Ambassador Le Melle family members during dedication ceremony A historic marker honoring Ambassador Wilbert J Le Melle was unveiled by the Iberia African American Historical Society Le Melle served as Ambassador of the United States to Kenya and Seychelles Lemelle also was president of Mercy College and the Phelps Stokes Fund Heads bowed in prayer during dedication ceremony Ambassador Le Melle's children and grandchildren stand with his historic marker Herbet "Pucci" Green leads young boys in a drum performance Gerald Le Melle and Alfreda Jackson in a procession to a historic marker Le Melle family members walk to the dedication ceremony The Iberia African American Historical Society organization unveiled a historical marker in honor of New Iberia native and trailblazer in diplomacy and education A new historical marker is honoring the life of New Iberia native and diplomacy and education trailblazer Ambassador Wilbert Le Melle Edward Catholic Church during a celebration spearheaded by the Iberia African American Historical Society that focused on his lasting impact and service in the community and included reflections from his family Le Melle served as a distinguished diplomat advancing from his hometown to the global stage as a U.S "This event not only celebrates Ambassador Le Melle's achievements but also inspires us to carry forward his legacy of leadership and commitment to public service," the IAAHS said in a news release he was raised as one of eight children by his parents in New Iberia Le Melle's journey began on a path toward priesthood and he earned his bachelor's and master's degrees from Notre Dame Seminary Le Melle joined the Army and served from 1957 to 1959 in political science and international relations He worked as an assistant professor and research associate before joining the Ford Foundation a private organization that focuses on advancing human welfare deputy director and director of several African programs President Jimmy Carter appointed Le Melle as the U.S Ambassador to the Republic of Kenya and to the Republic of Seychelles from 1977 to 1980 Le Melle took on educational leadership roles serving as the vice-chancellor and president of two colleges in New York a nonprofit dedicated to creating connections between leaders and organizations across Africa and the Americas He also served on the boards of several major institutions including Borden the Public Broadcasting System and Chase NBW National Bank of Westchester He was also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace "His life and career were marked by a profound dedication to education, diplomacy, and service, making lasting contributions both at home and internationally," according to his biography.  Le Melle's marker is the fifth by the IAAHS which is dedicated to highlighting the contributions of African Americans who have shaped New Iberia Email Ja'kori Madison at jakori.madison@theadvocate.com Email notifications are only sent once a day News Tips:newstips@theadvocate.com Other questions:subscriberservices@theadvocate.com Your browser is out of date and potentially vulnerable to security risks.We recommend switching to one of the following browsers: We deliver! 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Subscribe to Adweek newsletters president and CEO of candy company Perfetti Van Melle Americas joins hosts Rachel Tipograph and Sarah Hofstetter to explore how impulse brands like Airheads and Mentos are thriving in a digitally transformed retail landscape Sylvia shares how her team is reimagining impulse marketing for both ecommerce and brick-and-mortar environments adapting traditional trade spend strategies and maintaining brand relevance in a world of evolving consumer behaviors.  With a forward-thinking approach to media diversification Sylvia offers a masterclass in leading through change while staying true to brand fundamentals Impulse marketing must evolve — Digital shopping behaviors demand new approaches to staying top-of-mind at the point of purchase Retail media blurs lines between trade and marketing — Collaborative ownership and clear accountability are key to navigating investments across the funnel Consumer shifts present new opportunities — Changing health trends and digital habits require brands to innovate both products and engagement strategies Sarah Hofstetter is the President of Profitero and co-host of the BRAVE COMMERCE podcast Rachel Tipograph is the founder and CEO of MikMak an enterprise ecommerce marketing platform She is also the co-host of the BRAVE COMMERCE podcast Adweek is the leading source of news and insight serving the brand marketing ecosystem a parish church is opening its doors to pilgrims of hope Immaculate Heart of Mary in New Melle is one of nine Jubilee Pilgrimage sites in the Archdiocese of St Rozanski for the 2025 Jubilee Year of Hope The faithful can obtain a plenary indulgence — remission of the temporal punishment due to sins — by visiting any of the nine sites for a pilgrimage or pious visit in addition to the usual conditions for indulgence Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish dates back to 1945 when it was designated a mission parish with about 20 families IHM was raised to the status of full parish in 1956 and a rectory was built for a resident priest the parish is hosting monthly events throughout the year most timed in conjunction with the Vatican’s Jubilee calendar of special events for certain groups about 150 people attended the parish’s Jubilee of Artists day featuring a presentation by IHM parishioner George Capps The events are largely timed around the parish’s Mass and confession times and include a prayer for the Holy Father to make it easy for pilgrims to meet all the requirements of the Jubilee indulgence director of religious education Shawn Mueller said Mueller put together packets of information on the Jubilee Year how to gain the Jubilee indulgence and a guide to the parish church and grounds There’s also a guest book for pilgrims to write prayer petitions Mueller recommends taking a tour of the stained glass windows which depict titles of Our Lady and scenes from the documents of Vatican II “The stained glass windows are a really beautiful draw for people to get to know,” he said We’ve got a nice prayer Rosary path people can walk around Joseph Chapel where people can come in and pray.” He also encourages people to take a visit seriously as a pilgrimage focusing on the spiritiual opportunity of the indulgence rather than just a chance to take a pretty drive to a small town “We’re trying to educate people about how the Jubilee was (historically) a release from debts and now we spritually apply that to the punishment “So we really try and encourage people to understand what an indulgence is and then how making the pilgrimage to IHM can make that happen.” When Father David Skillman was appointed pastor of IHM in October one of the first things he learned was that the parish had been chosen as a Jubilee site The Jubilee Year has been a real gift because it offers parishioners and visitors a chance to “refocus on the essentials” of the faith He has also made it a point to preach about the theme of hope on a regular basis “Hope is a very timely theme from the Holy Father,” he said “It’s the virtue that is so essential when we face any trial or difficulty There’s so much uncertainly on folks’ minds when you think about the things happening in our world or in our country Hope refocuses our eyes on the Lord so we can receive the grace we need to face these storms.” Joseph Chapel is open for adoration 24 hours daily from Monday from 9 a.m Events: The parish is hosting monthly events throughout the Jubilee Year, including a Jubilee of Women on March 8, Jubilee of Pilgrims on April 12 and Jubilee of Choirs on May 14. For more information, visit ihm-newmelle.org/Jubilee-2025 Pilgrimage to a sacred Jubilee site, where the faithful participate in Mass another liturgical service such as Morning or Evening Prayer or acts of piety such as Stations of the Cross praying the Rosary or a penitential celebration Pious visit: Individually or in a group devoutly visit a Jubilee site and engage in eucharistic adoration and meditation Those who are unable to take part in pilgrimages or pious visits for serious reasons may obtain the indulgence by uniting themselves in spirit with those making pilgrimages or pious visits and other prayers in harmony with the purpose of the Jubilee Year and offering up their sufferings and hardships to the Lord Works of Mercy and Penance: This includes participation in formational activities on the documents of Vatican II or the Catechism initiatives that put into practice the spirit of penance and performance of corporal or spiritual works of mercy For the full details on Jubilee Indulgences read the papal bull: stlreview.com/3POKFln Usual conditions for a plenary indulgence: • Be in a state of grace and have the interior disposition of complete detachment from sin • Sacramental confession (can be received several days before or after) The faithful who have carried out an act of charity on behalf of the souls in purgatory if they receive holy Communion a second time that day within Mass can obtain the plenary indulgence twice on the same day Saint Mary’s of the Barrens – National Shrine of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal | Perryville This is the second in a monthly series featuring each of the nine designated pilgrimage sites in the Archdiocese of St. Louis during the Jubilee Year 2025. To read other stories in the series, visit stlreview.com/Jubilee-2025-sites Charles County parish is hosting monthly events as one of nine local Jubilee Pilgrimage Sites All readers receive 5 stories to read free per month If you are currently receive the St. Louis Review at your home or office, please send your name and address (and subscriber id if you know it) to subscriptions@stlouisreview.com to get your login information If you are not currently a subscriber to the St. Louis Review, please contact subscriptions@stlouisreview.com for information on how to subscribe Discover the latest regional and national news and topics central to the Catholic faith with the St We strive to report on the news from within our archdiocese and throughout the world that is most meaningful and helpful to St We provide information for your Catholic formation to assist you in living the joy of the Gospel in the Archdiocese of St This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page Perfetti Van Melle will showcase its latest releases Chupa Chups Sour Pouch Bag and Mentos Jumbo Roll Feeling Berry Good at the 2025 Summit of the Americas The confectionery house revealed Chupa Chups Sour Pouch Bag with flavours Sour Strawberry Sour Lemon and Sour Apple during the TFWA World Exhibition in Cannes last September According to Perfetti Van Melle Key Account Manager the travel retail industry’s reaction to the sours flavour trend is “ever-growing” The new Feeling Berry Good Mentos flavour combination will be introduced to the Americas for the first time during the IAADFS event Perfetti Van Melle will showcase its product portfolio with partner Otis Mcallister (Stand 100) The rebranded Feeling Berry Good Jumbo Roll includes four packs of popular Mentos flavours – raspberry Perfetti Van Melle will launch the Mentos Gum gift pack featuring five flavours: Fresh Mint Its production is in line with Perfetti Van Melle’s focus on sustainable packaging initiatives Vermetten said: “2024 was a good year for us in the Americas with strong performances of our two main brands which have all grown their market footprint.”  The company is working closely with its distributors and direct partners to introduce convenience relying on customer data for assortment optimisation Vermetten continued: “From international and domestic airports to border stores our partners have done a great job in seizing market opportunities in North America and Latin America regions to grow our travel retail businesses there “2025 will be the year in which we will consolidate this success in US airports by continued focus on assortment optimisation with all retailers We see huge potential to grow shelf space in the grab-and-go till area with each of our retail partners – this will be a big focus for us as we invest in branding tools for improved visibility.” Perfetti Van Melle also aims to use the Summit of the Americas to expand its scope beyond airports including cruise business and border stores “Regionally we see opportunities in all parts of the Americas but especially in Central America and Brazil; there are still some white spots to fill,” said Vermetten In the second half of 2025 the company plans to ramp up its activation programme in the Americas with a focus on Latin America tourism hotspots such as Punta Cana (Dominican Republic) and Cancún (Mexico) The activations will kick off in July with a LondonSupply partnership in Iguazu Brazil and a new Chupa Chups retail design featuring a large football table and localised signage the company will introduce pop-ups across eight locations in Panama and Punta Cana for both Mentos and Chupa Chups in partnership with UETA (part of Duty Free Americas) The product range will focus on children’s gifting It will spotlight Chupa Chups Cool Friends Backpacks and Mentos Jumbo Rolls with dual-brand campaigns: ‘Yes to Fresh’ and ‘Forever Fun’ Avolta is Perfetti Van Melle’s travel retail partner for dual-brand activations in Ezeiza (Buenos Aires) in Argentina A 360° high-profile promotion will be launched at Cancún International Airport Terminal 4 with a supporting campaign on Avolta’s Club platform It will introduce Mentos and Chupa Chups gift with purchase offers to members through its website Perfetti Van Melle will also unveil regionally focused signage and wallbays in the Americas Subscribe to our newsletter for critical marketing information delivered to your inbox “We are reinforcing the routine that you cannot pass through an airport without buying a Toblerone There is no other confectionery brand that is more strongly associated with travel than Toblerone,” says Mondelez World Travel Retail Director Category The Moodie Davitt Report is delighted to present the results of the inaugural TREX Awards A trailblazing celebration of the finest travel retail-exclusive products and other initiatives the TREX Awards recognise the critical need for differentiation within travel retail shining a spotlight on innovations that deliver unique value to travellers which marked Amicelli’s regional travel retail debut is the first step in a wider global strategy to drive presence in the channel Copyright © The Moodie Davitt Report | Website by Yellowball We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website Please click on one of the buttons below to accept We use cookies to help you navigate efficiently and perform certain functions You will find detailed information about all cookies under each consent category below The cookies that are categorized as "Necessary" are stored on your browser as they are essential for 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delivering a better user experience for the visitors Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with customized advertisements based on the pages you visited previously and to analyze the effectiveness of the ad campaigns ' + scriptOptions._localizedStrings.webview_notification_text + ' " + scriptOptions._localizedStrings.redirect_overlay_title + " " + scriptOptions._localizedStrings.redirect_overlay_text + " TrekMovie spoke to members of the cast and crew of Star Trek: Section 31 at the premiere in New York City One of the actors we spoke to was Humberly González who plays a Deltan—a species first introduced in Star Trek: The Motion Picture—named Melle So what did you know about Deltans before this I went back to the original [Star Trek: The Motion Picture] where we see Ilia and I learned that it was Persis Khambatta The commitment I honor… I could not do that “What if they don’t want to book me because I won’t shave my head?” But they came back and said “We have a great hair and makeup department We got you.” So it’s kind of cool Ilia (Persis Khambatta) from Star Trek: The Motion Picture and Melle (Humberly González) from Section 31 Did you come up with any kind of backstory for how you ended up in Section 31 I thought that Melle was bored of the decorum rules of the Deltans and the other parts of the universe and she thought that in Section 31 she could be allowed to be her full self and use her powers to its fullness so that she didn’t have to be so demure and conservative I want to be with Section 31 and have some fun Did you know when you were hired that things were not gonna go so well for Melle “But I still get to be at Deltan and in Star Trek Humberly González at the NYC Section 31 premiere event (Photo: TrekMovie/Cleveland Oakes) Read more Section 31 coverage from the last weeks: There are more interviews to come from the premiere and from the junket as well as more analysis Keep up with news about the Star Trek Universe at TrekMovie.com she was one of the only characters who was fun those Deltan pheromones could come in handy during covert operations And of course we haven’t seen any Deltans to speak of in decades though they’re presumably an important species in the Federation which presented a good opportunity to do a little world building That was exactly my reaction: why was SHE killed off She was the only member of the team other than Quasi that I wanted to see more of To think we had to stick with some of the others throughout this nightmare just makes this “experience” even worse Not having seen it … is it possible that they were afraid of charges like ENT got with their decontam gel scenes letting a Deltan cut loose with the sexuality Or just that they were checking off boxes for trek-related stuff and didn’t think beyond the surface but I’m thinking the latter is more likely.) The lifespan of deltans in trekflicks is pretty short given Ilia in tmp and how jedda on regula 1 in twok might be deltan It’s truly a shame nobody in power would authorize a detailed warts and all account of how this movie came into being Good point (though Ilia and Decker were officially MIA) It was Vonda McIntyre who made the point that Jedda was Deltan in her novelization of TWOK iirc I kind of regard INSURRECTION like you do TFF: a missed opportunity that still really doesn’t qualify as a S31-level disaster with some decent stretches that make it fairly watchable I’d lay pretty good odds that Piller’s original “Heart of Darkness”-esque take on the story But I never got around to reading his book which rather bugged me when I attended his open memorial service in L.A For my money he was the third savior of Star Trek If all of INS functioned on the level of that midpoint scene with Stewart and Zerbe I sometimes just pop the blu in to catch that single scene Piller must have had some flexibility that other talented folks did not; there were some well-thought-of producers who came and went very quickly on TNG Les Sheldon was somebody who only did a single script in s4 but I recently found out he was on WISEGUY and should have had the goods some of the other WISEGUY creatives went on to run SEAQUEST agrou — well right under the earth’s mantle with their nutso leadership so maybe genre stuff is just daunting to certain kinds of talents That scene with Stewart and Zerbe was definitely a standout though I couldn’t help noticing that it played out on a set which had been hastily redressed from “Voyager.” With the exception of TMP Paramount has always hedged its bets with the movies which can become a self-fulfilling prophecy I think the secret sauce that allowed Piller to succeed where others had failed was the fact that he genuinely liked TNG as a viewer even in its mostly reviled first two seasons and was willing to color within the lines that Roddenberry had established — just do it better considerably; but more notable was the change in the characters who went from being exemplars of Starfleet virtue to actual flawed and interesting people all while keeping the show’s optimism and humanistic outlook I know you consider DS9 to be the superior show quality-wise and on a storytelling level I’d have to agree But there’s a reason that TNG remains the most beloved I think my consternation over tng has to do with the selective flawing of characters Bobw p1 has got Shelby acting like something out of Executive Suite by way of All About Eve but nobody ever carps about unevolved vs better humans But if that story came in as an outside submission I can easily see it getting rejected by p15 on the basis of not being true to how our characters have put aside petty jealousies and rivalries That ‘you’re in my way’ line is only missing claws and cat hiss … but I still find the ep fun despite this I remember us all sitting around watching BOBW when it first aired and when Shelby told Riker that “You’re in my way,” my mother exclaiming “What a b!tch!” Which did not seem not to square with the “evolved humans” trope that dictum was always selectively enforced really applying only to members of the Enterprise crew itself After two seasons of pablum most fans and critics found the conflict to be a breath of fresh air That was the tightrope that at its best TNG always walked: depicting a humane I think it may have been in a TWOK script draft as well; maybe the studio folks said something like ‘not with this again!’ given Bludhorn’s jibe to Eisner about ‘by you Trekmovie move on and don’t give anymore airtime to this garbage which will hopefully be forgotten after ST: SNW comes back considering that the site is called TrekMovie This is the first Trek movie in nine years so it’s exactly what this website should be covering If you don’t want to read the coverage As for “Who cares,” everyone responding to the articles does I actually liked her and then they killed her 30 minutes in I wish that Robot Vulcan with the bad Irish accent died first for being super annoying instead but of course he had to live Who thought anything in this movie was a good idea Wish this Section31 ‘Movie’ was instead edited down to a 1-minute Extreme Short-Trek TikTok video with everyone disintegrating and it being an alternate universe that has no impact in the Prime Timeline They all sacrifice themselves to kill off this alternate universe fantasy of the Secret Hideout-Kurtzman stealing from all the franchises including ‘Star Trek’ So… She was supposed to be a regular on the series but then the series was canceled and turned into a movie Every character in TMP who wasn’t one of the TOS nine actors Imagine if Gene had still be around he be like ‘ya gotta shave it baby’ (standing there grinning with Fred Phillips holding the clippers and camera man ready to capture every distressed expression in close up) She was one of the few who seemed to have some redeaming qualities she was killed off in the first 30 minutes This movie is basically Mission: Impossible in space they extend the movie to explain the motivation of characters She did an amazing job with the character they spent all the time dealing with the emotional baggage to at least kinda They do everything possible to make her out to be pure evil It is too bad it could not have been a series as originally planned They would have had to time to flesh out characters and maybe justify what they were doing The TOS mirror universe made it clear it was a different universe with a different understanding of humanity they basically turn it into our universe where Hitler won the war and it is now the 1000 year third Reich Why did it happen to be that the superweapon was to be delivered at the station Georgio happen to run Was she really the intended buyer all along and used the Federation to get what she wanted They could have even leaned into that idea and reveal yes she was trying to obtain it when she found out it made it into our universe and she wanted it destroyed this weapon can supposidly destroy whole quadrants Did she just committ genocide again in the mirror universe by wiping out a whol quadrent in that universe what happens to the matching people in the prime universe The old story about the scorpion using the turtle to cross a river applies here When the scorpion stings the turtle half way across the river and they both die the reason given by the scorpion is that it is in my nature Perhaps the same is true for the Emporeress It is in her nature to destroy and committ genocide UNfortunatrely she might have to die in the end I think you gave this story more thought than TPTB go for the BATTLEFIELD EARTH ending and have the explosion go off where the bad guys live I’m thinking that since DEXTER is also under the Paramount umbrella (and something that keeps getting revived in one fashion or other since they seem to somehow be even more terrified than any other studio about doing something new that doesn’t rely on existing IP) somebody high up figured that they could make Empress HiroHitler work as a protagonist the same way they did DEXTER … uh the scorpion story first turned up in movies in an Orson Welles movie that exists in two forms under different titles (both usually streaming on TCM.) I have been a total Welles nut for just about exactly 50 years now still haven’t seen either version of this flick in its entirety I don’t know if it is something in my nature that resists being a completionist or just that the films are just that obscure (they are prime examples of zero-budget Welles with the typical disastrous sound problems of his 50s era work in Europe.) but I’d tentatively guess that the most famous telling of the scorpion story (which I always feel a little rankled when somebody poaches a story like that for reuse without offering up a superior context It seems to happen with Welles a lot (steal from the best right?) … He supposedly wrote the part of Reed’s THE THIRD MAN where Harry talks about the specks on the ground and how nobody would care if some of them stopped moving … how many times have other lesser minds riffed on that And the one episode I watched of FAME completely poached from CITIZEN KANE’s Mr Benstein with a near-verbatim retelling by an aged teacher about seeing a girl in the distance decades earlier and how it remains in the teller’s mind as fresh now as then I remember feeling pretty outraged about that as it dovetailed with an experience I had in broadcast school Class was broken into two groups that would each write and produce a 20 minute report of the day’s news for review by some visiting important folks who might be thinking of hiring us given we only had 3 hours to do it … plus our anchor had a sustained laughing fit that went over about as well as Albert Brooks’ flop-sweat in BROADCAST NEWS a few years later Then the other group came on … and theirs was letter-perfect it was the same exact report they had done a month previously just finessed and punched up with some further research Nobody among the visitors or teachers seemed to care that the news was a month out of date — the main focus of their story was a tribute to the recently-deceased Jesse Owens which should have been a pretty clear indicator that they weren’t doing the day’s news That kind of self-plagiarism might be why I am always so quick to attack Horner’s film music too because I really do see it as a form of cheating one that seems to get rewarded time and again I got really pissed and loudly called bullshit during the Jesse Owens regurgitation which probably did not endear me to the visitors we were spending good money to attend this school and what was the lesson and the story was originally recorded in Russian (no surprise; they’re a rather cynical people) decades before Welles quoted it in his film So its re-use on THE CRYING GAME was entirely kosher and imo a brilliant exegesis of the film’s theme and it’s infamous gender reveal: yes people only very rarely can change their natures but what that nature may be (a beautiful woman; a hardened IRA terrorist) is not always what it appears to be at first glance it has to be the Enterprise that goes after her make that the movie that tells how kirk takes over the Enterprise being held by Book over the death if evil-Georgio Unless the ratings are about a hundred times better than the critical and fan reaction — and Michelle Yeoh is willing to work for free — I don’t think a second one is in the cards She was killed off so fast … What a waste she reminded me a lot of Ilia in the best way You know the real shame about this movie’s complete failure It could have been a jumping-off point for a vital new era in Star Trek With Nazism and an erosion of democracy taking hold in the United States at a dangerous pace since Jan we NEED Star Trek more than ever to become what it used to be back in the ’60s and ’80s: a moral mirror held up to the ugliest aspects of society Another missed opportunity by the franchise (of many) There was a time even recently that I would have considered ‘Nazism’ to be pretty strong language thinking ‘soft fascism’ would perhaps be a more appropriate descriptor But soft fascists don’t threaten to use military force to take over countries that don’t belong to them Not to get down in the dirt with the worst of them — well hell yeah — but soft fascists are probably soft ‘down there’ and need some jolt of sadism to get their joy buzzer sounding This country’s leadership is really resuming how it read a few years back like one of those TOS eps where a nearly-omnipotent being turns out to be a spoiled bratty child I’m also often loathe to invoke Godwin’s Law but yeah…I keep getting reminded how back then a guy wrote a book that told everyone exactly what he wanted to do and then people were surprised Now – we’ve got an FBI director candidate who wrote a book with an appendix of names he wanted to go after we had Project 2025….and we’ll act shocked How will the American public and our sacred institutions react when the show trials begin for those listed in that appendix Just one more test to see if there is anything left worth salvaging Only when you understand that can you understand what [Trump] meant to us Once these devils will be destroyed your misery will be destroyed.’ we who knew the words were lies and worse than lies What difference does it make if a few political extremists lose their rights What difference does it make if a few racial minorities lose their rights [Trump] himself will be discarded — sooner or later A recipe for omelets at the end of the day is still just a recipe for omelets the people who make $700.00 an hour managed to convince the people who make $25.00 an hour that their issues are with the people who make $7.50 an hour but he did have a child’s natural curiosity and a nose for hypocrisy Wanted to see a lot more of her being Deltan I assumed when she died that the rest of the movie was going to be at least partially about going back in time and undoing it Deltans first appeared in the Star Trek universe with the 1979 release of with the character Lt the usually bald species is known for being highly developed in the arena of sexuality they're required to take an Oath of Celibacy upon joining Starfleet so they do not take advantage of other species Deltans still remain as mysterious as they are charming we get to know the species a hair more with a brand-new character While most Deltans take an oath of celibacy upon joining Starfleet Melle uses her irresistible magnetism for Section 31's benefit Melle uses her emphatic abilities to calm down fellow operative Fuzz when he's extremely agitated "[The EPs] and I talked about what's her intention and role on the team and I have a little booklet where I have all that written down Melle's looking to break the rules and not be the conservative rule-abiding Deltans as we've seen them She felt her powers were under-appreciated and she could be even more if she broke out of these chains she was being tied to." The actress also offers another perspective on the species and Melle's desire to be a part of Section 31 "I think being a Deltan might be a lonely place if you're separate in relationships and all that from others She was seeking community and she was seeking being purposeful with teammates as to not be alone." "She's a thrill seeker and she's someone that doesn't want to be bored," continues Gonzalez "She moves fast and wants to be in all the action in part to overcome being a bit of a loner [as a Deltan]." Melle proves that there is more to Deltans than just their seductive and empathetic abilities Melle ends up getting physical as she engages the masked intruder who's gotten their hands on a bioweapons creation On getting to demonstrate some physicality "It was fun because we got to work out what that fight meant and how Melle would fight using her Deltan powers "I really love that one of the things we said was when she's about to be taken from this world she wasn't just going to give up," adds Gonzalez and it's still this thing of you're not going to take who I am we also learn that Chameloids are the only species in the galaxy immune to Deltan sexual attraction That's how Philippa Georgiou knew Quasi's flirting with Melle in her Baraam was a cover and Melle's relationship from Rachel Garrett's observation that he was ineffective at making choices without Melle around "Because Chameloids can't be Deltan-ized I think Melle feels really seen by Quasi because there's no BS She doesn't have to lure you into anything What you see is what you get with us." "Our relationship was based on truth and we could call each other out in a way that nobody else can because you can manipulate them," adds Gonzalez That's why he always kind of brings her up and I'm like avenge me.' But it's something that it's little moments of noticing they've been working together for a while You do get to see these relationships that even if you don't see their backstory; I hope you feel it." Recognizing what her role adds to the universe "The curiosity around the story or who you play [along the Star Trek audience] is really beautiful I love being a part of anything that creates unity and community So to even be a small part of that is really special." Christine Dinh (she/her) is the managing editor for StarTrek.com She’s traded the Multiverse for helming this Federation Starship Star Trek: Section 31 is now available to stream exclusively on Paramount+ in the U.S and in all international markets where the service is available The movie is distributed by Paramount Global Content Distribution Jennifer Melle is a Christian nurse who referred to a male trans-identifying convicted paedophile prisoner as ‘Mister’ was called to assist with a volatile patient After Jennifer referred to him as ‘Mr’ he screamed, “Do not call me Mr Jennifer replied that she couldn’t refer to him as ‘her’ or ‘she’ as it was against her Christian faith but instead offered to call him by his name “How about I call you n*****?” the man yelled, “Yes Rather than giving her support and protecting her the NHS Trust where she worked punished her The prisoner – a convicted paedophile – is in a high security male prison after multiple convictions for luring boys into sex acts while pretending to be a teenage girl on social media The prisoner’s medical records listed him as male – not female or transgender The name board simply gave a feminine name Jennifer was pulled aside and told she had to respect equality and diversity she was pressured to supply management with a statement and warned that if she didn’t attend a mandatory meeting with HR she would be sent home while the investigation was happening She also now faces disciplinary action for supposedly ‘breaking the Code of Conduct’ by not calling Mr X a ‘she’ She is also facing an inquisition by the Nursing and Midwifery Council With the support of the Christian Legal Centre Jennifer is fighting for justice and standing for the freedom to speak truth It is totally unjust that Jennifer has faced any discipline or investigation because of what she said and did Please sign the petition today to tell the Secretary of State for Health to issue national guidance protecting NHS staff from compelled speech on gender identity – especially in high-risk clinical and safeguarding settings where clarity and professional judgement must take precedence Sign the petition and stand with Jennifer. Join our email list to receive the latest updates for prayer and action Find out more about the legal support we're giving Christians Help us put the hope of Jesus at the heart of society ‘Christian Concern’ is a trading name of CCFON Ltd CCFON Ltd is registered in England and Wales (Company Number 6628490) We use these tools because they help us to run our website provide you with content (including video and audio clips) This means that we and selected third-party services may store cookies and other similar information on your device Some of these tools are necessary for our website to function as intended but others are optional and you can choose whether or not to allow them Find out more and review your options Certain cookies and other technologies are used on our website to provide core functionality. You can read more about this here You may be able to use your browser settings to block these tools but if you do To enrich your experience of this website, we embed carefully selected content from other platforms. For example, we embed video clips from our YouTube channel, and audio clips from our SoundCloud channel. These third-party platforms may store and use cookies (or similar technology) on your device, and may analyse your use of this site or the embedded content. We do not directly control what technologies they use. You can find out more here If embedded content is disabled it may affect your experience of this website You can find out more about this website's use of cookies, usage analysis and similar technologies here This article contains spoilers for "Star Trek: Section 31." The group's borderline redshirt nature is underlined fairly early in the movie when the seductive Deltan team member Melle attempts to subdue a target — and is promptly shot to death Though Melle's demise is far from the only one in the film she still manages to show why she's a valuable member of the team which allows actor Humberly González to make the most of the screen time she's given Since she has a respectable amount of acting credits to her name there's a fair chance that her turn as Melle will also prompt viewers to start wondering where they may have seen her before Here's a look at some of González's best-known movie and TV show roles to date One of Humberly González's first major roles was Jessica a significant recurring character and the girlfriend of one of the show's protagonists on The CW's crime drama series "In the Dark." Jessica doesn't exactly like the series' main character the blind and acerbic Murphy Mason (Perry Mattfield) which posits a problem since Murphy and Jess are close Jessica ultimately ends up departing the series in season 2 In a 2019 interview with Starry Mag González described her reasons for taking the role which included her fascination with both The CW's projects and the people involved with making the show such as director Michael Showalter ("Wet Hot American Summer," "The Big Sick") and producer Ben Stiller (who would later go on to perfect his small-screen craft as the producer and primary director of Apple TV+'s magnificent "Severance") "I was ecstatic when I knew Michael Showalter was directing the pilot and Ben Stiller's productions company Red Hour Films was involved so this felt like the right time and role for me Michael was present and I simply showed confidence and a willingness to play Something I know was applauded after I booked the part I remember at the first table read [executive producer] Nicky Weinstock came up to me and asked In "Utopia Falls," the 2020 Hulu sci-fi series with coming-of-age elements, a seemingly perfect future society eschews yearly mayhem of the "Purge" or "Hunger Games" variety in favor of an annual talent competition. Humberly González plays one of this Exemplar contest's bright-eyed and bushy-tailed participants, Brooklyn 2. As she told Hollywood Life in 2019 and heavily censored reality of New Babyl is an extremely interesting setting for the show's teen drama elements:    "A 16-year-old wouldn't necessarily know what growing up means without art without any kind of those things that create problems or things like homophobia or racism or sexism They don't exist because they've been kind of erased from history It's in a new society where it's trying to become the utopia of life So I think it's really interesting to see these kids navigating life with very minimal information because everybody within the world only knows so much and everybody knows the same kind of information." When Brooklyn 2 and other Exemplar contestants uncover a hidden archive of forbidden information they find out that they've been missing out a whole bunch of humanity's history and culture and their newfound knowledge that things aren't what they seem to be gives the show a "Truman Show"-style twist "Utopia Falls" didn't quite manage to stay afloat and couldn't make it past its first and only season very few people can say that they've been on a series where Snoop Dogg voices a historical archive and Gonzáles will forever belong in this very small club 2021's "Nobody" takes the peculiar premise of putting Bob Odenkirk of "Breaking Bad" and "Better Call Saul" fame in a "Taken"-style scenario and turns it into a surprisingly entertaining one man army story one of the two people who first cause retired government assassin Hutch Mansell's (Odenkirk) old instincts to stir She and Edsson Morales' Luis are a burglar couple who invade the Mansell household and cause Hutch's family to criticize him for being so meek and cowardly Hutch is merely holding back to maintain his meek family man cover and to save everyone — not least the burglars — from unnecessary risk only to let them off the hook when he finds out that they're just two young broke parents who were acting out of sheer desperation It's truly rare for a criminal to commit an evil deed against the protagonist's family in a "Taken" expy and live to tell the tale but this particular confrontation proves that "Nobody" is its own beast — and González and Morales play their roles perfectly Netflix's perfectly imperfect and messy drama-comedy "Ginny & Georgia" is an enjoyable hodgepodge of small town soap opera The main focus of the show is the mother-daughter duo of Georgia (Brianne Howey) and Ginny (Antonia Gentry) but as tends to be the case with shows like this which includes Humberly González's prominent recurring character Sophie Sanchez Sophie is a cool and popular high school senior whose budding relationship with Ginny's friend Max (Sara Waisglass) is a major season 1 plot point, and she also appears in several season 2 episodes. In a 2021 interview with The List González — who identifies as queer — spoke about how much she enjoyed playing her "Ginny & Georgia" role and the representation Sophie gave to the Latine LGBTQ+ community: "I'm so grateful I got to play Sophie and the impact that it had on young people just newness in the show that you don't often get to see a queer Latina on TV and feel seen Humberly González's first screen credit dates back to 2015 and she's reliably appeared in multiple projects every year since 2017 when she worked on no less than 12 different projects both in front of the camera and in a voice acting capacity the roles mentioned above are just a scratch on the surface of González's CV You can spot her in smaller roles on shows like "Orphan Black" (where she plays the season 5 character Ana) and the short-lived Netflix superhero show "Jupiter's Legacy" (as the young supervillain Neutrino) from director Mark Raso's Netflix drama "Kodachrome" (where González appears with the likes of Ed Harris and Elizabeth Olsen) the 2018 horror comedy "Killer High" and the 2022 Jason Momoa fantasy adventure "Slumberland." "Star Trek: Section 31" is now streaming on Paramount+. Lisa Johnston is the Editorial Director of CGT. She joined the brand in 2020. Her journalism background includes writing for both business and consumer audiences, specializing in technology, retail, and consumer goods. In addition to speaking at a range of industry events and sharing editorial expertise as a media panelist, she's served as a judge for such programs as the Consumer Technology Hall of Fame and the Jesse H. Neal Awards.  Most recently a VP of supply chain at Kroger Gomes has more than three decades of supply chain experience in retail and CPG.  He spent more than 20 years at Procter & Gamble in a range of manufacturing and supply chain roles before moving on to spend five years at Mondelēz International He also spent five years as chief manufacturing officer at Bonduelle Fresh Americas.  See also: Marina F. Bellini Joins Mars to Lead Enterprise Digital Tech As part of Gomes’ end-to-end supply chain responsibilities he’ll lead the company’s three factories Erlanger president/CEO of the Americas business unit Privately owned Perfetti Van Melle makes and distributes candy and gum in more than 150 countries under such brands as Airheads, Mentos, and Chupa Chups. The company picked up Mondelēz’s U.S. gum business in 2023 Sylvia Buxton noted in a statement that North American demand continues to be strong.  their 700,000-square-foot Rockford factory was on track to increase its workforce by 65% since it was acquired from Mondelēz.  Perfetti’s 2023 net sales were around $3.6 billion Looking to stay connected to CPG? Sign up for insider access with CGT's texting community. Share your opinion, and send your questions right to Lisa Johnston for 1:1 conversations. Texts arrive twice a week. Learn more or sign up below.    The Economic Development Commission of Florida’s Space Coast recently honored Rusty Melle and Anne Conroy-Baiter The honors were formally made at the EDC’s annual meeting Melle was named the EDC’s Volunteer of the Year while Conroy-Baiter was given the 2025 Thomas E Gamble Excellence in Education for Economic Development Impact Award Conroy-Baiter led the Junior Achievement of the Space Coast for which she was honored with the Gamble honor and recently was named CEO of the Melbourne Regional Chamber not-for-profit coalition whose stakeholders are business leaders committed to the economic growth and stability of Brevard County Health First’s Home Care program recently earned a Five-Star Patient Survey Rating from the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services The CMS home health agency patient survey star rating uses a five-star scale to make it easier for consumers to compare home health agencies The star ratings come from the patient experience of care survey also called the Home Health Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems survey The survey collects feedback from current or recently discharged home health agency patients (or their family or friends) about their experiences with a home health agency The CMS star rating is the first national standard for collecting information on home health agency patient experiences that allow for valid comparisons between home health agencies Health First Home Care received nearly 1,400 completed surveys — with a 32% response rate Health First exceeded the state and national average benchmarks on every metric “Our mission at Health First is to create a stronger healthier community,"said Valerie Kenworthy vice president for outpatient operations at Health First "We understand the challenges of recovery — whether from illness and our goal is to make the healing process as comfortable as possible Home care allows our patients the ability to avoid the pain and inconvenience of traveling to a doctor’s office hospital or rehabilitation center when they are recovering or not feeling well,” a home health agency must receive a response rate of at least 40 completed surveys from patients to receive a Home Health Care Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems star rating Agencies with fewer than 40 completed surveys won't have a star rating displayed due to insufficient data to accurately measure their performance Health First respondents nearly doubled the national average response rate — 18% “Once a patient leaves the hospital after an illness Our job is to help get them to the finish line,” said Michelle Rogers system director for home care and private duty “A CMS Five-Star rating is a wonderful achievement for our entire team and certainly lets our patients and their loved ones know that we are committed to excellence.” Health First Home Care offers short-term assistance and medical care while patients recover in the comfort of their own home Home Care services are available for those who qualify with a written order from a licensed Florida doctor Patients are encouraged to consult with a physician with questions about criteria If a primary-care physician is out of state Health First can connect individuals with a local provider to manage care in Brevard County For more information on Health First Home Care go to hf.org/homecare or call 321-434-5909 the Viera marketplace for senior resources recently announced the promotion of Chassity Inglis to assistant director Inglis will coordinate the numerous informational and educational seminars presented monthly at the company's Viera location will retain her previous responsibilities for the hub of service providers at 8085 Spyglass Hill Road including the production of print/digital marketing materials and oversight for the company's advertising She holds a bachelor’s degree in internet marketing and a master’s degree in public relations from Full Sail University in Winter Park said she already can feel the positive difference being made by Inglis in her new position "Chassity has been working in the area of events coordination for some time and is well-prepared for the role of assistant director,” Higgins said “One Senior Place in Viera has 44 senior-focused business affiliates and Chassity works diligently with all of them to produce engaging presentations for area seniors Empowering our qualified staff is one more way we fulfill our mission to improve the aging experience for seniors in our community." For information on the events presented by One Senior Place One Senior Place is a marketplace for resources and provider of information care and on-site services for seniors and their families Melbourne-based product design and engineering firm recently was named the 2024 International Design Award The company received the Bronze Prize in the Pet Care/Toys for Pets category for SwiftPaws CHASE celebrate and promote exceptional design visionaries and discover emerging talent in architecture Catania Product Development blends industrial design and engineering to develop innovative solutions “Part of the reason we founded this company was to have the freedom to focus on designs that are as aesthetically pleasing as they are functional We are honored to be recognized for our artistry,” Catania Product Development CEO Stefanie Catania said “We were so fortunate to be given this opportunity to design a more affordable and more manufacturable product for SwiftPaws.” SwiftPaws gained global recognition after a 2022 appearance on ABC’s Shark Tank was awarded the golden ticket from Lori Greiner and left with a deal of $240,000 for 6% equity. If you have a Business Newsmakers item you'd like to publish, please email details to Wayne T. Price at wtpkansas@yahoo.com or contact him at 321-223-0230. Michael Shorris is a writer in New York working in documentary film. Home Less than three weeks after Brad Burchfield stepped down as Hartley football coach to take over the program at Hilliard Darby a defensive assistant the past two seasons “I appreciate the administration taking the time to go through the process with me and to arrive at the conclusion that I was the right person for the job,” Melle said “It’s an opportunity to come together and really build a strong foundation for a football program that’s going to last and one that’s going to benefit the school in the long run and I’m excited about being a big part of that.”  He led Hartley to 168 wins and three state titles in his 17 seasons Melle, 46, coached linebackers in his first season at Hartley in 2023 and was defensive coordinator in 2024. The Hawks went 6-5 last fall, winning three straight games to clinch a Division III, Region 11 playoff berth before losing to Bloom-Carroll 44-43 in the first round Melle has more than two decades of coaching experience in Ohio and Pennsylvania He was head coach at Cleveland Villa Angela-St dedication and vision align perfectly with our school's mission,” principal Christopher Kowalski said in a release “We are confident he will build upon our football program’s legacy while fostering a faith-filled and positive experience for our student-athletes.”  Subscribe to our high school sports newsletter “Being a football coach is a 365 days a year job and being with the kids every day in their most important moments during the school day is vital for us for me and for the success of the program,” said Melle Burchfield guided Hartley to Division IV state titles in 2010 “Coach Burchfield means an immense amount to Bishop Hartley and Hartley football,” Melle said He gave me an opportunity upon relocating to Columbus to join what I believe is the premier football program in the area “I’m just looking forward to honoring that tradition and carrying it on and doing some things a little bit differently and hopefully leaving a mark similar to the way he did.” fdirenna@dispatch.com @DispatchFrank LOVES PARK — Perfetti Van Melle has ramped up its operation and grown its workforce in its first year of ownership of the local gum factory The international confectionary company targets a total 65% growth in its local workforce from last October when it acquired the factory at 5500 Forest Hills Road The 700,000-square-foot gum plant employed 300 people when Perfetti Van Melle acquired it from Mondelēz International. It expects to have roughly 500 workers by the end of the year Dentyne and other brands are made has already grown to about 400 workers over the past 10 months It’s hiring full-time roles in production operations with the potential to earn more based on experience “Our Rockford facility has the space and capability to expand production lines and we are excited to bring these growth projects to life,” said Sylvia Buxton president and CEO of Perfetti Van Melle North America Part of the initial growth came from adding a new manufacturing line to handle packaging of Mentos which was part of Perfetti’s portfolio before acquiring Trident “We’re a dynamic employer in the greater Rockford region producing beloved products that bring joy to people worldwide,” Buxton said “We want people to know that Perfetti Van Melle is here The factory has been in operation since 1956 and for many people it stands out for the sweet smell that wafts in the air as you drive down Forest Hills Road so I can speak firsthand to how great it smells,” said Duncan Geddes executive director of the Parks Chamber of Commerce “What an involvement the company has had in the community for a long time and really been a pillar of the business community in the Parks.” Geddes said he’s glad to see not only the company’s hiring but how it’s been involved in the community since taking over the plant in October Perfetti was, for example, a key sponsor of the Diamonds storytelling gala with Michelle Williams. It has also donated to local charities and programs such as the Shoeboxes for Soldiers campaign and it participated in community events and holiday celebrations “The company got involved right away with our holiday parade last year which was fun to see a big Perfetti Van Melle float in the parade,” Geddes said “Definitely nice to see they’re involved in the community and what they do for their employees and staff.” Pefetti said increasing the workforce is necessary to support rising demands across the U.S “There’s a lot of pride within this community and you can definitely see that pride within this plant,” Josh Hann said “This place has been around since 1956 and a place cannot survive without employees that have been here 30 Hann said experience isn’t necessary for those interested in applying to work at the factory “The growth potential is unlimited here in this facility,” Hann said “That’s what’s most exciting for me is to see the growth amongst the new employees to see where they can finish in the next several years and beyond.” “I can tell you that I never go home smelling worse than I started,” Hann said “It’s like working in a giant air freshener.” is hiring dozens more workers before the end of the year Visit jobs.PerfettiVanMelle.com to learn more about how to apply This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on X at @KevinMHaas or Instagram @thekevinhaas and Threads @thekevinhaas by Kevin Haas Rock River Current is owned and operated in Rockford IL by Mid-West Family Broadcasting-Rockford (Long Nine NKyTribune Buxton was honored in during a ceremony in Orlando The award is one of the highest honors in the confectionery industry loyalty to the industry and going above and beyond job requirements “This year’s Candy Hall of Fame celebration epitomized the best of the confectionery industry,” said Teresa Tarantino passion and the legacy these individuals have contributed to our industry Their work inspires us all to continue giving back in meaningful ways that help build and strengthen the worldwide confectionery industry.” Buxton has more than 30 years of experience in the confectionery industry and has been in her current role since 2018 leading the Americas business unit including brands such as Airheads and Mentos Under her leadership are more than 2,000 employees across the U.S. Canada and Mexico and now encompassing LATAM Export She is the only woman on the company’s global executive team and is a dedicated advocate for women’s leadership mentoring aspiring professionals and actively contributing to industry events Buxton is also active in the local Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky community She was honored as one of the 2022 Outstanding Women of Northern Kentucky by the Women’s Initiative of the NKY Chamber and recognized as the 2024 Woman of Influence by the National Confectionery Association Women’s Leadership Group “I am deeply honored and grateful to have been selected alongside several other well-deserving colleagues for induction into the NCSA Candy Hall of Fame,” said Sylvia Buxton President and CEO of Perfetti Van Melle North America “This recognition is not just a testament to individual achievement innovation and passion of the entire industry.” Buxton’s leadership in fast-moving consumer goods included shepherding and growing high profile businesses and brands such as Hershey’s the Candy Hall of Fame has recognized members from all disciplines within the confectionery industry honorees must have at least 20 years of service to the confectionery industry be 50 years of age at the time of nomination and complete a rigorous and competitive nomination process Honorees should demonstrate loyalty to building and supporting the confectionery industry through active participation over and above job requirements Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" You may not be able to visit this page because of: About Us - Contact Us - Disclaimer Please select what you would like included for printing: Copy the text below and then paste that into your favorite email application Beloved husband of Tanya Maise Melle for 38 years Son of the late Palmere Lamy Melle and Louie Melle France and migrated to New Orleans with his brother when he was 17 He was the owner and operator of his own transportation service for 60 years before retiring Services will be held privately at a later date Family and friends can view and sign the online guest book at www.mothefunerals.com This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply Service map data © OpenStreetMap contributors Chupa Chups has a new Sour Pouch Bag ready for the Americas will introduce its latest portfolio additions including Chupa Chups Sour Pouch Bag and the Mentos Jumbo Roll Feeling Berry Good to its Americas travel retail customers at the IAADFS Summit of Americas PVM will again partner with Otis McAllister to showcase its products at the event PVM launched the Chupa Chups Sour Pouch Bag – with Sour Strawberry Sour Lemon and Sour Apple flavors – during the TFWA World Exhibition conference in Cannes last year the industry reaction to the sours flavor trend has been “ever-growing” A Feeling Berry Good Mentos flavor combination will make its debut at the show With four packs of the top selling Mentos flavors – raspberry cherry – the newly rebranded Feeling Berry Good Jumbo Roll is earmarked for growth in travel retail PVM will launch a Mentos Gum gift pack including its five most popular flavors The new gift pack is produced in line with PVM’s focus on more sustainable packaging initiatives and will save the company over 7,200 kilos of plastic per year the new Mentos Gum gift pack heroes the brand’s DNA: a sensory gum experience that offers consumers both chewy candy and refreshing fruit and mint flavors PVM is eyeing growth for its Americas travel retail operations “2024 was a good year for us in the Americas with strong performances of our two main brands – Chupa Chups and Mentos – which have all grown their market footprint,” Vermetten said PVM is working closely with its distributors and direct partners to introduce its latest multi-pack and gifting products and is relying on more customer data to focus on assortment optimization “From international and domestic airports to border stores our partners have done a great job in seizing market opportunities in North America and Latin America regions to grow our travel retail businesses there,” Vermetten added by continued focus on assortment optimization with all retailers We see huge potential to grow shelf space in the ‘grab and go’ cash till area with each of our retail partners – this will be a big focus for us as we invest in branding tools for improved visibility.” PVM intends to use the Summit of Americas showcase to expand its scope beyond airports particularly the cruise business and border stores where it plans to grow still further across its brand portfolio. “Regionally we see opportunities in all parts of the Americas but especially in Central America and Brazil; there are still some white spots to fill,” Vermetten said In the second half of the year PVM will ramp up its program of activations in the Americas with a focus on LATAM tourism hotspots such as Punta Cana and Cancun. PVM’s activations in the Americas kick off in July for a partnership with LondonSupply in Iguazu and a new Chupa Chups retail design featuring a large football table and localized signage will be activations across eight locations in Panama and Punta Cana for both Mentos and Chupa Chups The products are focused on kids gifting such as the Chupa Chups Cool Friends Backpacks and Mentos Jumbo Rolls with the dual-brand campaigns: ‘Yes to Fresh’ and ‘Forever Fun’ Avolta is PVM’s travel retail partner for dual-brand activations in Ezeiza a 360° promotion incorporates both a shopfloor HPP at Terminal 4 and an online activation through Avolta’s Club platform connecting the Mentos and Chupa Chups gift with purchase offers with its members via website Also new in the Americas for 2025 are more regionally focused signage and wallbays A British health authority faces legal action for calling a Christian nurse a “potential risk” after she said “Mister” to a transgender prisoner jailed for luring boys into sex acts by pretending to be a teenage girl on social media a 40-year-old resident of Croydon born in Uganda also endured a racial slur by the inmate and National Health Service (NHS) lawyers terming her biblical beliefs on gender “not worthy of respect in a democratic society,” sources said Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust has treated the nurse as a criminal and abandoned her according to rights group Christian Concern The group objected to the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) terming Melle “a potential risk” for not using the inmate’s preferred gender identity Melle has launched an appeal against Epsom and St Helier NHS Foundation Trust for discrimination victimization and breaches of her human rights under Article 9 (freedom of thought conscience and religion) of the European Court of Human Rights The full employment tribunal hearing is expected next February Melle said she had never encountered any problems with previous transgender patients under her care according to a press statement by Christian Concern “I am devastated by how I have been treated and believe I am being institutionally abused bullied and racially discriminated against,” Melle said “Ever since I have expressed my Christian beliefs under extreme pressure following the racial abuse and threat of physical violence I received from the patient.” Melle said she maintained a professional demeanor and treated every individual in her work with dignity and respect brought from a men’s prison for hospital treatment He entered the hospital chained to two guards standing over six feet tall and of large build,” according to Christian Concern Melle learned the inmate wanted to discharge himself from the hospital He was reportedly shouting and upsetting other patients on the ward X [as identified by Christian Concern] would like to self-discharge,” but the prisoner Christian Concern reported the prisoner racially abused Melle when she approached his room “Imagine if I called you a nigger?” Melle responded “I am sorry I cannot refer to you as her or she as it’s against my faith and Christian values but I can call you by your name,” according to Christian Concern black nigger,” according to Christian Concern Melle required help from security as the inmate reportedly lunged threateningly at her He followed her out of the room and threatened to report her to police for “homophobia” and to the health authority’s Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) Under pressure from hospital management to make a statement she outlined her Christian belief that God created humanity male and female Superiors told her she had to attend a meeting with Human Resources she would be sent home until an investigation was completed Managers redeployed her to another hospital unit They also deleted her name from the internal system so she can no longer work over-time Management gave her a final written warning at a disciplinary hearing in October Health leaders accused her of “not respecting the patient’s preferred identity,” saying her actions and behavior had “fallen short of the Trust’s value of respect.” Her case was referred to the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) after an investigation concluded Melle broke the NMC Code of Conduct which states nurses should not express personal beliefs inappropriately Melle stated that her conduct had been fully compliant with the code throughout her career including during the reported incident with the transgender patient but I am being treated like a criminal,” she said in the Christian Concern statement if you put your head above the parapet and speak truthfully on these issues in the NHS “The message to me during the investigation is that I should put up with extreme racism and deny biological reality and my deeply held Christian beliefs for the sake of ‘inclusivity’ and respecting lies but I am trusting in Jesus to look after me.” Melle said she had to take a stand on the issue as she was concerned about how many other NHS workers were suffering in silence in similar incidents chief executive of the Christian Legal Centre said that the NHS appeared to be “captured by transgender ideology to the point it is prepared to back a convicted pedophile.”  She said the pedophile was evidently disturbed and shouted racist comments at the Christian nurse “Jennifer Melle was genuinely doing her best while not wanting to deny her Christian faith and biological reality,” Williams said “We thought we had seen it all when it comes to controversial legal cases on these issues but what Jennifer Melle is experiencing at the hands of this ideology is off the scale and on a whole new disturbing level.” Williams pointed out that Melle retained a genuine love for Christ and “The Trust cannot force compelled speech on their staff and an urgent U-turn and apology is needed,” said Williams Secretary of Health Wes Streeting to investigate the matter She pointed out Streeting has stated his horror at an unrelated employment tribunal involving nurses at Darlington Memorial Hospital who objected to a transgender person “It’s time for government intervention on this matter,” Williams said “It’s time for the government to stop equality and diversity policies being weaponized in the NHS to punish innocent nurses just doing their job.” Help keep The Christian Daily free for everyone By making a recurring donation or a one-time donation of any amount you're helping to keep CDI's articles free and accessible for everyone Hope you’ll give us another try and check out some other articles. Return to homepage. Already new life can be seen returning to the scarred LA landscape It is a reminder that in the face of overwhelming devastation and destruction we can retain hope in new creation through Jesus and work now in our environments to testify to that hope A senior Christian nurse faces losing her career after she was investigated and disciplined by an NHS Trust for refusing to refer to a male child sex offender patient as a woman is in a high security male prison after multiple convictions for luring boys into sex acts while pretending to be a teenage girl on social media After refusing to refer to Mr X as a ‘she’ while on duty was racially abused and physically threatened Epsom and St Helier University Hospital Trust didn’t support Jennifer; she felt abandoned and like she was being treated as the criminal The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) has also said Jennifer is ‘a potential risk’ for not using Mr X’s preferred ‘gender identity.’ The story is the latest in a series of cases where NHS policy supports trans ideology over biological reality. It also follows the publication of the Sullivan report this week which revealed that the police are allowing criminals to ‘self-identify’ their gender on official records In this case, policy has led, in the name of inclusivity, to the NHS siding with a paedophile convicted of serious offences, while pretending to be the opposite sex, over members of staff with Christian and gender-critical beliefs. the case Miss Melle has now launched against the Trust on the grounds of harassment discrimination and human rights’ breaches NHS lawyers have said that Christian beliefs Miss Melle holds are ‘not worthy of respect in a democratic society.’  where a Pride Progress Flag—symbolising support for transgender rights and gender identity affirmation—flew from the rooftop and has worked her way up to become a senior nurse had been told along with her colleagues that Mr X had been brought in for treatment from a Category C men’s prison and was a sex offender He entered the hospital chained to two guards and was clearly masculine in appearance standing over six feet tall and of large build a junior colleague approached Miss Melle in a distressed state saying that Mr X wanted to self-discharge He was shouting and upsetting other elderly and vulnerable patients on the ward The doctor had been called for guidance on the discharge but had not yet responded Jennifer followed her colleague to take charge of the situation and to provide support Looking at the patient’s medical records she saw that the patient was recorded as male With her colleague finally getting through to the doctor on the phone She said to the doctor that: ‘Mr X would like to self-discharge.’ enraged Mr X screamed: “Do not call me Mr Jennifer called back to Mr X that she was speaking to the doctor and was working out what medication could be given before he was discharged Jennifer found Mr X pacing up and down in chains Jennifer politely said: ‘I am sorry I cannot refer to you as her or she, as it’s against my faith and Christian values but I can call you by your name.’ She then began to relay what the doctor had said ‘Imagine if I called you n*****’ Mr X yelled. ‘How about I call you n***** Mr X then lunged threateningly towards Jennifer and pursued her out of the room until he was eventually held back by the guards He then shouted: ‘I want your name and NHS number and am going to report you to the police for homophobia and to Patient Advice and Liaison Service’ (PALS) One of the guards approached Jennifer and said: ‘Why can’t you just call him what he wants?’ Jennifer reiterated what she had already said about her Christian beliefs using Mr X’s feminine name: ‘I got you your pain relief.’ Mr X calmed down and was quiet until the morning Jennifer handed over to colleagues on the next shift but felt unable to speak to anyone about what had happened also called Mr X ‘he’ that evening but was not disciplined for doing so Jennifer received a call from a colleague who had taken over her shift They said that Mr X had been shouting for her and repeating the threat that he was going to make a complaint to PALS she was pulled aside by a ward manager and asked to make a statement about what had happened After Jennifer relayed that she was still feeling impacted by the racial and potential physical attacks she was told that despite that she still had to respect “equality and diversity” according to the Nursing and Midwifery Council code of conduct Jennifer said she had no issues with people’s sexuality but also asked where the respect was for her Christian beliefs and said that she ‘could not deny biological reality’ Jennifer believes that the Bible is unambiguous about human sex ‘So God created mankind in his own image Over the next few days Jennifer said she felt pressured to provide management with a statement She was then told that she must attend a meeting with HR and that if she refused to comply which she found this to be hurtful and demeaning An investigation report subsequently concluded that: ‘the Code of Conduct outlines that in order to treat people as individuals and to uphold their dignity nurses should avoid making assumptions and should recognise Diversity and individual choice.’ The report cited the NMC Code of Conduct which states that nurses should ‘not express your personal beliefs (including political religious or moral beliefs) in an inappropriate way although [Jennifer] felt unable to identity Patient X using the preferred pronouns due to her religion it could be perceived that [Jennifer’s] actions could…be seen as a potential breach of the code.’ She was accused of ‘not respecting the patient’s preferred identity’ and told her actions and behaviour had ‘fallen short of the Trust’s value of Respect’ Summoned to a disciplinary hearing in October 2024 Jennifer was given a final written warning and has been referred to the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) Since the incident, she has been moved to another ward and effectively demoted. Her name was wiped off the internal system making it difficult to apply for extra shifts at the hospital Her capacity to earn much needed extra money was therefore removed and she and her family have suffered as a result and with her career and livelihood under investigation and at serious risk Jennifer faced no alternative but to file a legal claim on the grounds of harassment and direct discrimination She says that the NHS has unlawfully interfered with her rights under Article 9 ECHR to freedom of thought especially with her right to manifest her religion by seeking to compel her to use preferred pronouns Jennifer’s case follows other high profile legal cases involving nurses in Darlington and Scotland taking legal action against the NHS over being forced to undress in female changing rooms in front of men ‘identifying’ as women who says she has never had any issues with any transgender patients previously said: “I am devastated by how I have been treated and believe I am being institutionally abused bullied and racially discriminated against “Ever since I have expressed my Christian beliefs under extreme pressure “I do not feel supported by my colleagues following the racial abuse and threat of physical violence I received from the patient I remained professional throughout and always treat each and every individual with dignity and respect “My conduct throughout this incident and during my career has been fully compliant with the code if you put your head above the parapet and speak truthfully on these issues in the NHS the risk is that you will be knocked down Chief executive of the Christian Legal Centre said: “The NHS appears to remain captured by transgender ideology to the point it is prepared to back a convicted paedophile who was clearly very disturbed and shouting racist comments “Jennifer Melle was genuinely doing her best while not wanting to deny her Christian faith and biological reality “We thought we had seen it all when it comes to controversial legal cases on these issues but what Jennifer Melle is experiencing at the hands of this ideology is off the scale and on a whole new disturbing level “Jennifer loves Jesus and is a talented nurse who should be supported and protected “The Trust cannot force compelled speech on their staff and an urgent U-turn and apology is needed He is already involved in the Darlington nurses’ case and has previously said he is ‘horrified’ by how they are being treated It’s time for government intervention on this matter “It’s time for the government to stop equality and diversity policies being weaponised in the NHS to punish innocent nurses just doing their job “We will stand with Jennifer for as long as it takes for her to receive justice and with any other nurses who are discriminated against due to this dangerous ideology.” You can find out more about this website's use of cookies, usage analysis and similar technologies here. Michelle Obama admits to therapy as she undergoes life-changing 'transition' WATCH NOW: NHS nurse punished for ‘misgendering’ trans paedophile NHS nurse Jennifer Melle has told GB News of how she was "racially abused and attacked" by a transgender paedophile at the hospital she worked at after referring to the patient as "Mr" during a phone call on shift was investigated and disciplined by the St Helier Hospital in Carshalton in October 2024 following the incident and was also referred to the Nursing and Midwifery Council Melle recalled being left "shaken" after the patient called her "the N-word multiple times" and "lunged at her" whilst being restrained by the guards Melle told Free Speech Nation: "I was on the night shift and my colleague ran towards me in distress "She was so shaken and she said I need help - there's a patient that wants to self-discharge and is causing mayhem and is being very disruptive to the rest of the patients on the trauma and orthopaedic ward NHS nurse Jennifer Melle was racially abused and attacked by a transgender paedophile after referring to them as 'Mr' during a phone call "I spoke to the doctor on the phone and I said is there anything we can do?' And they overheard me and began yelling and roaring Describing how angered the patient had become Melle said that they were "so outraged" that they began hurling "racial abuse" at her calling her the "N-word" multiple times Melle recalled: "He became so outraged and began to call me the N-word multiple times and we'd chained and cuffed his legs as well I had to just walk away and leave the environment." Melle told GB News that she was called the "N-word multiple times" during the incident Highlighting that she was opposed to using their preferred pronouns due to her strong Christian beliefs Melle added that she "could not go against" what she believes in Melle told GB News: "I said I'm happy to call you by your preferred feminine name that we had on the board and I'm a very strong believer and I'm a street preacher as well Detailing the process she endured from the hospital following the incident Melle said the investigation by the Nursing and Midwifery Council is "still ongoing" after a "final written warning" from the hospital and an attempt to "trick her into doing what they want" Melle was investigated and disciplined by the hospital in Surrey in late 2024 Emphasising the personal impact this has had Melle concluded: "I can't refer to a man as a woman or a woman as a man because I was not working in the role that I was supposed to be working - I was literally redeployed to a different department I had a quite traumatic couple of months." She added: "I was quite disappointed that they were siding with the sex offender paedophile - I don't think they were concerned about my feelings or how I was racially abused "I'm a very passionate nurse and I love my job I've always enjoyed my job and never had any complaints." A spokesman for Epsom and Saint Helier University Hospitals NHS trust said: "These matters are still subject to ongoing internal proceedings so it wouldn't be right for us to comment further." A Christian nurse in England who had been punished for saying “Mister” to a transgender prisoner has been suspended without explanation on a vague allegation of potential “gross misconduct,” according to a Christian rights group Jennifer Melle last week was summoned to meet with the chief nurse of Epsom and St. Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust in England, where the Ugandan-born resident of Croydon was told there had been a “potential data breach” after Melle shared her story with media that could amount to “gross conduct,” rights group Christian Concern reported “Pushed on what the grounds for suspension were for a nurse with an unblemished record the Chief Nurse refused to state the specifics of the allegations pending a full investigation,” Christian Concern stated Suspended with full pay and banned from the hospital premises Melle was told to collect her belongings and was escorted “in tears” from the hospital premises “I am devastated to have been suspended simply for whistleblowing,” Melle said I have not even been told what I have supposedly done wrong I am experiencing relentless institutional abuse Ever since I expressed my Christian beliefs under extreme pressure Hospital superiors had called her a “potential risk” for saying “Mister” to a transgender prisoner jailed for luring boys into sex acts by pretending to be a teenage girl on social media and National Health Service (NHS) lawyers reportedly termed her biblical beliefs on gender “not worthy of respect in a democratic society.” “I have been made to feel like a criminal.” Melle said an underlying anti-Christian message had become evident by the health authority during the investigation “The message I have received throughout this investigation is clear: I am expected to tolerate extreme racism deny biological reality and suppress my deeply held Christian beliefs – all in the name of ‘inclusivity’ and protecting falsehoods,” she said “I am trusting in Jesus to guide me through this I genuinely worry about how many other NHS workers are silently enduring similar injustices.” The conflict with her employer gained the attention of Kemi Badenoch Last night (April 6) Badenoch described Melle’s treatment as “completely crazy.” “She has my full support,” Badenoch reportedly said “It’s time the government pulls its finger out and intervenes to make it clear no one should be punished at work for stating biological reality to pedophiles.” Helier NHS Foundation Trust for discrimination They also deleted her name from the internal system so she could no longer work over-time but I am being treated like a criminal,” she said in a previous Christian Concern statement “Jennifer’s decision to speak out about her treatment is a legally protected act under the Equality Act,” Williams said “The NHS has become so entrenched in transgender ideology that it is willing to side with a man brought in from prison in chains – who was openly shouting racist abuse – over a Christian nurse We have seen many shocking cases in recent years but what Jennifer Melle is enduring takes this issue to a whole new Williams called for both an “immediate U-turn” and a “full apology” from the health authority “not a suspension and yet another investigation,” she pointed out “Internal investigations usually become very prolonged and an exercise in buying time to piece together the NHS narrative,” added Williams “We call on Health Secretary Wes Streeting to intervene He is already engaged in the Darlington nurses’ case and has expressed his horror at their treatment It is time for government action to stop this injustice We will stand with Jennifer for as long as it takes to secure justice – not just for her but for all nurses who face discrimination under this harmful ideology.” Melle Branson spent her youth poring over her parents’ wedding photos and VHS tapes hooked on the nostalgic pangs that swelled deep and empathic feelings she has been harnessing the emotive power that media has to help shape public perceptions and drive positive action and culture are core themes that thread through every part of Melle’s practice Her directorial work sits at the intersection of authenticity and art bringing together real-life narratives with stylised performances to captivate Every single project I do is about fostering collaboration from the ground up And I will always try to build a team that is fitting for the project or is going to be in people's wheelhouse and things that I know they’re going to be excited about because that ultimately makes better work for everyone I'm always trying to prioritise supporting BIPOC and female filmmakers One of the first national campaigns that I ever directed was to do with pregnancy I was wearing a shirt that I always wear that says "Pro-Woman" on it you're doing it for all of us." I was taken aback and didn't quite realise what she meant until I looked around and realised that every person in the agency team and the camera department were men - the only women were in roles like wardrobe I made it a priority that as long as I have the ability to pick and choose my team I'm always going to put underrepresented voices to the front Especially for projects that are about underrepresented perspectives and experiences - that's just a no-brainer Melle> It's a love triangle between me It’s important to me that my DOP shares a common visual language and that they genuinely care about the story I value a creative producer who can be my emotional support and hype girly/guy Melle> I think a lot of the things that I grew up on are trending with Gen Z So that has probably helped me be in the right place at the right time with everything I’ve experienced and am able to draw on I’ve always been fascinated by subcultures - I grew up deeply obsessed with hip-hop making films with a mini DV camera and shooting disposable 35mm film cameras and I think Gen Z love the aesthetic quality to it Melle> I’d been wanting to do a project that I could put dialogue told me about her new cuticle and fragrance oil - it was so addictive that people were sniffing their nails in public I thought that was a hilarious idea that could be translated into some fun films and we bounced ideas around and co-wrote the scripts and ridiculous as we could because we had complete freedom and trust from Angel City to do whatever we wanted.  When I said to Annie ‘Let's make a talking dick’ Melle> Working with Nike in partnership with TikTok on a 19-part documentary was a peak career moment and an opportunity to bring all of my storytelling worlds together thanks to Amplify and Pretty–Soon® The Roll Up for WA campaign - Nostalgic Moments also holds a special place because of everything that was going on at that time We were looking around at what other campaigns were doing all around the world I wanted to give the audience credit and approach it with empathy I was so grateful to have the client’s full trust in my vision allowing every aspect to align including the song choice of ‘What a Wonderful World’ Pulling together an authentic UGC style with an emotive narrative thread - this really speaks to me because it makes me feel so nostalgic I approach documentary projects with the same mindset as I would an ad and I’m always trying to bring a sense of realism and authenticity to commercial projects I love working on brand projects because I thrive in a team and being able to help creatively solve a problem I see them as character focused 3D portraits - they have this other dimension of being able to portray someone in a way that's beautiful and captivating and reflects who they are through my eyes what appeals to me in both genres is storytelling The idea of engaging audiences and guiding them through a narrative to whatever it is we’re trying to do or something meaningful like changing their behaviour or seeing the world in a particular way - I find this power quite intoxicating.  Melle> I guess I knew what I wanted for the project and the only way I could get them out was for me to jump in the booth getting to play a character and explore this other fantasy persona I may or may not have written and recorded another track which may or may not be dropping this summer hip-hop has always been a subtle influence on my filmmaking Whilst I don't necessarily think my style overtly resembles hip-hop aesthetics I undeniably resonate with its values of authenticity and pushing boundaries to connect through storytelling Melle> I think it’s important to have up front open communication on each project about what the creative dynamic will be There are times when the agency and client have full trust and are like I'll stand up for stylistic or narrative elements and I’ll die on the hill knowing I’ve pushed for what I believe in The agency knows the idea and the client better than I do and often there’s so much that I’m not privy to and don’t have an ego about decisions that are out of my control Ultimately I just want to collaborate.  Melle> I've been shooting a few stills campaigns lately which I'm absolutely loving - getting to apply everything I've learned about production and storytelling into a single image is a refreshing challenge I'm also gearing up to start working on my first narrative short film - a passion project that Annie Sullivan and I have been developing one of the world's leading manufacturers and distributors of confectionery and chewing gum as its lead agency for creative and strategic responsibilities for a portfolio of its gum brands This decision follows a highly competitive pitch and marks the beginning of an exciting new partnership with Interpublic the global marketing and communications company FCB London will spearhead creative initiatives for several of PVM’s most iconic gum brands The agency will collaborate with IPG and partner agencies to enhance PVM’s brand presence in key global markets Perfetti Van Melle continually seeks opportunities to push the creative boundaries of its products and this partnership represents a significant step toward delivering even more innovative and memorable sweet treats to consumers worldwide With a portfolio enjoyed in over 150 countries PVM remains committed to spreading joy and smiles through its imaginative range of confectionery and gum chief commercial officer at Perfetti Van Melle we strive to partner with forward-thinking companies that share our drive for innovation and excellence We’re excited to have chosen IPG and FCB London as their global reach and extensive network of partner agencies aligns perfectly with our ambition to continuously push our brands to new heights Their shared vision and passion for elevating our iconic brands will help us break new creative boundaries and deliver joyful memorable experiences to consumers around the world.” “Perfetti van Melle is an incredible company that from day one made it clear how much it values strong partnerships and our shared desire to push for breakthrough creative made the win that much sweeter Working across this exciting range of brands to deliver creative excellence that truly resonates is exactly the brief we love we rank Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five’s “The Message” among the most important songs in Hip Hop history—a track that reshaped the genre with its raw honesty and enduring resonance Released in July 1982 on Sugar Hill Records driven by Melle Mel’s searing verses and a minimalist funk beat hits like a siren echoing through the Bronx’s burned-out blocks The mood simmers with despair and defiance the structure a slow-building narrative that swaps party vibes for street truths “The Message” is a cornerstone—a sonic document of urban struggle that turned Hip Hop into a megaphone for the marginalized cementing Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five as pioneers of the art form Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five emerged from the South Bronx in the late ’70s a crucible of Hip Hop’s birth amid economic decay and cultural rebirth born in Barbados in 1958 and raised in NYC Obsessed with his father’s records—James Brown Aretha Franklin—he studied electronics and built his own gear His innovation—the “Quick Mix Theory,” cutting and scratching with a crossfader—turned DJing into a science he’d recruited MCs Melvin Glover (Melle Mel) and Guy Todd Williams (Rahiem) to form The Furious Five a crew that blended Flash’s beats with their rhymes Sugar Hill Records’ Sylvia Robinson signed them after “Rapper’s Delight” blew up “Superrappin’,” grooves with a funky bassline and rapid-fire bars Flash’s turntable wizardry—spinning breaks from Chic’s “Good Times” or The Incredible Bongo Band’s “Apache”—paired with the Five’s chants “Freedom” (1980) bounces with a tight groove and call-and-response while “The Birthday Party” (1981) thumps with a festive pulse with its title track eclipsing all else—a raw pivot that redefined their legacy was the creative force behind “The Message,” a New Jersey native who joined Sugar Hill as a session drummer and songwriter He’d played on The Sugarhill Gang’s “8th Wonder” and penned The Sequence’s “Funk You Up,” his ear tuned to funk’s pulse Fletcher cut a demo for “The Message” at home—a stark synth riff humming over a minimal beat lyrics reflecting the urban decay he saw daily “I wanted to say something real,” he told The Village Voice in 2002 aiming to break Hip Hop’s party mold with a survival tale Sylvia Robinson heard it and envisioned a Furious Five hit pushing Fletcher to collaborate with Melle Mel despite his initial resistance—he’d planned it as a solo joint merging Fletcher’s vision with Mel’s Bronx edge into a track that hit hard “The Message” opens with a stark synth riff that hums low and eerie A faint shaker rattles like wind through broken glass the structure unfolding like a street sermon Duke Bootee commands the lead: “It’s like a jungle sometimes it makes me wonder how I keep from going under.” Melle Mel’s baritone cuts in crisp and heavy the synth pulsing beneath as he paints the Bronx with his epic opening lines— “Broken glass everywhere / People pissing on the stairs you know they just don’t care.” The rhythm locks tight Melle Mel’s hook is iconic—“Don’t push me ‘cause I’m close to the edge / I’m trying not to lose my head,” it loops hypnotic the vibe teetering between despair and rage the beat steady as he riffs in the closing verse “A child is born with no state of mind / Blind to the ways of mankind but he’s frowning too / Because only God knows what you’ll go through” The production thrives on simplicity—it’s lean Melle Mel and Duke Bootee trade tales— “A crazy lady living in a bag / Eating outta garbage pails used to be a f** hag,” or “Turned stick-up kid but look what you done did / Got sent up for an eight-year bid.” The synth hums unrelenting Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five didn’t invent Hip Hop—but they perfected its early form and pushed it forward rap was party-driven—Kool Herc’s “Merry-Go-Round” looped breaks for dancers The Sugarhill Gang’s “Rapper’s Delight” grooved light and fun Flash’s turntable mastery—cutting Chic’s “Good Times” into a frenzy—made the DJ a star while the Five’s rhymes turned MCing into a craft setting a template for crew dynamics—think Run-DMC’s tag-team flow or Wu-Tang’s posse cuts Where Wild Style’s “Basketball Throwdown” kept it playful “The Message” turned inward—social commentary over celebration Melle Mel’s “Broken glass everywhere” echoes Curtis Mayfield’s “Pusherman,” but swaps soul’s polish for Hip Hop’s grit That shift birthed conscious rap—KRS-One’s “You Must Learn” thumps with lessons Public Enemy’s “Fight the Power” roars with rebellion Chase’s sparse funk—paved the way for minimalism in beats from Too Short’s “Freaky Tales” to Mobb Deep’s “Quiet Storm.” crossfader—became DJ icons; the Five’s Kangols and leathers defined early Hip Hop style They hit #4 on Billboard’s R&B chart with “The Message,” a rare crossover for a track this raw and earned Hip Hop’s first Grammy nod (1983 Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group) splits hit—Flash and Rahiem left over royalties Melle Mel led a partial Furious Five—but their legacy held “White Lines (Don’t Don’t Do It)” (1983) grooves with a funky plea while 1988’s On the Strength nods back with “Magic Carpet Ride.” Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2007—the first Hip Hop act—they’re architects of the genre’s soul “The Message” is a titan—one of the most important Hip Hop songs ever a track that turned rap from party chants to street poetry Released amid Reagan-era neglect—Bronx tenements crumbling unemployment soaring—it’s a time capsule of 1982’s urban despair Melle Mel told Rolling Stone in 2012 it was “a song about survival,” born from Duke Bootee’s demo and Mel’s ad-libs refined by Sylvia Robinson’s push for realness it was a platform—KRS-One’s “My Philosophy,” Nas’ “NY State Of Mind.” Its rawness—Mel’s “Got no money to move out I guess I got no choice / Rats in the front room roaches in the back”—set a standard for storytelling echoed in Biggie’s “Juicy” or Jay-Z’s “Hard Knock Life.” The minimalist beat—synth a trick producers like Rick Rubin and Just Blaze ran with from Reagan’s ’80s to today’s protests—think Kendrick Lamar’s “HUMBLE.” or Killer Mike’s “Reagan.” Its beat still slaps—remixed in 1995 with Coolio sampled by Ice Cube in “Check Yo Self.” Melle Mel’s verses endure—quoted in classrooms “The Message” reigns as a pinnacle—one of the most important songs ever a Bronx cry that turned Hip Hop into a movement and website in this browser for the next time I comment Enter your email address to subscribe to our newsletter but Em has actually been beefing with the Furious Five frontman for years The diss in question comes towards the end of "Tobey." Eminem dedicates a whole couplet to Melle Mel and their past disagreements Who was one of the reasons why I am here," Em raps "They tell me I should just let that shit go and slide (Why?) So Melle Mel made headlines in 2023 when he dismissed Eminem's contributions to rap okay he got a rhyme style," Mel told DJ Vlad He’s white." The rapper did not appreciate the racial bias Read More: Eminem Fans Praise His New Single "Tobey" With Big Sean & BabyTron & Their Fiery Bars It gets weirder and more complicated from there. Melle Mel decided to respond to Eminem's diss with a song called "Kickback." It was universally panned, and led to the Furious Five rapper issuing an apology to Eminem my response fell short in its execution," Mel wrote "I accept full responsibility for the misjudgment." It seemed as though things between Eminem and Melle Mel had blown over but the former still has some additional digs to get in The verse on "Tobey" isn't so much a rehash of the beef as a reminder than Eminem is more important than Melle Mel gave him credit for He has a point when he was derided to for dissing Mel Eminem is the biggest-selling rapper of all time and has influenced (for better or worse) generations of imitators Hence the line "'That man is a legend,' b*tch so am I." Based on how poorly things went last time we imagine Melle Mel is going to chill out on recording a response Read More: Eminem Fans Fire Back Amid Megan Thee Stallion "Houdini" Bar Backlash SearchNHS sides with convicted pedophile against Christian nurse who refused to use wrong pronounsLog InSubscribeThe Christian Post To enjoy our website, you'll need to enable JavaScript in your web browser. Please click here to learn how You are using an outdated browser. Please upgrade your browser to improve your experience 2025Jennifer Melle | Courtesy Christian Legal Centre A Christian nurse was investigated and deemed “a potential risk” after she referred to a convicted trans-identified child sex offender as "Mr." Jennifer Melle refused to refer to the male patient as "she" while on duty identifies as a woman but had come in for treatment from a Category C men’s prison and was recorded in the medical records as male said the patient became angry when she referred to him as ‘Mr black n—!" before having to be restrained by guards An internal investigation found that Melle’s actions could be “seen as a potential breach of the code [of conduct].” The Nursing and Midwifery Council code of conduct states that nurses should “not express your personal beliefs (including political religious or moral beliefs) in an inappropriate way.”  Melle was accused of “not respecting the patient’s preferred identity” and told her actions and behavior had “fallen short of the Trust’s value of Respect.” and has now been referred to the Nursing and Midwifery Council Melle is taking legal action against Epsom and St Helier University Hospital Trust on the grounds of harassment The CLC said: “The story is the latest in a series of cases where NHS policy supports trans ideology over biological reality. It also follows the publication of the Sullivan report which revealed that the police are allowing criminals to 'self-identify' their gender on official records to the NHS siding with a pedophile convicted of serious offenses over members of staff with Christian and gender-critical beliefs.”  Melle said that while she was trusting in Jesus she was concerned about other NHS workers “suffering in silence during similar experiences.” “My conduct throughout this incident and during my career has been fully compliant with the code “The message to me during the investigation is that I should put up with extreme racism and deny biological reality and my deeply held Christian beliefs for the sake of ‘inclusivity’ and respecting lies.”  accused the NHS of being “captured by transgender ideology.” “The Trust cannot force compelled speech on their staff and an urgent U-turn and apology is needed," she said … It’s time for government intervention on this matter “It’s time for the government to stop equality and diversity policies being weaponized in the NHS to punish innocent nurses just doing their job “We will stand with Jennifer for as long as it takes for her to receive justice and with any other nurses who are discriminated against due to this dangerous ideology.” Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust said: “These matters are still subject to ongoing internal proceedings so it wouldn’t be right for us to comment further.” This article was originally published at Christian Today Help keep The Christian Post free for everyone you're helping to keep CP's articles free and accessible for everyone Hope you’ll give us another try and check out some other articles. 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Melle Brown continues to deliver glimmering House grooves through her productions and mixes She blends nostalgia with elements of sunrise and sunset dance moments and influences from neo-soul tech and deep House to create unique soundscapes Melle first made waves when her Intersection EP dropped on Jamz Supernova’s Future Bounce label featuring Grammy nominated Tiana Major9 in 2019 Fan favourites One More Chance and Night Drift followed The track Feel About You with radio legend Annie Mac on vocals was named as one of Billboard’s ‘Best Dance Tracks of The Year’ and included remixes from DJ Koze HoneyLuv and the soulful House veteran Sean McCabe Melle has played at festivals and venues such as Pikes Hotel Skate Lates with Rock Angel feature an extra special series of music nights throughout the season the perfect post-work get together or start to your weekend Celebrating exceptional moments of culture and creativity Rock Angel presents a curated line-up of contemporary DJs All of the music from our live DJs will also be piped through to our Skate Lounge by Whispering Angel direct from the decks warm up and enjoy a drink in the Skate Lounge where you can continue to soak up the atmosphere and great music © 2025 Somerset House TrustRegistered Charity No 1063640Registered Company Number: 03388137Registered Office Address: Somerset House Confectionery specialist Perfetti van Melle (PVM) is set to roll out its product innovations at the upcoming TFWA World Exhibition in Cannes (29 September-3 October) Among its latest product developments include new flavours of its key candy brand Sour Lemon and Sour Apple will be presented in the Chupa Chups Sour Pouch Bag Expanding the brand’s diverse snacking and sharing range the new pouch bag includes 25 lollipops and complements the existing Chupa Chups Best Of and Strawberry Loves pouches the multi-flavour Mentos Discovery Jumbo comes with 14 innovative and regular flavours in one tube This is the first product development of its kind for PVM and further to its launch in Europe is already performing positively The Mentos Jumbo Roll lineup will be enhanced by the new Feeling Berry Good version The new product will feature refreshed packaging all Mentos Jumbo Rolls will switch from a plastic lid bottom to a cardboard fixed bottom aligning with PVM’s efforts to offer more sustainable products Since acquiring several gum brands from Mondelez in late 2023 PVM has rolled out Stimorol to various travel retail markets the confectionery leader will further expand its range with the Stimorol 10-pack PVM Marketing Manager Lauren Potter said: “We are excited to showcase our latest new products for travellers at this year’s TFWA World Exhibition in Cannes We have a packed calendar plan for brand activations already lined up for 2025 “We look forward to a year ahead full of engaging and impactful promotions designed to create a dynamic shop floor presence for our brands Mentos and Chupa Chups in the duty-free retail space “We know the cash till point-of-purchase is very important for impulse purchasing for the confectionary category and gum is a key vertical we have the optimal range of single gum and mint items under our Mentos brand; these are the perfect pick-up products and at the right price points “In 2025 we will continue to drive our freshness offer with the best instore visibility solutions for these areas plus ensuring we have a fresh innovative and exciting product range to suit.” ✈ the NKY maker of the Airheads candy brand that generations of Americans have loved for more than 40 years unveiled some oversized fun at its Erlanger factory this week To celebrate the pride of having the birthplace of Airheads here in Northern Kentucky Perfetti Van Melle installed a giant new outdoor 3-D sign featuring the iconic Airheads red balloon at its factory “Sweet things happen right here at our North American headquarters and factory every day on Turfway Road resulting in over 6.5 million Airheads bars a day But we remain to many people a best-kept secret in Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky • Second largest non-chocolate candy manufacturer in the U.S • 6.5 million Airheads bars are produced at the Erlanger factory each day • 240 Mentos Pure Fresh Gum bottles are packed per minute at the Erlanger factory Perfetti Van Melle has appointed Havas Media Network ANZ to lead media duties across Australia and New Zealand as the global confectionery giant eyes growth for brands including Chupa Chups and Mentos The pitch focused on identifying an agency that could deliver consumer cut-through and support the company’s ambitions to build on its established distribution footprint Havas emerged ahead of competing indie and global agencies with the win extending a four-year partnership between the two country manager for Perfetti Van Melle ANZ said Havas will begin work immediately on audience strategy and campaign development with a brief to deliver innovative campaigns and renewed customer focus Part of the remit is to reduce media wastage improve planning efficiency and unlock more value from existing investments while also keeping the brands front-of-mind for existing customers said the win as the incumbent was a strong validation of the agency’s evolved offering “We’re converging data smarts with the ability to activate quickly in-channel to deliver greater retail impact,” Hyland said “The Perfetti Van Melle team is ambitious and constantly challenges the status quo - exactly the kind of client that brings out our best thinking.” Havas Media will also use its proprietary Converged platform which draws on some 35,000 audience insights from half a million individuals across demographic Perfetti Van Melle is one of the world’s largest confectionery and gum manufacturers with brands sold in more than 150 countries We break down the big and messy topics of the day so you're updated on the most important developments in Asia's marketing development – for free MARKETING-INTERACTIVE is an online publication of Lighthouse Independent Media Marketing Interactive is not responsible for the content of external sites.