Poet Gloria Muñoz hosts a discussion and signing by “Little God” author Avni Vyas and illustrator Mimi Cirbusova, along with poet Emily Carr (”Name Your Bird Without a Gun”), at 7 p.m. June 15 at Tombolo Books, 2153 First Ave. S, St. Petersburg. Free; RSVP at /tombolobooks.com/events.
Tombolo Books and Chelsea Catherine present a Pride Writers Panel, moderated by Silk Jazmyne Hindus and featuring fiction writers Sheree L. Greer (”Let the Lover Be”), Tenea D. Johnson (”Smoketown”), Maria Ingrande Mora (”Fragile Remedy”)at 7 p.m. June 16 at Tombolo Books, 2153 First Ave. S, St. Petersburg. Free; RSVP at /tombolobooks.com/events.
Bestselling thriller writer Steve Berry will discuss and sign his latest novel, “The Omega Factor,” at 6:30 p.m. June 17 at the Oxford Exchange, 420 W Kennedy Blvd., Tampa. Tickets $5 for admission or $31.16 for admission plus a signed copy of the book at oxfordexchange.com/pages/calendar.
Book Talk is a listing of in-person author appearances in the Tampa Bay area in the coming week. To place an item in Book Talk, send author’s name, book title, appearance time, date, venue name and address, admission cost (if any) and a contact phone number to[email protected], with “Book Talk” in the subject line. Deadline is 14 days before publication.
Parks and public spaces don’t work for teenage girls, say campaigning charity Make Space for Girls. Up and down the country, outdoors facilities for teenagers are mostly used by boys, and girls end up with nowhere to go.
“Facilities for teenagers almost always means a skate park or a fenced pitch, which tend to be dominated by boys.” says Make Space for Girls co-founder Susannah Walker. “This discrimination often goes unnoticed – but that’s what we want to change.”
This kind of structural inequality is what the Public Sector Equality Duty (part of the Equality Act 2010) is designed to address, by encouraging public bodies to consider potential discrimination in their decision making.
Imogen Clark is the other co-founder of Make Space for Girls and she thinks the duty has an important role to play. “Once councils become aware of the discrimination, most want to change things. The PSED provides a great framework to support this. But when we talk to councillors we get asked a lot of questions about how the duty works for parks and public spaces. So we are delighted to have teamed up with national lawfirm Weightmans to produce a note to respond to some of these.”
The note covers all the most common questions and sets out how the PSED applies to facilities for teenagers and how councils can use it in practice to create parks and public spaces which work better for all teenagers.
Simon Goacher, Partner at Weightmans who assisted with the project said: “At Weightmans, we have worked hard to create an inclusive environment for all our
“We are pleased to have been able to support Make Space for Girls with this advicenote for local authorities on PSED, which we hope offers some clarity on how it can be used to develop and deliver accessible and safe facilities for girls within the community.
colleagues, and equality remains a key priority.
I would urge any council seeking guidance on the application of PSED to contact thefirm and we can offer specific advice for your circumstances.”
“We’re really grateful that Weightmans have partnered with us,” says Clark. “The Public Sector Equality Duty is a great tool, and this note will help councils use it to create better facilities for teenage girls.”
Make Space for Girlsis a charity which campaigns for parks and public spaces to be designed with teenage girls in mind. Currently most provision for teenagers – skate parks and fenced pitches – is dominated by boys, and girls are designed out of the public realm. This discrimination affects girls’ physical and mental health, it’s unfair and tells them that they belong at home. We’re working with councils, developers and public bodies to create better, more equal places which include everyone.
Weightmansis a top 45 law firm with over 1,300 people across offices in Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, Birmingham, Glasgow, Leicester, Newcastle and London.Weightmans is dedicated to providing results for its clients and success for its people.
Press release distributed by Pressat on behalf of Make Space for Girls, on Thursday 9 June, 2022. For more information subscribe and follow https://pressat.co.uk/
Deni Cresto playing for USL League 2 Lone Star Division Leader Corpus Christi FC
Brazilian Soccer talent Deni Cresto is equally as passionate on and off the field
Deni Cresto playing for Corpus Christi FC in the USL League 2 2022 Regular Season
Who is Brazilian Soccer Player Deni Cresto? He is a passionate player with a drive to succeed and win on every possible level in sport and in life.
I care for these players”
— Deni Cresto
CORPUS CHRISTI, TEXAS, USA, June 9, 2022 /EINPresswire.com/ — Passion. If there is one single word that can describe Brazilian footballer Deni Cresto it would “Passion.” Cresto loves the game, the players and the sport. Ask those who know him and they would describe him as perhaps the most valued asset to a team. Deni Cresto is not only an amazing talent, but an amazing person both on and off the pitch.He comes from the west coast of Brazil. His love for the game began early learning the ropes playing Futsal, a game similar to soccer except played indoors. From there he grew into turf and eventually earned a spot playing in Europe. That passion and love for the game ended him up playing in the United States at St. Mary’s University in San Antonio, Texas under Head Coach Johnny Clifford. Deni now plays in the USL League 2 for Corpus Christi FC. Because of his leadership and athleticism he has been named team Captain. Deni Cresto is worlds apart from average–Deni is exceptional.
His hard work both on and off the pitch shows. Cresto, 27, takes his leadership role seriously.
“I care for these players,” he says. “I care for them not only as players but as people.”
Ask around his teammates for Corpus Christi FC and you quickly learn that he is the heart and soul of what keeps this machine operating as one unit and has led them to a first place spot in the USL League 2 Lone Star Division just half way through the 2022 season. Cresto is a true man amongst men.
“I have two ‘Plan A’ ideas,” he says. “I want to ultimately get a professional contract and perhaps play in the Canadian Premier League or something. If I cannot do that then I want to go into coaching.”
Deni Cresto remains diversified and ready to jump at the opportunity to lead either on or off the field. He well understands that being 27 years-old this could be one of his last chances to make a run for the fully-professional leagues. The USL League 2 and playing here for Corpus Christi FC gives him the opportunity to possibly achieve just that.
The hours of hard work and dedication are tough. Deni doesn’t shy away from it in the least. On the pitch you not only see him exhibit his athletic ability, but his leadership, as well. Fighting physically and emotionally until the last whistle blows is what he does. Never giving up and certainly never letting those around cave to the pressures of a hard fought match.
Watching Deni is a pleasure. Mature, agile, thoughtful, and very deliberate in everything that he does shows. He looks after his teammates as a sort of father figure and ensures that their needs are met on and off the pitch. An encouraging word or pat on the back, a quiet inspiring thought or a motivational glance of encouragement is one thing Cresto is always good for. A role model in every sort of way imaginable.
The passion and love for the game and his teammates shows in that fire deep within his eyes. It breathes in each and every breath. Deni Cresto is more than a talent–he is an exceptional talent that is the perfect asset to any organization.
“I work hard,” he says. “I want to win and I want us to win as a team.”
Saint Mary’s Rattlers Head Coach Johnny Clifford helped teach him that.
“He is a mentor,” Deni says. “I loved playing for him and we are both very alike and heading in the same direction.”
Cresto believes that relationship with Johnny Clifford has helped mold him into the truly well-rounded athlete that he is today.
When Deni Cresto says that he wants to win you had better well believe it. But he wants to win the right way.
There isn’t any doubt that Deni Cresto is on the path towards great things–in professional soccer and in life itself. How do you define the word “passionate” in a man? Deni Cresto. Simple as that.
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p class=”contact c9″ dir=”auto”>Matt Pierce Corpus Christi FC +1 361-696-5762 email us here Visit us on social media: Facebook Twitter
TUNIS, Tunisia — In a recent episode of a national TV show in Tunisia, a representative of the Bahá’ís of that country sat down for a discussion on the role of religion in society, a topic of growing interest in public consciousness. Named “For the record,” the weekly show aims to document stories of significance to shaping an inclusive national identity.
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Burhan B’saees, the host of the show, and Mohamed Ben Moussa, of the Bahá’í Office of External Affairs, explored insights from historic and ongoing efforts of the Tunisian Bahá’í community that have enabled people to unite and create bonds of trust and cooperation.
Burhan B’saees, the host of the program, began by asking about religion’s ability to address contemporary challenges, such as climate change and the many forms of social disparities. Mohamed Ben Moussa, of the Bahá’í Office of External Affairs of Tunisia, responded stating that “at the heart of these challenges is a crisis of values and the fragmentation of society into believer and nonbeliever, women and men, rich and poor, scholar and uneducated.
“This can prevent many segments of society from fully participating in public life or contributing to solutions. Such divisions hold humanity back from reaching full maturity and addressing its challenges.”
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The interview highlighted Bahá’í community-building efforts that promote the equality of women and men at the grassroots, such as discussion spaces that allow women to fully participate in consultative and decision-making processes.
During the one hour and twenty minute conversation, Mr. B’saees and Mr. Ben Moussa explored insights from the historic and ongoing efforts of the Tunisian Bahá’í community that have enabled people to unite and create bonds of trust and cooperation.
One of the examples noted in the conversation was that by participating in the discourses on coexistence and the equality of women and men, Tunisian Bahá’ís have fostered new notions of citizenship based on justice and the essential oneness of humanity.
The interview also highlighted Bahá’í community-building efforts that promote the equality of women and men at the grassroots, such as discussion spaces that allow women to fully participate in consultative and decision-making processes.
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As part of its ongoing efforts to create bonds of trust and cooperation in its society, the Tunisian Bahá’í community contributes to societal discourses, including equality between women and men, social justice, and coexistence.
Mr. Ben Moussa explained that the efforts of the Bahá’í community of Tunisia—established in that country a hundred years ago—have been open to all people and have revolved around the application of the spiritual principle of the oneness of humanity. “This principle requires conviction in the equality of women and men and the elimination of all forms of prejudice, the harmony of science and religion, the recognition of justice as a prerequisite for unity, and selfless service to one’s fellow citizens.”
The complete interview in Arabic can be viewed in two parts, part 1 and part 2, in which Mr. Ben Moussa highlights religion’s power to contribute to the material and spiritual advancement of civilization.
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This short film
explores the Tunisian Bahá’í community’s contributions to greater coexistence in that country over the last 100 years.
In a virtual meeting on 8 June, heads of the European National Councils of Churches met with CEC General Secretary Dr Jørgen Skov Sørensen and CEC Executive Secretary Katerina Pekridou, engaging with CEC’s developing profile, and its upcoming Assembly in Tallinn.
The topics were discussed through the lens of public theology, reflected in the theme of CEC Assembly “Under God’s blessing – shaping the future”.
The Assembly will take place from 14 to 20 June 2023.
New directions in CEC’s work, as well as its Assembly, are centred around the role of ecumenical theology, transcending private, national, and confessional borders, and the significant contribution from churches to the public conversation and action for the common good.
The general secretaries of the European NCCs also shared about their ongoing work.
The virtual meeting was held ahead of a physical meeting of the NCCs, planned in autumn, where NCCs will be invited to contribute in shaping the programme of CEC Assembly.
To end AIDS, beat COVID-19 and “stop the pandemics of the future”, the world needs to ensure global access to lifesaving health technologies, the UN Chef de Cabinet has told a meeting of the General Assembly to review progress.
The AIDS pandemic continues to be responsible for more than 13,000 deaths every week.
Yet, one year after adopting a political declaration on HIV and AIDS: Ending Inequalities and Getting on Track to End AIDS by 2030, data from UNAIDS shows that HIV infections and AIDS-related deaths are not currently declining fast enough to end the pandemic in eight years, as Member States have pledged to do.
Member States have highlighted the need to “work together to speed up progress on implementation,” said the UN agency.
The report sets out how inequalities and insufficient investment “leave the world dangerously underprepared to confront the pandemics of today and tomorrow.”
It also highlights solutions, including HIV prevention and societal enablers; community-led responses; equitable access to medicines, vaccines, and health technologies; sustainable financing for AIDS and pandemic response; and the need to strengthen global partnerships.
Getting on the path
Representing the UN chief, Chef de Cabinet, Courtenay Rattray, outlined three immediate steps to reverse current trends and get back on track.
“First, we need to tackle intersecting inequalities, discrimination and the marginalization of entire communities, which are often exacerbated by punitive laws, policies and practices,” he said, calling for policy reforms to reduce the HIV risks for marginalized communities – including sex workers, people who inject drugs, prisoners, transgender people and gay men.
The Chef de Cabinet pointed out how stigmatization obstructs public health while “social solidarity protects everyone”.
Invest in global health
The second step was to share health technologies, including antiretrovirals, and make them available to people in all countries throughout the world.
Thirdly, more resources must be committed: “Investments in AIDS are investments in global health security. They save lives – and money,” he said.
Investments in AIDS are investments in global health security — UN chief
Meeting the targets
General Assembly President Abdulla Shahid noted that equal access to healthcare is “an essential human right to guarantee public health, for all.”
“Striving to achieve the 2025 AIDS targets is an opportunity to work together to increase investments towards public health systems and pandemic responses, and to draw on the hard-learnt lessons from the HIV/AIDS crisis for our recovery from COVID-19, and vice versa”, he said.
According to the political declaration, released last June, if the international community reaches the targets, 3.6 million new HIV-infections and 1.7 million AIDS-related deaths will be prevented by 2030.
It calls on countries to provide 95 per cent of all at-risk people with access to preventative care, and for countries to ensure that 95 per cent of HIV-positive citizens are aware of their HIV status.
The 95 per cent of those who know their status, should also have access to HIV treatment, according to the declaration.
Prioritizing collective action
Statements on behalf of the Africa Group in the General Assembly, the Caribbean Community and Central American Integration System, and European Union, all emphasized the urgency of stepping up collective action and rooting out inequality, to ensure a successful HIV response.
And the Africa Group and others spoke about addressing discriminatory laws that keep people from accessing healthcare and social services.
The UN human rights office, OHCHR, on Friday condemned the death sentence handed down to three foreign fighters in Ukraine by a court in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic. “Such trials against prisoners of war amount to a war crime,” said OHCHR spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani.
The three men – Britons Aiden Aslin and Shaun Pinner, and Moroccan Saaudun Brahim – were captured while fighting for Ukraine, reportedly defending the southern port city of Mariupol.
Bitter fighting between Ukrainian and Russian forces since the Russian invasion on 24 February flattened the city, where UN rights chief Michelle Bachelet has previously condemned attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure, that have likely caused thousands of deaths.
“OHCHR is concerned about the so-called Supreme Court of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic sentencing three servicemen to death,” said Ms. Shamdasani. “According to the chief command of Ukraine, all the men were part of the Ukrainian armed forces and if that is the case, they should not be considered as mercenaries.”
Answering a question at the regular briefing in New York on Thursday about the death sentences handed down, the UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric, said the the Organization always has “and we always will”, opposed the death penalty under any circumstances. “And we would call on the combatants who have been detained, to be afforded international protection, and to be treated according to the Geneva Conventions“, he added.
Longstanding concerns
The UN rights office spokesperson also highlighted longstanding concerns about fair trial violations in Ukraine’s breakaway eastern regions bordering Russia. “Since 2015, we have observed that the so-called judiciary within these self-contained republics has not complied with essential fair trial guarantees, such as public hearings, independence, impartiality of the courts and the right not to be compelled to testify.”
Speaking in Geneva, Ms. Shamdasani added that “such trials against prisoners of war amount to a war crime. In the case of the use of the death penalty, fair trial guarantees are of course all the more important.”
LITHUANIA, June 10 – Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė extends her sincere greetings to Portugal on the occasion of the Day of Portugal and wishes its people well-being and every success.
‘I am pleased to take this opportunity to express Lithuania’s high appreciation of the friendly relations with Portugal as a reliable partner in the European Union, NATO and other international organizations. We are grateful for Portugal’s contribution to the Air Policing Mission. As we approach the NATO Summit in Madrid, we hope for your country‘s steadfast support for the decisions that would substantially strengthen the Alliance’s defence and deterrence posture in our region’, emphasized Head of the Government.
Prime Minister noted that today, as Ukraine is fighting with the Russian occupying forces, there is an urgent need for our countries, the EU, and all the democratic world to stay united and help Ukraine in its heroic efforts to defend itself and Europe. We must continue supporting Ukraine with all the means, at the same time calling for international prosecution and personal accountability of all those responsible for the crimes against humanity committed in Ukraine.
‘I hope that Lithuania and Portugal as well as other member states of the EU can show our support to Ukraine’s request for granting of the EU Candidate status. This would provide Ukraine and its people a much needed blueprint for reconstruction and long-term reforms and reassurance that we truly see them as integral part of the European family’, said Prime Minister.
Charity eCard platform Hope Spring announced the launch of its Father’s Day greetings card on Friday, the 9th of June. In a post on their Twitter account, the charity announced twenty new funny father’s day ecards which were designed by one of their volunteers.
The new father day ecards, is set to go on sale from the organisation’s website from Monday the 13th of June, just under a week before Father’s Day. The announcement stated that the organisation’s supporters and the general public can order the ecards and schedule it for delivery on Father’s Day, if they are not able to order it on the day.
Hope Spring eCards social media manager Seun Olonade said of the new range of eCards “our funny father’s day ecards were particularly designed with animal lovers in mind.” She added that just imagine receiving a father’s day ecard from your cat or dog, most people will find it amusing. That is why most of the funny Father’s Day ecards feature a pet. We hope recipients will find them as funny as we did”.
Hope Spring eCards platform has raised thousands of pounds for clean water and period poverty alleviation works done in West Africa. You can find out more information about the charity on their social media pages and their website.
Press release distributed by Pressat on behalf of Hope Spring Water, on Friday 10 June, 2022. For more information subscribe and follow https://pressat.co.uk/
Timothy Beal, the Florence Harkness Professor of Religion at Case Western Reserve University, recently received positive reviews on his newest book, When Time Is Short: Finding Our Way in the Anthropocene.
Publishers Weekly described Beal’s book as a “deconstruct(ion) of human exceptionalism” that confronts the impending peril of the climate crisis. In When Time Is Short, Beal disputes the capitalistic hierarchy that places nature below humanity and explores a Christian take on humanity’s relationship with the earth.
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tbt/K744AWADAJF3FPIQ77XIHE6DMI.jpeg?w=696&resize=696,0&ssl=1 "Book Talk: Avni Vyas, Emily Carr at Tombolo Books")
