts informants' tips and entreats followers for details on underserved routes.
They now offer commuters traffic updates on major routes by text message and also provide a map of the city's traffic, but they have not started advertising those services yet, Boniface said.
Mobile phones are ubiquitous in Ghana, so Jamless relies on small-scale traders who ply Accra's streets for a constant stream of traffic updates, sent in by text.
"If there was enough [Twitter followers], then maybe, yeah, crowd-sourcing would be enough," Boniface said, referring to the practice of relying on followers for information. "Not enough people have a smartphone in Ghana yet."
If an informant sends traffic information every 20 minutes, which they do by texting a combination of numbers and characters to Jamless, they can make US$20 a month, sometimes more, Mohammed said.
http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/biz/archives/2013/03/26/2003558000