Latest news with #Tricia
The Guardian
22-05-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Shock on streets of DC after Israeli embassy staff shooting: ‘It's horrifying'
The sombre mood in the streets around Washington's Capital Jewish Museum on Thursday morning seemed to be aptly caught by the cast-iron grey skies and lightly falling drizzle. Roughly 12 hours after a gunman shot dead two Israeli embassy employees near the museum's front entrance, residents and workers in the city's Judiciary Square district were grappling with the sudden explosion of violence. Many had assumed they might have a certain immunity thanks to the neighboring presence of the Metropolitan police headquarters and Washington's FBI field office. Both are situated on nearby streets. The sense of shock was summed up by Laurie Walborn, 62, who turned up for work at a children's law centre, nextdoor to the museum, only to find the entire block cordoned off by police tape and forced to make a detour. 'It's horrifying,' she said. 'I have walked by the museum a lot of times and never thought about it. This country is in trouble. The climate in the country is such that it's now OK to hate someone and I am afraid the Trump administration, from the way it is talking to representatives of foreign governments, is encouraging it. There is a pervasive feeling of hate.' Tricia, 47, a ceramic artist out walking her dogs, described hearing the police response from her home three blocks from the museum. She initially relished moving from her previous home in Los Angeles to an area close to Washington's historic government district after her husband was offered a job in a non-profit group specializing in privacy law. 'I heard the really loud response just after 9pm,' she said. 'You often hear police sirens around here when it's part of a motorcade telling other drivers to get out the way. But this time, the noise was constant and focused on the one place. It was frightening. 'We love living in DC and we thought we were on the precipice of something exciting but this is not what we had in mind and things haven't turned out as we imagined,' she said. Citing the 'political atmosphere', she said: 'Right now, it feels like humanity is emboldened to do things that, as a society, we should be afraid to do.' Those near the scene on the morning after the attack included Jewish people who had come to pay their respects. One, a 19-year-old high school student who wanted to remain anonymous, turned up because he was close to people at the Israeli embassy who knew the two victims, Yaron Lischinsky, 30, and his girlfriend, Sarah Milgrim. 'I know people who knew them very well,' he said. 'My best friend's dad is high up in the Israeli embassy and he worked with them. I'm the type of person who wants to pursue the truth, even if it paints my own people in a bad light. 'But seeing people coming here full of hate, not knowing the full picture, really troubles me. The person who carried out this attack was screaming 'free Palestine', yet this event was being held to try and get more aid into Gaza.' The suspect in Wednesday night's attack, was named by police as Elias Rodriguez, 30, from Chicago. He was said to have entered the museum after carrying out the shooting and initially mistaken by confused workers as a victim. An eyewitness, Katie Kalisher, told Fox News that workers had heard 'some gunshots and we didn't immediately understand what was going on'. She added: 'A man came in, and he was covered in rain and he said 'call the police'. We thought he was just walking around, and had witnessed a crime, so the security guards let him inside. One of my friends even said to him 'are you OK, can I get you some water?' And he was like, 'yeah, sure, that would be great'. 'And he's like playing dumb with me, asking what kind of museum is this? And I told him it's a Jewish museum.' After that, Kalisher said, the man reached into his bag, pulled out a keffiyeh, and said: 'I did this for Gaza. Free Palestine.' The museum is housed in a former synagogue, constructed in 1876, that is believed to be the oldest surviving synagogue building in Washington. It was moved to its current location in 1969 after being threatened with demolition and restored as a museum. It regularly hosts exhibitions depicting Jewish life in the US capital. Recently it opened an exhibitions exploring the history of LGBTQ+ Jews in the city. Jeffrey Elikan, 59, a lawyer, arrived on the scene on Thursday after being alerted by his local rabbi, who had asked members of his congregation to visit the site and say a prayer for the victims. He attributed the attack to hatred and antisemitism, which he said Americans had to reject. 'I'm sure there's fault across the political spectrum, on the left and on the right, but fundamentally, this is something that I feel Americans need to reject. This is supposed to be a country of tolerance and a safe haven for people,' he said, describing how his father and grandparents escaped to the US from Nazi Germany in the 1930s. He added: 'This kind of of action should be condemned universally across the political spectrum, whether people support Israel's war in Gaza, or whether their sympathies [lies] with the Gazan population.'
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Teen Student Claims She Was Forced to Withdraw Weeks Before Graduation After Bringing Transgender Date to Prom: Reports
A high school senior claims she was forced to withdraw from her private Georgia school after school officials learned she brought a transgender date to prom Emily Wright's mom said she signed a form permitting the guest to be brought to the off-campus event, but said the only guideline listed was about age In a letter to the school, Emily's parents told school officials this was not "a good example" of Christian valuesA Georgia high school student claims she was forced to change schools less than two weeks before graduation after school officials learned she brought a transgender date to prom. Emily Wright says she was called to the principal's office at North Cobb Christian School, a private institution, 10 days after she attended the off-campus prom, according to FOX affiliate WAGA-TV. School officials had learned that Emily had brought a transgender boy to the off-campus event as her date, CBS affiliates WRDW and WANF reported. Emily told WAGA-TV that she was questioned about her prom date during the meeting. Her mom, Tricia Wright, claimed the school's principal later informed her that they planned to expel her daughter. Tricia claimed she signed a form permitting her daughter to bring a guest, but said the only guideline listed on the form referred to the guest's age. North Cobb Christian School has not responded to PEOPLE's request for comment. "I cried very hard,' Emily recalled. 'I was just thinking that my entire future was in jeopardy.' Emily says she was later forced to withdraw from the school, according to WRDW and WANF. Tricia said the school's prom guidelines did not specifically state that LGBTQ+ individuals were barred from attending school events. In a letter to the school, Emily's parents said the alleged 'discriminatory decision' was 'not reflective of the Christian values you claim to uphold.' They added, 'The school chose to kick out a senior student just four weeks before graduation simply because Emily was being inclusive and kind.' Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Emily has since enrolled in a public school. Her mom told WAGA-TV this was a bad example of how to be Christian. "That's not, in my opinion, a good example — to not be kind, not be loving, not be accepting, to be exclusive instead of inclusive," Tricia said. Read the original article on People
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Teen Student Claims She Was Forced to Withdraw Weeks Before Graduation After Bringing Transgender Date to Prom: Reports
A high school senior claims she was forced to withdraw from her private Georgia school after school officials learned she brought a transgender date to prom Emily Wright's mom said she signed a form permitting the guest to be brought to the off-campus event, but said the only guideline listed was about age In a letter to the school, Emily's parents told school officials this was not "a good example" of Christian valuesA Georgia high school student claims she was forced to change schools less than two weeks before graduation after school officials learned she brought a transgender date to prom. Emily Wright says she was called to the principal's office at North Cobb Christian School, a private institution, 10 days after she attended the off-campus prom, according to FOX affiliate WAGA-TV. School officials had learned that Emily had brought a transgender boy to the off-campus event as her date, CBS affiliates WRDW and WANF reported. Emily told WAGA-TV that she was questioned about her prom date during the meeting. Her mom, Tricia Wright, claimed the school's principal later informed her that they planned to expel her daughter. Tricia claimed she signed a form permitting her daughter to bring a guest, but said the only guideline listed on the form referred to the guest's age. North Cobb Christian School has not responded to PEOPLE's request for comment. "I cried very hard,' Emily recalled. 'I was just thinking that my entire future was in jeopardy.' Emily says she was later forced to withdraw from the school, according to WRDW and WANF. Tricia said the school's prom guidelines did not specifically state that LGBTQ+ individuals were barred from attending school events. In a letter to the school, Emily's parents said the alleged 'discriminatory decision' was 'not reflective of the Christian values you claim to uphold.' They added, 'The school chose to kick out a senior student just four weeks before graduation simply because Emily was being inclusive and kind.' Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Emily has since enrolled in a public school. Her mom told WAGA-TV this was a bad example of how to be Christian. "That's not, in my opinion, a good example — to not be kind, not be loving, not be accepting, to be exclusive instead of inclusive," Tricia said. Read the original article on People
Independent Singapore
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Independent Singapore
Don't want to give flowers to a graduate? How about a roast duck instead
SINGAPORE: A recent Singapore Polytechnic graduate could not stop laughing when, after her ceremony, in lieu of getting the traditional bouquet of flowers, she was given instead a whole roast duck and some bitter gourd. Yes. You read that correctly. A. Whole. Roast. Duck. The unusual bouquet has set the bar for relatives and friends all over Singapore. The graduate's reaction to her unusual gift was captured in a video on TikTok on May 7, which has since been viewed nearly half a million times. 'BEST BOUQUET EVER,' the caption on @tr1c14_ 's video reads. @tr1c14_ BEST BOUQUET EVER🦆💐 #classof2025 #graduation #fyp ♬ sad SpongeBob music – michael A report in AsiaOne has identified the graduate only as 'Tricia', a 22-year-old who recently finished her Business Administration studies. She said that the unusual bouquet had been a gift from three friends. And while the bitter gourd did not come as a surprise since she had been asked which vegetable she liked least. The whole roast duck, however, was a different story, and shows how well her friends know her, because it is one of her favourite things to eat. While the 'bouquet' had been meant as a prank between good friends, at least she, together with family and friends, enjoyed it heartily afterward. Many commenters on the video seemed to enjoy the joke as much as the graduate and her friends did, finding it 'catchy,' 'unique,' and 'better than flowers.' 'She said she wanted Rose! I thought she meant Roast!' joked one. 'Omg lmao all you need now is some sticky rice,' a TikTok user joked. 'Heck yes!! Give me a roast duck,' a commenter wrote, while one chimed in with '(for real) the best bouquet congrats girl!!' 'This would've made my graduation worth attending,' one wrote, and another said it was, 'my type of bouquet.' One suggested that we should 'normalize roast over roses' for bouquets. 'Great idea!! I'm getting it for my nephew at his graduation,' wrote another. Another celebrated with Tricia, writing, 'girls enjoying her day and her bouquet…haters can hate, but girl graduated!!!!' One said they envied the bouquet, writing, 'Girl I would be so jealous you got a whole roast duck. Do you know how expensive a whole duck is now?' To this, Tricia replied, 'forever grateful to my friends!!' Well, all we can say is who wouldn't want a roast duck on any occasion? Congratulations, Tricia! /TISG Read also: Singapore's graduates trapped – High hopes, low pay, and a cost-of-living crisis
AsiaOne
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- AsiaOne
Singapore poly grad receiving 'bouquet' of roast duck and bitter gourd at graduation goes viral , Singapore News
Move over, flowers. One Singapore Polytechnic graduate got a roasted duck and bitter gourd instead. A TikTok video of a woman receiving the unusual gift in lieu of a graduation bouquet has gone viral. Tricia, who wished to be known only by her first name, posted the video of herself holding a whole roasted duck and bitter gourd at her graduation on May 7. Captioned "best graduation bouquet", the 17-second video shows the Business Administration graduate laughing in disbelief with the items in her hands while her peers held flower bouquets. The video has garnered over 477,000 views as of Thursday (May 15). @tr1c14_ BEST BOUQUET EVER🦆💐 #classof2025 #graduation #fyp ♬ sad SpongeBob music - michael Speaking to AsiaOne, the 22-year-old said it was her "first time receiving such an interesting gift". Tricia said she was expecting to get the bitter gourd since they had asked her what her least favourite vegetable was. After all, vegetable and fruit bouquets have become somewhat of a trend among young adults here. "I was expecting the bitter gourd as they did ask me what my least favourite vegetable was, but I was shocked when I received the roasted duck. It was really unexpected," said Tricia. Three of her friends — Jabez, Wayne, and Boyd — had wrapped the duck with brown paper to make it look like a bouquet. Tricia, who admitted that she enjoys eating roast duck, felt her friends had planned the special surprise "to embarrass" her. "Of course, I want to also give them an interesting bouquet [for their graduation] but it's hard to top a whole roasted duck," she said. When asked if she would have preferred a flower bouquet, Tricia replied: "Who doesn't love flowers?" "But I don't have a green thumb so this roasted duck bouquet definitely is my favourite out of all the flowers I have received," she said, adding that it was practical too. She told AsiaOne that she "devoured the duck right after" the ceremony and said it was "really yummy". The bitter gourd, on the other hand, is still with Tricia's friends as she forgot to bring it home. Mixed online reactions Tricia's video has attracted over 200 comments from netizens. Many were impressed by the roasted duck bouquet, with a user remarking that it was "better than flowers". "Girl, I would be so jealous you got a whole roast duck, do you know how expensive a whole duck is now?" wrote another commenter. However, several detractors said Tricia appeared to be attention-seeking. "At the end of the day, as long as I didn't do anything to hurt people, the hate comments don't affect me much," said Tricia. [[nid:716521]]
