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Cowboys shuffling the Smiths as they face question of fielding 5 best linemen
Cowboys shuffling the Smiths as they face question of fielding 5 best linemen
The Dallas Cowboys have been shuffling the Smiths as they face the question of fielding the best five linemen in 2023
2023-06-09 18:10
Boeing assessing Lockbit hacking gang threat of sensitive data leak
Boeing assessing Lockbit hacking gang threat of sensitive data leak
By Zeba Siddiqui SAN FRANCISCO Boeing Co said on Friday it was assessing a claim made by the
2023-10-28 07:56
CNN head Chris Licht is out at the global news network after a brief, tumultuous tenure
CNN head Chris Licht is out at the global news network after a brief, tumultuous tenure
Chris Licht is out after a year as chief executive at CNN, following a series of missteps and plunging ratings
2023-06-07 21:36
KSI sidesteps queries regarding bout against Jake Paul: 'No right to be in the ring'
KSI sidesteps queries regarding bout against Jake Paul: 'No right to be in the ring'
Jake Paul and KSI are anticipated to face off in an influencer vs influencer boxing match
2023-10-24 22:03
Mexican officials roll out investment plans for southern corridor
Mexican officials roll out investment plans for southern corridor
MEXICO CITY Mexican authorities announced on Monday details of a government plan to attract businesses to a coastal
1970-01-01 08:00
The View's Sunny Hostin opens up about breast reduction surgery while discussing body positivity: 'I'm very happy with myself'
The View's Sunny Hostin opens up about breast reduction surgery while discussing body positivity: 'I'm very happy with myself'
On Friday, July 14, ‘The View’ co-hosts discussed a range of ‘Hot Topics’ and one of them included body-shaming in the early 2000s
2023-07-16 13:59
IShowSpeed meets Indian singer Daler Mehndi after singer extends collab invitation: 'Heart of gold'
IShowSpeed meets Indian singer Daler Mehndi after singer extends collab invitation: 'Heart of gold'
IShowSpeed has recently been in the spotlight for his support for cricketer Virat Kohli during the ongoing Cricket World Cup
2023-10-14 17:48
Volvo Cars' Q2 operating profit halves
Volvo Cars' Q2 operating profit halves
STOCKHOLM (Reuters) -Sweden-based automaker Volvo Cars reported a 54% fall in second-quarter operating earnings on Thursday. Volvo Cars, majority-owned by
2023-07-20 13:19
The 49ers look to get over NFC title game hump after losses the past 2 years
The 49ers look to get over NFC title game hump after losses the past 2 years
After back-to-back losses in the NFC title game, nothing short of a Super Bowl appearance could be considered a success in San Francisco
2023-08-31 00:34
You will come back to Threads sooner than you think
You will come back to Threads sooner than you think
Conventional wisdom among the extremely online holds that Threads – the Twitter-like app launched by
2023-08-03 04:54
Wood vs Lara live stream: How to watch fight online and on TV this weekend
Wood vs Lara live stream: How to watch fight online and on TV this weekend
Leigh Wood will look to exact revenge on Mauricio Lara on Saturday, as the featherweights clash in Manchester. The rematch comes just three months after Lara stopped Wood to win the WBA title, beating the Briton in his hometown of Nottingham. Mexican Lara was trailing on the scorecards but dropped “Leigh-thal” in Round 7. Wood beat the referee’s count but sustained more punishment, and his corner threw in the towel with seconds left in the round. It proved to be a controversial finish, with most observers believing that Wood would have made it to the end of the round, and some believing that he should have been given time to recover. Others, however, defended Wood’s coach Ben Davison over his decision to protect his fighter. Here’s all you need to know about the rematch. We may earn commission from some of the links in this article, but we never allow this to influence our content. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent. When is it? The fight will take place at the AO Arena in Manchester on Saturday 27 May. The main card is set to begin at 7pm BST (11am PT, 1pm CT, 2pm ET), with ring walks for the main event expected at approximately 10pm BST (3pm PT, 5pm CT, 6pm ET). How can I watch it? The event will be streamed live on Dazn, a subscription to which is available at three different price points: Monthly Saver (£9.99 per month, with a 12-month commitment), Flexible (£19.99 per month, and can be cancelled at any time), and Annual Super Saver (£99.99 as a one-off payment). Odds Lara – 4/11 Wood – 11/5 Draw – 14/1 Full odds via Betway. Full card (subject to change) Mauricio Lara (C) vs Leigh Wood 2 (WBA featherweight title) Jack Catterall vs Darragh Foley (super-lightweight) Terri Harper (C) vs Ivana Habazin (WBA women’s super-welterweight title) Danny Ball vs Jamie Robinson for (vacant English welterweight title) Aqib Fiaz vs Costin Ion (super-featherweight) Campbell Hatton vs Michal Bulak (super-lightweight) William Crolla vs TBA Aaron Bowen vs TBA Click here to subscribe to The Independent’s Sport YouTube channel for all the latest sports videos. Read More ‘Daylight robbery’: Vasiliy Lomachenko’s team plan to appeal Devin Haney defeat Katie Taylor’s long reign as boxing queen over despite heroic last stand Joe Rogan is right: Tyson Fury has ‘no chance in hell’ against Jon Jones What time does Wood vs Lara start in UK and US this weekend? Devin Haney edges past Vasiliy Lomachenko to remain unbeaten and undisputed ‘Daylight robbery’: Vasiliy Lomachenko’s team plan to appeal Devin Haney defeat
2023-05-22 21:01
Comedian Ashley Blaker on why he wants to ‘change the conversation’ around children with special needs
Comedian Ashley Blaker on why he wants to ‘change the conversation’ around children with special needs
Parenting is hard enough when you only have one or two children. So imagine how tough it can be when you have six kids – which is the case for comedian and television producer Ashley Blaker. Blaker, who’s worked on shows including Little Britain and starred in the Radio 4 series 6.5 Children about his family, has six children aged between nine and 19, two of whom have autism and ADHD, and one, who’s adopted, with Down’s Syndrome. But despite the busy load, he’s keeping a smile on his face – although he wholeheartedly admits that family life for him and his wife Gemma, a headteacher, can be challenging, particularly in relation to caring for their 15-year-old daughter Zoe, who has the mental age of a four-year-old. “We’ve really worked hard to support each other, and to make our family work,” he says. “There have been many, many times that things go a bit wrong. We have so much to worry about, it’s actually often the small stuff that gets us. “Being a parent can put you in a vulnerable place, and it can be the very littlest thing that throws everything awry. When a child has a meltdown or the support you were expecting didn’t arrive or whatever, then it can throw a massive spanner in the works.” Blaker, 48, explains that his eldest son Adam, now 19, was diagnosed with autism and ADHD when he was three – he had speech delay and was completely non-verbal until age six, ate a very restricted diet, and “he was very hard to control, very wild – he had a lot of behaviour issues”, his dad shares. His third son Dylan, now 16, was diagnosed with autism and ADHD at age six, and Blaker says both boys’ diagnoses benefitted the whole family. “It’s been a very, very helpful thing,” he explains. “My third son in particular has a very positive attitude towards his diagnosis – he loves having autism, and his diagnosis has allowed him to navigate his life in a more serene way.” The diagnoses have also helped the boys get extra support at school, and medication, and have definitely been a positive for Blaker and his wife as parents. “From our point of view as parents, it’s allowed us to go – ok, we’re not just inadequate parents,” says Blaker. “It would have been very easy to view ourselves as very bad parents, so getting that diagnosis was a very important and positive step towards being kinder to ourselves.” Despite the undeniable challenges of raising the four children they had at the time, the Blakers decided to adopt Zoe when she was two, when many couples may have shied away from adopting a child with Down’s syndrome. Why did they decide it was the right choice for them? It’s a question Blaker can’t really answer, admitting that he and his wife weren’t even considering adoption – but saw a local council advert about Zoe and answered it. It turned out to a life-changing decision both for her and for them, that they have absolutely no regrets. “She brings us unbelievable joy – she’s the greatest blessing in our life,” he says. “She’s in many ways the most impressive member of our family – probably because she’s the only one who shares none of my genes,” he jokes. “There are many challenges, but there’s such a wonderful innocence about her that sets her apart from most 15-year-old girls. She’s not on Snapchat, she’s not on the phone all night, she’s never made me take her to see Harry Styles in concert. She’s an absolute joy to be with – you can make her laugh incredibly easily, she’s the easiest audience in the world.” But despite the absolute joy Zoe and her brothers and younger sister bring to their parents, there’s no denying the Blakers’ family life is a long way from ‘normal’ – which is one of the reasons Blaker has just written a book about his unusual family, Normal Schmormal (HarperCollins, £16.99). “I really wanted to write the book that I wish I’d read 16 years ago, when my eldest son was diagnosed,” he says. “I read a lot around the subject at the time, and it was very depressing and worrying. I wanted to change the conversation a little bit on the subject of children with special needs, from being something depressing and worrying to something that’s positive, and makes our family who we are. Who wants to be normal anyway?” After Blaker finished writing the book, he was himself diagnosed as autistic with ADHD, at age 48. “Especially now I have my own diagnosis, I feel even more that it’s like: who wants to be normal anyway?” he says. “I’d lived with autistic sons over 18 years, but it was somehow only on writing about them and their hyper-fixations and sensory needs and social awkwardness that I thought I could have been writing about myself. “So I thought I’d like to at least find out – I think everyone, children included, has a desire to understand themselves, to know who they are, and explain certain aspects of their life.” So, how did his two autistic sons react when they learned their dad shared their conditions? “My eldest son was completely disinterested,” he says, “but my third son found it kind of funny. His exact words were, ‘I always knew there was something wrong with your semen’. But I do think that for both of them, it’s deepened our bond.” It’s impossible not to admire Blaker and his wife for their dedication to their family and the decisions they’ve made. Blaker concedes that he’s proud of himself – but “even prouder of my children”. He says being incredibly organised and having set routines – which he points out that kids, particularly those with special educational needs, love – has really helped the family over the years. But have he and Gemma ever had time for a break? In the past they’ve taken holidays without each other, leaving the other parent with the kids, just to get time away, he says. But he thinks taking a break is vital for carers, be they parents or otherwise, which is why he’s supporting Sense, the charity for people who are deafblind or have complex disabilities, with a new campaign highlighting the issue. The charity found 65% of carers are burnt-out or exhausted. “It’s really important to get a break, and it’s another reason why diagnoses can be crucial, because it opens up a wealth of help, like respite care,” says Blaker. “There’s a lot of help out there, but those things often need diagnoses. It’s like the magic key that opens everything up.” Ashley Blaker is supporting Sense’s new Give Carers a Break campaign. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Moschino celebrates 40 years of fashion with spectacular catwalk show From tailoring to florals: 5 key fashion trends to know for autumn/winter Cue the damson decor trend to snug up your space
2023-09-22 18:00