THE AGONY OF UKRAINE:  WHOSE WAR IS IT ANYWAY? Selected Passages from Correspondences by Gennady Shkliarevsky The war in Ukraine is rapidly approaching the end of its second year.  Although the war continues to rage unabated‚ it no longer commands the attention that it received in its early stages. Articles and commentaries on Ukraine have […] The post THE AGONY OF UKRAINE:  WHOSE WAR IS IT ANYWAY? appeared first on www.independentsentinel.com.

Life As A Special Education Teacher “My story dates back to April 24‚ 2023.  Our Science Special Education teacher‚ Dylan‚ coordinated a trip for all of the Special Education teachers and students (who got permission from all of their teachers and their parents or guardians) to go to GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City‚ Missouri for a tour of the stadium. We had found out the location of our yearly field trip back in February‚ and we were over the moon excited for it. All of the Special Education Teachers had made a pact to keep the location a secret. By the time April rolled around‚ we had decided to only tell the students who didn’t have any failing grades‚ and they had to promise not to tell anybody else. Even though they were so excited to get to see the place where the great Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce play football‚ they didn’t tell anyone. When I heard that we were touring Arrowhead Stadium‚ I was stoked because I have been a Chiefs Fan for YEARS. My Dad drives past Arrowhead Stadium every single night at work and I am so jealous that he gets to see it in its beauty all the time. Anyway‚ the students were all very excited‚ and we were having a phenomenal time.  We got to Arrowhead Stadium the afternoon of April 24th and sat in the lunch area and ate. After that‚ we split into two groups. Each group had three teachers and 12 students plus a tour guide who works for Arrowhead.  On our first tour stop‚ we toured the Chiefs Hall of Honor. In it‚ our group saw Super Bowl Champion Rings‚ autographed footballs‚ team uniforms‚ jerseys from the great Chiefs players in history‚ cleats‚ shoulder pads‚ trophies‚ and relics from way back when. They even had Travis Kelce’s light pink outfit that he wore on Saturday Night Live on March 4‚ 2023.  After our time in the Chiefs Hall of Honor‚ the guide took us to the very top of the stadium and let those who wanted to look out the windows. Keep in mind‚ a lot of our students have hardly been out of Eldon‚ Missouri‚ so the ones who chose to look out the windows were amazed and in awe of how high up we were. I believe Arrowhead Stadium is 18 floors high‚ and most of the students probably have never been in buildings taller than three stories.  It was so humbling and joyful to see their faces when they looked down at the bus we had all come there on. They were wonderstruck. After that‚ we all went into a penthouse suite and sat down; we were all looking out at the gorgeous turf that is GEHA Field.  Our tour guide gave us a lot of fun facts and statistics about GEHA Field‚ Arrowhead Stadium‚ Chiefs Players‚ and Artists that had and will play there. As soon as our tour guide asked‚ ‘Does anybody know who Taylor Swift is?’ every single student looked at me.  I laughed out loud and our guide commented‚ ‘We have a Taylor Swift fan in the house‚ huh?’ One of my students let him know‚ ‘She is OBSESSED with Taylor Swift.’  Our guide asked me if I was going to her concert this summer. ‘Her Eras Tour? I wish! I would love to go‚ but unfortunately‚ no.’ Little did I know…  We talked about how much it would cost to rent out an entire penthouse suite‚ and how sometimes companies rent them out and then randomly give tickets for games or events to their employees for appreciation. It was at that moment that I realized I chose the wrong career. (Just kidding.) But that is an INSANE concept to me!  I dreamt in those moments of being at the Eras Tour‚ but I knew that my dreams were so far from reality that I needed to snap back in and listen to this man talk about Arrowhead. My Taylor Obsession was getting in the way of my Chiefs need-to-know; I needed to get it together! So I tuned back in just in time to hear him say‚ ‘In 2014‚ we hit a record of 142.2 decibels‚’ and for some reason‚ that information decided to stick in my brain. The Act Of Kindness Fast forward to July 4th‚ 2023‚ and my Facebook Feed is blowing up with Eras Tour news on every single Taylor Swift fan page that I am a member of. I decided to make a little post for all of the Kansas-City-Eras-Tour-going Swifties. In the post‚ I had talked about how GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium has the best acoustics and that they had set a record of 142.2 decibels in 2014‚ which happened to be the loudest any football stadium had ever been.  Courtesy of Caitlin Noel Vandergrift In the post‚ I briefly mentioned that I am a Special Education High School Teacher and that I live in Eldon‚ Missouri. I had talked about the opportunity that I had gotten to take my students on a tour of the Stadium back in April. I thought I would get a few likes from the post and maybe a few comments‚ but I could have never dreamed what would have happened all from one Facebook post in a group called ‘Broke Swifties.’  A couple of hours later‚ I had a notification on my Messenger that would not go away‚ and after some investigating‚ I realized that it was a message request. I opened it‚ and tears immediately welled up in my eyes. ‘… I have a ticket for the July seventh show that I can’t use. I was going to try to sell it‚ but I would love to gift it to you for your work as a special education teacher.’ I immediately ran so many possibilities in my head: Did my parents put her up to this as a surprise to me? No‚ they couldn’t have.  She doesn’t even live in Missouri. Is this a scam? What if I fall for this and drive all the way to Kansas City only for it to not be real? I would be devastated.  This can’t possibly be real. Nobody is this kind. How did she choose me?  Of all people‚ why ME? I don’t deserve this. Holy crap! This is a ticket to see TAYLOR FREAKING SWIFT.  No‚ this is fake. Am I being punked? Ok‚ Ashton Kutcher‚ you can come out now! My mind was running circles around itself. My response was none other than‚ ‘Are you serious!?’ She responded immediately‚ ‘I am‚ 100%… I’d love to send it to you‚ zero strings attached.’ Tears immediately filled my eyes. She proceeded to ask for my email so that she could send the ticket‚ and I received it about two minutes later. I was bawling and shaking because I was so overwhelmed with so many emotions.  I immediately had to FaceTime my best friend: my mother. She was at work but this was important. She answered and immediately went into panic mode because she thought something was seriously wrong.  I couldn’t even make words come out the right way because I was so overwhelmed. By the time I was able to explain it to her‚ she was crying as well. I think it’s very important to note here; luck does not come my way often‚ and I have had a really rough year so far.  This act of kindness and generosity from a complete stranger and a fellow Swiftie was so far out of left field for me that I went through every single emotion possible. From doubt‚ to anxiety‚ to fear‚ to excitement‚ to being overwhelmed‚ to absolute joy. I was a basket case because these kinds of things never happen to me. At all. My mom went through all of these emotions as well because she is absolutely my best friend and my biggest supporter. She knows how much I love Taylor Swift. I have never been to a Taylor Swift concert before this one‚ and I had only dreamed of going to the Eras Tour.  I couldn’t believe it.  The Eras Tour Fast forward to the next day. I am scrambling trying to get ready for the concert. I need a shirt‚ shorts‚ sandals‚ earrings‚ a 13 on my hand‚ cute hair‚ and OH MY GOSH I need to make at least 20 friendship bracelets! So much to do in so little time.  My mom and I hit Jefferson City‚ Missouri for a little bit of retail therapy. We found some super cute pink heart earrings that were screaming Taylor Swift and I had a shirt made for the concert since I didn’t have time or money to spend on an elaborate Eras Tour outfit. I stayed up almost all night making friendship bracelets and planning out every detail of my trip.  My mom and I looked for hotels but they were either booked completely with no vacancy or way out of my price range. With reluctance‚ we decided that I would drive back to my parents house after the concert. It would be difficult but I needed to save money and didn’t really have another option.  Luckily‚ my dad is a truck driver and he works nights hauling the mail from Columbia‚ Missouri to Kansas City‚ Kansas. He had to work the night of the concert‚ so he called and talked to me all the way from Arrowhead’s parking lot to their house for a total of about 4 hours. I was exhausted‚ but we made it work. After I had made the bracelets and gathered everything for the concert‚ I asked my sister-in-law if she could do my hair‚ because I am not good any of the girly things. She said that she would love to‚ so I wouldn’t have to show up to the concert with ugly hair. I was a little bit nervous about driving to Kansas City all by myself because of the traffic once I got into the city‚ but it honestly wasn’t bad at all.  Courtesy of Caitlin Noel Vandergrift My heart started racing after I paid for my parking ticket because I was thinking‚ ‘What if I just bought all of this stuff‚ and prepped for so long‚ drove all this way‚ paid for this parking ticket‚ only for my ticket not to work and for it all to be a scam?’ I was running through all kinds of emotions while trying to find a parking spot. I finally parked and sat there for a few minutes just to calm myself down.  I decided to refresh my mascara and my ‘13‚’ then I started walking toward the stadium. A woman on a golf cart came by asking for ‘single people’ because she had 5 seats and 4 were taken. I jumped on and she took me right to my gate.  She was so sweet so I decided to give her a ‘Getaway Car’ bracelet that I had made. I got to my gate and the line went pretty quickly. My hands were starting to sweat and my heart was racing.  Courtesy of Caitlin Noel Vandergrift It was finally my turn to scan into the kiosk and I scanned in and it turned green‚ then someone handed me a light-up bracelet and said‚ ‘Enjoy the show!’ I could not believe it actually worked! I immediately found my suite‚ but for some reason I was nervous to go in‚ so I waited in the lounge for about 20 minutes and I traded bracelets with about 6 people.  Courtesy of Caitlin Noel Vandergrift I finally went into the suite and I was the very first person in there. I was taking it all in. It was an experience like no other.  I walked around and took a few pictures‚ took a mirror selfie in the bathroom‚ and I took a video to send to the girl who had given me her ticket‚ thanking her for this once in a lifetime thing. (She wishes to remain anonymous‚ so I will not share her name.) People started showing up to the suite and the real excitement started happening when this family of 5 came in and immediately introduced themselves to me. Courtesy of Caitlin Noel Vandergrift I told them my story about how my ticket was gifted to me and how I had just found out that I was coming to the concert on July 4th‚ so I was simply wonderstruck to be there. I never in a million years thought that I would be going to The Eras Tour and seeing Taylor Swift. They absolutely loved my story and my personality and one girl said that I was ‘so deserving of it’ and they invited me to sit by them.  I was so overwhelmed by the time the dancers with the petals came out on the stage that I started crying. As soon as I saw Taylor‚ I was sobbing and screaming. My heart was racing. That moment will be forever ingrained in my mind.  I had been surprised by most of the concert because I had purposely avoided TikTok videos and Facebook reels of the concert since I knew it would never be a reality for me. I didn’t want to intentionally make myself sad‚ you know? Every single second of the concert was like a dream: from the countdown to the confetti.  Courtesy of Caitlin Noel Vandergrift This concert made me feel ways I have never felt before‚ like when she sang the song ‘Marjorie.’ I was crying like a child because I missed my own Grandma. It was a song I had never truly appreciated before I heard her sing it live‚ but after that concert‚ I now cry every time I hear it.  The song ‘tolerate it’ has always meant so much to me‚ as I heard it at a very sad point in my life and it felt like Taylor had a glimpse into my life and wrote the entire song about me. When I saw that song come to life the way she intended it to at the concert‚ it made me appreciate the song even more than I had already appreciated it.  I think the concert was honestly the best night of my life‚ because I never even thought seeing her in concert would ever be a possibility for myself; much less seeing her in concert from a suite with a bunch of amazing people that I got to meet and befriend. It was truly an enchanting night.” This story was submitted to Love What Matters by Caitlin Noel Vandergrift of Eldon‚ Missouri. You can follow her journey on TikTok.  Read more stories like this: ‘Today I sobbed in my car. He wanted to take her to a concert with matching shirts. Her daddy was the biggest undercover Swifty.’: Widow writes gratitude lists during grief journey‚ ‘I have to remind myself this is only temporary’ Miranda Lambert Abruptly Stops Concert When She Sees Soldier’s Sign‚ Breaks Down Crying On Stage Please SHARE this story on social media to encourage others to live life to the fullest. 

“Jeopardy!” host Mayim Bialik blasted the “abhorrent” silence of women’s organizations around the world following the rape and torture of Jewish women by Hamas in the October 7 terrorist attacks on Israel. “There has been an abhorrent and conspicuous absence of women’s organizations around the world unequivocally condemning the systematic rape and torture of women on October 7 by Hamas‚” the 47-year-old actress said in a lengthy post on X. “Where are the ‘BELIEVE THEM’ voices?” “Brutal gang rapes‚ sexual torture‚ and murder of fetuses happened- period‚” Bialik wrote. “These crimes against women were in many cases documented by the terrorists themselves and broadcast for the world to see. Those of us who have fought for women’s rights and have sought to shout from the rooftops when women’s bodies are being used in war for the sadistic pleasure of perpetrators are astounded at how the world has been silent surrounding this.” “The UN (U.N. Women – the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women) took 50 days to express ‘alarm’… First Lady of Israel Michal Herzog and Sheryl Sandberg have been trying to draw attention to this‚” she added. “Progressive feminists of the world: where are you?” Her post included a link to an op-ed from Herzog titled “The Silence From International Bodies Over Hamas’ Mass Rapes Is a Betrayal of All Women.” When people march and assert RESISTANCE BY ALL MEANS NECESSARY‚ this is what they are supporting: gang rape‚ mutilation of women’s bodies‚ and torturing fetuses. I can’t believe I have to say this again: Rape is never an act of resistance. Cutting off body parts is not an act of… pic.twitter.com/020xFtV0qm — Mayim Bialik (@missmayim) November 30‚ 2023 In a post on Thursday‚ the Jewish actress shared an article in Slate titled‚ “The World’s Feminists Need to Show Up for Israeli Victims.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP “When people march and assert RESISTANCE BY ALL MEANS NECESSARY‚ this is what they are supporting: gang rape‚ mutilation of women’s bodies‚ and torturing fetuses. I can’t believe I have to say this again: Rape is never an act of resistance‚” Bialik wrote on X along with the link to the Slate article. “Cutting off body parts is not an act of resistance‚” she added. “This is what happened on October 7. I believe women and I believe the footage Hamas has broadcast showing sexual crimes against women. Do you?” Bialik previously spoke out about the anti-Semitism she was witnessing in America and said there’s “no excuse” for it. “Nothing has prepared me or any of us for this‚” the “Jeopardy!” host said in a video from late October. “Because it is clear‚ we get it. It is clear that there is a strain of antisemitism that is alive and well. It is thriving at my Alma Mater where the chant ‘We want a Jewish genocide’ was echoed in the quad in front of Royce Hall.” Bialik‚ who got her doctorate from UCLA in 2007‚ said students of all backgrounds were chanting in support for a “Jewish genocide” on UCLA’s campus‚ calling it “unacceptable.”

A young Kansas City Chiefs fan reacted on Wednesday to allegations by a Deadspin writer who claimed the boy wore “blackface” when he painted half his face red and the other black for last Sunday’s game against the Las Vegas Raiders. During 9-year-old Holden Armenta’s appearance on “Jesse Watters Prime Time‚” the boy and his father‚ Bubba Armenta‚ spoke to the Fox News host about being in the spotlight following the racism allegations by sports writer Carron Phillips. “It’s been a lot. It’s been a pretty crazy couple of days‚” Bubba said. “I was mad‚ upset for him. I’m mad that he’s upset. He’s pretty devastated. I mean‚ he’s seen the videos and everything posted.” “It was his dream to get on the jumbotron‚” he added. “And I’ve had family and friends call and [say]‚ ‘Oh‚ we saw you on Sunday night football.’ So‚ he’s excited. But then everything else came up.” EXCLUSIVE: The 9-year-old Chiefs fan‚ who was falsely smeared as a racist for supporting his team‚ speaks out on Primetime. Holden Armenta says this whole thing has been scary and overwhelming. His father‚ Bubba‚ says it’s too late for an apology- the damage is already done. pic.twitter.com/8T4WsMsvm6 — Jesse Watters (@JesseBWatters) November 30‚ 2023 Watters then asked Holden how he was holding up. “It’s OK because a lot of kids at school are getting excited‚ but it’s starting to get me a little nervous because if they go a little bit overboard‚ it’s a little scary‚” Holden said. CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP The drama began after Phillips accused Holden of finding “a way to hate Black people and the Native Americans at the same time” when the boy wore an American Indian headdress and painted half his face red and the other half black to show his support for the Chiefs. In the Deadspin article‚ Phillips called out the child’s “disrespect” and only focused on one side of his face. When the writer was criticized online‚ he just doubled down on his accusations. The Community Notes feature on X added a disclaimer saying the writer “failed to provide full context” that the boy’s face paint was in reference to the football team. Holden’s mom later took to Facebook and defended her son‚ calling out the sports blog. “This has nothing to do with the NFL‚” Shannon Armenta wrote in her post. “Also‚ CBS showed him multiple times and this is the photo people chose to blast to create division. He is Native American — just stop already.” Holden is from an American Indian family‚ and his grandfather is on the board of the Chumash tribe in Santa Ynez‚ California‚ according to The Post Millennial.

'Stakeholders and third-party allies'

'I certainly support Trump‚ I can tell you'

'Woke policies'

'Misrepresented the efficacy of its COVID-19 vaccine'

parents aren't dumb