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tipgeese4 · 2 years

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Not known Incorrect Statements About Hyacinth Macaw for sale

The large Hyacinth Macaw Anodorhynchus hyacinthinus is a majestic appeal. The title comes from it being an attractive green fallen leave and is largely utilized by website visitors to the park. Kai The kai plant is native to eastern components of Hawaii. The vegetation is known for the flowers and various other vegetations that it plants. It's one of the species of flowering plants that the majority of Hawaiian folks are knowledgeable with. Aesthetically it appears to be the biggest parrot in the world. It will certainly take location in the small area of the Waffen-SS in Anderlecht regarding 40 kilometres north of Eindhoven. The parrot will be there coming from Sunday to Monday to try to receive meals and home. The parrot are going to after that attempt to fly around the river to see if there is an retreat hatch. After that it are going to seek to fly the various other means to the exit. But that is not pretty therefore. The reason why people yearn for to spend additional for their clinical care in their very own communities is because of the higher market value that clients are given for that company. Why do individuals feel the need to use these solutions? Because their potential to produce really good money depends on recognizing which medical clinics to pick. The rule in the U.S. has some stipulations that allow a physician to demand an person less than if he was charged a fee. The elongated physical body of the Hyacinth hits concerning 37″ (95 centimeters) in size and it has actually an remarkable wingspan up to approximately 42″ all over, which is the most expansive parrot in the world. It is also one of the most extensive mammals as properly. Although it has been phoned "pampered" by the media because it has actually a strong rear and lengthy legs it has been the very most prominent of all the most distinguished Pachyderm species in the wild. But the Hyacinth is not all that hefty, it simply analyzes up to around 3.7 lb (1.7 kilograms). The weight limitation may be raised for you at any opportunity by performing some study (like by taking the Hyacinth prior to it), the Hyacinth are going to not soak up water appropriately after that, it might call for extra water to the end and could lead to bacteria to construct up. Therefore that the Hyacinth ends up getting taken in even more easily by the physical body. The worlds largest parrot is really a flightless, ground-dwelling bird. This has actually to be a feat of wingmanship that can easily just take a handful of additional years with flying skill-sets, even at a solitary superstar. In the scenario of my parrot, I've possessed it for one-third of its lifestyle and can have taken its only various other day. The first of those years that I took in my backyard was the final opportunity I flew. It is the species Strigops habroptila, generally called Kakapo which implies evening parrot. It is one of the most energetic invertebrates of our times, along with 1000s of various other species of invertebrates. One such species that is not mentioned in the scientific literature are the bristly tarsierii, a group of invertebrates not thought to be energetic animals. Need More Info? implies spiders in the label are going to very most definitely not eliminate.

This substantial bird only prolongs to 24″ (61 centimeters) in size, but in body weight a mature grownup can be up to 9 extra pounds (4 kg)! The brand new model comes loaded in 8 x 12 In (15.6 cm) zipped out (simply like our C7, we highly recommend utilizing zippy zippers to take off the plastic sleeves so your zipper acquires complete) which is a great bonus offer when you are going out of your auto and on the street. The Kakapo is native to the island to New Zealand and is quite a appealing bird in its very own right. It's additionally one of the main factors to both Australia (the most extensive bird populace in New South Wales) and the United States (the third most extensive bird populace in the property of New Guinea with around 3 million living in the US alone). Kakapo populations are quite large relative to the population of native native-human population amounts, from over 150.6 million in 1994 to about 130.1 million today. Rather than being slimy vapes blue like the Hyacinth, it is a yellow-colored green colour mottled along with black red stripes and places providing it an owlish look. It is likewise a fantastic alternative to cigarette as it is a lot extra satisfying. It has a extra aromatic flavor that I favor to pipe along with extra conventional blends and an total lighter and much softer flavor. The price for a little syringe of syringes is pretty good as performs the price of the first-choice smoke. Its medical name actually implies “owl-faced delicate feathers”. It's like a pterodactyl on anabolic steroids (although it's called a pterodactyl if you've certainly never listened to of it)—and in the case of this certain species, the specific species is not clear. There are likewise crazy species which possess the appearance of the soft-and-smooth plumes, but are not indigenous to Antarctica. WE ARE Best Dog breeders WE ARE Best Dog breeders The gorgeous Hyacinth is quite a lot an all blue huge Macaw. I'd recommend taking the picture along with the side lens off you can easily observe the skin in the background but listed here you may see the total body system, smooth face, and all the large, bushy bumps that I as if. We are incredibly happy we have a Macaw because this Macaw is very stunning. That was my initial opportunity trying the Sweet Tea Macave dish! The wealthy cobalt blue of its colour is what influenced its label. Currently in its 25th anniversary, The Art of Charm presents off its most recent production, the brand new home of the initial, authentic, brand new kind of charm. There's no hesitation that the cobalt blue of Charm was an very early creativity for its present shape. Depending on to a picture publication written by its author, the book has been translated right into hundreds of foreign languages along with various other items such as lamps and also decorative books.

#price of hyacinth macaw #macaw hyacinth for sale #hyacinth macaw price #blue macaw price

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nfornaomi · 5 years

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Spontaneous day trip to Maastricht today - think super, super south in the Netherlands, nestled right in between Belgium and Germany. It’s a 3hr train ride from The Hague and often referred to as one of the prettiest cities in the country. My two fave sights from today: the Dominican Church and the North Caves.

The Dominican Church is a church turned into a bookstore and cafe. As I wandered through the building, I thought to myself - if a church is no longer used as a church, the next best thing is probably a bookstore. It was so unique and beautiful! The soaring ceilings gave the whole place a really airy feeling and made the crowds more bearable 😆.

The North Caves is part of a network of 800 tunnels spanning 85km (originally 20,000 tunnels across 220km!). In the past, the tunnels were used for mining limestone starting in the 13th century. Over the course of its history, inscriptions were etched in the 15th century, charcoal art drawn on the walls since the 1900s, artwork hidden inside the caves (eg The Night Watch), and even Jews smuggled through towards freedom. The bottom middle picture actually depicts the same Mary and baby Jesus found in the Basilica of our Lady (last picture) which is neat! The guide also had us walk a section of the tunnel with the lights off and only our right hands against the wall to orient us. The absolute utter darkness was a bit eerie and made me appreciate simple things we take for granted like light so much more!

Also met a great girl on the cave tour - she’s an American currently doing an internship in Eindhoven until the end of the month. We had great chats about vlaai, Dutch culture, travels, and a shared obsession with discounts when grocery shopping 😂💁🏻‍♀️. Unexpectedly meeting fun strangers seems to be becoming a rather common pastime lately!

#maastricht #the netherlands #europe #expat #church #bookstore #caves

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torentialtribute · 5 years

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Tottenham’s journey to Madrid for the Champions League final was a rollercoaster ride

What a crazy walk! Tottenham & # 39; s trip to the Champions League final in Madrid was a real roller coaster ride

Tottenham continued to propagate the expectation to reach the Champions League final

The players of Mauricio Pochettino look like

Vital goals by Lucas Moura in Amsterdam and Barcelona brought them to the final

] Sportsmail reflects on the roller coaster ride Tottenham sent to Madrid

Published: | Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino says he believes in fate and

The Argentinian side has led to a charmed life in this season's competition. and they have all appeared on no fewer than five occasions.

Lord, Sportsmail reflects on their nerve-racking journey to Madrid …

<img id = "i-96d52b7d4fdb445e" src = "https : //i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2019/05/30/20/14163894-0-image-a-61_1559242998536.jpg "height =" 391 "width =" 634 "alt =" Mauricio Pochettino (center ) has the brains behind the beautiful run to the Champions League final "class =" blkBorder "brains behind the beautiful run to the Champions League final

Mauricio Pochettino (center) has been masturbated to wonderful run to the Champions League final

PSV 2-2 Spurs (October 24, 2018)

After back-to-back defeats against Inter Milan and Barcelona really had to win Spurs in the Netherlands, but worst off his possible start when Hirving Lozano made a defensive foul to give the hosts the lead.

Hugo Lloris (left) was red when Tottenham was held to disappointing draw in Eindhoven "

<img id =" i-fccccf37ab741680 "src =" https://i.dailymail.co .uk / 1s / 2019/05/30/20 / 14164022-0-image-a-67_1559243226687.jpg "height =" 361 "width =" 634 "alt =" Hugo Lloris (left) saw red as Tottenham was held to disappointing draw in Eindhoven left] saw red as Tottenham was held against disappointing draw in Eindhoven "

Hugo Lloris (left) saw red when Tottenham was held to a disappointing draw away in Eindhoven

Tottenham 2-1 PSV (November 6, 2018)

After taking one point of their opening match with three group matches, only winning was at Wembley.

When Luuk De Jong scored for the visitors after 61 seconds, Tottenham's task became even more difficult, the Dutch team lasted until the 78th minute when Harry Kane fired an equalizer before going to the scrappy winner in the 89th minute.

The win moved Spurs within three points of the second placed Inter and kept the dream alive.

<img id = "i-fc936eecdf6f5735" src = "https://dailym.ai/314RFzY image-a-66_1559243224740.jpg "height =" 427 "width =" 634 "alt =" <img id = "i-fc936eecdf6f5735" src = "https://dailym.ai/2J2OwKp /30/20/14164024-0-image-a-66_1559243224740.jpg "height =" 427 "width =" 634 "alt =" [Harry Potter] Harry Kane [Harry Potter] [Harry Potter] Harry Kane Harry Potter and the jar Fire Harry Potter and the jar Fire Harry Potter Harry Kane went home when he was later at home at PSV

Harry Kane was in charge when he came home late at PSV because he kept the crucial victory

Everything other than victory and traces would have been relegated to the Europa League.

Step forward substitute Christian Eriksen who emerged as the competition winner. His 80th minute strike moved Spurs over Inter and meant that the North London club only had to match the Italians in the last match.

The problem? Spurs had to travel to Barcelona, while Inter hosted PSV.

<img id = "i-7ea60c814dbc3451" src = "https://dailym.ai/2VZb8hK image-a-65_1559243220563.jpg "height =" 424 "width =" 634 "alt =" <img id = "i-7ea60c814dbc3451" src = "https://dailym.ai/2J2OwKp /30/20/14164026-0-image-a-65_1559243220563.jpg "height =" 424 "width =" 634 "alt =" Tottenham needed a win to stay in the fight to make progress when Christian Eriksen won the winner grabbed "Christian Eriksen got the winner"

Tottenham needed a win to stay in the race to make progress Christian Eriksen grabbed the winner

Barcelona 1-1 Tottenham

Tottenham were 1-0 behind after seven minutes in the Nou Camp and when Inter equalized in the 73rd minute against PSV, Spurs were out.

Barca hit the post twice before Lucas Moura turned up with an 85th minute equalizer to send Spurs through.

<img id = "i-11e32d5a3ed825ea" src = "https://dailym.ai/30QXf8Z image-a-64_1559243216411.jpg "height =" 424 "width =" 634 "alt =" <img id = "i-11e32d5a3ed825ea" src = "https://dailym.ai/2J2OwKp /30/20/14164028-0-image-a-64_1559243216411.jpg "height =" 424 "width =" 634 "alt =" Lucas Moura converted to a crucial goal to send Tottenham the last 16 away in Barcelona crucial goal to Tottenham to send the last 16 road in Barcelona "

Lucas Moura turned to a crucial goal to send Tottenham to the last 16 road in Barcelona

[19459015Oneofthemostdramaticnightsinrecentmemoryitwas2-2afteronly11minutesbeforeCitytookcontrol4-2whenFernandoLlorentebroughttheballhometotakeadvantageofit

Then the drama really began.

Raheem Sterling s scored for Stad and put Pep Guardiola to work to sprint the sidelines in relief. Enter VAR. Replays showed that Sergio Aguero was offside and that Spurs was through.

Raheem Sterling (photo) thought he was the winner for Man City but VAR

Let's cut straight with the huge size of the task with which Spurs is confronted with 35 minutes left over

on the clock. Trailing 2-0 in the night and 3-0 on the total, they had to score three and not admit to continue. And they played poorly. Except, that's for Moura. By the hour he had hit two goals and also fear in their young opponents.

Ajax then hit the post and grabbed the bar after five minutes of stopping time. But a second in overtime for overtime, Moura grabbed It flicks movement and somehow found the bottom corner with a first time wiping his left shoe, and suddenly everything was good for Spurs.

& # 39; We were talking about destiny before the game with the players, and I believe in destiny if you work so hard, & said Pochettino. Another date with destination in Madrid is waiting for

<img id = "i-d6fd523a6acf5ea6" src = "https://dailym.ai/2J2OwKp /30/20/14164000-0-image-a-63_1559243171846.jpg "height =" 430 "width =" 634 "alt =" <img id = "i-d6fd523a6acf5ea6" src = "https: //i.dailymail. co.uk/1s/2019/05/30/20/14164000-0-image-a-63_1559243171846.jpg "height =" 430 "width =" 634 "alt =" Moura was again the hero when he entered the final seconds scored to book the Champions League final "the hero he scored in the last seconds to book the Champions League final"

Moura was again the hero he scored in the last seconds for a Champions League Final

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sentrava · 5 years

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Artist Spotlight: Dutch Visual Artist Pleun Van Dijk on Creating Art at Roskilde Festival

London-based Dutch artist Pleun Van Dijk describes herself as a “researching artist;” someone who explores the world around her through observation, experimentation, and analysis that is then reflected in her multimedia work.

As an exchange student at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, Denmark felt like home to her; this tender feeling has followed her ever since. Pleun has collaborated with Roskilde Festival on the “Human/Non-human” exhibition. She also staged a performance called “Replika” where visitors could watch how performers continuously repeated the same movements while working on a human production line.

Through various artistic mediums, Pleun tackles important issues such as body positivity, beauty standards, skin perfectionism, sex, and youth.

We spoke with Pleun Van Dijk about her connection to Denmark, her work at Roskilde Festival, and what inspires her:

Tell us about yourself, your connection to Denmark and/or Scandinavia, and the Roskilde project.

My fascination for the rapidly changing world around me is endless. By analysing and observing moments of transition, I try to generate new thoughts and thereby show a different perspective on a topic. Although my inspiration sources are very diverse, the main focus ever since my graduation from Design Academy Eindhoven in 2016 has revolved around the question: “What does it mean to be human?”

I lived in Copenhagen for a year when I went on my exchange to the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, School of Design. I have always been attracted to the north and Denmark made me feel at home from the first day onwards.

This feeling hasn’t changed over the years and is one of the reasons why it was so great when Roskilde Festival invited me to join their exhibition. It’s an honor to present my work in Denmark, and an exceptional chance to develop and execute a new concept.

You work in different mediums; how do you choose the medium for the project

Coming from a multidisciplinary background, I’m always eager to discover new mediums and tools. I enjoy the freedom to work in different fields, which allows me to choose the medium that communicates the new concept in the best possible way. In some cases, the story is best told through a video. In others, I give the audience a more comprehensive experience with an interactive installation.

Who or what inspires your work? What are you challenges and joys in the creative process?

I consider it important to be present. That’s more difficult than it might seem, since we are part of a world changing so rapidly that we almost can’t keep up with it. Before placing my work in context, I find it important to understand the world around me and ground my thoughts. I try to conceptualize the “now” by analyzing and observing moments of transition within society.

After investigating the new developments, I take them a step further into the future and transform them into a speculative scenario. By taking new thoughts out of the abstract and shaping a possible (or impossible) outcome, I hope to give the viewer the opportunity to anticipate these new developments.

Going through a creative process is wonderful but also full of unexpected challenges. One of the most difficult, as well as amazing, parts is to create something out of nothing. Some projects start with a given set of guidelines, others are completely open. You have to jump in the water and make sure you don’t drown.

An idea never suddenly occurs to me: I need in-depth research. I need to plant a seed and create a context for the concept to grow. That first phase is one of my favorite parts because it allows me to discover and explore unknown grounds.

To translate the concept into a visual piece is the next big challenge in this process. It’s something I’m still struggling with. I want to express everything in one project, but every time I realise the impossibility of this desire.

Your project “The Body Garden” deals with the investigation of the human body waste. What does the body waste reveal about people?

In “The Body Garden,” I’ve researched different perspectives by collecting my own body materials for a month. Then I went into a lab to extract what normally stays hidden. Every day we are being exposed to an almost endless stream of photos and images of clean and polished bodies, stripped of anything that might make it look grotesque. This gives us the illusion of a finished and controllable body, but that’s not reality.

The human body is in a constant state of renovation. Everything that lost its function will be pushed off, therefore we constantly shed skin, hair, saliva, snot, and sweat.. With “The Body Garden” I explored the potential of the body becoming a garden. We mainly see our leftovers as a valueless waste material. Would this still be the same in a context where we lack of natural resources; for example, on Mars? What is the regenerative potential of growth on our body?

How do you feel about body-based propaganda? How can we oppose the fashioning of the body?

We are constantly confronted with the desire for perfection and the idea that youthfulness is superior. We can’t stop the process and we also can’t escape it. The main thing we can do is question it.

The “perfect human” only exists in the context of the “normal human.” Whenever the “perfect” becomes the new “normal” our desires change to match it. The dream for perfection will be a never-ending one.

In “Transcience” you say: “pleasure is the new norm” and “the definition of sexuality is often being mixed up with sexiness.” Can you discuss further?

The social relationship between sex and reproduction has changed. First there was sex without reproduction it now we’re shifting towards reproduction without sex. We don’t have sex with procreation as the main result and therefore the focus is on pleasure.

We often mix up sexuality with sexiness, where sexiness is more focused on the beauty standards of our visual appearance. Sexuality expresses the experience, feelings, and stimulations from the inside out.

In your project “Reborn,” you questioned if we are capable of reconstructing ourselves. What were your conclusions?

“Reborn” is one of the two graduation projects I did at Design Academy Eindhoven. I explored if our idea of evolution still fits in modern society. This resulted in a series of five sculptures as well as a written thesis.

The word “evolution” is often connected to the idea of improvement. In my opinion, this is a questionable way of thinking. We are so eager to move forward, but there is no progress, there is not even deterioration. There is only change.

We often forget that we are not an end result of evolution but just a phase in between what we have been so far and what we will become in the future. By deconstructing and reconstructing the human body I wanted to show the possibilities of the human as a modular system. This gives us the opportunity to anticipate new developments before they sneak into our lives.

How do you envision humans in the future?

A relevant, interesting, but impossible question! What we can say is that the scientific and technological developments are going so rapidly that it’s almost impossible to stop them.

According the story of Icarus, we shouldn’t fly too high and shouldn’t fly too low. The solution to a problem is fundamental to improvement but has often more consequences than the solution it solved. That’s why I think we have to discuss the possible outcomes and effects on society before scientific development is proceeded.

So even though it’s impossible to fully envision the effect of our alterations in the long term, I consider it to be important to discuss. We need to decide what we want and carry responsibility for the generations to come. Artists and designers can help us to comprehend the new developments by transforming them into speculative future scenarios.

What message were you trying to convey with your Roskilde Festival “Replika” performance?

About a year ago I was asked to create a new work for the “Human/Non-human” exhibition at the art zone of Roskilde Festival. It was a beautiful chance to go back to Denmark, experience this amazing festival and create a new work. It was a unique opportunity to get not only a good platform to present in, but also a budget to develop the piece with the guidance of a personal curator.

In “Replika – staging a human production line” I continued on the topic of human evolution and focused on the idea that every little change we make will have a huge impact over a long period of time. Starting from a realistic representation of a human baby, I looked at evolution as being “a copy of a copy of a copy.”

I designed the process not knowing what the exact outcome would be. Small variations between the first two sculptures could lead to a large mutation further on in the production line. “Replika” is an ongoing project; the last sculpture will never really be the last one.

See more of Pleun Van Dijk’s work on her website and Instagram.

Artist Spotlight: Dutch Visual Artist Pleun Van Dijk on Creating Art at Roskilde Festival published first on https://medium.com/@OCEANDREAMCHARTERS

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investmart007 · 6 years

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MOSCOW | The Latest: Iran, Morocco release lineups ahead of 1st match

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MOSCOW | The Latest: Iran, Morocco release lineups ahead of 1st match

MOSCOW (AP) — The Latest on Friday at the World Cup (all times local): 5:20 p.m.

Iran started with Sardar Azmoun in place of injured striker Mehdi Taremi for the opening Group B match against Morocco in St. Petersburg.

Up front for Morocco was Ayoub El Kaabi, who only made his international debut in March but has forced his way into Herve Renard’s starting lineup.

Morocco: Achraf Hakimi, Mehdi Benatia, Romain Saiss, Hakim Ziyech, Karim El Ahmadi, Ayoub El Kaabi, Younes Belhanda, Monir El Kajoui, Mbark Boussoufa, Noureddine Amrabat, Amine Harit Iran: Ali Beiranvand, Ehsan Hajisafi, Roozbeh Cheshmi, Masoud Shojaei, Morteza Pouraliganji, Omid Ebrahimi, Karim Ansarifard, Vahid Amiri, Alieza Jahanbakhsh, Sardar Azmoun, Ramin Rezaeian. ___ 4:58 p.m.

Defender Jose Gimenez came to Uruguay’s rescue scoring the lone goal in a 1-0 victory over Egypt in their Group A opening game at the World Cup on Friday.

Gimenez rose in the area to head home a free kick in the closing minutes of the match in Yekaterinburg.

The result leaves Russia atop of the group with three points after routing Saudi Arabia 5-0 on Thursday. Uruguay also has three points while Egypt and Saudi Arabia have none.

Star forward Mohamed Salah was on the bench for Egypt’s first World Cup game since 1990 after injuring a shoulder while playing for Liverpool in last month’s Champions League final.

At the other end, Uruguay star strikers Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani wasted their chances. Suarez failed to beat goalkeeper Mohamed El Shennawy in two one-on-one situations and Cavani hit the post from a free kick with two minutes left.

Egypt is yet to win a World Cup game while Uruguay won its opening World Cup game for the first time since 1970. ___ 4:20 p.m.

Australia coach Bert van Marwijk has a simple message for his players ahead of their World Cup opening game against France: Just be yourselves and play with guts.

Speaking at a news conference ahead of Saturday’s Group C match in Kazan, Van Marwijk urged his players to believe that an upset is possible against star-studded France.

He says “We must have the guts to believe in something,” and adds “We realize that we play against an opponent that has the chance to win the World Cup but not always the best players win prizes, lots of times the best teams.”

Van Marwijk did not give any indication about his lineup amid speculation captain Mile Jedinak would not start after he was replaced at the last minute by Mathew Leckie to attend the news conference.

The 33-year-old Jedinak has been Australia captain since May 2014 but did not start in the side’s two most recent friendlies. ___ 4:05 p.m.

Dutch football fans don’t have much to cheer about at the World Cup, after their national team failed to qualify for the tournament in Russia. At least they had one Dutchman on the pitch Friday as referee Bjorn Kuipers officiated over Egypt and Uruguay’s Group A opener.

Kuipers had two Dutch assistants running the lines and countryman Danny Makkelie acting as the video assistant referee.

Kuipers refereed this season’s Europa League final, when Uruguay captain Diego Godin and fellow defender Jose Gimenez won the cup as Atletico Madrid beat Marseille 3-0.

The Dutch ref also is familiar with Uruguay’s star forward Luis Suarez from his time with Ajax in the Dutch league. Kuipers officiated a 2010 match between Ajax and PSV Eindhoven and did not notice when Suarez bit PSV player Otman Bakkal. Suarez was later suspended for seven matches based on video footage of the incident. ___ 3:55 p.m.

It is 0-0 at halftime in the Group A matchup between Egypt and Uruguay. Despite starting without Mohamed Salah, who has a left shoulder injury, the underdog Pharaohs have been able to hold the Uruguay attack scoreless.

Uruguay had a good chance in the 23rd minute, but forward Luis Suarez missed from close range. ___ 4:30 p.m.

Russia’s team says a scan has confirmed creative midfielder Alan Dzagoev sustained a hamstring injury in the opening World Cup win over Saudi Arabia.

The team says Dzagoev underwent an MRI scan on Friday and “a timeframe for his treatment will be determined in the coming days.”

Dzagoev would have to recovery quickly in order to play any further part in Russia’s group games against Egypt on June 19 and Uruguay six days later.

The injury to the 27-year-old CSKA Moscow midfielder meant winger Denis Cheryshev was brought on against Saudi Arabia. He then scored two goals. ____ 3:22 p.m.

Iceland is showing the charming, funny, friendly style that has won friends worldwide ahead of a World Cup debut against Argentina.

Coach Heimir Hallgrimsson acknowledges a “headache” preparing to face Lionel Messi on Saturday in “the biggest game in the history of Icelandic football.”

Hallgrimsson also knows the Nordic island of 330,000 people has global support from its fairytale run at the 2016 European Championships.

“It’s a pretty little nation and pretty people in general. You can’t but love us,” the coach said in Icelandic at a packed news conference at Spartak Stadium.

If Iceland really is every neutral’s favorite at the World Cup, it might be the only army it needs.

“We haven’t attacked anyone, we haven’t been at war with anyone,” Hallgrimsson said, before citing a 1970s fisheries dispute with Britain. “We have only had the Cod War and nobody got hurt there.” ___ 3:14 p.m.

Uruguay’s Luis Suarez entered this World Cup in search of redemption following a championship history checkered with bad boy moments on the pitch.

So far he’s getting no love from fans of opposing Egypt. The Pharaohs’ faithful greeted him with a sustained chorus of boos when he announced as a Uruguay starter.

Suarez was cast into the role of villain beginning with the 2010 World Cup when his blatant handball prevented a Ghana goal and eventually denied the African team a chance to advance.

Four years later, he earned a nine-match ban for biting Italy’s Giorgio Chiellini in Brazil. The referee didn’t catch the incident and yielded a corner to Uruguay, allowing it to score and eliminate Italy from the tournament.

Egypt supporters were equally boisterous in cheering their striker Mohamed Salah when he walked onto the field. Salah was in uniform but not starting as he recovers from an injury. ___ 3 p.m.

U.S. President Donald Trump says he worked hard on the effort to bring the 2026 World Cup to North America and thanked Bob Kraft, owner of the NFL’s New England Patriots and Major League Soccer’s New England Revolution.

Trump signed letters to FIFA President Gianni Infantino expressing confidence World Cup delegations and fans would be welcomed for the tournament. Although of no legal force, the letters were used in lobbying by the U.S. Soccer Federation and the joint North American bid competed against Morocco’s. The North American bid won 134-65 in voting by FIFA members on Wednesday.

Trump tweeted Friday “Thank you for all of the compliments on getting the World Cup to come to the U.S.A., Mexico and Canada. I worked hard on this, along with a Great Team of talented people. We never fail, and it will be a great World Cup! A special thanks to Bob Kraft for excellent advice.”

Kraft became honorary chairman of the bid last July, worked to obtain U.S. government support and helped gain the support of federations. ___ 2:50 p.m.

France coach Didier Deschamps has always been clear with his players since taking charge six years ago: there is no “I” in team.

Deschamps, however, has made an exception with Antoine Griezmann, stopping short of criticizing the star striker a day after he theatrically announced his decision to stay with Atletico Madrid during a television show. The program, called “The Decision,” was broadcast on Spanish TV on Thursday, just two days before France’s opening World Cup game against Australia.

Griezmann has been mocked on social media for the way he promoted his announcement in the 45-minute special that included footage of him getting a tattoo and eating popcorn.

Asked about what he thought about the timing of his player’s announcement, Deschamps said he didn’t care. He said that “it’s a very good thing for his club. You might think the format (he picked) matters. I’m more interested in the substance.” ___ 2:40 p.m.

Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani will start in Uruguay’s opening World Cup group A game against Egypt, which will be missing star Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah.

Suarez is hoping his football prowess gets more attention in Russia than his disciplinary issues did at the previous two World Cups in South Africa and Brazil.

Uruguay lineup: Fernando Musiera, Jose Maria Gimenez, Diego Godin (captain), Guillermo Varela, Rodrigo Bentancur, Nahitan Nandez, Luis Suarez, Giorgian De Arrascaeta, Matias Vecino, Edinson Cavani, Martin Caceres. ___ 2:30 p.m.

Egypt will starts its opening Group A match against Uruguay without injured forward Mohamed Salah, and with veteran goalkeeper Essam El Hadary on the bench.

Salah injured a shoulder while playing for Liverpool in last month’s Champions League final. Marwan Mohsen will be playing upfront.

Mohamed El-Shennawy will start in goal after being selected in front of 45-year-old El Hadary, who is hoping to make history by becoming the oldest player to play in a World Cup game .

Egypt lineup: Ali Gabr, Ahmed Hegazy, Ahmed Fathi, Tarek Hamed, Marwan Mohsen, Mohamed Abdel-Shafi, Mohamed Elneny, Abdallah El Said, Mahmoud Hassan, Amr Warda, Mohamed El Shennawy. ___ 2:20 p.m.

Mohamed Salah is on the bench for Eygpt’s first World Cup game since 1990 after injuring a shoulder while playing for Liverpool in last month’s Champions League final.

Salah was the Premier League Player of the Season after scoring a league-leading 32 goals and 44 in all for Liverpool last season.

He left the Champions League final in tears on May 26 after he was injured by Real Madrid’s Sergio Ramos in a challenge by the Spaniard. ___ 1:25 p.m.

The head of the Palestinian Football Association faces FIFA punishment for urging fans to burn photos of Lionel Messi if Argentina played a World Cup warmup game in Jerusalem.

FIFA says it opened disciplinary proceedings against PFA president Jibril Rajoub because of comments “widely reported in the media.” Argentina called off a game against Israel earlier this month after protests by pro-Palestinian groups.

Rajoub had called for Arab and Muslim fans to burn photos and T-shirts of Messi, the Argentina and Barcelona superstar, if he played. FIFA did not specify when the case will be judged.

Argentina opens its World Cup program Saturday against Iceland. ___ 12:35 p.m.

Peru coach Ricardo Gareca will not commit to playing recently reinstated striker Paolo Guerrero in their World Cup opener against Denmark.

Gareca’s only promise in a news conference Friday is that if Peru’s all-time goal scorer gets into the game, he’ll be fit and ready.

The 34-year-old Guerrero was allowed to play in the World Cup only after a doping suspension was frozen by a Swiss Supreme Court judge.

The striker has played few games since FIFA’s initial suspension in November.

Guererro was Peru’s top goal scorer in South American World Cup qualifying, netting five in the campaign.

Team captains of Peru’s rivals in Group C recently asked FIFA to lift Guerrero’s suspension so he could play against France, Denmark and Australia.

Guerrero has blamed his test failure on a tainted cup of tea at a Lima hotel. ____ 12:00 p.m.

Costa Rica defender Ronald Matarrita will not play in the World Cup because of a right hamstring injury.

The Costa Rican federation says Matarrita will be replaced on the Ticos’ roster by Kenner Gutierrez.

Following training at the team’s St. Petersburg camp, the left back had an MRI which confirmed the injury. Matarrita, who plays for the MLS club NYCFC, will miss at least two weeks.

Costa Rica is preparing to play Serbia in its World Cup opener on Sunday in Samara. The Ticos are hoping to improve on their finish at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, when they advanced to the quarterfinals.

Matarrita was one of six players from Major League Soccer on Costa Rica’s roster.

Gutierrez plays for Alajuelense in Costa Rica’s top division.

By Associated Press

#Ayoub El Kaabi #injured striker Mehdi #Mehdi Benatia #Moscow #Renard's starting lineup #Romain Saiss #TodayNews

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wendysloane · 6 years

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Going Dutch

Teach your kids to appreciate time and distance with a driving holiday abroad

I spent a month working for a magazine in Amsterdam when I was in my mid-twenties. I can’t say I had the wildest time of my life, but strolling through the red light district, visiting the various legal ‘Maryjane cafes’ and drinking pint after pint of Hoegaarden wheat beer in various bars all played a significant part contributing to my enjoyment factor.

What a difference two decades makes! Returning to the Netherlands with three kids in tow is little like visiting an old flame after 20 years. Everything kind of looks the same (minus the wrinkles, receding hairline and paunch, of course), but the way you feel is decidedly different.

We started our trip with two-hour drive to catch a Stena Line ferry from Harwich to the Hook of Holland. Once we had listened to our children’s cassettes four times each and played I-Spy 1,146 times, the novelty factor of a long drive had worn off. Luckily, we reached the port just before the kids (and us) were about to implode.

The ferry crossing is less than four hours long and went by quickly, thanks to a crusty magician called Adrian who entertained them with sleight-of-the-hand tricks, a Punch and Judy show and balloon-twisting. When they got hungry, despite the rocking of the boat, we ordered chicken and chips, which was surprisingly edible (although the spongy vegetable accompaniment was not). [

An hour and half drive followed to Eindhoven, during which time the kids were mesmerised by all the greenhouses, windmills, canals and cows. ‘Why do those cows look different from our cows?’ Josie kept asking. Not being a cattle expert – or livestock aficionado – I was loathe to answer. ‘Because they do,’ I said for the tenth time.

It rained in Eindhoven, and rained and rained, and we spent most of the time with our lovely friends, Steve and Lynn, and walking through an indoor mall with a fantastic cafeteria-type cafe. So it was the next two days with our old friends Mary Lee, Kiwi, Hugh and Avery in Amsterdam, my former love, which really caught the children’s attention.

Their favourite activity by far (apart from spending time with Avery) was an afternoon in the NEMO science museum, a surprisingly large structure that resembles a decaying green ship from the outside. The minute we entered the children were entranced, even Clementine, now yet two. From the child-sized bubbles they could make themselves to the 12-foot tall robot called Elektra with her funky hairdo, they loved every minute of it – as well as walking along the canals and river to get there.

We left NEMO in a daze ( luckily we managed to stay steady enough not to push the buggy into a canal) and the next day visited the Anne Frank house. Duncan wasn’t sure the children were old enough to visit, and while Tilly barely grasped the house’s significance, it certainly made an impression on Josie. ‘I don’t want to be Jewish anymore” she kept repeating loudly, much to my embarrassment. Well Jos, you don’t have a choice.

We drove home the next day looking forward to the seeing the ship’s magician for the second time, and apart from one big puke (see above) our crossing back to Blighty was fairly uneventful. Next time I’ll definitely remember the seasickness medicine…

What is it? A driving holiday from north London to two cities in the Netherlands, Eindhoven and Amsterdam.

Where? We decided to forsake the comforts of air travel and drove two hours to Harwich, where we caught a Stena Line ferry to the Hook of Holland – and drove an hour and a half more to Eindhoven. We stayed there two nights then spent 48 hours in Amsterdam before driving home.

Description: Although the constant refrains of ‘When are we there?’ mingled with endless repetitions of children’s casettes on the car radio nearly drove me to commit triple infanticide, visiting the Netherlands was worth it in the end (I think).

Eindhoven is an unusual town, and we have good friends there. Amsterdam is a fantastic place for children, it’s very child-friendly with lots for them to do. Everyone speaks English, the food is excellent – and we have good friends there as well.

It was raining in Eindhoven, so we armed ourselves with umbrellas and walked to the town centre, where we had a fantastic lunch. There is a brilliant art museum, nice swimming baths and other child-friendly acitivities, but we contented ourselves with being lazy pedestrian tourists. Amsterdam has everything, from canal trips to cafes, from museums to parks, to raves and red-light districts. There is also great (read: cheap) shopping.

One evening in Amsterdam we roped in a babysitter and visited some Dutch friends for dinner at a small restaurant on the Jordaan called Tante Agaat. Delicious. But if you’re looking for something more exciting, Amsterdam has everything any large European city has to offer – the only difference is that most of it here is legal.

By far the best childcare provider was the boat’s magician, who happily entertained all three of our children for an hour on both crossings. All the other children looked similarly entertained, while all the parents appeared blissfully carefree. Wonder why?

Again, Amsterdam has everything London has – at cheaper prices. Next time I want a facial, manicure, pedicure and great haircut, it might be worth the dough to cross the Channel and do it over here.

Local activities: Apart from eating, drinking, shopping and strolling, we took in two major activities: the Science Museum NEMO and the Anne Frank House. We also took advantage of the many playgrounds dotted throughout both cities, which had lots of activities the children enjoyed. Hey, why spend money when you don’t have to?

Wish we had known: That our baby daughter, Clementine, was about to be violently seasick on the ferry. I had dosed the girls with Fenergan (miracle drug that does as well for allergies as it does for motion sickness – highly recommended) before we went and they took every toss and turn in stride. But as Clementine is not yet two – and has never been even mildly carsick – I thought medicine would do her more harm than good. Unfortunately, I had left spare changes of clothes locked on the car deck, so apres le deluge she had to go topless for the remainder of the crossing. Her jeans remained impressively unsullied.

Our top tip: If you plan to wander along the canals enjoying the outdoor clothing and flower markets while stopping for an occasional coffee, think again. Dutch weather is as fickle as British weather, so make alternative plans just in ase it starts to pour down. There are loads of things to do inside, but you may have to do a bit of research!

Kids say: ‘The magician on the boat was really fun, he gave me a balloon filled with sweeties,’ says Josie, six. ‘I wish we could have spent more time with Elektra,’ says Tilly, four. ‘Better get a bucket,’ thought Clementine, almost two.

Getting There: There are three daily crossings on the Harwich to the Hoek van Holland route with crossings taking 3hrs 40 minutes on the HSS Discovery nd 6hrs 30 minutes on the day and overnight Superferries, with prices starting from L59* per person. For more information, visit www.stenaline.co.uk or call 08705 70 70 70. * Full terms and conditions are online.

* Wendy Sloane is the Travel Editor of entertainthekids.com. She divides her time between writing and taking care of her three daughters, Josie, Tilly and Clementine. ORIGINALLY POSTED 2006

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esprit-de-corps-magazine · 6 years

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HITLER'S LAST ROLL OF THE DICE: On New Year's Day 1945, The Luftwaffe Launched Every Plane They Had Into The Air

(Volume 24-11)

By Anne Gafiuk & Ken Wright

On September 18, 1944, the advance party of the Royal Air Force occupied the large, hastily evacuated Luftwaffe base at Eindhoven in Holland. Because it was designed to be a permanent air base, to the delight of the new tenants, it was equipped with brick buildings, well-constructed huts, dispersed taxiways and earthen revetments [soil piled on three sides]. During the following months, the Eindhoven-based pilots were extremely busy with ground support tactical reconnaissance and artillery reconnaissance missions, backing the rapidly advancing Allied ground forces.

At this stage of the war, some degree of complacency may have developed among Allied aircrews regarding the Luftwaffe’s ability to mount any meaningful opposition. The German Luftwaffe was starved of fuel, short of aircraft, pilots; morale was at its lowest point. Most of the resistance efforts were, at best, token gestures as Allied fighters virtually owned the skies over war-torn Europe.

Flying Officer Gordon Hill, who flew Spitfires with RCAF No. 416 Squadron, recalls that on December 31, 1944:

Our flight crossed the corner of Germany that we had crossed two or three times a day for a couple of months. We had never seen flak there ever before! I got hit. I felt it and I heard it. My No. 2 told me I was losing a lot of oil. I said, ‘Green 3 leaving formation with Green 4.’ I wanted protection so I dragged Green 4 along with me. I made a force landing on the B78 airfield in Eindhoven south of Arnhem in Holland with my wheels down, which was nice since I ran out of engine oil some time before. My wingman, Green 4 went on home.

I left my airplane and asked the Royal Air Force Flight sergeant in charge of servicing Spitfires if he could look at my plane. As they were refuelling at the time he said it would be quite a while before he could look at it so I decided to go to the Typhoon Mess. I spent New Year’s Eve with the ‘Tiffy’ boys. I knew a half a dozen or more. I flew with some of them in Canada on the West Coast. As the alcohol was flowing, we rang in the New Year.

The Eindhoven airfield was already a hive of activity on the morning of January 1, 1945 as the squadrons were preparing for their early-morning missions. It was shaping up to be a beautiful day with the cold frosty ground sparkling in bright rays of the morning sun. Apart from the sounds of military activity filling the air, everything appeared delightfully peaceful. It was to be, in hindsight, a spurious peacefulness.

Early that same morning, 208 kilometres away at the Gütersloh Luftwaffe airfield in the Westphalia area of Germany, pilots of Jagdeschwader 3 were picked up at their quarters at 0500 hours. After a short breakfast at 0700 hours, the target for the day was finally revealed as Eindhoven. Each pilot had to deliver several attacks and they were to circle the airfield anti-clockwise between each individual attack. No alternative target was given. The pilots received maps on which the course was marked and on which instructions to be followed during flight had been previously inserted.

The return flight was to be made from the target on a bearing of approximately 90 degrees, and pilots were told to head for any of the airfields that had been marked on their maps, according to preference.

At 0822 hours, the first aircraft took off from Gütersloh as part of Hitler’s Operation Bodenplatte. Over 900 aircraft from various airfields began a massive low-level attack on 16 vulnerable Allied airfields throughout France, Belgium and Holland.

F/O Hill continues:

The next morning, January 1 at about 0815, the flight sergeant reported my aircraft repaired, refuelled and ready to go. He drove me out to the airplane and parked beside the Control Truck. This is where the air traffic controller was. Everything was mobile. There was a small tent next to the truck with two men in it. I put on my parachute, helmet and gloves, then climbed into the airplane, worrying that I would not be able to start the aircraft for lack of power. I might possibly need a boost because there might not be enough battery power. I pressed the starter, pushed fuel into the cylinders, but nothing happened, so I climbed out of the airplane. I took my parachute, helmet and gloves off, putting them onto the end of the wing, then went to the Control Truck. I had my hand on the door knob of the truck when I heard a gun firing. I said, ‘Someone has pushed the wrong button.’ The man in the truck said, ‘No! That’s a German button!’

The Eindhoven airfield was about to get a pasting as the aircraft from Jagdeschwader 3 began their first strafing run led by Geshwaderkommodore Heinrich Bӓr. Reports put the time at about 0920 hours. “There was no place to take cover except the Control truck,” remembers Hill. “Why the Germans did not take it out, I don’t know. That would have been what I would have done in their place. This all lasted about 20 to 30 minutes. It was an awfully long time. A Jeep came and picked me up. We drove past my airplane which was totally shot up.”

Flight Lieutenant Harry Hardy, DFC, RCAF No. 440 Typhoon Squadron, explains:

My flight was attending a morning church parade when suddenly: cannon shells started hitting the airfield and I found myself on the floor between the altar and the organ. We all crawled onto the floor; then we made our way to the air raid shelter. The Germans were firing the entire time but, fortunately, we didn’t lose any men. After the raid was over, as I was smoking my pipe, a bomb blew up outside the bomb shelter and I bit right through the stem of my pipe. It was a late bomb going off: one of our own! The Germans thought the airmen would have been recovering from celebrating New Year’s Eve.

Flight Lieutenant Wally Ward, also with No. 440, continues:

I was standing behind some shelter at the edge of the field. I had finished my tour and I was just waiting to be posted out of the squadron to an aerodrome up near Newcastle to instruct on Typhoons. The squadron was lined up to take off when I saw Messerschmitt 110s and Focke-Wulf 190s come over the horizon one after the other.

They shot the hell out of the Typhoons. They circled and went back again. (There was more than one attack.) Our pilots jumped out of the planes and rolled away and looked for a ditch for refuge. A Messerschmitt 262 (jet) was directing the attack. It was circling the airfield at about 5,000 feet. The Messerschmitt and Focke-Wulf were lined up like they were on a game shoot.

The Eindhoven defences, especially the four RAF squadrons manning their Bofors 40mm anti-aircraft guns, did their utmost to defend the airfield and shot down several German aircraft. One remarkable event took place when a Fw 190 was hit by Bren fire operated by the Senior Armament NCO Sergeant Large of No. 438 Squadron and Sergeant McGee. At the time of the first attack, Large was down the road from dispersal waiting to see the Squadron’s take off. Large, serving as ground crew with No. 438, wrote in his personal report:

I saw a number of aircraft making attack on the field and I first thought it was just a German hit-and-run but after the second and third wave passed over, circled and continued their attacks from out the sun, I figured they were playing for keeps. I therefore hurried back to the dispersal area armoury where the Bren guns were kept. There, I saw Flight Sgt McGee and we decided to take a whack at anything flying over the dispersal area. We each took a Bren gun each and two boxes of clips and stood outside the dispersal door and waited for any Jerry that came within range. In all, we believed we fired at 10 or 12 Focke-Wulf 190’s and Messerschmitt 109’s. Strikes was (sic) seen on at least two aircraft. One was coming from the south of us at a height of not more than 40 feet. We both fired a full magazine at him. We saw strikes down the engine in the direction of the cockpit and we saw small bits and pieces fly off. The enemy aircraft flipped over on its other side and we saw black smoke coming from the aircraft.

A few days later, a Fw 190 was found some 500 metres southwest of the village of Oirschot, north of the Eindhoven airfield. The Focke-Wulf had been struck by small arms’ fire on the port side and the wounded pilot, Hauptmann Ewald Trost, had been taken prisoner. He had suffered burns to his face and bullet wounds to his right arm.

“I was in shock,” says Ward of the large-scale attack. “I was astonished. At this late stage of the war, we hardly ever saw enemy aircraft. We had the dominance of the skies. This was my first chance to see so many enemy aircraft … dozens of them all in one place. Afterwards, I flew to Brussels. I saw all these heavy bombers had been all shot up — B17s, maybe — they were destroyed. They had not been dispersed. We never thought it could happen. Fortunately, no one in my squadron got hurt.”

Flight Lieutenant Robert Spooner, DFC of No. 438 recalls:

German aircraft shot up our airfield killing at least ten people and injuring many others. Certain selected Allied airfields were attacked simultaneously. Many aircraft lined up on the parkway were strafed and set on fire. Our squadron had four planes on the runway. Flight Lieutenant Pete Wilson, 438 Squadron’s new squadron leader, and his number two had already opened throttles and were heading down the runway when the attack started. Both were killed before they could get off the ground.

The German planes were having a ball. A row of Spitfires, lined up wingtip to wingtip, were set on fire. Many Typhoons were victims as well. Other planes parked in revetments fared better. Smoke and flames from burning aircraft were everywhere and must have been hard for Jerry to see what to attack. Our squadron did not get wiped out completely so we were ordered to get a flight in the air to let the Germans know that we were still operational. In stressful times like this, things seem to happen in seconds but we were told later that the attack had lasted 25 minutes.

Around 0945 hours, the ordeal for Eindhoven airfield was finally over and the last pilots of Jagdeschwader 3, in small groups or individually, headed for home.

One eyewitness, Flight Lieutenant Bergmann, a Dutch pilot with No. 181 Squadron who was showing his brother around the airfield that day, recounts his version of the attack:

Even with their eyes closed, the attackers would have hit something. Next to about 300 aircraft, most of them parked in line, the airfield was filled with vehicles of every type. In addition, fuel and ammo dumps and stocks of all sorts of equipment. Fires started all over the airfield, Typhoons preparing to take off tried to get airborne, while others aborted their take-off; pilots leaping from the aircraft and taking cover. None of those aircraft remained untouched. One of the Typhoons that managed to get airborne shot down a Luftwaffe aircraft but was himself shot down. Only a couple of metres away from us, a courageous Canadian was firing his Sten gun from the end of the runway at the attackers.

Besides No. 438, other squadrons were also caught taxiing onto the airfield. Many Typhoons of No. 440 were on the runway ready to take off and received a going over by the attacking fighters. Fortunately, all the pilots survived during the 23 minutes of hell that paralysed everyone. Under the circumstances, their escape unscathed was something of a miracle.

While the RAF regiments were trying their best to shoot down the enemy aircraft, fuel and ammunition dumps were set on fire. Thousand-pound bombs exploded every few minutes, individual aircraft were burning in the dispersal area, rockets — possibly slung under the wings of the burning Typhoons — ignited and took off in all directions. Slowly, a thick pall of smoke settled over the area blotting out the early morning sun. The attack had come as a great shock, but it is possible that, after it was over, there may have been a degree of comrades-in-arms admiration that the Luftwaffe could have mounted such a large-scale operation.

The attack on Eindhoven can be considered a success. In addition to destroying 26 Typhoons and five Spitfires, the Germans also damaged around 30 more Typhoons. However, German losses had been considerable. Twenty-five per cent of the attacking force of 60 aircraft had been lost and three more damaged. Nine pilots were killed and six ended up as POWs.

What documents remain do not accurately record the exact overall tally of the Allied aircraft that were destroyed during Operation Bodenplatte. Estimates of 305 aircraft destroyed and 190 damaged are believed to be much lower than actual loses. Although the Allies could rapidly replace men and material, the Germans could not, especially in pilots. The overall Luftwaffe losses from Bodenplatte totalled more than 250 aircraft and 215 pilots.

Hitler’s Luftwaffe Adjutant, Nicholas Von Below, wrote on January 1, 1945:

A catastrophe befell the Luftwaffe the same day. Goring [Commander-in-Chief of the Luftwaffe] had planned a strike by almost a thousand aircraft on the Western frontier against various [enemy] targets. Preparations for Operation ‘Bodenplatte’ were kept strictly secret; nevertheless, the attack was greeted with heavy Allied anti-aircraft fire. On the way back, our aircraft flew over accurate German flak, the batteries not having been informed of the operation on the grounds of secrecy.

We suffered heavy losses which could not be made good. ‘Bodenplatte’ was the last major operation undertaken by the Luftwaffe.

The only service in the Luftwaffe left capable of offering any effective resistance was the Nachtjagd or night-hunting fighters.

Hitler’s last roll of the dice cost him dearly. As General der Jagdflieger and fighter ace Adolf Galland said, “We have sacrificed our last substance.”

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nofomoartworld · 7 years

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8 things i’ve learnt during the last edition of the STRP biennale

Conference for the Curious. Photo © Blickfänger

Steve Maher, Heavy Metal Detector. Photo: © Boudewijn Bollmann

Outside the historic Philips Klokgebouw where the biennale unfolds

A few weeks ago, i visited STRP Biënnale, the mega festival of art, technology and music in Eindhoven. The theme of the event this year was Senses & Sensors. Both the huge exhibition and the two-day event of talks and discussions called Conference for the Curious explored perception in all its guises and meanings. Some of the questions raised during the festival included: How can technologies hinder or expand our senses? Can the same technologies enable us to develop new senses? What role do technological sensors play in our perception of the world? But also, and perhaps more interestingly, how can we make more sense of technology?

As usual, there was a lot to take in, discover and ponder about at STRP. I’m just going to highlight the most interesting ideas and works i discovered while i was there:

1. We will soon miss the computer accent

popstar Claire L.Evans, The Sound of Post-human Music at STRP conference

Writer and popstar Claire L.Evans opened the conference with The Sound of Post-human Music, a talk which focused on the role that artificial intelligence will soon play in the composition—and appreciation—of music and art. She believes that “artificial intelligence could be like the electric guitar for future musicians.”

The talk was full of witty comments and nods to science fiction. The most memorable moment for me was when Evans talked about the computer accent. We see it as a failure, a flaw, but soon we won’t be able to distinguish it anymore from human speech and we will miss it (check out this story recently published: Chatbots Have Entered the Uncanny Valley.) And do we really need to use only humans as a benchmark for success anyway? Evans doubts it. Besides, she believes that A.I.’s own sense of beauty will eventually surprise us.

There’s more details in the feature she wrote for Motherboard: The Sound of (Posthuman) Music.

2. Dries Depoorter has one genius idea every hour

Dries Depoorter at STRP conference. Photo: © Blickfänger

Dries Depoorter, Flipside Audio , exhibition view at STRP. Photo: © Roos Pierson

Some of them he actually turns into artworks.

He gave a really fun talk at Conference for the Curious. It took the form of a brief overview of his portfolio. That’s when i learnt that his work Tinder In had been shamelessly copied by a famous multinational electronics company. They used his idea in an advertisement campaign, got a 10,000 dollar prize for it and obviously never credited the artist for the original idea. He sent them an invoice of 10,000 dollars. They didn’t find it amusing.

Depoorter is now working on a couple of new projects. One of them is a dating website where you do not have to fill in any formulaire. The system will find your ‘perfect’ match according to your browsing internet history.

The artist was showing a new work on the turf outside the Philips Klokgebouw. Flipside Audio allows visitors to connect a headset directly into the grass and listen in real time to the other side of the world, 13,000 kilometers below you.

3. Segregation, tolerance and other social issues have their own smell

Sissel Tolaas at STRP conference. Photo: © Blickfänger

Artist and smell expert Sissel Tolaas told us how our world has been cleaned up, sanitized and perfumed to the point that we ignore precious information about what surrounds us. A few years ago, she decided that she wanted to record her own life through the smells she encountered. She has since been collecting, recording, putting inside little cans and labeling the smells she wishes to remember.

One of her projects consists in mapping the smells found in various cities around the world. She takes inhabitants on smell walks and invites them to explore the ‘smellscapes’ of neighbourhoods where they might otherwise never go. As a result, the participants start to develop a new, more open understanding of the people who live there. Tolaas believes that smells can tell you a lot about income differences, respect for the environment, level of social engagement, etc.

Her work has so much meaning and power that the US military approached her after having heard of her project FEAR 01/21. For this work, she synthesised the smell of fear from 21 sufferers of panic attacks. The U.S. army thought that her project would be the starting point for the development of new methodologies that would enable them to “smell a terrorist and other totally naïve notions.” She turned down the offer.

4. Speaking of smells… data leaks should be given smells, just like dangerous gases

Leanne Wijnsma, The smell of data, exhibition view at STRP. Photo: © Willy Kerkhof

Leanne Wijnsma, The smell of data. Photo: © Ruud Balk

vimeo

Leanne Wijnsma, The smell of data

Contemporary society under-appreciates what human sense of smell can do for us. It helped our ancestors survive, just like it helps other animals navigate the environment and detect incoming danger. Designer Leanne Wijnsma‘s research project The smell of data looks at how a simple device we’d leave next to our computer could emit scent and vapour and warn us of any leak or other threat to data security on the internet.

Wijnsma was one of the winners of the new STRP – Creative Technology Award (ACT) which supports creative thinkers and makers with vision and imagination.

5. Mug is the new tote

My very own Conference for the Curious mug

We got to keep the mug we were using during the STRP conference coffee pauses. Brilliant idea! First, because we refilled our mugs instead of going through several paper or plastic cups during the day. Second, because who needs another festival tote? Please conference/festivals, take note and steal the idea!

6. Sometimes the opening act is more exciting than the ‘headliner’

Koert van Mensvoort at Conference for the Curious

Satellite map of North Korea at night

Koert van Mensvoort from Next Nature introduced keynote speaker Kevin Kelly and managed to say more interesting things in 10 minutes than the American tech guru in one hour. Kelly is a true visionary, i share his admiration for the lettuce bot and i’m sure his book The Inevitable is great but i don’t buy his ‘tech is fab and AI will make the world a better place’ promises. Maybe this is going to be true for the Silicon Valley clique but I don’t think everyone will benefit equally from a future in which we (or at least some of us) will cheerfully work in unison with machines.

Back to van Mensvoort. He showed us the earth by night as captured by satellites. It turns out that even from that distance, we can guess the political choices of various countries. Demonstration above, in the satellite map of North Korea at night.

7. Some media artworks are way too thrilling for me

Daniel de Bruin, Neurotransmitter 3000, exhibition view at STRP. Photo: © Ruud Balk

vimeo

Daniel de Bruin, Neurotransmitter 3000

Daniel de Bruin’s Neurotransmitter 3000 is a kind of rollercoaster thrill ride. The machine is controlled by his own biometric data. Heart rate, body temperature, muscle tension and other bodily data are measured and translated to variations in motion. And vice-versa. That’s what true interaction should be like!

The work’s great and i’m a wuss, there’s no way i’ll ever sit on that contraption.

8. My heart beat is really really slow though

Chris Salter, TeZ and Luis Rodil Fernández, Other/Self, exhibition view at STRP. Photo: © Hanneke Wetzer

At least according to Other/Self, an immersive sound, light and haptic experience in which two visitors gradually get to feel the heartbeat of the other person. It’s an incredibly intimate and disconcerting experience. I experienced the work in the company of the guide who was explaining Other/Self to visitors. She had tried the installation with several visitors before me but was surprised at how slowly my heart was beating. I don’t know whether this is good or bad. I probably need to investigate.

The work is part of Hack the Body, an innovation program that explores the blurry boundaries between intimacy, privacy and technology. More of that, please!

Other moments and works i enjoyed:

Tobias Revell, The Finite State Fantasia, exhibition view at STRP. Photo: © Blickfänger

Polymorf, The Entangled Body, exhibition view at STRP. Photo: © Blickfänger

Memo Akten, Fight, exhibition view at STRP. Photo © Willie Kerkhof

STRP Sounds x Albert van Abbe. Photo: © Marcel Krijgsman

Children of the Light, Warping Halos. Photo © Boudewijn Bollmann

What if Collective, MGNT, exhibition view at STRP. Photo: © Ruud Balk

Sami Sabik, Digital Whispers, exhibition view at STRP. Photo: © Hanneke Wetzer

Stelarc, Rewired/Remixed. Photo: © Hanneke Wetzer

More photos: STRP Biënnale 2017, Conference for the Curious, Opening STRP Biënnale 2017, Press images STRP Biënnale 2017, STRP Sounds x Albert van Abbe, etc. I also have a flickr album.

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incorrectbandofbrothersquotes · 3 years

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Dear Heart - Chapter 8

Dick Winters x Melanie Davis

Summary: Melanie Davis is a nurse from North Carolina who has lived a sheltered life since her father died. Her father’s best friend, Colonel Sink, invites her to experience more as a regimental nurse for the 506th PIR of the 101st Airborne. She embarks on the adventure of a lifetime.

Tag list: @thoughpoppiesblow If you’d like to be added, let me know!

Word Count: 4.5k

A/N: I hope y’all enjoy this update! Sorry I left on the cliffhanger for so long!

Warning(s): stuff that resembles domestic violence at the end

Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7

Chapter 8 here we go!!!

Mentally, Dick was kicking himself. He closed his eyes and tried to forget, but the image of Melanie being pulled from beneath the rubble was all he could see. Her watery eyes as she blinked them open, the soft way she said his name, and how he became absolutely helpless. Somehow, both relief and worry swirled around inside him. He was grateful she was alive but the blood oozing from her hairline couldn’t be good. He was filled with remorse as he recalled how it was Dr. Clarke - he’d learned the man’s name later - who leapt into action and began looking over Melanie. And Dick watched, frozen with the shock of it all.

He opened his eyes again. The sight of the Bois Jacques replaced his shameful memory. Melanie was safe now, which was what he tried to remind himself. They had gotten her to battalion HQ, where Colonel Sink had given up his own billet so Melanie could have a bed. Another man who could do more for her than Dick could.

Dr. Clarke determined that Melanie had gotten miraculously lucky. While the blow to her head looked bad considering how much she bled, she only had a concussion. And it was fairly mild. The rest of her body had come through with only scrapes and bruises. Dick was thankful, but still felt an inadequacy about the whole thing. With nothing to do for her, he returned to the line. It had been two days since he’d left her there. Two days of feeling like he failed her somehow.

“Dick.”

Dick turned his head at the sound of his name. He knew already that it was Lewis’s voice, so he did his best to appear somewhat content. Difficult in this kind of cold, but Lewis was unlikely to pry regardless.

“Hey, Lew,” he said.

“You alright?” Lewis asked.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Dick returned. “How’s everything back at battalion?”

Lewis almost smirked. Dick didn’t want to seem like he was asking about Melanie, but Lewis knew he was asking about Melanie.

“About the same, as far as the war’s going,” Lewis told him. “At some point, we gotta take Foy, but who knows when we’ll get it together?” When Dick only nodded, Lew continued. “Melanie’s awake now. Properly awake. She was sitting up and eating when I left there.”

That piqued Dick’s interest. He faced his friend and tried not to sound too eager. “She was?”

Lew nodded. “She asked about you.”

Dick might have laughed if he weren’t feeling so torn. Of course Melanie didn’t care a thing for herself. But he hardly felt he deserved her concern.

“Did she?” he asked.

Lew nodded again. “I think you should go see her.”

Dick wanted to see her. Desperately. He just couldn’t bear the thought of facing her when he felt like such a let-down. Then again, she had forgiven him for worse.

“I probably shouldn’t leave the men,” Dick said, and it was partly true. He also harbored guilt for abandoning them for the sake of Melanie, something he recalled swearing back in Toccoa would never happen. But Melanie meant more to him now than she did back then.

He realized just how much she meant when a future he had barely hoped to dream of seemed lost. When he thought she was dead, all those visions he had of a pretty white house with his beautiful wife and their children had been obliterated. He knew he loved Melanie back in Paris. Now he realized just how deep that love went. And all his inaction once again haunted him.

“Go see her, Dick,” Lewis said. “The men will survive without you for a couple hours. Even if they are relying on Dike.”

Dick grimaced at that. He agreed with the sentiment, but he didn’t like to think about Easy in the hands of yet another incompetent CO. While Dike was a step up from Sobel, the improvement was meager.

“There’s a jeep back in the woods,” Lewis said. “It’s waiting for you.”

“Thanks, Nix,” Dick replied, clapping his friend on the shoulder.

With that, Dick climbed out of his foxhole and made his way to the jeep. It was manned by Sink’s personal driver, which told Dick that Lewis was not the only one eager for Melanie to see the man she asked for. With a sigh, Dick took the passenger’s seat and prepared himself.

When they arrived at HQ, Dick took a deep breath. The last time he’d been this nervous was when he asked Melanie to walk with him after what took place in Eindhoven. He wondered if she was upset with him. How much had Dr. Clarke told her about what happened, if anything? Her father’s pocket watch suddenly felt like it was lead in his breast pocket.

HQ was relatively quiet. Dick nodded to the officers he recognized, but didn’t stop to say hello. Now that he was here, he only had Melanie on his mind. He needed to see her. His feet felt heavy as he climbed the stairs to her room. As he approached her door, through the wood, he heard her voice. It was sweeter than any music he’d ever heard in his life. It meant she was really there, alive and well, and his hopes for the future were not dashed. He knocked.

“Come in!” she called.

He opened the door to reveal her sitting up in bed, a tray of food on her lap, and - to Dick’s disgust - Dr. Clarke sitting beside her on the bed. Thankfully, her smile was enough to melt any bitterness. And she beamed at him.

“Dick, hello!” she said. “I’m so glad to see you! Have you met Terry?”

She nodded at the doctor. Dick smiled at her.

“Yeah, we’ve met,” he said. “How are you, Mel?”

He registered now the bandage on her head, and the other, smaller ones on her arms. She reached out a hand toward him, and his heart ached at the scabs he saw forming on her knuckles. He took her hand and let her pull him closer so that he stood beside the bed.

“I’m alright,” she said. “You really are a darling to come and see me.”

It warmed him to hear her say it. She was happy to see him. Not disappointed at all. Hopefully, her forgiveness would help him forgive himself.

“Melanie,” Terry interjected. “The check up.”

“Oh, yes, sorry,” she returned. “Is it alright if Dick stays?”

“Sure,” Terry allowed, looking at Dick. “Have a seat.”

There was a chair behind him, and Dick took it without releasing Melanie’s hand. Terry scooted closer to her, cradled her face in his hands, and looked her in the eyes.

“Eyes are still lovely,” he said, and before she could offer any sort of rebuff, he continued. “And seem fairly focused. No glassiness, pupils are the same size, all good signs.”

He started to move his hand away, and Dick watched uncomfortably as the doctor slid his hand down her neck, briefly stroking her skin with his thumb before letting go. He glanced over at Dick for a fleeting second, meeting his eye. Dick swallowed every possessive impulse that was churning inside him.

“Really, I’ve just got a terrible headache,” she said.

“That’s to be expected,” he said. “Do you remember the accident or the events before?”

“Not really,” she said. “The last thing I remember clearly is…” She trailed off. This was her first significant stint of time awake since the collapse of the hospital. The last thing she could recall was her rejection of Terry on the steps. “Well, when you and I spotted the planes coming. Everything after is a blur.”

“Alright, so there is some amnesia, but it seems like it’s pretty minor,” he told her. “You really are lucky. Best to stay off your feet, relax, and come back to work in a couple weeks.”

“Weeks?!” she protested, and Dick gave her hand a supportive squeeze, which she returned.

“That’s being generous,” Terry said firmly. “I’d like to have you resting for a month just to be safe, but I know how much you’re needed.”

He placed a hand on her leg, just above her knee, casting another superior look at Dick. To Dick’s immense pleasure she drew her knees in toward her chest, forcing Terry’s hand off. Terry frowned and cleared his throat.

“Sure you can’t eat anymore, Melanie?” he asked.

She shook her head. “I couldn’t eat another bite.”

“Here, I’ll take the tray for you,” he offered.

Dick watched her hand over the tray, the food on it barely touched. He looked over Melanie again, and once more something new struck him. She was thinner than he remembered. Her cheekbones were more prominent in her usually round face. Her collar bones stuck out too from beneath the neckline of her shirt.

Terry excused himself and left. Melanie turned her full attention on Dick, meeting his eyes. It felt like coming home. It had been far too long since they had seen each other and they were both eager to catch up.

“How are you, Dick?” she asked kindly. “And the boys?”

“We’re hanging in there,” he said. “The line is still spread too thin and we don’t have enough…” he trailed off. “Never mind. I don’t wanna burden you with all this right now.”

He wanted to apologize as well, but he knew she’d never understand what for. Nor would she blame him if he tried to explain himself. He held her hand a little tighter. Her brow furrowed with concern.

“Are you alright?” she wondered.

For some reason he was disappointed to not hear an endearment at the end of that question. He liked “darling” from the way she said it a moment ago. And now that she was in front of him, talking and holding his hand, those pictures of a post-war life returned to him.

“Yeah,” he said. “Yeah, I’m okay. Just glad you’re safe.”

“Me too,” she half-joked. “When those bombs started coming down I was so afraid I might not -”

Her pale cheeks flushed and she looked away. He swore to himself he’d never take that sight for granted again.

“You might not what?” he pressed gently.

“I might not ever see you again,” she blurted out.

For a fleeting moment, he considered telling her everything - that he loved her, that he saw a life with her, and that he wanted to protect her until the last breath left his body. But he didn’t. He couldn’t overwhelm her just now, and besides, the war was not over. The argument he always had came up again - he could get killed, and where would that leave Melanie?

“I was afraid of the same thing,” he admitted. That much, he would allow himself to say. And the way she smiled at him told him she got his message. Loud and clear.

“You’ve got no business worrying about me,” she said. “You’re running a battalion.”

None of them are what you are to me. More words he couldn’t speak.

“Well, they mostly look after themselves,” he replied, forcing his tone to be light. “Y’know, with NCOs like ours.”

She smiled. “Very true.”

A beat passed and he decided to ask one more question on his mind. “Why aren’t you eating?”

“Well, I’m afraid this bump on my head is making me pretty nauseated,” she said.

“This kind of change didn’t happen in a few days, Mel,” he insisted.

“Is it bad?” she asked. “I haven’t properly looked at myself in a while.”

“You’re just awfully thin, that’s all,” he said. “Didn’t they feed you at the hospital?”

“Oh, that,” she said dismissively. “Well, I gave away a lot of my meals. I didn’t need it as bad as the wounded did. And we were so limited.”

He resisted the urge to roll his eyes. “Mel, you gotta eat.”

“I will when I’m feeling better, I promise,” she assured him. “But please don’t fuss over me. I’ll be just fine.”

“Alright, I won’t fuss,” he returned. “Just look after yourself. For me, if not for you.”

“How the tables have turned,” she remarked with a smile. “It wasn’t too long ago I was telling you the same thing.”

He smiled back at her, remembering fondly how she tended to him. How could it be that Carentan felt like it was both years ago and only yesterday?

“I’m just asking you to return the favor,” he said.

“I will,” she said.

He could see that her eyelids were getting heavy, but she fought to keep them open. He wanted her to rest if that was what the doctor ordered.

“Want me to let you sleep?” he asked.

She met his gaze again. “Are you going to leave if I do?”

He nodded sadly. “I’ve gotta get back to the line.”

Her mouth turned down in almost a pout. She moved her free hand then to cover his, sandwiching it between her palms.

“Just one more moment, please,” she said, and he was surprised to see tears welling up in her eyes. “Being away from you has been more difficult than I imagined and I can’t bear the thought of it happening again.”

He wondered what was drawing all this brutal honesty from her - the concussion or almost losing her life. Whichever it was, he was moved with sympathy.

“Alright,” he said. “I’ll stay right here.”

She blinked when she smiled, and a single tear fell down her cheek. She brushed it away as she settled back into her pillows. And Dick remained there with her until she could fight it no longer and she fell asleep. Her eyes closed, her breathing evened out, and she was peaceful. Dick almost wished he could join her. He was exhausted as well. With everything happening on the front and his worry about Melanie, he felt he’d aged about ten years.

He stood up, slipping his hands carefully from hers, before pulling the blanket over her shoulders. She snuggled down further and let out a deep sigh. He allowed himself to stroke her hair, moving it off her forehead, before leaving. After one last look at her serene face, he closed the door. He was back out in the hall and dreading his next steps. Back outside into the cold, back to the line, back to his worry.

Before he could make it out, he was stopped. Dr. Clarke stood in the hall, blocking Dick’s path. The doctor looked even less friendly than he did in the room with Melanie, so Dick braced himself for whatever this could mean. Clarke approached.

“Look, I don’t really know you, but I have to say something,” he began. “I think what you’re doing to Melanie is horrible.”

Dick’s brow furrowed. “What am I doing to her?”

“Leading her on,” Clarke explained. “You’ve known her two years now and you haven’t committed to her. Which tells me you’re not interested, but you don’t want her to lose interest.”

Dick was shocked by what he was hearing. It was the first time since knowing Melanie that someone was telling him he didn’t have feelings for her.

“Doctor, I don’t know what Melanie’s told you, but -”

“It’s not hard to put it together,” Clarke interrupted. “You’ve somehow convinced her you’re worth waiting for. At the expense of people who really care about her. So what is it? Have you...made love to her or something?”

Dick blinked. Several emotions happened to him at once. Further shock at the forwardness of the question. Anger at the suggestion that Dick was that sort of man. And annoyance. He was so tired. Why did he have to deal with this sort of juvenile jealousy when there was a war on? He took a breath to collect himself. Squaring his shoulders, he looked Clarke in the eye, fed up before he even started speaking.

“First of all, anything that’s happened between Melanie and myself is our business,” he began. “Second of all, Melanie doesn’t belong to me. She’s free to pursue any sort of relationship she likes. If she’s chosen not to be with you, that’s not my doing. If I had to guess, it’s because she sees through your bravado. And so do I.”

Clarke huffed. “What the hell does that mean?”

“You march up here and accost me about a situation you’re only guessing at, putting on airs about protecting her,” Dick shot back. “When you were the one who put your hands all over her under the pretense of doing your job. This isn’t about Melanie, it’s about you.”

“I love that girl,” Clarke insisted, and he took a step toward Dick, who did not step away.

“You’ve got a funny way of showing it,” Dick said. “But if that’s how you feel, take it up with her.”

“You really are a coward,” Clarke scoffed. “You won’t even fight for her.”

“Is that what you’re after?” Dick challenged. “Do you honestly think the two of us duking it out is going to make her love you?”

“She needs to know she has options!” Clarke insisted.

“She knows,” Dick said levelly. “You’re just upset because she’s made a choice you’re unhappy with.” He was getting impatient now. This sort of thing was for little boys on a playground, not two officers in the US Army. Then, he said something that even surprised him. “I’m not going to fight you for something I already have.”

Clarke flared up at that, but he said nothing. Somehow, Dick defending himself made him realize the truth - that he did have Melanie’s affection, and he felt more deserving of it than before. He was annoyed by Clarke not out of jealousy, but because the man saw himself as more of a threat than he really was. And Dick truly, honestly did not have time or energy to entertain something of so little consequence.

“And by the way, Lieutenant,” Dick said. “I’m a senior officer. The next time you address me, you will say ‘sir.’”

“Well, fuck you,” Clarke seethed. “Sir.”

Dick chuckled, clapped him on the shoulder, and pushed past him without another word.

***

Melanie healed up nicely in the two weeks she was out of work. She slept and ate as if she were making up for all the sleep and meals she’d missed out on the last month or so. Unfortunately, she didn’t get another visit from Dick. The death toll in the Bois Jacques was rising, and he couldn’t leave the men now.

On January 9th, Melanie was finally free from her bedrest sentence. She had been issued new uniforms since the belongings she’d had with her at the hospital in Bastogne were lost to the destruction. Luckily, she’d thought to leave her valuables - including the dress from Dick - in Colonel Sink’s care, and they were safely in his billet. The fresh fatigues were surprisingly comforting to her. She preferred the dresses and heels, but they were no good in the cold and snow. She was getting ready to put up her hair when there was a knock on her door.

“Who is it?” she called.

“It’s Terry!”

“Come in!”

The door squeaked open and Terry stepped through, closing it behind him. She abandoned her hair and turned on her stool to face him.

“I’m glad you stopped by,” she said. “I wanted to thank you again for taking such wonderful care of me. With all the wounded, I know it couldn’t have been easy.”

“Nonsense, I was glad to do it,” he replied.

He paused a long moment and looked at his feet, which caused him to sway a little, but he didn’t fall. Her brow furrowed as she stood up and went to steady him.

“Are you alright, Terry?” she asked.

He looked at her again and she realized right away what the problem was from the smell of bourbon on his breath.

“I’m fine,” he replied, waving a dismissive hand in her face. “Look, Melanie, before Bastogne got bombed to hell, you and I were talking about something.”

She held back a sigh. She had hoped that he’d gotten the message back then that there was someone she loved. But clearly he wasn’t letting it go.

“Terry, I’m sorry,” she said. “But there’s no use in discussing that any further.”

“No, listen to me,” he said sternly. “I’m telling you, love is wasted on a man like Dick Winters. Especially your love. You deserve someone who is ready for you - right here and now. Someone who wouldn’t let something like a war stand in the way of loving you.”

She frowned, stung and affronted. “That’s a cruel thing to say. You don’t even know him.”

“I know you,” he returned. “And I know that he’s breaking your heart. That’s enough not to like him.”

“You’re sadly misinformed if you think -”

“I love you!” he cried. “And I could give you the life of your dreams after the war if you’d only give me a chance!”

She blinked. Such a confession should have been flattering, but the feeling she got from him made her hair stand on end. He was not saying it out of genuine feeling, he was saying it to win an argument. And that didn’t feel very much like love.

“Terry, what you want from me are words I can’t say,” she replied gently. “Would you really have me accept you and live a lie?”

“You’d learn to love me, I know it,” he said. “I just want you for myself.”

There was a dangerous gleam in his eye at those words that made her take a step back from him. He stepped closer. Her stomach turned.

“I think you should go now,” she said timidly. “You’re upset, you’ve been drinking -”

“Give the diplomacy a rest, Melanie,” he spat. “I’m going to say what I feel and you are going to listen!”

She sighed. “It won’t do any good, Terry. I can’t change how I feel.”

“God-DAMMIT!” he bellowed, shoving the dresser beside him so hard several of the knick knacks toppled off of it. Melanie gasped and jumped back, breathing heavily. “Do you see what you do to me, Melanie?”

“I - I haven’t done -” she stammered, but he cut her off.

“Just the thought of you with him!” he growled. “With ANY MAN!”

To emphasize that point, he snatched a framed photograph off the same dresser and hurled it across the room, right over her head. The glass shattered against the opposite wall, drowning out Melanie’s yelp of surprise. She covered her face with her hands to protect herself from the shards. Before she could say anything in return, he picked up a small globe and threw that at her as well. She ducked to avoid it, and the base snapped against the wall. The globe rolled under the bed.

“Terry, stop it!” she cried.

He moved even closer to her. She tried to recoil, but he snatched her by the wrist and yanked her towards him. With his free hand, he took hold of her face, his fingers digging painfully into her cheeks as he pulled her within inches of him. She could feel his breath on her skin. A whimper escaped her at the pain of his grip, but she couldn’t look away. She was frozen, trembling at the thought of what he might do next.

“I could crush your skull, you know,” he warned. “Right against that vanity. Would that get Dick Winters out of your mind?”

Her eyes went wide, but because of his hand, she couldn’t answer him. His palm covered her mouth. She couldn’t even call for help. She could only shake her head and plead with her eyes. He moved his hand and she drew breath to scream, but he was too quick. He grabbed her by the throat and slammed her into the wall. She winced and prayed for someone to hear the commotion and put a stop to this.

For a brief moment, she remembered when Corporal Biding tackled her that night in Toccoa. She recalled how frightened she’d been before she realized he was no real threat, he had just made a drunken mistake. Nothing like now. While Terry had been drinking, he was far from drunk. And she was so much more afraid. This was an intentionally vicious attack. She saw in his eyes something sinister and heartless. And of course now, Dick and Easy Company were not going to come to her rescue.

Her vision got blurry as he cut off her air. She thought of Dick and how much she’d relied on him after the Corporal Biding incident. She wished he was here to help her again. But he wasn’t. And she was not that scared little girl she was in Toccoa. She had survived D-Day, Market Garden, the bombing of Bastogne, and she’d be damned if she let this pathetic excuse for a man get the best of her.

With all her might, Melanie shoved her knee between Terry’s legs. He groaned at the impact and released her as he doubled over. She took a moment to gulp in fresh air before she reared back and slapped him hard across the face. The sound cracked like a whip. His head lurched back, throwing him off balance enough to stumble. Melanie, adrenaline coursing through her, wasn’t satisfied, so she shoved him, which made him fall to the floor, landing on his rear with a grunt.

“Don’t you ever put your hands on me again!” she yelled.

While he licked his wounds - and his pride - Melanie gathered the last of her things in silence. Rage compelled her every move as she shoved her belongings into her bag. He was still on the floor when she marched for the door. She opened it to reveal Colonel Sink behind it, fist raised, about to knock. He shot her a confused glance as he took in the scene - Melanie, stormy and furious, and Terry in the fetal position on the floor of her room. He noticed as well, the broken trinkets from the unfortunate family who lived here previously. Sink’s eyes flicked between Melanie and Terry.

“Everything alright up here?” Sink asked.

“It’s fine,” Melanie said shortly. “Get me out of here, please.”

“Certainly,” he assured her.

He put a protective arm around her shoulder and led her away. When they made it down the stairs, she stopped him, turned into his chest, and burst into tears. He held her close, patted her on the head, and let her cry. He didn’t ask her what happened, and she was grateful. She never wanted to relive that scene if she could help it. She looked up at Sink with desperate eyes.

“Please don’t make me go back to the hospital, Colonel,” she pleaded. “I’ll do anything else, but I can’t work with him again.”

“Actually, I was about to offer you a change of scenery,” he said.

“Like what?” she sniffled.

He sighed and looked away, which told her she wouldn’t like it. “The Bois Jacques.”

#band of brothers #dick winters #dick winters x ofc #band of brothers fic #hbo war #melanie jo davis #dear heart series

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larsvanuitdebergen-blog · 7 years

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Knock knock

He I'm Lars van Bergen 22. Born in Oostrum a small village in the north of the province Limburg, Netherlands. Oostrum is a friendly honest but modest village like me. Well I think I'm a friendly person. I hate lying. Being modest is a pitfall of myself, because of my modesty I don't always do what I actually want to do. I need to be more out spoken and being more precise in what I mean. Oostrum has a Forrest where I'd love to go. When entering the Forrest it gives me an holistic and relieving feeling. I get sense of understanding real time (after being to long living in a city like Eindhoven). There is this moment of feeling the connection with nature, nature accepts my presence (it feels like that). I've a special relation with animals like a kind of animal whisperer. I some way I easily connect to animals and they accept my presence. Would it be my smell, voice, looks, movement or my mental state of mind I haven't discovered it yet. My interest are humans in relation to animals and vise versa. It doesn't feel like I'm here designing for human beings but for animals and all other organisms on this planet. Pitfalls I have a fear of doing things wrong that makes me insecure about my work. I need in order to convince myself hear what others have to say about it. This is part of my perfectionistic side what also makes me me but I shouldn't be afraid to be more out spoke and share my thoughts with others. I'm working on my modesty. I don't think I'll ever be this person who is in the front line. I like to be alone but I also like to be in the presence of a group. I need to try to ask earlier for help when I'm stuck with something. I usually want to do things by my self without asking and it will take allot of time. I need to learn to ask for help in an earlier stage. I can't change the world on my own. I'm someone who is interested in allot of things and always have allot of ideas but instead of elaborate one idea I create more and more. I need cut knots and dig deeper into subject instead of only scraping from the surface. With a smile on my face I'd like to thank you for reading my text. I'm looking forward to do some crazy stuff at LAB.

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torentialtribute · 5 years

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From Groningen to Merseyside: How Van Dijk overcame illness to become world’s best

At the age of 18, a long, sloppy and unpolished central defender made the 160-mile journey from Breda to the north and Groningen

For Virgil van Dijk, it was a leap into the unknown, but it was also the act of a young football player because he was afraid that the game would leave him. 2010, & # 39; says Groningen director Hans Nijland. & # 39; He was not a professional at his previous club Willem. He was an amateur and did not get the contract. One of our scouts saw him in an academy competition.

The story of Virgil van Dijk started with Groningen, where he made his first footsteps in football <img id = "i-7892f9f797e6dcc7" src = "https : //i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2019/03/29/15/11623290-6865149-image-m-71_1553872381762.jpg "height =" 523 "width =" 634 "alt =" The story of Virgil van Dijk started with Groningen, where he made his first footsteps in football "<img id =" i-7892f9f797e6dcc7 "src =" https://ift.tt/2Ywzods 11623290-6865149-image-m-71_1553872381762.jpg "height =" 523 "width =" 634 "alt =" <img id = "i-7892f9f797e6dcc7" src = "https://ift.tt/2UINeHc /2019/03/29/15/11623290-6865149-image-m-71_1553872381762.jpg "height =" 523 "width =" 634 "alt =" <img id = "i-7892f9f797e6dcc7" src = "https: // i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2019/03/29/15/11623290-6865149-image-m-71_1553872381762.jpg "height =" 523 "width =" 634 "alt =" The story of Virgil van Dijk began with Groningen, where he made his first footsteps in the football

<img id = "i-8a2fee9a0909f83d" src = "https://ift.tt/2Ywzphw -image-a-72_1553872394048.jpg "height =" 423 "width =" 634 "alt =" Van Dijk was spotted by Groningen scouts during an academy competition and quickly took "class =" blkBorder img-share

Van Dijk was spotted by scouts from Groningen during an academy competition and quickly took "class =" blkBorder img-share "/> spotted by Groningen scouts during an academy competition and quickly taken over

& # 39; We threw the dice. A small contract, maybe € 1500 per month. We put him in an apartment, but he didn't have a car the first year. I cycled to training. Frankly, I don't know what would happen if we didn't catch him. "

Relief must be felt by Liverpool and Jurgen Klopp. Van Dijk became the most expensive defender in the world in January 2018 when I signed up for a £ 75 million transfer from Southampton.

Van Dijk has changed Liverpool from pretenders to contenders, he has brought collective and individual strength, and considering these statistics, since Van Dijk signed for Liverpool, his team played 48 games in the Premier League, lost only four and only scored 32 goals. is that no player has successfully passed Van Dijk this season, Newcastle & Mikel Merino was the last to do so in March 2018.

It therefore seems extraordinary that the high degree of suitability of Van Dijk has been questioned for much of his career, Willem was not the only club to underestimate his talent, and after two seasons in Groningen, Van Dijk moved to Ce ltic for a transfer of £ 2.8 million.

<img id = "i-e3513441765db113" src = "https://ift.tt/2HZdPMO 15 / 11623310-6865149-image-a-73_1553872409353.jpg "height =" 422 "width =" 634 "alt =" [Met Celtic Van] with Celtic Van Dijk got his first European move, but Groningen could only get £ 2.8 million "

Van Dijk got his first European move, but Groningen could only get £ 2.8 million

<img id =" i-2f01314128bddfb9 "src =" https://ift.tt/2TJpTUL "height =" 423 "width =" 634 "alt = "Quickly a name for himself in Scottish football, Van Dijk was in the race for honor" class = "blkBorder img-

Quickly a name for himself in Scottish football, Van Dijk was in the race for honor Van Dijk was in the race for awards

& # 39; the only club for him & # 39 ;, says Nijland. & # 39; We met Celtic at the Hilton hotel in Amsterdam. We were hoping for £ 5 million, but there was no auction. Ajax & # 39; s Marc Overmars called me and asked my opinion. & # 39; Who is better to unsubscribe from Mike van der Hoorn or Van Dijk? & # 39; It was clear to me. "

Ajax ignored his words. They chose to replace the tottenham-bound Toby Alderweireld with Mike van der Hoorn, who now plays for the Swansea Championship. PSV Eindhoven instead melted for Jeffrey Bruma

Even with Celtic, not everyone was convinced, Scout Neil McGuinness identified Van Dijk as a target.

McGuinness recalls: & # 39; Virgil had all the tools to be successful. Pace, power, technique, aerial skills and 1v1 defensive timing, tackles and assessment.

& # 39; I was enthusiastic about him from the start, but it was hard to get people on board internally who disagreed were different opinions.

& # 39; Eventually I had to speed up the player and show it directly to manager Neil Lennon and assistant Johan Mjallby. I was afraid we would lose him if we didn't act quickly. & # 39;

<img id = "i-d6cc03f7665b1952" src = "https://ift.tt/2YzkjYF -a-78_1553872587653.jpg "height =" 427 "width =" 634 "alt =" Southampton took Van Dijk and brought him to the Premier League class

Southampton takes a chance on Van Dijk and brings him to the Premier League

The Dutchman has adapted.

For Van Dijk, life has not always been a bit ightforward. He is a private person and some of those who interviewed Sportsmail this week requested his permission to do so.

Van Dijk is disturbed by the heads around his family. He stays close to his mother Ruby but breaks with his father after a bitter break between his parents. Virgil decorates the back of his sweater.

In Groningen I started a replacement on the reserve team. Manager Peter Huistra remembers: & # 39; The coach worked very strictly with him. It cannot be that two of the five sessions per week are not 100 percent. He became more professional. He left his comfort zone and did things for himself. Some players hate it and never get used to it. He got out.

His first appearances came as an emergency striker. But the most disturbing days of Van Dijk came to Groningen when he became seriously ill.

His manager Peter Huistra remembers: & # 39; it seemed creepy in the beginning. Then he hurried to the hospital. He was in intensive care. "

Van Dijk awoke his teammate Tim Keurntjes in the early hours of the morning and the couple went to the hospital. They were sent away. Then the instincts of a mother took over. Ruby drove from Tilburg and took over Van Dijk suffered appendicitis, peritonitis, and kidney problems.

Jurgen Klopp was determined to take Van Dijk to Anfield and made him his number 1 target to bring Van Dijk to Anfield and made him his number 1 goal "/>

Jurgen Klopp was determined to take Van Dijk brought to Anfield and made him his number 1 target

& I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. & # 39;

The disease changed Van Dijk & # 39; s approach to life. Former teammate Kees Kwakman explains: & # 39; Some people thought he was a bit too fat before. He became fitter after the operation.

[1945] He was a young fellow who had never cooked for himself and now lived away from home and perhaps ate junk food. 9002] & # 39; The injury was a wake-up call. I thought, "If I really want to do something, I can be a real professional."

After impressing Celtic, Van Dijk took another sensible step, bridging his transition to the elite by joining mobile Southampton and Ronald Koeman.

Nijland laughs: & # 39; Koeman called me: "Hans, you can drink a glass of wine with your wife because we bought Virgil." Fantastic! We had a 10% sales clause in Groningen. From the transfer in Liverpool we took another 1%.

At each of his clubs, Van Dijk was always honest about his ambitions to make another leap. He is captain of anything but name in Liverpool and wears the bracelet for his country. Kwakman played next to him in the middle of the half.

I kept thinking "He's too good for us." I have never seen anyone come by during his training. Impossible. I couldn't stand to lose. Really bad. He was one of the first to say something in the dressing room. The boys accepted it because it was so good and because I wanted to help. It was about high standards.

I was one of the fighters to get Virgil into the national team. When he was with Celtic, I kept tweeting asking why he wasn't in the Dutch team. The Netherlands struggled for central defenders in 2014 and 2015. Nobody in the Netherlands watches Scottish football on television. I'm really proud of him.

His mentality was further challenged in Southampton when he suffered a broken foot, but he barely missed a beat in Liverpool.

Van Dijk has become more powerful and Liverpool has turned Liverpool into contenders at all levels "

Going from strength to strength Van Dijk has turned Liverpool into contenders at all levels"

Van Dijk has come into effect and has made Liverpool rivals at all levels

He told Sportsmail this week: & # 39; I really progress as a player, become more mature and get consistency. Jurgen works closely with me and improves my game. I play almost every game and enjoy every bit of it. I feel that I am the most fit in my career so far and hopefully I can stay that way. We are on schedule. "

For Liverpool, who has lost Luis Suarez and Philippe Coutinho to Catalonia in recent years, there is only one fear.

Kwakman remembers: & # 39; I remember him in an interview in Groningen saying that Barcelona was his dream, he is 27. He must also be lucky.

& # 39; But if Barcelona signs Matthijs de Ligt, they probably don't need Virgil. departs and Barcelona is lying around a free £ 150m, they might be able to take it along! & # 39;

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#From Groningen to Merseyside: How Van Dijk overcame illness to become world’s best"

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