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Betrayal and bombast: the surreal story of the Terry v Bridge saga | Jonathan Liew

More than a decade on, fact and fiction remain entangled in the tale of former teammates turned enemies. The human core of the entire episode, though, is not a footballer

Officially, nothing happened. This is, by the way, no minor detail: to this day Vanessa Perroncel fervently denies that any affair took place between her and John Terry in late 2009, and she has the printed apologies and legal documents to back it up. Normally this bit is begrudgingly buried at the bottom of the piece. But it’s worth dwelling on, if only because it forces us to confront the vast, incalculable gulf between what we definitively know and what, over the years, we’ve simply assumed.

A decade on, fact and fiction remain knottily entangled. Over time, the story of how Terry and his former friend and Chelsea teammate Wayne Bridge found themselves at the centre of one of English football’s most hysterical scandals begins to feel surreal, perhaps even a touch unreal: a bad memory that most would prefer to pretend never happened.

Continue reading...





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A new very short story by Chris Chibnall

A new, very short story, written by current showrunner Chris Chibnall




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A new short story by Pete McTighe

A new short story by Kerblam and Praxeus writer, Pete McTighe: "Press Play”.




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A new short story by Steven Moffat

A new short story by Steven Moffat, "Terror Of The Umpty Ums".




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A new short story by Paul Cornell

A new short story by Paul Cornell, "The Shadow Passes".




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A new short story by Joy Wilkinson

A new short story by Joy Wilkinson, "The Simple Things".




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"A Terrible Price": Mardi Gras Story Lays Bare How COVID-19 Is Devastating Black America

We look at the deadly disparate impact of the pandemic on African Americans as told through an in-depth story for The New York Times Magazine by writer Linda Villarosa in her new piece, "'A Terrible Price': The Deadly Racial Disparities of Covid-19 in America," that tells what happened to the Zulu club, a Black social organization in New Orleans, during and after Mardi Gras. She reports that the experience is usually a joy, but the coronavirus made it a tragedy.




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How coronavirus data from history is helping fight COVID-19

Originally posted on - blogs by NPG staff

Many of us had heard the term ‘coronavirus’ for the first time at the office lunch table. Our team lunches are unusual, discussing topics that range from evolution, to bodily functions to Bollywood. The scientific experts in the team were trying to explain how the coronavirus works, its relation to respiration and the conspiracy theories associated with it.  Read more




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the history of games

Today on Toothpaste For Dinner: the history of games


I NEED YOUR HELP: Please chip in $1 or more on Patreon and I can keep Toothpaste For Dinner updating daily, PLUS you'll get to see bonus comics & writing!









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Contest Caution: The Sunday Times Audible Short Story Award


Posted by Victoria Strauss for Writer Beware®

Founded in 2010, The Sunday Times Audible Short Story Award bills itself as "the richest prize for a single short story in the English language." And indeed, the prize is major: the winner receives a cool £30,000 (no, I did not add extra zeroes.)

With judges yet to be finalized, the selection process will include a 20-story longlist announced in May 2020, a six-story shortlist unveiled in June 2020, and the winner revealed on July 2. The shortlisted stories will be published in an Audible audiobook, with included writers receiving "an extra £1,000 fee, on top of a prize payment of £1,000". To be eligible, writers must previously have had at least one work published in the UK or Ireland by an "established print publisher or an established printed magazine" (the Terms and Conditions include an extensive list of the kinds of publishers and magazines that don't qualify). The contest is open for entries until 6:00 pm on December 13.

You can read more about the award, including the prestigious judges who've participated and the well-known writers who've submitted stories, here.

So what's the catch? -- because you know I wouldn't be writing this post if there weren't one. Well, as so often happens, it's in the Terms and Conditions. Specifically:


To summarize this dense paragraph: simply by entering the competition, you are granting a sweeping, non-expiring license not just to Times Newspapers Limited (The Sunday Times' parent company), but also to Audible and any other licensees of TNL, to use your story or any part of it in any way they want, anywhere in the world, without payment to or permission from you.

This is far from the first time I've written about "merely by entering you grant us rights forever" clauses in the guidelines of literary contests, some of them from major publishers or companies that should know better. Sure, in this case the license is non-exclusive, so you could sell your story elsewhere--but only as a reprint, because by granting non-exclusive rights to one company, you remove your ability to grant first rights to another, at least for as long as the initial rights grant is in force.

It's not uncommon for literary contests that involve publication to bind all entrants to a uniform license or grant of rights--so that, when winners are chosen, the license is already in place. But ideally, the license should immediately expire for entries that are removed from consideration--or, if the contest sponsor wants to retain the right to consider any entered story for publication (as TNL clearly does--see Clause 4.2, below), rights should be released within a reasonable period of time after the contest finishes--say, three or six months. There's simply no good reason to make a perpetual claim on rights just in case, at some unspecified point in the future, you might just possibly want to use them.

Not to mention--why should Audible get to make this same claim?

There's a couple of other things to be aware of. Shortlisted authors enter into a 12-month exclusive contract with Audible, for which they are given a "one-off" lump-sum payment (the £1,000 noted above). But thereafter, Audible retains the right "to record, distribute and market such audio version for at least ten (10) years." Again, this right is non-exclusive--but there's no indication that Audible has to pay these authors for potentially exploiting their work for a decade. (If you don't consent to these terms, you can't be shortlisted.)


Finally, although publication is guaranteed only for the shortlist, TNL reserves the right to publish longlist and non-listed entries as well. Great! Except...there's nothing to suggest these writers would be paid either.


There's no question that this is a prestigious--and, for the winner, rich--award. But sober evaluation is definitely in order here. Enter at your own risk.




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By request, an HP Lovecraft short story.

Since I started Radio Free Burrito Presents several weeks ago, lots of you have asked me if I would narrate something by HP Lovecraft. I love the Cthulhu mythos, but […]




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Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition Switch Game's Trailer Previews Story, Gameplay, New Epilogue

Remake of Monolith Software's Wii game launches on May 29




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Woman Finds Worm In Salad, Surprising Customer Service Story Ensues

Just the idea of finding a worm in a salad is enough to send some shivers running up the spine. Fortunately, in this case, after the worm was discovered, a surprising, but welcomed customer service story developed. Basically, Sainsbury's pulled through in the clutch to address the situation with some serious grace. 




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Friday Polynews Roundup — Triad storyline on "The Connors," Black Poly Nation gets TV rep, loving polyfamily profiles, community dreams, and evangelical worry that this all hits too close to home



  • Friday Polynews Roundup
  • poly and christian
  • polyamory on TV
  • tabloids


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The 'mind-blowing' story of the ex-Green Beret who tried to oust Venezuela's Maduro

Jordan Goudreau once pushed a plan to protect U.S. schools. Then he moved on to a more daring pursuit, which also didn't end well.





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‘Justice not charity’ - the blind marchers who made history

Remembering the maverick blind campaigners who walked to London a century ago to demand equality.




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History in the making for semi-final pair

Argentina and Portugal both have their sights on making their first ever FIFA Futsal World Cup final when they go head to head in Cali. FIFA.com previews the crucial Colombia 2016 semi-final.




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Argentina roll on, Venezuela make history




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1 day to go: Brilliant Blancos make more history




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Firmino writes Liverpool into Club World Cup history




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Liverpool’s history boys add a brand new chapter




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Quartet make history at Paraguay 2019




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FIFA Bring Someone Special – Adityanshu’s Story

During the 2018 FIFA Confederations Cup in Russia, thousands of fans from around the world entered in the Bring Someone Special contest, where they shared what special person they would bring to the Opening Match of the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™ and why. Winner Adityanshu has chosen his inspirational mother, Devashree, and will be sitting in the Luzhniki Stadium for the Opening Match next year. Together, they share their compelling story! For information on tickets to the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™ please visit http://www.FIFA.com/tickets.




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India 2017, the story so far

It has been one incredible journey at the FIFA U-17 World Cup in India. Here are some of the moments to cherish.




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The top scorers in Confederatons Cup history

One Mexican and one Brazilian player share the record for most goals scored in the history of the FIFA Confederations Cup with nine - who are they?




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Top goals in Confederations Cup history (1992 - 2009)

The Festival of Champions has always been full of exciting moments and fantastic goals, as you can see from the 13 best strikes in the history of the event (1992 - 2009).




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Story of the Day: Russia 2017 Matchday 1

Musical review of an action-packed opening day of the FIFA Confederations Cup 2017




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Story of the Day: Russia 2017 Matchday 2

A music review of an action packed second day of the FIFA Confederations Cup 2017




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Story of the Day: Russia 2017 Matchday 3

A musical review of the third day of action at the FIFA Confederations Cup 2017.




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Story of the Day: Russia 2017 Matchday 4

We review all the action of the fourth day of the FIFA Confederations Cup in Russia.




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Story of the Day: Russia 2017 Matchday 5

A musical review of an action-packed fifth Matchday at the FIFA Confederations Cup 2017.




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The Story of Matchday 6 at the FIFA Confederations Cup 2017

A music review of an action packed sixth Matchday at the FIFA Confederations Cup 2017, which saw Portugal and Mexico progress to the semi-final stage and hosts Russia bow out.




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The Story of Matchday 7 at the FIFA Confederations Cup 2017

A music review of an action packed seventh Matchday at the FIFA Confederations Cup 2017, which saw Germany and Chile secure their places in the semi-finals.




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The Story of Matchday 8 at Russia 2017

A musical review of a dramatic Matchday 8 at the FIFA Confederations Cup 2017, which saw Chile progress to the final after Claudio Bravo's penalty heroics.




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The Story of Matchday 9 at Russia 2017

A music review of Matchday 9 at the FIFA Confederations Cup 2017, which saw Germany book their place in the Final against Chile after a comprehensive victory over Mexico.




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Russia 2017: Story of the final day

A musical review of Matchday 10 at the FIFA Confederations Cup 2017, which saw Germany crowned champions after a 1-0 win over Chile and Portugal beat Mexico to secure third place.




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MS Dhoni has unbelievable power; best finisher in history: Michael Hussey

In the latest episode of ESPNcricinfo's Videocast, host Sanjay Manjarekar chats up with Michael Hussey, former international Australian Cricketer and one of the finest finishers cricket has ever produced about his career, his art of finishing, Mahendra Singh Dhoni and more.

A reliable finisher, Hussey usually came to bat at a time when his team either needed to accelerate the run rate rapidly or manage an early crisis. Talking about his mantra on how he handled such enormous pressure, Hussey says, "You can either succumb to it, lose your focus, or narrow your focus. I saw pressure as an opportunity to do something special. To take the pressure off, I would think of how it will feel to win at the end of the game, celebrate and be able to get a goodnight's sleep. And that's what got me going."

Hussey played at a time when Australia boasted of one of the most robust middle order, and he gives credit to his teammates as well, "The guy at the other end needs to help too. I was lucky to have a middle-order that helped me with the chase. I loved batting with Ricky Ponting, Andrew Symonds, Michael Clarke and others. They're all fantastic players in their own right and did lend a helping hand in tricky situations". "I was lucky to have a set, rigid pre-ball routine for every single delivery that I faced, which helped me switch on and off in between deliveries," Hussey adds further.

To understand Hussey's approach better, Sanjay Manjarekar uses one of Javed Miandad's theory, "If Javed needed 11 or 12 runs an over, he would try to get at least 8 runs an over because there will invariably be wide or no-balls to compensate for the remaining runs", and asks Hussey if he followed the same mantra. "I tried not to let it reach 12 or 13 runs an over. And I learnt this from MS Dhoni. He is incredible. He believes that he who panics last wins the game. So Dhoni would keep his cool, and keep it longer because the pressure is on the bowler as well. So, Javed rightly says, chances of a wide or a no-ball are higher. And if you can keep your cool longer than the opposition, you can come out on top", responds Hussey.

Hussey believes that the greatest players of the game have a few common traits like, 'They don't hang on to a defeat for too long. If they lose, they move on quickly. They don't let a loss or a win hamper their thinking. They are always consistent, and level headed whether it's MS Dhoni or Ricky Ponting".

Talking about Dhoni’s finishing ability, Sanjay recalls one of India’s game against Sri Lanka in West Indies. Dhoni was on strike, India needed 17 runs in the last two overs and Sri Lanka put their best bowler to bowl the penultimate over. “Dhoni just got 3 runs in that over leaving 14 to get from the last over which was to be bowled by a weaker bowler. That’s seemingly impossible, but then how does Dhoni manage to do this”, asks Sanjay. Hussey, who is full of praises for former Indian captain, claims, "Dhoni is the greatest finisher of all time that the cricketing world has ever produced." He adds, "Dhoni can keep his cool and make the opposition captain blink first. Dhoni also has unbelievable power. He knows that when he needs to clear the ropes he can do it. He has that kind of self-belief. Honestly, I didn't have that kind of belief in myself."

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) is Sanjay's favorite IPL team, and he wants to know what makes them so consistent. Hussey lets out the secret, "Supportive owners who let the Coach Flemming and Captain Dhoni decide how to run the team, excellent chemistry between the coach and the captain, Dhoni’s leadership and lastly the foresight of the owners, Flemming and Dhoni to pick the best players, particularly the good Indian players and then stick with them for as long as possible." This has built an excellent continuity in the team. And once you have continuity, you build relationships and trust that otherwise takes time to grow."

Responding to Sanjay's question on CSK's future after Dhoni moves on, Hussey says, "That's a 60 million dollar question, and I am equally intrigued. I believe the owners would like to keep Dhoni involved in some way or the other. However, whenever the change of guard happens, CSK might want to start all over again, build a brand new team, and use their existing philosophy as they enter the next decade of IPL. It is definitely going to be more challenging in current times."

Catch up on all the latest sports news and updates here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news




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Kashiwa's King Olunga eyes history with Kenya




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History-making Bah dreaming big with Gambia




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#WorldCupAtHome: Angerer backstops Germany into the history books




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It's story time for Inaaya Naumi Kemmu and Soha Ali Khan amid quarantine

Different Bollywood celebrities are indulging in different activities at home to spend time amid the quarantine and lockdown issued by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Some are cleaning their homes and many are sharing their workout videos. Soha Ali Khan's daughter Inaaya Naumi Kemmu have something else in mind.

Taking to her Instagram account, actress and mother Soha shared an immensely adorable picture of Inaaya arranging book in her playroom. The toddler looked cute in her black t-shirt and pink checkered trousers. The post was captioned as, ''Booked for the week! #lockdown #stoppedcountingthedays #storytime(sic).''

 
 
 
View this post on Instagram

Booked for the week! #lockdown #stoppedcountingthedays #storytime

A post shared by Soha (@sakpataudi) onApr 21, 2020 at 12:26am PDT

If you go to her Instagram account, she has been sharing pictures and videos of her family on Instagram account. She regularly updates us about her quarantine time. Recently, she shared a picture of her husband Kunal Kemmu and Inaaya. The father-daughter duo is seen peeling pees in the image! "It's just a 'matar' of time...#lockdown...#stayhome..#twopeasinapod (sic)," Soha captioned the picture.

 
 
 
View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Soha (@sakpataudi) onApr 15, 2020 at 1:46am PDT

Before this, Soha had shared an immensely adorable picture of Inaaya who could be seen sitting with her bunch of teddy bears and captioned it- House party Day 6. She also used the hashtag- Lockdown.

 
 
 
View this post on Instagram

House party Day 6 #lockdown

A post shared by Soha (@sakpataudi) onMar 29, 2020 at 10:42pm PDT

Catch up on all the latest entertainment news and gossip here. Also, download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news




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Kiccha Sudeepa and Priya Sudeepa: A story of rough-patches and reconciliation

Marriages may be made in heaven but have to go through trying and testing times on Earth. One such marriage is of Kannada star Kiccha Sudeepa and Priya Sudeepa. The two tied the knot on October 18, 2001, and the actor's fans couldn't keep calm at that point of time. But as stated, all marriages see their ups and downs and theirs was no different.

14 years later, in the year 2015, the couple mutually filed for divorce but none of the parties turned up for the proceedings. Was a possible reconciliation on the cards? Was it time for them to give their marriage another opportunity? Yes! But the actor admitted how he erred and couldn't be a good father or a good husband in an interview with Bangalore Mirror. And in an interview with Silverscreen India, he said, "My daughter is my whole life. She's like a ray of sunshine in my life. Pure, dazzling and so very important to my being."

It seems they won't part ways and that seems to be a piece of great news for his fans. In fact, they both celebrated their wedding anniversary in the Bigg Boss (Kannada) House and it met with a fantastic response. We hope they continue staying together and be the happy and happening couple they always were!

Catch up on all the latest entertainment news and gossip here. Also, download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news




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Neetu Kapoor remembers husband Rishi Kapoor, writes 'end of our story'

Some love stories can never end. And that's the kind of love story that Neetu Kapoor and Rishi Kapoor shared with each other and the world. The veteran actor passed away on April 30, after battling cancer for two years, leaving behind wife Neetu, son Ranbir and daughter Riddhima.

Today, actress Neetu Kapoor shared an emotional post on Instagram remembering her husband. She wrote, "End of our story," and shared a photo of Rishi Kapoor posing with a glass of whiskey.

 
 
 
View this post on Instagram

End of our story ❤️❤️

A post shared by neetu Kapoor. Fightingfyt (@neetu54) onMay 1, 2020 at 11:20pm PDT

Anupam Kher, commenting on her post, rightly said, "Some stories never end." Raveena Tandon, who worked with Rishi Kapoor in the 1995 movie, Saajan Ki Baahon Mein, wrote: "Eternal and forever." Sonu Sood said, "It's a story that inspired many stories on this planet mam. Some stories never end, in fact, they will remain in our hearts forever. Rishi sir will always be a guiding angel."

Richa Chadha shared, "It is but a comma, not a full stop. He's right there, beside you, regaling you with stories, making you laugh, getting annoyed, finding the best restaurant... he lives through you and beside you. Don't lose heart. You are united in eternity. Big big hug."

Rishi Kapoor and Neetu Singh have worked together in movies like Kabhi Kabhie, Khel Khel Mein, Amar Akbar Anthony and Zehreela Insaan, among others. Their sizzling on-screen chemistry transformed into off-screen romance, and the couple tied the knot on January 22, 1980.

Catch up on all the latest entertainment news and gossip here. Also, download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news