Israeli hostage released from 2 years of captivity in Gaza struggles to rebuild his life

DIMONA, Israel (AP) — During thetwo yearshe was held captive in Gaza, Segev Kalfon had a recurring dream: slowly walking through a supermarket, browsing each aisle for his favorite foods, taking in the brightly colored packages and smells.

Since beingreleased on Oct. 13, his dreams have flipped: Most nights when he closes his eyes, he is back on a dirty piece of foam mattress in the 2-square-meter (22-square-foot) room in a Hamas tunnel where he was kept with five other hostages, counting each tile and crack in the cement to distract himself from severe hunger and near-daily physical torture.

"I was in the lowest place a person can be before death, the lowest. I had no control over anything, when to eat, when to shower, how much I want to eat," said Kalfon, 27. During the worst parts of captivity, he was so skinny he could count the individual vertebrae jutting from his spine.

Now that he's back home in Dimona in southern Israel, Kalfon is trying to piece together a post-captivity life. He spends much of his time juggling appointments with an array of doctors and psychologists.

One of the strangest aspects of his release, Kalfon said, is that for two years, his entire life revolved around trying to please his captors, so they might share more food or spare a beating. Now that he's out, "everyone is trying to please me," he said.

From a family bakery to a Hamas tunnel

Before being taken hostage at theNova music festival, Kalfon worked at his family's bakery in the town of Arad and was studying finance and investments.

When rockets started flying at the start of theHamas attack on Oct. 7, 2023, Kalfon said he and his closest friend tried to help others at the festival escape. Kalfon remembers pleading with a group of people who had taken cover in a yellow dumpster, telling them to come with him, that they were in a death trap. For two years, Kalfon wondered what happened to them. After his release, he learned they were all killed.

Hamas-led militantskilled some 1,200 people and took about 250 hostages during their cross-border assault that day. Israel's ensuing offensive has killed more than 71,000 Palestinians in Gaza, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which does not differentiate between civilians and combatants in its count. The ministry is part of the Hamas-run government and maintains detailed casualty records that are seen as generally reliable by U.N. agencies and independent experts.

While in captivity, every moment "felt like an eternity," Kalfon said. The only thing that broke up the monotony was a meager portion of food and water once a day.

There were so many times he felt close to death: during frequent bombardment by the Israeli military, going through COVID and other illnesses with no medicine, enduring starvation and frequent physical torture. He said his captors used bicycle chains as whips and pummeled the hostages while wearing large rings to leave painful welts.

"We didn't even have energy to yell out, because no one hears you," he said. "You're in a tunnel 30 meters underground; no one knows what's going on."

The worst part was the last three months of his captivity, Kalfon said, when he was kept in isolation and felt like he was losing his sanity.

In the darkest places, faith brings a ray of light

Both Kalfon and his family, advocating in Israel for his release, further turned to their Jewish faith to get through the dark times. Kalfon's family filled their homes with additional Jewish books, ritual objects and prayers from senior rabbis.

Kalfon and the other five hostages made a tradition of marking the start of Jewish holidays or the Sabbath by saying prayers over a bit of water and moldy pita.

The hostages used a square of precious toilet paper, where one roll had to last six people for two months, for the ritual skullcap that Jewish men traditionally wear during prayers.

A radio the captors had given to the hostages in hopes of converting them to Islam through recordings of the Quran sometimes allowed them to capture signals from Israeli news.

Once, when Kalfon was at his lowest and considering an escape attempt, which likely would have led to his death, he turned on the radio and heard his mother's voice. He said it felt like a divine message to hold on for a little longer.

"I was living in the body of a dead person, living in a grave," Kalfon said. "To get out of this grave, it's nothing else if not a miracle."

Kalfon was released along with19 other living hostagesas part of theU.S.-brokered ceasefire. He considers U.S. President Donald Trump a "messenger from God," sure that no one else could have halted the fighting. His family has hung nearly a dozen American flags around the house in recognition of the U.S. contribution to his return.

'War is starting with my soul'

Since his return, Kalfon is getting used to a new life, one where he is famous after his name and face were broadcast across Israel during the fight to release the hostages.

"Everyone wants to support me and say, 'You're such a hero,'" Kalfon said. "I don't feel like a hero. Every person would want to survive."

Kalfon knows he has a long journey to recovery after his years in captivity and a post-traumatic stress disorder diagnosis from before he was taken hostage.

"Although the war in Gaza is over, now my war is starting with my soul, to try to deal with thoughts that are very difficult," he said.

He tries to keep his schedule busy to distract himself.

"But every night when I'm alone, it comes up," Kalfon said. Even a small noise can startle him awake and thrust him into a terrifying flashback, so he barely sleeps.

For the immediate future, he wants to share his story more widely. He said he has been shocked by the rise in global antisemitism and anti-Israel fervor since he was captured and wants to make sure people hear his story, especially those who tore down posters of the hostages or accuse Israel of lying.

"I'm proof that it happened," he said. "I felt it with my body. I saw it with my own eyes." ___

Associated Press writer Sam Mednick contributed from Tel Aviv, Israel.

byAdministrator

in

January 01, 2026

Israeli hostage released from 2 years of captivity in Gaza struggles to rebuild his life

DIMONA, Israel (AP) — During thetwo yearshe was held captive in Gaza, Segev Kalfon had a recurring dream: slowly walking ...

Read More

A fire in an Swiss ski resort bar has left about 40 people dead

CRANS-MONTANA, Switzerland (AP) — Axel Clavier felt like he was suffocating inside theSwiss Alpine barwhere moments before he'd been ringing in the new year with friends and dozens of other revelers.

The 16-year-old from Paris escaped the inferno, which broke out after midnight Thursday, by forcing a window open with a table. But about 40 other partygoers died, including one of Clavier's friends, falling victim toone of the worst tragediesin Switzerland's history.

The blaze also injured about 115 people, most of them seriously, as itripped through the crowded Le Constellation barat the ski resort of Crans-Montana, police said.

Clavier told The Associated Press that "two or three" of his friends remained missing hours after the disaster.

Fire's cause remains under investigation

Valais Cantonpolice commander Frédéric Gisler said during a news conference that work is underway to identify the victims and inform their families, adding that the community is "devastated."

Authorities did not immediately have an exact count of the deceased.

Beatrice Pilloud, Valais Canton attorney general, said it was too early to determine the cause of the fire.

"At no moment is there a question of any kind of attack," Pilloud said.

She later said the number of people who were in the bar is "unknown," and its maximum capacity will be part of the investigation.

"For the time being, we don't have any suspects," she added, when asked if anyone had been arrested over the fire. "An investigation has been opened, not against anyone, but to better understand the circumstances of this dramatic fire."

An evening of celebration turns tragic

Clavier, the Parisian teenager, said he didn't see the fire start, but did see waitresses arrive with Champagne bottles with burning sparklers. He lost his jacket, shoes, phone and bank card while fleeing, but "I am still alive and it's just stuff."

"I'm still in shock," he added.

Two women told French broadcaster BFMTV they were inside when they saw a male bartender lifting a female bartender on his shoulders as she held a lit candle in a bottle. The flames spread, collapsing the wooden ceiling, they told the broadcaster.

One of the women described a crowd surge as people frantically tried to escape from a basement nightclub up a narrow flight of stairs and through a narrow door.

Another witness speaking to BFMTV described people smashing windows to escape the blaze, some gravely injured, and panicked parents rushing to the scene in cars to see whether their children were trapped inside. The young man said he saw about 20 people scrambling to get out of the smoke and flames and likened what he saw to a horror movie as he watched from across the street.

"This evening should have been a moment of celebration and coming together, but it turned into a nightmare," said Mathias Reynard, head of the regional government of the Valais Canton.

Crans-Montana is less than 5 kilometers (3 miles) from Sierre,where 28 people, including many children, were killed when a bus from Belgium crashed inside a Swiss tunnel in 2012.

Resort town sits in the heart of the Alps

In a region busy with tourists skiing on the slopes, the authorities have called on the local population to show caution in the coming days to avoid accidents that could further strain the area's already overwhelmed medical resources.

With high-altitude ski runs rising around 3,000 meters (nearly 9,850 feet) in the heart of the Valais region's snowy peaks and pine forests, Crans-Montana is one of the top venues on the World Cup circuit. The resort will host the best men's and women's downhill racers, includingLindsey Vonn, for their final events before theMilan-Cortina Olympicsin February. The town's Crans-sur-Sierre golf club stages the European Masters each August on a picturesque course.

Swiss President Guy Parmelin, speaking on his first day in thelargely ceremonial job, said many emergency staff had been "confronted by scenes of indescribable violence and distress."

"This Thursday must be the time of prayer, unity and dignity," he said. "Switzerland is a strong country not because it is sheltered from drama, but because it knows how to face them with courage and a spirit of mutual help."

Dazio reported from Berlin and Leicester reported from Paris. Geir Moulson in Berlin and Graham Dunbar in Geneva contributed to this report.

byAdministrator

in

January 01, 2026

A fire in an Swiss ski resort bar has left about 40 people dead

CRANS-MONTANA, Switzerland (AP) — Axel Clavier felt like he was suffocating inside theSwiss Alpine barwhere moments befor...

Read More

Woman dies in suspected mountain lion attack on Colorado trail

A woman has died in a rare suspected mountain lion attack in Colorado on Thursday, officials said.

Hikers told authorities they saw a mountain lion near a person who was lying on the ground 100 yards away around 12:15 p.m., on the Crosier Mountain trail in unincorporated Larimer County, Colorado Parks and Wildlife said in a news release.

The hikers scared the lion away by throwing rocks and then attended to the adult woman, the release said. One of the witnesses was a physician and "did not find a pulse," said Kara Van Hoose, spokesperson with Colorado Parks and Wildlife.

The victim's identity and cause of death will be released by the Larimer County Coroner.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife is investigating the death as a suspected mountain lion attack.

"There were signs that this was consistent with a mountain lion attack but we can't say for sure," Van Hoose told reporters Thursday. She said it's believed the woman was hiking alone.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife, along with Larimer County Sheriff deputies, Estes Park police and Glen Haven Area Volunteer firefighters responded and launched an extensive search for mountain lions. They were aided by a Colorado Parks and Wildlife biologist who was conducting aerial deer surveys in the county and houndsmen with dogs to track the scent of mountain lions.

One mountain lion was located at the scene but it ran away when officers shot it. It was tracked by the officers and euthanized, the release said.

A second mountain lion was found nearby shortly after and also euthanized, the release said. Colorado Parks and Wildlife policy mandates that wildlife involved in attacks on humans must be euthanized for public safety.

"It is unknown if one or multiple animals were involved in the suspected attack," the Colorado Parks and Wildlife release said.

Pathologists will perform a necropsy on the mountain lions to check for abnormalities and neurological diseases like rabies and avian influenza.

They will also be tested for human DNA, Van Hoose said. If the lions don't prove to have evidence of human DNA, a search will continue.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife said mountain lion attacks on humans in Colorado are considered rare, with 28 previous attacks reported to the agency since 1990. The last fatal attack was 27 years ago, in 1999.

Van Hoose described the area as remote and heavily wooded, with some secluded trails.

"This is an area where mountain lions are really common, along with a lot of other wildlife like bears and moose," she said. "Because mountain lion are really common in this area, we do expect to have conflicts with regular things like sightings or encounters with dogs."

The agency noted that hikers should expect to encounter wildlife along the Front Range and Larimer County, and mountain lions are more visible in the winter as they follow deer and elk to lower elevations.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife advised anyone who may encounter a mountain lion to make noise and scare them, hold objects overhead to appear bigger and back away from the animal.

byAdministrator

in

January 01, 2026

Woman dies in suspected mountain lion attack on Colorado trail

A woman has died in a rare suspected mountain lion attack in Colorado on Thursday, officials said. Hikers told authorities they saw a moun...

Read More

76 Times Guys Mansplained Something To Women With Peak Confidence And Zero Accuracy

I'm a big fan ofphotography. I've been doing it for years, and I know my way around a camera. But I can't even count how many times, mostly when I was younger, a random man—always a man—stopped me mid-shot on the street to "correct" me and offer completely unsolicited tips.

That's the thing aboutmansplaining: it shows up when you're least asking for it, usually delivered with a confidence that doesn't match the facts. And it's rarely limited to cameras. Women onRedditshared the most bizarre, patronizing "lectures" they've gotten from men, and some of them are so ridiculous you can't help butlaugh. Scroll down to read their stories.

Someone mansplained my area of expertise, and then posted a link to a paper to prove his point.I wrote the paper.*chef kiss*.

© Photo:SueBeee

It was my partner, but he sent me some stats about toxic shock syndrome and reminded me to change my tampon.I was like dude, I have been getting my period for 32 years.

© Photo:QueenAmalasunta

I had an ex tell me that women always know immediately when they are pregnant. I tried to explain it is not that simple because women (like myself) can have irregular periods and not know for sure if they miss one or two periods. But no, he told me all women know ASAP. So therefore there is no reason for abortions (not his exact words but basically that was the point he was trying to make).

© Photo:Girlwithatreetat

My period is because I'm unhealthy and healthy women only have a dot of blood that's why it's called a period…..

© Photo:Lyassa

I was a wildlife biologist for a logging company. Hired because I can identify over 300 species of birds via sight and sound. One staff member described a fox sparrow to me, let him know what he saw. Another man told me how that's not possible and it was some other type of sparrow. I asked how he knew and if he had birding experience, no he worked with wolves and no birds. He just didn't like that I knew birds and he didn't lmao.

© Photo:whatasmallbird

One time, I went with my brother to buy a new pair of composite toe boots for work. I was trying on two different pairs of boots when a guy who worked there came up and asked if my brother needed assistance. My brother redirected the guy to me since I was the actual customer. The guy looked at me and told me that those boots were too big for me without actually having seen my feet. I explained that they are the correct size and that I go up a half size so that I have the option of adding an additional layer of thick wool socks. The guy then proceeded to tell me that I shouldn't wear wool socks because cheap cotton ones from Walmart work just fine. I patiently explained that wool socks are, in fact, more durable, antimicrobial, and still insulate when wet.He then told me that I didn't need anything heavy duty for working in the garden and definitely didn't need composite toe boots. I was so livid at that point but I remained calm and explained that my job involves working outside and surveying steep terrain in awful weather conditions. So, I need the heavy duty boots and wool socks. The guy still tried to tell me my boot size was wrong. I then turned to my brother and said that we should leave and that I would not be spending money at that establishment. His mansplaining lost him a $300 sale.

© Photo:Icy-Elk3698

I had an ex mansplain how mortgages work which doesn't sound too weird except that I was a mortgage banker and he was essentially financially illiterate.

© Photo:beer_hearts

I was working as an art instructor. He told me that "Real Artists" mix their own white paint by combining all the colors on their palette. I said "Oh really, I'd never heard that before." His assertion was false. That gets you brown/black. But I didn't correct him, because I knew one day, someone else would, and he'd think back to what he told me, and think "Man she must've thought I was an idiot," cuz yes, yes I did, and still do.

© Photo:iceariina

Pregnancy. Prolifer dude explained to me that a healthy pregnancy places no physical burden on and poses no risks to the pregnant person.

© Photo:CerebellumPirate

When my youngest was 9 years old, the guy I was talking to told me that HIS therapist told him that MY anxiety/depression was caused by Post Partum Hormones.

© Photo:anon

I was working on a cross stitch project on an overnight shift work to fill the time and he told me I was doing it wrong. I asked if he did this craft. No, no he did not. He didn't do any crafts and had never in fact ever cross stitched or even held a needle. He just thought I was doing it wrong.

© Photo:Rainbow-Mama

Bra size. He was convinced that the sizes were only lemons, apples, melons. (I am assuming small lemons?)I had to pull out a whiteboard and draw out bodies to explain band size, cup size and breast shape.

© Photo:troubledanger

When my husband and I first started dating (way back in high school) I mentioned wanting to take a hot bath because of my cramps. He told me I should be taking a cold bath instead because heat is bad for cramps.I told him I'd see him after my hot bath.

© Photo:RockabillyBelle

That it was worse for him to have had a catheter than when I did.Because his went into his urethra and mine went into my V, according to him.He is not the only man I've been with who thinks [like this].

© Photo:MellyMJ72

What city I lived in. I lived in a major metro so people refer to various areas by their neighborhood name like normal. He insisted I did not live in the city. I did.

© Photo:MistletoeMinx

My absolute favorite (in the worst way) was a know-it-all who was sure that the Ivy League University I went to did not offer my degree.I told him the subject of my MFA and he expressed his doubts that it existed in the curriculum of my university.I assured him that as someone who Holds That Degree from That University I was certain that it does indeed exist.Tf?A few weeks later he cheerfully let me know that he had researched it and confirmed that --  sure enough, my degree really is offered by that university!It was as if he was proudly breaking good news of this discovery to me.

© Photo:anon

How to wash blood out of clothing.Sir, I have been washing blood out of clothing since I was 11 years old. GRRRRR…..

© Photo:chicagotodetroit

How to do the job I am literally getting paid to teach them how to do, on their very first day of training. This has happened more than once.

© Photo:HauntedOryx

My own height. I'm 5'6" (~168cm). Supposedly his shoulder was 5'4", and I came up to his shoulder; therefore I could not possibly be taller than 5'4".

© Photo:CyanocittaAtSea

A woman's ovulation. He didn't get a single thing right.

© Photo:Academic-Drop9366

My balding male partner was telling me the best technique for cutting curly hair. I have had long curly hair for over 40 years. Just for funsies: he goes to a guy who one time trimmed only one of his eyebrows so one was trimmed and one was Gandalf looking until his next cut!

© Photo:crying_boobs

My husband told me I was wrong about where my hometown—where he had only been once—was located on a map.

© Photo:LiveOnFive

My brother in law told me all about dogs and their behaviors. Complete with why they do what they do, how it relates to their wild ancestors, and how to interpret their body language. When I tried to tell him some of his "facts" were incorrect, he went on to talk over me and explain why *I* was wrong.I've been a veterinary technician for 24 years. He knows this. But please, go on. Tell me *ALL* about dogs and why they do what they do.

© Photo:CatmoCatmo

Why abortion is wrong (he thought women get their first period at the average age of 20).

© Photo:anon

I'm an accountant with a degree in business management and my dad once mansplained the difference between profit and revenue for a whole hour long car ride.

I used to occasionally write for a news satire site. I shared a piece *I* wrote on Facebook with a quote. A man I know commented explaining to me that the piece was satire and that I had missed the joke, telling me what the author's true intention was.

© Photo:omnombooks

I had a guy I was planning a date with tell me I wanted to have at least one kid.Note in my profile I was clear that I was firmly child free.Second I have had complications due to PCOS and am all but certainly sterile.There was no date. Conveniently the next week a different man slipped into my DMs and we've been together for three years and share three cats.

© Photo:YFMAS

Once I said that I didn't like the name of our college improv group. I thought it was pretentious. One of the other members explained to me what it meant.

© Photo:anon

My favorite is always, "that's not what mansplaining is. Mansplaining is this: …".

© Photo:heckfyre

I was the lone woman in a doctoral seminar on I don't even remember what it was now, but some pimply-faced 21 year-old kid tried to mansplain to me about the shortcomings of 2nd wave feminism. *Junior, I* ***was there.***.

© Photo:glycophosphate

How menstruation works.P.S. I was in my 30s and he wasn't a medical professional.

© Photo:Helpful_Hour1984

Pre- and post-increment. I had 4 years C++ and another 4 of Java by this stage. He got it wrong.

This is more of a general habit I've noticed but a lot of men will explain my own jokes to me.Like I'll say something sarcastically, and they'll be like "that doesn't make sense, that's not how that works, etc."Like yea, that's the joke.I realized after a while that they just think no woman is smart enough to make a joke, so I must genuinely believe what I said.So now they need to explain it to me.

My dart team wanted to get shirts with the team name on it. I said I was concerned for my personal safety walking in/out of bars with that written on my shirt due to the double entrendre. I then had 3 guys explaining to me how it's a "legitimate dart question" and I'm overreacting....One, Do not recite the deep magic to me, boy. I was already playing at home and running match results at tournaments in 1980 - when I was FIVE.Two, the team name was "Is It In?" *slow blink*.

We were both engineers. We went to a dinner where the service was ok. I was mentally calculating a 15 and a 20% tip in my head because it wasn't horrible service, but I didn't want to leave 20%. I guess he noticed I was taking a little longer than he thought appropriate and tried to mansplain how to calculate a 20% tip.I called him out on it by saying "are you seriously manslpaining math to me?!?!" The whole table found it hilarious. He laughed, but you could tell he wasn't happy. Our lead was doubled over laughing though.

I went on a tour of this historic house a couple of years back. There was a little piece of folk art depicting a woman who had just given birth to her 7th child rigging up a flag to signal to her neighbors that she had the kid. I chuckled and made a joke along the lines of hey, maybe her husband or one of the half dozen other kids should do that for her. The tour guide didn't skip a beat when he said "actually, childbirth is really hard."I'm a woman.I was on the tour with my then-husband, who saw my face and burst out laughing. We're both clearly cisgendered. So is the tour guide, he made a point of telling us so when he told us later on about a train sim game he loves. I happen to also be a woman who really digs trains too so the whole tour ended on a relatively good note. But still, wow.That was both a highly weird but also super hilarious example. At least I got a kick out of it.

I once had a man, who was not Australian, explain to me, an Australian, all about koalas. So I was mansplained AND koalasplained to.

A random guy tried to explain the history behind MY LAST NAME. The best part was that he was totally incorrect in his assumption about the meaning of the name and where my family originated from.Several random men (who were not doctors) have tried explaining to me how MY OWN DISABILITIES work. Everything they said was laughably incorrect.

Weirdest ever has got to be when a guy mansplained how marrying him would solve all my problems.He knew it was weird to keep bringing this up, but he had to explain again how marrying him was the clear answer: I'd have health insurance through him, he could pay for half of my monthly mortgage (and thus somehow equally own my home), etc, etc.This man was living at home with his mother for free, and didn't earn enough to be able to afford to pay for half of my monthly mortgage.Also, we weren't dating. 🙃.

I work in IT, basically the master of all for the company I work for. I was trying to fix a computer tied to our AV entertainment system one day. This guy, who is one of our facilities folks, is notorious for trying to do IT related things because "you don't need a degree in computer science for this" (he told this to my best friend who is one of the other facilities people), started telling me that maybe I should try to see if it's X and not Z. He launches into this whole spiel about changing to use gold tipped HDMI cables over the silver tipped cables. That wasn't even the problem. So I started at him in the eye sockets of his soul, unplug one of the gold tipped HDMI cables from the system just to show him and plugged it back in. Surprise, that wasn't the problem.I've learned to always stare at him without blinking if he mansplains. I've really perfected my dry humor and sarcasm, so it makes him extra uncomfortable.

Math. I have a bachelor's in mathematics and work in a STEM field. He had a high school diploma and worked in a blue collar job but thought he needed to explain to me that if 10% of people do something, that means 10 out of every 100 people do this thing.

I was once dealing with an extreme depression and was crying talking to my mother and I said "I feel like my body is just an empty vessel just going through the motions" and her boyfriend at the time scoffed and said "Actually, a vessel is a boat."

When I was in college I went home on break and met up with some of the people from high school, and we were talking about what we were studying, and I showed them all a website I'd made in one of my classes. And of the guys - who was a chemistry major, not a computer scientist - started mansplaining to me and everyone else how my website worked. The website I built. And worse, pretty much everything he said was wrong.He didn't seem happy when I told him that.

My father in law was trying to explain evolution to me. I have a degree in archaeology with specialization in early hominid evolution. When I reminded him of this, he said, "Oh I thought you studied dinosaurs."

My former landlord was in our house fixing something and saw vinegar by the washer. We said we use it for laundry, and he then proceeded to explain that all women should douce with vinegar. Looked dubious when we said women shouldn't douce at all and never with vinegar.

I am a professional programmer.Need I say anything else?

I had a man once explain to me, that women like myself, needed to stay away from horses during our periods or the horse will smell our pheromones and want to mate.

My own taste in music. He tried to explain to me that I don't actually like the music that I do because all women have the same taste in music. He was convinced that every woman on earth likes Buckcherry. I do not. I'd bet money that most women do not.

My own dad once went on a tangent about the differences between coffee drinks like what makes a latte different from a capacino after he told me a fun fact about coffee I genuinely didn't know all because he went on vacation to Italy and learned about it, I have been a barista since I was 17 lol.

My dad tried to tell me he could make a better turkey than him for thanksgiving. I was a sous chef at the time. He thought it was best to try two birds that year if I was so confident. In the morning, while I was making every single other dish for the meal, he smugly asked what time he should have his bird ready. I told him 5pm. His was done at 3. And it was dry. Mine was perfectly rested at 5, with a pan gravy, stuffing, homemade bread, salad, homemade cranberry sauce, stuffing, mashed potatoes, roasted brussel sprouts, as well as multiple desserts. It was moist as [hell] and he never tried to make a bird when I was home again.

I'm a 53yr old woman. I had a dinner meeting with a potential client and my 24yr old male coworker took it upon himself to explain to me how I should dress and how to subtly flirt with the prospect to get the deal done. He was wrong btw. That's not how I do business and yes I did get the deal closed.

What a movie prop is because he's "in the industry". Dude worked at blockbuster. I was (still am) a union theatre tech with a theatre design degree. But thanks?

Why I shouldn't receive epidural while giving birth 🙄.

That a still menstruating woman in her late 30s/early 40s cannot possibly get pregnant cuz they're too old.

I tweeted that a certain politician was "no Jack Kennedy". (This was a reference to a classic vice-presidential debate moment when Lloyd Bentsen told Dan Quayle: "I served with Jack Kennedy.I knew Jack Kennedy. Jack Kennedy was a friend of mine. Senator, you're no Jack Kennedy.")A mansplainer presumed to advise me that JFK's name was John and no one ever called him "Jack".I replied that Lloyd Bentsen must not have known JFK as well as he'd claimed to.A third person posted video of the debate moment, describing it as very famous.To the vast surprise of no one with two X chromosomes, the mansplainer never apologized.

Just the other day actually a man mansplained to me what women want in media representation. And the best part was that he couldn't have possibly been more wrong or sexist about it. But he sure was confident.Seriously what is wrong with these men?

How to apply mascara, lol.

A male friend and I were going to a movie. We wanted to grab a bite first, but we were a little short on time, so we decided to stop at Wendy's. My friend told me his order, dropped me at the door to the Wendy's, and went to park the car.When the order came, he unwrapped his burger. The conversation went as follows:Him: Ew. Ick.Me: Is there something wrong with your burger?Him: This is the part where you say, "I didn't know what you wanted, so I told them [pickles and onions]." (I actually don't recall at this point precisely what the offending fix-ins were.)Me: I didn't tell them that.Him: What did you say when they asked you?Me: They didn't ask me.Him: Wendy's always asks.Me: No, clearly they don't, because they didn't ask me.Him: But Wendy's always asks.Me: Do you want me to get you another burger?Him: No, I'll just scrape it off.20 minutes later, back in the car, on the way to the movie:Him: Did you tell them to put that stuff on my burger?Me: No! I told you that!Him: I thought you misunderstood.

Had a guy explain "float" to me (the financial term). After he finished I told him I worked in financial technology for 20 years. He just kinda nodded. 😆

A movie that he had never seen.

I was working at a retail store in my 20s. Our payment system was down so I was doing people's bills on paper. A man told me how much sales tax was and how to calculate it. I was a math major in university at the time.

Counting... and mopping.A male coworker saw me mopping the floors and proceeded to tell me how it's easier to break the area into sections. I told him thanks, but no thanks. I've been mopping these floors for years and know what I'm doing. He wouldn't let up, and instead proceeded to repeat himself, seeming to think I didn't understand the concept of breaking down a kitchen floor into sections, showing me how I can use nearby objects to line up and cut off sections and my fingers to count the spaces. Literally showed me his hand and how he raises a finger for each number ffs.Which, side note, the way he wanted me to mop was wrong anyway lol. I thought it was common sense to start at one end and finish at the other so you didn't walk over the clean floors but apparently it's not.

A guy in college asked me if I could be immortal, would I choose that. I thought about it for like 30 second and was like, No, it sounds lonely, and that youd get bitter and it would be pointless to be without family and friends. (It was a only you in all the world.) He proceeded to tell me of course I would choose to be immortal, and to forget all that stupid emotional stuff.He was a weird pale creepy guy. Maybe he was a vampire. Or had a vampire obsession.

Women's safety. Happens so often I go out of my way to avoid the topic even coming up. They are the experts and women are hysterical and anything bad that happens to any woman anywhere is a black swan and certainly never due to any kind of structural or individual blindness or bias.

When I was 16, I waited tables and a guy mansplained to me the proper way to fill a glass with half sweet, half unsweet tea. I couldn't tell you which I did first, but he wanted me to know that you have to put unsweet first and then sweet because of density. Like just stir it with your spoon omfg.

I had been working in the software industry making software talk to each other for 20 years. He explained to me what an API was. I told him that I'd been doing this a while and he didn't need to explain that. He kept explaining. 20 years prior when I started working in this area of IT, this man was a literal child.

An IT geek, upon hearing that I was a primary caregiver for a family member with cancer, decided to explain cancer caregiving to me.

Just had a man speak to our whole company about how women don't get ignored or gaslit at physician visits, just hospitals. This is so incorrect.

I used to work overnight from 12am-8am12am is the start of the next day. So it would be like Wednesday then 12am hits and it's now ThursdayMy very much older male coworker tried to tell me what days of the week I worked not realizing 12am is a new day.He argued hardcore with me on it. Like dude I know what days I work.He also argued with me once that packages aren't mail.When FedEx or UPS came we would say the mail came and doing the mail as we had to sort it and make copies of the slips.His face turned red and as he screamed at me that it wasn't mail and he tried telling me what mail is and isn't.

A guy at work tried to explain to me what solitaire game I was playing on my phone.  He basically walked by me on break and I was playing freecell on my phone and he saw the cards asked if I was playing spider solitaire, I let him know that I wasn't, I was playing freecell.  He then proceeded to tell me that I was wrong about what game I was playing and started explaining what freecell is.  I was like I know, it's the game I currently playing.  And just to add to it once he finally admitted that I was playing freecell, he started going off about how I should try spider solitaire because it's fun (just to be clear, by this point I had explained the difference between the two games enough that any reasonable human would realize that I was very familiar with both games.).

I was once mansplained about white stereotyping of Asian people and how "most white people picturing an Asian woman are gonna think of like a K-Pop star" to me, an Asian afab person.

I made a post about this before, but I had a guy mansplain what a lighter was to me, when I was inquiring about a lighter-log. I forget what they are actually called, but all of our wood was wet that night and we were planning a bonfire so I needed a lighter log to help the damp wood catch a flame. He asked me (SO SMUGGLY OMG) if I "know what a lighter is?" and I explained that I needed the log because our wood was too wet for just a lighter to catch. He got quiet while we just stared at eachother and then came back with "Well, you ever tried using a bigger lighter?" Mind you, this guy wasn't even the employee who was helping me, he was just some guuuyyyyyy lol. I walked down the aisle to where the employee directed me and found what I was looking for, and I hear this man shout out behind me "SO YOU DO KNOW WHAT A LIGHTER IS THEN!".

I once phoned someone at work to confirm a small detail (should be a 30-60s call). He decided to explain basically 50% of my job to me for about 5 minutesAlso this wasn't a random member of the public it was a clerk I often spoke to a few times a week.

How to break up a bag of ice"So what you're gonna wanna do is drop it and then pick it up and drop it again".

Lolita fashion. Lolita can be worn by anyone of any gender but it def skews feminine. I had worn it for 20 years at this point.

How to use a fork.

byAdministrator

in

January 01, 2026

76 Times Guys Mansplained Something To Women With Peak Confidence And Zero Accuracy

I'm a big fan ofphotography. I've been doing it for years, and I know my way around a camera. But I can't eve...

Read More

Lukas Nelson Explains How Quitting Weed, Drinking Helped Him 'Not Want to Run Away from Myself': 'Great Feeling' (Exclusive)

Matthew Berinato

NEED TO KNOW

• Lukas Nelson reveals why he quit drinking and smoking weed

• The musician says it was largely for a desire to get good sleep, but wound up doing more

• "I get high from making the right decision every time," he says

Lukas Nelsonhas his sleep to thank for helping him get into the best shape of his life.

The singer-songwriter, 37, opens up to PEOPLE in this week's issue about his decision tostop drinking and smoking marijuanaaround two years ago, which was largely inspired by a desire to get some good sleep.

"Every time I took a drink or smoked weed, it just f----d my sleep up. I think I honestly can credit the WHOOP band for making me stop drinking," he says of the fitness band that tracks exercise and sleep metrics. "Because I was just like, even one drink, it just screws it up so bad that I was like, 'I'd rather wake up feeling good.'"

Nelson, the son of country legend and known marijuana aficionadoWillie Nelson, says he was never the biggest fan of drinking anyway, but smoking weed was harder to quit.

"I got clear with myself and I faced a lot of my fears and I realized they weren't that scary after all," he says. "Now I can be clear with myself and not want to run away from myself, which is great. I get high from making the right decision every time. I'm addicted to that high now of saying no. It's a great feeling."

Gilbert Flores/Billboard via Getty

Among those fears? Flying, which Nelson saysinspired him to get his pilot's license.

"I got my pilot's license, and did all these things that I wanted to do that when I was smoking a lot of weed, I never would've tried, because I'd have figured I probably shouldn't do both those things at the same time," he says.

The "Disappearing Light" singer previously toldRolling Stone'sNashville Nowpodcast that he doesn't consider himself "completely" sober, as he still does mushrooms once or twice a year.

He also spoke about Willie'sreaction to his quitting weedon Howard Stern's SiriusXM radio show.

"My father, of anyone, respects someone for being who they are and their individuality," he explained, adding that the "biggest lie" he ever believed was that he was supposed to "make the mistakes that your heroes make."

Willie, 92, has alsostopped smoking weed, as he said in June his body has had enough.

"My lungs have already said, 'Don't do that,'" he said. "So I don't really do anything now much except a few edibles."

Nelson and his famous father will go up against one another at the 2026 Grammy Awards, as both have albums nominated in the Best Traditional Country Album category. His debut solo album,American Romance, came out earlier this year, while Willie is up for his albumOh What a Beautiful World.

"I was kind of an awkward kid. I wondered who I was in the context of being the son of someone famous," says Nelson. "Music gave me an avenue to put all my pain into and transform it like alchemy into something beautiful. It really did save my life. It kept me from going down dark paths, and it's given me a sense of meaning and purpose and confidence."

Read the original article onPeople

byAdministrator

in

January 01, 2026

Lukas Nelson Explains How Quitting Weed, Drinking Helped Him 'Not Want to Run Away from Myself': 'Great Feeling' (Exclusive)

Matthew Berinato NEED TO KNOW Lukas Nelson reveals why he quit drinking and smoking weed The musician says it was largely for a desire to...

Read More

Search underway for 4-year-old Alabama boy missing since New Year's Eve

A search is underway in Alabama for a 4-year-old boy who has been missing since Wednesday morning, and whose father has been arrested on a separate explosives-related charge.

Johnathan Everett Boley was last seen at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday near Highway 195, in a wooded and rural area of Jasper, Alabama, according to theAlabama Law Enforcement Agency. Jasper is a small city located about 40 miles northwest of Birmingham.

He is described as white with blond hair and blue eyes. He was last seen wearing a yellow Mickey Mouse shirt, black pants and Paw Patrol shoes.

The Walker County Sheriff's Office received a call about the missing child around 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sheriff Nick Smith told reporters Thursday.

Smith said it was reported to authorities that Johnathan was with his 6-year-old brother and their dog when he disappeared. It was not immediately clear where his older brother is.

Law enforcement searched Johnathan's home and launched an air and ground search using helicopters with thermal detection and canines that went until 3 a.m. and resumed later Thursday morning, Smith said.

Explosives-related charge

Smith told reporters that explosive devices were found on the child's father's property during the search and law enforcement had to "take care" of the devices before they could execute a thorough search warrant.

The father was arrested on an explosives-related charge, Smith said. He said the charge had "nothing to do" with the search for Johnathan, but "it is still a factor that is hindering our search," Smith said.

Smith described the father, whom he did not name, as being formerly in the military.

It's not clear why explosives were at the home.

"Neighbors have said they've been hearing explosions for weeks now. They didn't really know where it was coming from. The morning before the [missing person] report came in, one of the neighbors reported that they heard an explosion about 4 a.m. that morning, they just didn't know where it came from. Can't say that that's in any kind of connection to the missing child," Smith said.

Johnathan's parents are separated, and the child's mother moved to Florida last year. As part of the custody agreement the father was given five days a year for visitation, Smith said.

The mother went to Alabama from Florida on Wednesday evening and is cooperating with authorities, according to the sheriff. The father was interviewed by the FBI on Wednesday, he said.

The search

The area where Johnathan was reported missing is heavily wooded and rural.

Smith said there isn't any indication the child is in the woods, but they continue to search the area.

"We've got no thermal, no imagery from the helicopter and drones," he explained.

Smith also noted that the dog Johnathan was last with is still missing.

"Talking to one of the neighbors, that dog showed up pretty much every day on their game cameras at their corn feeder. The last time that he has the dog on his camera was on the 26th, the afternoon of the 26th," the sheriff said.

At least eight potential explosive devices were found across the street from the father's home in a wooded area, halting the volunteer search effort, Smith said.

The devices were later cleared as not explosive, and volunteers can recommence helping with the search at 7 a.m. Friday, he said.

Smith commended the support in the search saying 126 first responders from multiple nearby agencies and 161 volunteers helped cover over 500 acres on Thursday alone.

byAdministrator

in

January 01, 2026

Search underway for 4-year-old Alabama boy missing since New Year's Eve

A search is underway in Alabama for a 4-year-old boy who has been missing since Wednesday morning, and whose father has b...

Read More

What we know about a Minneapolis day care center that was highlighted in video about alleged fraud

It may now be the most famous – or infamous – sign in the country. Posted above a door on Nicollet Avenue in Minneapolis, the Quality Learning Center was missing an "n."

For aconservative content creatorattempting to call out fraud – and the supporters who made his video on day care centers in Minneapolis' Somali community viral – it seemed too absurd not to mention.

"This is Quality 'Learing' Center," Nick Shirley said, pointing to the sign. "They spelled 'learning' wrong."

Shirley's 42-minute video posted the day after Christmas quickly spread, promptingstepped up immigration enforcement,frozen federal fundsand morebiting rhetoricagainst the Somali community from President Donald Trump.

Although Shirley's encounters with other businesses were often more dramatic, the misspelled sign and its locked door made Quality Learning Center a focus of criticism aimed at the state government and Gov. Tim Walz for a system opponents say has allowed fraud to run rampant in Minnesota.

"These are not real businesses," Shirleytold CNN's Whitney Wildthis week, pointing to the Quality Learning Center. A man identifying himself as a manager for the centertold a local TV stationthere was "no fraud going on whatsoever."

CNN is looking into Shirley's claims that this and other Minneapolis-area day care centers are committing fraud.

Federal law enforcement has beeninvestigating fraudin Minnesota forseveral years, and "98 individuals have been charged in our ongoing fraud against the government cases," Assistant US Attorney Melinda Williams told CNN Tuesday. No fraud charges have been filed against Quality Learning Center.

Records show the business has faced repeated questions of whether the service it is providing is meeting state standards, but none of the violations suggested fraud.

Here's what we know about the Quality Learning Center.

According to figures provided to CNN by the state House Republican Caucus, Quality Learning Center was set to receive $1.9 million from theChild Care Assistance Program– known as CCAP – for 2025. It has received nearly $10 million from CCAP since 2019, the document shows.

The caucus told CNN the funding figures were obtained from the state Department of Human Services, which did not respond to CNN's request for confirmation Wednesday.

State GOP leadership said they raised concerns about day care centers, including Quality Learning Center, months ago.

"The (House)fraud committee… featured a number of these apparently vacant sites in a hearing that took place all the way back in February, which also included the infamous Quality Learning Center featured in the viral video," state House Speaker Lisa DemuthsaidMonday.

CCAP does not take applications directly from day care centers. Instead, qualified working parents and other eligible caregivers who make less than the program's income limitapplydirectly to the state for assistance, which is paid to the day care center.

A budgetforecastproduced in November by the agency that runs CCAP says it's projected to cost the state $56 million in the 2025 fiscal year. Another $101 million in funding for the program was expected to come from the federal government.

Quality Learning Center's most recent inspection – which state officials say are done unannounced – was on June 23, the facility'slicensing recordshows.

"There have been ongoing investigations involving several of those centers. None of those investigations uncovered findings of fraud," state Department of Children, Youth, and Families Commissioner Tikki Brown said Monday of centers covered in Shirley's video, adding that new site visits would be conducted this week. The department did not respond to multiple requests from CNN for whether those additional visits have been completed and what the results were.

"There's no fraud going on whatsoever," said Ibrahim Ali, who identified himself as a manager and son of the owners of Quality Learning Center, toCNN affiliate KAREon Monday. He said Shirley's video was taken before the business had opened for the day.

"If you look around, there's cars now because our employees are here, our children are here," he said on Monday.

Shirley's video came 11 months after a similar visit to Quality Learning Center from a reporter forlocal TV station KSTP, who also was told by a worker that the building was not yet open because it provides after-school care, with posted operating hours of 2 to 10 p.m.

State DHSrecordsshow Quality Learning Center was cited for 121 violations from May 2022 to June 2025, including 10 in the most recent inspection, listed as a licensing review. Citations included having an unqualified substitute and failing to have proper documentation for children's medicine. None of the violations suggest that the building was empty.

The state records also show correction documents were submitted and approved in response to the violations.

But even without allegations of fraud, Quality Learning Center's license has previously been in jeopardy.

In May 2022, site inspectors found 27 violations, 10 of them repeats of previous violations.

"Due to the serious and chronic nature of these violations, and the conditions in the program, which impact the health and safety of children in your care, your license to provide childcare services is placed on a conditional status for two years," said a publicly filednoticein June 2022.

Although Shirley's video implied the day care was empty, several of the violations noted in that report involved overcrowding, with too many children in some rooms and too few adults supervising them.

Staff lacked training, the 2022 notice said, and one person misidentified themselves to investigators.

The citation focused on a lack of documentation for many children. "There were several children present who did not have files," the letter says, adding that "staff were unable to provide the first and last names for most of the children present."

Although it remained on conditional status for two years, Quality Learning Center was never suspended, according to state records. It has twice been fined $200 for allowing the background check on an employee to expire.

On Tuesday afternoon, the sidewalk in front of the facility had become a hive of activity – including the return of Nick Shirley – as media and Shirley supporters watched adults escorting children in and out. A CNN crew was kept back from the property, told by an unidentified person that being in the parking lot would be considered trespassing.

Determining exactly how many children are served by Quality Learning Center – now, or in the past – is difficult from state records. The facility is licensed to provide care for a maximum of 99 children, but Ali, the center's manager, told KARE it serves anywhere from 50 to 80 children on an average day.

The state Department of Human Services has not responded to CNN's requests for details about enrollment figures.

CNN has been unable to reach the business or its registered owner, Siman Aden, using listed phone numbers, and it is not clear if they have an attorney.

Questions about the current status of the business were complicated by conflicting statements on Monday.

"Quality Learning Center closed just over a week ago," Brown said in anews conference, an assertion repeated in a statement to CNN from Walz's office.

But observers found kids arriving at Quality Learning Center that same afternoon, resulting in a raft of onlineconspiracytheories.Quality Learning Center "decided to remain open," a department spokesperson told theMinnesota Star Tribune.

Speaking to CNN outside the building Tuesday, Nick Shirley dismissed the idea that seeing children entering the building disproved his video.

"They're showing face right now," hesaid.

CNN reached out to Brown's agency for more information about why it initially thought the center had closed. The state licensing database shows Quality Learning Center's license was renewed through the end of 2026.

And as for that missing letter "n"? Ali told KARE it was a mistake by the graphic designer. By Tuesday, work on a fix was underway.

CNN's Whitney Wild and Chris Boyette contributed to this report.

For more CNN news and newsletters create an account atCNN.com

byAdministrator

in

January 01, 2026

What we know about a Minneapolis day care center that was highlighted in video about alleged fraud

It may now be the most famous – or infamous – sign in the country. Posted above a door on Nicollet Avenue in Minneapolis, the Quality Learn...

Read More