Vesper

Anti-Vaxxer Thinks He's A Big Hero For Refusing Heart Transplant Well, it's a choice. https://www.wonkette.com/p/anti-vaxxer-thinks-hes-a-big-hero There are a lot of contradictions involved in the anti-vaccine movement. People who would rather watch their children die from measles than have autism. People who would rather die themselves than get a vaccine, because they think the vaccine will harm their health in some capacity. That’s the category Ken Long of Eaton, Ohio, falls into, because the 54-year-old veteran is literally choosing to die rather than get a vaccine so he can get a heart transplant … because he thinks the vaccine will give him heart problems. Also because of his “personal religious beliefs.” "When I decide something, I mean it, and if it takes dying, it's what it is," Long told KOMO TV. "They don't know enough about it, and plus it's already done a lot of damage. People have said blood clots. There are known cardiac issues.” “And our personal religious beliefs!” his wife Christina added, without explaining what on earth those religious beliefs are. Given that even Christian Scientists are not opposed to vaccines and the couple doesn’t appear to be either Hasidic or Amish, it’s unclear what those would even be. Via KOMO: Except for how having a heart transplant affects one’s immune system, meaning that a kid “with beliefs of not vaccinating” would have a far greater chance of dying from COVID (or measles, or the flu, or any illness really). Long is far from the first to pull this. Just last week, 12-year-old Adaline Deal, a distant family member of JD Vance, was denied a heart transplant because her parents claimed it was against their religion as “non-denominational Christians.” There is not, to anyone’s knowledge, a single thing in the Bible about vaccines. Because the hospital could not, in good conscience, give Long a heart, they gave him a left ventricular assist device (LVAD) to pump blood to his heart. "I can hardly do anything. If the power goes out, I have to worry about my batteries and my charger," Long said. "You can't get wet, so showering is an issue." So this man is willing to die and willing to smell just to avoid getting a vaccine. And, if you can believe it, it gets even more stupid than that! While Christ Hospital refuses to give him a heart transplant, there are, apparently, some places that will. Long, however, will not go to them, because he wants to make a point. "Do we want to switch hospitals to save his life? No," Christina said. "We would hope that Christ would continue to see him and grant him a transplant and recognize that this is his personal choice." In a video interview with Long and his wife Christina, Ohio Advocates for Medical Freedom President Stephanie Stock called the situation “vaccine status discrimination” and suggested that the treatment Long received was “punishment” for not taking the vaccine. Because, of course, what doctors are concerned about is hurting his feelings or ensuring that Bill Gates can track his whereabouts at any given time. Not that it’s literally a health issue or anything. As Christ Hospital explained: There are lots of reasons why someone might be denied a heart transplant. If they have a drug problem, if they have other health problems, then they can’t get a transplant, because there just is not an endless supply of quality organs for those who need them, and they need to go to the people they will help for the longest amount of time. We all understand that these people think vaccines are bad, that they think they will cause them harm of some kind, but that’s not factually true and no one should have to waste a heart because they want to have their ridiculous beliefs coddled. [KOMO]

Bayern just won the tie in the last 45 seconds of added time 1 1 3 2 agg FT Davies

red card (direct) for Toloi he lost his mind, lolol

Celtic scored nil 1 2 2 on agg

2 different positions (Lookman is a winger/SS versus Pašalić, who is a CMF)

pen for Atalanta Mignolet saved it from Lookman

he has been injured for weeks, and they collapsed without him

Lookman on Lookman scores 1 3 5 2 agg

nil 3 HT 5 1 agg

we may get blown away in this one Villa Park is a cauldron

Dutch and Belgian leagues flexing tonight

Chemsdine Talbi 19yo winger on a hat trick already

nil 2 Bruge 4 1 on agg likely done and dusted

Mateo Retegui goal chalked off (offside)

this is great for us 2 Serie A teams crashing out perhaps makes that 5th EPL CL spot more likely

wow nil 1 Brugge now up 3 1 on agg

https://www.vipleague.pm/champions-league/atalanta-vs-club-brugge-2-live-streaming

AC Milan crash out

Musk to Unions: The Nazis Are Coming How Elon Musk’s DOGE logo is not a dogwhistle, it’s a slap in the face https://www.mind-war.com/p/musk-to-unions-the-nazis-are-coming Last week, the man currently rummaging around in our personal information, firing hundreds of thousands of workers, and embarrassing America on the world stage, posted this logo for “DOGE” — an odd cartoonish thing that I originally dismissed. But a friend pointed something out which is very important. Note the golden wheel. Here’s a comparison of the logo and a short clip from a documentary about the Nazis. The German Labour Front was the Nazi replacement for the trade unions that Hitler dissolved completely in 1933. Here was their logo, complete with 14 teeth, the same as the DOGE logo. Consider that we are less than one month after Trump was inaugurated. This is how they treated unions in Nazi Germany. The German Labour Front was a division of the NSDAP. This is what the golden gear represents: The number 14 has significance to American National Socialist movements because it represents the “14 words” — the most famous neo-Nazi slogan, written by white supremacist terrorist David Lane: Yesterday when Trump quoted Napoleon, Elon Musk chose 14 flags to celebrate it. On the DOGE logo there are 8 stars above the cartoon, and 8 stars on the flag inside the gear. This is another National Socialist signal. It means Heil Hitler. Musk has used this signal numerous times, in addition to quite literally doing two Hitler salutes at the inauguration. Elon Musk is daring the world to acknowledge what he is. He is daring unions, or government workers, or the press to stop him. It’s almost as if the corporate media and public is too embarrassed to simply call a Nazi, a Nazi. We should be embarrassed. Say the quiet parts or die regretting you didn’t.

The Tudor Black Bay: Timeless style for modern watch collectors All you need to know about the Tudor flagship https://www.themanual.com/fashion/tudor-black-bay-guide/?lctg=530931 Tudor In the watch world, there are legends of the industry that we chronophiles line up to try and get our hands on. The usual suspects are the Rolex, Breitling, Omega, and Patek Phillipe models, which we know are the top-of-the-line luxury watches you want. As collectors, you start making a wish list at the very beginning and then spend a lifetime putting together a comprehensive list of your favorites. If you are like us, the list grows with every purchase instead of diminishes. That is half the fun. One of the legendary watches many collectors want to get their hands on is only about a decade or so old; that is Tudor’s Black Bay, a fun luxury option that can replace many of your other luxury watches. It is a mix of the elevated luxury of Rolex that you want to keep in a fireproof case and only wear on special occasions, and the Norqain tool watch you are ready to wear every moment you have regardless of the danger of damaging it because that is what it is made for. Here, we have assembled the models you need to know and a comprehensive guide on shopping for a Black Bay. The history of the Black Bay Tudor The founder of Rolex, Hans Wilsdorf, is a legend in the watch industry. While he brought us the king of all watch brands in Rolex, which became the global leader in telling time, he also wanted to create a brand of watches for the people who tried to get things done but not spend a fourth of their yearly salary to get the watch to make it happen. He imagined Tudor as the Rolex alternative that was more accessible but still carried the same quality and capability of its older brother. After eight decades of excellence and Tudor becoming precisely what it was meant to be, they dropped the Black Bay in 2012. In many ways, this was Tudor’s coming out party. While they had already established their own identity, this was the watch that took them from being the scrappy little brother of Rolex and made them a powerhouse within the industry all by themselves. With all the hallmarks of the Submariner, it stood out with a burgundy bezel. In 2015, they cemented their icon status by finally incorporating an in-house caliber, something they had always gotten third-party, and added complications. Today, it is still one of Tudor’s best-selling collections. The models Tudor Of course, once the success of the original Black Bay hit the world, our thirst for more became unquenchable, and now there are nearly a dozen models you must try for yourself. Here are the best ones to keep your eye on and the ones you should look at when shopping for your Tudor watch. Black Bay Tudor This is the original. The bad boy that started this whole thing. This watch is a descendant of the Heritage models and sports a 41mm dial. While there are some exceptions, the rule (the Steel and Gold or S&G models, for instance) is that the dials are black. If it is us, we always want the burgundy bezel as a throwback to the original watch from 2012. Black Bay Black Bay Bronze Tudor Three significant differences exist between this watch, released in 2016, and the others in the collection. The first is the size: sitting at 43mm, it is the largest of the Black Bays and best for those of us with bigger wrists. The second is the dial: It is also the only one in the collection that uses Arabic numerals at the 3-6-9 positions. Others use simple dashes. And finally, the third difference is the make-up. This has a casing made of bronze, which holds a special place in the diving world as it is a common material in helmets and other gear. Black Bay Bronze Black Bay Ceramic Tudor Released in 2021, the Ceramic is extraordinary for more than the color. Of course, if you are a fan of the black tactical look, this one fits the bill with only the hands and digit markers deviating for ease of reading the time. But this watch is also one of only two that hold the distinction of a Master Chronometer certificate from METAS, the Swiss Institute of Metrology. That means it is resistant even to magnetic fields. Only Omega had watches with the same certificate when this was released. Black Bay Ceramic Black Bay 41/39/36/32/31 Tudor These are the basic versions. While all the other watches on this list are your typical tool watches that make getting things done easier, there is also a call for a good sports watch, something that will be your everyday wear and look fantastic with almost any outfit. These ditched the rotating bezel and come in a handful of sizes, reaching down to the smallest in the collection at 31mm. Black Bay 41/39/36/32/31 Black Bay 58 Tudor This is a throwback to the original. Named after the year the original Oyster Prince Submariner was released (the most obvious inspiration of the entire Black Bay line), it combines the modest casing with the diver’s bezel to be one of the most versatile options in the collection. In addition, these watches have two precious metal options, an 18k gold option, and a 925 silver option, and you have some rare family heirlooms in your watch collection. Black Bay 58 Black Bay Chrono Tudor This may be the most attractive of the Tudor Black Bay line. And if it looks familiar to you, it may be because to make the movement for the only chronograph on the list, the people over at Tudor got help from another watch giant: Breitling. The panda style of the complications and the buttons and crown on the case give this a Breitling feel with a Tudor ruggedness. If you are a true chronophile, this one should have you giddy. Black Bay Chrono Black Bay GMT Tudor This is another one that may look familiar to all of you watch lovers out there. While the Chrono was an innovation in 2017, it set the bar high as the fans started to think they couldn’t do more in the world of complications. What they did this time for inspiration was turn to Big Brother and take some style advice from the Rolex GMT “Pepsi.” However, instead of the bright blue and red of the Rolex classic, they used a muted indigo and burgundy to keep it more in line with Tudor. This is a more accessible and subtle version of the rare and expensive Rolex, without the price tag or the sacrifice of quality. Black Bay GMT Black Bay Pro Tudor Speaking of being more understated, the Pro took the success of the Tudor GMT and went even more understated. Gone is the indigo and blue split 24-hour bezel, and in its place is a subtle steel bezel with the 24-hour numbers engraved on the edge. Instead of spinning the bezel to find the time, there is another hand that points at the second timezone to make the whole process easier to read. This is likely the most understated of the Tudor tool watches. Black Bay Pro Black Bay 54 Tudor Finally, here it is, the truest form of a throwback Tudor has in its arsenal. The 54 is named after, unsurprisingly, the year the company dropped the very first dive watch. This is a love letter to that Oyster Submariner, and for the true Black Bay fan, there is no other that can give you the feel of the modern-day watch with the aesthetic of the old school. Black Bay 54 Is it the right watch for you? Tudor What this comes down to is taste. Some people in the watch world will tell you there is no substitute for a Rolex. And in some ways, they are right. Rolex is the biggest name in the world for a reason. However, much of what you pay for when buying a Rolex is that very name. Tudor is a brand that spawned from the name of Rolex and succeeded in their own right by making a product that is just as high-quality, with a price tag that is much more accessible. Having said that, this is still an investment. The above options go for anywhere between $2K and $4K, so they are still an investment for most of us. But if you are the guy who loves the Rolex GMT, give the Tudor GMT a try, and you won’t be disappointed.

Do Maresca’s Chelsea need to learn to embrace the chaos? https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6143439/2025/02/18/athletic-fc-podcast-Chelsea-maresca-tactics/?source=dailyemail Chelsea’s season appears to be unravelling before our very eyes. The Blues could have topped the Premier League just two months ago, but now sit sixth and have a real fight on their hands to secure Champions League qualification. Enzo Maresca’s side have won just two of their last nine league games and failed to register a single shot on target in their 3-0 loss against Brighton — the first time that unwanted statistic has happened to them in a Premier League game since September 2021. On the latest episode of The Athletic FC Podcast, Ayo Akinwolere was joined by Chelsea reporter Liam Twomey and senior football writer Oli Kay to discuss why ‘Maresca-ball’ is proving so divisive with the fans. A partial transcript has been edited for clarity and length. The full episode is available on YouTube below or in “The Athletic FC Podcast” feed on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Ayo: Liam, how well have Chelsea adapted to what Maresca wants? If you look at some of the stats from Friday (the 3-0 defeat to Brighton), Chelsea had 69.5 per cent possession but lost the xG count, had fewer shots and had no shots on target. Now, you worked on a piece about Maresca’s controlled style of play ahead of Friday night’s game. Is there an argument to say that this team performs better under chaos than actually when they try and control a match? Liam: It’s a nuanced one because, in attack, there’s certainly reason to think that some of Chelsea’s attackers do their best work in transition. Cole Palmer finds passes in those chaotic moments when opponents aren’t set better than just about anyone else. Nicolas Jackson, when there’s space to run in behind, is really hard to deal with. You’ve got Noni Madueke, who loves to run at back-pedalling defenders. And Pedro Neto showed at Wolves, probably more than he has done at Chelsea so far, that he can be a super dangerous transition player. You think about the goal they scored against Newcastle at Stamford Bridge earlier in the season. The sublime pass that Palmer played to Neto and then to Jackson. I think that was seven seconds from one end of the pitch to the other. That is not Enzo Maresca’s vision for Chelsea and how they should play. In fact, after that game was his first mention of, “We don’t want to get into a basketball game”. But there is definitely an argument that playing that way weaponises Chelsea’s attackers to the fullest extent. But we also have to acknowledge that Chelsea were historically bad defensively under Mauricio Pochettino. The constant chaos and the kind of unstructured nature of the team were a big part of that. They made so many mistakes. They were so disorganised when they were trying to defend against teams that were counterattacking them. The defence has improved this year under Maresca, but it’s not improved enough. In terms of their average expected goals against (xGA) this season, they basically expect to give up 1.4 goals a game, which is about mid-table in the Premier League. It’s actually very close to Manchester City, which would normally be a badge of honour but not this season. So they’re not historically bad defensively by Chelsea’s modern standards, but they’re still not good enough at that end to be anything other than clinical in attack. So what we’ve seen in the last couple of months is their ruthlessness has deserted them, but their defence hasn’t improved. Therefore your margin for error shrinks to almost nothing, so you’re getting quite a few draws and losses that just look really bad and undermine the momentum that Maresca had seemed to build up. Ayo: Oli, that comparison to City is interesting, with Maresca being a disciple of Guardiola, but also Guardiola being a coach who loves to control matches. But then you look at the personnel and experience — from Manchester City to Chelsea, it’s vastly different. You’ve got a bunch of young kids who are still trying to figure out how they’re trying to play and find their strengths in the game. Then you’ve got a City team, maybe not this season, who historically have got some of the smartest, brightest and most experienced players. Can we expect the same from Chelsea; control at this stage in their progression? Oli: It’s difficult. One area where I sympathise with Maresca is if you really are trying to introduce a totally new way of playing, I don’t think the schedule is conducive to that, where you’re playing every midweek. It’s been Thursday nights in the Conference League and very little recovery time before Premier League games. It’s not very easy to introduce this whole new style. But I agree with Liam, Chelsea’s best this season has been when they’ve been playing quick counter-attacking, transition-based football. That is what they’ve been good at. It’s what Cole Palmer and Nicolas Jackson have been good at. That’s where they’ve looked very good in certain matches. (Shaun Brooks – CameraSport via Getty Images) It’s often been when the opposition has been coming onto them and they’ve been one or two goals ahead and then they’ve been able to run riot, just like they did at Southampton and Wolves. That’s what they’ve been good at, but they seem to be going in a completely different direction. One thing that came to mind when Liam was talking earlier about Maresca and how he was saying, ‘That isn’t particularly the way I want to play’. He’s obviously a young coach wanting to play in a much slower, more controlled way. It took me back to over 10 years ago with Brendan Rodgers at Liverpool. He arrived there as this sort of disciple of slow, patient, possession-based football and was very evangelical about it and about the way he played at Swansea. He didn’t want chaos, he didn’t want quick football – he wanted to pass teams to death. Then he suddenly realised, ‘I’ve got (Luis) Suárez, I’ve got a very young (Raheem) Sterling, I’ve got (Philippe) Coutinho and (Daniel) Sturridge’. He flipped and he moved away from his beliefs in some ways and embraced the strengths of the squad. To me, the strengths of this young squad are quite similar; where you’ve got players who are so good on that side of the game. But Maresca seems to be diluting those strengths. Maybe it’s a step back to take three steps forward. And maybe we’ll all be looking at this in a year’s time and saying, ‘Wow, he was right to dismantle it and rebuild it along those lines.’ But at the moment, it does look like they are neutralising their strengths a bit and concentrating on things that a young, thrown-together squad aren’t terribly good at. You can listen to full episodes of The Athletic FC Podcast for free on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, and watch on YouTube.

Why Chelsea have hired rugby league star Willie Isa: ‘He is a cultural architect’ https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6141390/2025/02/18/willie-isa-Chelsea-why-rugby-league/ After two wins in nine Premier League games, few will dispute that Chelsea look like they could do with fresh inspiration from someone new right now. The surprise is they have turned to a figurehead from rugby league for it. The news that Chelsea have recruited Willie Isa from Wigan Warriors to act in a player-support role caused a bit of a stir last week and was certainly not met with much enthusiasm from the fanbase. Isa has had a superb career in rugby league, starting out at two Australian clubs — Penrith Panthers and Melbourne Storm. He really made his name after moving to England in 2011 at Castleford Tigers, Widnes Vikings and especially Wigan, where he won 10 major honours in eight years, including two club world championships. One of the people who know him best is Wigan head coach Matt Peet, who led the club to a remarkable four major trophies last season, with Isa one of the key men in the dressing room. He has no doubts Isa will make a big difference at Chelsea behind the scenes. Peet tells The Athletic: “I don’t expect the supporters to ever physically see the impact he has at Chelsea. But he is a cultural architect. He will make the environment better and all the individuals around the environment better. Ignore the different shape of the ball that he is associated with, Willie’s skill set is all about high-performing teams, leadership and dealing with people. “Everyone at Wigan and in rugby league understands why Chelsea have made this move. It’s intelligent.” Chelsea fans might take a bit of time to come around to Peet’s way of thinking. There appears to be a general cynicism about the number of jobs and positions created since the Todd Boehly-Clearlake consortium took over the club in 2022. Recent results on the pitch do not help the mood — Chelsea are struggling to avoid going a third season without qualifying for the Champions League. But turning to someone from an actual different ball game has led many supporters to ask one question: “Why?”. Much has been made of the amount Chelsea have spent on the squad via the transfer market since the takeover, with more than £1billion ($1.3bn) committed to new signings. But the club have invested in several of its departments, including performance and medical. This is where Isa comes in. Bryce Kavanagh, the director of performance, was hired in October 2023 after seven years at the Football Association, the English game’s governing body. He has overseen the growth of a 24/7 player support division, surrounding medical, fitness and conditioning. Kavanagh worked in rugby (Munster and Melbourne Rebels, both of the union code) as well as netball (Australia’s NSW Swifts) before being employed by the FA. Beginning outside of football has not been a hindrance to him and the expertise he can bring. Sources at Chelsea, who like many of those spoken to for this article have been kept anonymous to protect relationships, feel the same applies to Isa. Besides, this area of the club does not involve the tactics deployed on the pitch. Isa, with the ball, playing for Wigan (Gareth Copley/Getty Images) Kavanagh, head coach Enzo Maresca and co-sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart all played a role in the hiring of Isa. In Maresca’s case, he talked to the 36-year-old New Zealand-born Samoa international before he was given the post. A Chelsea source said the club’s thinking is to give every resource possible to help each player, on and off the pitch. Isa’s experience of playing at the highest levels of rugby league, knowing what it takes to win and maintaining his physical condition during a gruelling season, is just part of the reason he was hired. He can advise on how to maintain a healthy mind as well as body. He is seen as someone who can be there for somebody if they are going through a slump and not having a good time of it, providing words of advice. It helps that Isa has such a strong background in professional sport and is a proven winner. Yet it quickly became apparent he has an ability to connect with people and communicate with players, too. That may well be put to the test at Chelsea, where the majority of players are on far bigger salaries than their rugby league counterparts and have far greater value in their sport’s transfer market. Sky Sports reported that Wigan Warriors’ total wage bill for last season was £3.1million whereas Chelsea’s was £404m in the most recent reported annual accounts, for the year ending June 30, 2023. Might the barrier of talking to millionaires and the potential egos involved be a problem? Peet gives the notion short shrift, saying: “Willie won’t be intimidated by anything.” This should not be confused as some kind of part-time mentoring role, like someone coming in to give a speech once in a while and then clearing off. Isa, who has already started working at the club, will be based at the Cobham training ground full-time and be part of the staff working with Maresca. Last week, he was in the building, getting to know the personnel. One of the most extraordinary aspects of this development is how quickly it has all happened. Isa agreed a new two-year contract last October to continue playing at Wigan and was involved in pre-season training for their 2025 campaign when Chelsea made their first approach last month. This interest was kept secret but, in late January, he announced his retirement as a player, saying: “I have been offered an opportunity to pursue.” Peet did not see Isa’s departure coming this soon but was not that shocked either. “We played a pre-season game a few weeks ago at Oldham and Willie didn’t play in it,” Peet said. “He requested a meeting and straight away I had an inkling that he wasn’t playing for one reason or another. When he told us what his reasoning was, the club were very supportive. “When you have achieved as much as he has and you have so much respect for him, like I do, you cannot stand in his way. With Willie, when you know he has set his mind on something, we all want him to fulfil it with 100 per cent commitment and support. “I knew this kind of job was something he was considering going into when he stopped playing. I am not particularly surprised at the nature of the role he has taken at Chelsea. The timing came a little bit out of the blue but it is an area that Willie is passionate about, looking after players and helping them achieve their goals. Improving the organisation, too. I think it is a perfect fit. Isa was going to play for Wigan this year but a move to Chelsea’s staff came together quickly (George Wood/Getty Images) “I had had discussions with him in the past about what life after rugby league looked like for him and he was talking along these kind of lines. “You have to remember that since I have been coach (he was hired by Wigan in 2022), Willie has been in the leadership group with me. He already had one foot in that camp where he dealt with coaches and served as a link between… not just the coaches and the players but also the senior leadership of the club as well, the board and the CEO. He is well prepared for this role, I have no doubts.” One of the biggest changes the Boehly-Clearlake consortium has brought about since summer 2022 is reducing the average age of the squad. Chelsea have consistently fielded the youngest XI in the Premier League this season under new coach Maresca, who is only his second campaign in charge at first-team level himself, but that has led to questions over who the team’s leaders are and whether the camp is missing someone with a more senior voice. Perhaps Isa can help fill this void — although not during the games themselves. Peet thought he already knew everything there was to know about Isa’s leadership qualities until he heard even more tales during a group exercise he called last year. “We had a team meeting around the culture of the group and I asked the lads to name a time when someone had helped them but no one else knew about it,” Peet said. “Around half of the stories were about Willie. Bear in mind we are talking 25 to 30 players in the room here. “It was things like getting to stay at his house, lending them stuff, going around supporting them, checking in on them in times of trouble or when they’re having a bit of a down time. He would catch up with the lads for a coffee away from the building. Just lots of little actions. I have plenty of other examples I could give you of what he is like but this alone sums him up for me. “Chelsea are getting a consummate professional. He is a fierce competitor. He was super-aggressive on the field. Off it, he is an absolute gentleman, caring, and very aware of his responsibilities to his team and also to the sport he represented. I am sure he will be a great ambassador for Chelsea. He will drive standards, a high-performance culture and he will do it from a position of looking after people.” Just going off what Peet has to say about the guy, Isa’s characteristics sound like exactly what Chelsea need.