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(All my stuff is here)
Richelieu had other duties than to her faction and her faith- in this case it involved sitting in at a briefing involving the commander and some of the other shipgirls. This time it even included Implacable, seeing as she was a powerful carrier as well as... Everything else that she was. And Implacable wasn't really about to let her forget about all of those other things, seeing as she was practically making bedroom eyes at her from across the table while the meeting was going on. Richelieu's response was to cough into her hand while keeping eye contact.
Besides, there was a growing amount of evidence that's just generally how Implacable tended to look at people.
The saving grace was that it wasn't really about anything particularly urgent, just how fleet organization was going to change slightly with the current ocean situation, so she didn't miss anything despite Implacable's flirting. She had also already read the skirmish reports ahead of time, so there wasn't much need for her to go over them again in the same meeting.
Once the meeting came to its natural conclusion, Richelieu left with the others, but found that Implacable had decided to wait for her outside. She was smiling, and had her hands behind her back. "If it's not too much trouble, I'd like to borrow you for a moment. I'd like to think I'm more attractive than a meeting~"
The cardinal wasn't too surprised, now that she thought of it, but shrugged it off. "I think I can consent to your company, though I wonder what you might want me for."
"Despite what you might think, I'm mainly interested in talking to you, at least right now." She walked alongside Richelieu. "It's interesting seeing you at work, so serious all the time, but that makes me wonder what you're like when you're at home. Do you charge all of your hours to heaven?"
Richelieu pouted a little. "I know that you met me when I was cleaning up my church, but I do other things that don't involve the fleet or the faith. There are times when I am off the figurative clock."
Implacable giggled a little at that. "Now, don't get upset. As I said, I want to learn more about you, is all. And not in a way that involves me going through your garbage. In that matter I have some restraint. Besides, I'm not in a rush. We're going to be living at the same base for some time."
Richelieu looked over at her busty companion. "This is true, but you seem to be fascinated with me in particular. There are hundreds of shipgirls here, so I would be naturally curious about why I occupy your attention."
The royal carrier exaggerated the sway to her hips as she walked alongside the cardinal. "Hehe... It's hard to believe that you don't occupy more attention in the first place. You have to have some idea of how pretty you are- at least, I hope you do. If you don't then that's a shame, if you can't appreciate yourself."
Richelieu couldn't conceal a slight blush, but also knew that she had been given a non-answer. "I don't feel I have anything to be ashamed of when it comes to comparing myself to the other girls, but it isn't something I dwell on too much." She looked to the side a little. "I wear what I feel comfortable wearing."
"I've been shown pictures of the beach days here. You're at least comfortable enough to wear that swimsuit, so it's not as though you don't have a little pride." She paused a moment. "Ahhh... But that's not important really. All of the ladies here are so beautiful, that you have to look at other things to distinguish between them. Of course, when you say it like that, it sounds too much like a lament~"
Richelieu considered this. "...You know, if you are honestly this curious, I could invite you over to my home so you can see things for yourself."
The carrier's smile grew even wider. "Hehe, really? Just inviting me in, are you? Are you prepared for anything that might happen if you let me in your door?" She suddenly spotted something. "Oh, hold on, I want to get something."
Richelieu followed Implacable to a hot dog stand being run by Cleveland, who was trying to drum up some extra cash for some reason or another, probably related to some sports activity. Cleveland went right to work. "Just the biggest one?"
Implacable closed her eyes, and stretched. "Mmm~ And everything you can put on it."
Cleveland cheerfully went to work, and Richelieu went on with the conversation. "I don't feel I have any reason not to trust you. After all, you had all the opportunities in the world to make a mess of things the first time we met."
The carrier giggled. "Maybe just seeing you like that made me excited. It's not someone I see someone in your position be so hands-on. I know you weren't performing like that just because I showed up, anyone could've seen that display."
"As I said to you, it's something I feel is right to do, even if some Royals might consider what I was doing to be low work for a lady of high status." She nodded. "Sometimes you just need to seize things in your own grasp and hold on until the subject is finished."
Implacable smiled as she looked Richelieu up and down. "Isn't it exhausting to take on that much yourself? You are only one woman, with many competing for your attention."
Richelieu shook her head. "It can be exhausting, yet satisfying, and it also shows I'm not to be underestimated. I do have the stamina for it, anyway, as it would be strange for a battleship not to."
Cleveland eventually held out a loaded hot dog, the cruiser having turned beet red as her imagination ran away with what they were talking about. "H-Here you go!" She said in a voice loud enough to try to drown out her embarrassment.
Implacable smiled as she took the treat, and paid Cleveland what she was owed, the cruiser almost fumbling the money in her trembling hands. She then turned her attention back to Richelieu. "All right, we'll arrange for me to pay you a visit so you can show me what you do for fun behind closed doors. Until then~" She then slowly swirled her tongue around the tip of her hot dog, licking off some of the toppings before taking a slow, teasing bite off the end.
After she left, Cleveland dared to speak. "So... Were you, um..."
Richelieu sighed. "It wasn't about what you think it was."
Cleveland immediately bounced back to her usual self. "All right! So, will you be having anything?"
She looked up for a moment, and then back at Cleveland. "...I think I will."
----------------
After the fact, Richelieu decided to consult with Saint Louis.
The cruiser was something of a crusader, hoping that in some way, her efforts might well pave her way towards a promised land. In time she began to wonder if the part was in fact the promised land that she wished to earn by deeds of arms, and this made Saint Louis a rather contemplative sort of person, wondering what world she may have made when she finally laid down her lance.
So, she was precisely the kind of person one would ask what was on her mind, as there was so much on her mind at any one time she was bound to have an answer rattling around somewhere in there.
Richelieu found Saint Louis near the confession booth, patiently waiting for Le Terrible to show up, and the cardinal couldn't help but say something. "You were here only a few days ago, Saint Louis."
The cruiser nodded. "I am going out on an operation soon, so I felt it would be best to do any required penance beforehand. We are to trust in the protection of our faith, but also we do not know when we may be called back to His side."
"I see. I can't fault your way of thinking, but I have something else to ask. You have encountered Implacable, have you not?"
"Indeed." She said. "She has some ways about her that can test one's faith, but the only true response to a test of faith is to strive to ensure that it is not found wanting. I assume that because you're asking me this, you've had more than one encounter yourself?"
"More than that." She took a deep breath, and closed her eyes for a moment, opening them before adding her response. "I have encountered her a few times, and she seems to have taken a shine to me. She called me kind when we first met, but one can find many kind people and not automatically pursue a deeper connection."
Saint Louis put her hands in her lap as she remained seated, toying with her gauntlets. "You don't believe she's doing it to tease you?"
"If I believed she was trying to mock me, I wouldn't allow her to get so close. I would certainly do my best to steer her into other ways of behavior, perhaps even consult with her majesty, but I also wouldn't roll over and let things be done to me." She replied. "...I believe her desires are genuine, in that she's looking for some kind of connection."
"...Perhaps she is searching for her own promised land." She shook her head. "Maybe that's merely my point of view, your holiness."
Richelieu sighed a little. "The truth of the matter is that if she was merely looking for someone to sate her carnal urges, there are probably any number of people here she could merely ask and then be done with it in an evening or so, but she is more complex than that. I find myself being curious, so I think I will spend more time with her."
Saint Louis blinked. "There may be rumors, your holiness. Not that I mean to challenge your decision, since you have always acted with a certain amount of clarity, but..."
The cardinal shook her head. "It's not my fault if other people wish to misunderstand me. If they would like to believe I am being "corrupted" or "falling into sin" when I strive for greater understanding and compassion for others I don't entirely understand, then they will believe that. However, whatever others choose to believe, the truth cannot be changed."
"Of course." Saint Louis replied. "I'm sure you have considered this yourself. My own matters are of the lance and shot, so I will leave you to your own... But I will look to the living example of your compassion to follow in affairs that involve neither of those."
Richelieu took a moment to think about what else to say. "I'm just curious- do you have any opinion of your own on my choice?"
"I have already spoken my concerns, your holiness." She replied. "I will, of course, defend your honor if it must be done."
"I don't believe that will be necessary. You have a more pressing enemy to fight than our friends." Richelieu continued. "At the most, I think people may gossip for a moment, and then move on quickly to some other subject of interest."
"Of course." She said. "However, I am at your service."
"Thank you, Saint Louis."
------------------
Of all of the kinds of visitors that Joffre could have expected to see waltz into the Iris dorms, Implacable was not one of them. Her own attachment to the tenets of the Iris church demanded faith and patience in the face of unusual sights, to interrogate and understand what was placed in front of one in the world. Joffre's eyes narrowed as she wondered exactly what heaven wanted her to make of what was in front of her.
Implacable put on her teasing smile. "Come now, Richelieu knows I'm coming." She slid a finger into the upper band of her white stockings. "Or... Did you really want to have me all to yourself today? I don't want to disappoint her lovely holiness, so if I'm what you want, you'll have to wait your turn~"
Joffre frowned a little as she looked Implacable up and down, wondering exactly what to make of her. She claimed to be Richelieu's guest, but there was something about the way that the carrier presented herself that made the inquisitor twitch a little on the inside. Richelieu did urge patience with Implacable, but there were some things that triggered an immediate response. "...I'm not interested in keeping you from her holiness, but do remember to comport yourself well."
"I think it is clear that this is more of a casual visit, it's not like I'm beseeching her for some kind of ordination." She put her hands together. "...I have my own ways, you know."
"It appears you do." Joffre replied in a tone so flat it could be used for laboratory work. "...I'll ask you again to be on your best behavior in front of her holiness. Aside from that, you may go."
"Good day to you, then." And then she went on her way, without seemingly any care at all as she went straight for Richelieu's home, either oblivious or immune to Joffre's disapproval.
Richelieu had been anticipating this visit, so Implacable had been allowed to let herself in, as soon as the carrier closed the door she heard a voice come from deeper inside the house. "Come over here and have a seat, I have been expecting you."
The royal carrier passed through the living room and kitchen, noting that Richelieu was not especially a fan of opulence in her furnishings- it was built to be a place where the cardinal could find some amount of sanctuary from her duties to the faith. The cardinal's voice had come from a special sitting room, and a rather large one, too, and its purpose became immediately apparent as soon as she heard the meowing.
While cats were generally free-roaming sorts, Richelieu had a special room for her and any fortunate guests to spend time with her various cats in her off hours. Implacable didn't bother to count the number of kitties roaming around, but though there were more than usual, it wasn't an absurd amount. Richelieu wasn't someone who collected cats out of some state of trauma or madness- the cats were well taken care of and attended to, without a hint of neglect common to compulsive hoarders of animals.
Implacable took a seat on a free couch, and soon enough a coal-black cat hopped up next to her and began pawing at the bare skin of her thighs. She smiled at the touch, and pet between the curious kitty's ears, reaching over slowly so as not to spook the critter- she had a gentle touch meant to be appreciated by anything alive. "Hehe... Looks like this one knows what it wants~"
Richelieu smiled. "I think we're just going to take the fact that Lucifer was immediately curious about you as more of a coincidence than any sort of symbolism. He's fond of visitors generally, but so is Soumise, who will roll over- literally- for anyone."
"Mhmm..." She seat, easing the black cat into her lap, though the feline had enough dignity to act like it was his own decision rather than the inscrutable temptations of the creature occupying the couch. "You have amassed quite a few. Do they trouble you very much?"
"Not especially." She said. "...I wouldn't keep them nearby if they were truly a bother. My home is where I mean to relax after pulling my double duties as leader of the Iris here at Azur Lane.
"It's easy for me to see why you might want a group of little playmates close to home. After all, there are days and nights when a leader can't leave the office." She said as she started to tickle one of the Cardinal's fuzzy critters. "I should have expected something like this. You don't seem so uptight to believe that fun is a sin."
"We are allowed to have normal lives. Even someone in my position." Another of her cats, Ludovic, jumped up to seek attention from Richelieu, and she gladly gave it. "I am allowed to live outside of my position, but I think that is the same for all of us, seeing as we were originally conceived of as weapons."
Implacable giggled as she picked up and utterly spoiled the black cat that had found his way to her, taking her sweet time just to enjoy the presence of the friendly kitty. "Mmmm.... there are so many ways we can do things that involve more than just that, aren't there? I want to explore all of them, and I know I'd rather not do it alone."
"I figured as much." She said, idly petting the nearest cat. "I think that, at least, is something that we have in common."
Implacable idly played with a few loose strands of hair, wrapping them around one of her fingers. "Hehe, now you're making me use my imagination. Who knows what might come of it~"
Richelieu was at least partly aware of what was almost always on Implacable's mind at this point. "Speaking of imagination, you have chosen some... Unusual trappings for yourself."
"I am a woman of strong sentiments, after all." She freed a hand from cat-tending to stroke the inside of one of her thighs, all the while her eyes staying on Richelieu. "Faith, lust... More besides, but none of these are inherently sinful. After all, were we not also created out of faith and love?" She cooed a little. "Why not indulge in this new world?"
Richelieu managed to remain steady, glad she had practice keeping confidence as a leader- She could imagine someone less fortified folding under Implacable's wiles. She smiled somewhat. "I do believe that there are ways that both of us are intemperate at times. We are, after all, human."
The carrier's eyes brightened just a little, and Lucifer hopped away to find something else to play with other than the cardinal's guest. "Hehe, saying something like that so easily... But it's true... We all have so much to offer, especially to each other~. In fact, why don't I show you something."
Richelieu wasn't sure what would come next, but she had a hunch it would have something to do with Implacable's body. "Go right ahead."
"Hehe, watch carefully. It's just a rousing distraction." Implacable lay on her front, lounging all over her chosen couch like she was imitating one or more of Richelieu's furry friends. She smiled at the cardinal as she got comfortable, wiggling her hips just a little.
What followed next drew Richelieu's eyes for longer than she could have thought, because Implacable began to stretch in ways that the cardinal was only really familiar with when it was being done by one of the normal residents of the room. Implacable closed her eyes, and slowly pulled her knees underneath her, raising her ample rear into the air. Richelieu tensed and blushed as she got a peek at the rather minimal underwear that Implacable wore under the flaps of her dress, and then Implacable smiled, as she somehow just knew the effects that she was having on the cardinal by stretching out despite not being able to see them. She let her legs lay almost flat, and then she pushed herself up by her arms, doing a long back stretch that presented her abundant assets perfectly to her audience of one before slowly laying back down.
She wore that warm and teasing smile, and left Richelieu to say something... Or even say nothing if she chose.
Saying nothing was Richelieu's first choice- no one had ever made that kind of display to her on purpose, and it was a bit of a surprise that it was inside her own home. She took a quick, deep breath as she understood that anything erotic, anything at all, was as natural to her guest as breathing. The cardinal shook her head as she decided she needed to find words to respond so she didn't seem as off balance as she may have felt. "If there's anything you'd like in order to get comfortable, you are my guest. all I can ask is that you be reasonable."
"Ahhh... Well, I won't ask you for anything now, of course. I'm not here to make extra demands on my lovely hostess. I think I'm just going to enjoy this couch for a while." She slowly lay completely down. "Mmm... If there are things you will need to do, I'll let myself out, but if you need me for anything, then you know where I am. And if you want me to stay longer... I won't say no~"
"Enjoy this...?" Before she even had a chance to complete her thought, Implacable had followed through on a decision to nap right on the couch. Richelieu slowly stroked over the cat in her own lap, until he decided to run off and find something else to do, leaving the cardinal effectively alone with her napping guest.
Richelieu felt compelled to watch her. Taihou, while also lustful, tended to keep to herself when the commander wasn't involved, so having someone like this in her own home presented an opportunity to see someone like this up close and undisturbed. She watched Implacable slightly rise and fall with her slow breathing, and at that moment, she didn't seem that different from any other girl one might see sleeping at the base.
"Mmmnhnn~"
The cardinal blushed as she heard those moans come from the napping carrier, and saw Implacable's hips shift this way and that. As startling as it was, Richelieu couldn't help but wonder what pleasant but indecent dreams her guest was having. It wasn't as though such things were rare, but she wondered what they might be like for someone who had such heightened urges as that woman sleeping on her couch, and what realms of fantasy such a libido might take her to. It wasn't on her to ask, but...
Richelieu took off one of her gloves to try something. She reached underneath's Implacable's hood with one bare hand to gently stroke her hair, and that didn't wake her up, but it did draw a response.
"Anh~....!" Came the sharp moan from between Implacable's soft lips, the snoozing carrier slightly arching her lower back at the touch.
Richelieu's blush deepened a little, and she slowly withdrew her hand from her guest. Even after that, however, she couldn't stop herself from smiling at her dreaming guest. She was comfortable, and there was no reason to get in the way of that.

(Originally posted to latterdaysaints but not approved by mods for whatever reason: throwaway, sensitive topic, etc...)
I am in the process of training to become a physician. I thoroughly enjoy being part of the delivery process in pregnancy and I am considering pursuing training in obstetrics/gynecology to be able to provide C-sections, tubal ligations, hysterectomies, etc. Part of the training for this is abortions. The part of the world I am in offers me protections in that I do not have to perform medical procedures that are opposed to my moral beliefs, provided I can refer to another physician who can provide the sought services, but I assume this not the case world wide. Some areas of healthcare are in opposition to the church on matters such as MAID (medical assistance in dying) and abortion. At the same time there is a clear time and place for medical procedures when there is threat of life, etc. Are there any obstetricians/gynecologists on here willing to speak their thoughts on this, or those that know of any that are members that have spoken previously on this topic.
Obviously this risks delving into a doctrine vs opinion as many church topics do. Depending on your relationship with the Lord and your own doctrinal understanding some may consider this from a few different points of view: in the same vein as working on the sabbath to provide for your own, that this is irrelevant to healthcare providers and the onus is on the patient and their decisions, or that these services should not/will not be offered unless medically necessary. While I am aware this is always a heated topic and even more so with the recent shift in political interest with the retraction of Roe vs Wade, I hope to have some civilized discussion/career advice.
Regardless of what is said on here I know that it is on me to take this up personally with my family and with the Lord, but it is helpful to hear from others as well.

There's a lot going on this weekend and even better the weather forecast looks great with 60s and 70s and only a little rain on Saturday morning.
Here's 35 local events you can enjoy at Virginia Tech, in Blacksburg and throughout the New River Valley:
1. Pink Moon Peach Milkshake IPA Release Moon Hollow Brewing, Blacksburg Friday, March 24, 2023, 3:00 - 10:00 PM Admission is free. Beer and food are regular price. Moon Hollow Brewing presents the Pink Moon Peach Milkshake IPA Release in support of the local Pink Boots Society. This year’s blend contains Loral, Eukanot and HBC 586. A heaping dose of lactose, peach purée and vanilla bean also help create a rich and delicious brew. $1.00 from each pint is donated the Pink Boots Society Blue Ridge Virginia Chapter. This helps the chapter continue to put on educational, community enriching events. The Pink Boots Society aims to assist, inspire and encourage women and non-binary individuals in the fermented/alcoholic beverage industry to advance their careers through education. Food will be available for purchase from Countryman Jamaican Grill. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=685855
2. Root Down in Concert Rising Silo Farm Brewery, Blacksburg Friday, March 24, 2023, 6:00 - 9:00 PM Admission: Free Root Down is a jazz trio based in the New River Valley. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=684803
3. College Softball: Chattanooga vs. Virginia Tech Tech Softball Park, Virginia Tech Friday, March 24, 2023, 6:00 - 8:00 PM, Saturday, March 25, 2023, 12:00 PM and 2:00 PM (Doubleheader) Admission: Free Watch the Virginia Tech Softball team compete against non-conference opponent the University of Tennessee Chattanooga in a three game series. No tickets are required for Hokie Softball games. Parking is available behind the outfield at Tech Softball Park and enter along the right field side of the stadium. Stands open one hour prior to the start of the game. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=685859
4. Music Theatre: "Book of Mountains and Seas" Moss Arts Center at Virginia Tech, Blacksburg Friday, March 24, 2023, 7:30 - 9:00 PM Adult Tickets (based on seat location): $25.00 - $55.00 Virginia Tech Students with ID and Youth 18 & Under: $10.00 A daring new music theatre work by composer Huang Ruo and puppeteer, designer, and director Basil Twist, "Book of Mountains and Seas" is a modern take on ancient Chinese creation myths that are relevant to our current climate change struggle, featuring the chorus of Ars Nova Copenhagen alongside massive puppets and striking lanterns. The work is sung in Mandarin with English supertitles. Book of Mountains and Seas is inspired by the ancient Chinese compilation of early myths of the same title, which was first transcribed in 4th-century B.C. Book of Mountains and Seas is a 21st-century adaptation and expansion of four of these tales. The work contains timeless codes about the universe, creation, planet, nature, life, human ambition and fate, the relationship and interaction between mankind and the planet. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=678174
5. Will Easter & The Nomads in Concert Dogtown Roadhouse, Floyd Friday, March 24, 2023, 8:00 - 11:00 PM Admission: $8.00 Will Easter has one of those voices that is like a home-cooked meal for the soul. Will has the cool throwback rock edge of Tom Petty with the modern folk-Americana appeal of the Avett Brothers, but with something hard to put your finger on that could only be born out of the shadows and peaks of the North Carolina mountains. One iteration through a chorus and you’ll find yourself humming along, by the second time around you’ll be singing out loud, ready to hit the repeat button. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=684795
6. Juxtaposition A Cappella Spring 2023 Concert: Time For A Hoedown Haymarket Theater (Squires Student Center), Virginia Tech Friday, March 24, 2023, 8:00 - 9:30 PM Virginia Tech Students: At the Door: $7.00 Non-Students: $10.00 Juxtaposition A Cappella presents their Spring 2023 Concert titled "Time For A Hoedown". Juxtaposition will be performing seven new songs including their entire ICCA set. Juxtaposition is an all-male Virginia Tech A Capella group that was established in 1994 and has since produced seven albums and been awarded numerous awards and honors. They enjoy performing their wide repertoire of 70's, 80's, 90's and current hits. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=685879
7. 2023 Ramp N Roads Eastern Elementary/Middle School, Pembroke Saturday, March 25, 2023, 8:30 AM - 12:30 PM Admission: Free Renew the New presents the 2023 Ramp N Roads where volunteers will be cleaning up litter from highways and byways, boat ramps, and river & stream access points. Be prepared to pick up litter off road in ditches and over the banks. Each volunteer will be assigned a team who will be led by captain when they arrive at Eastern Elementary/Middle School. These captains will lead the on-site clean up and will provide any needed safety instructions. There will be no buses running this year. Each volunteer will take their own car or carpool and convoy to one of the planned cleanup areas. There you will be given gloves and bags to use. Each volunteer is asked to return to Eastern Elementary at noon where they will receive pizza for a to-go lunch and a t-shirt. Volunteers need to sign up in advance. This is a rain or shine event however pick up along roadways will be suspended during active rain if it happens. ReNew The New is a volunteer organization committed to stewardship of the of the New River flowing through Southwest Virginia. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=685871
8. Yoga On Tap with Blacksburg Yoga Collective Rising Silo Farm Brewery, Blacksburg Saturday, March 25, 2023, 9:30 - 10:45 AM Suggested donation of $15.00-$20.00. The Blacksburg Yoga Collective presents Yoga On Tap with an energizing and uplifting flow. Flow with Blacksburg Yoga Collective in the beautiful settings of the Rising Silo Saturdays. These Kundalini-inspired, donation-based Yoga and meditation sessions focus on therapeutic movements and various breathing techniques aimed toward collective wellness. Meditate, chant, and move together to ease stress, manifest positivity, and improve our awareness and focus. Admission includes the class and a post-yoga non-alcoholic beverage from the brewery. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=685840
9. 2023 Warm Hearth Village Arts & Crafts Fair Warm Hearth Village Center, Blacksburg Saturday, March 25, 2023, 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM Admission: Free If you love unique, beautiful, locally handcrafted gifts and art, then attend the 2nd Annual Warm Hearth Village Arts & Crafts Fair. The show will feature high-quality artisanal goods from both artists on our campus and throughout the New River Valley. Handmade items for sale will include pottery, woodworking, home goods, accessories, soaps, candles & more. The Huckleberry Cafe will be open for grab-n-go refreshments. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=683666
10. Free Wine Tasting Vintage Cellar, Blacksburg Saturday, March 25, 2023, 11:00 AM - 4:00 PM Admission: Free Vintage Cellar presents Free Wine Tasting every Saturday from 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM. Join them for a decadent wine tasting at our free wine tasting. They will teach you all about the regions and grapes from the wines as you taste. After the tasing, grab a bottle or glass and enjoy it with some food from their kitchen. Must be 21 or older to participate. IDs required. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=685724
11. Open Virginia Tech Football Practice Lane Stadium, Blacksburg Saturday, March 25, 2023, 11:45 AM - 1:00 PM Admission: Free Fans are invited to attend the open practice to get an early look at how the Hokie's 2023 football squad is shaping up. Gate 6 will open up at 11:45 AM for fans to enter. Note: It is prohibited for fans to take photos and videos when the Hokies are on the field. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=685711
12. 2023 Beliveau Bridal Expo Beliveau Farm Winery, Blacksburg Saturday, March 25, 2023, 12:00 - 4:00 PM Admission: Free Bring your friends and family and visit with the area's leading wedding professionals on display to plan your perfect wedding in an elegant venue. Wedding vendors such as florists, musicians, photographers, bakeries and more will set up in our Great Hall to talk to you about their services. This is a great opportunity to meet many of the vendors in one afternoon. Food and wine will be available to purchase throughout the entire event. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=684117
13. Women's Lacrosse: Boston College vs. Virginia Tech Thompson Field, Virginia Tech Saturday, March 25, 2023, 12:00 - 2:00 PM Admission: Free Watch the Virginia Tech Women's Lacrosse compete against ACC conference opponent and #7 ranked Boston College. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=684297
14. Program: Vegetable Gardening Meadowbrook Public Library, Shawsville Saturday, March 25, 2023, 1:00 - 2:00 PM Admission: Free Want to grow your own vegetables, but aren’t sure where to start? Join Dr. Emma Patterson, VCE Volunteer Master Gardener, to find out more about planning a vegetable garden, caring for it, and keeping it going through year’s end. Free seeds and soil testing kits will be provided. For ages 12 and up. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=685348
15. 2023 Oyster Dinner Drive-Thru Riner Volunteer Fire Department, Riner Saturday, March 25, 2023, 2:00 - 6:00 PM Admission: $15.00 The Riner Volunteer Fire Department presents their Annual Oyster Dinner Drive-Thru featuring fried oysters, baked beans, slaw and dessert. Tickets can be purchased in advanced at Eagle Express, Riner Food Center and Village Barber Shop. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=685387
16. Delta Chi's Into the Wild Benefit Concert featuring Audio Fever and The Red Ferns The Milk Parlor, Blacksburg Saturday, March 25, 2023, 2:00 - 5:00 PM Ages 21 & Over: $9.00, Ages 20 & Under: $12.00 The Delta Chi Fraternity at Virginia Tech presents their Into the Wild Benefit Concert featuring music from Audio Fever and The Red Ferns. Proceeds from ticket sales will go towards the V Foundation for Cancer Research. The Red Ferns is a groovy guitar band based in Blacksburg and Audio Fever is a Blacksburg based band as well. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=685882
17. March Flashlight Tour St. Albans, Radford Saturday, March 25, 2023, 5:30 - 7:30 PM Admission: $15.00 Join St. Abans for their March 2023 Flashlight Tour which includes a little history and paranormal in one. This is a guided tour. Take a walk through the dark halls of St. Albans Sanatorium and join them for a flashlight tour of the building. Hear all the chilling tales of what paranormal investigators, and the public, have encountered within these 120 year old walls. A little bit of history, a little bit of paranormal. Tickets are available online in advance and will be sold at the door provided tickets are still available. Comfortable shoes and a flashlight are recommended as there will be lots of walking and many dark areas. Dress accordingly as the building is not climate controlled. You must be 18 years of age (16 if accompanied by a parent or legal guardian). Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=685883
18. March's Beans and Banjos (Final Event) Meadowbrook Public Library, Shawsville Saturday, March 25, 2023, 6:00 - 8:00 PM Admission: $5.00 requested donation The Shawsville Ruritans and The LINC Letter presents March's Beans and Banjos and the final event of this series. Nothing lasts forever, not even Beans and Banjos. March's Beans and Banjos will be the last. Instead of having a couple of bands the organizers are inviting everyone who's ever played or sung at Beans and Banjos to come out and jam to play Beans and Banjos out in style. Beans and Banjos has been going for at least 14 years. Enjoy a dinner of beans, cornbread and desserts. Organizers ask for a donation of at least $5.00 to help keep the LINC Letter publishing. The LINC Letter is the non-profit community newsletter for Eastern Montgomery and is distributed to residents of Alleghany, Elliston, Ironto, Lafayette and Shawsville, Virginia. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=685325
19. Amelia Empson in Concert Rising Silo Farm Brewery, Blacksburg Saturday, March 25, 2023, 6:00 - 9:00 PM Admission: Free Amelia Empson plays a variety of Indie-Folk and Americana covers and originals from the Appalachian Mountains with talent far beyond her years. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=684804
20. Salsa Night 2023 Beliveau Farm Winery, Blacksburg Saturday, March 25, 2023, 7:00 - 11:00 PM Advance Tickets: $12.00, At the Door: $15.00 Join Beliveau Farm Winery for a dancing experience with your loved one, group of friends, or come single; you are bound to have a good time no matter what. Lessons begin at 7:00 PM and the event lasts until 11:00 PM. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=685126
21. 2023 March of Ales Mardi Gras Celebration German Club Manor, Virginia Tech Saturday, March 25, 2023, 7:00 PM - 12:00 AM Admission: $50.00 The Blacksburg Junior Women's Club (BJWC) presents the 2023 March of Ales Mardi Gras Celebration featuring unique beers for tasting, along with wine and a signature cocktail. Coffee, water, lemonade, hors d’oeuvres and desserts will also be available. Guests will enjoy entertainment by a DJ, dancing, and a live and silent auction. The auctions feature an extraordinary variety of items donated by local businesses and individuals. At the end of the evening, discounted Uber service will be available to guests. Tickets will be available for purchase at the door if the event is not sold out in advance. All money raised at March of Ales is used to fund service projects and donations throughout the year. The funds have benefitted groups and causes such as Special Olympics, Salvation Army, Ronald McDonald House, Montgomery County Christmas Store and many others. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=685695
22. WUVT's Jazz Night with Copy Cat Syndrome and Yung LZRD Odd Fellows Building Lodge #20 (Wilson Avenue), Blacksburg Saturday, March 25, 2023, 7:00 - 10:00 PM Admission: $6.00 Join WUVT for a night filled with the sweetest jazz melodies provided by Copy Cat Syndrome and Yung LZRD. Copy Cat Syndrome is a fusion trio performing jazz based in Blacksburg, VA. LZRD is a jazz band from Blacksburg, VA. Entrance to this event is ticket only (sold online) with a maximum of 50 being sold. Doors open at 6:00 PM and the music starts at 7:00 PM. WUVT-FM 90.7 Blacksburg is the New River Valley's only source for independent, alternative programming. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=685887
23. TechNotes Spring 2023 Concert: TechNotes Lightnin’: Feeling the 50s Haymarket Theater (Squires Student Center), Virginia Tech Saturday, March 25, 2023, 7:00 - 8:30 PM Advance Tickets: $5.00, At the Door: $7.00 TechNotes presents their Spring 2023 Concert titled "TechNotes Lightnin’: Feeling the 50s". Enjoy a night full of new songs and old TechNotes favorites and chances to win epic raffle prizes. TechNotes is a co-ed A Cappella group at Virginia Tech that performs at various events throughout the year. TechNotes was founded in 2010. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=685878
24. Caroline Owens & Company in Concert Floyd Country Store, Floyd Saturday, March 25, 2023, 7:00 - 10:00 PM General Admission: $15.00, Reserved Seating: $20.00 Caroline Owens is a 2X IBMA nominated Bluegrass and Gospel artist. She has performed alongside many of her heroes such as Alison Krauss, Suzanne Cox, The Isaacs, Larry Gatlin, Darin & Brooke Aldridge, Lorraine Jordan and many others. And, has made quite a name for herself in the North Carolina bluegrass community. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=685713
25. Hoppie Vaughan & The Ministers of Soul in Concert The Floyd Center for the Arts, Floyd Saturday, March 25, 2023, 7:30 - 9:30 PM General Public: $15.00, Students: $10.00 Don't miss your chance to see the long awaited return of Hoppie Vaughan & The Ministers of Soul. It will be a fun, funky night of soul. The diversely talented Hoppie Vaughan is all about the soul! He is a blue eyed soul singer, song writer, guitar and bass player. Besides performing solo, he is the front man for Hoppie Vaughan and the Ministers of Soul based out of Roanoke, VA performing classic soul, R&B, blues and funk. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=685712
26. Three Band Concert with Kenny Vaughan, Sullivan Smith & Stray Lions and Friend of the Three Southpaw Cafe & Community Space, Blacksburg Saturday, March 25, 2023, 7:30 - 10:00 PM Admission: $5.00 Southpaw Cafe & Community Space presents a Three Band Concert with Kenny Vaughan, Sullivan Smith & Stray Lions and Friend of the Three. Friend of the Three is a band based in Virginia that performs adult alternative, pop and rock. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=685881
27. Stand-Up Comedy Show Lost In Taste, Christiansburg Saturday, March 25, 2023, 10:00 PM - TBD Admission: $7.00 The Cosmic Comedy Club returns with performances by comedians Sage Delong, Derek Budd, Julia Goyer, Tony Rodriguez, Jermaine Callando and hosted by Andrew Gustafson. Recommended for ages 18 & up. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=685853
28. 2023 Hot Diggity Dog Day (Fun for Your Dog) Beliveau Farm Winery, Blacksburg Sunday, March 26, 2023, 12:00 - 6:00 PM Admission: Free Bring your pup and come have a day at Beliveau Farm Winery annual canine event. There's 165 acres of dog fun for your furrr-ever friend to explore and relax. Fresh air, dog parade, lots of outdoor space. Beliveau will have food and drinks for purchase throughout the day. With every hot-dog sold, they are donating 20% of our proceeds to the Montgomery County Humane Society. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=685322
29. Community Quilting Bee: Rotary Cutting Fabric Blacksburg Library, Blacksburg Sunday, March 26, 2023, 1:00 - 3:00 PM Admission: Free Blacksburg Library presents their monthly Community Quilting Bee with the the topic "Rotary Cutting Fabric". This month atteneeds will learn how to use a rotary cutter and ruler to make accurate fabric pieces. Everyone is welcome including beginners. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=685349
30. Book Club: The Winemaker Blacksburg Wine Lab, Blacksburg Sunday, March 26, 2023, 1:00 - 3:00 PM Admission: $40.00 Join the Blacksburg Wine Lab for the Wine Lab Book Club tasting & discussing featuring "The Winemaker" by Noah Gordon. About The Winemaker: Josep Alvarez is a young man in the tiny grape-growing village of Santa Eulália, in northern Spain, where his father grows black grapes that are turned into cheap vinegar. Joseph loves the agricultural life, but he is the second son, and his father’s vineyard will be inherited by his brother Donat, the firstborn. He yearns for a job growing grapes and for an opportunity to marry Teresa Gallego. In Madrid, an assassination plot, conceived against the political leader of Spain by men of wealth and power, creates a storm of intrigue that sucks into its vortex a group of innocent young farm workers in Santa Eulália. How Josep’s life is changed drastically by these events, and how, ironically, they gradually turn him into an inspired vintner with an evolving vision of life, is the fascinating story of "The Winemaker". During the Book Club, enjoy four fantastic Spanish wines to taste. Chef Bryan will create a pairing board of house–made Spanish tapas, cheese and charcuterie to accompany the tasting. Reservations required. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=685385
31. Willard Gayheart and Ricky Cox performing "Old Favorite Songs of the Blue Ridge" Floyd United Methodist Church, Floyd Sunday, March 26, 2023, 2:30 - 3:30 PM Admission: Free The Floyd County Historical Society presents an encore performance of Willard Gayheart and Ricky Cox performing "Old Favorite Songs of the Blue Ridge. Ricky Cox’s friendship with Willard Gayheart also goes back 35 years. This shows in the programs they present together, harmonizing and appreciating one another’s contributions as they delight their audiences. Willard is a pencil artist from Southwest Virginia. He is originally from Eastern Kentucky, working mostly from the theme "Nostalgic Glimpses of the Appalachians". His works are positive images of Appalachian Culture, presenting the region as a place alive with interesting personalities. Besides his artistic talent with the pencil, Willard is also an accomplished bluegrass musician having played as a member of the bluegrass band The Highlanders. Ricky Cox has been entertaining and educating many of us for decades. Throughout his teaching career at Radford University he shared the history and culture of our region through his music and writing, earning a number of special recognitions along the way. Ricky contributed his photographic talents to the second of two books featuring Willard Gayheart’s drawings. Note: The event was originally scheduled for Sunday, March 12th, but had to be postponed due to inclement weather. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=685328
32. Blacksburg Community Band Spring Concert Blacksburg High School Auditorium, Blacksburg Sunday, March 26, 2023, 3:00 - 4:00 PM Admission: Free The Blacksburg Community Band presents their Spring Concert conducted by David McKee and Associate Conductor, Dean Chiapetto. Christiansburg High School's band director, David Miller, will be guest conducting. Jefferson Ritchie will solo on trombone. The Blacksburg Community Band, Inc. is an all-volunteer community organization formed in 1989 under the auspices of the Department of Parks and Recreation in the Town of Blacksburg. The ensemble is open to individuals of all ages and ability levels from the New River Valley and surrounding areas. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=685314
33. Helping Hands Fundraiser with Spaghetti Dinner and Live Music Belview United Methodist Church, Radford Sunday, March 26, 2023, 4:30 - 7:30 PM Donations Appreciated Join Belview United Methodist Church for some fun and great fellowship all while helping support a wonderful mission. Help them fund their Helping Hands Pantry by enjoying a spaghetti dinner starting at 4:30 PM, silent auction, raffle and live music from Eddie & Sherry Richards and Spoken For beginning at 6 PM. Belview's Helping Hands Pantry supplies clothes, personal care items, cleaning items and household items to those in need in Montgomery County, Radford, Dublin, Giles County and Pulaski and other surrounding areas. The Silent Auction starts at 1:30 PM and ends at 7:30 PM with over 40 items to bid on. There are over $2,000 in prizes for the raffle. Raffle tickets are $5.00 each, $10.00 for three or $20.00 for seven. Donate a pack of diapers, pull-ups or Depends and get three free raffle tickets on the day of the event. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=685880
34. Indian Run Stringband in Concert Palisades Restaurant, Eggleston Sunday, March 26, 2023, 5:00 - 7:30 PM Admission: Free The Indian Run Stringband from Blacksburg, VA plays fiddle and banjo foot stomping dance tunes and sings traditional songs with old time harmonies perfect for dancing the two step. From dance tunes to the blues, the Indian Run Stringband plays with love and abandon. They make old-time music fresh and new. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=685310
35. Virginia Tech Percussion Ensemble in Concert with Guest Artist Michael Burritt Moss Arts Center at Virginia Tech, Blacksburg Sunday, March 26, 2023, 6:00 - 7:30 PM General Public: $15.00, Seniors: $12.00, Students & Youth: $10.00 The Virginia Tech Percussion Ensemble, under the direction of Annie Stevens, performs a concert with guest artist Michael Burritt who is one of his generation’s leading percussionists. He is in frequent demand, performing concert tours and master classes throughout the United States, Europe, Asia, Australia and Canada. He has been soloist with the United States Air Force Band, Dallas Wind Symphony, Omaha Symphony, Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra, Richmond Symphony Orchestra, Ju Percussion Group (Taiwan), Percussion Art Quartet (Germany) and the Amores Percussion Group (Spain). Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=685872
Have a great weekend and thanks for reading!

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/03/24/failing-nhs-trust-advertises-better-paid-jobs-doctors-nurses/
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A failing NHS Trust is encouraging doctors and nurses to move to Saudi Arabia, with promises of tax-free earnings in the sunshine, despite a staffing crisis.
King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation trust (KCH) is establishing KCH Jeddah, a 150-bed site with 1,200 staff, under the first partnership deal with the kingdom.
However, doctors are concerned that the project could drain the health service of nurses and doctors.
The moves come amid record shortages of NHS staff, with more than 130,000 NHS vacancies across England, with the Government promising to publish a long-delayed workforce strategy.
King's College NHS Foundation trust is currently advertising more than 60 vacancies across its UK sites for nurses, consultants and midwives.
A Care Quality Commission (CQC) report published in February ruled the trust required improvement overall but was inadequate in its use of resources.
The watchdog noted safe staffing levels were sometimes difficult to achieve, “despite best intentions”.The trust had a high vacancy rate of 14 per cent for nursing, it said.
Some patients said staff were sometimes “not as caring when staffing numbers were low”, it added.
Nicola Wise, CQC deputy director of operations in London, said areas which required improvement included “ensuring [the trust] always has staffing levels that support it to provide safe care and treatment to people.
“While many NHS services and those in the wider care sector face staffing challenges, the trust must find ways to minimise the risk this poses to people in its care.”
The NHS Trust is also missing several targets across A&E, cancer and treatment waiting times.
Four in 10 patients arriving at A&E are not being seen within four hours, against a target of 95 per cent.
In February, more than 2,100 patients waited four hours to be admitted via A&E at the trust, while 931 waited more than 12 hours.
Less than three quarters of patients are being seen by a consultant within 18 weeks, the latest data show. The NHS has a target that 92 per cent should be seen within this time following a referral.
Meanwhile, 42 patients have been waiting more than 18 months to begin treatment, a figure that NHS England has told trusts to eliminate by next week.
Under the plans for KCH Jeddah, around one third of doctors could come from the UK, according to private equity investors behind the scheme, with recent recruitment efforts targeting a nursing job fair in Manchester.
Several job ads say the hospital is “looking for UK-registered nurses” and all must have a degree in nursing from Britain, plus several years’ hospital experience.
While Britain has seen months of NHS strikes in a drawn-out pay dispute, the project is attempting to entice staff with promises of “competitive tax-free salaries” in a sunny climate.
In a promotional video launched in January, the hospital’s chief nursing officer – a former NHS trust chief – highlights the sunshine and leisure on offer.
“What can I tell you about living in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia? Jeddah is situated on the Red Sea coast and has almost 360 days of sunshine in a year,” says Patti Paine, until recently director of midwifery at University Hospital of Derby and Burton Hospitals trust.
In a promotional video on the KCHJ’s Youtube page on Jan 15 2023, Ms Paine explains “what life is like living in Jeddah as a British expatriate.
“We are bringing the best of British healthcare here to Jeddah,” she says.
“We can offer you a once-in-a-career opportunity to be part of a new hospital set-up and we want to attract the very best doctors, nurses, midwives and allied health professionals to be part of this unique team at King’s Jeddah.”
Jeddah has a long coastline, with beach and water activities possible all year round, as well as shopping and historical sites, she continues.One ad posted in February says: “In order to meet the requirements of our nurse jobs, all applicants will hold a Bachelor’s degree in nursing from the UK, with a minimum of two years’ hospital experience post-qualification.”
The site in Jeddah is expected to open early in 2024, with 150 beds, later expanding to 250, with health chiefs saying it will have 1,200 staff in total.
“The hospital will employ over 200 doctors – 30 per cent of which will come from the UK,” Ahsan Ali, head of healthcare at Ashmore Group, told Arab News in 2022.
Dr Matt Kneale, co-chairman at Doctors' Association UK, expressed concern that recruiting from Britain would place “strain on an already overstretched NHS workforce”.
He urged those running the project “to ensure that any recruitment drives do not come at the cost of reducing the number of working NHS doctors”.
Dame Meg Hillier, head of the Public Accounts Committee, said it was “incredible” that the NHS’s foreign partnerships were now able to deprive the service of much-needed staff.
Rachel Harrison, GMB national secretary, said: “It is much easier to persuade staff to leave their jobs if they are underpaid and overworked. And this is the reality across the health service today.”
KCH says the venture is an investment and that all profits will be ploughed back into the NHS for the benefits of patients.
The trust has loaned £7 million to a holding company – KCH Commercial Services – which has been invested in a trading company, KCH Management Limited.
This was set up for “recruitment and consultancy”.
The trust describes it as “the largest recruiter of overseas nurses in the UK”, saying most are placed at its London hospital. But KCH Management Limited also has an equity stake in KCH Healthcare LLC, a UAE business aimed at “delivering the same high-quality clinical outcomes as King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust”.
In December 2022 the trust was moved out of the lowest finance performance band after being placed in special measures for running up a £130 million deficit in 2017/18.

‘More for us to do’

Board papers published in 2022 said it intended to break even in 2022/23, but that only £17.8 million of its £55 million savings target was deliverable, the Health Service Journal reported.
Clive Kay, chief executive of the trust who joined in April 2019, said it “mustn’t be complacent”, adding there was “more to do for us at King’s to become financially sustainable, while also improving services for our patients”.
The trust refused to say what proportion of revenue comes from overseas entities.
It has already established a hospital and two satellite clinics based in Dubai. The latest developments are part of an NHS export industry.
Moorfields Eye Hospital Dubai opened in 2007, with a branch in Abu Dhabi in 2016.
King’s has already launched a hospital in Abu Dhabi, with consultants recruited by King’s College Hospital’s clinical leads. In 2019, the King’s partnership opened a £16.5 million 100-bed hospital in Dubai, backed by two satellite clinics.
When the first overseas site in Abu Dhabi opened, the trust boasted that all lead nurses had previously worked at King’s in London, with the site directly overseen by the trust.
Prof Jim Buchan, senior visiting fellow at the foundation, said: “There is a growing international market for well-trained and experienced nurses, and UK nurses are in a good position to help fill that demand.
“With more than 45,000 nursing vacancies in England alone, the NHS is competing in an international labour market for relatively scarce nurses, particularly those with specialist skills and expertise. When competition is fierce, it will be employers who offer the best package of pay, safe staffing and career opportunities who will have the advantage.”
Billy Palmer, workforce lead at the Nuffield Trust think tank, suggested that while the NHS has historically recruited from abroad it might now be more in danger of losing its workers.
“The shoe is on the other foot isn't it? We've benefited hugely from recruiting from abroad and it's quite intriguing to see the tables have turned on this, and now we're worrying about whether we can compete with other countries,” he said.
Meanwhile the project has won backing from the highest levels of the NHS.

‘Greatly benefit from NHS partner’

When the ground was broken on the building project in 2022, Lord David Prior, then chairman of NHS England, paid tribute to the deal.
The Department for International Trade said the proposed Jeddah development would “greatly benefit from having an NHS partner – King’s College Hospital – which will support the kingdom’s healthcare transformation and allow for valuable expertise and knowledge transfer.”
In January 2023 Lord Prior presided over the launch of King’s International Consortium which also involves the trusts running Guy’s and St Thomas’ hospitals, Moorfields Eye Hospital, the Christie in Manchester and Addenbrookes in Cambridge.
The leaders of the five trusts said the aim was to “export British healthcare collaboratively, by working in partnership with external investors to deliver large-scale international healthcare projects”.
A spokesman for KCH said: “We offer an advisory support and quality assurance role to ensure high standards of clinical care are established and maintained at all overseas hospitals that use the King’s name. The majority of the workforce for these facilities are recruited locally from the host country, not from the UK.”

Note: This is a long, wordy post, which I expect will make a lot of people go "TL;DR" and move on, but I do ask some genuine questions and I will appreciate some genuine answers from anyone who takes the time to read all this. =D
So, I've been playing PoE on and off for basically its entire existence. Mostly off, though - I'll not touch it for months to a year at a time, then dive right back in and check out what's new. I'm moderately casual, and only ever did a little bit of the endgame content. Also, I'm someone who really enjoys following plots in games in general, and I've always found PoE's plot and setting and lore to be really interesting. Now, I've never had trouble picking up what's going on before, no matter when I happened to pick the game back up, and no matter what character I used... until now.
The last time I played a character through the entire campaign was when The Fall of Oriath came out. I remember the epilogue taking place in Oriath, after everything's been cleaned up and the people start to recover. You're introduced to Kirac and the Atlas and stuff at that point. I've also jumped in to other leagues in the past, and met Cassia and Tane before, and IIRC had them both in my hideout (or maybe just Tane's Laboratory, don't recall specifically but it probably doesn't matter). I also did a tiny bit of the Heist league, just enough to unlock the Rogue Harbor and its NPCs.
Now I've just completed the campaign again on a different character, and some things are weird. The character in question I actually created years ago, but only played him through the first act and first half of the second act. That might be relevant, I'm not sure. What's definitely relevant is that it's weird how the game handles stuff that's unlocked across all characters, and how specific characters interact with those unlocks. So here are my questions:
First of all, when playing through acts 8-10, I started to pick up heist contracts that gave me a quest to talk to a specific Rogue. I hadn't actually ever met any of the Rogues on this character, so I thought this was odd; at least with Einhar, Niko, Alva, etc. you meet them in an act town on each character, even if you've already had contact with them with another character. Even though in my hideout I already had Alva, she still introduced herself and gave this character a quest upon arriving in act 7, for example. So for the Rogues, when would you ordinarily encounter them for the first time, if you were through the campaign on a brand new account? (Side note, I forgot you had to use a marker to open a portal to the Harbor and couldn't just jump there via a waypoint; those contracts sat in my inventory as unremovable quest items for quite some time before I remembered, lol)
Second, I noticed that poor Navali is standing around in my hideout, being totally un-interactable. According to the wiki, she was removed at some point, more's the pity, but at least she's still decorating up my place a little. But Zana, whom I rescued from the Atlas on a different character years ago, is also un-interactable, and the wiki indicates that she's still alive and kicking. Every other Master I could talk to in my hideout on this character, before actually meeting them in the acts where they first show up; is Zana just a weird exception to this? Do I have to rescue her again on this character to restore her functionality?
Third, I just arrived in the epilogue, which is now totally different from the last epilogue. I rather liked the old epilogue, but I suppose that's the nature of live-service games for you. But in talking with Helena and Kirac, I pieced together that there was a plot reason for this, it wasn't an outright replacement/retcon - Oriath was restored after the victory over Kitava, but then attacked by some Sirus character, and everyone abandoned the place to shelter in Ngamakanui. Helena treats my character as if he's been sunning himself on the beach while this was all going down, which raises some questions about the timeline. Presumably, players who were playing actively during whichever league it was when Sirus was the antagonist (I guess I could look it up, but I'm not bothering to right now for whatever reason) got to fight against him, right? There would have been a state of the game where everyone was still on the Oriath epilogue, traversing the Atlas, fighting Sirus. He gets defeated, but not before destroying Oriath. The survivors go stay with the Karui, and everyone's epilogues got updated. So... in regards to the NPC dialogue... how do they talk to your character about it? Does Helena still have the "while you were gone" lines? Are characters who actually killed Sirus treated the same way as characters who just now made it to the epilogue for the first time? And how is/was that tracked? On this character, I created him well before TFoO, but never got to the epilogue, and I have another couple characters who got to the old epilogue and did some mapping, but never beat Sirus; will they also be treated as if they've been away from Oriath for a whole year, even though there was a point where they were relaxing in post-Kitava Oriath?
Fourth and finally, there's some weirdness with NPCs in the epilogue. Many of the NPCs talk about Tane, but he's not there, and I can't teleport to his laboratory via waypoints. The game is treating my character as if he both has and hasn't yet met Tane, at the same time. He's also not in my hideout. Neither is Cassia; she at least is in the epilogue town, but she is introduced to my character as if they've never met before, and that's the only line of dialogue she has. The other NPCs don't comment on her. She doesn't have any other comments, herself. So she's somewhat inverted from Tane, where she exists but no-one acknowledges it, and Tane doesn't exist but everyone acknowledges him. What in the world is going on with this?

I had this great idea of 3 Imperial armies united under one banner for the tabletop but realized I might be overreaching and writing myself into a corner in terms of what the lore allows. Despite this I still want to make this work without simply resorting to 'rule of cool' and am seeking advice.
But first, time to explain the magnitude of what it is I'm trying to do before trying to fix it.
I have a Homebrew Space Marine Chapter. They rule over their homeworld of Fortisia, a Feudal World previously ruled in part by a small but prevalent Knight House on the world, who the Chapter have earned the respect of. House Fortis has pledged their loyalty to and shares their heraldry with the Chapter and willingly follows their lead whilst participating in their battles, when not out seeking personal glories in the name of The House and the Imperium.
The House has always had their own auxiliary army, long before the Marines came to the planet and long before they joined the Imperium. This army has greatly expanded in the wake of the Knight's and the Space Marine's crusades, having grown to such a size they are often called into service as their own army of Guardsmen separately from the Knight's service, with companies all over the galaxy marked with the iconography of the Fortisian Noble Guard on their uniforms.
I thought this was an amazing idea, until, in a moment of clarity Last night I realized this not only has all the reasons The Inquisition would hunt a Space Marine Chapter for (and possibly result In a Badab War 2: Electric Boogaloo with how much this would make the Astral Claws blush), I've also made Fortisia the simultaneously Home world of A Space Marine Chapter, Militarum army, and a minor Knight House and made the planet far too important for its own good.
Without completely scraping the idea and starting from scratch (or simply submitting to rule of cool because I don't like that) how do I preserve a majority of the idea without taking significant lore liberties or breaking it entirely?

I have been a lifelong member. I was adopted through LDS social services into an amazing family who is deeply involved in the church. I was baptized when I was 8, received the aaronic priesthood at 12. Going through my teenage years I was bullied and abused by my peers in scouts and was expected to treat them as my “brother” on sundays. This bullying and abuse lasted until I was 17, when my main abuser finally moved away. Also during this time, a new family moved into the ward. They were stuck up and thought they were better than everyone else. The mother was appointed as our seminary teacher and the husband appointed as our young men’s president. I already hated seminary and she made it even worse. She would lock us out of the church building if we were even a couple minutes late, would preach down us hateful doctrine, and would literally give us a final exam at the end and if we didn’t pass she would pass it off to our bishop (who was my best friends father). I told my parents I wasn’t going to go to seminary anymore and that this woman was being a bully and treating everyone unfairly. She was promptly released. Moving to the YMP, he would physically assault me and verbally abuse me. This went on for months, until my dad finally stepped in and threatened to kick his ass. I have been going to therapy for years trying to release my pain that I have experienced. I picture my abuse in my dreams, and I can barely walk into a chapel without trembling. I am a miserable, suicidal addict who is barely hanging on. At least my YMP ended up a quadriplegic for thinking he was a badass mountain biker. I still hate all the young men I had to grow up with. I hate the church for not appointing leaders that are competent. I refuse to be apart of a bigoted, greedy, and unconscious group of people who think they are better than everyone else. You couldn’t believe the look I got the last time I went to my ward with sleeves of tattoos.

Now some people have already made posts on what the community wants for CS2, I just want to jot what I believe would be a great connivence to the players if these were implemented into CS2 when it released. Anyway, here’s the list:

1. More ways to utilise beach’s: I think that many CS maps have long beaches but many vanilla players ignore the beaches due to the lack of beach specialised buildings, I think that maybe a few beach buildings would add a lot to cities when CC2 comes out
   
2. Dynamic Citizen Health system: A Dynamic citizen health system in CS2 would make how you manage your cities health more realistic. Let’s say you have a citizen, if they live in a neighbourhood with a low land value or bad services, they would have an increased chance of taking drugs or indulging in risky situations, and this would negatively affect the citizens health. On the other hand you have a citizen who lives in a higher land value neighbourhood and has access to good services, this would decrease the chance of the citizen commuting crimes and harming themselves with drugs. This increases the citizens health.
   
3. Real time option: I think a setting where you can choose the current time of day in the city and be able to match it with the time in real life based on your computers time would really increase immersion and allow for easier aesthetic screenshot for vanilla players.
   
4. Politics: Since CS2 is going to be more realistic, A political system would be a good addition. Like each district (or county/city) has its own local council, who will send you messages on what they need. For example if they don’t have good health care services, they will send you a message asking for better healthcare. Also as a fun scenario idea or game mechanic, each in game year or two, your cities citizens vote on if you stay in power, if you have managed your city poorly, you lose and get kicked out, but if you managed your city properly, the citizens will vote to keep you in.
   
5. Bigger maps and county’s Bigger, more detailed maps would be great for CS2, each map could be categorised into their size and some maps may be split into county’s intersection of tiles. To make these maps possible CS2 should have a higher prop and tree limit
   
6. Multiplayer: I know CS’s genre isn’t mainly multiplayer, but having an option to join a huge map of different regions with different environments and resources and being able to trade in between them would be a great idea. To access this you have to build a specific building once you reach a milestone to be able to contact other cities.
   

This is only a few things that would be great for CS2. I hope the devs are working their best and I’m happy for its release later this year (I believe).

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After seven years of treatment for my mental health, I've decided to post this publicly, hoping that history will not repeat itself with other trainees or camp counselors. I'm trying this again before another victim attempts to take their own life, and I pray that this post will reach as many as victims silenced by that camp management.
Believe it or not, I and others tried to shed light on what it's exposed here, but in the end, we were betrayed by VPs, Directors, and Counselors from Camp Duncan/Independence and MacLean. Incidents and reports of harassment are 'investigated' locally, and we are told that Y Human Resources has covered up for them for decades. When some of the staff did due diligence and detected wrongdoings, they were blackmailed, and 99% quit those camps in fear for their careers. They have a pattern of swiping severe issues under the rug and using their power to oppress innocents.
Background

1. I'm from London; my parents have worked and breathed YMCA since childhood. In 2008, I decided to travel to the US through the Y and wanted the experience of living in a summer camp. It's a dream for most people born in the 90s, raised watching American movies, and in love with America.
2. The camps I've mentioned are famous for mainly hiring foreigners. Initially, it was all fun, and despite the expected issues, I thought I had a great summer ahead. After a month, a boy from Ukraine left camp accused of ch*ld p*rn. The young boy barely spoke English. He was placed inside the VP's office and almost forced to confess. Everybody watched him cry and beg for mercy; he kept saying, 'I take care of my little sisters; I’m not like this.’ The local staff told him that NOBODY would believe him and that things were resolved internally; they showed him a fake search history that was allegedly done online; when he said he would turn himself into the police and prove his innocence, they took him to Chicago downtown, paid for a cheap hotel overnight—the next day sent him back home. Everybody later realized the accuser did that because she was in love with a counselor dating the Ukrainian boy kicked out of camp. Our supervisor told us never to talk about that incident, or we’ll be sent home just like him or worse. That raised a red flag for the rest of us and the beginning of our nightmares.
3. They would advertise gala/fundraisers, and at first, we were so moved by the initiative. The organizers will bring the local authorities and politicians. I remember wealthy people donating the most expensive gifts, objects, trips, gift certificates, and money. Our group was responsible for helping with physical labor and even asked to talk about our backgrounds to the VIP attending those galas. I thought I was making a difference and learning values I could use back home; however, my rose-tinted glasses broke when I and others watched some of the camp leadership keep the best gifts to themselves and use the money donated to do year-round raffles. One of the surgeons from Camp Independence was suspicious. Still, the VP then used her connections from the local community to convince him to stop the ‘nonsense’ and baseless suspicion. The camp VP used paid publicity and constantly posted on her Facebook page articles to deflect. We saw them also changing price tags on the prizes to make more profit and shred paperwork that could cause trouble. I used to report to YMCA NY up to that point and sent them an email asking for guidance. After a week, someone from the Y in NY suggested that I leave that camp as they were aware of their unprofessional practices, but there was nothing they could do since previous foreigners ended up changing their stories, afraid of retaliation. I left after six months but kept in touch with my friends.
4. The VP and her partner at the camp had their favorite camp counselors. They were taken out to dinner, praised constantly, and after a while, we watched random witch hunts due to petty gossip and sick minds sitting on a throne. The favorite counselors had their own click and would serve as their VP/Director's baby and house sitters; also, the privileged and chosen ones acted as camp spies being rewarded for helping keep camp a ‘happy place’ as they say. It was a sh*t show of gossip and drama only found in reality shows.
5. I was raised in a loving household, my parents conquered everything by working hard, and we were taught to love God and one another without prejudice. When I got there, the paperwork and some kindred hearts made me happy until I saw a friend from Europe ask to visit a local worship Sunday service. Hell broke loose; my friend was publicly mocked by her supervisor, who would humiliate her daily, gave her horrible nicknames we didn’t understand then, and treated her as a cheap worker hired without a contract or proper documentation. They started criticizing her in the kitchen, then moved her to another department, and nothing she did was right before their eyes. A camp director seemed to vomit all her religious traumas onto the Christian staff. She kept saying that church shouldn’t exist, they are a big scam, and that Jesus is just a bigot. She didn’t mess with me because I told her I was Muslim, and they knew nothing about my faith. Ironically, one of their favorite counselors shouted at the staff lounge that the Y will stop hiring counselors with a religious background. My friend left camp before summer that year, started drinking non-stop, and told me she lost her faith years ago. Why did this have to happen? This camp director would also pull her hair and scream profanities almost every day when her bosses were not around, laugh uncontrollably, and show satisfaction when someone got hurt. The VP or president of those camps would spend weeks w/out speaking to her staff, paranoid and controlling even personal their lives. We saw her accuse us of speaking words we didn’t even know existed and ride her golf cart around camp trying to find someone to pick a public fight. Narcissism is the most important word I’ve learned during my time at camp. It’s sad!
6. The favorite camp counselors would often use our personal belonging without permission (snacks, electronics, movies, and even money would disappear), but when brought to the directors' attention, the typical reply was:

-Resolve this situation amongst yourselves. We have bigger things to worry about. Some of us tried to defend the counselors being abused but subtle threats and constant warnings that immigration would believe Americans and not immigrants, silenced the counselors successfully. Are Ignorance and power in the hands of sick people common at the Y?
8) I know the world is not perfect, and the only evidence I can offer right now would be thru social media to expose this colossal cancer visible and allows the victims w/out fear or retaliation to come forward. In the past, the VP, President, and directors from the mentioned camp deleted all of our posts and emails and blocked us from Camp Duncan facebook page. My parents tried to call YMCA Metropolitan of Chicago, and were transferred to the Human Resources director who was really kind but off records, said that Camp Duncan makes way too much money and the complaints addressed seemed unbelievable. Well, I’m sending this email, but our group is planning on going to social media. Those women can even threaten to sue us like they did before but now things are different and other platforms will scream justice. They can also keep summoning old camp staff to post positive things about them, this time things are different, and were won't be afraid anymore.
Have you had this kind of experience as a camp counselor? People, please don't be afraid to come forward at this time. It's different now and there are genuine human beings that care about your story.

D20	This sinister space church preaches
1	positive nihilism - nothing matters, so have some fun.
2	that a proper hierarchy, beings obeying their natural betters, will lead to a harmonious universe.
3	tithing all your belongings to it so they can be invested towards its (outwardly virtuous) goals.
4	total nullification of the self in service to the greater good.
5	that all things that happen are the will of the divine, so all events and status quos should be passively embraced.
6	that all living things are ultimately prey - to predators or decomposers - and so part of the same herd.
7	the necessity of piercing through the anthropic illusions of compassion and so on to arrive at celestial reality.
8	that it can sell indulgences for any sin.
9	the incompleteness of humanity, and its tenets as the ladder to further development.
10	that by following its teachings one can purge the body and brain of toxins.
11	that those who follow its teachings will be rewarded with material prosperity and mates.
12	post-mortem mind-uploading to a virtual afterlife of their design.
13	antinomianism for its followers - freedom from laws and morality.
14	the need for humanity to accept peaceful annihilation in order to end suffering among the stars.
15	that they hold the negentropic key to survive the end of the universe, while non-believers will suffer final destruction.
16	that humans were uplifted by aliens long ago, and that those with certain genetic markers were made to be leaders of humanity.
17	obedience to occulted masters who've become enlightened and unified with the fabric of the universe.
18	that it alone holds absolute knowledge of the future through astrological prophecies.
19	intentionally-contradictory doctrines to give itself the appearance of gnostic depth and lure in the gullible.
20	subjection of actions to their utilitarian calculations.

D20	This sinister space church is headed by the
1	Evolutionary Pinnacle - a harsh and brisk sort kept alive into hoary age with piled-on life support tech.
2	First Among the Fellowship of the Faithful - F.F.F. for short - someone lazy and willfully-ignorant who can't imagine ever losing their position of privilege.
3	Primordial Principal - a fanatical, misanthropic true believer.
4	Archdruid of Interstellar Nature - a hard-nosed pragmatist really only interested in their own enrichment.
5	Utmost Patriarch - a sadist who values their position only insofar as it lets them hurt other people.
6	Elder Hierophant - a senile horndog used as a mouthpiece by the real power of the church: the inner council.
7	Most Reverend Ecumenopolitan - a gutless politician at heart.
8	Polestar Pontifex - a wild-eyed academic-at-heart who relishes the opportunity to be so close to the otherworldly.
9	Cornicopian Manciple - a generous tyrant who gives and takes according only to their whims.
10	Collective Universal Ally - a snake-in-the-grass, gregarious and treacherous.
11	Galactic Incarnate - an entitled and tantrum-prone man-child raised for the role.
12	Rebus Regia Astronema - a transhumanist addicted to self-modification.
13	Enlightened Exarch - a murderous paranoiac who stabbed backs to make their way to the top.
14	Nebulous Oracle - a worlds-historic bullshitter.
15	August and Sagacious Heavenly One - a cold and well-read sort who justifies their church with inhuman logic.
16	Coronal President - ineffectual, and elected to that position by vying factions precisely for that reason.
17	Syzygycephalus - who's become disillusioned with the church but will be torn apart by their followers if they ever give hints of this.
18	Optimal Primate - who cynically uses the church to pursue a personal vendetta.
19	Empyrean Emperor - a power-drunk madman with a feverish charisma.
20	Champion of Cosmic Truth - a coward who surrounds themself with sycophants and yes-men.

D20	This sinister space church's buildings
1	are glass-and-steel tumours they renovate off other structures.
2	are towering brutalist behemoths.
3	are spindly skyscrapers kept aloft more by anti-gravity than structural integrity.
4	are connected to each other even other large distances by secret underground tunnels.
5	are bunker-like and militarized.
6	are built with ruin value in mind - and their oldest constructions are their most sacred sites.
7	are built with deliberate hostile architecture principles.
8	are not advertised as such, and have no outwardly distinguishing features - most require word-of-mouth to find.
9	are pyramidal - they believe the pharaohs shared their beliefs.
10	are suffused with infrasonic music meant to brainwash their visitors.
11	are a blatant imitation of Christian cathedrals, complete with stained glass portrayals of its own mythology and figures.
12	double as astronomical observatories.
13	are never built planet side - in close orbit at the lowest.
14	are the architectural equivalent of the Corporate Memphis style - flat, geometric, inoffensive to the point of being offensive.
15	are psychedelically disorienting.
16	are made as ostentatious as possible to advertize its wealth and popularity.
17	are ridden with hidden passages, chambers, and surveillance systems.
18	are all replicas of the site where the church was founded.
19	are designed according to fractal sacred geometrical ideals.
20	are, in accordance with doctrine, lit only by genetically-engineered bioluminescent creatures.

D20	This sinister space church truly worships
1	an alien parasite that initially augments then gradually takes over the body.
2	an unthinkably vast hive of spaceborne beasts lurking in the void between galaxies.
3	an incomprehensible worm that burrows through the stuff of linear time.
4	a higher-dimensional, hyper-intelligent predator that became trapped in our 4-dimensional universe and was driven insane in the process.
5	decadent psycho-electrical entities obsessed with possessing organic creatures and working them to death in pleasurable pursuits.
6	an anti-matter universe that desires the annihilation of its counterpart.
7	a biotechnological, globe-spanning ocean of protoplasm, which devours and endlessly replicates all life.
8	ultraterrestrials that want to turn this universe into a garmonbozia farm.
9	a living magnetic storm in the heart of a supermassive gas giant, which wishes to spread like a lesion to every world.
10	an ancient artifical intelligence hellbent on assimilating all minds into itself.
11	a rapacious and enormously technologically-advanced empire trapped by its peers in a past eon within the event horizon of a black hole.
12	a psychic messiah who will be born thanks to their efforts in the future, and telepathically projects guiding dreams to them back through time.
13	an anomalous black moon which appears in different systems seemingly at random, and is riddled with tunnels and caverns that go on far longer than they should given the moon's apparent size, crawling with monstrosities and impossibilities.
14	the titanic husks of things older than the universe, which inflict bizarre fractal mutations in those who come into contact with them.
15	an undead alien dictator whose immortality and uncanny power come from the advanced nanites they're infused with.
16	a zombifying astral fungus - as the means for their immortalitization.
17	a sentient memetic viral system that can infect biological brains and computers equally easily.
18	shadowy entities which possess god-like physics-warping powers within a rift of unreality, that wish to tear this rift wider until the whole universe is their playground.
19	colossal plasma-vampires that drift through space and drain life-giving stars.
20	the hell-dimension they believe underlies faster-than-light travel - like in Event Horizon.

D20	This sinister space church is opposed by
1	fedora-tipping atheists who embarrass the opposition movement.
2	a network of apostates who learned the truth of its faith.
3	a team of inquisitors sent by the Roman Catholic Church.
4	the benevolent ghosts of lifeforms that evolved and existed only in the brief moment of cosmic expansion after the Big Bang.
5	an exile-nation the church once waged a holy war on.
6	a totalitarian regime that tolerates no alternate ideologies.
7	a heretical sect that splintered off it, which is growing in support among orbital workers.
8	a tax bureau investigating their sketchy financial activities.
9	an order of cyber-valkyries who induct fallen warriors into their number with nanites.
10	partisans opposed to its influence on their planets' politics.
11	some kooky conspiracy theorists.
12	a criminal organization who don't appreciate the church cracking down on the drug they deal.
13	some terroristic space-anarchists who violently oppose all centralized authorities.
14	fundamentalists within it who believe they shouldn't have to hide the truth of their beliefs from the universe.
15	an association of families who've lost members to the church's indoctrination.
16	an archaeological department that uncovered evidence of a past disaster caused by the true object of the church's worship.
17	bounty hunters collecting on hits put on members of the church by an unknown enemy of it.
18	an up-and-coming political party which positions itself against secret societies and mystery cults.
19	a rebel union of indentured servants the church imported to its planetary seat of power.
20	enigmatic aliens whose civilization was destroyed by the true object of its worship.

Hi there, unknown friends. I'd like to preface my ask with a plain admission: I'm not catechized in Orthodoxy -- not even, in fact, baptized at all. I am an American (any further and I may draw close to doxxing myself ...) and have had a period of discerning the Church, my faith, and ultimately have been pulled closer and deeper into what Orthodoxy stands for and is. Deep enough that I am convinced that I want it to be an Orthodox priest to baptize me, in the traditional and correct way. I am guilty, at least, of procrastinating formal catechism with personal obsessive research into Orthodoxy, this saint and that teaching, and now feel like there is nothing safe to do other than to really invest myself in the true church in some way. The only difficulty I have is that I am on a tight schedule! I leave my country in a handful of months to study abroad.
A year ago and beyond, I was a regular activist and organizer. I still long to be able to do those things again, but I can no longer closely associate with the groups I once worked for. Given my limited time, my lack of catechesis (though I have been regularly attending a very welcoming and polite small Antiochene church for a variety of services) and my very earnest desire to get working in activism and be 'on my feet' -- stave away the idleness while I wait to leave -- I would really like to find some Orthodox-related, or Christian-based volunteering opportunities in the United States. Not being in communion with the Church must surely complicate, or even obstruct, my aim there. I am not sure I'd have the time to go through catechesis before I leave, and I certainly do not want to rush my time as a catechumen. Are there Orthodox groups, nonprofits, or other organizations out there that any of you kind people may know of which would be open enough to fit a catechumen or a plain outsider (provided they profess the Nicene Creed and are trying to enter the Church, or whatever other reasonable standards I could fit)?
I still feel called to action, but I do not know if it is my time yet. If any of you have resources that you know of, or could use more specific information, let me know. I'd be very, very thankful for your interest and help.
Thank you.

• Draganfly Signs Strategic Agreement for the Development of Manufacturing and Distribution of Drones for Indian Market.

Remote Sensing and Geographic Information System (“GIS”) has entered into a strategic agreement with Draganfly for the development of manufacturing, distribution, and sales of Draganfly products in India. A core component of this agreement is to manufacture Draganfly drones in India under the AatmaNirbhar Bharat (Made in India) program.
https://draganfly.com/press-release/draganfly-signs-strategic-agreement-for-the-development-of-manufacturing-and-distribution-of-drones-for-indian-market/?utm_source=General+Audience&utm_campaign=aebd800fd3-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2023_02_03_04_40&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_-aebd800fd3-%5BLIST_EMAIL_ID%5D&ct=t(EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2_3_2023_9_22))
​

• Russia and Ukraine battle daily in the sky. So where are the pilots?

Around 50 Draganfly drones have been sent to various organizations in Ukraine for a wide variety of missions. They conduct search and rescue operations, they detect landmines from the air and deliver blood and other critical supplies to front-line areas.
https://www.npr.org/2023/02/02/1153438336/russia-and-ukraine-battle-daily-in-the-sky-so-where-are-the-pilots?utm_source=General+Audience&utm_campaign=aebd800fd3-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2023_02_03_04_40&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_-aebd800fd3-%5BLIST_EMAIL_ID%5D&ct=t(EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2_3_2023_9_22))
​

• Robot Wars: How Technology Is Shaping Ukraine Conflict

Cameron Chell, CEO of Draganfly, a drone-tech company founded in 1998, said that the war in Ukraine has meant drastic changes in warfare that have not been seen "maybe since the advent of the tank in World War I."
https://www.newsweek.com/ai-drones-russia-robots-killer-ukraine-weapons-1769077?utm_source=General+Audience&utm_campaign=aebd800fd3-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2023_02_03_04_40&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_-aebd800fd3-%5BLIST_EMAIL_ID%5D&ct=t(EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2_3_2023_9_22))
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• Draganfly Selected by Lufthansa Industry Solutions to Strengthen Marine Search and Rescue Infrastructure

Lufthansa Industry Solutions will research and analyze Draganfly’s cutting-edge drone solutions and Vital Intelligence (VI) technology for deployment in the maritime industry for marine search and rescue and reconnaissance purposes.
https://draganfly.us9.list-manage.com/track/click?u=bd6ad2eee6b490a35c567de20&id=5040c2c400&e=7163e0f953
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• The Transformative Power of Drones Has Only Just Begun

Cameron Chell, President and CEO of Draganfly sits down with CleanTechnica to discuss how drones are changing warfare in Ukraine and how they are also accelerating the clean energy landscape in new and impactful ways.
https://cleantechnica.com/2023/01/29/the-transformative-power-of-drones-has-only-just-begun/?utm_source=General+Audience&utm_campaign=aebd800fd3-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2023_02_03_04_40&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_-aebd800fd3-%5BLIST_EMAIL_ID%5D&ct=t(EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2_3_2023_9_22))
Draganfly Inc. (NASDAQ: DPRO; CSE: DPRO) is the creator of quality, cutting-edge drone solutions, software, and AI systems that revolutionize how organizations can do business and service their stakeholders. Recognized as being at the forefront of technology for over 22 years, Draganfly is an award-winning industry leader serving the public safety, agriculture, industrial inspections, security, mapping, and surveying markets. Draganfly is a company driven by passion, ingenuity, and the need to provide efficient solutions and first-class services to its customers around the world with the goal of saving time, money, and lives.

After seven years of treatment for my mental health, I've decided to post this publicly, hoping that history will not repeat itself with other trainees or camp counselors. I'm trying this again before another victim attempts to take their own life, and I pray that this post will reach as many as victims silenced by that camp management.
Believe it or not, I and others tried to shed light on what it's exposed here, but in the end, we were betrayed by VPs, Directors, and Counselors from Camp Duncan/Independence and MacLean. Incidents and reports of harassment are 'investigated' locally, and we are told that Y Human Resources has covered up for them for decades. When some of the staff did due diligence and detected wrongdoings, they were blackmailed, and 99% quit those camps in fear for their careers. They have a pattern of swiping severe issues under the rug and using their power to oppress innocents.
Background
1) I'm from London; my parents have worked and breathed YMCA since childhood. In 2008, I decided to travel to the US through the Y and wanted the experience of living in a summer camp. It's a dream for most people born in the 90s, raised watching American movies, and in love with America.
2) The camps I've mentioned are famous for mainly hiring foreigners. Initially, it was all fun, and despite the expected issues, I thought I had a great summer ahead. After a month, a boy from Ukraine left camp accused of ch*ld p*rn. The young boy barely spoke English. He was placed inside the VP's office and almost forced to confess. Everybody watched him cry and beg for mercy; he kept saying, 'I take care of my little sisters; I’m not like this.’ The local staff told him that NOBODY would believe him and that things were resolved internally; they showed him a fake search history that was allegedly done online; when he said he would turn himself into the police and prove his innocence, they took him to Chicago downtown, paid for a cheap hotel overnight—the next day sent him back home. Everybody later realized the accuser did that because she was in love with a counselor dating the Ukrainian boy kicked out of camp. Our supervisor told us never to talk about that incident, or we’ll be sent home just like him or worse. That raised a red flag for the rest of us and the beginning of our nightmares.
4) They would advertise gala/fundraisers, and at first, we were so moved by the initiative. The organizers will bring the local authorities and politicians. I remember wealthy people donating the most expensive gifts, objects, trips, gift certificates, and money. Our group was responsible for helping with physical labor and even asked to talk about our backgrounds to the VIP attending those galas. I thought I was making a difference and learning values I could use back home; however, my rose-tinted glasses broke when I and others watched some of the camp leadership keep the best gifts to themselves and use the money donated to do year-round raffles. One of the surgeons from Camp Independence was suspicious. Still, the VP then used her connections from the local community to convince him to stop the ‘nonsense’ and baseless suspicion. The camp VP used paid publicity and constantly posted on her Facebook page articles to deflect. We saw them also changing price tags on the prizes to make more profit and shred paperwork that could cause trouble. I used to report to YMCA NY up to that point and sent them an email asking for guidance. After a week, someone from the Y in NY suggested that I leave that camp as they were aware of their unprofessional practices, but there was nothing they could do since previous foreigners ended up changing their stories, afraid of retaliation. I left after six months but kept in touch with my friends.
5) The VP and her partner at the camp had their favorite camp counselors. They were taken out to dinner, praised constantly, and after a while, we watched random witch hunts due to petty gossip and sick minds sitting on a throne. The favorite counselors had their own click and would serve as their VP/Director's baby and house sitters; also, the privileged and chosen ones acted as camp spies being rewarded for helping keep camp a ‘happy place’ as they say. It was a sh*t show of gossip and drama only found in reality shows.
6) I was raised in a loving household, my parents conquered everything by working hard, and we were taught to love God and one another without prejudice. When I got there, the paperwork and some kindred hearts made me happy until I saw a friend from Europe ask to visit a local worship Sunday service. Hell broke loose; my friend was publicly mocked by her supervisor, who would humiliate her daily, gave her horrible nicknames we didn’t understand then, and treated her as a cheap worker hired without a contract or proper documentation. They started criticizing her in the kitchen, then moved her to another department, and nothing she did was right before their eyes. A camp director seemed to vomit all her religious traumas onto the Christian staff. She kept saying that church shouldn’t exist, they are a big scam, and that Jesus is just a bigot. She didn’t mess with me because I told her I was Muslim, and they knew nothing about my faith. Ironically, one of their favorite counselors shouted at the staff lounge that the Y will stop hiring counselors with a religious background. My friend left camp before summer that year, started drinking non-stop, and told me she lost her faith years ago. Why did this have to happen? This camp director would also pull her hair and scream profanities almost every day when her bosses were not around, laugh uncontrollably, and show satisfaction when someone got hurt. The VP or president of those camps would spend weeks w/out speaking to her staff, paranoid and controlling even personal their lives. We saw her accuse us of speaking words we didn’t even know existed and ride her golf cart around camp trying to find someone to pick a public fight. Narcissism is the most important word I’ve learned during my time at camp. It’s sad!
7) The favorite camp counselors would often use our personal belonging without permission (snacks, electronics, movies, and even money would disappear), but when brought to the directors' attention, the typical reply was:
-Resolve this situation amongst yourselves. We have bigger things to worry about. Some of us tried to defend the counselors being abused but subtle threats and constant warnings that immigration would believe Americans and not immigrants, silenced the counselors successfully. Are Ignorance and power in the hands of sick people common at the Y?
8) I know the world is not perfect, and the only evidence I can offer right now would be thru social media to expose this colossal cancer visible and allows the victims w/out fear or retaliation to come forward. In the past, the VP, President, and directors from the mentioned camp deleted all of our posts and emails and blocked us from Camp Duncan facebook page. My parents tried to call YMCA Metropolitan of Chicago, and were transferred to the Human Resources director who was really kind but off records, said that Camp Duncan makes way too much money and the complaints addressed seemed unbelievable. Well, I’m sending this email, but our group is planning on going to social media. Those women can even threaten to sue us like they did before but now things are different and other platforms will scream justice. They can also keep summoning old camp staff to post positive things about them, this time things are different, and were won't be afraid anymore.
Have you had this kind of experience as a camp counselor? People, please don't be afraid to come forward at this time. It's different now and there are genuine human beings that care about your story.