#I have no idea about Egyptian football and now I need to know about British football to understand Watson's yapping

[peculiar-astronaut]

I always wondered why most Egyptian men are OBSESSED with football and literally it may be life or death for some of them when it comes to their fav team, and I thought that no other country has this obsession? But I was wrong lol.. while listening to Sherlock & co I realized that Watson won't stop talking about football too, and I concluded that Egyptians got their football obsession from British because Britain occupied Egypt for 50 ish years? (I'm bad at history yeah I don't remember) so I totally blame Britain for this and I specifically blame Watson for no reason

[captain-aralias]

Trivia Tuesday!!! (The Sweet Fruit of a Palm Tree)

Creators: give a “behind the scenes” look at one of your works. This could be things that got removed or changed, the origins of ideas/details, whatever you like!

tagging some people who might want to share trivia: @sharkmartini @krisrix @annabellelux @llamapyjamas @sharing-a-room-with-an-open-fire​ @ninemagicks​ @milo-fanarts​ @carryonvisinata​ @f-ing-ruthless-baz​

(yes, i am on leave from work this week with nothing to do - why do you ask?) 

i have almost 2,000 words of cut scenes from my 3,000 word @goldendayszine zine fic - and those are only the scenes that I saved. there was also an ending from simon’s POV but i think it must have been very similar with different names because it’s not in any of the versions i emailed to people, or my cut scenes doc. 

i have never cut so much. 

some scenes and lines i cut for space; most i cut and re-wrote because they were ruining the mood. in almost all cases the fic is much better without them.

please enjoy if this is the sort of thing you enjoy. i think there are genuinely some interesting choices here! 

cut-cut-cut: 

original title was ‘The British Museum Job’ - which is objectively a better title, but the more the fic was about baz’s mother and how he wanted to date simon, and the less it was about a heist, the less that title fit. so i changed it.

--

in approximate chronological order. bits in bold made it into the original. italics are comments from me. 

--

Snow keeps yawning as I try and show him my favourite parts of London without explaining what I’m doing. He’s not even tired. (We slept in the same room again last night. I know he slept most of the night – I heard him snoring). I’ve already offered to buy him a coffee.  

“Thanks, but I still don’t trust you not to poison it,” he said. Which was hardly romantic.

We walked along Regent Street because I thought he might enjoy the lights. (He didn’t even look at them.) Down through Piccadilly Circus and up Shaftesbury Avenue. I thought about suggesting a show – it would have filled the time perfectly – but that really would have felt like a date. And anyway, he told me he hated musicals before I could buy the tickets.

“If you’re going to do something, you should just do it. Not just sing about it for five minutes.”

reason for cut: 

space. although it’s also unnecessary. 

--

I might even tell him I was kidnapped.

That I was alone underground for weeks. That thinking of him was the only thing that got me through it.

It could be our first really intimate moment.

But before I can do it (not that I was going to do it), Snow strides off. He’s actually weaving through the crowd in the direction of one of the exhibits, his expression purposeful – and I have to grab his hand and pull him back into me.

“What the fuck are you doing?”

Snow scowls at me, as though I’m the one being unreasonable. “There’s a vampire here.” I raise my eyebrow. He frowns. “I mean another one. Obviously.”

My gaze follows Snow’s pointing finger towards a man with long dark hair and a well-tailored winter coat. He’s with a brunette woman, leaning against her as they peer into a case of shabtis.

Even from several feet away, I can tell he’s human. They both are. He smells like coffee and steak; she smells like cream.

And next to me Simon Snow smells, as always, like the thing I want to eat most in the world, which at the moment seems to be a bacon sandwich warm enough to melt the butter.

I should have fed before trying to spend the evening with him. Or perhaps I shouldn’t be trying to spend the evening with him at all. I could have done this on my own.

“That’s not a vampire,” I tell Snow, trying to sound bored. “He just looks like me.”

“He was biting that woman’s neck,” Snow insists.

I roll my eyes. (It helps distract me from thinking about how much I’d like to bite his neck).  

“I think he was kissing her, Snow.”

Snow looks dubious. “On the neck?”

“For Crowley’s sake.”

We’ve barely started the Egyptian section, but I don’t want to be here anymore. In the place my mother brought me. Not now that both Snow and I are thinking about how (unlike the poor man Snow was about to assault) I actually am a vampire. One of the creatures who caused my mother’s death.

“Come on,” I say. “Let’s get out of here.”

Mercifully he follows me. He must believe I can identify vampires. Which I think I can, even though I’ve just never tried it before (I can definitely identify people who aren’t vampires). Although he’s still grumbling as we take the stairs back down to the ground floor.

“I don’t think that bloke did look like you.”

“Fine, Snow.”

“He wasn’t even that good looking.”

I don’t react. (Not visibly anyway.)

He says things like this sometimes. It doesn’t mean anything. Objectively, I am good looking and Snow isn’t blind. Of course he noticed. He noticed in the same bored, completely dispassionate way that I’ve noticed that his ex-girlfriend is good looking. She’s gorgeous. Objectively. It doesn’t mean I want to date her.

Snow turning up at my house for Christmas doesn’t mean he wants to spend more time with me.

And this isn’t a date.

But somehow – even though I know that absolutely that none of this means anything – it feels good to hear him give me a compliment. I want him to think I look good – it’s why I wore this suit in the first place. (Yes, all right – it’s for him, not the vampires. I know I’m delusional, but at least I look fucking incredible.)

A moment ago, I was ready to give up. I was ready to go and sit in a coffee shop or an alley somewhere and glare at Snow until I was sure the vampires were done feeding.

But now Snow’s lit another pathetic flame of hope inside me. This might not actually be a date, but I want it to be one.

reason for cut: 

space. but when i went back to re-write it, i also though the mood was wrong. this is quite an antagonistic scene between the two of them. it’s about how simon wants to get on with the job at hand (killing vampires) and it’s about how baz is a vampire, but in a way that baz quite rightly tells us makes him sad. nobody wants that!! so you see i kept simon complimenting baz, but made it into a much more straightforwardly lulzy compliment. i also do not have time to introduce random secondary characters who have no lines. they’re gone. 

--

here’s a slightly different version of the above: 

We’ve barely started the Egyptian section, but I don’t want to be here anymore. On this … whatever-it-is with Snow. I don’t want to be in the place my mother brought me. Not now he has so eagerly reminded me of what I am. A dark creature. One of the monsters who caused my mother’s death.

“Let’s go,” I say. “You’re clearly bored.”

“I’m not bored,” Snow says, although he is at least following me. “I’m concentrating on the mission. I’ve never seen another vampire before. Do you think they’re all fit like the goblins?”

reason for cut:

as above. but it’s getting closer. 

--

originally the shakespeare exhibition was an exhibition on aztecs, because of all the GOLD, you see, and because there was an exhibition about aztecs in the museum at some point. i thought the exhibition could be called - get it - ‘golden days’. i don’t think i ever told milo this idea, but it would have made it into the fic if this had been a movie and no one had to draw attention to the idea. 

--

remember - bold is what i kept in the published draft.

All I need to do is remember a single thing that Snow likes doing and then find a way we can do it together. It can’t be too difficult. We’ve lived together for seven years and I’m obsessed with him. You’d think I’d have a list.

I don’t – but I could make one.

Things I know Simon Snow enjoys, a list:

Food. Which is fine – going to a restaurant is actually a perfectly good date activity, even though I don’t eat in front of other people. We can do it later, but at this point we still have five hours to kill. I don’t think even Snow wants to eat for the next five hours. (Does he?)

Following me around.

Making my life miserable.

Fighting dark creatures.

Going on ridiculous quests for the Mage to retrieve magickal objects and/or fight dark creatures. I don’t get it – Snow seems to almost die every time – but he does seem to enjoy them

Playing football.

Watching football. And other sports. I’ve seen him at a few lacrosse games, but I don’t know whether he actually enjoyed them. It’s possible he felt like he had to watch Wellbelove play

Talking to Bunce and Wellbelove about whatever ridiculous quest they’re currently on. Although, now they’ve broken up (again), perhaps Wellbelove is off the list. But I’m not exactly going to summon Bunce here either. That wouldn’t be a good date.

Video games?

As I’m thinking, we get to the bottom of the stairs and enter the Great Court. I don’t usually spend much time here when I’m visiting the museum – too much sun streaming in through the glass panels in the ceiling – but it’s dark now and artificial light doesn’t bother me.

There’s an exhibition on Aztecs on in the Reading Room space. It’s being advertised on long banners hanging down across the expanse of white space. I’d like to see it – another time.

“What now, then?” Snow says.

I still haven’t worked that out. (The list wasn’t as helpful as I’d hoped.)

reason for cut:

space. this was one of the first things to go. it doesn’t say anything that we don’t already know. i liked the idea of writing a list to be more like rainbow - but like baz i couldn’t think of anything simon liked ... and that was the point! 

--

“What the fuck?” Snow hisses at me as we get in line to pay for tickets. “You can’t do this.”

“It’s research.”

“It’s treason.”

If he asks, I’ll tell him that Shakespeare wrote about vampires in Timon of Athens. (He didn’t - obviously. But the odds of Snow having read that particular play are non-existent) (even I haven’t read it – it’s obscure. Terrible for spellcasting.) I’d tell him that there’s a crucial spell I need to understand before we go and deal with the creatures who killed my mother.

But Snow hasn’t asked. (He probably never asks the Mage why he needed to find the Third Gate or what was so important about all the white hares he was looking for in sixth year. For Snow it’s enough that there’s a job to do and that he can do it – I shouldn’t like that about him, but I do.)

He also isn’t objecting. Well, no – he is objecting, but he isn’t stopping me. He isn’t asking me any questions I can’t answer. He’s going along with it – letting me buy us both tickets for the exhibition and following me into the slightly darker interior of the Reading Room.

“Which one even is the First Folio?” he asks once we’re inside.

“I don’t know. Perhaps the one under the sign that says First Folio?” I say witheringly, although I’m actually delighted. (He’s helping. He’s part of it. This is going to work.)

“Right,” Snow says. “You mean, the one in a massive alarmed case, surrounded by people?”

We’re about three metres away from it. My heart speeds up as I look at the display. I’ve never stolen anything before – there’s a good chance this will go wrong. This is an idiotic idea. But it’s getting me closer to Snow.

Also, although I wouldn’t have chosen to do it this way, I do love the idea of owning a copy of the First Folio. It won’t be useful tonight, but I’m sure I’ll be able to work out something to use it for later.

“So, what’s your brilliant plan?” Snow says. “Hide in a cupboard until everyone’s gone home?”

He’s not being serious, but that probably is the most sensible thing we could do. And we’ve got the time.

But I don’t think I can handle being trapped in a confined space with Simon Snow for minutes, let alone for hours. Even if I hadn’t recently been trapped in a coffin for weeks.

He smells far too good for that.

“We’re magicians,” I tell him, remembering to sneer. “One of us is, anyway. I can do this in broad daylight without anyone noticing. All I need is a distraction – that’s your job.”

“What kind of distraction?” Snow asks.

“Collapse,” I suggest. “Start shouting about colonial theft, whatever appeals to you. Just as long as everyone turns to look at you. I’ll even cast, Your attention please.  Then I’ll take the book while everyone’s looking at you. I can cast a silencing spell on the alarm.”

“What about the cameras?” Snow asks.

I don’t want to tell him I’d forgotten the cameras.

“And I’ll cast Nothing to see here on myself,” I say smoothly – although I have no idea whether the spell works on technology. It’s not something we covered at Watford, a school where technology is banned. (I really hope my attempt to bond with Snow isn’t going to result in me being arrested. Think what my father would say when I had to explain myself.)  

“Penny usually uses Through a glass darkly,” Snow says. I shrug – I don’t know that spell.

“What’re you’re going to do when they find the book’s missing?” Snow prompts.

“Walk quickly. The attention spell won’t wear off before we leave the Museum.”

“Yeah, I wouldn’t count on that,” Snow says.

“What do you suggest then?”

“Spelling something to look like the book we’re nicking and leaving it in the case.”

He’s right – spells last longer if they have something physical to catch hold of. The attention spell will eventually wear off, but a transfiguration spell could last years without anyone noticing.

I’m grudgingly impressed. (And also increasingly alarmed about the kinds of things that Snow and Bunce have been up to. How many of our national treasures are carefully spelled replicas?)  

reason for cut:

this isn’t really cut - it’s just re-written. again, the mood is wrong in this version. simon is angry not flirty. the timon of athens bit is cut for space - it’s the kind of pointless baz ramble about magic that i’d include if time wasn’t an issue. 

you can see the seeds of what was eventually printed here - baz has never stolen anything, simon’s stolen lots of things and is competent at it. there’s the idea of the distraction - although i like it better when simon comes up with that one too. 

the real thing is much better though, right? i think i cracked it when i realised i didn’t have to play ‘you cant do that’ straight - because baz is right: simon enjoys this shit. 

--

these are bits and pieces of the above that don’t fit into a wider narrative:

There are tourists surrounding the case right now. And at least one security guard. My Nothing to see here is good, but it seems foolhardy to rely on it entirely. It works best when the person being distracted doesn’t want to see what’s happening. (It only sometimes works on Snow, for example.) It might not work on the security guards.

and another one:

I try not to smirk too broadly. “Right, then. Do something distracting. I’ll be back in a minute.”

I cast Nothing to see here on myself and take a few steps towards the case. My heart is beating wildly. The tourists surrounding it are definitely not looking at me. manage to take a few steps before Snow catches up with me. Taking my shoulders and steering me off towards a completely different case full of Tudor props.

“What is it, Snow? Couldn’t think of anything?”

His arm is still around my shoulders, drawing me in. Frankly I’m struggling to

“Sorry, was that really your entire plan?”

--

“Perhaps I’ll think about bringing them back after the British return the artefacts they stole from the rest the world.” I nod towards the nearest case. “My great-great grandfather hasn’t been back in Egyptian soil for hundreds of years. They wouldn’t even let us take him back to be buried in Pitch Manor.”

“Your––” Simon starts, and then he stops, frowning, as he presumably remembers that I am of Egyptian descent. “That’s not your grandfather,” he says – but he isn’t certain.    

“Didn’t I tell you I’m descended from royalty?” I say archly, which is enough to make Simon laugh. He presses his face into my neck, which I love.

“It was definitely implied.”

“That’s what my mother told me anyway,” I concede.

“I think she might have been having you on.”

(missing some thoughts here)

“It’s one of my clearest memories of her

“I’ll bring the books back,” I tell him. “I only took them in the first place to get your attention.”

Simon smiles at me in the reflection in the glass cabinet, his face superimposed over the golden burial mask below. I can see his chin hooked over my shoulder and his arms wrapped around my waist.

“Well. It worked,” he points out.

reason for cut:

again - space! i was right at the end and i knew i was running out of words. but i also think that being forced to cut the royalty joke which i hung onto for some time through several drafts was good for the fic. we dont need baz talking about the sarcophagus - we were there, we already read it at the beginning. 

the thing with the eyebrows that simon says in the published draft doesn’t quite work still, but what it does is kick us back to the memory (are they related? yes - we know they aren’t) in the same way that baz is doing actively in this draft. 

and what you see in the published version is that the point of the fic is (as we see here) that simon and baz are happy in the future, but also it’s that baz can talk to simon about his mother and... about the british museum. so the emphasis isn’t quite right if we end with ‘well it worked’. 

the emphasis should be on baz’s mother. i’m trying to get at it in this draft, but it’s in the middle rather than the end - shift the mother stuff/museum stuff to the final line, and bob’s your uncle. 

--

here’s the real thing: The sweet fruit of a palm tree 

[weissfai-blog1]

The Prince and his Knight

The Mummy ~ AePete AU (set in 1926)

As I have said previously, an idea pops inside my head while listening to the Mummy (1999 film) starring Brendan Fraser & Rachel Weisz.

And I create an HCS for AePete. I hope to write this soon!!! I’m very excited! 

AePete AU (set in 1926) NOTE: For those who will read, please take note that Ae’s body and height are from the Adult Ae of the novel of LBC. Ae is taller than Pete when they met again and more muscular.

Pete is an Archaeologist fascinated by Egyptian myths and legends and an aspiring Egyptologist. He doesn’t know why but he feels so much about Egypt, its history, myths, legends, rituals, pyramids. As if there’s always a calling for him. He studies Archaeologist even against his father’s wishes (whose pure Egyptian). His father wants him to focus on Business. When his father and mother divorce, his mother was so supportive of his career choice. 

Pete studies at the University of Cambridge, under the Department of Archaeology specializing in Egyptian Language and Egyptian Archaeology. Pete also acquires certain merits studying Ancient Egyptian religion and Egyptian Language and with a perfect score in hieroglyphs.

Pete’s only friend while studying was Tin. Tin encourage Pete’s and told him to never give up even if the odds. There have been many who doubts Pete – not because he is not capable, but many told him to just use his face.

Pete is beautiful. Like really beautiful for a man. He is not muscular but petite with tall height. Pete has milky white skin, not just white white skin like the others but milky white skin that looks so soft and inviting. His lips are the shape of a cupid’s bow and red in colour. His soft brown hair crowns his head like a prince and long eyelashes that rivals any girls surrounds his doe eyes. To many girls and women at school, Pete is their Prince Charming, while many men look at Pete with lust. The only thing that stops them from ever touching Pete was Tin. 

Tin is a half-British half-Thai with power attached to his name. His father is the most powerful man in the leading business world. One word from Tin and their family may be erased. They have sampled how much power Tin has when a guy name Trump tried to assault Pete. Pete was ever so friendly and helps those in need, Trump from different department tried to woo Pete and when Pete keeps on rejecting him, Trump tried to assault Pete. Pete was saved by someone who was passing by, a senior student or someone older than him, beat the crap out of Trump and told him to never show his face. Pete was punched in the gut and was slapped hard by Trump so his vision was blurry and cannot comprehend what was happening. The only memory he has was the man who saves him carries him very carefully as if he was a fragile piece of object. 

The next day, Trump was put in jail and when scandals or rumours go around, Trump suddenly vanished and so was his family in the city. No words have been said and they knew it was something to do with Tin when they heard Pete asking Tin what happen, and the reply was: “You don’t have to worry about that bastard. I’ve taken care of it.”

And so, Pete was never touched nor he was bothered by any men and even women at the university.

Pete was able to graduate with honours and with his own money, he traveled to Egypt and set his way to discover the Ancient Kingdom. 

It was hard at first, cause there’s so many who tried to trick him and many tried to lure him into dark alleys with secrets from the Kingdom. Being with Tin taught him to see the facial expression and to know who was telling the truth or not.

Pete was looking for clues to Hamunaptra, also known as City of the Dead. In his stay in Egypt, the name comes up every now and then in whispers and in tales. He has been in Egypt for 2 years and taken a job in The Museum of Egyptian Antiquities. The owner of the museum taken a liking to Pete and told Pete that he can use his museum and library for as long as he wants. 

Pete met Ae. Ae Intouch. A half Arab and half-Thai, tall, dark muscular man with eyes as black as the night sky. Ae saves him from some thugs who were trying to mug him. Ae’s first words to him were, ‘Hey Angel, whenever I see you, you need saving. What will you do without me?’

Pete then found out that the man who saves him from Trump’s assault was Ae who was visiting the university to talk to his professor friend and he was just passing by when he heard some arguments. He investigates and well, him being a newly appointed Colonel of the French Foreign Legion he did what he had to do, save a damsel in distress, though in their situation, it was a knight saving a prince from a bastard villain. 

Ae was actually planning to go home to Thailand and start his new life there as he was fired and almost court-martial by the French Foreign Legion when he told them that he will not – anymore – led his men to death by looking for buried treasures. He told them that he is a soldier, not a treasure hunter and his men are fighters not scavengers and pawns.

Many of his men died while under him when they were ambushed by soldiers from tribes who were planning on looting the place as well. He was angered when he found out the real reason they were sent to Egypt. 

Pete then hired Ae, telling him that he will pay a great amount to be his guide.

Along the way, Ae becomes his protector, guardian, the man who made him smile.

And in their adventures, they discover so many things about the myths of Egypt and discover the connection to their past life, so why does Pete always feel that Ae is someone a missing piece in his life.

Ae also felt that Pete is someone he needed to protect and cherish. 

Both are men. And Pete though admitted that he likes the opposite sex, he will not jeopardize the friendship and protection that Ae gives. 

Even though it's killing him to stop the growing fondness and care he has for Ae, he will never tell him that he is falling deeply in love with the man who keeps on protecting him.

Egyptologist, study of ancient Egyptian history, language, literature, religion, architecture and art from the 5th millennium BC until the end of its native religious practices in the 4th century AD.

PostScript:

Adult Ae always gives me shivers and a sexy feeling. Whenever I read about him, I can only imagine Max Nattapol from TWM series. Saint as Pete and Max as Ae. 

Pete is beautiful. Just his smile can stop anyone and make you fall in love with him. 

Ae is dark, muscular, tall, with a permanent scowl and frown on his face. He is a man who looks so scary and ready to kick anyone’s ass. He practices Muay Thai and is a football idiot. 

[calciopics]

Jürgen Klopp: 'I have this helping syndrome. I really care about people'

Exclusive: Liverpool’s manager discusses the Champions League semi-final against Roma, a three-hour chat with Mo Salah, his health scare ... and Brexit

Jürgen Klopp is calm and serene. His face lights up, of course, at the prospect of “the mighty battle” which awaits Liverpool on Tuesday when Roma arrive at Anfield for the first leg of their Champions League semi-final. He also leans forward animatedly when assessing the intriguing challenge the Italians will pose. Yet, beyond the cliche of Klopp as a madly gurning cheerleader on the touchline, the 50-year-old German proved, again, his tactical nous and inspirational management while guiding Liverpool to three victories this season over the feted Premier League champions Manchester City. The 5-1 aggregate defeat of City in the quarter-finals was exhilarating and resilient.

It is striking how, at Liverpool’s training ground, Klopp is also stimulated when discussing real life and tangled politics, Brexit and Angela Merkel. There are moments in a free-wheeling conversation when the hilarity feels unstoppable as Klopp considers a claim that he would win an election to become German chancellor because of his attention to detail, communication skills and empathy. But there are many more thoughtful moments – particularly when Klopp address the vexed issue of Brexit and his belief that British people should have the chance to vote again on their future in or outside the EU.

We start, however, with Klopp reminiscing about his youthful desire to become a doctor. That teenage ambition chimes with his persistent interest in helping people “get better every day” and his work with players, from Mo Salah to Dejan Lovren, who improve in contrasting ways.

“I was young when I thought about becoming a doctor,” Klopp says with a smile as he remembers growing up in the Black Forest village of Glatten. “I had the idea three years before my A-level. But to study medicine your A-level results had to be fantastic. So it was good for all the people who would have been under my knife that I didn’t make it. But it was close to be honest.”

That wistful sentence is swamped by his laughter. But the idea of Dr Klopp is not outlandish. He exudes a warmth and intelligence we would all want to see in a doctor. “I have this helping syndrome,” Klopp says. “I really care about people and I feel responsible for pretty much everything.”

Klopp’s inclusive leadership, ensuring everyone feels nurtured and needed, is at the root of his success. Is he also becoming a scouser as his immersion in Liverpool runs so deep? Klopp grins, brandishing his cup: “There’s this tea, for example. When we come somewhere new my family like to adapt. We want to live like people here. I’m not a guy who says: ‘By the way, I want to tell you in Germany we do it like this or that.’ We look so similar but we are very different too. It’s really interesting. My boys both work in Germany but they are football maniacs so they’re very often here. They tell me about the nightlife and I experience the country in the daytime.”

Does life on this small island seem insular, particularly when the political landscape has shifted dramatically since he arrived? “I’ve heard it said that English people are not looking outwards but I don’t see it. I live in Formby and work in Liverpool. I drive from here to there and sometimes I’m in different cities for games. So I don’t know enough about the country but many people come to Britain because English is the language the world speaks.

“I can’t say Germany is more open. If you ask the wrong people in Germany they would say: ‘Yes, we want a fence to keep foreigners out and, by the way, could you make is as high as the [Berlin] Wall.’ Europe has been strange the last few years. I like to go to Austria for skiing but they only push [immigrants] through to Mrs Merkel. Being a leader in this situation is not a joy. There is no easy solution”

The option favoured by the Brexiteers, however, seems misguided and dispiriting. “I understand,” Klopp says. “I’m not the best-informed person but I’m very interested in it. When Mr Cameron had the idea [of a referendum] you thought: ‘This is not something people should decide in a moment.’ We are all influenced by the way only some of the argument is given, and once the decision is taken nobody gives you a real opportunity to change it again. The choice was either you stay in Europe, which is not perfect, or you go out into something nobody has any idea how it will work.

“So you give people the chance to make this big decision. And then it’s a 51-49 [51.9%-48.1%] vote and you’re thinking: ‘Wow, 49% are not happy with the decision that’s going to change the country.’ For the 51%, I’m sure they realised pretty early after the vote: ‘What have we done?’

“The two leaders of the Leave campaign then stepped aside. It was a pure sign they were surprised themselves by the vote. OK, that can happen. But then, come on, let’s sit together again. Let’s think about it again and let’s vote again with the right information – not with the information you’ve got around the Brexit campaign. They were obviously not right, not all of them. It makes no sense at all.

“When I speak to people they say: ‘I wanted to stay [in Europe] but I don’t want to talk about it because I don’t feel it yet as a person.’ I feel it constantly because since I came here the pound dropped. People go on holiday and say: ‘Spain is very expensive!’ But it’s only because the pound is not that strong any more. The EU is not perfect but it was the best idea we had. History has always shown that when we stay together we can sort out problems. When we split then we start fighting. There was not one time in history where division creates success. So, for me, Brexit still makes no sense.”

This embrace of Europe does not mean Klopp is disparaging towards British footballers. More than most Premier League clubs he has an English core to his squad. Jordan Henderson, James Milner, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Adam Lallana, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Joe Gomez, Nathaniel Clyne, Dominic Solanke and Danny Ings are joined by other bright young talents such as Scotland’s Andrew Robertson and Wales’ Ben Woodburn.

“They are here because they’re really good – not because they’re English or British. But if you have two players at the same level and one is English and the other is from somewhere else I always go for the English guy. They keep the mood good and for them it’s easy to feel the club’s history. But we have fantastic boys from all over the world and they love the club. Roberto Firmino has such a Liverpool heart. But the English guys lead the group. Tottenham and us we are pretty much the English national team and I like that.”

Liverpool’s, and the PFA’s, Player of the Season is Egyptian. Salah faces his former club on Tuesday. Klopp’s acumen in signing Salah from Roma has been underlined and a £35m transfer fee now smacks of a bargain. “Mo did very well at Roma but they have Edin Dzeko who is an outstanding striker. So it was their tactics to sometimes play him wide. Now, a year older, he came to us full of confidence. He scored in the first game but missed two big chances. So, unbelievably, he could have scored much more [than the 41 goals Salah has this season]. We have learned about him step by step because he plays constantly in the same position. This season is more about interpretation [of his goalscoring talent] and because Bobby Firmino is a workhorse he really gives Mo space. I’ve had many talks with Mo and he sees what the others do for him.”

Did he spend much time assessing Salah’s character before signing him? “I always meet the player before we sign. That’s when I decide because I have a good feeling for people. It was a fantastic talk. He’s open, smiling all the time. He has crazy curls but he’s a really nice boy. He also looked much more mature than it says on his passport. Twenty-four? I was: ‘Wow, really?’ We talked for three hours about everything from his family to my family and at the end we had a deal to work together. I like to remind players from time to time of that agreement. It’s working really well with Mo.”

Lovren has had a more testing season and mistakes against Spurs and Manchester United meant that many Liverpool fans denounced him. But his resurgence has been marked and, against City, he was a clear leader. “There are some really difficult things in Liverpool,” Klopp says. “The whole Liverpool family is not happy with not winning big trophies since whenever – so you always find a reason. ‘The problem is we don’t spend enough.’ Or, ‘The players make mistakes’. So, really, it’s a difficult job to be Liverpool’s goalkeeper. I’m not sure who was the last goalkeeper everybody was happy with here. It would be a while ago. And if you are not Sami Hyypia then your life as a defender is also difficult.

“I don’t exactly know about Dejan’s start at Liverpool but he made a few mistakes. People always have that in mind: ‘Oh, Lovren again!’ But I’m long in the business. I said to Dejan: ‘If somebody told me, come on, you have the chance, create a centre-half. We found a way to do it, genetically, bam, bam, bam.’ That’s him, strong, quick, both feet, can head like crazy, jumps through the roof. He’s all you need. Yes, a few things you can improve – his concentration. But these are human beings.

“Other centre-halves make mistakes. Against City, Virgil van Dijk, an outstanding person and fantastic player, should have cleared the ball before they scored. Virgil knows that. But nobody spoke about it because we won. It doesn’t look like it but I’m really relaxed in judging these things. When I see talent, and I’m convinced, I am calm.”

Liverpool now face a formidable test – despite a widely held belief that Roma are the weakest club in the semi-finals. “Roma are interesting,” Klopp says. “We’re expecting a mighty battle. They have Dzeko, they brought in the young Czech guy [Patrik] Schick and the young Turk [Cengiz Ünder]. Fantastic. [Daniele] De Rossi controls the midfield. Their defence is really experienced. Alisson is a fantastic goalkeeper. They beat Barcelona. They were first in their group, they didn’t concede a goal at home so far in the Champions League. There are many impressive things about them.”

It helps that Klopp has been here before although, when we remember our previous interview, before Dortmund lost to Bayern Munich in the 2013 Champions League final, he grimaces. “I’ve never watched it back. It’s too painful.”

Manchester City felt Champions League pain against Liverpool – but soothed themselves by winning the league with five games to spare. How close are Liverpool to a concerted tilt at City’s title next season? “It’s an interesting question because while we improved a lot they do the same. You can’t imagine that City, after a brilliant season, will say: ‘Oh, that’s so good we’ll keep the same squad.’ They will find new players. I also noticed an interesting thing. Their club has more money than every club in the world but I saw the City boys celebrating in a really nice way in the pub. It showed a real team.”

It has been another draining season but Klopp looks fit and well. He was said to have suffered a minor health scare in November when he went to hospital. “We all go for a check now and then but nobody knows. It was actually a funny situation. They tried to bring me in through the back door but the security guy has a walkie-talkie and he says: ‘Klopp is in the house!’ But, really, I’m fine. I love the job but if somebody told me: ‘If you carry on you will die much earlier’ then I’d say immediately: ‘Thank you. I’m on the road home.’”

He looks intrigued when I point out that, after spending seven years each at Mainz and Dortmund as manager, his Liverpool contract runs until 2022. He will then have completed a third seven-year stint at a club with whom he has fallen in love. “The seven years is a coincidence. When you have a marriage and if you’re past your seventh year then you’re OK. But, actually, I don’t need this kind of settling. It’s not in my nature. But when I am in a club I am in it totally.”

Liverpool are lucky to have him but, thinking of that seven-year cycle, I joke with Klopp that some people have another job in mind for him. Martin Quast, a German sportswriter, said: “If Klopp wanted to run for German president, he would get elected. He would bring people together, lead the way, make people happy.”

After Klopp has stopped laughing he explains that Quast is from Mainz. “Maybe in 2004 I could have been chancellor of Mainz. But I have absolutely no skills apart from being interested in politics. I would enjoy it if a politician spoke like a normal person but the job is complex. So we should care about our good people in politics because there’re not many of them. It’s like being a football manager. Many people are interested in football but only a few combine all the skills. Politics is even more difficult. I could never do it – or want to do it.”

Klopp as German chancellor would still be fun and maybe he could find a way to help Brexit Britain. “Hmmm,” Klopp says with mock seriousness. “Angela Merkel has two weeks off a year. That’s less holiday than I have which means that’s absolutely not my target. On holiday everybody is following her. She’s in the mountains having a nice hike and every year the same picture of Angela and her husband. I really like her and she’s doing an unbelievable job. But it’s a very difficult job – which is not as well paid as a football manager either. I will stick with Liverpool.”

by Donald McRae (The Guardian)

[jmmgroup-blog]

Karate, football, money management? Extracurricular course teaches Dubai kids about personal finance

Saif Sondon, 13, is a fairly typical teenage boy when it comes to money. The Egyptian, who is a pupil at Nord Anglia International School in Dubai, gets Dh500 a month from his parents, “and more if I earn it somewhere else or if I sell some of my stuff,” he explains. “Sometimes I spend it on clothes, games, or going out. Clothes don’t have to be expensive, mid-range is fine – I’ll wait for the sales and then buy them. I don’t like to go shopping much because I don’t have all the money in the world to go shopping with. If I did, then I’d enjoy it more because I’d buy the expensive brands of trainers that I really want.”

For the past five weeks, Saif has been attending an hour-long financial literacy course every Saturday morning, organised by the company Kids Finance Initiative. Classes are in two age groups; 9 to 11 and 12 to 14, and the first eight-week course, costing Dh640, is currently taking place at Uptown School, Jumeira Baccalaureate School and Dubai British School.

Saif claims that what he’s learnt during the course is already having an impact on his spending habits. “Before I used to spend money whenever I had it, but now I’m going to give 10 per cent to charity and then save the rest for my future. I could put it into a bank and it would double with interest, so in a few years there would be more money – or I could buy something for Dh1,000.”

The brains behind the new initiative is Marilyn Pinto, a mum of two girls, ages eight and 10, who not­iced that although her daughters were thriving academically, they had “no clue” when it came to money. “I actually thought I’d teach my own children about fin­ance last summer, but it didn’t go too well because after two weeks I wanted a break myself, and it’s difficult when you’re teaching your own children. But I realised that if I found this gap in the school curriculum, other parents might be interested in teaching their children about these concepts too.”

But Ms Pinto initially met with some resistance to the idea of teaching financial literacy to children, from fellow parents. “They understand the need for karate, ballet and other run-of-the-mill after-school activities, but financial literacy was a novel concept. They asked me ‘is that all maths?’ ‘Isn’t it too complicated?’ ‘My kids are innocent, do we have to expose them at this age?’ But I believe that the earlier we talk to kids the better. After all, advertisers are now actively targeting young children on soc­ial media, so it’s now even more important that they learn early on in life to question what is a ‘want’ and what is a ‘need’ when it comes to spending.”

The eight-week course that Ms Pinto is running, which is taught using an activity-based curriculum from the American National Financial Educators Council, delves into much more than just handling pocket money. Topics range from budgeting, investing and managing debts, to entrepreneurship and charity.

“We are looking for kids to set goals, to realise that money is a means to an end,” she explains. “We get them to identify what kind of lifestyle they would like, what are their dreams and why money is important to achieve their goals.”

In her role as a “money coach”, Caroline Domanska of Moneymindsetcoaching.co.uk, helps grown-ups to form healthier relationships with their money. But Ms Domanska, who coaches in Dubai and in the UK, explains that the way we spend money stems from lessons we learnt as children from our parents. “A lot of children are told by their parents ‘we can’t afford this toy that you want at the moment, not today’ – so they’re told they can’t have it, rather than ‘well if you want that thing, how are you going to go about trying to get it?’ It’s a subtle shift in how you approach it. As children, if our desires get squashed, then we take that into adulthood. We still think things aren’t quite achievable for us – that we’re not quite the person who would earn half a million pounds, or who should be driving that car. We get that from our backgrounds.”

One of the teachers on the fin­ancial literacy course is Manisha Daya, a British accountant and mum of two, whose own thrifty relationship with money was shaped by her father’s upbringing.

“My grandparents were very rich back in Zimbabwe and through bad business decisions they lost everything, including their house,” she explains. “My father then had to use his basic survival instincts, because his dad lost his mind. He had huge responsibilities and grew up having to watch every penny. He later became a teacher and put us through a good education, always reminding us of the important things in life. Holidays were a very big luxury, and we always were taught to always watch our pockets.”

Ms Daya teaches the same prudent financial lessons to her own six year old daughter. “She doesn’t get pocket money, but we make her aware of money – to look for the red sale tags when we’re going through clothes in the shops, for example. I put seeds in her mind to be money-savvy.”

On the course, Ms Daya teaches the children about the three main money mindsets people have – “roadblock” – someone who is not thinking about money and is out of luck when bills need to be paid, “bullet train” – someone knows how to save money and can use money to achieve their life goals, and “blinder” – someone is focusing on money all the time and doesn’t live life to the fullest.

Ms Daya – who is hoping to shape her class of seven 9 to 11-year-old girls and one boy into “bullet trains” – asks them to think about their long-term goals. One aspires to be an Olympic swimmer, three would like their own pet dog and one wants to own 100 different-coloured cars. “Write down your long- term goal on paper and stick it up somewhere where you can see it every day,” Ms Daya tells them.

One of the most popular long-term goals for most adults is buying a house. According to a study undertaken by HSBC Bank in the UK, the average child receives £131,832.94 (Dh588,958) in the first 25 years of their life through pocket money, tooth fairy donations, gifts and money for odd jobs and part-time work. By saving 25 per cent of these “earnings”, a 25-year-old could have enough to put down the average deposit of £32,000, the study claims.

In the UAE, according to Ms Daya, children often don’t feel the need to spend their pocket money because their parents pay for what they want anyway. “It’s a spend, spend, spend environment,” she says. “Children often save their pocket money because they never need to use it. The mindset of parents here is very different.”

According to analysts at Euromonitor International (EMI), typically, a child in the UAE between nine and 15 years old receives between US$15 to $70 a month in pocket money, while children over 15 receive from $70 to $220.

The spending power of youth is something that advertisers are increasingly aware of. Last October, a coalition of advocacy groups urged the US Federal Trade Commission to crack down on online influencer ads aimed at children. “Owing to their immature cognitive development children – especially younger children – have difficulty differentiating between content and advertising,” the complaint reads.

The subliminal advertising makes it more important than ever for children to be aware of their spending impulses, says Ms Pinto. “They are already being bombarded by so many advertising messages, and it only gets worse as they enter their teenage years. Kids today are spending so much more money than any previous generation, and advertisers know that – they know a whole lot more about the spending habits of our kids than we do sometimes. And they’re getting cleverer at hiding their advertising in social media. It’s actually scary.”

Ms Pinto makes sure that her own children learn to question the advertiser’s motives as much as possible. “When we hear ads on the radio we actually dissect them together. I ask: ‘what is this about, what are they trying to sell you?’ ‘Is this a good advertising message?’ Once you start talking to kids about that, they are switched on to not just sitting back and absorbing all the messages and saying: ‘Oh, this pizza is good.’ They can ask: ‘Is it really good, and do we actually need it?’ Making them aware is the first line of defence.”

pf@thenational.ae

Follow The National’s Business section on Twitter

Source: The National

Karate, football, money management? Extracurricular course teaches Dubai kids about personal finance was originally published on JMM Group of Companies

[martinfzimmerman]

Karate, football, money management? Extracurricular course teaches Dubai kids about personal finance

Saif Sondon, 13, is a fairly typical teenage boy when it comes to money. The Egyptian, who is a pupil at Nord Anglia International School in Dubai, gets Dh500 a month from his parents, "and more if I earn it somewhere else or if I sell some of my stuff," he explains. "Sometimes I spend it on clothes, games, or going out. Clothes don't have to be expensive, mid-range is fine - I'll wait for the sales and then buy them. I don't like to go shopping much because I don't have all the money in the world to go shopping with. If I did, then I'd enjoy it more because I'd buy the expensive brands of trainers that I really want."

For the past five weeks, Saif has been attending an hour-long financial literacy course every Saturday morning, organised by the company Kids Finance Initiative. Classes are in two age groups; 9 to 11 and 12 to 14, and the first eight-week course, costing Dh640, is currently taking place at Uptown School, Jumeira Baccalaureate School and Dubai British School.

Saif claims that what he's learnt during the course is already having an impact on his spending habits. "Before I used to spend money whenever I had it, but now I'm going to give 10 per cent to charity and then save the rest for my future. I could put it into a bank and it would double with interest, so in a few years there would be more money - or I could buy something for Dh1,000."

The brains behind the new initiative is Marilyn Pinto, a mum of two girls, ages eight and 10, who not­iced that although her daughters were thriving academically, they had "no clue" when it came to money. "I actually thought I'd teach my own children about fin­ance last summer, but it didn't go too well because after two weeks I wanted a break myself, and it's difficult when you're teaching your own children. But I realised that if I found this gap in the school curriculum, other parents might be interested in teaching their children about these concepts too."

But Ms Pinto initially met with some resistance to the idea of teaching financial literacy to children, from fellow parents. "They understand the need for karate, ballet and other run-of-the-mill after-school activities, but financial literacy was a novel concept. They asked me 'is that all maths?' 'Isn't it too complicated?' 'My kids are innocent, do we have to expose them at this age?' But I believe that the earlier we talk to kids the better. After all, advertisers are now actively targeting young children on soc­ial media, so it's now even more important that they learn early on in life to question what is a 'want' and what is a 'need' when it comes to spending."

The eight-week course that Ms Pinto is running, which is taught using an activity-based curriculum from the American National Financial Educators Council, delves into much more than just handling pocket money. Topics range from budgeting, investing and managing debts, to entrepreneurship and charity.

"We are looking for kids to set goals, to realise that money is a means to an end," she explains. "We get them to identify what kind of lifestyle they would like, what are their dreams and why money is important to achieve their goals."

In her role as a "money coach", Caroline Domanska of Moneymindsetcoaching.co.uk, helps grown-ups to form healthier relationships with their money. But Ms Domanska, who coaches in Dubai and in the UK, explains that the way we spend money stems from lessons we learnt as children from our parents. "A lot of children are told by their parents 'we can't afford this toy that you want at the moment, not today' - so they're told they can't have it, rather than 'well if you want that thing, how are you going to go about trying to get it?' It's a subtle shift in how you approach it. As children, if our desires get squashed, then we take that into adulthood. We still think things aren't quite achievable for us - that we're not quite the person who would earn half a million pounds, or who should be driving that car. We get that from our backgrounds."

One of the teachers on the fin­ancial literacy course is Manisha Daya, a British accountant and mum of two, whose own thrifty relationship with money was shaped by her father's upbringing.

"My grandparents were very rich back in Zimbabwe and through bad business decisions they lost everything, including their house," she explains. "My father then had to use his basic survival instincts, because his dad lost his mind. He had huge responsibilities and grew up having to watch every penny. He later became a teacher and put us through a good education, always reminding us of the important things in life. Holidays were a very big luxury, and we always were taught to always watch our pockets."

Ms Daya teaches the same prudent financial lessons to her own six year old daughter. "She doesn't get pocket money, but we make her aware of money - to look for the red sale tags when we're going through clothes in the shops, for example. I put seeds in her mind to be money-savvy."

On the course, Ms Daya teaches the children about the three main money mindsets people have - "roadblock" - someone who is not thinking about money and is out of luck when bills need to be paid, "bullet train" - someone knows how to save money and can use money to achieve their life goals, and "blinder" - someone is focusing on money all the time and doesn't live life to the fullest.

Ms Daya - who is hoping to shape her class of seven 9 to 11-year-old girls and one boy into "bullet trains" - asks them to think about their long-term goals. One aspires to be an Olympic swimmer, three would like their own pet dog and one wants to own 100 different-coloured cars. "Write down your long- term goal on paper and stick it up somewhere where you can see it every day," Ms Daya tells them.

One of the most popular long-term goals for most adults is buying a house. According to a study undertaken by HSBC Bank in the UK, the average child receives £131,832.94 (Dh588,958) in the first 25 years of their life through pocket money, tooth fairy donations, gifts and money for odd jobs and part-time work. By saving 25 per cent of these "earnings", a 25-year-old could have enough to put down the average deposit of £32,000, the study claims.

In the UAE, according to Ms Daya, children often don't feel the need to spend their pocket money because their parents pay for what they want anyway. "It's a spend, spend, spend environment," she says. "Children often save their pocket money because they never need to use it. The mindset of parents here is very different."

According to analysts at Euromonitor International (EMI), typically, a child in the UAE between nine and 15 years old receives between US$15 to $70 a month in pocket money, while children over 15 receive from $70 to $220.

The spending power of youth is something that advertisers are increasingly aware of. Last October, a coalition of advocacy groups urged��the US Federal Trade Commission to crack down on online influencer ads aimed at children. "Owing to their immature cognitive development children - especially younger children - have difficulty differentiating between content and advertising," the complaint reads.

The subliminal advertising makes it more important than ever for children to be aware of their spending impulses, says Ms Pinto. "They are already being bombarded by so many advertising messages, and it only gets worse as they enter their teenage years. Kids today are spending so much more money than any previous generation, and advertisers know that - they know a whole lot more about the spending habits of our kids than we do sometimes. And they're getting cleverer at hiding their advertising in social media. It's actually scary."

Ms Pinto makes sure that her own children learn to question the advertiser's motives as much as possible. "When we hear ads on the radio we actually dissect them together. I ask: 'what is this about, what are they trying to sell you?' 'Is this a good advertising message?' Once you start talking to kids about that, they are switched on to not just sitting back and absorbing all the messages and saying: 'Oh, this pizza is good.' They can ask: 'Is it really good, and do we actually need it?' Making them aware is the first line of defence."

pf@thenational.ae

Follow The National's Business section on Twitter

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