Latest news with #blogging
Daily Mail
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Body language expert reveals the meaning behind Meghan Markle's uncomfortable 14 second encounter with audience at 'awkward' conference
At the 2016 Create and Cultivate blogger conference in Atlanta, Meghan Markle found herself in an awkward moment while discussing her website, The Tig. At that time, she was balancing her acting career on Suits with blogging and was given the opportunity to speak about her experiences and insights into the industry. However, when the Q&A session was opened to the audience, an uncomfortable silence followed. Body language expert Judi James analysed Meghan's gestures and movements, noting clear signs of discomfort during the interaction. Reviewing the clip, Judi observed: 'There is an awkward amount of gap-filling to cover the fourteen seconds before someone steps up, and in that time, we see Meghan display a range of responses, including what appears to be possible exasperation and a wry, asymmetric smile.' She pointed out that Meghan initially appeared confident in front of the audience, sitting with her legs crossed and at one point raising one knee - suggesting she had no desire to create a barrier with her posture. 'Her elbows propped out on the arms of her chair in an authoritative splay ritual while her left hand lightly rested on her thigh as she addressed the audience in a friendly, rapport-building manner, referring to them as 'You guys'.' A skilled host typically prepares backup questions or even plants audience members with pre-written queries, but this was clearly not the case for Meghan's interview. 'Every speaker knows the mild dread that comes with the 'Any questions?' moment where, no matter how engaging and informative you have been, there is always the risk of a tumbleweed silence that can suggest a lack of interest,' Judi explained. As no immediate questions arose, Meghan quickly interjected, 'They have no questions, they just want their cocktails,' using the distancing word 'they' to create a 'subtle rapport gap'. 'She looks at her host and steps in to fill the silence, saying 'I'm a chatty girl' as her hand flops from the wrist - hinting at that sense of exasperation. 'She then raises her eyebrows and adds, 'Not even a question about Mike Ross, that surprises me!' while adopting an aloof hand gesture, palm facing the audience, to match the raised brows.' Eventually, a woman in the audience asked a question: 'Today, I've noticed we've talked a lot about motivation and following your gut. Meghan, I was wondering if you could speak a little about navigating feminism within conservative business environments.' At this moment, Meghan placed a hand on her forehead and laughed, having just been discussing how many people had offered her champagne. 'Once she receives a question about feminism, Meghan seems keen to re-boot her status following what might have been misinterpreted as a lack of enthusiasm,' Judi noted. She then shifted the conversation, referencing her past work: 'I had written an article for the Irish Independent, which is a big newspaper in Ireland, about that exact thing because I had been really fortunate enough to meet with a lot of incredibly powerful women. Meghan attends Elle's 6th Annual Women in Television Dinner in Los Angeles in January 2016 Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announced their engagement at The Sunken Gardens at Kensington Palace in November 2017 after dating for a year 'Of course, you can still be a woman, and want to present yourself well, and look beautiful, and it doesn't lessen the fact you're standing up for something that's incredibly important.' According to Judi, once back on track, Meghan's body language conveyed a 'purring of enjoyment' as she referenced speaking engagements, high-profile figures like Angela Merkel, and her work with the UN - seemingly regaining control of the moment. Meghan's blog, which launched in 2014 and closed eight years ago, was named after her favourite Tignanello wine. Embracing the role of editor-in-chief, she used the website to share her views on topics ranging from feminism to her passion for philanthropy. She also shared recipes, make-up and beauty tips, travel advice, and interviews with celebrity friends, including Serena Williams and Priyanka Chopra.
CTV News
10-05-2025
- CTV News
B.C. court declines to dismiss defamation case against blogger, issues arrest warrant for contempt
A prolific blogger who has spent more than a year targeting the owners of an Okanagan fruit farm has lost his bid to have a defamation lawsuit against him dismissed. Instead, the B.C. Supreme Court has issued a warrant for Daryl Grant MacAskill's arrest so that he can be brought before a judge to face contempt of court allegations. MacAskill – who goes by the aliases 'Ace' and 'Ace Ventura,' according to Justice John Gibb-Carsley's recent decision – 'maintains and controls' a blog called 'Gangsterism Out.' Since March 2024, MacAskill has published dozens of blog posts about Sandher Fruit Packers Ltd. – a family fruit farm business based in Kelowna – and its operators Bir Singh Sandher, Gurtaj Singh Sandher and Prabtaj Singh Sandher. The Sandhers have sued MacAskill for defamation, and they won an injunction last year in which the court ordered MacAskill to take down some of his posts and refrain from making similar statements about the plaintiffs while the underlying case remains before the courts. 'The defendant's statements about the plaintiffs to which they take offence include statements that the plaintiffs have committed murder, human trafficking, illegal immigration activities, money laundering, drug trafficking and smuggling, bribery of public officials and politicians; and that the plaintiffs are financing and sponsoring terrorist groups, members of terrorists groups, and members of organized crime gangs including the Sinaloa drug cartel and the Brothers Keepers,' Gibb-Carsley's decision reads. 'The statements also include crude, racist and homophobic language and content. The plaintiffs argue that there is no basis for any of the statements and that their reputation and livelihoods have been adversely impacted by the baseless accusations.' The underlying defamation case remains to be determined. In his decision this week, Gibb-Carsley dealt with three applications from the parties. 'Misinformation' is not in the public interest MacAskill asked the court to dismiss the Sandhers' claims under B.C.'s Protection of Public Participation Act, which is intended to protect journalists and other members of the public from defamation lawsuits that seek to limit speech on matters of public interest. 'In short, the defendant argues that the claims he makes about the plaintiffs on the internet are in the public interest and so should not be muzzled by the plaintiffs' defamation claim,' Gibb-Carsley's decision summarizes. The defendant also asked the court to order the plaintiffs to allow him to cross-examine them on affidavits they filed in support of their case. Despite filing two applications, MacAskill did not appear in court for the hearings on them, a fact Gibb-Carsley concluded was 'an active choice not to participate' on the defendant's part. The judge dismissed both of the blogger's applications, ruling that he had provided 'no factual basis to cross-examine the plaintiffs' and that he had failed to establish that the subject matter of his allegedly defamatory statements was in the public interest. 'While the idea that free speech is critical to the well-being of a democratic and just society is unassailable, in my view, the information the defendant has posted on his blog is so woefully devoid of facts that it does not satisfy the definition of public interest,' the decision reads. 'Indeed, unsourced and false accusations may be better characterized as 'misinformation.' The spreading of misinformation or lies is not in the public interest.' Arrest warrant issued The plaintiffs' application to the court sought an order finding MacAskill in contempt for violating the injunction, but they conceded that no such order could be granted without the defendant present. According to the decision, this is because contempt allegations are 'quasi-criminal' in nature and 'require a high standard of procedural fairness and evidence.' It would be unfair to MacAskill to find him in contempt of court without having him present to answer the contempt allegations. Because of this, the plaintiffs sought – and Gibb-Carsley ordered – a warrant for MacAskill's arrest. The judge concluded that the defendant was clearly aware of the injunction and the contempt application, but continued to publish the allegedly defamatory information on his blog and in emails to the plaintiffs and their lawyers. The decision includes quotes from a few of the 'many' posts MacAskill has made that breach the injunction order, as well as quotes from one of the defendant's emails to one of the plaintiffs' lawyers that 'provides the flavour of the abuse and vitriol that the defendant uses in in his correspondence.' The quoted email taunts the lawyer, calling him 'a retard' and a 'f***ing stupid c***,' and referring to his clients as 'scum.' 'I am told that the volume of emails sent from the defendant to Mr. Byma is significant, with over 400 sent to Mr. Byma alone since July 4, 2024, and hundreds more sent to other individuals at the plaintiffs' counsel's law firm and others,' Gibb-Carsley's decision reads. The judge concluded there was a 'prima facie' – a legal term meaning 'on its face' – case that MacAskill had violated the injunction, and ordered a warrant for his arrest so that he can face the contempt allegations. Gibb-Carsley's decision also offered the defendant some unsolicited advice. 'One of the factors the court will consider in a contempt hearing are the steps that an alleged contemnor has taken to purge his or her contempt,' the decision reads. 'As such, in the strongest of terms I encourage the defendant to take steps to comply with the injunction order and remove the offending materials from his blog and cease and desist from taking other steps that are contrary to that order or otherwise could be characterized as abusive.' 'In this regard, I would especially encourage the defendant to cease his abusive emails to counsel for the plaintiffs and to members associated with the plaintiffs' counsel. There is simply no room for that form of abuse or hate-filled language in our justice system.'
