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Irish Times
12-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Times
Among Friends by Hal Ebbott: echoes of the dead giants of American literature
Among Friends Author : Hal Ebbott ISBN-13 : 9781035055432 Publisher : Picador Guideline Price : £16.99 Towards the end of the 20th century, American literature was dominated by straight white men who published Important Books. The holy trinity of Updike , Roth and Mailer wrote about masculinity as an ideal, and while the work will endure, their era is decidedly over. So it was something of a surprise to read Hal Ebbott's debut, which feels heavily influenced by the ghosts of writers past. Amos and Emerson – even their names are weighted in white privilege and old money – have been best buds since college, not least because the latter introduced his childhood friend Claire to the former, and they married. Along with Emerson's wife Retsy, the two couples have been close for decades, bringing up their daughters, Sophie and Anna, almost as sisters. Therefore, it's devastating for all when a weekend at Emerson's home leads to an allegation that he sexually assaulted Amos's daughter, the knots of friendship immediately shattering. What follows is a study of male friendship but also of the responsibilities we hold towards our children. When Anna tells her parents what took place, they're horrified but, curiously, it's Amos who believes her while Claire thinks she's making it up in a teenage bid for attention. READ MORE Ebbott digs deep into the psyches of both men but a strong premise suffers from the novel's lack of narrative development. It might be deliberate, but both couples are so alike that it becomes difficult to tell them apart. In fact, I had to make a note of who was who, and who was the offspring of whom, which is odd considering there's only six characters involved, and I found myself referring to this reminder repeatedly. Is this because Ebbott is implying that all men are potential predators and that what Emerson did to Anna, Amos could have done to Sophie? If that's the idea, it's not sufficiently explored, and if it's not, then greater distinctions between the four might have been drawn. Ebbott can certainly write – there's a depth to his paragraphs that demands the reader's careful attention – but it all feels a little old-fashioned, recalling those dead giants while giving a sense that Among Friends would have been a footnote in their bibliographies.
Time of India
08-07-2025
- Sport
- Time of India
What went wrong for free agent Julio Urías? The domestic violence case that derailed his MLB career
Julio Urias was accussed of domestic violence in 2023.(Image via AP Photos) Julio Urías, once considered to be a promising young player in the MLB, has his entire career in limbo after he was suspended through the end of the 2025 All-Star break back in March 2025. Julio Urías had shown the world his talent and had proved his worth on the field, despite having a massive injury to his left eye in 2015. While Julio Urías has been sentenced to 36 months of probation, here is everything that the star player was accused of. What happened in 2023 that changed Julio Urías' promising career in the MLB? The domestic abuse that had an eyewitness Back in 2023, Julio Urías had attended a LAFC soccer match, but things quickly went downhill after an eyewitness accused the star player of assaulting a woman outside the stadium. Former Dodger Julio Urías seen in new video throwing punch at wife Julio Urías was immediately arrested by the authorities on suspiscion of felony domestic violence. Three days later, the MLB placed Julio Urías on administrative leave and since then, the free agent has not played a professional game in the league. Later, Julio Urías was charged by the Los Angeles City Attorney with 5 misdemeanour counts including assault, spousal battery, two counts of domestic battery and one for false imprisonment. What is Julio Urías doing now and how did MLB react to the whole situation regarding their star player? At this point in time, Julio Urías is serving 36 months of probation, has to complete 52 weeks of counseling course on domestic abuse and 30 days of community service. In March 2025, Julio Urías was promptly removed from the 2025 All-Star break for violating MLB's policies related to the incident. Commissioner Rob Manfred issued a statement on Julio Urías' situation in the league and said, 'The Office of the Commissioner of Baseball has completed its investigation into allegations that free agent pitcher Julio Urías violated Major League Baseball's Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Policy. Having reviewed all of the available evidence, I have concluded that Mr. Urías violated our Policy and that discipline is appropriate. ' In early 2023, before all the mess, Julio Urías had signed a pretty expensive deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers. The deal was worth a whopping $14.25 million for a year. Also Read: 'He has said some stuff publicly': MLB insider Jeff Passan breaks down why the Washington Nationals might have fired Dave Martinez and Mike Rizzo Game On Season 1 continues with Mirabai Chanu's inspiring story. Watch Episode 2 here.
Geek Feed
30-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Geek Feed
Sandman Co-Creator on Neil Gaiman Cancellation
We were experiencing a kind of Neil Gaiman renaissance until recently with adaptations for things like Sandman and Good Omens , but after a recent scandal, Gaiman has effectively been cancelled by the internet and all of his connections have been dropping him. Netflix is currently gearing up for the second season of Sandman , and with Gaiman's involvement being such a huge elephant in the room, series co-creator David Goyer talks about how weird it's been to push forward without Gaiman. Talking to Variety, Goyer explained: 'When the accusations first came out, we were three weeks from finishing filming Season 2 — so we were very, very far down the path and Neil wasn't as involved in Season 2 as he was in Season 1. Obviously, it's complicated. I have tremendous respect for women that come forward in those situations. It's really concerning, but I know that Netflix, at the time, felt, 'God, we spent two years making this thing. There's all these actors and writers and directors involved that, if we didn't air it, wouldn't be fully compensated for it.' And so we just decided, we're going to let this work speak for itself.' Despite Goyer and the rest of the team pushing forward with the series, Goyer did add, ' But I'd be crazy to say it wasn't weird.' The allegations against Gaiman had come out summer of last year, and the fantasy community was rocked online by seeing one of the most famous authors in the genre get accused of sexual assault. Good Omens had promptly dropped Gaiman; and while Sandman was expected to run for longer, it does seem like ending it with the final season would be the right move. We don't know what the future holds for future Gaiman work, but he was certainly having a good go at the spotlight right before he wasn't. The Sandman Season 2 is set to come to Netflix on July 3.
Bloomberg
27-06-2025
- Bloomberg
NDAs Are Problematic. That Doesn't Mean We Should Ban Them.
When Harvey Weinstein's retrial on sexual assault charges was playing out in a Manhattan courtroom earlier this month, events were closely followed 3,000 miles away where British lawmakers were mulling a change to their own laws on workplace misconduct. As the catalyst for the #MeToo movement when his serial abuse of women first emerged in 2017, Weinstein has also sparked a debate around the use of nondisclosure agreements in jurisdictions across the western world. These are contracts between an employer and a departing employee originally designed to protect trade secrets, but which are increasingly used to cover up wrongdoing including discrimination, sexual harassment and even assault.
USA Today
26-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Rays' Wander Franco found guilty of sexually abusing 14-year-old girl
Tampa Bay Rays All-Star shortstop Wander Franco received a two-year suspended prison sentence Thursday when he was found guilty of sexual abuse of a minor in the Dominican Republic, which could end his baseball career. Franco, 24, who signed an 11-year, $182 million contract in 2021, will remain on Major League Baseball's restricted list for failure to work for the Rays. If he's unable to secure a visa to work in the United States because of the guilty verdict, he won't be able to play again in MLB. Even if Franco is able to obtain a visa in the future, the Rays could seek to have the remaining $133 million remaining on his contract voided based on violating moral turpitude. MLB's investigation remains open but if Franco never gets a visa, the league may consider it a moot point to even issue a punishment. "Major League Baseball is proud to have a collectively bargained Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Policy that reflects our commitment to these issues," MLB said in a statement. 'We are aware of today's verdict in the Wander Franco trial and will conclude our investigation at the appropriate time." The minor informed the court that she had a sexual relationship with Franco when he was 21 years old. The mother of the victim, Martha Vanessa Chevalier Almonte, was convicted of sexually trafficking her daughter and was sentenced to 10 years in prison. Franco was placed on MLB's restricted list in July 2024, 11 months after social media posts alleged that Franco had been in an inappropriate relationship with the minor since December 2022. Franco denied the allegations and he was on paid administrative leave until being put on the restricted list. While Franco remains a free man, he was informed that if he violates any conditions of the court, he must serve his full two-year sentence. He is prohibited from approaching minors with sexual intentions. Franco also faces charges in the Dominican Republic for illegal possession of a handgun after an altercation in a parking lot November, 2024, in San Juan de la Maguana. Wander Franco contract Wander Franco agreed to an 11-year, $182 million contract before the 2022 season at the age of 20, having played just 70 MLB games at that point. Wander Franco stats
