text:
Harry grimaced and rubbed his eyes as he sat up. He had been having a weird dream, and he was glad to be outside of it.
Or not, he realized, as he stared around and realized he was still in the middle of a clearing with tall golden grass. And an enormous tree looming over him, dominating the horizon the way a mountain would.
Harry tilted his head back, trying to understand the scope of the tree. He could see white bark, and twisted roots, and dark green leaves spiraling around the white trunk as though cocooning it. And he couldn’t see all the way to the top of the tree, but he could feel the coolness of the shade around him.
Harry supposed he could just sit in the shade. That had been what he did last night, and after a time, he’d simply woken up.
But this time, that sounded boring. And it obviously didn’t stop the dreams to do nothing in them. Harry forced his way wearily to his feet and walked towards the tree.
Closer to it, he could see that some of what he’d mistaken for leaves was bark, patches of dark green seaming the white. The leaves likewise had white ones among them, soft and gleaming and quivering, casting what felt like flickers of light and heat out from them.
Harry stopped in front of the tree and tilted his head back again, staring up towards the crown. The rustling of the leaves sounded like a sea in storm, it was so loud and overwhelming. Harry reached out and hesitantly put a hand on the root near him, looming over his head.
It felt soft and warm beneath his touch, like the flank of a horse. Harry drew his hand back, startled and a little afraid.
“What is this?” he whispered, and craned his neck to stare up at the tree, or as much of it as he could see when he was this close. “Why am I dreaming about you?”
The tree seemed to darken in his sight, and Harry assumed he was waking up. Instead, one of the great branches fell towards him, and Harry yelped and flung himself backwards, one hand flying up to cover his face, as useless as that would be.
He found himself sitting straight up in his bed, panting.
“What the hell?” Harry whispered to himself.
“Well, of course, there’s the tree called Yggdrasil in Norse lore,” Hermione said, face deep in the book in front of her. They were in the middle of the Hogwarts library, which wasn’t unusual for Hermione since they’d started helping in the rebuilding project for the castle. Harry hadn’t been here since the end of sixth year, though, and Ron longer than that. He tended to go home to the Burrow for a few days whenever Hermione started to get involved in a research project.
“What does it do?” Harry rubbed his eyes. They still felt gritty and dry, as though he hadn’t really slept at all while he was walking past the stupid tree.
“It holds up the sky and the universe.”
“This one definitely looked big enough to do that,” Harry mumbled, and accepted the book Hermione passed him.
He flipped through a few pages, frowning. He supposed the colors of the tree were less important than its size, but the tree in front of him didn’t really look anything like the one from his dreams. That one hadn’t had a dragon gnawing on its roots and a squirrel running up and down its trunk, for one thing. And it had looked—well, smaller, which was an odd thing to say about a tree the size of a mountain, but still something that could exist inside one world, like a mountain, not between worlds.
“Anything?” Hermione asked, looking over the top of her book.
Harry shook his head. “I don’t think so. The colors on the tree seemed to be the important thing. And the fact that they were so interwoven that they appeared on both the bark and the leaves.”
“Hmmm,” Hermione answered, and picked up another book. “Well, birches have pale bark, but lots of trees have dark green leaves, so I’m not sure—”
Harry started and glanced up. It took what felt like minutes to recognize the boy standing in front of him. Thin, pale, with a Slytherin tie clinging around his throat. Harry blinked and blinked, and finally said, “Theodore Nott?”
“Yes,” Nott said, and sat down across from Harry without waiting for an invitation. He leaned forwards and laid his clasped hands on the table. They trembled. “Did I hear you right when you said that you were having dreams about a tree?”
“Yes,” Harry said back, as warily as Nott was talking to him, and shot a look at Hermione. She only shook her head. She didn’t know what this was about any more than he did, then.
“Good.” Nott leaned forwards over the table, eyes bright enough that Harry would have hoped for some answers, except that he thought what was lighting them up was desperation. “So am I.”
“The tree is a symbol of the tilting balance magic in the world,” Nott said, leaning back with his arms behind his head. They’d gone out to the Forbidden Forest, because there was too much chance that someone would overhear them in the library, and Nott apparently didn’t want that to happen.
Hermione nodded. “Trees are ancient symbols. Yggdrasil is the most famous, but there are others. For example, I read that a huge pine tree—”
“Granger.” Nott turned his head and stared at her. “I appreciate that you’re here, because you might have insights to contribute, but we’re not going to do down endless tangents or listen to a research lecture. We’re just not.”
“Don’t talk to her like that,” Harry snapped.
“We’re not,” Nott said, but more softly. He looked at Harry out of the corner of his eye. “I need your help. I need help from both of you, I think, and anyone else who wants to join in. But I am not going to listen to a research lecture, Potter. If you don’t like that, then I’ll go find someone else.”
Hermione took a deep breath, held it, and let it out, shaking her head. Then she said, “It’s fine, Harry.”
“Is it?” Harry didn’t take his eyes from Nott, who was looking steadily more uncomfortable.
“Yes. If we want to solve this problem, we have to work with Nott, apparently. I haven’t managed to find anything like the specific tree you told me about, and if Nott already knows about Yggdrasil and pine trees, then there isn’t much point in talking about them.” Hermione arranged herself with her legs folded beneath her and her arms crossed in her lap. “It’s fine.”
Harry scowled, but nodded. “All right, Nott. Explain what you mean about the tree serving as a symbol of balance.”
“You know that the kind of magic that’s called Dark and the kind that’s called normal are both part of our world,” Nott said softly. His eyes were darker than Harry had thought, or maybe that was just a function of how huge they seemed in his pale face. “Most of the time, they both exist, and both shift back and forth in how many practitioners they have and how many spells are considered part of either category.”
“I know that’s not true,” Hermione snapped. “The Unforgivables aren’t a normal part of our world, and—”
“I wasn’t talking about the Unforgivables, Granger.” Nott rolled his eyes. “There are plenty of Dark spells other than that. Dark magic exacts a price. It might be a price taken from the person who’s casting the spell, like one that takes a lot of time to study, but it might also be a price taken from the person it targets. Blood, pain, death. Offensive spells are almost all Dark.”
“That’s not true!”
“I told you I wasn’t willing to listen to a lecture.” Nott turned deliberately towards Harry. “Do you want to hear this or not?”
Harry stared back at Nott and thought about how many offensive spells he’d cast during the war. And those had included the Unforgivables. He nodded. “Okay.”
Harry reached out and squeezed Hermione’s hand without taking his gaze from Nott. “I think we at least need to hear this, Hermione. And I’m really tired of having these bloody dreams. This might be a way to stop them.”
“There is,” Nott said, his eyes looking even more haunted now. “But you’re not going to like it.”
“I haven’t liked more than a quarter of what I found in the magical world, anyway,” Harry said evenly. “Tell me.”
Nott looked surprised, and, for a second, like he was going to laugh. Then he shook his head and said, “Normal magic, as I suppose you’d call it, doesn’t require that kind of price. That’s the kind that cleans things, or opens doors, or floats feathers in the air. It doesn’t use blood or pain, and the spells take almost no time to study or cast. That’s why we begin our education with them. They act mostly on objects, which don’t feel those things.
“But that kind of magic can bend the world out of shape, when it’s cast often enough. When that becomes almost all the magic we cast.”
“The war should have bent the world back into shape, then,” Hermione snapped. “Given how many people cast offensive spells during it.”
“Not that many people, Granger.” Nott gave a hollow laugh. “Do you truly think that more wizards or witches cast Cutting Curses or pain curses than cast spells to clean up their own messes or sharpen a quill? Of course not.”
“But that seems as though the balance you’re talking about always should have been off,” Harry interrupted. “Because people always would have used the normal spells more than the Dark spells.”
“Yes,” Nott whispered. “That’s why certain powerful wizards and witches build networks to keep Dark magic in the world and support its presence.”
“Networks,” Hermione said thoughtfully.
Harry didn’t know why he got it before she did, because that wasn’t like him, but his gaze slid down and focused on Nott’s left arm. “Oh, not,” he whispered.
“Yes, exactly, Potter.” Nott gave him the unhappiest smile Harry had ever seen and pulled back his left sleeve. There was a Dark Mark on his arm that looked like a purpled bruise, but creeping in around the edges were the green and white colors Harry had seen on the giant tree in his dreams. “The Dark Marks were one of those networks. The Dark Lord buried a bit of power in every one of them, spreading it out rather than keeping it in his body. That had a practical purpose for him—he could summon us that way, for instance—but it also served as one network that stabilized Dark magic.”
“There must be others,” Harry said, with a slight frown, sitting back from where he’d leaned over to study Nott’s arm. A chill was working its way through him like a virus. “That couldn’t be the only one…”
Nott shook his head. “It isn’t, but the Dark Lord—he did an unwise thing.”
“You don’t say,” Hermione interrupted tartly.
Nott’s eyes flickered towards her, and he seemed to laugh without opening his lips. “Well, yes, lots of them.” He looked back at Harry. “He connected the Dark Marks to other networks in the magical world, so that all of them fed back and forth and depended on each other to exist. He thought it wouldn’t matter, because they would never falter. He would exist forever, after all.” The bitterness on Nott’s face was as complicated as the pattern of light and shadow Harry had seen on the dream-tree’s trunk. “But since he is dead and the Marks are fading, those networks are destabilized, too.”
“So it’s my fault, because I killed him?”
Nott blinked, then shook his head. “Not precisely. The Dark Lord’s fault for tangling the Dark Mark with those networks, the fault of people in the Ministry for not understanding what Dark magic is and acting as though it was easy to define, the fault of generations of Hogwarts Headmasters and professors for concentrating so hard on normal magic…” He shut his eyes. “But the network’s collapse will mean the deaths of people branded with the Mark. First. And then the deaths of others who try to use Dark magic. And, at best, the memory of those spells being wiped from the minds of others in widening circles of effect.”
Harry shuddered as he imagined that. He didn’t like Malfoy, but the git didn’t deserve to die. And Harry had worked hard enough on keeping Snape alive—including just going back to the Shrieking Shack in the first place, quickly enough to realize that Snape had managed to shove a bezoar down his throat but was dying from blood loss—that he wasn’t keen on the Potions professor dying, either.
“What can we do to help?”
That was Hermione’s voice, clear and calm. Harry opened his eyes and smiled at her, glad that she’d decided to accept Nott’s story at least for now.
“Someone needs to step into the Dark Lord’s place and stabilize the network,” Nott said quietly. “It needs to be someone powerful, someone who’s practiced Dark magic in the first place, and ideally someone with a connection to the Dark Lord.”
His eyes were fastened on Harry. Harry sighed a little, but honestly, he’d suspected from the minute Nott started talking where this would lead.
“A Death Eater could do it,” Hermione muttered. “But I don’t think we want one of them.”
“No, I agree,” Nott said, and kept on looking at Harry.
Harry spread his hands. “What would it entail? Would it mean that I was suddenly in mental contact with all of your lot or something?” He didn’t miss the way Nott flinched when he said the words “your lot,” and decided he would try to avoid that in the future. “Because I can think of tons of them who wouldn’t want to be in contact with me.”
“Nothing like that. It’s lending your magic to stabilize the network, and make sure that it doesn’t collapse. Over time, we can work on disentangling the Dark Marks from the other networks, and stabilizing them. Like working on making sure trees are well-watered.”
That didn’t sound so bad to Harry. He nodded and closed his eyes at Nott’s direction, reaching out to put one hand over the bruised Dark Mark.
“Harry, I don’t think,” Hermione began nervously.
“How long have you been having the dreams about the tree, Potter?” Nott asked.
“Almost a fortnight,” Harry muttered, not opening his eyes.
“And you’ve been looking in the library for an answer for how long, Granger?”
“Two days,” Hermione admitted grudgingly. “But—”
“Believe me,” Nott said, “you could keep searching, and in the meantime, the network would decay further and further. Draco is already sick. It’s why he missed the first trial that the Ministry scheduled for him and they had to find another date. And most of the books that you need to find out about this won’t be in the Hogwarts library, either. I’ll owl them to you later, if you have to have them, Granger. It’s just—please.”
“It’s personal for you, isn’t it?” Harry asked, not opening his eyes, using his magic and fingers to explore the edge of Nott’s bruised Dark Mark. It felt withered and dying. As if it might fall like the tree branch in his dream.
He didn’t know how he knew that, and it was kind of creepy. But he also knew that the dreams he’d been having were real and urgent in a way that none of the dreams he’d had before that had been, and that he was no nearer finding answers to that question than he had been a fortnight ago.
“Yes,” Nott said, and his fingers trembled for a second beneath Harry’s. “My father is sick. Please, Potter. He’s not—he’s not a good person, but he was good to me. Please, help me save him.”
“Harry,” Hermione said, but Harry wasn’t sure what he heard in her voice now.
And he didn’t think that he could wait to analyze it, anyway. His magic was already moving, reaching out towards the decay he could feel in the Dark Mark.
Nott drew in a sharp breath.
There was no one to tell Harry what to do, and he wasn’t sure if he could have understood the instructions even if there was. This wasn’t a matter for instructions. It was a matter for listening, and reaching, and feeling—
There was a torrent waiting, backed up behind some kind of barrier that Harry didn’t understand. He reached out and pried at the barrier, but it didn’t yield. Then he flung his magic at it, and it broke with the sensation of earth and water swirling past him. But that only lasted until the torrent broke free.
Then it roared past him, and Harry was staggering, doing his best to keep his feet.
His magic flooded out of him in the opposite direction, the one the torrent was coming from. Harry knew it was going, but he didn’t have the means to stop it. The network, or whatever it was that had been decaying, sucked relentlessly at his strength, needing it in a way that Harry didn’t recall anyone ever needing anything from him.
He gave, humbled and shaken. These were people he could protect. These were people he could shelter. This was magic that he could shelter, too.
His thoughts didn’t make much sense, but it didn’t matter. Harry went on giving, until Nott gasped and shoved him away. Harry blinked his eyes open and discovered that he was lying on the forest floor with his nose pushed against Nott’s knee. Harry reached up and rolled shakily to the side.
He tried to sit up, and couldn’t. He fell back with a low groan. He had a shakiness in his muscles and a tremor in his fingers that were oddly familiar. After a bit, he realized why. This was the way it felt when the Dursleys didn’t let him eat for days at a time.
Hermione was shouting at Nott. “—all your fucking fault!”
Nott wasn’t answering. Harry assumed he either couldn’t or didn’t know how to calm an angry Hermione in full roar. He coughed and said in a croaking voice, “Come on, Hermione, I’m the one who volunteered to do this. And I didn’t know it would pull that much magic from me. Nott probably didn’t, either.”
Nott’s voice was low and odd. It sounded different. Harry rolled over to blink at him and nearly recoiled.
Before, Nott hadn’t looked healthy, Harry abruptly realized. It hadn’t just been lack of sleep or fear. He must have begun to suffer the sickness that he’d talked about Malfoy and Mr. Nott getting.
Nott’s face had a healthy color that looked as if he’d spent a full summer in the sun. He was smiling at Harry with brilliant white teeth that also seemed sharper than they’d been. And there was a pair of horns on his head.
Harry stared at them in silence, then at Nott.
“What the hell, Nott?” Hermione asked flatly, almost conversationally.
Nott tilted his head and closed his eyes. A full-body shudder coursed through him, and Harry felt a leaping spark in the magic that still connected them. The horns sank back into Nott’s head, and Nott took a deep breath. “That’s better,” he said. His voice was different, Harry decided. More musical, low, rough.
Nott opened his eyes again and smiled at Harry. “My family used to be able to take a partial creature form,” he said. “Legacy of ancestors that were—from another world is the simplest explanation. But it’s been a good few generations since we could. It looks like you’ve given me back that ability, Potter. Along with my father, likely. Thank you.”
Harry nodded, dazed. From another world? Okay, why not? At the moment, he needed food and rest more than he needed to wonder what the fuck Nott was babbling about. He reached back and braced a hand against a nearby tree, slowly levering himself back to elbows and knees.
Nott reached down and effortlessly scooped him to his feet. Harry blinked, looked sideways at Nott, and leaned for a moment on his strength. Then he drew himself away.
“You can lean on me,” Nott offered. “I don’t mind.”
“I do,” Harry said. “I did what you said had to be done. Maybe I owed it to you and the others because I killed Voldemort.” Nott didn’t flinch, just watching Harry with unnerving intensity. “But you don’t owe me anything now.”
“On the contrary,” Nott said. “I think I should—”
“You’ve done quite enough, Nott,” Hermione snapped at him, and got in between Harry and the Slytherin. “Come on, Harry, we are going to the hospital wing.”
Harry smiled faintly at Hermione’s familiar, exasperated tone, and reached out to lean on her. They made their way slowly out of the Forest and towards the castle.
Harry did look back once. Nott was standing near the edge of the Forest, watching them with an intense expression, and the horns were back on top of his head. Curving, golden horns, Harry thought. Goat’s horns?
Harry shook his head and focused on walking forwards again, and eventually walking up the steps in the castle, and swallowing the potion that a scolding Madam Pomfrey forced down his throat. It soothed the weakness and sent him straight to sleep.
The back of his head felt oddly crowded as he slept. As if a whole bunch of people standing just out of sight were watching him and murmuring to each other about him.
But at least there was no more fucking tree, so Harry counted that as a success.


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WBA world light-heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol, despite his long protracted negotiations with Canelo Alvarez failing to secure a rematch between the pair, Russian is still keeping close tabs on the Mexican as it is widely expected that the undisputed super-middleweight champion is set to face Jermell Charlo.
Alvarez confirmed last week that he had left Matchroom Boxing and signed a three-fight deal with Premier Boxing Champions, rumoured to be worth over $ 100 million. Alvarez will be set for his return against Charlo in September. The match-up between Charlo and Canelo will sell Charlo a step up a weight class to fave Canelo and challenge for the undisputed world super-middleweight titles.
PBC, on paper, has more realistic opportunities for Canelo to defend his 168 lbs titles with the likes of David Benavidez, David Morrell, and Demetrius Andrade, all associated with the Al Haymon enterprise. Something which Matchroom Boxing has exhausted all possible opponents who are attached to the British promotional entity. All except Bivol, who claimed victory against Alvarez in May of 2022.
In an interview with FightHub Tv, Bivol said that if Charlo was to defeat Canelo, he would like to face Jermell and would even be willing to drop to 168 lbs to make it happen.
“Yeah, if Charlo wins, I would like that fight,” Bivol told FightHubTV. “It’s not like, ‘Oh, I want to fight against someone at 168' - no. I prefer to fight at my weight class.’ If someone wants and we have a good offer to move down for belt, I will do it. But I prefer to fight at my weight class.”
Bivol himself is set to return to the ring, most likely in October, after continuing to add that he feels a September return might be too soon. It has been reported that Bivol is likely to face unbeaten British light-heavyweight contender Dan Azeez, who currently holds the EBU European light-heavyweight title.
“I hope in September or October (to fight again) - October,” Bivol said. “If September, I should have been given an offer a couple of weeks ago.”
“I’m ready for anyone in my weight class” Bivol added. “I’ll try to be ready for the top 10 fighters at light heavyweight.”


text:
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domain: finance


text:
Vist 10 gange, downloadet 0 gange
tæt på Kalnansi, Kuldīgas novads (Latvijas Republika)
Kalnansi bog trail is located just 34 km from Kuldīga, close to Kabile town. It is a short loop-type trail, yet a really beautiful bog trail with a lovely small lake in the middle called Bezdibeņa (“bottomless”) lake. The lake is credited of having a very “soft” healing water. In past, storries were told that it could be the deepest lake in Latvia, this is where it’s name came from. In reality it appeared that the depth is no more than 7m:) Kalnansi bog is a protected raised bog.

domain: geography


Kentucky held its ninth day of spring football practice indoors on Wednesday at the Nutter Fieldhouse with head coach Mark Stoops and the defensive staff meeting with the media afterward to discuss the Wildcats' progress.
CLICK HERE to read the entire notebook on our KyScout subscriber forum and join in the discussion with our staff and other UK fans.
UK Spring FB Notebook - Day 9
AllWildcats Top Stories
Diallo Returning to UKRedshirt freshman guard withdraws from NBA Draft pool at deadline.
Cats Top Gamecocks in SEC TourneyCats advance to face winner of LSU-Missouri matchup in third round.
Seven Cats Receive All-SEC HonorsHjelle Named SEC Pitcher of the Year; Pompey, Salow First-Team All-SEC.
AllWildcatsMonday at 12:34 PM
Highlights of 2018 five-star center Bol BolBol Bol is currently Scout's 13th ranked prospect in 2018. Here are highlights of Bol at the Nike EYBL.
Scout HoopsMonday at 12:32 PM


UPDATE (as of February 1, 2021): It was announced on Super Junior’s official Twitter page that their supposed comeback on February 16, 2021 has been moved to March 16, 2021 due to unavoidable circumstances.
Below is their full statement regarding the delay of the 10th studio album release:
Super Junior confirmed on January 8, 2021, the release of their 10th studio album.
Their 10th studio album titled “The Renaissance” will be released on February 16, 2021 at 6PM KST.
The original release of the studio album was moved to a different date and SJ Label said, “We originally planned on releasing in January, but we decided to adjust the comeback date to produce a high-quality title track.”
SJ Label apologized to all the fans who are waiting for the album and they assured that both the members and the company are working hard for the album and asked the fans’ expectations and interests once the album is released.
Meanwhile, in line with their comeback, Super Junior released their group and individual teaser photos that showed an old-fashioned and elegant concept for the album.
“The Renaissance” has a total of 10 songs of various genres, 3 of which they already released.
The 10th studio album will include a remake of their 2014 song “Raining Spell for Love”.
Two other songs that were released are “Burn The Floor” which they performed during The Fact Music Awards 2020, and “Tell Me Baby” featuring an animated film they gifted to all ELFs during the holidays.
Are you excited for the comeback of the Kings of K-pop? Show us your excitement in the comments below!


Masterkraft – Turn Me On Mp3 Download
Masterkraft breakthrough back into the rave with yet another new single he titled “Turn Me On”.
Without any doubt, this is so impressive and it also shows the versatility of the Nigerian legendary music producer (Masterkraft).
Listen, Download and Share “Masterkraft – Turn Me On Mp3” below:-
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text:
The Three Miss Allens is the first book I read by Victoria Purman. I must confess that when I opened the first pages it took me a small while to get into the story. I’m usually one of those bang-bang fast paced plot people and for a fraction of a second, wondered if it was going to appeal to me. I’m so glad I kept reading because not long after, I was hooked. The plot was certainly engaging and had me enthralled. I read the rest of the book in one sitting and was thankful that Victoria spent the time to set the scene at the beginning because without it, I wouldn’t have been so thoroughly transported into another world that felt so familiar.
Here’s is the blurb:
How much of who we are is destiny and how much chance?
In 1934, the three Miss Allens – Ruby, Adeline and Clara – arrive in the seaside town of Remarkable Bay for their annual summer holiday. It’s the last time they’ll spend summers as a family. Adeline is engaged, Ruby is weighing up an offer, and Clara is just eighteen and about to start her life. But by summer’s end, the lives they have known will change irrevocably and a mysterious secret will tear the family apart.
Set on the sunny sea side town of Remarkable Bay in Adelaide, Victoria is fast becoming a force in the Australian literary scene and I believe this book is going to be a hit this summer.Eighty-two years later, Ruby’s great-granddaughter Roma Harris moves to the now sleepy Remarkable Bay, retreating from tragedy. Roma’s distant cousin Addy arrives too, fleeing a life with too much drama. It’s only when the women discover an old guest book that they start asking questions about the mysterious third Miss Allen. Who was she? Why has she disappeared from the family’s history?
If they solve this mystery from their past, could it change the women’s futures?
Here’s my thoughts:
I love the bittersweet moments when you are transported from the past to the future and realise that after tragedy and broken hearts, there is a silver lining for our heroines (and those damn cute Stapleton boys). My favourite relationship is by far Roma’s and Connor’s. There’s something about overcoming heartache and learning to love again that makes for great reading. I think we all like to hope that if it ever happened to us, we’d make it through somehow.
I’m a little sad at Clara’s journey and wish that there was a little bit more at the end about Addy’s and Roma’s also uncovering her fate. Perhaps there’s a second book coming?
As a writer, here is what I learned:
Victoria writes really good sexy scenes. She’s had no easy task in describing the way multiple couples fall in and out of love, but she did it amazingly. The sexual tension is there, the originality is there and yet, there’s no crudeness to those bow-chica-wow-wow scenes and they don’t take over the story – they compliment it. I hope she decides to teach in this area because I would definitely be the first to enrol. But if you can’t wait for that, check out the post Victoria wrote for me recently on writing fabulous dialogue.
Five Stars! Do yourself a favour and go out and buy this book. It’s the perfect gift for Christmas in Australia.

domain: artistic


- Published: Sunday, 06 October 2013 12:25
- Hits: 2226
WHAT IS KING OF KINGS (KOK)? - A UNIVERSAL MARTIAL ART
KOK is a contest of punching and kicking, defeating an opponent using the most elemental fi ghting techniques. The rules are deliberately simple and designed for maximum excitement, encouraging the fi ghters to always go directly for a knock- out win. In the KOK ring, everything is straightforward and clear cut. KOK has a wide fan base, because of its nature, its intensity and spontaneity. Almost 80% of matches end in knock out. This fact is the fundamental attraction of the sport.
KOK was designed to be enjoyed by any type of audience around the world. This is why we say KOK is a universal martial art. KOK encompasses all other martial arts. The KOK ring is open to anyone, and at the end of a contest it’s always clear who has won and who has lost. That’s why the strongest fi ghters in the world are willing to participate in KOK events, to prove their worth and defend their honor.
- Published: Saturday, 05 October 2013 12:25
- Hits: 3734
Great news for Karaev’s fans. Ruslan is back into sports after a long break. Moreover, Ruslan is not is back in KOK. It has been officially declared that Karaev has signied a contract for 2014 regarding his participation in the KOK tournament. The contract was signed during the press conference held on September 27 dedicated to the last KOK WORLD GP 2013 tournament. That's a real bomb for the world fighting for community. Karaev has very seriously and is ready to prove that he is the best heavyweight fighter in the world. FEA Association (Moldova), led by President Dorin Damir and the IBF Federation (Lithuania) led by their President Donatas Simanaytis have put a lot of effort for marketing of the KOK brand and after the signing of the contract with Ruslan Karaev KOK has become the most advanced fighting project in Europe. So dear friends please find below Ruslan’s Karaev promo video!


The president of parliament resigned Friday after being bitterly attacked for saying on the 50th anniversary of Kristallnacht that many Germans initially found Hitler's rule "glorious."
The furor overshadowed West Germany's carefully organized ceremonies marking Kristallnacht, the night of terror against the Jews that signaled the start of the Holocaust.Parliament President Philipp Jenninger announced he was stepping down as assembly leader after meeting with other top-ranked members of the governing Christian Democratic Union.
The conservative politician's speech Thursday, which also called the early years of the Nazi's Third Reich a "triumphal procession," set off waves of outcries throughout the country and abroad.
His speech, at a special session of the Bundestag, or parliament, triggered a walkout by about 50 lawmakers and calls for his resignation from opposition Greens and Social Democratic parties.
"My speech was not understood by many listeners the way I had intended it to be," the 56-year-old politician said in a written statement. "I am deeply sorry and I am very hurt, if I have offended the feelings of others."
Jenninger said he was stepping down as Bundestag president because he wanted to avoid any damage to the office itself and because he believed he lost the trust of many colleagues.
The statement did not say whether Jenninger would remain a member of Parliament. Jenninger had been the No. 2 West German official after President Richard von Weizsaecker, under the nation's rules of diplomatic protocal.
A member of Chancellor Helmut Kohl's Christian Democratics, Jenninger has been a lawmaker since 1969 and was one of Kohl's closest aides before he was elected Bundestag president in November 1984.
In his speech Thursday, Jenninger talked at length about the positive feelings of many ordinary Germans early in the Hitler dictatorship.
"Didn't Hitler bring to reality what (Kaiser) Wilhelm II had only promised, that is to lead the Germans to glorious times? Wasn't he chosen by Providence, a Fuehrer such as is given to a people only once in a thousand years?" Jenninger asked.
"For the fate of the Germans and European Jews, Hitler's successes were perhaps even more fateful than his crimes and misdeeds," Jenninger said. "The years from 1933 to 1938, even from a distant retrospective and in the knowledge of what followed, still are a fascinating thing today, since throughout history there was hardly a parallel to Hitler's triumphant procession during the first years."
Some listeners sobbed when Jenninger read an eyewitness account of the murder of concentration camp victims in 1942.
"Blood was running over the shoulders of almost everyone," he read. "Some of those shot were still moving, some lifted their arms and turned their heads, to show they were still alive."
Social Democratic chairman Hans-Jochen Vogel said in a letter to Jenninger that the Parliament president showed a "disturbing lack of judgment."
World Jewish Congress President Edgar M. Bronfman called Jenninger's remarks "reprehensible."
"The World Jewish Congress expresses its shock at the reported remarks," Bronfman said in a statement telexed by his New York office to The Associated Press.
But a leader of West Germany's Jewish community defended Jenninger's speech, saying he could not understand calls for his resignation.
"I welcome that the parliament president described in full clarity what was happening in Germany between 1933 and 1938," said Michael Fuerst, a deputy chairman of the Central Council of Jews in West Germany.
Die Welt, in its early edition Friday, said Kohl strongly criticized Jenninger at a private meeting late Thursday but left the resignation decision to the embattled parliament president.


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I have to say I was a bit nervous about turning 30. I had been on vacation the whole week leading up to it and I just felt like- ok- I’m old now (for the record I know I’m not old). I’m not in my 20’s anymore! My closest friends threw me a HUGE surprise party and I realized how lucky I was.
Life is something to be celebrated. It is too often that we (myself included) let stress take over when we don’t like our job, the way we look, feel like we don’t work out enough, have bills to pay, and not enough free time just to name a few things. But something I realized is that even after I’ve gone though all of that stuff in my own life- is that my life is full of people (and my cat and a few material possessions like my iPhone) who make me smile and laugh and make my heart full of love every day.
I’ve never been a super spiritual yoga teacher even though I like those types of classes- but through my own physical and mental practice of yoga- I can see where I go and how I react when something hard, challenging, and stressful happens. I don’t like to breath, I want to eat pizza, drink champagne, and lay in my bed under the covers (all with the ac blasting and fan blowing on me). I don’t want to confront my own reality and make changes because that’s the difficult part. But the truth is- these things are so small in comparison to all the amazing, wonderful, and rewarding things I’ve accomplished in my 30 years.
So the next time you want to run away- take the reigns instead and ask yourself what it is that you want and how you’re going to make it happen.
When my friends threw my surprise party (with probably close to 30 or 40 people there including my parents!) I didn’t know what to say. I couldn’t and still can’t exactly describe the feeling I had inside of my chest that made me feel so good. But when I’m feeling down I think about that moment. That moment (and all of August clearly when I was going out, being taken out and celebrating all month long) made me feel loved. There’s no other way to say it. That and when I see my students eyes light up when I’ve helped them into a headstand.
To put it simply, just remember to enjoy. And celebrate. And THANK YOU to every single one of you for being part of my journey three decades long!
In life one has a choice to take one of two paths: to wait for some special day- or to celebrate each special day. ~Rasheed Ongunlaru
And here’s a celebration video. I know everyone knows the song but I love the video.
**I know SO many of you have been dying for a blog post and finally here it is. I have thought about writing every day and well- I just took a little vacation. I will have some recipes and play lists for you later this week. I’d love if you left a comment letting me know anything you’d like me to post about. <3**

domain: literature


Bernie McGuirk, one of the most decent and funniest human beings in media, has passed away at the age of 64 after a battle with prostate cancer.
A sharp wit, a faster self-deprecating sense of humor, McGuirk shared his heart, soul, and opinions when his microphone was live, and for all of us who knew Bernie, he was funny on air, but tearful laughs poured off-air. He was one of a kind.
Bernie McGuirk was one-half of the “Bernie & Sid” morning show at Big Apple Media talk WABC New York (770).
“We are all devastated by the loss of Bernie,” Red Apple Media owner John Catsimatidis said in a release. “He was a true New Yorker whose talent and intelligence propelled him to the top of New York morning radio. He had incredible insights on local, national, and world news that his listeners respected. He will be missed by everyone at WABC and his fans around the world.”
McGuirk had been with WABC since 2007 as Executive Producer of the “Imus in the Morning Show,” after working with Imus during his latter days at the former WNBC. McGuirk worked with Imus when the show became nationally syndicated in 1993.
In 2016, McGuirk and Sid Rosenberg, another Imus alumnus, co-hosted the WABC’s “Bernie & Sid” in the 10am-Noon midday slot before the two eventually moved to morning drive in April 2018, replacing Imus.
“Bernie was not just half of Bernie and Sid in the Morning; Bernie was part of the fabric of WABC,” President Chad Lopez said. “Listeners from all around the world started their days with Bernie’s charismatic wit and insight, from tragic events to American’s day-to-day life. His absence will leave a hole not just at WABC but across the airwaves and in America’s hearts. Bernie was our brother, our friend, our mentor, our colleague. We will all miss Bernie more than words can express.”
“Bernie was my partner and my friend. He was always the smartest guy in the room, and I was fortunate to be the guy next to him. I know our listeners join me in grieving the loss to radio and to New York,” said Sid Rosenberg.
On Tuesday, October 11, a special tribute will air remembering Bernie McGuirk.
Subscribe to our evening newsletter to stay informed during these challenging times!!


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Written by CorpsAfrica/Malawi Volunteer Ms. Mildred Chirwa
I volunteer at a local secondary school in my community and as the form four graduation was fast approaching I was approached to take care of the decoration for the event. Coming together with the GLOW (Girls Leading Our World) Club, we made decoration items for the event from waste plastic bottles and pieces of chitenje.
It was fun doing this with the girls and they were very excited to learn some skills on how they can reuse waste plastics in their community. Most of the girls showed interest in making artistic items from plastic waste and I shared some videos on this topic with them. I believe this will be a fun way of managing the problem of poor plastic waste management in my community and surrounding areas.

domain: sociology


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There’s no denying the fact that we are experiencing a CBD boom, yet there may be still so much that’s misunderstood in regards to the cannabis derivative. While medical marijuana has been round for a while in a number of states, it wasn’t until mid-2018 that the FDA authorised the first CBD-derived pharmaceutical in the United States. Since then, the medical community has upped the ante in CBD analysis and clinical trials exponentially. Hemp has been considered a cash crop for centuries, so it’s only a matter of time until the Federal Government decides to reverse their archaic regulation and take advantage of its finishless potential.
With a purpose to better understand the effects of CBD, I think it’s vital we discuss what it doesn’t do. In contrast to tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) – the psychoactive compound in marijuana – CBD does not induce any high or euphoric sensations. In reality, scientific trials have shown that CBD effectively minimizes the psychoactive effects of THC. Furthermore, the U.S. Farm Invoice lately legislated that industrial hemp should contain less than 0.three% THC to retain any relaxed legal status.
Medical studies printed around the world have all found that CBD is loaded with healing properties for quite a lot of diseases and ailments. While it will not be a remedy for many of them, it actually offers unmatched benefits in the therapy of signs with none notable drawbacks.
The World Well being Organization’s (WHO) Expert Committee on Drug Dependence (ECDD) published some newsworthy findings not too lengthy ago. The worldwide committee reviewed the current literature on the medicinal benefits of CBD and determined that it was time to remove it from worldwide drug control. They concluded that legitimate CBD “presents no potential for abuse or dependence” and noted that there’s “no proof of recreational use of CBD or any public well being associated problems associated with using pure CBD”. The ECDD elaborated further saying that “CBD is generally well tolerated with a good safety profile.”
Cannabidiol has been studied extensively in the seek for an efficient treatment of major circumstances equivalent to epilepsy, Tourette’s, depression, anorexia, cbd.market IBS, dementia, and chronic pain. Much of CBD’s efficacy is because of its unparalleled capacity to decrease inflammation. This is made possible by the endocannabinoid system, which runs all through the nervous and immune programs of mammals. As soon as ingested (or applied topically), CBD targets CB1 and CB2 receptors, which play crucial roles within the regulation of pain, memory, appetite, metabolism, and mood. Let’s take a closer take a look at the many CBD oil benefits.
Recent research has uncovered an extended list of potential uses for CBD, though many believe there’s still a lot to learn. Cannabidiol affords such an extensive range of functions thanks partially to the endocannabinoid system. This vital system of neurotransmitters and receptors are found throughout the our bodies of most members within the animal kingdom. Besides for a fundamental role within the nervous and immune methods, the endocannabinoid system could be found in connective tissue, cardiac cells, and hormonal glands.

domain: biology


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MGUS is caused by monoclonal plasma cells. Monoclonal means we think they all began from the same cell.
Plasma cells are part of your immune system. When they are normal, they help you fight infection. Here’s how: When germs enter your body, special immune cells “take a bite” from them, and — with the help of other immune cells — present the pieces to the plasma cells to help them identify the enemy. The plasma cells then multiply themselves into an army and produce antibodies to kill the germs. The antibodies are made to attack those germs specifically, and fit into them like a key into a lock. (Plasma cells respond to vaccines and immunizations the same way — by making the antibodies that protect you against diseases such as the flu, measles and polio.)
As soon as the infection is gone, the plasma cells stop multiplying. Some of them go back into the bone marrow and stay there in case the germs return and they are needed again.
When plasma cells become abnormal, they do not stop multiplying, and they produce antibodies that are not targeted to specific germs, so they are useless in fighting infection.
The antibodies produced by those abnormal cells are called monoclonal proteins (M-proteins), and they can be measured in the blood and urine. If only parts of the antibodies are produced, they are called light or heavy chains.
MGUS risk factors
Who’s most at risk for developing MGUS?
- Older people
- African Americans
- Those with a family history of MGUS or multiple myeloma
- Vietnam veterans and others exposed to the herbicide Agent Orange
- Firefighters and other 9/11 first responders have about twice the average risk of developing MGUS.
- Farmers and others who work in agriculture
Symptoms of MGUS
MGUS does not usually cause symptoms. However, in rare cases it can cause neuropathy, a type of nerve damage that can cause tingling, numbness or pain, mostly starting in the fingers and arms or toes and legs.
Some patients with MGUS may also develop renal problems when monoclonal proteins accumulate in the kidney tissue.
MGUS is not a disease, because most of the time it causes no symptoms, but there is a very low risk that it can progress into a symptom-causing disease. When you are evaluated at Roswell Park, your team will look at your risk factors to determine the chances that that will happen.
Tests for diagnosing MGUS
The following tests may be required to diagnose MGUS and determine that it is not a symptom-causing disease:
- Bone marrow biopsy, to find out how many monoclonal plasma cells are in your bone marrow (This is performed only in patients with certain characteristics of MGUS.)
- A urine sample (collected over a 24-hour period) and blood draw, to find out how much M-protein is in your urine and serum.
- A blood draw, to find out how much calcium is in your blood and whether your kidneys are functioning normally.
- Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) or Positron Emission Tomography and Computed Tomography (PET-CT), to find out whether there are holes in your bones (This is performed only in patients with certain characteristics of MGUS.)
Treatment of MGUS
Because MGUS does not cause symptoms, and the risk of developing symptoms is low, researchers agree that it does not have to be treated — only monitored with follow-up visits every six to 12 months.
Roswell Park’s Palliative Care team can assist patients who experience neuropathy due to MGUS or if it occurs as a side effect of treatment.
Whether you’re near or far, here’s how to become a patient
If you’d rather not come to the clinic for your first appointment, we may be able to arrange a secure virtual visit for you using technology that’s HIPAA-compliant and easy to use. This is an especially popular option for those who live out of town or who are seeking a second opinion. All you need is a smartphone.

domain: medical


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The Asian Football Confederation (AFC), through its AFC Dream Asia Foundation, has partnered with Jordan-based youth development organisation, Aurora for Training and Development, to launch a ground-breaking pilot project titled e-Goal, which aims to create Youth Social Responsibility Ambassadors from across 12 AFC Member Associations in the West Zone.
Underlining the AFC’s Mission to use football as a tool for social development across the Continent, the 10-day virtual pilot programme, which will commence on Sunday (June 28, 2020), will offer young players innovative and educational opportunities through which they can engage with fellow players and establish a youth ambassador network to support development post COVID-19.
AFC President Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa said: “This pandemic has been the biggest health crisis of our time, but it has also reinforced our motto that Football Cares. Across the Continent, Asian football continues to take the lead in showcasing the power of the game to inspire and strengthen communities.
“Our youth represent our hopes and dreams for a brighter future, and we have a responsibility to hand the game to the next generation in a better place and in better health than we inherited it.
“Together with our Member Associations, our partners AURORA and all our stakeholders, we will continue to plant the seeds of hope for children of all backgrounds and abilities to develop their capabilities, instil lifelong values and enhance character development through football.”
The first-of-its-kind series in Asian football will bring together world-leading guest speakers from reputable non-government organisations (NGOs) who will share their expertise on important topics such as Sport for Development, Philanthropy in Football, Health and Well-being, Civic Engagement and Peer Education.
Aurora Founder Amani Kamel Al Qadi, who is also a Member of the AFC Social Responsibility Committee, added: “As we prepare for what life looks like after the pandemic, there has never been a better time to harness sentiments of solidarity and unity, to enlighten, empower and engage a network of youth ambassadors in a meaningful and professional experience of service.
“The e-Goal programme has been designed to educate young players on the social and moral foundations of sports, equip them with the necessary skills to lead social change, and offer them a platform through which they can advocate for ethical and responsible football. I want to thank the AFC for sharing our vision to inspire, empower and leave a lasting and positive impact on our future generations.”
Through the collaboration across Member Associations in the West Zone, the participating world experts from NGOs as well as the AFC and AURORA, the aim is to not only strengthen the opportunities for young people to live more fulfilling lives through football but also pave the way for knowledge transfer and the expansion of the pilot programme across the remaining four AFC Zones.
Members of the media who wish to follow the progress of the 10-day e-Goal programme and obtain access to daily interviews and updates, please click here .


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Rent a boat for only your group. Half day, full day, sunset.
Ask for possibilities and prices.
You want to book one of our tours just for your group or you want to customize a tour?
Ask us for possibilities and prices.
You can book with us your transfer from the airport to your hotel in the Puerto Plata Area:
Santo Domingo Airport
Puerto Plata Airport
You can also book a private taxi for:
We can arrange for you a cake on a tour to celebrate a birthday.
Make the proposal to your partner special on top of the mountain, in a tropical garden or at the beach at sunset.
Do not hesitage to send a message. Or fill in the form below.

domain: travel


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The 2019 WOAP burgers have been announced, and HECK is there a lot of competition (thank god I don’t work hospo anymore). In light of the recent announcement, I thought I’d share a little bite-size breakdown of my top 8 Burger Wellington’s from 2018:
The Library – A Royal Gala: Apple tarte tatin patty with panko-crumbed leche fritter, rhubarb and burnt cinnamon cream in a cinnamon spiced bun. This was by far one of the most innovative burgers I tasted last years WOAP. I HATE dessert pizza, so I was kinda’ sceptical about this one, but holy moly. Just one bite of this blissful burger paired with a sip of their mango milkshake IPA milkshake was enough to send you to heaven. The only dessert burger I tried, but the best burger I tried.
The Botanist – The Incredible Hulk: Broccoli and pistachio patty with smoked vegan cheese, slaw, avocado, apple and kiwifruit salsa verde and herb aioli in a Pandoro spirulina bun, with beetroot crisps. This burger was the literal mean-green-vegan version of the Hulk, and I’m sure it’s something that Mark Ruffalo himself would be more than happy to sink his teeth into. The hero of the dish? That apple and kiwifruit salsa. It added the perfect pop of freshness and tartness to the burger, complementing the richness of the patty, avocado and cheese.
Monsoon Poon – Son of Siam: Thai coconut-glazed tandoor fish with lettuce, lemongrass and coriander mayo, and lime-pickled cucumber in an Arobake bun, with spiced crisps. This burger was awesome. The spicy and rich fish fillet was enough to light a fire on your tongue, but that lemongrass mayo came to the rescue, and cut through that spice perfectly – making you want to go back for another bite, and another. The burger also came with some spiced crisps, which definitely weren’t the star of the plate, but were a nice addition.
Beach House and Kiosk – The Crusty Crab: Spicy soft-shell crab, pickled cucumber and seaweed salad, wild rocket, nam prik and furikake, with fries. THIS. THIS WAS IT. If I didn’t go to The Library and try their burger, this would have been my 2018 WOAP winner. Dockside tried to do a similar burger(which I also tried), but it wasn’t a patch on what Beach House served. Every single ingredient brought an element of freshness, spice, bitterness, sweetness, tartness, sourness to this burger, and to this day, it has still been the best savoury burger I’ve ever tasted.
WBC – Mao Khaang Burger: Thai fish cake with cucumber, chilli, mint, quick pickle, and nam jim mayo in a grilled milk bun, with sweet chilli fries. Now I froth a $3 fish cake from the supermarket, so when I heard Wholesale Boot Company was doing a fish cake burger, I knew I was in for a treat. The flavour of the fishcake was unlike any I had had before, and it really worked as a burger patty. However, the chips really took the cake. I don’t know what was in that sweet chilli seasoning, but I need more and I need it now. Best chips of the competition, hands down.
Mount Vic Chippery – Tuk Tuk Tarakihi: Prawn floss and kaffir lime-crumbed tarakihi with bean sprout, peanut and coconut salad, herbs and Sriracha mayo in a Pandoro squid-ink bun. For a place that specialises in Fish & Chips, I had high expectations for this burger – especially after reading its bougie summary. But as always, our much loved Chippery Chaps delivered a mean burger that kicks any other fish & chip shops ass. The Asian flavours and texture were an awesome match for the Tarakihi fillet, and that soft squid ink bun was definitely the best bun choice.
Leroy’s – The Ghost of Zorro: Pork chorizo patty with mango chutney, Kāpiti Smoked Havarti cheese, saffron aioli and rocket in a Zaida’s Bakery squid-ink bun, with dirty fries and gravy. This was the only meat burger I tried last year (as you know I’m mainly pescatarian), but to be honest, I reckon I broke my diet for a decent burger! Though there weren’t many elements in the burger, all the flavours still packed a punch and delivered a fire flavour combo. The mango matched the chorizos spice wonderfully, and the aioli acted as a tasty coolant against the sizzle.
Artisan – Kapiti Fish Fillet Burger: Panko crumbed smoked tuna in a soft milk bun with gribiche mayo and Kāpiti Aorangi Brie, with kūmara chips and beetroot ketchup. This was probably one of the most interesting burgers I tried, as it used ingredients and elements that I would’ve never paired together. The crunchy-fishy tuna patty packed a super strong aroma, which the gribiche mellowed down nicely with its creamy and rich eggy flavour. The chips I didn’t think matched the burger all that well, but on their own they were a tasty snack, and that beetroot ketchup was TO DIE FOR!
So that’s my summary of 2018, but let’s not dwell on the past. The 2019 WOAP schedule is out, and it is NOT playing. This year is going to bigger and better than ever, and with the split of festival dish and burger wellington, I am going to be one broke foodie. Stay tuned.

domain: food


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GREEK striker Giorgos Giakoumakis has been given the nod to make his first start for Celtic against St Johnstone at Parkhead this afternoon.
The powerful frontman, who is still awaiting his first goal following three substitute appearances, has been given the green light by Ange Postecoglou to play up front alongside nine-goal Kyogo Furuhashi against the Perth side.
Giakoumakis, who joined the Hoops from Dutch club VVV-Vengo in a £2.5million switch in the summer, is one of two changes from the team that beat Ferencvaros 2-0 in the Europa League Group G encounter in Glasgow on Tuesday afternoon.
Injury-free Josip Juranovic also comes into the back line with Adam Montgomery and Liel Abada dropping to the substitutes’ bench.
The Croatia international full-back has been missing since limping off in the first-half of the 1-1 draw with Dundee United last month.
TEAM: Hart; Ralston, Starfelt, Carter-Vickers, Juranovic; Turnbull, McGregor, Rogic; Jota, Kyogo, Giakoumakis. Subs: Bain, Bitton, Ajeti, Abada, Johnston, Montgomery and Welsh.
* DON’T miss the unbeatable match report from Celtic v St Johnstone at Parkhead this afternoon – only in your champion CQN.

domain: news


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Mrs. Patmore was the first up each morning and always woke the kitchen staff. Most grumbled under their breath and kicked off the covers with reluctance but a few turned over and buried their head under the pillow. It was a thankless job with long hours and constant footwork. She was accustomed to it and did not complain as she traipsed downstairs, knowing within a half hour that Mrs. Hughes and Carson and the rest would be up and about, having done more before the Crawley family woke than the upstairs lot would do all day. As she set about starting a fire in the range and searching for her favorite kettle, she glanced up as Daisy entered, rubbing sleep from her eyes. "You're a sore sight," said the cook disapprovingly, "were you up late again, Daisy?"
"Not on purpose! I couldn't sleep!"
For once the older woman did not chastise her, shaking her head as she got the fire going and noted the charred remains of a sensational magazine in the ashes. So Mrs. Hughes had burned another one, had she? "I don't know why you read those dreadful things," she said as Daisy dumped the lot into the trash bin. "Full of murder and gore, you ought not to be filling your head with it! I've a good mind to give Thomas a tongue-lashing for giving it to you!"
"Oh, don't, he didn't mean no harm by it!"
The cook snorted loudly. "No harm! Indeed, I'm sure he did not."
Soon the rest of the girls appeared and set about their work, hiding massive yawns behind curled fingers. Their soft tread had awoken Mrs. Hughes and upstairs she prepared for the day, buttoning up her collar and hooking her key ring to her belt. Smoothing down any defiant strands of hair, she opened her door and was shocked to find Lady Mary standing outside it. Her pale features were more grim than usual and she looked as if she would rather be anywhere else. They stared at one another for a moment and then Mrs. Hughes asked, "May I be of service, Lady Mary?"
Courage was difficult in such an hour but somehow Mary found it, her tone lacking its usual life as she said, "You can answer some questions for me. May I?" She indicated the small room and Mrs. Hughes could hardly deny her, stepping aside as the young woman entered. Her eyes wandered, unsurprised that Mrs. Hughes refrained from the usual dressings that accompanied a personal space; there were no photographs or clippings on the walls, only a small watercolor painting. It was cold and she rubbed her arms, her voice quiet as she said, "Please shut the door."
Mrs. Hughes did as she was told as Mary stared out the window toward the stables. She now did not know what to say and an awkward silence lingered between them. It grew louder the longer it went on and Mrs. Hughes soon rescued her. "You want to know about Lucy," she surmised, a note of resignation in her voice.
Groping for the nearest chair, Mary asked, "How did you know?"
"Anna said something about it." Mrs. Hughes picked up the chair and moved it into the center of the room for her, Mary settling on it with dread mingled with curiosity. Outside, a few early birds began to sing, muffled through the closed window. It was customary for Mrs. Hughes to wake the maids but she could hear them stirring on their own. "How much do you remember? You were very young at the time."
"Not much, just… the incident on the stairs and… what happened in the red room."
Mrs. Hughes had hoped she would not remember that and moved away from the door. It was an unpleasant memory for both of them. Mary remembered clearly that she had hidden under the bed that afternoon to get away from Edith. It was a large old bedstead with a fairly wide space underneath, enough for her to lay on her stomach in comfort and turn through the pages of her picture book. She had been undisturbed until voices had come along the corridor and the door had opened, admitting a pair of boots as Lucy had darted into the room.
"I've told you, Fred, you can't be here! If Mrs. Hughes finds you, she'll skin you alive!"
"What does Mrs. Hughes matter? I don't want you here, the others filling your head with grand ideas. I want you to come back with me to the farm."
Mary had not moved, knowing she was not supposed to be there, watching the two sets of feet.
Crossing to the window, Lucy said, "I like it here. They are kind to me. You don't know them!"
"I know that ever since you've been here, you've been different!"
There was a forced laugh and the maid shifted uneasily. "I'm the same as I always was, just a proper maid now. I can't leave, Lady Grantham wouldn't like it. And I can't afford not to work! It may as well be here as anywhere!"
He walked away from her, but not with the intention of leaving. The door swung shut and Mary felt tension fill the room as he said, "It's him isn't it? He's the reason you don't want to leave. You've thrown me over for him."
"What are you talking about?"
The pair of shoes came nearer. "The stable boy, I've seen how you look at him."
Stunned silence and then, "I don't look at him in any particular way!"
"Don't lie to me!" he shouted.
Under the bed, Mary flinched and tried to be as small as possible. Lucy had fallen silent.
Gathering his composure, he said with forced calmness, "I want you to be my wife, Lucy. I can't have any lies."
"But I'm not lying! I don't love anyone but you, Freddie!"
All Mary saw was a pair of shoes crossing the room toward the maid but she heard a cry as he slammed Lucy against the armoire, causing it to shake as the hinges squealed. He snarled something she did not hear and then backhanded her, sending her crashing to the floor. The first thing Lucy saw was Mary under the bed and they stared at one another in horror. Behind them, the door opened and Mary was shocked how fast Carson crossed the room. The wall reverberated as he slammed Freddie against it. The younger man was no match for him and could not retaliate, only protest at the top of his lungs. Mrs. Hughes appeared in the doorway, aghast.
Lucy scrambled to her feet. "Please don't hurt him, Mr. Carson!"
"I won't, but I will have the pleasure of throwing him out of Downton!"
Hand firmly gripping the man's collar, Carson hauled him out of the room and Lucy ran after them. Mrs. Hughes would have gone as well had not she seen a familiar teddy bear peering out from under the edge of the bed. Heart sinking, she approached and knelt on the floor to look under it, finding Mary wide-eyed and small, lurking in the darkness. Her eyes closed for a moment and with a steady, compassionate voice she said, "It's all right now, you can come out, Mary."
For a moment the child could not move and then, finding immense comfort in the woman's presence, she inched forward, reaching for the housekeeper with trembling hands. "The bad man was mean to Lucy," she said.
Picking up the teddy bear and keeping the little girl's hand in hers, Mrs. Hughes said, "Yes, but he's gone now, and he'll never come back. Carson will see to that."
It was evident how much Mary adored Carson. She still did and remembering what he had done brought a little color back into her face as she sat in the solitary room upstairs. Mrs. Hughes moved nearer and said, "You were not all right, but you became more so in time."
Birds continued to whistle in the gardens as light crept toward them, infiltrating all the corners and corridors of the great old house. Mary said, "I never saw him again."
"No, though that was in part owing to your father, who said if the man ever returned, he'd see him shot."
Her brow furrowed as she tried to remember the rest, but all she could muster was her father's indignation in the drawing room when he learned what had happened. Mary said, "But she fell down the stairs, didn't she?"
"She did. Lucy was forgiving. It was never entirely his fault, not in her mind. It never is, you see, not with men of that sort and the girls they prey on. They never choose the courageous ones; they always pick the sweetest and most innocent, knowing they will never fight back. Months later, she told me she intended to marry him and quit the service. I told her it was foolish, that he would kill her one day, but she refused to listen to me. She had gone into town and he'd nearly broken her wrist. She said it was an accident and she had twisted it getting off the train, but there were a lot of 'accidents' and I had never known her to be clumsy. I'm not sure how it happened, if she caught the hem of her skirt with her foot or if her hand would not hold her up, but as she turned to go back down to the kitchens, she fell. I reached for her but was too late."
Both sat in sober contemplation and shivering slightly, as she was still only in her dressing gown, Mary asked, "Whatever happened to him, do you know?"
There was something child-like in her as she said it and Mrs. Hughes knew what she meant, that remembrance had restored fear. While she had never particularly cared for Mary, now she had some compassion toward her. It gave Mrs. Hughes no pleasure to say it but there was a certain amount of justice in her tone as she said, "I do indeed and you may rest assured that he will never lift a hand to a woman again. Carson and I forbid Lucy from ever seeing him again if she wanted to remain at Downton. It was not our right but we did it regardless. That was partly the cause of our argument that day. Later, we learned she was not the only woman he had been severe with and they found him in a ditch with his head bashed in. No one knows who did it, probably an enraged brother or father. Though it was highly ungodly of me, I could not say that I was sorry to hear of it."
"One might say he almost deserved it."
Mrs. Hughes answered cryptically, "That is not for us to say, although we always do. If that is all…"
Reminded of where she was and that her presence was an intrusion, Mary swiftly rose to her feet. The older woman reached for the door and hesitated, turning back to her. "Your father asked us not to speak of it again," she said. "It would be appreciated if you told no one. It happened so long ago it seems a shame to bring it up now."
Some things were worth repeating and others were too dreadful. Mary assured her of her silence and went back to her room. Knowing the truth was a comfort to her but she could not help feeling sad as she thought of how many lives had been changed that day. She was unusually quiet as Anna helped her dress and set about fixing her hair, teasing it into the style that Mary preferred. Presently, the door behind her opened to admit Sybil. Crossing the room and throwing open the doors of the wardrobe, she said, "I can't seem to find my purple coat and I wondered if it was put in here by mistake."
"I doubt it. Maybe Edith has it."
One of Mary's dresses caught Sybil's eye and she pulled it out, holding it up as she stared into the looking glass. "No, I've already looked through her room. What do you think, does this gown suit me?"
"It might if you were as tall as I am." Mary arose gracefully from the vanity and taking the dress out of her sister's hands, hung it back up. "I thought you were interested in a coat. Purple is hardly suitable. Are you not going out with them on the hunt, then?"
Flopping onto the bed, Sybil shook her head. "I have no interest in watching them shoot birds, no. I thought I might walk into town and post a letter. What about you? Are you going out with them?"
Where once the idea would have had merit merely as an excuse to spend time with some of the most eligible bachelors in the county, today Mary had other things on her mind. She examined her reflection in the mirror and liked what she saw. "I'm not in the mood. I might walk into town with you, if you don't mind. I would like some fresh air. Didn't you send that coat downstairs with Gwen for it to be mended?"
"That's right! Anna, would you…?"
"Certainly, my lady," said Anna and left the room quietly, stepping out his lordship's way as he entered his wife's chambers. He found her in the sitting room, a vision in her white dressing gown, hair loose against her shoulders. Lace dripped from her sleeves as she came to him and asked, "Robert, do you think it is too much for this room?"
He looked at the armoire. "Don't you like it now that poor Carson has gone to all the trouble of moving it?"
"Oh, not you too!" she said in mock dismay as she leaned her head against his shoulder. "Your mother has already made that point. Need I remind you that Carson didn't have to lift a finger? It was all William and Thomas."
"Ah, but Carson had to hasten along behind them worrying about everything that might be broken on the way. Surely his concerns were not to be in vain!" Robert opened the drapery further and the light hit the armoire, revealing its beautiful handiwork. It was quite a handsome piece of furniture. He was newly impressed with it and behind him Cora sat down on the edge of the divan and rested her hands in her lap, considering it at length.
"I don't know, Robert, something about it feels wrong."
"Well, if you really don't like it, they can move it back, but you'll have to contend with Mother's I-told-you-so."
There was a knock on the door and Mary stuck her head inside. "Matthew and Isobel have arrived," she said.
Her father went down dutifully and her mother retreated into her bedroom. Mary hesitated, her focus lingering on the armoire. Quiet footsteps bore her toward it and she reached out and touched the door, her fingers sliding into the niches as she remembered the terrible sound Lucy had made slamming into it. But as her fingers drifted to the door handle, she had other memories, stronger ones of laughter and amusement, Edith chasing her down the hall and both of them climbing inside to get away from Mrs. Hughes. Opening the door, she remembered crouching there and stifling Edith's laughter with her hand as the housekeeper continued past, unaware of their presence. The light drew her attention to a ribbon wedged in the corner, crumpled from years of neglect. She recognized it as one of hers she turned it over in her slender hands. Slipping it into her pocket, she went downstairs.
Matthew was waiting for her in the drawing room and was disappointed to learn she would not go with them. His bright countenance wavered and she saw a bit of a child in him that soon found comfort in the midst of it, as he added, "Well, at least you won't see me make a fool of myself. I'm dreadful at this sort of thing."
"You would not be the first earl of Grantham to be a bad shot, although you are the first to admit it," she laughed.
They smiled at one another and presently she said, "Perhaps I should go with you after all, for moral support."
"I should like that," he answered.
It was always a ceremonious event when the men left for the bird hunt, a gathering of all in the front yard along with their dogs and tweed jackets. Some of the women intended to follow along behind them and arrive at the picnic grounds ahead of them, once they had seen enough shooting for the day. The scent of rain lingered in the air but the storm had retreated and there was a mood of excitement among them. Lined up with the rest of the servants, Daisy craned her neck to watch them go. Branson shared a long look with Sybil that no one noticed and her heart fluttering, the young woman went indoors. Regarding the retreating lot with mild envy, O'Brien said, "I wouldn't mind going out with them, if it were my place, as it would get me out of the house."
Black skirts rippled in the wind as they walked around to the side door. Thomas asked, "Ghosts getting to you?"
"It's more than that, but what I heard this morning. Lady Mary came upstairs and had a word with Mrs. Hughes."
Trailing along behind them, Daisy's eyes got wide. Matching pace with her, Gwen also overheard.
"I don't suppose I should ask what you were doin' there," said Thomas.
"Well, I can't help it if I forgot my sewing box, now can I? Do you want to hear it or not?"
"If the house is haunted, it's for good reason. I knew Downton was not entirely free of scandal. It seems a maid died from a fall down the back stairs and cracked her head open like a walnut. It happened before you or I came, but not much before. I always thought it was odd, the way I was brought on so sudden-like."
O'Brien pushed the door open and went inside with Thomas on her heels. Left a fair distance behind them since the conversation had made her stop in her heels, Daisy did not bother to try and catch up. Her face stricken, she paused until from the kitchens, Mrs. Patmore roared, "DAISY!"
When the girl appeared in the doorway, she asked, "What are you on about now, girl, gallivanting at the back door when there's luncheon to be made?"
"I'm sorry, Mrs. Patmore! I was just preoccupied with the stairs." Daisy hadn't meant to say it and her eyes widened as she very nearly clapped her hands over her mouth. The other kitchen maids were scurrying around and paid them no mind, but her hands in the sink, the older woman asked, "What about them?"
"Only that… well…" She faltered and flour sifted through her fingers onto the floor.
Shaking the water from her hands, Mrs. Patmore said, "You're not on about ghosts again, are you?"
"But I didn't know about the girl that fell down the back stairs!"
The firm stirring of the pot on the stove faltered and Mrs. Patmore looked at her. "Who told you that?"
Shrinking slightly, the maid whispered, "O'Brien."
"And you think that's your ghost, do you, the girl who fell down the back stairs?"
Though most of them tried not to look too interested, it was obvious everyone within earshot was listening. Daisy didn't know whether to nod or change the subject and in the meantime turned bright pink. Mrs. Patmore leaned back on her heels with more than her customary amount of self-importance and said, "She isn't your ghost, Daisy. Her name was Lucy Simmons and she was a ladies' maid for her ladyship. She fell down those stairs sure enough but she isn't dead. Fallin' down those stairs won't kill you, not unless you're carryin' somethin' sharp. Oh, she hurt herself, right enough, but she was here another six months before she left the service."
"Why didn't you say anythin'?" Daisy asked when she found her voice again.
"It was years ago and I haven't thought of it since! Now stop gawkin' and finish those meat pies!" Shaking her head, she returned to the stove. "Ghost, indeed! I don't know where you young people get your ideas."
The front stairs creaked as Carson came down them, leaning over the railing to catch Thomas on his way past. "Her ladyship has a request to make of you and William," he said.
"Oh, let me guess… she wants that lot put back where it was two days ago."
William's face peered out of the breakfast room and his face fell at the affirmation. It did not much please Carson either but he said, "It is not for us to question her ladyship. It would do you well to remember that, Thomas."
"I'll remember it all right," said the footman sourly under his breath as Carson went back up the stairs. He caught O'Brien's eye and she gave him a halfway sympathetic look in her usual manner. "I'll remember it when my back's paining me in the middle of the night and I can't move in my old age, that's when I'll remember it."
On his way past with Sir Robert's dinner coat, Bates said, "Take heart, Thomas, maybe you won't live that long."
The bickering faded into the background as Carson reached the top step and met Mrs. Hughes on her way down. Hearing the complaints wafting up from downstairs, she asked, "What's this about, then?"
"Her ladyship wants the armoire moved back into the east wing."
Mrs. Hughes gave a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness!"
Dark brows shot heavenward and she added, "I know its trouble to move it back and forth but it's done nothing but stir up things best forgotten. Maybe when it's back where it belongs we can all sleep at night and our lives will return to normal."
Sunlight danced through the near windows as beneath them there was a crash, followed by, "DAISY!"
"I don't see why we have to move the bloomin' thing again," complained Thomas on his way up; "why didn't she leave it where it was in the first place? That's the problem with their lot, takin' our labor for granted."
There was a meaningful pause and Mrs. Hughes looked at Carson with mirth in her eyes. He evaded her gaze for a moment and then with as much dignity as possible, said, "I think we are well on our way, Mrs. Hughes."
And when their footsteps had faded away, there was only dust, floating in the sunlight.


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I cannot remember when I first came across the phrase ‘faculty development’ to describe training doctors how to teach, but I remember I found it puzzling. I had been involved in training general practitioners (GPs) for many years, but we simply talked about ‘training the trainers’ and that seemed a good enough description. I was not sure why doctors who taught medical students or trainees needed to consider themselves as faculty members in the same way as academics who taught astrophysics or ancient Greek. I would have been sceptical if anyone had told me that that my business card and email signature would one day bear the words ‘Associate Dean, Faculty Development’ as they now do, or that I would be talking on the subject at international conferences. This is ironic, but I hope the memory of my initial reaction makes me more tolerant when I come across people nowadays who are still as puzzled as I used to be.
There are in fact two very good reasons for thinking about faculty development in medicine: one is the idea of ‘faculty’ and the other is that of ‘development’. Although virtually all doctors teach other people in the course of their work—often including nurses and support staff as well as junior doctors and medical colleagues—many do not think of themselves as being educators as well as clinicians. This is a pity. It means that doctors may assume they can teach well when they have never taken the trouble to find out if anyone else agrees. Conversely, some doctors only teach reluctantly because it comes with the job and they never consider the possibility they might learn to do it better and enjoy it more. Encouraging doctors to think of themselves as members of a teaching faculty as well as a clinical team gives them a clear identity as educators. It is a way of reminding them they have not only one worthwhile profession but two, and a responsibility to perform both of these equally well. Similarly, using the word ‘development’ rather than ‘training’ helps to emphasise that becoming a good teacher is a continuous and long term process. Doctors need to develop as educators throughout their careers in the same way they are expected to undertake continual professional development as clinicians.
Jewel in the crown
The system for producing GP trainers has been a jewel in the crown of general practice in the UK for a very long time. However, for practical reasons, it is not possible to reproduce this system in secondary care. Virtually every hospital doctor needs to supervise more junior ones, as well as other professionals, so that most specialties cannot depend on a relatively small number of self-selecting teachers in the way general practice has. This fact delayed the introduction of systematic faculty development in secondary care for a long while, so that it only really took off in this country 5 or 6 years ago.1 At the time this happened, I moved from being a GP educator to taking a role across the whole range of medical specialties—from surgery and anaesthetics to paediatrics and psychiatry. I was one of the first GPs ever to do this, and it was one of the best career moves I ever made.
Since then, I have noticed a complete revolution in the way faculty development has been taught and received in secondary care. Instead of being greeted with scepticism or resistance, the input of experienced GP educators is now actively welcomed. The principle of professionalisation is now accepted almost universally among hospital doctors. The requirements for teachers in secondary care have fortunately been kept flexible, so that clinical and educational supervisors can choose what interests them rather than following a set programme.2 ,3 There has been a transformation in educational roles within hospital trusts, especially among training programme directors and directors of medical education. In many trusts, there are now local faculty groups in each speciality, meeting regularly to discuss trainees’ needs and wider educational issues.
The number of hospital doctors who think about their educational roles seriously and systematically is probably higher than ever before, but there is still a long way to go. It could take a generation to make these changes irreversible as they have become in general practice. While some places have surged ahead in raising the quality of postgraduate training, others are lagging behind. Research activity and management still carry more prestige than education in secondary care. There are always tensions between training on the one hand and clinical service on the other, so that money and attention are often siphoned from the former to the latter unless people stick up for training, and do so robustly. Senior hospital managers sometimes see trainees simply as part of the workforce, rather than understanding that their institutions receive funding to train them than just to provide medical care. Until now, faculty development has had far more resources in medicine than in other health professions: this causes understandable misgivings and needs to be redressed. The current reorganisations with the National Health Service could threaten some of the achievements of recent times, especially if established teams are broken up, functions are redistributed too rapidly, resources are withdrawn and organisational memory is lost.
The emergence of faculty development as an idea and an activity has been a real success story in the health service, but it will need systemic support to sustain and develop it further. No clinical service can survive without investing in the future. The most important aspect of this investment involves training the next generation of professionals, and making sure their teachers do this well. We should look forward to the day when every clinician in the health service answers the question ‘what do you do?’ with the answer: ‘I look after patients, and I teach others to do so’.
Competing interests None.
Provenance and peer review Commissioned; internally peer reviewed.


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Patient and steady with all he must bear, goes the first line of The Leader by this gentleman. The poem was picked up by some enterprising English-walla in the National Book Foundation board [the incoherent motto: "The World's Leading Publishing Organization of Pakistan" certainly doesn't invoke confidence now, does it?] and included in the 11th grade book. And then, someone noticed that the first letters of each verse make "President George W. Bush". Uh Oh. Investigation is underway. So embarassing. Hey, at least it doesn't say Omar and Osama Forever.
Instead of the GWB poem, maybe they will print my sycophantic entry instead,
Daring to lead from the front,
In a way that makes our enemies grunt,
Can a leader so brave exist?
To make our dear Pakistan persist?
All we have are foes around,
Try hard we must to confound.
Oh! we must look far and wide!
Rest never our weary behind,
Seek inside the Military combine.
Say Praise Be! for he came from the sky
Unusual it is, that Nawaz did not die!
Clear is his vision, true is his letter,
Kargil could hardly have gone any better.
He will make us all Enlightened,
Although it is a task that has frightened,
Rest of our horrid leaders,
Dictatorship is what must free us.
See if you crack that code. And if you can do better. Actually, I am sure you can.
Your poem ... well read the first letters of the last 8 lines. ;-) Amazing how incompetent Pakistan bureaucracy can be! I had forgotten, this incident reminded me.
& you didn't catch the first letters of the first nine lines?
the utter comic genius of the poem itself is nothing compared to that of the reading comprehension questions below: "3. Is the author referring to a specific person in this poem? If you think so, do you agree that he is a true leader?"
Zack: Ha. Let's see you do better, mate. u fo: The question is whether the reading comprehension questions were also copied over into the textbook. Someone in Pk. can answer that,
This is brilliant yaar.
sepoy: Those who can't, critique. Obviously I can't do better. I found a Federal Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education model paper with the unexciting "Paraphrase Either of the following stanzas" about a stanza from the poem.
Excellent! Earlier I did not consider "Leader" important for my blog so made no posts. However, your contribution has made it worth to mention. I am recycling your poem in a frame next to leader I hope you dont mind because bloggin is about recylcing. I think soon our dear General is going to prepare a blogger entry exit control list and hand it over to airport personal in Pakistan ;)


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The Hog's Breath Cafe success is based on providing quality food and beverage service in an informal, yet comfortable environment with an overriding friendly, party atmosphere. Hog's Breath Cafe themed restaurants cater to all ages with a casual menu based on hearty favourites such as prime rib steaks, burgers, ribs ...read more
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We went to Hogs Breath Cafe in Tuggerah for dinner, ordered 2 drinks and 2 steaks, got the drinks, waited 1/2 an hour for the meal. Then the waitress served the next table same as we ordered, my wife heard what the waitress was serving and said, that sounds like our order. In the meantime, the people from the other table started to pick on the food that was servedread more
went last Thursday for my daughters 18th birthday. The staff were very friendly and really made her feel special even sang happy birthday to her. I haven't been there for some time but as an avid steak eater I was extremely happy with my meal, great size too. In fact everyone was especially all the guys! I had overbooked the size of our group but they didn'tread more


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Objectives Research remains a foundation in advancing the field of neurosurgery. We explore attitudes and perceived barriers to conducting research in neurosurgery globally.
Design A 29-item questionnaire, consisting of multiple-choice questions, Likert scales and short answers.
Subjects Clinicians at various stages of the Neurosurgical career.
Methods The questionnaire was distributed through the Society of British Neurological Surgeons (SBNS) and European Association of Neurosurgical Societies (EANS).
Results A total of 324 responses from 29 countries consisted of Clinical Fellows (n=26), Junior Trainees (n=48), Senior Trainees (n=46), Sub-specialty Fellows (n=18), Consultants (n=128) and Professors of Neurosurgery (n=58). Whilst 83% of participants believe research is a crucial aspect of a neurosurgeons’ career, only a third (33%) believed that neurosurgery as a speciality fosters a culture that promotes research. The top three perceived barriers to conducting research were lack of time (78%), insufficient access to funding (58%) and lack of mentorship (49%). Despite these, more than 87% of participants are interested in formal academic roles with 58% willing to interrupt clinical training to pursue research opportunities. The region of clinical practice had no correlation with respondents’ research output or their perceptions towards research barriers.
Conclusions This study identified important barriers to research, elucidating which, allows the neurosurgical community to improve integration of research into clinical practice.
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Thu, 19 May|
A Morning in Dubai
Hotel Indigo Art Collection & "Couture Divas" by Azaidé Opera Gallery "Paradise Regained" by Cho Sung-Hee
Date & Time
19 May 2022, 10:00
Dubai, Dubai - United Arab Emirates
ABOUT THE EVENT
We are delighted to invite you to a morning in Dubai on Thursday 19th of May.
10,00am: Hotel Indigo Downtown Dubai permanent art collection and “Couture Divas” Azaidé’s exhibition on display
Astrid Lesuisse, art manager at the Hotel Indigo will take us on an inspiring tour of its permanent art collection and a visit of Azaidé’s exhibition followed by a casual roundtable in the presence of the artist.
After a notable fine arts experience curating numerous exhibitions in Vancoover, Astrid
moved to Dubai and has created a vibrant and supportive platform where artists can thrive and contribute to the growth of the art scene in the city.
“Couture Divas” is a project that champions women’s emancipation and liberation through a unique blend of retro-pop-art-revolutionary. Inspired by diversity of cultures, the artist Azaïdé depicts independent and strong women in diverse settings, highlighting various patterns’ heritage, fusing vintage and modern codes into authentic traditional wear.
Born in Paris from French, Algerian and Spanish origins, Azaïdé was raised in Madagascar where she cultivated her love for art. She later worked in China as a fashion designer before moving to Dubai in 2015. Her love for colours and patterns from all cultures quickly led her onto the path of photography combined with her two passions for fashion and pop culture.
Hôtel Indigo Downtown Dubai
12,00am: “Paradise Regained” by Cho Sung-Hee’s at Opera Galery, followed by an invitation to lunch
Viewing of Cho Sung-Hee latest body of work in the presence of the artist.
Born in South Korea, Cho Sung-Hee is a visionary artist exploring the complex relationship between color and texture through a labour intensive, time-consuming process, The painstaking collage process transports the artist back to her intensely joyful childhood, like a memory of paradise regained. Artworks by Cho Sung-Hee have been exhibited and collected in various prestigious private and public institutions around the world.
Gate Village, Building 3 - 03 Sheikh Zayed Rd - Trade Centre - DIFC - Dubai
1.00pm: Invitation to lunch at LPM by Opera Gallery


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Same sex divorce in Israel before same sex marriages are even legal
Gay marriages in Israel? How about gay divorces too!
Israel gets same-sex divorce before same-sex marriage
An Israeli court has awarded the country's first divorce to a gay couple, which experts called an ironic milestone since same-sex marriages cannot be legally conducted in the Jewish state.
Source: hyperactivity impinge
Morsi's Twelve Days of Christmas
A little fun with an old holiday rhyme.. well, fun to some at least.
Source: Karl reMarks
Heavy Clashes in Al-jalilah Village
Al-jalilah village in Yemen witnessed heavy clashes including shelling, yesterday, leaving Five Yemenis, including two soldiers killed.
Source: Afrah Nasser
2012 Corruption Perception Index
Kuwait came in 66th place which lies somewhere above the middle of the list while Lebanon came in a low 128th place and the UAE in a pretty good 27th position.
Source: 248 AM


1. What are the strength and weaknesses of IT Management?
2. What are the threats involved in IT management?
3. How is accounting or financial management functions related to IT management functions?
4. What are the resources involved in IT management?
5. What is the difference between IT management and management information system?
6. What are the different types of strategies that are required in IT management?
7. What happens in converged infrastructure management environment?
8. What are the components covered in converged infrastructure?
9. What are the different types of security measures involved in IT management?
10. What are the problems of IT governance?
11. What are the different frameworks used by IT governance?
12. What is the use of ITIL?
13. What are the functions performed by ITIL?
14. What is the service management techniques used in IT management?
15. What are the components used in infrastructure library?
16. What are the processes covered by Service design?
17. What is the function of availability management?
18. How are the components involved in availability management?
19. How do you use risk management?
20. What are the features of risk management?
21. What are the different types risks involved in IT management?
22. What is the difference between resilience and serviceability?
23. How is reliability and maintainability different from each other?
24. How is capacity management used for optimum IT services?
25. What are the high-level activities included in IT management?
26. What is the purpose of IT service continuity management?
27. What are the steps involved in ITSCM process?
28. What is the purpose of service transition?
29. What are the processes involved in service transition?
30. How is service asset and configuration management similar?
31. What is the function of deployment management model?
32. What does a release category include?
33. What are the processes involved in service operation?
34. What is the importance of service operation in IT management?
35. What are the functions of ITIL?
36. What is the main purpose of service desk?
37. What is the difference between service desk and help desk?
38. What are the three types of structure of service operations?
39. How is application management layer maintained?
40. What do SAM practices include?
41. How the problem management does get implied in IT management?
42. What is the difference between an error and problem?
43. What are the different frameworks related to ITIL?
44. What is the function of ICT operations management?
45. What is the function of ICT technical support?
46. How useful is ICT deployment management?
47. What are the steps involved in ICT design and planning?
48. What are the steps involved in service delivery?
49. What are the seven steps required to improve the initiative of continual service improvement?
50. What is Deming cycle?


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Regarding rules on requests:
I don't wanna be limited when it comes to fetishes so if you catch me on a good day I may accept something I'd usually reject (I reject the usual things like scat, piss, and inflation.) However, I'm extremely picky when it comes to what characters I'll draw. I'm very likely to reject any characters outside of my original characters, or select obscure interests.
By clicking past warnings of any sensitive content, you affirm to be 18 years of age or older, and agree to the Terms of Service.
🎨 Freely share all types of art. This instance welcomes any depiction expressed as a piece of fiction in subject or setting. Re-posting is discouraged.
✅ Uncensored 2D drawings & 3D models
✅ Zero guidelines on fictional characters
❌ No real life photographic pornography
❌ No illegal content*

domain: hobby