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introvertguide · 3 years

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The Life of Roman Polanski

The director of our current movie under review, Roman Polanski, is a man that has been surrounded by sadness and controversy. I think that he is a great director and an amazing creator of the visual arts, but he has a major flaw that makes me very glad he is nowhere near me. I think a statement like that deserves some explanation, but know that a lot of my take is based on opinion. I was not alive when a lot of his issues occurred so I base my opinion on news and official record statements. I will try and rely on recorded facts as much as possible and make a point to mention if something is not proven. I also encourage anyone who is interested to find out more because it is a fascinating story.

Polanski started off the in a pretty bad way as he was born in 1933 in Paris during the height of Nazi reign in Europe. He was moved to Krakow in 1937 right before the German invasion and his parents were taken in raids. He was kept alive in foster homes under an assumed identity and was lucky to survive. His mother died in Auschwitz, but he was reunited with his father after the war in 1946. Roman had quite the artistic eye and used it for both photography and filming. He attended the National Film School in Lodz, Poland and started directing short films that gained recognition. One film in particular was called Bicycle. It was a true story of a thief that tricked Polanski out of his money when purchasing a bicycle and instead beat Polanski around the head with the butt of a gun. The thief was found and eventually executed for past crimes including 3 murders.

After graduating in 1959, Polanski went to France and continued to make short films. He reported that there was a problem with xenophobia at the time since so many Polish people had dispersed around Europe after the war. He went to England and made three movies between 1965 and 1968 that gained recognition in America: Repulsion, Cul-de-sac, and Dance of the Vampires. A young woman named Sharon Tate played a role in Dance of the Vampires and Polanski fell in love. He married her in 1968 in England, and they moved to the U.S. so he could make movies in Hollywood. His first film in the states was a horror film entitled Rosemary’s Baby, one of the highest rated horror films of all time. Polanski had a beautiful young wife, a son on the way, a hit movie with more work coming, and great prospects for life in the United States.

As horrific as his formative years were, I am surprised to find myself writing that this is when Polanski’s life really went out of control. On August 9th, 1969, cult members who followed a man named Charles Manson broke into the Polanski home in Los Angeles and murdered the 8 month pregnant Sharon Tate and four friends that were at the home. Polanski had been working in London on a new film and wasn’t there that night. He says to this day that it is by far the greatest regret of his life. Remember this. It seems that some wires got crossed as far as Roman’s thinking process because his behavior really took a turn.

His films had been dark and violent in the past, but they started to have sexual undertones with more graphic nudity. His first movie back after the loss of his wife was Macbeth, a movie that was rated X at the time for graphic nudity and violence. Polanski later said that he was in a dark place, but the media would find things in his movies always looking for a story. He hated the media after the sensationalism and lack of privacy involved with the loss of his wife and son. Next came an extremely odd road trip sex comedy that was appropriately called What?. And then came his last work filmed in the United States and the film he was probably best known for, Chinatown. I don’t want to go over the film too much since it is the film currently under review for the group, but it is very dark and has an extremely down beat ending.

And then another crime was committed in Polanski’s life that would haunt while simultaneously erasing any good will the American public had for him. He was charged for drugging and raping a 13-year-old girl who modeled for him during a Vogue photoshoot. It was recorded as occurring at the Bel Air estate of Jack Nicholson. There is no question about this encounter as Polanski was arrested and confessed to the charges. He thought he was going to receive probation and timed served for a guilty plea, but the judge was reported to have changed his mind and was planning to reject the plea and give Polanski prison time for all charges. This would result in up to 50 years in jail and what amounted to life in prison. Polanski would not serve this sentence so he fled the country to France where he would not be extradited.

The charges are still pending and there is no statute of limitations on rape in the United States, so Polanski is on a list of people that if found outside of certain countries will be immediately sent back to the U.S. to face charges. He has dual citizenship in France and Poland; both countries do not extradite citizens. He went on to make one of his best works, a film called Tess, while in Europe. It was a great success and Polanski was nominated for Best Director. The film ended up winning three Academy Awards (none for Polanski). So it seemed that this acclaimed director would live in France and hope that things would blow over. He settled a civil suit in court with the girl and she went on to marry and says she forgives Polanski. But it didn’t end...

Because the woman was in the U.S. and Polanski was not, she was harassed by the press to speak out and tell her story. She reported that the media did much more harm to her and her family than Polanski did. That is a very strong statement considering the charges. Things finally cooled down somewhat when Polanski married an actress from one of his films, Emmanuelle Seignor in 1989. The couple have two kids together and things were apparently going fine in France.

Things remained well through the 90s although nothing Polanski did got much attention. It seemed he would simply live out his life quietly in France. Then in 1999, he came out with a film called The Ninth Gate that garnered attention since it starred the very popular Johnny Depp. Polanski was back on his game and he directed and produced a film called The Pianist. It stars Adrian Brody and told the story of a Polish-Jewish composer who survived the concentration camps because of goodwill received from German officers that appreciated his work. It is a masterpiece and earned Polanski the award for Best Director. He could not accept the award in person because he would be arrested, so Harrison Ford accepted it on his behalf and took it to him in France. A strange little detail about this is that The Pianist was also up for best picture, but stirrings about Polanski’s past were brought up by a competing producer to throw the award. There is no real proof of this, but the man said to have done this was quite powerful in Hollywood at the time. Ironically, that man who was said to remind people of old rape charges was none other than Harvey Weinstein. I don’t have proof of this, but it is an interesting story. One of those “I heard it is said that” kind of things from TMZ.

Anyway, these reminders had people trying to interview Polanski and his wife about the past and he basically said that people needed to move past it. This does not tend to go over very well with the American public or the legal system and Polanski was arrested while in Switzerland and held in Zurich. Public sentiment in America, France, and Poland leaned towards Polanski being sent to America to face trial. The Swiss judge denied extradition and Polanski was sent back to France. There were requests in 2014 by US courts that Poland send Polanski to stand trial since there was question concerning the conduct of the original judge in Polanski’s case. It was believed that Polanski would be given some form of probation, but it also meant he could travel. Polish courts ruled that Polanski had served his punishment and should not have to face U.S. courts again. In 2016, it was presented by Polish officials that no amount of time could account for the crime of rape, but the decision of the lower court was held.

In 2018, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences removed Polanski as a member. Strangely, that same year, they offered a membership to his wife (who loudly said no).

So the final say about how to feel about Polanski and his works lies firmly on the individual. Here is all the information about the trial that can keep it nice and ambiguous for you. The judge, the lead prosecutor, and the LA County Deputy DA at the time all admitted bias against Polanski. He would not have gotten a fair trial and would likely have ended up in prison for life. The prosecutor said later in an interview for a documentary that he was not surprised at all that Polanski left and it would have been a media circus. Polanski paid the victim almost a million dollars in civil settlement money and she said she doesn’t want to see any further prosecution. Okay. In 2017, a website run by Matan Uziel was sued by Polanski for libel when it was posted that 5 other women had come forward and accused Polanski of sexual assault. Polanski did not show up in court so Uziel was dismissed of charges. Uziel requested specifically that the cases not be dropped so that Polanski could not try and sue him at a future date. It is true that, in 2010, an English actress accused Polanski of “forcing himself” on her during filming of the movie Pirates. In 2017, a Swiss woman accused Polanski of raping her in the 70s when she was only 15. The same month, another woman accused him of assaulting her in 1975 when she was only 10. Finally, in 2019, a former actress model from France said that Polanski violently raped her at a Swiss chalet in 1975.

So what can you say about the man? His early life was tragedy and misery. The loss of his wife and child was horrific. He seemed like he was in a very bad place in the 70s. I don’t want to give credence to accusation without proof, but it can be sure that he committed at least one sexual assault of an under aged girl. He ran from his trial because he knew it would not be fair, but he was still never held accountable in a court of law for what he did. He has been forced to stay in Poland and France, but he is wealthy with a wife and kids, never seeing the jail time for what he did. And if it is true that he has committed other crimes like this, then he needs to be in jail. But could he ever get a fair day in court at this point? The man is 87 and will likely die soon, likely before any sentencing could occur. Also, how reliable is testimony from any parties about things that happened between 40-50 years ago? Everything he is accused of seems to have happened after the death of Sharon Tate and before his marriage to his current wife, so it seems like his behavior was linked to his state of mind and he is no longer in that state. That may explain things but it does not forgive them.

I don’t know. This is probably why I chose psychology instead of law enforcement or criminal justice. Trying to decide if someone has adequately paid for crimes they have committed is not my specialty. It will be a moot point soon enough because he will be dead. So what do we do with the guy? He has encountered both great suffering and great joy in his life. He as also caused great suffering and great joy. I guess it is more about how he will be remembered at this point. I would be curious to hear what others think.

#roman polanski #sharon tate #chinatown #rosemary's baby #film director #extradition #court charges #life and times #assault #70s #media coverage #introvert #introverts

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ohnosoph · 4 years

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Slow your roll there Thomas Middleditch fans, new and old...

TW: Abuse, emotional/mental manipulation, gaslighting, body-shaming

You might wanna sit down for this. :-/

I’ve noticed that there’s been some more Silicon Valley/Jake and Amir hype happening (most likely as a result of the fabulous Middleditch and Schwartz Netflix special) and for those of you that are new here, welcome but proceed with caution.

In truth, the amount of recent fandom revolving around Thomas Middleditch has honestly left me dumbfounded. Because not to be that person but...

...he’s pretty awful.

And given how rampant cancel culture has become, I’m GENUINELY surprised how most of y’all let this fly for so long. Or even worse, let it slip past you in the first place.

And to that I say---no more.

Thomas and Andrée:

Thomas around 2010-2012 was romantically involved with a fellow comedian/actress named Andrée Vermulen.

They eventually broke things off and he started dating his now ex-wife Mollie (who I’ll get to). It wasn’t until June of 2016 when Andrée came forward about how Thomas (who she chose not to name, maybe due to the fact that he had a very popular HBO comedy on at the time and wanted to avoid any drama) pressured her into getting breast implants. He preyed on her self-image issues, saying he was a “boob guy” and instilling the idea within her that her natural breasts weren’t ‘good enough’. She got the procedure, which he’d initially offered to pay for but then demanded afterwards that she pay him back for it. The implants caused her both immense emotional and physical trauma as you can go onto read about in her original Instagram post.

(This goes without saying but please do not send any hate towards Andrée, she’s very clearly put all of this behind her and I honestly feel bad drudging all this up.)

After getting a removal surgery, she decided to keep the implants and donate them to the Museum of Broken Relationships in Los Angeles. She originally wanted to send them to Thomas but decided that it would be more cathartic to give them to a place where her story could be told over and over again and shared with others who may have needed to hear it.

God bless that woman. :,)

Thomas and Mollie:

Since many fans chose to sadly ignore the whole Andrée situation, it flew under the radar. But it was admittedly pretty hard to ignore the onslaught of websites and blogs when last year in September...this was everywhere you looked:

Now, at first glance, it seems pretty harmless. It was 2019 after all. Non-monogamous relationship dynamics such as polyamory and open relationships seemed to be pretty widely accepted and still are.

That was never the issue.

The issue was Thomas single-handedly committing one of the most preventable, egregious acts of foot-in-mouth syndrome I and many others have ever seen.

In short, Thomas waited until AFTER he and Mollie wed in 2015 to express his desires to “get non-traditional” with their relationship.

What a prick.

He goes onto describe himself as being a very sexual person which again, isn’t a bad thing. The fucked up aspect is where he basically acknowledges that Mollie is a private person and then airs out ALL of their dirty laundry in a Playboy article that I can’t help but feel is a publicity stunt.

Not in it’s legitimacy. But just as a way to get his name back in the airwaves following the bomb of a Godzilla movie that he starred in and to drum up interest in the last season of Silicon Valley that would be premiering later that year. Either way, I highly recommend reading the full article as it gives you a better idea as to how Thomas sort of dragged Mollie into all of it.

Meanwhile, there are plenty of women who have come forward online (most of these are unconfirmed however), saying that they were approached by either the couple or just Middleditch following his improv shows for group sex.

There was also the time a photographer friend of his posted on IG a photo of a scantily clad woman (I’m sorry for not including the post he was replying to, I genuinely forgot the person’s @ and will try to find it if I can) and THIS was his response:

Just...why?

It wasn’t until this past May, when he and Mollie, who had been married for 5 years, filed for divorce over “irreconcilable differences”. **insert pikachu surprised face**

Thomas has since expressed regret over his Playboy interview, saying that it was a “painful learning experience” but wasn’t it also JoJo who said “too little, too late”.

Yeah, sure seems like it.

TO CONCLUDE;

You can by all means still be a fan of Silicon Valley. I’m currently sat five feet away from my season 4 “Changing The Way Things Change” poster on my loft wall. You can by all means still like Richard. Who doesn’t miss that anxious, awkward lil bean? You can still be a fan of Jake and Amir. You can still like Doobs. And Solar Opposites and Captain Underpants and anything else he’s known for and been a part of. And hell, you can still be a fan of Middleditch and Schwartz and even...still like Thomas (why would you tho??).

But if you do choose to stand by Middleditch and actions and his future projects, please don’t at the same time feign support for abuse victims and when you are LITERALLY supporting a known abuser and manipulator.

That’s all.

Stay safe out there.

- Soph <3

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helloworlddemo1122-yahoopar-blog · 6 years

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The Biggest 'Grey's Anatomy' Cast Exits

Grey's Anatomy has had its fair share of goodbyes.

As the 14th season winds down, ABC's long-running medical drama has gone through significant cast changes in front of the camera and its fair share of on-set drama and scandals. While Ellen Pompeo, Justin Chambers, Chandra Wilson and James Pickens Jr. are the only remaining members of the original ensemble who have been with the show since its March 2005 debut, many of their colleagues have come and gone -- some in tragic fashion and others with hopeful beginnings.

With Sarah Drew and Jessica Capshaw's exits looming ahead of the 15th season, there promises to be even more transitions for the veteran series. From T.R. Knight and Katherine Heigl to Sara Ramirez and Patrick Dempsey, ET chronicles the history of Grey's' biggest and most dramatic cast exits over the past 14 seasons.

Dr. Preston Burke (Isaiah Washington)

ABC

Washington was one of the original doctors on Grey's when it debuted in 2005. He was fired in 2007 after the third season, following an incident where Washington allegedly used a gay slur in reference to T.R. Knight during an on-set argument and clashed with other co-stars. The actor eventually returned to Grey's for a 2014 episode to help kick off Sandra Oh's exit.

Dr. George O'Malley (T.R. Knight)

ABC

Knight was the first major cast departure for Grey's, leaving in tragic yet heroic fashion at the end of season five. In his final episodes, his beloved character, George, ran in front of a bus in an effort to save a woman but was hit himself -- still one of TV's most shocking moments -- resulting in being completely unrecognizable to the doctors when he was rushed in. He would later die from his injuries, which became the topic of early season six, as his former colleagues mourned his death and attended his funeral. One of the original interns on Grey's, George was a puppy-eyed doctor whose close friendship with Meredith, fumbling romances with Izzie and Callie and adversarial dynamic with Alex made him even more relatable to viewers.

Denny Duquette (Jeffrey Dean Morgan)

ABC

While Morgan only appeared in about two dozen episodes, he remains one of Grey's most memorable characters, playing Denny, a patient-turned-love interest for Izzie in the second and third seasons. Though the heart transplant Denny came in for was successful, he died suddenly after a stroke -- but not until after he'd proposed to Izzie and she'd accepted. Later, Izzie used the money he left her to open up the Denny Duquette Memorial Clinic. In season five, Morgan returned for a new arc when Izzie began hallucinating Denny around the time she discovered she was diagnosed with cancer.

Dr. Izzie Stevens (Katherine Heigl)

ABC

One of the original Grey's stars, Heigl left midway through season six after playing the bubbly, upbeat intern-turned-surgical resident Izzie for over 100 episodes. In her final episode, Heigl's character discovered she was cancer-free, attempted to reconcile with her ex, Alex, and turned down an offer to get her job back after getting fired, opting to move on for a fresh start. Heigl, who won the Emmy for her Grey's role in 2007, memorably took her name out of consideration in 2008 because she didn't feel she "was given the material this season to warrant an Emmy nomination," a reference to her reduced workload that year.

Dr. Addison Montgomery (Kate Walsh)

ABC

Addison's introduction on Grey's at the end of the first season is still one of the most memorable moments of the series. Still, she left after season three after deciding to have a baby and visiting her friend Naomi, a fertility specialist in California at Oceanside Wellness Group, making the move to the Golden State permanent. Walsh's spinoff, Private Practice, debuted in the fall of 2007 and ran for six seasons, but she would pop back in and out on Grey's through its eighth season.

Dr. Lexie Grey (Chyler Leigh)

ABC

Meredith's half-sister Lexie entered the picture in season three as part of that year's new class of interns, but became an integral part of the fabric of the series when she was upped to series regular at the start of season four. She became romantically involved with Mark in an on-again/off-again romance, and the two eventually reunited not long before they were both victims of a horrific plane crash at the end of season eight, during which she was the first to die. "My experience on Grey’s Anatomy is something that I will treasure for the rest of my life. I want to take this time to say thank you to the fans," Leigh told TVLine. "Your unconditional love and support have made these last five years very special for me. I look forward to my next chapter and I hope you will continue to follow me on my journey.

Dr. Mark Sloan (Eric Dane)

ABC

The "McSteamy" to Patrick Dempsey's "McDreamy," Dane joined the ABC drama as a recurring guest star in the sophomore season before being promoted to series regular in season three, and his character, Mark, was immediately dubbed the ladies' man of the hospital. His presence at the hospital caused more wrinkles than it stabilized the staff, with spicy affairs with Derek's estranged wife Addison, Callie and Lexie -- the latter a relationship he grew to embrace. Dane was written off in dramatic fashion; after Lexie's death following the eighth season finale plane crash, Mark succumbed to his injuries.

Dr. Cristina Yang (Sandra Oh)

ABC

Oh was one of the original cast members on Grey's when it debuted in 2005 and was on the show for 10 seasons until she left in 2014, when Cristina made the leap to relocate and start anew in Zurich. As Meredith's "person," Owen's on-again/off-again love and a star surgeon, Oh's character was one of the most beloved of the series and speculation of a potential return has permeated ever since her departure. "I've gotta tell you, those rumors, I don't know who starts them but it really is tough," Oh admitted to ET Canada in 2016. "No, I have no plans to return to Grey's any time soon." But Oh did say in a 2014 interview with The Hollywood Reporter that she'd be game to return for the series finale.

Dr. Derek Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey)

ABC

Dempsey's exit in season 11 was one of the most shocking moments in the history of Grey's, as his character, also known as "McDreamy," was one-half of the main couple on the series alongside Ellen Pompeo's Meredith Grey. In his final episode, Derek was rushed to the ER after a large semi truck struck his car and the team of under-trained doctors were unable to save him in time, forcing Meredith to pull the plug. “Derek Shepherd is and will always be an incredibly important character -- for Meredith, for me and for the fans. I absolutely never imagined saying goodbye to our 'McDreamy.' Patrick Dempsey’s performance shaped Derek in a way that I know we both hope became a meaningful example -- happy, sad, romantic, painful and always true -- of what young women should demand from modern love,” creator Shonda Rhimes said in April 2015. “His loss will be felt by all.”

Dr. Callie Torres (Sara Ramirez)

ABC

Ramirez announced her decision to leave the show after 10 seasons of playing one of TV's groundbreaking bisexual characters following the season 12 finale. In Ramirez's final episode, she and her ex, Arizona, agreed that they would co-parent their daughter together. “I’m deeply grateful to have spent the last 10 years with my family at Grey’s Anatomy & ABC but for now, I’m taking some welcome time off,” Ramirez wrote in her note in 2016. “Shonda been so incredible to work for, & we will definitely continue our conversations!”

Dr. Stephanie Edwards (Jerrika Hinton)

ABC

Hinton joined the medical drama in its ninth season, staying on for five seasons as Stephanie, one of Grey Sloan's surgical residents, and leaving at the end of the season 13 finale after suffering devastating burns following a fiery explosion in one of the hospital wings. Her near-death experience was enough for Stephanie to change course, and she made a declaration that she wanted to live her own life now. Hinton revealed to ET in February that she pitched a version of Stephanie's final episode where she died. "My heart grows to think that I did get a hero's end -- that I got to go out in a way that was not just incredibly human and honest, but also inspirational."

Dr. Nathan Riggs (Martin Henderson)

ABC

Though Henderson's time as Riggs on Grey's was relatively brief -- he joined midway through the 12th season and left early on in season 14 -- he made his time on the series count. An Army doctor who had a friendship and deep history with fellow Grey Sloan doc Owen, he grew to become Meredith's main love interest following Patrick Dempsey's departure, but Riggs and Meredith's romance was cut short when he was reunited with his former love, Owen's previously presumed dead sister, Megan. In the end, the pair decided to move to Los Angeles together.

Dr. April Kepner (Sarah Drew)

ABC

Drew, who has played April since season six, was written out of the show at the end of season 14 and she got her happy ending, walking down the aisle in a surprise wedding with an old flame, Matthew, with her ex-husband Jackson witness to the happy day. She also decided to leave Grey Sloan to do God's work, helping homeless communities in Seattle. But there was some worry that she wouldn't survive the season. Things weren't looking good for the devout Christian doctor in the penultimate episode as she was seen unconscious and barely clinging to life after being in a car accident. Thankfully, she made it out with barely a scratch. Whew. Ellen Pompeo hinted to ET in May that Drew's character would not meet a horrific end -- and thankfully, she was right. "You only get killed off when your behavior is bad. If you're a nice actor, you die nice. ... But, yeah, these endings aren't tragic."

Dr. Arizona Robbins (Jessica Capshaw)

ABC

In the penultimate season 14 episode, details of Capshaw's departure from Grey's were revealed: She was moving to New York City to be closer to the daughter she shares with her ex, Callie, and helping Nicole Herman open up a new clinic. In the finale, it was hinted that she and Callie may also be rekindling their romance. The announcement in March that she would be leaving after playing one of TV's few LGBTQ characters for 10 seasons was a shock to the system for fans. "I am sad to see her go, but I am consoled by the idea that she will continue to live on and on in all of our consciences and our imaginations," Capshaw wrote at the time.

Grey's Anatomy airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC.

RELATED CONTENT:

'Grey's Anatomy': Is April Being Killed Off? Watch the Ominous Teaser

Ellen Pompeo Says They're 'Starting' to Think About How to End 'Grey's Anatomy' (Exclusive)

'Grey's Anatomy' Star Ellen Pompeo Says Jessica Capshaw and Sarah Drew Won't Have Tragic Endings (Exclusive)

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dreamingsushi · 4 years

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Train - Episode 1

So anyone who knows me knows that I am obsessed with one actor and that person would be... the fabulous, the wonderful YOON SI YOON! So today, my friend just told me that he is starring in a new drama and I’m so hyped and excited. I’ve noticed this gentleman in King of Baking, I even wanted to become a baker because of him and I have watched most of his dramas until 2016, now I have to get up to date on that but oh well. So here I am, going back to my beloved one. I have no control on my episodes of fangirling, but I will try not to let them be in the reviews too much.

Okay... So I got too excited too fast, the subtitles are not out yet TT But I will be baaack. And I need to learn Korean.

And there we are a few hours later. I am announcing just now that I will post my recaps one week after the release of the episode to avoid spoilers, since my recaps are pretty detailed. I am trying this, hopefully you like it!

So the episode starts right away with a very creepy atmosphere and then there’s a cat on a track railroad and suddenly... well it is suggested that the cat gets hit by a train.. It’s not even two minutes in and I feel like... I will regret watching this late at night sooooo much. But I already waited all day to watch it. So let’s hope it’s not too scary. My beautiful Si Yoon shall help with that.

A high school girl comes hom at night only to find the house had been broken in, the lights are not working and there a creepy carousel like music. A boy is also running outside in the rain looking for his father. A group of Ajhumma is gathered as it seems there was a hit and run. Okay, not a carousel music, it was coming from a music box and as the girl keeps on walking she ends up stepping in a pool of fresh blood. Her dad is lying dead behind the couch. The hit and run victim was the guy’s dad, he’s sent to ER. Wow, they are starting very rough. So looks it’s too late and the girl’s mom ( I assume) knows the guy too. Okay. Not the mom. She’s like a detective or something. If she was her mom, she wouldn’t be on that case.

And... the train track make me so nervous. Okay, that’s going to be a difficult case to solve. The witness is dead. The dad was strangled with a necklace.

Poor baby guy, he looks so young. And at the funeral house, they give him his dad’s things and in there, he finds the necklace that was used for the murder of the girl’s dad. But you know what, I don’t think the dad did it. It would be too easy. I sense framing here.

I am so scared. There’s a guy walking near the train track and he’s pulling a suitcase drenched in blood, even though it’s pouring rain and now he’s about to turn around and it’s just so scary... Okay, good, we don’t see anything.

It seems we jump forward in time as Si Yoon barges in, as an inspector while the girl is with a woman that looks beaten up. My baby Si Yoon looks pretty upset and doesn’t care that he’s told that he can’t go in, but before he does, the girl comes out to him. So basically he was refused a warrant for a rape case, but that’s because the victim changed her testimony and said they were in a relationship. I guess it’s beaten up girl in the office, as she is crying. He seems to have all the evidence and asks her for a warrant but she says the court won’t grant it. So he accuses her of of not doing it because the culprit is related to her boss. He leaves angry at her. Aw, I missed Si Yoon’s acting so much!

A guy is released from prison and bugs the detectives. Si Yoon isn’t impressed at all by his little game. He’s looking at reports about driving offenses. That same night, he goes undercover to catch Park Taekyung, the rapist guy. I missed Kdramas and the crazy driving. They are car racing hahaha! Go take risks Si Yoon go go go! His partner doesn’t seem to feel too well. Si yoon tells him to get out of the car. Then he makes sure Park Taekyung hit him and he calls for a hit and run. Si Yoon what the hell? Your head is bleeding and you’re still driving? Well at least the manage to catch him but then discover some human bones. It’s on the train track.

Totally, they found four corpses, related to old cases, but it would be hard to find the culprit because there are no CCTV there.

Do Won (Si Yoon) gets scolded for letting a car hit him at full speed. The chief officer is somewhat mad at him with reason. She wants him to take a leave of absence, but he doesn’t want to, he says he’s fine. He says he’s seeking for medical help and that he won’t over do it in the serial murder case. She agrees to let him work but he has to bring in a doctor’s not. All the victims seemed like they were wearing nice jewels. Dowon’s friend guesses they were all woman. So it wasn’t about the money. Then they find the cat from the beginning of the episode and one of the guys notices that it looks like it was ran on by a train. Which is technically impossible because that train station was closed down. Then they suggest to bury it again, but Dowon sees something.

So the case is really similar to the one with the dad at the beginning. That girl from earlier brings the closed case, the culprit wasn’t found and the case was lying for the past twelve years. So Dowon didn’t say anything about finding the necklace in his dad’s stuff. Anyways, because of the corpses only being bones, it’s hard to determine the cause of death and thus make parallels with that previous case.

So it’s SeoKyung’s birthday. Seems she grew up with the chied and Dowon. They are not expecting Dowon to come back though. But he did come. But to ask about Seokyung’s mom’s son or I don’t really get what’s the relationship between them. Step-brother? Anyways, he leaves and she’s pretty upset as it has been three years before he came back, that maybe he has his reasons, but he should explain to her as they have lived so many years together. He says he left because she confessed to him and she says he’s a coward. She tells him to take the stuff he left behind and he says what he left behind was because he didn’t mind her throwing it away. I guess there are things that shared common memories in there since she looks so hurt. He drives away but not long after that, he stops the car. He looks so sad. So my guess right now is that he likes her but won’t tell her before being sure his suspicions about his dad killing her dad are false. I mean would you date the son of your dad’s murderer? Probably not. I am already sad for him.

Then he gets a call. They got finger prints on the bags, but since it’s sides one, they can’t identify the culprit.

Then there’s footage of a guy eating and candy and then seeing the cat and trying to bury it down. The police comes around but he keeps burying the cat. The guy doesn’t look totally sane to me. Oh so he has a disability. That’s what I though and it’s the guy Dowon was asking about.

Oh so Seokyung moved in with Dowon because her stepmom was mean to her and Sungwook (her step brother) tried to abuse her. Back then he wasn’t disabled. So he became like this after getting in an accident while drunk driving. So the stepmom goes crazy when he says Jungwook was at the scene of murder, but Dowon is like I never said he was a suspect and she agrees he talks with him. Dowon gives him a candy and asks him if he saw something, but the only thing he says, while playing with his train miniature is danger, mirror, traffic light and stop. I think this is going to be important. Dowon is about to dismiss it when he notices it’s written all over the walls. Then he goes to the police station to know what Jungwook was doing at the train station : burying the cat.

The stepmom hides something and she seems worried about Jungwook going somewhere again. But mystery. I guess the writers want us to believe the stepmom is the murderer, but that would be too easy. She must have some other secrets.

There’s something strange with the victims’ clothes. It was manufactured a year ago by a company that company that doesn’t exist anymore.

Dowon realizes that all the corpses were located next to the signs Sungwook was referring to. So he goes and check. The stop sign though is missing. Then the finger prints on the bags matches those of Sungwook. Too easy. There’s something else. He finds the stop sign and realizes something with the Beijing tower where there should be the fifth victim.

Seokyung goes to find him and hears about the fifth victim. He thinks Lee Sungwook is the culprit so Seokyung thinks he’s the one who killed her father since he took all the insurance money. But Dowon tells her Sungwook isn’t related to that case. But I’m telling you Dowon, the guy isn’t the culprit. Too easy. Then he wants to leave and arrest him then find the Beijing tower, but then Seokyong spots a sticker saying Beijing tower with a phone number.

In the middle of the night, the alcoholic stepmom wakes up. She literally sleep with her soju bottles. She notices her son isn’t tied to her anymore. And the police comes to get him.

Seokyung and Dowon look for the body. Sungwook is at the station with a shovel and he hits Dowon on the head while he was somehow having some sort of train flashback. Now he’s bleeding pretty bad.

Seokyung finds the last corpse. Sungwook is on his way and she’s trying to call Dowon but he’s stuck on the ground and now the train is coming and Seokyung will be attacked too and there’s like two minutes left. Omg. I am soooo stressed out right now. I am not going to watch it in the middle of the night EVER AGAIN. So scary. Then she finds a train ticket. Sungwook gets in. Dowon is about to get hit by the train... omg. I am so scared. But so thrilled for next episode. OMG.

This is bomb. Honestly, so good and addicting. I was dragged into the story right away, no dragging on anything. This is amazing.

And the previews... OMG. I don’t like what they are hinting. Not at all. But like... It’s too early for revealing something like that. So I think the writers are going to play with us a little. The script was so good so far.

I highly recommend to watch it so far. Just not at night. Even while typing this a few days later, my heart is still pounding as it scared me real bad.

#train #yoon si yoon #seo dowon #kyung soo jin #han seokyung #shin so yul #lee jungmin #lee hangna #oh mi sok #yoon bokin #jo youngra #cha yun #lee sungwook #kdrama #korean drama #drama review #drama recap #drama reaction.

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thebiasedlens · 7 years

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My Top 15 Hindi Movies of 2016

It’s January 2017. Which means it’s Awards season. Which also means it's List-making season. And before I start watching movies from the 2017 movie calendar, here are MY Top 15 Hindi Movies of 2016:

15. Fan

At 15 is SRK’s flawed yet powerful - FAN ! This movie may have tanked at the Box office (unfortunately) but SRK’s performance in Fan was exactly what us SRK “Fans” have been waiting for since Chakde India! Here’s hoping for more such performances from him in the future.

14. Befikre

Like Fan, Befikre also failed to ring up the box office. Despite that, in my opinion, Befikre is one of the brave movies of 2016. Brave because Director Aditya Chopra “Dared” to make something different from what he has always made. It was honest and true to what it promised to be, i.e. India’s first true Rom-Com. All fun and NO melodrama. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

13. Nil Battey Sannata

Nil Battey Sannata was a nice and sweet Mother-daughter movie that emphasized the importance of education - irrespective of your age. It was one of those feel-good movie that left me with a smile in the end.

12. Phobia

This movie gave me the chills. The second half was a little clunky, but was saved by Radhika Apte’s brilliant performance. She deserves to be showered with awards for this performance. Phobia joins the short list of good Thrillers to come out of India.

11. Parched

I saw this movie at New York Indian Film Festival (NYIFF) in May 2016 and was moved by its brave subject. It reaffirmed the fact that Radhika Apte is currently one of the best actress in Indian cinema. But sadly, the most underrated actress. Like I said above - Shower her with awards please.

10. Waiting

I also saw Waiting at NYIFF and loved every frame of it. It is a shame that this movie did not get the love it deserved. If you haven't seen it please give it a chance. It is honest and clean cinema that deserved to be seen and appreciated. The friendship between Naseeruddin Shah and Kalki Koechlin is endearing. Exceptionally well made.

9. Ae Dil Hai Mushkil

ADHM is Karan Johar’s most mature movie till date. Funnily enough, my favorite part of the movie is the part that received the most flack from everyone else, i.e. the final act. A lot of people said that the movie should have ended at the rooftop, but what a disappointment that would have been. It would have been the same old Karan Johar movie without any evolution in his storytelling. The final act changes that. And I commend him for it. The storyteller that Karan has now become with ADHM is who should have made KANK and My Name is Khan.

Also - Aishwarya Rai Bachchan - WOW!

8. Dear Zindagi

2016 was a good year for SRK fans. He was part of two good movies. Movies that reminded everyone of his true ability as an actor (that he has always been), and not just the star that he has allowed to take over these past few years. It seems (and we hope) that he now plans to let the actor be in-charge going forward.

Having said that, Dear Zindagi was all Aia Bhatt start to finish. She was just OUTSTANDING in it. She was so mesmerizing that I forgave the tiny flaws the movie had, just to continue watching her.

Director Gauri Shinde deliver a sensitive and beautiful movie that teaches you to see small things in life from a different point of view. And gives you the much needed optimism, that we all need in our lives, to live and love Zindagi!

7. Neerja

Neerja was The Surprise of the Year! I had average expectations from this movie. The trailer looked great but I was afraid that Sonam Kapoor will ruin it as I have not been such great fan of her acting. But I came out of the theatre astonished and stunned by her acting and the movie. The camera work and editing of this movie was also very well-done! Full marks to Director Ram Madhvani.

6. Udta Punjab

Udta Punjab was this one movie that I knew would be good from the first time I saw the first trailer. But beyond how good the movie was, the performances were even better.

While Diljit Dosanjh underplayed his role, Shahid Kapoor balanced it with his over-the-top performance as the drug addict rockstar. And complimenting them was Alia Bhatt with her career best performance. Her silence in some scenes said more that what other actors can't even express with an entire movie.

If it wasn't clear before, it became abundantly clear after this performance that Alia Bhatt is my new favorite actress.

5. Kapoor & Sons

Kapoor and Sons gave me so many feels on so many different levels. Right from that opening scene when the camera is just floating through the Kapoor house, I knew I would love this movie.

And like Udta Punjab this was also filled with outstanding performances. From the quarreling couple Ratna Pathak and Rajat Kapoor, to the grandfather who just wanted a family photo played adorably by Rishi Kapoor. From the dysfunctional brothers, played remarkably by Fawad Khan and Sidharth Malhotra, to the cute and bubbly Alia Bhatt who added the much needed sweetness to the Kapoor family drama. They were all great.

Kapoor & Sons was one of the best written and executed movies of 2016. Can’t wait to see what Shakun Batra and Ayesha DeVitre have up their sleeves next.

4. Raman Raghav 2.0

Raman Raghav 2.0 was a treat to watch. Its Anurag Kashyap at his best. The wounded lion, after Bombay Velvet, hit back with this psychotic crime drama that was not for the faint hearted. What I loved about this movie was that it stared with a Prologue and thereon in was narrated in chapters. Brilliant Kashyap at his brilliant best.

Executing his vision vividly was the immensely talented - Nawazuddin Siddiqui! This man is par excellence. Just that one scene in which he is locked up and is shouting for help - and then cut to - changes his expressions when he hears someone coming. What a performance. Too good.

3. Dangal

This movie has been breaking all the records at the box office and I'm glad it has. Because Dangal is the kind of sports movie we deserve and not an average half baked movie like MS Dhoni or a pile of garbage that Sultan was.

Unlike Sultan, wherein misogyny was packaged as woman empowerment and the audience was told that having a baby and sacrificing your dreams and career to see a smile on your husband’s face is as good as winning that gold medal you have been working all your life to achieve, Dangal actually depicts what woman empowerment is and should be. That girls are no less than boys and they can achieve their dreams.

Minus the one dimensional villain coach and some fictional masala added in the end, Dangal was an extremely well made and executed movie. All props to director Nitesh Tiwari and Mr Perfectionist Aamir Khan.

Also Zaira Wasim as the young Geeta was exceptional. Power performance.

2. Pink

“No Means No” - Hard-hitting and powerful. That was Pink.

In 2015 over 34,600 cases of rape were reported in India. The rape victims were among the age group of below six years to over 60 years. That is just disgusting. Hence I had said after watching this movie and I will say it again- Pink needs to be shown in Indian schools during sex-ed classes. It is a must.

Pink is an essential viewing, hence you forgive it when it indulges a bit during the courtroom scenes - only to make what is being conveyed more dramatic and in your face. Mr Bachchan as always was outstanding, and so were the girls. LOVED IT!

1. Aligarh

Oh what do I say about Aligarh. It was dark and brutal and honest and real and raw and it refused to (even for one frame) let go. From the cinematography, to the camera work, the costumes, the art direction, everything was perfect to the T. Unlike Pink, here director Hansal Mehta chose to not overdramatize anything, including the courtroom scenes and for me personally that had a bigger impact.

This was Manoj Bajpayee’s best performance so far and my favorite performance of the year! He deserves all the Best Actor of 2016 Awards for this sublime performance.

This movie opened people's eyes and minds and made them realize what an embarrassment section 377 is for India. And SC needs to abolishes it completely. ASAP!

#bollywood

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blogparadiseisland · 6 years

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Business This was worse than what the Senate did to Anita Hill

Business This was worse than what the Senate did to Anita Hill Business This was worse than what the Senate did to Anita Hill http://www.nature-business.com/business-this-was-worse-than-what-the-senate-did-to-anita-hill/

Business

Julian Zelizer is a history and public affairs professor at Princeton University and co-host of the “Politics & Polls” podcast. In January, Norton will publish a new book by him and Kevin Kruse, “Fault Lines: A History of the United States Since 1974.” Follow him on Twitter: @julianzelizer. The opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author. View more opinion articles on CNN.

(CNN)In the past few days, the experts have wondered whether the Senate had learned anything from the horrendous way that the Judiciary Committee treated Anita Hill back in 1991.

In light of Hill’s accusations that

Clarence Thomas

had sexually harassed her at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the all-male committee turned the Supreme Court hearings into a farce. Republicans, and most Democrats, focused their questions on Hill’s credibility, raising doubts about her intentions and whether she was exaggerating what today President Donald Trump would call “locker room” talk. They demonstrated almost no sympathy for the victims of sexual harassment and made comments that today seem unthinkable.

Because of the backlash to the 1991 hearings, the working assumption was that this time the Senate Judiciary Committee would surely get things right. The panel would treat Christine Blasey Ford’s allegations of sexual assault with dignity and handle the process in a respectful fashion. Understanding how the times had changed, the Republican majority would turn the committee hearings into a serious forum for an examination into whether there is sufficient evidence to prove that Brett Kavanaugh and a high school friend held her down and attacked her while they were drunk.

In the shadow of the #MeToo movement and all of the changes that have affected American society since the early 1990s, surely the Senate would get it right.

But that’s not what happened, and it showed how far we still have to go. The all-male Republican majority on the committee actually took many steps backward. In certain respects, Thursday’s hearing revealed that as a nation our politics are in a worse place than they were 27 years ago.

The committee “investigation” was a joke. This was not an investigation, just political theater put on for the benefit of red-state voters who Trump and the GOP hope remain loyal when it comes time to vote in November. From the start, the hearings were stacked in favor of the nominee. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell sold the public a bill of goods with the artificial timetable that he says must be followed. The timeline created a rush to judgment.

The Senate Judiciary Committee majority did not ask the FBI to investigate — as occurred with Hill — it did not allow for any other witnesses, it implemented a truncated five-minute questioning period for each senator, and it allowed Kavanaugh to out-filibuster colleagues.

With

Mark Judge

hiding out on the beach, Sen. Chuck Grassley seemed to have no interest in asking questions of the other person who was allegedly in the room. The other Republican senators didn’t say a thing in the morning. Using a female prosecutor to interrogate the alleged victim while the male Republican senators sat in the background was almost more insulting than having the cohort of male senators do the interrogation, as happened in 1991.

After tossing sex crimes prosecutor Rachel Mitchell aside during the male portion of the hearings in the afternoon, the GOP was dismissive of the entire issue.

Sen. Lindsey Graham screamed vitriol

at his colleagues, showing everyone his brand of Trumpism with a Southern twist. “If this is the new norm, you’d better watch out for your nominees,” he warned Democrats, as if Ford’s horrific experience was some kind of partisan talking point. They spent less time on Ford’s accusations than they did with Hill (three days).

They simply replaced the direct accusations they made against Hill (such as saying her story came from the film “The Exorcist”) by indirectly discrediting Ford’s story as if it were a product of partisan strategy. They repeated the mistake of refusing to call key witnesses who could add to their knowledge. Even the structure of the hearing, which gave Kavanaugh the final say, favored his side of the story, given the limits of the investigation.

When Senate Republicans announced Thursday night

they would hold their vote Friday

without further inquiry, they showed their cards.

In contrast to 1991, this time the nominee was comfortable launching a hyper-partisan grenade at the Democrats and implicitly at Ford herself. There is no other way to put it other than saying he sounded just like Trump (except for Kavanaugh’s tears). Despite all the niceties Kavanaugh and Republican members expressed toward Ford following her moving testimony, they were pretty clear in their opinion.

In shocking fashion, Kavanaugh didn’t even pretend to have judicial temperament. He charged that this was all a result of a left-wing Democratic conspiracy to bring him down. He yelled at individual senators, and he constantly interrupted their questions in aggressive fashion.

He evaded basic questions, such as whether he thought Mark Judge should testify or whether he favored an FBI investigation, even when the same questions were asked again and again. He presented his testimony as a defense of all men: “I ask you to judge me by the standard you would want applied to your father, your husband, your brother or your son.” At a minimum, this was as bad as the way Thomas tried to deflect the charges against him as a “high-tech lynching,” with Kavanaugh offering the wealthy, privileged white man’s political version of this argument — that this is all just about a partisan conspiracy, a “political hit” in response to the 2016 election by “left wing” opposition groups, not the real world experience of a high school girl.

Regardless of the sexual assault accusation, Kavanaugh’s testimony should have been disqualifying for a potential Supreme Court justice. He showed himself to be a tough partisan. With his statements, he undermined his own promise he could be neutral and apolitical in handling issues. He can’t. Yet most Republicans are moving forward to confirm with gusto. This is a victory for the principle of partisanship through and through.

Finally, these hearings were even worse because of what happened with Anita Hill. Timing and sequence means everything in American politics. The fact that the Republican majority would allow such serious charges to be handled in such a shoddy fashion in 2018 and the fact that so many of them ape Trump in his conspiratorial rhetoric of male rage is a powerful statement showing that not only didn’t they learn from Hill, they just don’t care. Congress still has a massive problem on its hands in its treatment of sexual harassment, sexual assault and rape.

Thursday was a tragic moment in our political history. Faced with a test to see how some of the most influential members of our legislative branch would handle extremely serious charges involving a Supreme Court nominee, Senate Republicans have demonstrated that things have actually deteriorated since the time that Thomas was confirmed as a justice.

The #MeToo movement has a long way to go and, unfortunately, the struggle within our democratic institutions might be the toughest hurdle of all. The first real opportunity to do something about this will be to change the final floor vote of the swing senators in the GOP, Susan Collins or Lisa Murkowski, and even more importantly, by changing the balance of power in the November elections.

Read More | Julian Zelizer, CNN Political Analyst,

Business This was worse than what the Senate did to Anita Hill, in 2018-09-28 15:47:02

#Nature of Business in the Current Market

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internetbasic9 · 6 years

Text

Business This was worse than what the Senate did to Anita Hill

Business This was worse than what the Senate did to Anita Hill Business This was worse than what the Senate did to Anita Hill https://ift.tt/2QgnIqb

Business

(CNN)In the past few days, the experts have wondered whether the Senate had learned anything from the horrendous way that the Judiciary Committee treated Anita Hill back in 1991.

In light of Hill’s accusations that

Clarence Thomas

In the shadow of the #MeToo movement and all of the changes that have affected American society since the early 1990s, surely the Senate would get it right.

With

Mark Judge

After tossing sex crimes prosecutor Rachel Mitchell aside during the male portion of the hearings in the afternoon, the GOP was dismissive of the entire issue.

Sen. Lindsey Graham screamed vitriol

When Senate Republicans announced Thursday night

they would hold their vote Friday

without further inquiry, they showed their cards.

Read More | Julian Zelizer, CNN Political Analyst,

Business This was worse than what the Senate did to Anita Hill, in 2018-09-28 15:47:02

#Nature of Business in the Current Market

0 notes

blogwonderwebsites · 6 years

Text

Business This was worse than what the Senate did to Anita Hill

Business

(CNN)In the past few days, the experts have wondered whether the Senate had learned anything from the horrendous way that the Judiciary Committee treated Anita Hill back in 1991.

In light of Hill’s accusations that

Clarence Thomas

In the shadow of the #MeToo movement and all of the changes that have affected American society since the early 1990s, surely the Senate would get it right.

With

Mark Judge

After tossing sex crimes prosecutor Rachel Mitchell aside during the male portion of the hearings in the afternoon, the GOP was dismissive of the entire issue.

Sen. Lindsey Graham screamed vitriol

When Senate Republicans announced Thursday night

they would hold their vote Friday

without further inquiry, they showed their cards.

Read More | Julian Zelizer, CNN Political Analyst,

Business This was worse than what the Senate did to Anita Hill, in 2018-09-28 15:47:02

#Nature of Business in the Current Market

0 notes

philomaria-blog · 6 years

Text

Every second child is a victim of child sexual abuse.

A survey conducted revealed that one in every two children is a victim of child sexual abuse. According to the report on crimes in India for 2016, 106,958 cases of crimes against children were recorded in 2016. Of these, 36,022 cases were recorded under POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) Act. Child sexual abuse can result in both short-term and long-term harm, including physical and psychological problems in later life. Indicators and effects include depression , anxiety , behavioural problems difficulty is adjustments, social aloofness and other extreme behaviors. We live in a society which gives little importance to the opinions and problems of the young ones and focuses more on building strong kin networks. And surprising in 50% of the cases the culprit is a known person. There is a constant fear in children and parents who don’t know what to do if their child tells them about this which takes us back to lack of knowledge on child sexual abuse. Our voix is an organization which works to prevent child sexual abuse. I am currently interning with this organization, where we conduct workshops for children and for parents making them aware about what child sexual abuse is and how to prevent child sexual abuse from taking place and the aftermath. Our voix conducts workshop is different orphanages, slums , anganwadi and shelter homes. The volunteers and the interns are trained how to conduct workshops and develop modules which would help the children build confidence and self esteem. My first workshop was in katyayani nirashrit balika ashram which was near jhandewalan metro station. We were welcomed by a bunch of 70 girls or different age groups. We worked with the elder ones while the youngers ones were in the other room. The workshop started with ice breakers which included a type of Simon says where the children had to do the opposite of what is being done, then we moved on to play fire in the mountain which filled the room with laughter and fun. They children got divided into groups of 5 with 7 members in each group including a volunteer. They were made to sit down and asked them their names, their favorite dish, their favorite movie and also decided on a group names. My groups name was “angels” . The session started where the children were shown body parts and were asked to name them , we later moved forward and talked about private parts and told them about the 4 private parts. Good touch and bad touch which are very important in sexual abuse was taught to them.We showed them pictures and asked them to identify which was good touch and which was bad touch. After teacher them the difference in touches we taught them what to do when someone try’s to touch you and you’re not comfortable to which the children gave answers like “hum unko mukka marengay” “haath kaat dengay” “laat maar dengay” “main point me marengay”. The basic steps of safety was taught to them first to shout nahiiiii or no. Secondly to run to a safe place, thirdly to tell a trusted adult and fourthly to call in the child helpline number 1098. These steps were reinforced by making them repeat it again and again. Through a story the children were taught that if they have been touched inappropriately then they HAVE TO tell everyone until they listen and if no one listens then to call the child helpline number. The children were again made to sit in their groups and were given sheets and coloring material which we were carrying. The names if children in the group were noted down in chit and they had to make a card for the person who’s name they got on the chit. The children showed enthusiasm in making cards. During this time the volunteers spoke to the children and reinforced what was earlier taught in the session. Many if the children also told stories about how they had seen some touch their friends or sister inappropriately and what they did. When we ended the session the children came up to me and gave me handmade cards with sweet messages like “di aap acchi ho” and “aate rahi accha lgta hai”. We also interacted with them were they told us that they would want to become dancers and singers and wanted to know from me what I was doing and what I wanted to become. Watching these girls speak of their dreams I too learnt how to dream big and seeing their motivation to work towards their goals inspite of the obstacles on their way. We left the place with bright smiles and warm hugs and with hope in their eyes to meet us again.

#ourvoix stopchildabuse

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worldcup-news-blog · 6 years

Text

One year on from football abuse scandal being revealed, Derek Bell's memories can prevent this ever happening again

Happy Thanksgiving http://worldcupnews.info/one-year-on-from-football-abuse-scandal-being-revealed-derek-bells-memories-can-prevent-this-ever-happening-again/

One year on from football abuse scandal being revealed, Derek Bell's memories can prevent this ever happening again

#Ashes #ChampionsLeague

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push( google_ad_client: "ca-pub-1462625222154506", enable_page_level_ads: true );

Derek Bell rolls up the sleeves on his black hoody. Behind him a flatscreen is showing highlights of Birmingham against Aston Villa. In the booth beside us in a Tyneside bar are five women taking selfies and talking excitedly as they scan a drink’s menu.

“Can you take a picture of us please?” Bell is asked as a phone is passed in his direction.

He stands up and steadies the mobile. “Make sure you get us all in mind!” It is Friday afternoon and a pub is beginning to fill. The weekend is calling. A phone gets handed back and is inspected. “Very good!” comes a shriek, although one of the party is unsure.

Bell sits back down. “Anyway, if you look at my arms you can see the marks from where I was self-harming,” he says. “The scars are fading now, but you can still see them.”

Two booths, two different worlds.

“When did I stop? Oh, about a year ago.”

A year ago is when Derek Bell found the courage to tell his story, about the sexual abuse he suffered at the hands of a junior football coach in the north-east of England. We are sat in a bar in the shadow of the Gallowgate End of St James’ Park. Bell played for Newcastle United. He was abused by a coach who ended up at the club. He was sectioned and has somehow come through the other side.

His story is remarkable, in its sadness, its horror and incredibly, in its humour.

“Aye, some of it’s been like One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s nest,” he says. But he is smiling, and that is a huge start.

Derek Bell was 12 when he played for Montague and North Fenham.

“He groomed me at the boys club,” he adds. “He took me home and got into my house. He was 22 at the time. It was a rundown club in the West End of Newcastle. We’re going back to the 70s, cold showers and muddy boots. He used to take me into the treatment room. That’s how it started.

Bell made four appearances for Newcastle before a serious knee injury ended his career

“He would be at our home and say his car couldn’t start. My mum and dad were completely unaware. They thought he was protecting me. He was allowed to stop over.

“At that time you couldn’t sign for a professional club until you were 14. I went on trial to Everton and Southampton. He said, ‘Sign for your home club’. I wanted to. It was only later I realised why. He wanted to keep control of me.

“I started training at Newcastle on a Thursday. He would be there. He would take me home. It was for years. We went to court in 2002. He was found guilty of 12 indecent assaults. Once he got into my home he did sexual acts on me.”

There is nothing to say when someone tells you that.

“My solace,” he says, “my freedom during those four years was when I played. I knew he couldn’t come onto the pitch. He couldn’t hurt me there. That was the only time I was safe; on a football pitch.”

Bell’s is a huge story to tell.

He recovered from an ankle problem to make his debut for Newcastle United, away to Blackburn Rovers in May, 1982. Newcastle lost 4-1. He started two more games for the club and then suffered a serious knee injury. He retired from professional football, at the age of 19. He played non-league in the north-east, chairmanned Gateshead FC, but a deep scar had darkened his soul.

He tried to kill himself three times. On one occasion, he came close to death.

“The ambulance came. I got put in the Leazes Wing of the RVI. I was locked up under the mental health act. I was sectioned for three months. A girl hanged herself along the corridor from me.

“One time we went in a room and there was a big screen. It was group therapy. They said, ‘Listen, there’s students behind the wall.’

“I said nothing for a week. This one day I just blew. I threw the chair and smashed the whole screen. The alarms went off, they were going ‘Derek what are you doing!?” I said ‘I’m sick of this.’

“They locked me up again for a few days to calm me down. I just felt the anger was going nowhere. I wasn’t ready to speak then. It was too early.”

It was not all darkness.

“This guy had been in institutions all his life. In his 60s, big tall fella, he was the chief. Every day he would get his notepad out.

“Right, who’s going to Edinburgh Zoo today? Are you Derek? The bus is picking us up at ten o’clock. Are you Mary?

“I would say yes. Mary would say yes. He’d go, ‘Right, it’s £2 per person for the trip. I’ll get the money off you later.’

“So half past ten comes around, I’d say, ‘Geordie, where’s this bus?’ He’d go, ‘Aah, it’s broken down.’ He had an excuse every day. People believed him and they’d be going, “Geordie, I’m not happy the bus hasn’t turned up.’ There would be big rows about why we weren’t going to Edinburgh Zoo to see the gorillas and the monkeys.

“I’m Mac Murphy. I can’t believe what I’m seeing. They’d go, ‘You played for Newcastle United! Aye righto, that’s why you’re in here!’”

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I wanted to hit him. When he left I was shaking. It’s like Pandora’s box. It had opened, everything opens again

Derek Bell

He underwent treatment to deal with his anger. Later, there came a job with Newcastle City Council, housing asylum seekers. He was warned of BNP activists. Those he moved were vulnerable and were housed at night. In the darkness, hiding behind a tree, lurked a face from his past.

It was his abuser.

“I didn’t know it was him,” he adds. “Then I saw who it was. I said, ‘What are you doing here?’ He went, ‘Oh these families shouldn’t be here.’

“He knew who I was. Oh yeah, he nearly s*** himself when he seen me. I said ‘Get away from here now’. I wanted to hit him. When he left I was shaking. It’s like Pandora’s box. It had opened, everything opens again. For a few days I was thinking about it. I couldn’t sleep, but I couldn’t let it lie.”

Andy Woodward was the first to make his sex abuse ordeal public last year (Getty)

Bell went to see him with a tape recorder and his abuser admitted his offences. “He went, ‘Yes, yes, I did them things, but you’re not going to go to the police. You’re not going to the police’. I was angry he hadn’t said why, but I was relieved I had it on tape.”

That was in 2000. He went to the police. Two years later his abuser was found guilty of 12 counts of indecent assault on seven boys between 1975 and 1999. At that stage Bell retained his anonymity.

And then, on November 16, 2016, almost a year ago, Andy Woodward opened his heart publicly about the abuse he had suffered at the hands of a coach from when he was 11. Pandora’s box was open again, and Bell finally showed his demons to the world.

Newcastle managing director, Lee Charnley (right) helped Bell after he revealed his abuse (Getty)

“I rang the NSPCC helpline that they put on the bottom of Andy’s story,” he says. “I said I’d been a victim and I’d been to court. Newcastle is my club, I wanted them to be warned and to support me. Lee Charnley (the managing director) was brilliant. He said, ‘Derek, whoever you need to speak to, we will help you’.

“When I came out in support of the victims, I got a call from Gordon Taylor. He said, ‘We’ve a lot of things going forward. Would you mind meeting up and having a chat because your case is finished?’

I couldn’t have sat here a year ago and had this conversation with you

Derek Bell

“Greg Clarke rang up, he said ‘I’d like to invite you, Paul Stewart, Ian Ackley and David White down to Wembley because we as a public body have to look at this as a serious thing. I asked what help they had and he went, ‘None. I will admit to you that we’ve got no provisions to deal with this.’ That was December.

“I said to Simon Bailey from the police, ‘What have you got?’ He said, ‘We haven’t got anything.’ The PFA said, ‘We’ve got Sporting Chance.’ I said, ‘Nah, you’ve only got six beds.’

“All your leading governing bodies didn’t know how to cope with it.”

Bell believes the public revelations of sexual abuse in football have helped him tell his story ()

Astonishingly, 741 victims have come forward.

“Greg Clarke asked us to work around safeguarding and we are holding him to task on this. It has been ongoing with SAVE.”

The black sleeves are rolled down when we finish, those scars are fading and there is a sense of purpose to Bell that perhaps has not been there since he was first abused as a 12-year-old.

“I couldn’t have sat here a year ago and had this conversation with you,” he says. “The whole thing is about ensuring what happened to me doesn’t happen to someone else.”

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philomaria-blog · 6 years

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Every second child is a victim of child sexual abuse.

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