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DISCLAIMER: None of the Characters You Recognize belong to me, they all belong to JK Rowling and her publishers.
WARNINGS: If You've ever read any of my stories, you know what to expect, Oral, anal, Femme-slash, dom/sub, multiple partners, and, depending on the story, possible Patil-cest. There isn't any planned bashing in this story. Also, I'm going with a Good Dumbledore in this story.
RELATIONSHIPS: Harry/Multi
CATEGORY: Harem/Lots of Women
SUMMARY: Harry and his ladies having fun
SPOILERS: Goes Extremely AU Just after Voldemort's first fall.
AUTHORS NOTES: Just A random Idea I had for a Harry Potter/Harem story. This is not meant to be taken seriously, there are going to be a butt-load of cliches in the story. Hope you enjoy the story in spite of them, because I am going to be trying to do something different with the cliches. Not a tremendous amount of sex in this one, but I'm just setting the stage. The future stories will have more of the fun stuff, I promise!
IMPORTANT AUTHORS NOTE: To Avoid the Under age Sex issue, Hogwarts students start the September 1st after their 13th Birthday, between 11 and 13 Muggleborn and Raised students attend a classes in Magical Culture and traditions - The pureblood and wizard raised assist the teachers in teaching the others. this is a new course within the last 10 years, since Voldemort's first fall.
YET ANOTHER AUTHORS NOTE: Readers with long memories will recognize 'Helga's Gift' that is mentioned in this story. For those of you who don't, it's something that I came up with in my (sadly, abandoned) Harry Potter and the Betrayal of the Phoenix, to explain the rampant female bisexuality in most Harry Potter smut fics. Basically in the founders days, Helga Hufflepuff and Rowena Ravenclaw were lovers, and, one time, after a particularly great romp, Helga idly wished that all the girls in the castle could experience such a wonderful feeling. And, from that time forward the female students at Hogwarts had, at the least, bisexual tendencies.
CREDIT WHERE CREDIT IS DUE DEPARTMENT: I am using an idea from Zarkham's "Harry Potter and the Rejected Path" in this chapter, those of you who are familiar with the story will no doubt recognize it. The idea is used by permission.
I just wanted to say thanks for those of you who took the time to review the first part of this story, and I hope you continue to enjoy it!
Also, for those that read the first story, I made a couple of minor changes to bring the story in line with future stories, so you may want to re-read it.
FEEDBACK: Of course! It Makes Me Write Faster
Harry Potter: Getting Dirty In The Prefect's Bath Part 2 - Surprises And Lessons
by Red Jacobson ([email protected])
"Allo Luna, Ma Soeur, what are you watching now?"
Luna turned to the speaker and smiled as Fleur sat down beside her. "Hello Sister, I'm watching Harry when he was younger, Albus and Sirius are about to tell him about the contracts, and I love seeing Harry flustered! Our Harry never seems to get flustered anymore, and it's fun to watch, isn't it?"
The beautiful Veela nodded, and tapped the table for a bowl of popcorn and a glass of wine to enjoy the show. Passing the popcorn to Luna, she sat back and focused on the view-screen.
The Diggory Home
July 30th, 1996
Harry and Cedric were doing seeker drills in the field behind the Diggory home when a burst of sparks from below caught their attention. Cedric glanced down and recognized Sirius Black standing beside the Headmaster and called over to his brother, "It's for you, I never get important visitors like that!"
Harry grinned and tossed him a two fingered salute as he guided his Firebolt to the ground and greeted his Godfather and the man who treated him like he was his grandson.
"Hey pup, lookin' good up there, the other houses wont stand a chance next year!"
Harry raised his eyebrow, "Were you implying they had a chance before I got the broom Padfoot? Thanks for the broom by the way, she handles beautifully."
Turning to the other visitor, Harry bowed slightly before straightening and speaking, "Good Afternoon Headmaster, how are you this afternoon Sir?" He asked, showing manners that would make Augusta Longbottom nod in approval.
"I am doing quite well, Mister Potter. I apologize for interrupting your flying, but Sirius and I have something fairly serious business to discuss with you. Your parents are in the family room if you would join us there?"
"Certainly, but do you mind if I get cleaned up and changed first? It won't take more than a few minutes."
"Not at all, the business is important but not life threatening, take your time to get cleaned up." Albus said, smiling.
It was closer to 15 minutes later when Harry appeared in the family room. He paused at the doorway and observed the only parents he'd ever known laughing as Sirius finished telling some outlandish story. Even Professor Dumbledore looked like he was chuckling into his beard. Knocking on the door jam, Amos looked up and waved Harry into the room. When Harry took a seat, Albus turned to him and said, "I know you are wondering why we asked to speak to you Harry, and, again, I apologize for interrupting your time with your brother, but some very surprising information was revealed this morning, and your parents have asked Sirius and I to come here so we can discuss it."
'Okay, that tells me less than nothing!' Harry thought, as he, hopefully patiently, waited for the older man to get to the point. He must not have been as good at hiding his emotions as he thought, because Dumbledore chuckled and said, "Ah, the impatience of youth, I'd almost forgotten."
Growing serious, he said, "I'm sure you are aware that your birth parents were active in the fight against Voldemort before you were born, correct? Well, your parents were members of an organization I led, and there were several families that were in danger of dying out. You remember the part of the Wizarding Culture and Traditions course that covered Line Continuation Contracts, do you not?"
Harry nodded, "Yes, I do, I remember spending several sessions discussing it with Hermione and Justin, helping them understand why they were necessary." He paused for a second, his eyes widening, "Wait! Are you telling me that I've got one of those contracts hanging over my head?"
"Alas, young Harry, not just one Line Continuation Contract, you see, your parents had a great many friends, and many of them were the last of their line..." He was interrupted before going any further,
"Pardon me Headmaster, but, just how many wives am I supposed to have?" Harry asked, his voice raising with each word.
"Well, you see, Harry, that, nobody really thought it would get as bad as it..." Dumbledore trailed off as he saw a wand tip, glowing fiercely, at the tip of his nose. His eyes, not twinkling at all followed the wand to Harry's hand, holding the holly wand firmly. "Yes, well, that is to say, Fifteen! You have Fifteen contracts that will activate on your 16th Birthday!"
Cedric had just secured his broom in the shed and opened the back door when he heard the sound of hysterical laughter coming from the family room. Deciding he really didn't want to know, he took the back stairs to his bedroom and quietly got cleaned up and changed his clothes. When he opened his bedroom door and stuck his head out, the laughter had stopped, and he heard voices talking quietly. Heading down the stairs, he paused at the entrance to the family room, and saw his father notice him, and wave him in. Sitting down beside his father, Cedric started to ask a question, but Amos shook his head to silence him, and gestured to Harry. When Cedric turned his head, his jaw dropped in shock, he had never seen his normally happy go lucky brother looking so stunned. His mother had her arms around him comforting him, but he barely seemed to notice. Cedric relaxed slightly as he saw Harry close his eyes and lean his head back, the classic sign that he was working on a problem in his head. Relieved that his brother was back to normal Cedric leaned back into the couch to watch the show. All of the adults in the room were familiar enough with Harry to recognize what he was doing, so they sat quietly and let him draw his own conclusions.
About five minutes later, Harry opened his eyes and looked around the room, smiling and giving a nod of greeting when he saw Cedric had joined them. "Okay, really not the kind of news I was expecting, but, what's done is done, now, as I see it, I have three major obstacles, and, once those are dealt with, we can tackle the smaller ones. First, and I apologize for being blunt mum, but it has to be said. I haven't got the slightest idea how to satisfy one woman, let alone 15! Second, even if I had the skills, how am I supposed to find 15 women that I can live with for the rest of my life, and most importantly, would want to live with me for the rest of their lives, not to mention the whole multiple wives aspect? Now, granted, I've gotten really close to Luna and, Shite! Luna, she's my girlfriend, how the bloody hell am I supposed to explain this to her? Okay, one thing at a time, I'll talk to her later. Who else, well Padma is a good friend and has been for a couple of years now, and Susan and Hannah, Okay, I guess it might not be as difficult as I thought, but still there is the last obstacle. Speaking of the last one, how the bloody hell am I supposed to be able to support that many people? I haven't even gotten my OWLs yet, let alone my NEWTs!"
Sirius cleared his throat, "Actually Harry, those aren't as major an issue as you might think. The goblins have a ritual that will seek out and find those witches who are compatible, both with you, and the family name that they will be continuing, and with those family names comes their vaults and properties, trust me, supporting your family will be the least of your worries. The fact that you are already friends or more with the different witches, makes it very likely that they will be chosen in the ritual, since they are already partway there." Then, leaning close and whispering in Harry's ear, Sirius said, "I've got the experience situation taken care of, and I'll explain that in private." Harry smiled at the final bit of information, knowing that meant that his Dogfather had found him a tutor of the most enjoyable kind!
Cedric cleared his throat, "Um? Excuse me, but what's going on? It sounds like Harry is supposed to marry 15 women, that can't be right, can it?" Harry shook his head, chuckling, "You can explain it to him, I need to go see Luna. I'll be back later, okay?"
The Rookery
A Short Time Later
Of all the reactions Harry would have expected after telling Luna his news, laughter was not one of them. Yet there it was, she was holding onto him for dear life, laughing so hard that tears were rolling down her face. Fortunately, Harry had some experience with Luna and her emotional outbursts after last Summer, so he just held her and waited until she calmed down.
A few minutes later, the laughter died, and Luna lifted her face to his and kissed him softly. "Only you Harry, it could only happen to you. Most boys would be thrilled at the idea of a Harem, but your first reaction is concern that you don't know how to keep them happy. You already said that there is a very good chance that the girls you are close to will be chosen in the ritual, so I will almost certainly be there. And, if I'm not, I'll just be your mistress!" At his look, she smiled gently and said, "Harry, I told you in the Chamber after you saved me that I was yours, I haven't changed my mind in the year that we have been dating, you are the only man for me and always will be." Getting a wicked grin on her face, she reached down and cupped him, saying "I'm actually glad you will be getting a lot of experience, because, as you know, I turn 16 at Yule, and I expect you to make my first time amazing!" She paused, "I am curious about something, though. I understand the Line Continuation Contracts, but, you said you had three marriage contracts as well? That did surprise me, they've been out of fashion for years now, who are your contracts with?"
"Strangely enough, they are with three girls in Slytherin House. Pansy Parkinson's great grandfather and my great grandfather were very close friends and signed the contract over a hundred years ago, and this is the first time that a Male Potter and a Female of the Parkinson line have been of the same generation. The other two are a really strange situation, they are both from the same family, the Greengrass family, so I've somehow ended up contracted with two sisters! I still haven't figured out how that happened." Harry finished, shaking his head in confusion.
Luna giggled, "You are in for an interesting time there, Harry. I know Astoria, she's in some of my classes, and she's a firebrand! I heard how she threatened Malfoy with castration after he reacted badly to her beating him out for the Seeker Position on the house team last year. Now, let's go into the house,
I'm sure Mum and Daddy are wondering what we are doing out here."
The Next Day
Harry's 16th Birthday Party
Harry's birthday passed in a blur, and even later could only recall bits and pieces of it. The only things that really stood out was seeing his best male friend, Neville, looking almost as shell shocked as he was the day before. Taking the time to pull him aside, Harry said "Contracts?" Neville nodded, "Yeah, I've got three of them! How did you...? Oh, you too, huh? How many?" "Fifteen" "Fift-? Oh Shite, Mate, I feel for you." Harry laughed ruefully, "How do you think I feel, Mate? Honestly, I'm scared out of my wits, but at least Luna is understanding and will stay with me regardless." "She's good people, Harry, I think you've got a winner there."
Other than his talk with Neville, and an amusing conversation with the Greengrass sisters, neither of whom were unhappy about the contracts, in fact, they both seemed happy about the idea. He didn't get the time to spend with anyone that he would like, because he was surrounded by well wishers, but did get a chance to invite the whole Greengrass family over to dinner the following week.
Hermione's reaction was similar to Luna's, only without the kiss. He was honestly relieved that she took it so well, being that she wasn't raised in the Wizarding World. She admitted that if she hadn't been aware of the reason for the contracts from the Magical Culture and Traditions Course, she probably wouldn't have reacted as well.
Of course, the part of his party that would remain in his memory until the day he died was when Sirius pulled him aside after the rest of the guests had left, and took him to the upstairs library. After ensuring their privacy, Sirius started talking.
"Okay Pup, I told you that I had the experience problem sorted out, and I did. You see, there is a long standing tradition in the Black Family that, when a man of the family reaches his 16th Birthday, one of the female members of the family volunteers to take the young man in hand, so to speak, and teach him everything there is to know about pleasuring a woman. The Family has thousands of years of magic designed for that very purpose, and you are a member of the Black Family by virtue of both being my Godson, and the fact that I made you my heir."
Harry nodded, it was certainly no stranger than some of the other Family customs he'd heard or read about.
Sirius continued, "The Family has a suite of rooms in one of our manors that has been specifically designed for the education, through some warding and charms that I don't even pretend to understand, time flows differently inside the rooms than they do in the rest of the world. Basically, what is one day to the rest of the world is one month inside the rooms. I've already spoken to your parents about it, and next weekend you will be staying at the Manor, and getting your education. When I explained the situation to my cousins, one of them immediately volunteered, and so you will be spending that time with my cousin Cissy."
Harry's jaw dropped when he pictured Narcissa Black Malfoy, she was, to borrow a term from his roommate Dean, a stone cold fox! Licking his lips, he nodded, and tried to ignore Sirius' laughter at his reaction.
"I'm glad you like the idea. She is very eager to start your education, in fact, she recommended a book you start reading tonight, and doing the exercises every night before you go to bed." Sirius handed Harry a book, and he was mildly disappointed that is was a primer on Occlumency.
Sirius said, "The mental discipline will give you better control of your body as well, so you don't finish too soon, if you follow me."
Harry blushed, understanding him all too well.
That night, demonstrating the studious nature that would have seen him comfortable in Ravenclaw if his lack of fear hadn't made him a natural Lion, Harry read the book cover to cover before going back to the beginning and working the exercises.
Black Manor
That Weekend
The first thing Harry noticed when the door closed behind him, was that all of his clothing, except for a pair of slippers, had vanished. The next thing that he noticed was that the lights were very dim, except for a doorway directly ahead of him, a brighter light could be seen pouring out into the hallway. Moving forward, he reached the doorway in no time, but paused, struck dumb by what he saw from the doorway.
A huge bed took up the majority of the room, and, sitting up on the bed, her back supported by several pillows, was an equally naked Narcissa Malfoy. She looked up and smiled in welcome, waving him into the room. "Hello Harry, it's good to see you again. Please, take a seat." When Harry was seated in a chair by the doorway, he shifted, trying to hide his obvious erection.
Narcissa noticed, of course, and chuckled, "Harry, there is no need to be bashful, after all, you know as well as I do why you are here, and I will be doing a lot more than just looking at that beautiful hunk of meat you are carrying around with you." Growing serious, she continued, "We have a lot to cover in the time we are going to be in this wing together, in the interest of avoiding questions, I will tell you that we will both be naked the entire time we are here. There are several reasons for this. First, it will force you to get rid of your body modesty, which, while appropriate in a public setting, is not useful in an intimate setting, because it will feed any inhibitions you have, and cause less than satisfactory sexual encounters.
"Second, it will teach you to ignore nudity per se, and focus on your partner, which your partner, or partners will appreciate, and, finally, we will be exploring costumes and role playing in the bedroom, and you will learn how to tease and please your partners, and, in turn, be teased and pleased by what they and you are wearing."
Looking directly at Harry, she was pleased to see the look of comprehension on his face, Narcissa continued, "We will begin with Occlumency, Sirius tells me you have been working on the exercises in the beginning primer?"
At his nod, she said, "Let's take a look." Looking directly in his eyes, she said "Legimens!" Harry felt a pressure behind his eyes, and feeling where she was trying to get through, pushed back, blinking his eyes.
Narcissa sat back, a pleased smile on her face. "Very good, Harry, you have an excellent start on your shields. Now, we will work on extending them."
That set the stage for the first week the two of them were in the suite, spending several hours each day working on Harry's shields. It got more difficult as time went on, because Narcissa would do things to break his concentration, like wanking him while she was probing his shields. The first time she touched him, he erupted all over her hands, and it took over an hour before he was able to concentrate again, after seeing her lick his seed from her fingers and moaning in pleasure. His concentration and discipline improved quickly after that, and by the end of the week, he was able to control his response to her touches, and even started teasing her back, letting her see images of what he wanted to do with her.
The first time she found an image of herself bent over a dresser, and seeing Harry pounding her in the mirror, it startled her enough to allow Harry to eject her from his mind easily. "Something I discovered in my meditations last night. It seems that when Tom was ejected by the wards, he left some memories behind. Fortunately, they were not the darker memories, but, rather, the memories of cutting quite a path through the girls at Hogwarts back in the '40s. He was, to be blunt, considered an exceptional swordsman, and I have the knowledge of his techniques, just not the physical memories and stamina he developed."
Narcissa blinked at the lustful smile on her pupils' face, as he stood and pulled her to her feet. Stepping in close, he whispered, "Are you ready to see what I've learned?" She barely had time to react before his arms were around her, and he was kissing her. She opened her mouth to his tongue, and moaned as he dropped one of his hands and started rubbing her pussy. She spread her legs, allowing his fingers easier access, and she gasped against his mouth as Harry's fingers slipped inside her for the first time.
Breaking the kiss, she maneuvered Harry toward the bed and sat him down. This caused his fingers to slide out of her, but she barely noticed, she was so focused on what was in front of her. Dropping to her knees on the carpet, she pushed Harry's legs apart and moved forward and engulfed him in her mouth. She didn't understand what came over her then, she was always the one in complete control in all of her sexual activity, but suddenly, nothing else mattered to her except pleasing the man in front of her. She moaned around the cock in her mouth, reveling in the submissive feelings washing over her.
She heard from somewhere far away, her masters voice telling her to finger herself, and she moved to obey, working her fingers into her sopping wet pussy, and pumping furiously.
Narcissa had no idea how long she had sucked on the cock plunging into her mouth, and really didn't care either. She knew that her fingers had brought her to the edge of climax several times, but, always her master's voice pulled her back, until she was practically crying with need. She finally achieved her release when Master pulled out of her mouth and pointed himself at her open mouth. As soon as he released, splashing across her face and into her mouth, her master let her release as well, and she shuddered and fell backward as the most powerful climax she could ever remember hit her.
When she came back to herself, Harry was kneeling beside her, holding her head up off the floor and looking at her with concern. "Are you alright, Narcissa? I wasn't expecting that to happen! I mean, I know that Sirius said it might make women act oddly, but, you went somewhere and I don't know where!"
Narcissa blinked, trying to clear her head after her climax, and she smiled reassuringly at Harry. "I'm wonderful Harry! I don't know what you were expecting to happen, but you'll get no complaints from me. You gave me the best orgasm I ever had in my life, and I'm looking forward to seeing if you can top it!" Licking her lips, she frowned briefly when she tasted him there, and then smiled, "I can tell you are already going to be really popular with the girls, you've been eating a lot of fruits and vegetables, haven't you?"
Harry nodded, surprised at the seeming non sequitur, "Yeah, for as long as I can remember, Mum insisted that all of us eat healthy, why?"
She just laughed, "Oh Audrey, you naughty minx!" Shaking her head in amusement, she said, "What a lot of people don't realize, is that a man's cum has a taste of it's own, and, unfortunately, with the diet most men seem to prefer, it causes the taste to be fairly unpleasant, leading to many women not enjoying sucking their men off. However, a diet that is heavy in fruits and vegetables causes the taste to be rather pleasant. I was planning to teach you how to manage your diet to achieve that effect, but you've already gotten it taken care of, which is good."
Harry got a mildly nauseous look on his face and said, "I really didn't need to know that about my parents, thank you very much! But, I'm still concerned, you seemed to turn off after I touched you, and didn't come back until you came. Is that something that happens a lot?"
Narcissa finally focused on what he was saying, and shook her head, "To be honest Harry, it's never happened to me before, and, you're right, as much as I enjoyed it, it's not normal. Now, you said that Sirius warned you about something, what was it?"
"Well, you know that I had a connection to Tom through my scar, right? Well, it turns out that the connection was actually feeding my magic to Tom ever since the night my parents were killed, and, when he was finally sent to Hell a few years ago, it tore the connection apart, and all the magic that Tom had been using came rushing back to me. I almost died before Professor Dumbledore got me stabilized, but eventually he did, and, when I had a MMI checked, my core registered well over 900!" Hearing Narcissa gasp, he smiled, "Yeah, that was my basic reaction as well. Anyway, Sirius told me that having such a huge amount of magic would be overwhelming to any woman I was with, and could make them act strangely. I guess the way you reacted is an example of what he was talking about."
"I would have to agree, but why wouldn't Sirius tell me? He knows I would need to have this information to properly train you, unless..." She paused, considering, and then a look of anger crossed her face. "A prank? That flea bitten son of a bitch set this up to prank me!" Seeing Harry backing away from her, Narcissa visibly calmed herself and said, "Relax Harry, I'm not angry at you, in fact, I'm looking forward to experiencing that again, it was fun to lose control like that! I'm just pissed off at that mangy mutt who calls himself your godfather for not warning me." Blowing out a breath, she continued, "Oh well, I can't do anything about it now, and now that I know about the situation, I just have to beef up my shields so I don't get taken by surprise again."
With that, Narcissa climbed up off the floor, and with a grin, said, "I think I need a shower after that, care to join me?"
After that night, the rest of the time in the rooms flew passed for the two of them. After the discovery of Harry's extra memories, Narcissa decided to skip the teaching portion of Harry's education. Instead, the two of them moved on to practicing what the memories had already taught him. The two were very well pleased with the lessons, in fact, Narcissa mused one evening, that whatever Tom Riddle's other faults, and Merlin knows he had a multitude of them, being a selfish lover wasn't one them. Or maybe that was Harry's nature influencing things, she really couldn't tell. What she did know was that Harry, even as young as he was, was rapidly becoming the best lover she had ever had, and she rather envied the girls he was going to be bonding, and wondered if he would be interested in continuing their relationship on an informal basis?
After the third week of practice, Narcissa decided to arrange a special 'final exam' for her star pupil. Turning thoughts into action, Narcissa wrote four letters and, placing them in a basket designed to transfer messages outside the time wards, went to find Harry.
It didn't take long, she just followed the music and found him in the library with his guitar on his lap, his eyes closed in concentration as his fingers moved on the neck. She had been a bit surprised that pure bloods like Amos and Audrey would support Harry playing a muggle musical instrument, but realized it was none of her business and just enjoyed listening to him play. Standing just inside the doorway, she was struck once again just how young he really was. It was hard to forget he was only 16 when he was driving her out of her mind with pleasure, but at other times, like now, she just saw a young man with his whole life ahead of him, losing himself in the music.
When she heard him reach the end, and saw his eyes open, she walked into the room, "That was a new one, Harry. I liked it, what's it called?" He smiled happily up at her, "It's called Ripple, and it's not something I wrote, one of my friends in Hufflepuff, Justin, is a fan of this band called The Grateful Dead, and he played one of their recordings for me earlier in the break, I've been trying to learn the song ever since, and I think I've just about got it!"
Sitting down in a chair across from Harry, Narcissa said, "Can we talk for a couple of minutes, I've got something to ask you, and something to tell you"
Struck the serious tone in her voice, Harry leaned over and sat the guitar on its' stand and looked at her, "Sure Narcissa, what's going on?"
"I'm not going to play the usual games here, I'm just going to say this outright. I've really enjoyed our time together, and would like you to consider extending our relationship, on an informal basis once we leave these rooms. Actually, let me say that I would like you to considering fathering a child with me. Believe it or not, contrary to the evidence of Lucius and Draco, the name Malfoy was a respected and honored name once, and I would like for it to be that way again. Draco, as much as I love him, will never father an heir, he's way too bent for even the strongest potions to work, and, without your help, the Malfoy name would die off, and I don't want to see that happen! You won't have to worry about supporting the child, the Malfoy fortune is more than sufficient to raise the child with anything he would need."
"Hold it! Do you honestly think I would have a child and not be involved in his, or her life? Narcissa, I would never abandon a child that way! You say that you have enough money to raise our child, but what happens to the child if you are hurt or worse? You see, I have more than just Tom's memories of sex, I also have his memories of growing up in that orphanage, and it was his treatment there that twisted him into what he later became! I will never, never allow a child of mine to not have a home."
As Harry started to speak, he started to glow, and the energy grew even brighter and more intense as he continued, until, with the final word, the light burst and flooded the room, leaving Narcissa blinking in shock, realizing he had just given a magically binding oath without his wand being anywhere in sight.
Gathering her thoughts, she said, "Very well Harry, since you obviously have extremely strong feelings in the matter, what do you suggest? I can't just marry you, that would defeat the whole purpose of having a child to continue the Malfoy name."
Harry nodded, thinking, "Okay, this isn't the nicest idea I've ever had, but, it should accomplish what you want. First off, do you have any evidence that Lucius committed crimes that he hasn't already been convicted of?"
Narcissa leaned back in her chair, thinking. "It's possible, there may be a hidden cache of dark objects in Malfoy Manor. One of them was discovered when Lucius was arrested, but, I suspect that there is another one that had not been found. I can ask Dobby if he knows where it is when we leave here."
"Good, if you find evidence, we can arrange for it to be presented to Rufus at the DMLE, and arrange for Lucius to get Kissed. Now, this part may cause you pain, and I'm sorry, but I can't see any way to avoid it, but, before Lucius is kissed, Draco has to be exposed as a homosexual, and shown to be unable to continue the family name. This will allow you, with a few coins spread in the right direction, to have one last night with Lucius to 'try and ensure a proper heir'. When you return, as acting Head of the Malfoy Family you can blood adopt me into the Malfoy Family, and we will get to work on that heir. After the child is born and accepted by the family magic, but before his first birthday, I will publicly take you as my mistress, and either move you and our son into one of the family homes, or you can stay at Malfoy Manor, it will be up to you."
Narcissa kept her face impassive as her mind was rushing, trying to reconcile the deviousness of the plan with the young man who had her convinced he was a Hufflepuff at heart. Finally she couldn't hold it any more and started laughing, "How in the hell did you not end up in Slytherin? Godric must be rolling over in his grave at a snake like you let loose among his poor innocent lions!" Getting her laughter under control, she said, "I like the plan, but with one change. I know you aren't fond of Draco, but I'd hate to have his life destroyed for something he can't help. Society basically ignores when women sleep together, but there is still such stigma against two men being together he would never be able to accomplish anything with his life. Instead of exposing him, we could show that a Quidditch injury rendered him sterile, which will accomplish the same thing, but without as much stigma."
Harry nodded, "I can live with that, and there are enough injuries in a game that one more won't be that unusual." Narcissa saw his expression change from serious to hungry as he stood up from his chair and stalked toward her. Reaching for her, he pulled her to her feet and said, "I want you to lower your shields for me tonight."
Narcissa didn't even hesitate, and relaxed her mental shields, and soon found herself a passenger in her own mind as Harry's Toy took over her body. She was determined to remain aware of what happened this time, so she could replay the memory whenever she wanted. Harry led her from the room, and into his bedroom where Narcissa saw the dresser and mirror she saw in his mind the night he turned the tables on her so spectacularly. She chuckled to herself, looking forward to what was sure to come. She wasn't disappointed.
Harry positioned his Toy as he wanted her, and, summoning his wand, bound her wrists to the dresser. Checking to make sure that Toy had enough slack in the bonds that she wouldn't be hurt, he moved behind her and secured her ankles to the wooden legs. He smiled as he looked down at Toy, her pussy already wet and open for him, and he saw her face in the mirror, and she was practically panting with need for him. He slipped two fingers inside her, and pumped a few times, making her try to push back against him. Pulling his fingers out, he leaned over and placed them at her mouth, where she sucked them eagerly. Gripping his cock, he rubbed the head over her lower lips, causing her to moan in frustration before he pushed forward, sliding into her wet warmth. He held still as she moved against him, taking him as deep as her bonds would allow before pulling back and moving on him again.
Looking at her face in the mirror, and seeing the devotion in her eyes, Harry finally understood why Albus was so insistent that he execute all the contracts, if he were just with one woman he would destroy her personality, leaving her nothing more than another toy. He didn't want that, he enjoyed the real Narcissa, or Luna or Padma or whoever the ritual chose for him. Wanting to finish this quickly, he sped up his thrusts and using what Tom's memories had taught him reached for the pleasure points on her body and soon had her shrieking in climax. He allowed himself to let go when she had reached her 4th or 5th orgasm and pulled out, spraying across her arse and back.
When Toy had calmed down from her last climax, Harry leaned in, leaving the bindings in place, and said, "Narcissa, come back please." He smiled when he saw the spark of intelligence appear instantly in her eyes, and she smirked, "Bondage, Harry? I didn't know you were that kinky."
"Oh, we've all got our quirks, and this is one I've fantasied about for a while now." Lifting his wand, he tapped her rosebud and smirked at the look of surprise on Narcissa's face. "Like that? It's a spell that Tom developed in his 3rd year at Hogwarts, especially for situations like this. It's got you stretched out and lubricated, and completely clean, inside and out. Now, brace yourself," Harry said as he placed the head of his cock at her puckered hole and pushed forward. Harry grunted from the tightness, and looked up at the mirror to see Narcissa's eyes crossing as he entered her. She was panting as he inched forward, finally exhaling when he bottomed out inside her. "Fuck that's good!" she breathed, 'Why didn't I ever do this before?' she wondered before he started moving within her. She had always refused any of her prior lovers desires to take her this way, and now she couldn't understand why. If it weren't for the fact that she was in her right mind, she might have thought that Toy had taken over again, she was feeling so deliciously submissive right now! Every time he pulled back and plunged into her sent shock waves of pleasure straight to her core, and she moaned in pleasure even before he reached around her and started playing with her breasts with one hand, while the other started teasing her pussy.
He quickly demonstrated that he knew how to put the memories to good use as he brought her to the edge of orgasm and kept her there as he increased his thrusts into her. When he finally grunted and let go, he gripped her clit and twisted it sharply, sending her right over the edge with him.
Later that night, as Harry slept curled up next to her, Narcissa's eyes shot open and she cursed, "Bloody Hell! I forgot to tell him about the Veela that are going to be here. Have to do that first thing in the morning. He'll probably wear them out too."
With a satisfied smile on her face, she fell back to sleep in the arms of her lover.
Fleur and Luna's clothing had long since been banished back to their rooms, and they were cuddling, enjoying the afterglow of a vigorous session of lovemaking while they watched the other Harry and Narcissa sleep. Luna giggled, "It doesn't matter what universe we look at, Harry is always an arse man, isn't he?"
"And you love that about him, Moon Child, we all know it. I'm looking forward to seeing how he does with Cissy and the Four Veela, that should be interesting. I know he tired Maman, Gabrielle and I out more than once, so he should be able to handle another."
"True, but it will be fun to watch. Now, I think we should join the others, it's almost time for dinner, and, as tasty as you are, you really aren't that filling."
With a giggle, the two girls got off the couch and went to join the rest of the family, not seeing the contented smile on younger Harry's face as he slept.
End Part Two
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HALF the romance in New York's cityscape can be found in its bridges. The Brooklyn Bridge has always been the darling of poets and painters, but it was another bridge that seduced one of New York's most passionate suitors. ''The city seen from the Queensboro Bridge is always the city seen for the first time,'' he wrote in ''The Great Gatsby.''
It takes an outsider to see Manhattan that way. And it's an outsider, Sir Terence Conran, who made good on the theatrical possibilities in the tiled vaults under the bridge. Once the site of a thriving food market, they have been a dead spot since the 1930's, used by the city for a sign-painting shop and later a storage depot.
Sir Terence's dazzling transformation of the bridge vaults gives New Yorkers their first glimpse of a swaggering new international restaurant style. It's a style whose energy and informality feels American, but that has achieved its most complete expression in London and Paris, transforming the restaurant scenes there. Restaurants like Oxo Tower and Bank in London, and Buddha Bar and Bon in Paris, manage to combine the elements of a bar, nightclub, restaurant and theater. They are places to pose, to see and be seen. The bar can often overshadow the dining room.
Sir Terence has led the way, seizing on unlikely architectural sites for much-imitated restaurants like Le Pont de la Tour in London and Alcazar in Paris. Designed to the hilt, they tend to be large, bordering on enormous. They are loud, lively and up to the minute. Although sensitive to the architectural details of their sites, they ignore, or transcend, the cultural specifics of the cities they happen to be in. The food often runs second to the design.
Guastavino's fits the pattern. Named after the father and son team who created the tiled ceilings in the bridge's vaults (as well as the ceilings in the Grand Central Oyster Bar and the abandoned City Hall subway station), the restaurant encourages the eye to linger on the powerful pillars that lead upward to cathedral-like ceilings. The raw, almost brutal granite blocks that make up the caissons of the bridge have been left exposed. Sir Terence has extracted every ounce of drama from his location.Continue reading the main story
But the overall design is as sleek and international as the Concorde. A long, low-slung bar on the main level pulls a large Upper East Side crowd -- so large that on Thursdays the restaurant sets up a barrier and allows no one in who does not have a dinner reservation. Guastavino Restaurant, on the first floor, is a 300-seat brasserie, clamorous and casual, with a glorious brasserie-style shellfish display in front of the kitchen.
Up a curved marble staircase, the more formal and intimate Club Guastavino, which seats 100, hangs over the first floor like a giant balcony, soaking up noise and energy from below, but retaining a swaddled sense of isolation and privilege, enhanced by more luxurious materials and boothlike velvet-upholstered sofas.
The one discordant note in the design is a rather commercial-looking sculpture, 36 feet tall, hanging against the stone wall near the bar. Made of laminated birch sliced into ribbons, it resembles a giant tangle of box tape.
Guastavino's two kitchens, which operate independently, are under the direction of Daniel Orr, formerly of La Grenouille. Mr. Orr is feeding a lot of people out there, and considering the number of diners swarming into the two restaurants, he does a more than respectable job.
The food may not light up the night, but at his best, he sends out well-conceived, well-executed dishes that really can compete with the surroundings. He plays a conservative, sometimes plodding game, but usually a winning one.
The downstairs menu sticks to straightforward brasserie fare, with a few international additions, like matzo ball soup, a lively but overly vinegared salad of scungilli and hot peppers, and an exceedingly tame Cuban stew of tripe, short ribs and oxtail.
Prawns, oysters and lobsters from the raw bar fairly crackle with freshness, but I was quite taken with two of the more hefty appetizers, a plate-size portobello mushroom buried under a landslide of melted taleggio cheese, and cabbage stuffed with pancetta and tomato.
One entree deserved elevation to the upstairs menu, a moist and tender baby chicken sprinkled with walnuts, doused in walnut and sage butter, and surrounded by a sticky reduction sauce. The pig's trotter with horseradish yielded about a quarter-ounce of edible meat, lost in a powerful horseradish sauce, but sweetbread schnitzel turned out to be a pleasant surprise, gently crunchy outside, rich and creamy inside. A good old-fashioned Pavlova leads the list of desserts, followed closely by a sharp, concentrated lemon tart.
Club Guastavino, upstairs, has two moods. The smaller tables that overlook the first floor feel like ringside seating, with an unobstructed view of the percolating bar scene. Farther away from the glass railing, a quieter, more loungey atmosphere takes over, conducive to watching, in the glass of the building across the street, the reflections of cars crossing the bridge.
There's a lot of presentation at Club Guastavino. Waiters run over, laden with platters of roasted baby lamb or, one evening, bearing an entire roasted pig. The master of the cheese cart must be paid by the piece, because he pushes his products with the zeal of a Fuller Brush man. Fair warning: it takes fortitude to fend off his solicitations.
Both the lamb and the pig deserve the fanfare. The pig, in particular, feels almost sinful to eat. The animal itself, for one thing, has a pleasant, friendly look about it. Thoughts of ''Babe'' come to mind unbidden. Then there's the meat, soft as butter, pink as coral, flavorful in that piggy way that makes ''flesh'' seem like the appropriate word.
Mr. Orr's former masters at La Grenouille would beam in approval at his quenelles, the merest puffs of pike mousse floating lightly in an almost obscenely voluptuous crayfish sauce. The dish was already old-fashioned when the Guastavinos were just starting work on the ceiling, but the old warhorses, handled the right way, can still thrill.
The rather ordinary shellfish bisque could use some of the intensity of the crayfish sauce, but the humble corn chowder is thick and appealingly sweet, with firm chunks of haddock and spiky nettle leaves.
Roasted prawns on dandelion leaves are not terribly exciting. Neither are the warm oysters swathed in a sauce of spring onions and Champagne. They are correct, but no more. And the ginger-pepper gelee that comes with the lovely galantine of foie gras is a slight mismatch -- the pale jelly is too delicate to stand up to the meat, and the ginger gives it an unpleasantly bitter tinge.
Roast quail, another appetizer, scores a direct hit. The little birds, done to a turn, are stuffed with a fluffy black pudding enriched with pine nuts and dates.
Like the quenelles, pan-roasted veal kidneys with a Cognac and mustard sauce may be a dish as old as the hills, but they march right on the stage and take it over.
Cote du boeuf, served with a fricassee of spring vegetables, is intended for two and could probably feed four. ''It really does look like Fred Flintstone meat,'' our waiter said, wrapping up a week's worth of protein for me to take home.
Nicole Plue, formerly at Eleven Madison Park, shows a light, fresh touch with her desserts. Tangerine parfait tastes like a Creamsicle that's come into a lot of money, and her very simple, elegant looking terrine of mango and coconut sorbet manages to be opulent and refreshing at the same time. Chocolate vacherin was more to my taste, with a fine, rich chocolate flavor nicely set off by an inspired, fragrant sabayon made with Earl Grey tea.
Guastavino's almost begs diners to look everywhere but at their plates, and to talk about everything except the food. It's not so much a restaurant as an opportunity to live, for two or three hours, a certain mood, and a certain sense of style, that suits every time zone and speaks every language.
Sense of place turns out to be a strange illusion, a stylistic touch. Guastavino's, embedded in the Queensboro Bridge, could touch down tomorrow in London, Paris or Berlin, shake off a mild case of jet lag, and open for business. And the crowds would come.
[Rating: two stars]
409 East 59th Street; Guastavino Restaurant, (212) 980-2455; Club Guastavino, (212) 421-6644.
ATMOSPHERE: The tiled vaults beneath the Queensboro Bridge have been given a high-style makeover, with international brasserie food served downstairs and more refined French-influenced cuisine upstairs.
SOUND LEVEL: Very loud downstairs, much less so upstairs.
RECOMMENDED DISHES: At Guastavino Restaurant: baby chicken with walnuts and sage butter, portobello mushrooms with taleggio, stuffed cabbage with pancetta and tomato, Pavlova. At Club Guastavino: pike quenelles, roast quail with black pudding, corn chowder, roast pig, veal kidneys in Cognac and mustard sauce, mango-coconut terrine, tangerine parfait.
SERVICE: Polite and efficient.
WINE LIST: Guastavino Restaurant offers an international bistro list of 80 modest wines, plus 12 half bottles, 10 wines by the glass and about 30 splurge wines from the Club Guastavino list. Club Guastavino's list of about 400 wines, many of them very inexpensive, is a judicious international mix, with 20 half bottles.
PRICE RANGE: Guastavino Restaurant, lunch and dinner, appetizers, $8 to $18; entrees, $14 to $30; desserts, $7 to $9. Club Guastavino, lunch, three courses, $35. Dinner, three courses, $65.
HOURS: Guastavino Restaurant, Sunday through Wednesday, 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Thursday through Saturday, to midnight. Club Guastavino, lunch, 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.; dinner, 5:30 to 11:30 p.m. Bar menu served from 11:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m.
CREDIT CARDS: All major cards.
WHEELCHAIR ACCESS: Elevators to both restaurants, and accessible restrooms on both floors.
(None)Poor to satisfactory
**Very good
Ratings reflect the reviewer's reaction to food, ambience and service, with price taken into consideration. Menu listings and prices are subject to change.
Past restaurant reviews from The New York Times, with additional capsule reviews by Times critics, are available on New York Today:
www.nytoday.comContinue reading the main story


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So now we know the fate of Team Obama's thirteen-million strong e-mail list, that unprecedented netroots force that used social networking and new media technologies to put a one-time community organizer in the White House. President Obama is banking on the continuing support of his online constituency through the creation of "Organizing for America."
This initiative is essentially a lobby, intended to "build grassroots support for the administration's agenda," according to Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine, who heads the Democratic National Committee where Organizing for America will be housed.
You can't blame President Obama for wanting to harness the power of that giant email list and maintain the momentum of his campaign. But is the new flagship of "Obama 2.0" the best tool for moving a progressive agenda?
So far, most of the President's initiatives seem designed to get us through this economic crisis and then back to business as usual. Yet, this moment holds the potential for so much more. In fact, 2009 is shaping up to be what historians call a transformational moment. At home, the election was a referendum on the economic policies long-favored by the super-rich. They lost. Abroad, acceptance of the United States' stint as the world's only superpower is evaporating. A critical mass of people in the US agree that the country needs a new game-plan. All of this makes 2009 a year when big changes can happen in a short time.
Those of us who have been working to advance women's human rights around the world are optimistic about winning progressive changes in 2009 and beyond. But doing so will depend on progressives being able to mobilize effectively. "Organizing for America" may be enough to move the president's agenda; but it won't be enough to move ours.
After all, think of what we're up against: on the foreign policy front alone, we're looking at a Secretary of State who believes that the president has the right to invade any country he views as a threat; a Vice President who rolled out the single scariest solution for Iraq (partition); and a Defense Secretary pre-approved by George Bush and Dick Cheney.
Even so, progressives have got at least three good reasons for optimism. First of all, let's not forget that this new bunch-most of all Barack Obama himself-is a vast improvement over Bush and his team. Second, and more importantly, the two strongest political forces that have obstructed women's human rights over the past eight years-namely religious fundamentalism and market fundamentalism-are both in crisis right now.
Under Bush, the religious right dominated US representation at international conferences and used US family planning and HIV/AIDS policies to pursue their reactionary social agenda. With the change of administrations, those people are out. It may have been maddening to have to listen to Rick Warren at the inauguration, but he won't be making policy.
We can't say the same for the corporate surrogates in government, but their biggest claim-that unregulated markets are the solution to everything from poverty to climate change-is now badly discredited. It's plain to people all over the world that the ideology of the free market, pushed to its logical extreme, has brought on a massive global recession. To paraphrase FDR, we always knew that unrestrained capitalism was bad morals. Now, everyone knows it's bad economics.
Cultivating Critical Cooperation
This second reason for optimism is worth exploring because it brings us to the question of political strategy. That both religious and free market fundamentalism are loosening their stranglehold at the same time is an enormous opportunity to advance women's human rights, and maybe even lock in progress for the long-term. Pushing Congress to finally ratify CEDAW (the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women) would be a good start. To be effective, we'll have to figure out how to relate to an administration that is our ally on some issues, but not on others. Historically, US progressives haven't had to grapple much with this question, but it has just become paramount.
Progressives can't continue to act as though the White House is the enemy of all things feminist and human-rights oriented just because they don't support our whole agenda. If we do that, we forfeit a tremendous chance to engage and push for real change. And we will disconnect ourselves from a groundswell of people who recognize that this is, in fact, a moment of opportunity for progressives.
But we also can't simply be cheerleaders for the new administration. Uncritical participation in initiatives such as "Organizing for America" can become an exercise in cooptation. It would be a big mistake for us to allow that to happen. So let's dump the "Obama's Army" metaphor, with its implied obedience and passivity. It might have worked for getting our candidate to the White House. It won't work for getting him to do what we need once he's there.
Instead, we can cultivate an approach of critical cooperation. That means supporting every positive move that the administration makes while demanding improvements to any US policy that doesn't uphold human rights. Our opposition, when it's warranted, will be essential to Obama if he is to keep the promises that originally gained our support-and if we're going to expand that list of priorities. Let's not back-peddle on what we know is right just because there's someone in the White House who may meet us partway.
And the Top Reason for Optimism in 2009...
The number one reason to be optimistic about advancing human rights under President Obama has little to do with what the president wants or who he appoints to his cabinet. That's because the most important thing about the 2008 election was not Barack Obama's victory. It was the emergence of millions of newly-engaged and re-engaged people in communities across the US. The possibility of those people staying engaged is our number one reason for optimism.
It's time now for all of us who put Barack Obama in the White House to evolve from serving in his "Army" to building a pro-democracy movement; one that can transform free-floating calls for "change" into the concrete policies we need. Progressives in Latin America are way ahead of us on this and can offer some useful lessons on what to do when your candidate actually wins.
The challenge is to move effectively between participation and protest. If 2009 is to be a truly transformational year, it will depend on whether progressives can jump on the opportunity not seen in our lifetimes to advance our vision of a world where human rights are a reality for all people.


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It's time to lace up your running shoes, and start stretching for the 13th annual Lovers Key Turtle Trot/Family Fun Day which will be hosted by the Friends of Lovers Key. The fun is set for Saturday, May 12, with a 7 a.m. registration and packet pickup and an 8 a.m. race start at the scenic Lovers Key State Park at 8700 Estero Blvd. in Fort Myers Beach. Runners are sure to be impressed by the race course.
"This unique 5K trail course, sanctioned by The Fort Myers Track Club, takes runners through a shady maritime hammock ecosystem on a hard-packed shell path," said Shelley-Sue Williams, FOLKS' director/communications chair. "No part of the course requires running through beach sand and the course ends with a dramatic finish at the beach pavilion, where refreshments will be served and awards will be presented."
Remember, the Turtle Trot is just one half of what's in store for attendees.
"Bring the entire family and stay and play after the race for a fun filled day at Lovers Key State Park," Williams said. "Runners and walkers of all ages will enjoy this 5K. There will be children's races for kids of all ages, a hula hoop contest, and a children's activity hosted by the Bonita Springs Shell Club that will let your child create a special colored sand Mother's Day gift for mom."
Registration fee is $35 for adults and $25 for youth (18 and under) through May 11. Day-of-race registration is $40 for all entries. Runners may also visit the FOLKS website or stop at the Ranger Station at the park for a registration form or contact the Fort Myers Track Club. Participants may either pick up their packet on race day or choose an earlier pickup on Friday, May 11, from noon to 6 p.m. at Run Florida at 13101 McGregor Blvd. in Fort Myers. Race Packets include official Lovers Key Turtle Trot 5K T-shirt, official race number, course map, and general instructions. T-shirts are guaranteed to the first 500 registered participants and shirt sizes are subject to availability.
"Lovers Key State Park is one of Southwest Florida's hidden treasures. It offers picnic areas, miles and miles of unspoiled beaches, a snack bar, gift shop, rest rooms, water sports rentals, multiple fishing piers and more," Williams said. "All proceeds from the race benefit the Friends of Lovers Key, Inc. a volunteer non-profit group that raises money to help protect, preserve and support Lovers Key State Park.
Lovers Key is the No. 2 most visited park in the state of Florida. The Friends of Lovers Key events committee has long supported the state park by funding special needs and programs for the park. Now their task is slightly different. The State Legislature has provided $4 million in funds for a new Welcome and Discovery Center building at the park. Ground breaking is scheduled for this fall, but a task still remains. The building will need exhibits, furniture, class room equipment etc. So FOLKS has a new calling - to fund these needs. Proceeds from the race will go towards that effort.
"What surprises people most is that many of our first-time participants have no idea of the beauty of the trails inside of Lovers Key State Park," Williams said. "Running or walking the race course through the Black Island Trail adds a special element to the race."
Maribeth Richards has run in a previous Turtle Trot and enjoyed its uniqueness.
"I loved running this race course, especially the shady portion of the trail. I loved finishing on the beach. After the race I jumped in the Gulf to cool off."
Williams said runners will enjoy the scenic opportunities afforded inside Lovers Key.
"Some areas of the course are shaded, and a large part of the course runs adjacent to the canals in the park," Williams said. "Listen to the sounds of nature as you run. If you're lucky enough, you may even spot a dolphin or manatee along the way."
Williams said the Turtle Trot is a chance see for themselves why Southwest Floridians continue to have a love affair with Lovers Key State Park.
"My favorite part of the event is when participants get to experience beauty and nature all around them as they run the course," Williams said. "Then after the event they get to meet up with their family and enjoy all of the other fun activities inside the park - biking, fishing, paddle boarding, kayaking, canoeing, beach chair and umbrella rentals, and more. Who wouldn't want to spend a day here?"
For more information, call 239-463-4588 or visit friendsofloverskey.org.


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Weird thing about music; How a particular song can make you immediately leave the present and go back to a different time and place. This happened to me while driving home from work one day last week, and it got me to thinking about what songs really sort of define moments in my life. Some of them make me cry, but most of them just make me smile, and think about all those years that have passed that have made me exactly who I am today. That shit makes me kinda happy. So here they are, folks, in no particular order:
The Superbowl Shuffle by The Chicago Bears Shufflin' Crew
I couldn't find a decent video of this one, but I couldn't not include it here. You all know it anyway. If you don't, you really should. The 1985 Chicago Bears were kind of the shit. This song always takes me back to the basement of my childhood home, singing it over and over with my older brothers. I can't remember who they were, but I was the Punky QB known as McMahon. Duh. Because I look just like him.
Jump by The Pointer Sisters
Singing this song repeatedly while using a hairbrush microphone is how I discovered I wanted to grow up to be a black lady singer.
Manic Monday by The Bangles
You can't be a girl who's grown up in the 80's without having loved The Bangles. When this song comes on, I'm 12 years old again, jumping on a mini trampoline at my friend's house, a game of Q-Bert paused on the Atari, and empty bowls with remnants of ice cream with Diet Pepsi poured over it. Because we were healthy like that.
Jump! by Van Halen
Times were so much simpler before David Lee Roth went kinda nuts. This song was #1 for, from what I recall, approximately 86 weeks in a row, and every week my brothers and I would sit by the radio in our family room, and wait for Kasey Kasem to announce that it was again the #1 song in the country. Then we'd all go David Lee Roth air guitar. We were pretty good air guitarists, too, I gotta say.
Mack The Knife by Bobby Darin
I'm at my oldest brother's wedding reception, and I can't even tell you what year it was. All I remember was a horrible giant pink bridesmaid dress, and I was acting like a teenage asshole because I didn't get to ride in the limo. The only other thing I remember is watching my mom and dad dancing to this song. For a couple of old farts, they could really dance. This may be one of my favorite memories of all time.
Lighters by Bad Meets Evil
This song lost its appeal for me after I heard it approximately 86,432 times on the radio, but it still always takes me back just a few years to one of my top five best birthdays of all time. I spent all day lounging at the beach, then had one of the best and most memorable dates of my life. Rooftop bar, Cajun potato salad, Absolut Orient Apple, and a nice boy wearing plaid shorts, who I have since then called many a man-hating name, but who has, oddly, become someone I consider a great friend.
No, No, No by Destiny's Child
I'm on the dance floor at a local bar called Mark's with my friend Janet, in a shirt that shows off far too much of my young 20-something chubby belly and freshly pierced belly button, which I did myself with a sewing needle in my parent's bathroom because I thought I was badass, and I'm dancing like an idiot, attempting to get the attention of the DJ, who I worshipped from afar. It also reminds me of 2am trips to Denny's, car dancing, and also, one unfortunate White Russian bad cream incident. I may or may not have Exorcist-like bad cream vomited on myself.
Watch The Wind Blow By by Tim McGraw
This was going to be my wedding song. Yep, Paula In The Country could've actually been Married Mom In The Country right now, but life sometimes takes unexpected turns. Luckily, the man who was my fiance has ended up instead being like a best friend/brother to me, and I'm grateful to still have him in my life every single day. All right, enough mushy shit, guys. Knock that off.
You Dropped A Bomb On Me by The Gap Band
Whenever I hear this, I think of my oldest brother in his Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo phase, breakdancing in our family room. I thought he and his friend Hilbert were the coolest people ever as they were attempting to spin on their backs on bad orange-ish carpeting. I've since raised my 'cool' standards by a lot.
Ho Hey by The Lumineers
My most recent memory, and yet another story about a boy. The song turned out to be better than the guy, but this will forever remind me of drinking martinis and sitting across from someone I thought could be 'the one'. Mostly, it reminds me of how amazing those first few weeks of falling for someone can be, and how that shit should really last longer.
Why Don't We Get Drunk by Jimmy Buffett
Summer of 1993. Post-high school graduation. I was shy and quiet, but hung out with a group of rowdy drunken bastards, all of whom I still love dearly. A lot of Cardinal Puff, a lot of Jimmy Buffett, and a lot of REO Speedwagon happened that summer. Side note: Once a Cardinal, always a Cardinal.
Pump Up The Volume by MARRS
This takes me back to watching Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve when I was probably about 12 or so. My parents used to go out and leave me at home alone with my older brothers. Let me just say, for anyone who has children and is considering leaving boys in charge: Don't do it. Peppermint Schnapps and ballet dancing in the kitchen may have happened. I turned out perfectly ok, though. Right? Just go with it.
Everybody's Free (To Wear Suncreen) by Baz Luhrman
This probably reminds a lot of people of their high school graduation. However, since it came out around 1997 or so, which is 4 years after I graduated, it actually takes me back to New Year's Eve of 1998. I'd been sick, but wanted to go out anyway because it was New Year's Eve, damn it! I was also young and stupid. I drank too much, don't know how I got home, and woke up on New Year's morning with this song playing on my radio. While listening to Baz Luhrman's words of wisdom, I got out of bed and immediately passed out and crushed a wicker garbage can with my giant ass.
Ah… Ass-crushing memories.


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Navicular syndrome (or navicular disease, or caudal heel pain syndrome) is a degenerative condition of structures in the horse's heel. The navicular bone lies at the back of the heel, and the deep digital flexor tendon runs down the leg and wraps under the navicular bone before anchoring to the coffin bone. Pain results from changes in the bones, bursa (fluid-filled joint structures designed to absorb shock and reduce friction), tendons, and ligaments in this area.
No one knows precisely what causes navicular syndrome.
No one knows precisely what causes navicular syndrome.
Lameness is the classic sign of navicular syndrome. This can appear suddenly, but a more common pattern is mild lameness that becomes progressively worse over time. A horse with navicular syndrome feels pain in the heels of the front feet, and its movements reflect attempts to keep pressure off this area. At rest, the more painful foot is often "pointed," or held slightly in front of the other forefoot, thus bearing little or no weight. Because the horse tries to impact the ground flat-footed or toe-first instead of the more normal heel-first pattern, the gaits are short-strided and stiff. A horse with navicular syndrome has difficulty turning sharply, going downhill, and moving on rocky or hard ground. Picking up one front foot for trimming or shoeing is painful because weight is concentrated on the other foreleg, and affected animals may become quite uncooperative during farrier visits.
While there's no guarantee that a particular horse will or will not develop navicular trouble, the problem is most common in stock-type horses (Quarter Horses, Paints, Appaloosas). There is a fairly high incidence in Thoroughbreds and some warmblood breeds. Arabians, on the other hand, are rarely affected. Lameness from navicular syndrome is most often diagnosed in horses between the ages of seven and fourteen.
No one knows precisely what causes navicular syndrome. Like some other lamenesses, a combination of factors is probably to blame. Conformation seems to be important, with more cases occurring in horses with heavy bodies, upright pasterns, and small hooves. A large number of affected horses have a history of work involving front-leg impact (jumping, cutting, roping, and reining) or increased concussion (parade work or other use involving hard or rocky surfaces). Suspicion has also been directed at irregular farrier care, unbalanced hooves, and shoeing practices that reduce contact between the frog and the ground. A common thread seems to be the combination of increased stress and limited oxygenation of structures in the heel area, but the exact cause of tissue damage and inflammation has not yet been determined.
Consultations with a veterinarian and a farrier are the first steps in combating navicular syndrome. While there is no cure, a prompt diagnosis allows treatment—farrier, medical, or surgical—to begin early in the course of the disease. Proper trimming and therapeutic shoeing can provide relief for many horses. Farrier care is aimed at correcting broken-back or broken-forward pastern angles and normalizing underrun or contracted heels. Generally a shortened toe, either through trimming or shoe design, is a goal. Heel support afforded by egg bar or wide-web shoes reduces pain in some horses, and a shock-absorbing polyurethane shoe from Switzerland is being tested as a possible therapeutic aid. Overall, proper trimming and shoeing can relieve discomfort in about 30% of horses with navicular syndrome.
Polysulfated glycosaminoglycans and hyaluronic acid sometimes lead to improvement, possibly by inhibiting enzymes involved in tissue breakdown. Anti-inflammatory medications can be injected into the heel area or given orally for pain relief. Medical treatment combined with therapeutic shoeing can help about 60% of affected horses.
Palmar digital neurectomy, a surgical procedure to sever the nerves to the painful area, is a last resort in treating navicular syndrome. This option eliminates sensation in the rear third of the foot, thus ending pain and lameness, but it is not a permanent cure. Degenerative changes continue to occur within the hoof, and about one-third of treated horses are lame again within two years.
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reblogged from the Mariposa Co-op's Food Justice and Anti-Racism blog
Its Mid-March! There are a couple truly stupendous March babies* (not babies anymore!) whom we ought to pause for a moment and appreciate. Lets get to it..!
Bayard Rustin was born 100 years ago, on March 17th! He is one of the dopest organizers, not just of American History, but of the entire 20th century, the world-over (IMHO).
His most visible achievement was organizing- as deputy director of mobilization and logistics- the 1963 March on Washington (in which Martin Luther King Jr. delivered the hallowed "I have a Dream Speech", and at which a multi-racial coalition of singers performed- from Bob Dylan, to Joan Baez, and Gospel legend Mahalia Jackson- cuz thats how he rolled!) It was Bayard Rustin who visited Gandhi in India, and cross-pollinated the Sattyagraha and Nonviolent precepts, bringing them to the US south and working closely with King among others. Rustin was a quaker, a singer, a socialist, and…wait for it… unapologetically
the gay! (Hooray!)
It was for this
homophobia latter identity that King was counciled to throw Bayard Rustin under the bus (in the parlance of our times), which is why he has been largely written out of mainstream and much African American history.
As our culture starts to warm to the idea of gender justice and queer liberation (we're getting there…) Rustin is slowly being woven back into narratives and history of Civil Rights organizing in the 20th century.
On the deeply regarded Bayard Rustin:
Another force of brilliance I'd like to celebrate this week is the very much alive and kicking-ass, Brazilian Samba-Rock Godfather, Jorge Ben who marks his 70th birthday on March 22nd! Jorge Ben makes me smile, move, shuffle my feet, and sometimes sigh in melancholy (see "Gabriela" where he openly weeps on the recording!) with his genius fusion of samba, bossa nova, soul and rock n roll. The execution is something you just have to listen to in full to appreciate.
As with most artists who where on their A game in the 70s, there are some awkward albums and singles that followed the apogee of their songwriting, but most of his albums are slam dunks from start to finish. Perfect for cooking brunch (a favorite pastime of yours truly), doing dishes, playtime with toddlers, or drinking on your back porch in the evening. Impress your date with your refined musical taste!
His lyrics "blend humor and satire with often esoteric subject matter" including politics of Black Liberation, and post-colonial dreams for Africa (again think 60s and 70s composer here). He intersected with the Tropicalia movement of Brazil, and his song "Mas Que Nada" (song/ video below), which was his first big hit in Brazil, remains to this day 'the most played song in the USA sung entirely in Portuguese'. I seriously heart this dude.
Enjoy the song and slide show with some rando pictures of the 1960s (??!)
oh, and I'm not that important, but I just celebrated my birthday on March 16th so I just wanted to dredge up some homies of mine who I happen to think about or listen to every day because they are badass.
You look like a Rock Star and you shred like one too!!!
(…and many more!)
Sunshine Superboy
*ps- we also welcomed some amazing babies to our spinning planet this month (and more to come!) and I wanna holler to them too (especially you baby Marlowe xoxoxo)
A good friend of mine once asked me what the main difference was between Marvel and DC comics.
Not wanting to completely nerd out on her, I highlighted the great distinction that the DC Universe has fantasy urban spaces, Gotham, Metropolis, Star City etc.
Meanwhile the Marvel Universe is situated in our own utterly realistic geography: the X-men now in San Francisco were based just north of New York City in the Hudson Valley, and as the map below shows, from Daredevil (above), to the Avengers to Captain America's Brooklyn apartment so much of the Marvel U is not so hard to plot in the varied neighborhoods of New York.
So lets have a look, shall we?
Now this is a fairly old map, but I still think it illustrates the spatial dimension of the Marvel Universe rather well, giving us a sense of the proximity of the Fantastic Four's "Baxter Building" HQ, of Avengers' Tower, and all the rest of it, and where they are in relation to frequent sites of battle and intrigue such as Times Square, the Empire State building, and all them bridges that connect Jersey and all the boroughs of my native islands.
Anyone wanna help me make an updated Marvel Comics Map of New York City?!
How 'bout THEM big apples?
Sunshine Superboy
Chemist Nerds, use your powers for good and fabulousity!
Reposted from nerds far more diligent than I am, who say:
I stumbled across this randomly on YouTube today and had to share. The first 3/4 of the video are a chemistry experiment breakdown of what goes into a glow stick and what each of those ingredients is meant to do. But what makes me LOVE it is that, at the end, all of this coalesces into a fine explanation of the difference between light-absorbing dyes and fluorescent dyes. Come for the glow-stick "how to", stay for the better understanding of how light works and how it influences what you see!
We show how to make glow sticks and go through all the chemicals needed as well as how to make different colors. We also talk about the chemistry and scientifically research a proposed mechanism.
To make the glow stick mix together the following:
10mL Diethyl Phthalate (solvent)
3mg of fluorescent dye (see below)
50mg TCPO (see below)
100mg sodium acetate
3mL 30% hydrogen peroxide (add last to start reaction)
The fluorescent dye can be 9,10-bis(phenylethynyl)anthracene for green, Rubrene for yellow, 9,10-diphenylanthracene for blue, and rhodamine B for red.
TCPO is expensive to buy but can be made for much cheaper by following the directions in our previous video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ViJknvEEEOA
The chemicals, including the ones to make TCPO were purchased from alfa aesar: http://www.alfa.com
The Rhodamine B and Rubrene dyes were instead purchased from sigma Aldrich: http://www.sigmaaldrich.com/
The dyes and TCPO are carcinogenic and gloves should be worn when handling them.
The TCPO and sodium acetate amounts can be varied considerably and still obtain good light. Smaller quantities tend to be dimmer and decay faster, while larger quantities last longer.
So there you glow- I mean GO! Homeschoolers knock yourselves out (just not literally).
Up up and Away,
Sunshine Superboy
Get me an Arab Spring set! Gimme Gimme Gimme!!!
Occupy my nightstick FTW!
Happy Fall Decolonization Fest part II!
What are you thankful for? Decentralized movements for social justice? The building up of a post-capitalist solidarity economy? Maybe just the sheer joy of public transit??
So many opportunities to reflect on the legacies of colonialism, slavery, genocide, and imperialism for those of us in the Western Hemisphere. Good tidings, and may this map of a reclaimed San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit system keep good company to you and your people.
Thanks to my buddy Kenji for this cartographic gem!
If you've missed other awesome/ imaginative BART maps, you can click here and have your mind ravaged by BARTOR- the Transitator!!!
June Jordan bound train arriving at platform ONE in seven minutes…
Angela Davis International Airport bound Train is now boarding…
Sunshine Superboy


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Cash Shop
- I Top-Up CC successfully but it did not appear in the Cash Shop!
- I can't sell my Cash Item on the Trading House!
- Error: Unable to open Cash Shop.
- I cannot see my cash costumes when equipped!
- How do I redeem my Dragon Nest Coupon Code?
- Error: Recipient unable to receive item in your gift card. Continue gifting?


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Rates on the High Street were the key issue discussed between Future Hawick members and local MP Michael Moore when they met last week.
Group members updated Mr Moore on their work and a recent business survey, and the MP was able to update them on the series of discussions he has been having with senior council officials.
Separately, Mr Moore joined with group members in welcoming £30,000 new funding from the council, which will support the group's work, adding: "It is also good that the council has agreed to host a workshop which will bring together local traders, community groups and others to discuss how we can secure the High Street's future."


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Product info
- Dimensions
- Heel Height - 75mm
- Colour
- Black
- Fabric composition
- 100% Leather
- Care
- Wipe clean with a damp cloth. Please note, the sole of this shoe is covered with a protective film which should be removed before wearing.
- Style code
Editor's Notes
Contemporary, yet timeless. The Lois sandals are a style you'll return to time and again. Elegant and modern, the sandals feature a cross-over strap design with a peep toe. From dresses to cropped trousers, these shoes will see you through. Crafted from the finest suede, in our very own Italian shoe factory.


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Windows 7 has received generally glowing reviews ever since the first beta was released, and with good reason: it's fast, reliable, looks great and comes with plenty of interesting new features. But be careful. Good though Windows 7 is, it's still incompatible with some hardware and applications, so it pays to let the Windows Upgrade Advisor scan your system for potential problems before you install a copy.
The program is very easy to use. Just plug in and turn on all your hardware first - printer, scanner, webcam, the lot - to ensure each device will be detected. Then launch the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor, click Start Check, and go do something else for a few minutes as every element of your PC is checked for its Windows 7 compatibility.
When the process is complete the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor will list any issues that you might have to address. These could include devices that it knows aren't compatible with Windows 7, or others the program just doesn't recognise. You'll get similar reports on software, with occasional advice on how to solve particular problems: on our test PC, for instance, we were advised to uninstall iTunes before the upgrade, then reinstall it afterwards. And many of the recommendations have helpful links you can follow to download Windows 7 compatible updates, or just learn more about that specific problem.
Don't even think about moving to Windows 7 until you've checked your system with the Upgrade Advisor. 10 minutes spent here could save you hours of hassle later


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My friend Marie wanted to try and make a quilt --
for a gift, but she has never even learned how to sew.
And, she wanted it to be an art quilt....
We can do this!
So, we have been taking some stolen bits of time and going step-by-step we're heading down the 'fabric road'. It started with a bit of pattern making- but once a theme was chosen the design emerged and then the pattern. (secret stuff at this point).
Next, I gave her a bit of a crash course on the sewing machine and of course stitching. This went really well after Marie's initial fears went away. Starting first with stitching straight lines...then straight stitching curves.
During our last time together Marie pulled fabrics for the main characters of her quilt -- Stacks of reds and golds began to pile up.. with Ralphie's help.


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I wound the hank of Fleece Artist yarn into two equal centre-pull balls (well, as equal as one can get with a discount kitchen scale).
I've knit sock #1 past the heel, up to ankle length.
The rest of ball #1 is definitely heavier than the sock and the needle put together – not by much, but definitely there.
So – do I put on ribbing, and have enough for a second pair of ankle-length socks? Do I keep going as long as I can and have almost-knee socks? Do I stop at usual-sock-length, and make child sized socks with the remainder? (My friends would love that last option…)


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Okno ELINT complex in Tajikistan is becoming Russian
The Duma will discuss the Russian-Tajik accord on transfer of the military object to Russian jurisdiction in the near future. The government of Russia voted to forward the accord for ratification by the Duma the other day. The matter concerns Nurek, an ELINT center of the airspace control known in the Russian Defense Ministry as Okno or Window.
Press service of the government of Russia reports that the accord on the center signed on October 16, 2004, in Dushanbe was endorsed and about to be forwarded to the Duma for ratification. Lieutenant General Alexander Kvasnikov, Chief-of-Staff and Senior Second-in-Command of the Russian Space Forces, will represent the government of Russia in ratification procedures at the Federal Assembly.
Okno ELINT complex in Tajikistan
The choice is actually logical. Kvasnikov is one of Okno designers. Kvasnikov and a team of Russian scientists became laureates of the State Award of the Russian Federation in 2004. The scientists in question include Valery Kolinko, Director of Design Bureau No 4 of the Center of Science of the Zverev Krasnogorsk Factory, and Arkady Bereshkin, Director of Complex No 57 of the Television Research Center.
Experts regard Okno center in Tajikistan as Russia's most valuable military object on the territory of the republic. The military-strategic role it is playing is already colossal and it is bound to increase yet. In other words, the Okno's military-political importance is going to be substantial in the relations between Moscow and Dushanbe.
Located in the Sanglok mountains 2,200 meters above the sea level, the complex in question is one of the most efficient means of the airspace control system of the Russian Space Forces. The skies above it are clear almost all year round.
Okno ELINT complex in Tajikistan
Okno Commander Colonel Sergei Chistyakov says that the complex automatically detects objects in the altitudes ranging between 2,000 and 40,000 kilometers, collects all available information on them, calculates their orbits and trajectories, and flashes the information to command centers. The complex may even be used to keep track of the targets in the altitudes of between 120 and 2,000 kilometers.
Airspace is monitored at night when objects in space reflect sunlight and the reflection provides the complex with the necessary information. Okno is fully automatic. It may operate without human supervision, keeping track of the known and newly detected objects. Since the complex operates in the passive mode, it does not use too much of electric power. (In fact, it needs as much as a house of 150 apartments uses.)
Okno ELINT complex in Tajikistan
The US Department of Defense has three similar objects. They use lasers and therefore require more by way of electric power. In any case, Okno is superior. Strategically speaking, the complex is a huge step forward in Russia's ability to forecast aggressions against it and its allies. An emphasis on advanced hi-tech weapons and military hardware is made in modern warfare. Space is playing an important role in it, particularly now that the United States is deploying a new ballistic missile defense system with some elements of it in orbit around Earth. It means that the role of Okno in military security of Russia and its allies will only grow.
Okno ELINT complex in Tajikistan


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FCI kennel Al Khabara in Estonia
Welcome to our Afghan Hounds website
Musti GROUP 3, BEST OF BREED, LV CAC yesterday in Valmiera, Latvia –
Musti Mission is – AL KHABARA GENTLE GANGSTER (C.I.B Agha Djari's Urban Cowboy x C.I.B Kingsleah Amazing Grace)
His sister Maasu (C.I.B EST LT RUS CH AL KHABARA GRACE OF LOVE) was BOS and LV CAC – she is now LV CHAMPION !
Thank you to Judges Jos De Cuyper / Belgium and Myrna Shiboleth /Israel
Musti and Maasu went to brace too, great photo ! See:
Maasu (CH Al Khabara Grace Of Love) at her favorite place looking the live Birdhunter's TV program :)
That sound like a replica post from 5 years ago of Maasu pictured at window
Maasu is now 7 years old
At weekend we took off to Latvia, beautiful seaside city Ventspils and to the all breed dog show there.
Beautiful summer day even in September and showrings in pretty and large park and even more memorable because of Musti and his showing off that day! Wow!
That really is something to see your own dog floating in large ring, head proudly up and enjoying himself and everything!
Especially after growing three years hair back before can enter to showrings but he is there now and makes us happy this eyecandy he is :)
Musti – Al Khabara Gentle Gangster – got LV CAC today and placed BM 2. Well done Musti boy!
We did photos of him, see them here:
Sensei earned his American Grand Champion title yesterday 15.09.2018! Very proud breeder writing this !
Karen writes us that Sensei is now Am Grand Champion Al Khabara Lezz Go Sensational JC CGC.
Crying happy tears as Sensei suffered a horrific accident a year ago.
Thought he might not ever make it back in the ring .
Sensei is a very special dog.
Continue reading
Very HAPPY news & results in Lithuania, Druzkininkai three days International Shows!
Our beautiful Roxanna – CH AL KHABARA LOVIN' TIGER LILY
BEST OF BREED, CACIB, CAC today in Druskininkai, Lithuania
Our handsome Mission (previous name Mustikas) AL KHABARA GENTLE GANGSTER – CACIB too, CAC and BOS
He was on his second show with me!
Results from Saturday:
Roxanna -(CH Al Khabara Lovin' Tiger Lily) Champion class winner, CAC, CACIB and BOS + Crufts 2019 qualification
Mustikas Mission- open cl, CAC, res-CACIB (Cacib)
No photos as Alex was alone there.
Roxanna is by CIB CH Polo's Kabik T'Sensation x CIB CH Al Khabara Graceful Me
Mission is by CIB CH Agha Djari's Urban Cowboy x CIB CH Kingsleah Amazing Grace
There is things at night – no things but Smokey is ! He does not look sleepy at all, does he?
With our black beauties . Both they are Grace's kids from our different litters
Musti – AL KHABARA GENTLE GANGSTER (CIB Agha Djari's Urban Cowboy – CIB Kingsleah Amazing Grace) and
Soffi – AL KHABARA ESCADA (CIB Al Khabara Fiery Mouztafa -CIB Kingsleah Amazing Grace)
7 and 6 years old. See more photos:
Sensei, Ch. Al Khabara Lezz Go Sensational JC back in the ring after recovery from an injury.
Happy day – Select dog st the MBAHC Specialty.


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Students from the clocks programme at West Dean College, near Chichester, have been undertaking condition assessments on clock movements at Temple Newsam House, under the guidance of their tutor Matthew Read. The plan is to get more of the clocks on display at Temple Newsam House into working order, to give visitors a richer experience when visiting the house.
Comprehensive assessment of the George Pyke pedestal organ clock. It is designed to play eight tunes, and there are automata figures on the dial face that move about when the music plays.


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Grave Digger - Knights Of The Cross review
|Grave Digger
|Knights Of The Cross
|Release date:
|May 1998
01. Deus Lo Vult
02. Knights Of The Cross
03. Monks Of War
04. Heroes Of This Time
05. Fanatic Assassins
06. Lionheart
07. Keeper Of The Holy Grail
08. Inquisition
09. Baphomet
10. Over The Sea
11. The Curse Of Jaques
12. The Battle Of Bannockburn
13. Children Of The Grave [Black Sabbath cover] [Japanese & limited edition bonus]
14. Kill The King [Rainbow cover] [Japanese & South American bonus]
'Knights Of The Cross', the 2nd out of the 'Middle Ages Trilogy', when drums have never been so devastating, like on 'Monks Of War'. As the title says, this record tells the history of the crusades. Thus Grave Digger show the listeners another metallic episode in history: This is no epic record nor meant for such purposes, by the fierce power of the songs you may be able to imagine what king of battles have been fought and what senseless destruction has given both sides. This is all (in a generelized overview) about the muslim invasion of Jerusalem and the christian invasion to defend the holy land from the 'invaders'. Unbelievers on both sides, killing, destruction and lapses of the counterparts. A bit of story on Richard the Lionheart and more all on one piece of metal on one album.
Lesson learned? But what about the music? Once again the band succeeds in topping the aggressivity of their last album, especially killing are the drums: turn down the volume before you listen over headphones or you will end up deaf by the 2nd song. The guitar work is again very convincing and has more drive than on 'Tunes Of War'. I don't know if any of the M.A.T.'s told stories is repeated historically correct, I haven't done any researches on that myself, but if they are, then Grave Digger have done great deeds once more. Introduced to built up some tension, 'Deus Lo Vult' begins with some narration. Fascinating speed on drums and riffs, but also great sound fx and some orchestral arrangements are few charactristics of the songs to follow
For me 'Knights' is the second best album in the from one to three improving 'Middle Ages Trilogy'. As always GD manage to define their own new standards for each record: This time it is 'Lionheart', 'Keeper Of The Holy Grail', 'Monks Of War', the title track 'KOTC' and my personal favorite 'The Battle Of Bannockburn' (with bagpipes intro). Great stuff, but only the middle of a trilogy, it's final 'Excalibur' should become my favorite, but still not the best album Grave Digger made. If I'd go no and analyse the meaning of each song, I'd maybe take some years of studying the history of the crusades and then I'd compare my researches with the statements on GD's lyrics and then I'd say something about it's historical profoundness, but I have other things to do, so I just tell you that the music is fine. The convincing concept has taken me to buy all of Grave Diggers concept albums. The enhanced bouns track 'Children Of The Grave' is a cover version form Black Sabbath. I admit I really didn't hear them out, but there is some backing vocals sung by Piet Sielck (Iron Saviour), maybe it's the 'murder, murder' screams on the title track, but that I'm just guessing.
If you like Grave Digger you should get a copy of the whole 'Middle Ages Trilogy', for all three albums are great and getting better from the first to the last second. You also get some bonus tracks, that are not featured on the regular albums, but that can also be found on the solely sold limited edition digipacks. All in all the Knights Of The Cross album is highly recommended, solid work, hopefully historically correct and in general something to bang your head to and to think about. Metal can be entertaining history, history can be metal, metal makes history. An 8.0 for this attempt of keeping history alive.
Written by Pierre Tombale | 17.02.2004
Comments: 1 Visited by: 4 users
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Hits total: 3162 | This month: 12


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Venezuela's Maduro orders expulsion of top US diplomats
CARACAS, Venezuela (AFP) — President Nicolas Maduro Tuesday ordered the expulsion of the top two US diplomatic representatives in Venezuela, angrily rejecting economic sanctions imposed by Washington over his re-relection.
Maduro announced the expulsions in a nationally televised speech after being officially proclaimed the winner of Sunday's election.
The election was boycotted by the main opposition parties and widely criticised by the international community, including the United States, which denounced it as a "sham."
The Venezuelan president declared US charge d'affaires Todd Robinson and deputy head of mission Brian Naranjo "persona non grata."
"They must leave the country in 48 hours in protest and in defense of the dignity of the Venezuelan homeland... Enough of conspiracies!" he said.
On Monday, President Donald Trump Monday tightened sanctions against Caracas, making it harder for the Maduro regime to sell off state assets.
"I repudiate all the sanctions that are sought against the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, because they harm it, they generate suffering for the people of Venezuela," Maduro said in the speech.
"We will present evidence to the country of the conspiracy in the military field of the United States charge d'affaires and his embassy, of the conspiracy in the economic field and of the conspiracy in the political field."
Washington and Caracas have not exchanged ambassadors since 2010, and relations between the two countries have been tense since the late leftist President Hugo Chavez, Maduro's mentor, assumed power in 1999.
The deeply unpopular Maduro was declared the winner with 68 percent of the vote, but 52 percent of voters did not cast ballots -- a historic abstention rate.
'Political and financial lynching'
The foreign ministry earlier lashed out at the sanctions, accusing the US of a "political and financial lynching."
Venezuelans are reeling under an acute crisis, with hyperinflation projected by the IMF to reach 13,800 per cent this year and dire shortages of food and medicine.
Hundreds of thousands have fled the country to escape the growing deprivation.
Maduro, 55, earlier Tuesday received his official credentials from the National Electoral Council, or CNE by its Spanish acronym, as the winner of the election.
"The CNE ... confirms citizen Nicolas Maduro Moros as president of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela for a period of six years," starting in January 2019, CNE head Tibisay Lucena declared.
Lucena, from the same leftist party as Maduro, rejected allegations by the opposition and many countries that the polls were not legitimate.
"Never have we witnessed an international attack as bad as the one that characterised this process," she said.
"The voices of denunciation returned, without evidence. If offers up the possibility for the enemies of Venezuela to attack our sovereignty."
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Road Safety Audit
The purpose of a Road Safety Audit is to identify potential road safety issues or problems that may affect all users of the highway and to recommend measures to eliminate or mitigate these problems.
It is important to note that a Road Safety Audit is not simply a check that a scheme meets design standards. Road Safety Audits are undertaken by an Audit Team, which must be independent to the Design Team.
The Audit Team comprises of a minimum of two people with appropriate levels of training, skills and experience in Road Safety Engineering and/or Accident Investigation.
We undertake Road Safety Audits at four stages; namely:
Stage 1 – Completion of preliminary design
Stage 2 – Completion of detailed design
Stage 3 – Completion of construction
Stage 4 – Monitoring (12 months and 36 months)
We undertake site visits, which are a specific requirement of the Audit, using both day time and night time visits which are usually required in the later Audit stages.
If you require a Road Safety Audit, feel free to contact us so we can provide you with a proposal and an estimate.
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Phone: +44 7880333145