Wedding Dress Chain Store Files For Bankruptcy Due to Debt and Falling Bridal Dress Sales

Wedding Dress Chain Store Files For Bankruptcy Due to Debt and Falling Bridal Dress Sales

(Link): David’s Bridal laying off over 9,000 workers

 David’s Bridal, one of largest sellers of wedding gowns in the United States, is laying off thousands of workers nationwide, according to a notice filed to the Pennsylvania Department of Labor.

…David’s Bridal filed for bankruptcy in 2018 after being laden with growing debt and declining sales of wedding dresses. It emerged from bankruptcy in 2019 as it continued to try to fix the business.

(Link): Why brides are DIVORCING traditional wedding gowns: As David’s Bridal files for bankruptcy, expert reveals how women have ditched gown shopping in favor of quirky colorful designs, vintage finds and funky DIY creations

April 23, 2023
More brides are ditching convention and opting for more custom looks or gowns
Stylist Anny Choi says clients are looking for more colorful and custom looks
TikTok is also filled with brides hunting thrift stores for dresses to upcycle

…But over the years, soon-to-be newlyweds have been ditching convention and opting for more custom looks or gowns that align more with their personal tastes, largely due to the internet and social media.

(Link): David’s Bridal slashes 9,000 jobs, files for bankruptcy in Pennsylvania

David’s Bridal is filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection after it eliminated over 9,000 positions across the United States.

April 17, 2023

David’s Bridal is reportedly filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection after it eliminated over 9,000 positions across the United States. The formal-wear company has been one of the largest retailers of wedding gowns in the country.

Continue reading “Wedding Dress Chain Store Files For Bankruptcy Due to Debt and Falling Bridal Dress Sales”

Nearly Half of Single People Receive Unsolicited Nudes, Get Ghosted: Poll – and a Few Dating Tips

Nearly Half of Single People Receive Unsolicited Nudes, Get Ghosted: Poll – and a Few Dating Tips

The page I’ve linked to below has some “first date dating tips,” a few of which I’ve included in my post.

May I add another tip or two (this is especially for single women), and this is also applicable to friendships, family relationships, and any job you have (your co-workers or bosses):
Please spend time researching Narcissistic Abuse and Cluster B personality disorders (which includes but is not limited to Narcissism and Sociopathy).

Particularly if you are a woman, and you’re a shy, people pleasing or codependent woman, you may be prone to over-sharing when you meet someone new (whether a date, a co-worker, etc) because you mistakenly think that sharing personal details when you first meet someone will establish intimacy.

You need to throw that thinking, assumption, and behavior into the trash can immediately.

One reason you do NOT want to overshare early in a relationship (as one of the tips gets into below – and remember, this is applicable to friendship and co-workers too, not JUST dating) is that the person you are dating might be a Cluster B,
and a Cluster B person will exploit any personal information or weaknesses you admit to, or that they can pick up from observing you, to control or manipulate you as the relationship progresses.

Such persons (especially Vulnerable Narcissists) will get you to talk about yourself WAY too much on a first or second date (and of course psychopaths and sociopaths will use this strategy too, but it seems to be a little more of a classical move that Vulnerable Narcissists play).

They may start out acting very, very interested in you, asking you all sorts of questions about what makes you “tick,” about your background, what kind of family you come from, etc.

You need to be careful how much or what type of that information you share.

You can also choose to refuse to answer any questions out-right, just tell the person, “I choose not to answer that question.” If they keep pressing or nagging you into giving an answer, just keep repeating over and over (however many times necessary), “I decline to answer that question.”

You do not always owe other people answers (not all the time with all people in every situation – this is highly context specific, but on a first, second, third, fourth, etc., date, NO, you do NOT owe your date answers to any or all questions!), nor do you owe people justifications or explanations for whatever choices you make in life, either.

Vulnerable (also known as Covert) Narcissists (and other Cluster B persons) try to pry into your personal business and learn about weak areas and regrets as much as they can, not because they truly care about you or your background, or your likes, your triggers, or your vulnerabilities, but they want that information so that they can use it to exploit and control you with later on.

They will eventually intentionally bring up your triggers, your weak spots, and/or shame you with painful or embarrassing things you admitted to them on a first or second date.

For example, if you admit early on in a relationship to always having had body issues and insecurities, to feeling embarrassed about not being stick thin, then as time moves on, they will more than likely start mocking you about your weight, or making thinly veiled insults
– like if they walk in seeing you eating a slice of pie, they may make a low key snide dig like, “Oh, is that your second piece of pie today?,” or, “Do you really think with your weight issues you should be eating that?”

They are doing that kind of thing on purpose. It’s calculated to make you feel shame. It is deliberate.

They want to chip away at your self esteem so that you are easy to control, abuse, and manipulate.

Some of them, especially the Covert Narcissists, will sometimes feign innocence and act as though they really and truly DO care about your weight and your health when they make comments about you eating another piece of pie. But they don’t actually care about your health or your weight.

Their end goal is to shame you more so they can control you, and you unknowingly tipped them off early in the dating stages that they can use your sensitivity about your body image / weight to clobber you with down the road.

One good book on this topic to get you started, what to look for early on in dating (or in forming friendships, or what to look for on job interviews to make sure you’re not walking into a toxic work environment with an abusive boss or co-workers),
and to learn about some of the typical emotionally manipulative games Cluster B persons play on their targets, is this book:
“Psychopath Free” by Jackson MacKenzie.
The book “The Gift of Fear” by Gavin DeBecker also offers a few similar insights. 

(Link): Nearly half of single people receive unsolicited nudes, get ghosted: poll

by Jack Hobbs
March 28, 2023

Single people who’ve been ghosted or sent an unsolicited nude photo — you’re not alone.

A new poll revealed that nearly half of the single people asked have been victims of nasty dating etiquette.

The dating app Plenty of Fish created a survey along with a dating guide in partnership with life coach Michelle Elman to help single people avoid “undesirable dating behaviors and engineer more positive experiences.”

“Helping daters understand and navigate different behaviors on their dating journey is something I’m really passionate about, which is why I’ve partnered with Plenty of Fish to create the Desirable Dating Guide,” Elman told the Sun. “The guide highlights some of the negative behaviors and experiences that can occur in the dating world, while also shining a light on how singles can enact some positive change.”

According to the survey, which sampled nearly 4,000 British singles, 48% of respondents said that they received unsolicited nude photos from a match or date — with 45% of the 48% revealing that it made them feel disgusted.

Continue reading “Nearly Half of Single People Receive Unsolicited Nudes, Get Ghosted: Poll – and a Few Dating Tips”

Judge Orders Man to Pay Ex-Wife Over $200K for 25 Years of Housework – Doesn’t Jibe With Sexist Complementarian or Trad Wife Propaganda

Judge Orders Man to Pay Ex-Wife Over $200K for 25 Years of Housework – Doesn’t Jibe With Sexist Complementarian or Trad Wife Propaganda

The sub-heading of the news article below is

“Ex-wife claimed her dedication to housework left her without career prospects”

I am not anti-marriage. I am not opposed to women who, if they understand what they’re getting into, decide of their own accord to marry and be a housewife (however, I do not respect this choice if it’s done primarily or only because of church teachings, societal expectations, or family pressure).

If you are a woman, and you know in your heart of hearts that one of your big dreams or goals in life is to marry and be a housewife, then go for it! But it has to be YOUR freely chosen goal or dream, not that of your church, your parents, or your culture.

I do oppose the rigid, sexist societal, family, and religious views that tell women that their only or highest purpose in life is to marry and get pregnant.

I oppose the flip side of this rhetoric, where a society, family, or religion (or cultural, conservative commentators) shame, mock, or criticize women for not marrying or for not having children (for whatever reasons).

Too often, I’ve seen moderate to higher level complementarians argue that women should not get college degrees, and/or should not get a paying job or career.

There’s also been a new-ish trend the last year or two called “Trad Wife,” that seems mostly composed of secular women who want to live out a 1950s, June Cleaver housewife lifestyle (I may be doing a post about this later).

Super hard core wacko patriarchist Lori Alexander, of The Transformed Wife, even goes so far as to say (if I remember correctly) that single women shouldn’t get a job outside of the home and just “trust the Lord to provide.”

(Side note: that is the same advice given to Christian single women: just trust the Lord to send you a husband! Yeah, well, I did a lot of trusting in the Lord, I also tried dating sites and church single classes, and I’m still single, so that advice is bogus.)

Anyway. I have another news story on this blog of a married woman who was jobless, and she was depending on her husband’s disability (or social security? I forget which) payments, but he died in a hospital when his body bursts into flames… so now, this woman, with no job, no income, and a dead husband, has no financial means.

It’s not a wise life choice for a woman to skip college (or a trade school of some kind) and to depend wholly on a husband for financial support, when he may divorce her, she may have to divorce him, or he may die from a heart attack, car accident, or from another factor.

(Link): Court Orders Woman’s Ex-Husband to Pay Her $215K for 25 Years of Housework During Their Marriage

Ivana Moral of Spain will be paid by her former husband, who owns a flourishing gym business, according to multiple reports

(Link): Judge orders man to pay ex-wife over $200K for 25 years of housework

Ex-wife claimed her dedication to housework left her without career prospects

March 12, 2023
by Michael Lee

A Spanish judge ordered a man to pay his ex-wife $215,000 for 25 years of housework that she “exclusively” handled while they were a couple.

Ivana Moral won the judgment after arguing she was burdened by chores for the couple during their 25 years of marriage, according to a report from WSB, citing the Spanish language newspaper El Pais.

Continue reading “Judge Orders Man to Pay Ex-Wife Over $200K for 25 Years of Housework – Doesn’t Jibe With Sexist Complementarian or Trad Wife Propaganda”

A Husband and Father Died on Thanksgiving After Flames Burst Over His Body When Hospital Staff Used Defibrillator Paddles – Wife Relied on Dead Husband’s Social Security

A Husband and Father Died on Thanksgiving After Flames Burst Over His Body When Hospital Staff Used Defibrillator Paddles   – Wife Relied on Dead Husband’s Social Security

 Being married and a father didn’t save this guy.

His wife is now alone again. Marriage didn’t ultimately make her happy or protect her from loss and stress.

Also, Complementarian Christians and anti-Feminist conservatives are in error to brainwash women into thinking they can or should always count on a husband to rescue them, pay their way, etc, because what happens if that married woman doesn’t have a career of her own, no savings, and her husband dies, and she was relying on his income or social security (as was the case here)?

I am a conservative, I’ve never been a feminist, but, I also do not buy into the usual sexist, backwards propaganda other conservatives push on to women about marriage and motherhood, either.

Other conservatives think the way to ‘own the libs’ on these issues is to stupidly go in the 180 degree (opposite) direction of neo-marxist, anti-motherhood feminist, and progressive views,
and then “double down” even more on marriage, natalism, and motherhood.

They’re actually creating more problems than they’re solving with that approach, but that is their comfort zone, and they seem determined to stick to it.

This woman, if she had a career of her own and savings, might not have fallen into this situation.
And Christian Patriarchists and Complementarians actually double down on this faulty approach of advising or pressuring women to be nothing but stay at home wives and mothers, leaving them with possibly no fall-back income by which to pay their bills, if their husband dies or leaves them.
It’s very unwise advice or an unwise way to approach life.

(Link): A Tennessee husband and father died on Thanksgiving after flames burst over his body when hospital staff used defibrillator paddles

by Katie Balevic
Sat, December 3, 2022

    • A Tennessee man died after he caught on fire while hospital staff used a defibrillator on him.
    • The man’s wife was in the room when her husband caught ablaze, telling WKRN that “it just blew up.”
    • The hospital system said they are reviewing the “functionality of equipment” following the incident.

A father died in Tennessee on Thanksgiving day after he caught on fire as hospital staff attempted to use a defibrillator on him.

Bobby Ray Stark was bedridden for seven years and relied on his wife of 35 years, Kathy Stark, for care, according to WKRN. He went to the hospital for a foot infection and bed sores last month was later transferred to TriStar Centennial, where he coded and staff tried to revive him with a defibrillator, Kathy told the outlet.

“Then they started the paddles, and it just blew up, everything,” Kathy told WKRN. “I saw that, and I just burst out.”

Kathy told the outlet that she watched the flames cover her husband’s body.

Continue reading “A Husband and Father Died on Thanksgiving After Flames Burst Over His Body When Hospital Staff Used Defibrillator Paddles – Wife Relied on Dead Husband’s Social Security”

Woman Fired After Raising Concerns About Transgender Serial Killer Living in a Senior Shelter

Woman Fired After Raising Concerns About Transgender Serial Killer Living in a Senior Shelter

Again we see progressives, liberals, and Democrats prioritizing the needs and feelings of biological men (“transwomen”) above that of actual women.

(Link): Woman Fired After Raising Concerns About Transgender Serial Killer Living in a Senior Shelter

Excerpt:

by G. Gluck
Dec 7, 2022

A former social worker at a Manhattan senior shelter has filed a lawsuit against her ex-employer, claiming she lost her job after she warned her bosses that a convicted serial killer had made threats against her life while she worked at the facility.

Monica Archer was let go from her position at George Daly House, a short-term housing alternative for elderly residents in Alphabet City, even after convicted serial killer Harvey Marcelin was charged with the brutal slaying and dismemberment of a former resident. Marcelin identifies as a lesbian woman, and often uses the name “Marceline Harvey.”

The lawsuit, filed on Monday, concerned the shelter’s decision to admit Marcelin, 84, who has been placed on lifetime parole after spending 50 years in prison for the homicide and dismemberment of two women.

According to an exclusive published in the New York Post, Marcelin “made constant threats to kill” Archer and other personnel, and was permitted to keep a gun on the premises.

Continue reading “Woman Fired After Raising Concerns About Transgender Serial Killer Living in a Senior Shelter”

“Financial Infidelity” Is When A Person Hides or Withholds Money-Related Issues and Decisions from Their Partner

“Financial Infidelity” Is When A Person Hides or Withholds Money-Related Issues and Decisions from Their Partner

Abuse comes in different types, not just in the physical form – abuse can be emotional, verbal, relational, sexual, or financial.

(Link): “Financial infidelity” is when a person hides or withholds money-related issues and decisions from their partner.

While many discuss sexual infidelity as a serious breach of trust, money-related cheating can sink relationships too.

by Arman Khan.
April 18, 2022

Vinod, a 38-year-old writer, believes that for some, love is a luxury and the price you’ve to pay for it could often be crushing. He said he learnt this the hard way when, nearly a decade before gay sex was decriminalised in India, his first boyfriend cheated him off money just because Vinod could not easily break off their relationship for the fear of crushing loneliness.

“He didn’t earn much and used to borrow money from me, which at first I thought was OK,” Vinod told VICE. “At first, he would tell me that he needed the money for commuting, food, buying clothes, paying bills, etc. But with time,  it became a habit for him to borrow without even batting an eyelid. I think somewhere down the line I got him used to it as well, which I shouldn’t have.”

Vinod would keep a note of how much money he was lending but when he started noticing how his boyfriend’s wallet would never emerge from his pocket, he started asking him where the money he lent him actually went.

Continue reading ““Financial Infidelity” Is When A Person Hides or Withholds Money-Related Issues and Decisions from Their Partner”

Women Rider Preference: Uber’s New Move to Get More Female, Non-Binary Drivers- They’re Allowing Anyone Who “Identifies As Female” to be a “Woman” Driver – also: Uber Sued by Women Who Say Uber Policies Put Them At Risk of Being Raped

Women Rider Preference: Uber’s New Move to Get More Female, Non-Binary Drivers- They’re Allowing Anyone Who “Identifies As Female” to be a “Woman” Driver – also: Uber Sued by Women Who Say Uber Policies Put Them At Risk of Being Raped

(Link): Uber faces suit from women alleging sexual assault by drivers

Excerpts:

by Jessica Bursztynsky

Uber is facing a lawsuit from a firm representing women who claim they were assaulted by drivers who use the ride-hailing platform.

The complaint, filed Wednesday, claims that “women passengers in multiple states were kidnapped, sexually assaulted, sexually battered, raped, falsely imprisoned, stalked, harassed, or otherwise attacked” by their Uber drivers.

… The law firm said in a press release, “As early as 2014, Uber became aware that its drivers were sexually assaulting and raping female passengers; nevertheless, in the eight years since, sexual predators driving for Uber have continued to attack passengers, including the plaintiffs whose claims were alleged in today’s action,”

(Link): Women Rider Preference: Uber’s new move to get more female, non-binary drivers

The rideshare company has just launched a new feature to encourage more female and non-binary individuals to join up as drivers.

Emily Cosenza
May 11, 2022

Uber has launched a new in-app feature that allows its women and non-binary drivers to indicate a preference for accepting women-rider-only trip requests.

The rideshare company has added the Women Rider Preference to provide its drivers with more choice over the rides they accept and give them more confidence to drive during optimum earning hours, like in the evening.

It is accessible through the Uber Driver app and allows female and non-binary drivers to indicate a preference to only pick up women.

Drivers who identify as female and non-binary will automatically have access to the feature.

Continue reading “Women Rider Preference: Uber’s New Move to Get More Female, Non-Binary Drivers- They’re Allowing Anyone Who “Identifies As Female” to be a “Woman” Driver – also: Uber Sued by Women Who Say Uber Policies Put Them At Risk of Being Raped”

British Couple Whose French B&B Dream Ended in Tragedy When Husband ‘Strangled His Wife in Murder-Suicide’ After They Ran Out of Money

British Couple Whose French B&B Dream Ended in Tragedy When Husband ‘Strangled His Wife in Murder-Suicide’ After They Ran Out of Money

The mind boggles – you run out of funds, so you off your spouse and yourself??? What???

Better to be single than married to a guy who thinks it’s acceptable to strangle you to death when your finances go down the drain.

(Link): British Couple Whose French B&B Dream Ended in Tragedy When Husband ‘Strangled His Wife in Murder-Suicide’ After They Ran Out of Money

by Nick Fagge
April 26, 2022

These are the first pictures of a British couple whose dream of opening a bed and breakfast in the foothills of the Pyrenees Mountains ended in tragedy when they ran out of money.

French investigators believe John Boyes, 64, strangled his wife Kathryn, 65, to death before hanging himself at their picturesque countryside home near Toulouse in the south of France which they had planned to open as a bed and breakfast.

The couple were found dead inside the property in Boudrac, a village with a population of around 130 people, on Sunday after concerned friends who had not heard from them in several days went to investigate.

Continue reading “British Couple Whose French B&B Dream Ended in Tragedy When Husband ‘Strangled His Wife in Murder-Suicide’ After They Ran Out of Money”

Church Sued by Employee who Resigned for Cohabitating with Boyfriend Wins in Court

Church Sued by Employee who Resigned for Cohabitating with Boyfriend Wins in Court

(Link): Court: WI church free to hold employees accountable to its religious beliefs

Excerpts:

Feb 24, 2022
by: Brenda Ordonez

MADISON, Wis. (WFRV) – A Madison church will be able to continue requiring its employees to share and live out its religious beliefs.

The Wisconsin Court of Appeals ruled Thursday in favor of Capitoland Christian Center Church after a former employee filed a lawsuit against the church back in 2015 alleging that officials had committed marital status discrimination.

According to a court filing, the complainant, Sandra Sandoval, was hired as a cook for Capitoland Christian Center Church’s daycare program in 2014.

When she started, Sandoval, like all other Capitoland Christian Center Church employees, reportedly signed a “Statement of Affirmation and Agreement.”

Part of this agreement entailed that all employees refrain from “co-habitation with members of the opposite gender outside of marriage” as a condition of their employment.

Continue reading “Church Sued by Employee who Resigned for Cohabitating with Boyfriend Wins in Court”

The Many Ways Single People Are Treated Unfairly at Work by Bella DePaulo

The Many Ways Single People Are Treated Unfairly at Work by Bella DePaulo

(Link): The Many Ways Single People Are Treated Unfairly at Work by Bella DePaulo

Excerpts:

Is it okay to ask singles to cover for their married coworkers? What about paying singles less? In a pandemic, should singles be allowed to opt out even if they are not in a risk category?


I’ve been studying singlism for a long time. Sometimes I think I’ve heard all the stereotypes, all the unfair expectations, and all the examples of discrimination against single people, and nothing will surprise me. But then I get surprised all over again.

That happened when someone emailed me, a few months before the pandemic, to see whether I would answer some questions about singles in the workplace.

I’m not going to name him, but he is someone who has written a lot and whose thinking is taken seriously.

When I first read his questions, I thought he wasn’t serious. Maybe he was just trying to get a rise out of me. But no, he was serious.

First, I’ll list three of the questions I was asked, so you can take a look for yourself and see what you think.

Then I’ll share my answers.

I’m also adding one more question, not from the person who asked me the first three, about what is expected of single workers during the pandemic.

How Would You Answer These Questions?

#1 “A boss tells an employee, “You’re single. You don’t have to race home for your spouse or kids. Someone’s got to get this work done tonight, so it seems fair I ask you to stay late.” That boss might also use that rationale to have you travel on weekends, show up on holidays, even accept a transfer to some far-flung place. But isn’t that fair?”

What’s interesting about that question is that today, in the 21st century, people will ask it totally unselfconsciously and unapologetically.

That includes the most progressive and open-minded people, people in the intellectual vanguard, who would never in a million years see themselves as being unfair to other people.

Many people still don’t understand unfairness to single people — what I call (Link): singlism — so it is easier to explain by thinking about it in terms of prejudices we do understand.

Continue reading “The Many Ways Single People Are Treated Unfairly at Work by Bella DePaulo”

Carl Lentz’s Alleged Mistress Speaks Out in Hillsong: A Megachurch Exposed Trailer: ‘Toxic’

Carl Lentz’s Alleged Mistress Speaks Out in Hillsong: A Megachurch Exposed Trailer: ‘Toxic’

Update Below

(Link): Carl Lentz’s Alleged Mistress Speaks Out in Hillsong: A Megachurch Exposed Trailer: ‘Toxic’

February 16, 2022

The Discovery+ docuseries premieres on March 24

Hillsong Church was a star-studded house of worship, but scandal has overshadowed its charismatic brand of Christianity in recent years. Now a Discovery+ docuseries, Hillsong: A Megachurch Exposed, delves deep into the headlines — including former pastor Carl Lentz.

Once a spiritual confidant of Justin Bieber, Lentz was ousted from Hillsong in November 2020, ending a 10-year tenure because of what the church described as “moral failures.”

Soon he publicly admitted to being unfaithful to his wife Laura, whom he married in 2003 and with whom he shares three children.

Amid the fallout, Ranin Karim, a New York woman who said she met Lentz at a Brooklyn park in May 2020, alleged she was his mistress.
“It was the most toxic thing I’ve ever had to deal with,” Karim says in the newly released trailer for Hillsong: A Megachurch Exposed, which Discovery+ will stream in three parts.

Continue reading “Carl Lentz’s Alleged Mistress Speaks Out in Hillsong: A Megachurch Exposed Trailer: ‘Toxic’”

The Best Cities For Single Adults in 2021: Report

The Best Cities For Single Adults in 2021: Report

(Link): The Best Cities For Single Adults in 2021: Report

Madison, Wisconsin, was at the top of WalletHub’s list

By Ann Schmidt

If you’re single, you might want to consider relocating to Madison, Wisconsin.

That’s according to a recent report from WalletHub, which found the best cities for singles. Madison was at the top of the list.

Continue reading “The Best Cities For Single Adults in 2021: Report”