#coach Neas

[abroad-education]

When applying for higher education in Canada, it is commonly required to take the IELTS Academic test. This specific test is designed to assess your English language proficiency in an academic context, ensuring that you possess the necessary language skills essential for success in Canadian universities and colleges. The IELTS Academic test evaluates your ability to comprehend and communicate effectively in academic settings, helping institutions gauge your readiness to excel in academic coursework and contribute meaningfully to the academic community.

Considering the significance of the IELTS Academic test, individuals often seek IELTS Coaching in Ahmedabad to enhance their preparation and performance in this critical examination. IELTS coaching provides valuable guidance and resources to optimize your language skills, increasing your chances of achieving the required proficiency levels for successful admission to Canadian educational institutions.

[elvisomar]

Kamala Harris and Tim Walz. Let's Win This!

I like Kamala Harris a lot. I'm excited she is going to be the Democratic nominee, and I want her as my President. She was initially my preferred candidate in 2020, before she withdrew her name. I was delighted when she was chosen to run as Vice President.

Tim Walz? He's a great choice. He's my governor, and he's the real deal. I know people who have met him and spent time with him, and all reports are that he is a very genuine, honest man. He is exactly what he seems to be. The midwestern dad energy is not artifice, it's sincere. He knows how to fix his car, and he knows how to make legislation happen in a legislature.

If you know nothing about him, know this:

He was a teacher and he supports strong funding for schools and early education. He has the endorsement from the NEA.

While serving as a high school geography teacher in Mankato, Minnesota, Walz was the faculty advisor of the school's first student gay-straight alliance organization.

Also at Mankato West High School, Walz was the coach of the boys Football team, which he coached to the school's first State Championship in 1999, winning first among class AAAA schools.

He has been a strong union man, and he supports the rights of workers to organize and negotiate. He has enthusiastic AFL-CIO support and endorsement.

He is a hunter and gun owner that supports reasonable gun control and licensure.

He is the father of teenaged children who are well-adjusted, and he spends time with them in a genuine and supportive way.

Walz advocated for, and signed into law, the legalization of recreational cannabis use in Minnesota.

He was in the U.S. Army National Guard where he rose to the highest possible non-commissioned rank in any battalion: Command Sergeant Major. Those are among the most important and respected members of the military, and the senior enlisted advisor to a battalion commander. You don't even get close to that job unless you are as reliable and competent as they come.

As a member of the Nebraska National Guard, Walz was selected as Nebraska Citizen-Soldier of the year in 1989.

He is a former member of the U.S. House of Representatives, serving Minnesota's First District from 2007 to 2019, when he took the office of Governor. While in Washington he served on the Agriculture, Veteran's Affairs, Transportation & Infrastructure, and Armed Forces committees.

His Lieutenant Governor, Peggy Flanagan, is a Native American activist and community organizer, and a member of the White Earth Band of the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe. If Harris-Walz win the presidential election, Flanagan would become the first Native American to serve as U.S. State Governor, and I'd be thrilled to see her in the Governor's mansion.

There is even more about the guy to like, but I hope this helps to get to know him.

[grantmentis]

Women’s hockey news 6/1-6/16

News from around the women’s hockey world, only confirmed news and not rumors. It’s hard to cover every signing and extension so I try to filter to just the most notable but may miss something, feel free to add!

This is a long one as a heads up

PWHL (America/canada)

PWHL completed their draft! Full results are here

Corinne Schroeder signed a 2 year extension with PWHL New York

Lina Ljungblom (who was drafted in 2023 and played in the SDHL last year, winning SDHL league mvp) signs a three year deal with PWHL Montreal

Zoe Boyd and Natalie Snodgrass a one year extension with PWHL Ottawa, Aneta Tejralová signs a two year extension

Former Colgate University women’s hockey coach Greg Fargo is hired to coach PWHL New York

Natalie Darwitz is forced out of PWHL Minnesota, who will begin their GM search

Mélodie Daoust, Brittyn Fleming announced their retirement

PWHL Boston expected to stay at Tsongas next season

SDHL (Sweden)

Next years schedule has been released, with the season starting in September

Swedish national team defender Jessica Adolfsson signs with HV71. She was with Linköping last season

Forward Lisa Johansson signs with SDE HF. She was with Luleå last year

Italian defender Nadia Mattivi signs with Luleå. She spent the last several season with Boston University, where she was also captain

Finnish forward Ida Kuoppala signs with Skellefteå AIK. She spent the past few season with UMaine and was one of their top scorers

University of Minnesota Duluth and Bemidji state forward Reece Hunt signs with Luleå

SWHL/Postfinance Women League (Switzerland)

HC Ambrì-Piotta Girls sign two big names from Naisten Liiga. The first is Michaela Pejzlová, a star from Czechia who led Naisten Liiga in points, was a first team all star, and won her second championship. HIFK teammate Julia Liikala is the other player from Naisten Liiga joining, she was a second team all star for the league and played on Finland’s national team that won a gold medal

HC Ambrì-Piotta Girls also gets three players who played in the SWHL last year: the first is young Swiss goaltender Sofia Bernardasci, who’s played solid backup minutes the past two years on other teams. 23 year old Italian center Greta Niccolai, who represents her national team and also captained ladies team Lugano last year, joins the team as well. Lastly, young defender Valérie Christmann joins from HC Davos Ladies

Naisten Liiga (Finland)

Naisten Liiga schedule announced and can be viewed here. The season will star in September with a mini showcase in Turku where all teams will play their first few games

Forward Pauliina Salonen returns to HIFK. The 20 year old was one of their top producers last season and spent some time on the national team during their five nationals tournament

Kiekko-Espoo extend Minttu Tuominen, Tiia Pajarinen, Aliisa Toivonen, Siru Lehtopelto, Tea Villilä, Nea Katajamäki, Lisette Täks, and Nea Koskipalo. Tuominen, a star defender who was drafted by the PWHL but ended up playing in China and then Finland instead last year. Also notable is Pajarinen had 16 solid starts for Kiekko-Espoo last year, and got some looks on the national team. Tea Villilä has also been a mainstay producer on Kiekko-Espoo for the past several years. Täks finished with the most goals in Naisten Liiga. All this to say, Kiekko-Espoo has brought back significant core pieces

HIFK brings back goaltender Miia Vainio, who had the most shutouts last season

Tilli Keränen, who captained Finlands U18 team in 2022-2023, will play one more year at KalPa before going to the NCAA in 2025-2926

KalPa also brings back Captain Johanna Juutilainen

One of Ilves top scorers, Noora Mylläri, will return this year

EWHL (Central/eastern Europe + other assorted counties)

EV Bozen Eagles announced the signings of Justine Reyes and Kristen Guerriero to play in the EWHL and Italian women’s domestic league. Reyes was one of the SDHL’s top scorers last season, and Guerriero had a productive season in the SWHL

Veteran defender Enikő Tóth returns to the EWHL after spending last year in the SDHL, signing with MAC Budapest

IIHF

We got our locations and most of our times for all of women’s senior worlds in 2025! They are as follows:

Top division; ceske budejovice, Czechia from April 9-20

Division IA: shenzhen, China, dates TBA

Division IB: dumfries, great British, dates TBA

Division IIA: bytom, Poland from April 7-13

Division IIB: Dunedin, New Zealand from April 14-30

Division 3A: belgrade, Serbia from March 2-8

Division 3B: Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina from February 20-26

We also have the U18 tournament dates!

Top division; Vantaa, Finland from January 5-12

Division IA: TBA

division IB: Katowice, Poland January 7-13

Division IIA: Riga, Latvia from January 13-19

Division IIB: Istanbul, turkey from January 18-24

[a-typical]

There were also many passionate, highly controversial opinions expressed which, at the very least, give a sense of how deeply people feel about the subject. Here's a smattering:

All the smart kids are looking for the fast buck these days, so they become lawyers, not scientists.

I don't want you to improve education. Then there'd be nobody to drive the cabs.

The problem in science education is that God isn't sufficiently honored.

The fundamentalist teaching that science is 'humanism' and is to be mistrusted is the reason nobody understands science. Religions are afraid of the skeptical thinking at the heart of science. Students are brainwashed not to accept scientific thinking long before they get to college.

Science has discredited itself. It works for politicians. It makes weapons, it lies about marijuana 'hazards', it ignores about the dangers of agent orange, etc.

The public schools don't work. Abandon them. Let's have private schools only.

We have let the advocates of permissiveness, fuzzy thinking and rampant socialism destroy what was once a great educational system.

The school system has enough money. The problem is that the white males, usually coaches, who run the schools would never (and I mean never) hire an intellectual... They care more about the football team than the curriculum and hire only submediocre, flag-waving, God-loving automatons to teach. What kind of students can emerge from schools that oppress, punish and neglect logical thinking?

Release schools from the stranglehold of the ACLU [American Civil Liberties Union], NEA [National Education Association], and others engaged in the breakdown of the discipline and competence in the schools.

I'm afraid you have no understanding of the country in which you live. The people are incredibly ignorant and fearful. They will not tolerate listening to any [new] idea... Don't you get it? The system survives only because it has an ignorant God-fearing population. There's a reason lots of [educated people] are unemployed.

I'm sometimes required to explain technological issues to Congressional staffers. Believe me, there's a problem in science education in this country.

— The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark - Carl Sagan (1996)

[lboogie1906]

Mary Hatwood Futrell (born May 24, 1940) was an educator and the fourth person of color to become President of the National Education Association. She was born in Altavista, Virginia to Josephine, a domestic and factory worker, and her father, a construction worker, who died of kidney disease when she was four years old.

Her teachers presented her with an envelope containing an informal scholarship, collected from local churches, businesses, and individuals, in the amount of $1,500.

At Virginia State College, she became a cheerleader, as well as a member of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority. She graduated with a BA in Business Education. She became part of the first Black teaching staff at George Washington High School in Alexandria. In 1967, facing strong opposition, she did not win a seat, but challenged the election in court and won.

She earned her MA in Secondary Education from George Washington University. She was elected President of the Education Association of Alexandria. She became the first African American president of the Virginia Education Association.

She married Donald Futrell (1977) a physical education teacher and coach. She was elected to the board of the NEA. She took the full-time position of secretary-treasurer for the NEA.

She was elected President of the organization. People magazine named her “one of the most powerful Black women in America.” She became the associate director of the Center for the Study of Education and National Development at George Washington University while earning her Ph.D.

She was named Dean of the Graduate School of Education and Human Development. She founded Education International and was the first president of the organization. She holds more than twenty honorary degrees. She has published numerous articles and journals in numerous quarterlies on education reform and policies and has received dozens of awards. She serves as Professor Emerita for Education Policy at George Washington University. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence #deltasigmatheta

[apollopigeon]

If we want the rewards of getting laid, we have to submit to the mortifying ordeal of being known

I’d met him just a few hours before; like nearly all men I’ve known for a few hours, he was nice but average, unstimulating; I’d introduced myself with a polite handshake and didn’t think much of it. This is why now, locked in eye contact, it was absolutely disconcerting that my vagina was wet. This had never happened to me before.

In laying himself out honestly before me, it was also not for me; we were staring at each other, but he spoke the truth into the floor, into the world, owned and full and unapologetic. It wasn’t to try to get me to view him a certain way. It was completely independent of me. And with that, my brain compulsively flashed a visual of us having sex.

This felt like the orange-on-a-tree to pickup artistry’s orange-flavor juice. While pickup artistry often involved slightly warping yourself to becoming a probability-of-sex-maximizing-machine, this practice felt more like surrender; instead of sex-goal orientation, this was letting go in full honesty. It was that ancient annoying trick of getting the thing you want through not trying to get the thing you want.

[sonumerge]

Top Computer Software Training Institute | Merge Computer Classes

[prachicomputer]

Which computer class teach digital marketing with certification in Gandhinagar?

[tirthcomputer]

ONLINE MARKETING

Hi guys. You know what Marketing is . But what is Online Marketing ? Online Marketing is advertising and  marketing the products or services of a business over internet. In Online Marketing, you can promote the  products and services via websites,blogs,email,social media forums ,PPC and Apps.  

What On Line Marketing can do for the entrepreneurs?  

Market Research: This helps you in enhancing your market understandings such as  

1. Reviewing your website traffic.  

2. Reviewing your Ad conversion rates.  

3. Review the queries asked by your existing customer.  

4. Identify your customer’s pain point.  

5. Compiling FAQs.  

Keyword Research and SEO friendly Website: This helps you in choosing a correct and a relevant set of  key words fully focusing on the pain points of the customers,appropriate & eye catching titles,meta  descriptions,web site speed,links etc. for designing a crisp and persuasive advertisement.  

Web Analytics: This identifies actionable insight and necessary changes into your web site.  

Online Advertising: This helps in placing crisp, simple and tempting Ads on your website and on your smart  phones so as to help your business grow.  

Social Media Marketing : This will help the entrepreneurs in creating their brand on social media platforms  such as Google plus, Linkdin,Pinterest,Twitter,Face book,Email etc. It assures that you remain connected to  the iexisting or potential customers , build awareness about the products and services and create interest in  the minds of the customers.  

Content and Blog Marketing: This helps in creating and sharing various content and blogs so as to attract and  retain customers.  

Internet Forums: This will facilitate in creating message boards for online discussions.  

Online Marketing is hassle free ,reachable to maximum percentage of purchasing populace, is easier to  setup,run, monitor and the results are trackable and measurable . It is considered cheaper in comparison to  print marketing and advertising on TV &Radio.  

[himalcomputer]

ONLINE MARKETING

Hi guys. You know what Marketing is . But what is Online Marketing ? Online Marketing is advertising and  marketing the products or services of a business over internet. In Online Marketing, you can promote the  products and services via websites,blogs,email,social media forums ,PPC and Apps.  

What On Line Marketing can do for the entrepreneurs?  

Market Research: This helps you in enhancing your market understandings such as  

1. Reviewing your website traffic.  

2. Reviewing your Ad conversion rates.  

3. Review the queries asked by your existing customer.  

4. Identify your customer’s pain point.  

5. Compiling FAQs.  

Keyword Research and SEO friendly Website: This helps you in choosing a correct and a relevant set of  key words fully focusing on the pain points of the customers,appropriate & eye catching titles,meta  descriptions,web site speed,links etc. for designing a crisp and persuasive advertisement.  

Web Analytics: This identifies actionable insight and necessary changes into your web site.  

Online Advertising: This helps in placing crisp, simple and tempting Ads on your website and on your smart  phones so as to help your business grow.  

Social Media Marketing : This will help the entrepreneurs in creating their brand on social media platforms  such as Google plus, Linkdin,Pinterest,Twitter,Face book,Email etc. It assures that you remain connected to  the iexisting or potential customers , build awareness about the products and services and create interest in  the minds of the customers.  

Content and Blog Marketing: This helps in creating and sharing various content and blogs so as to attract and  retain customers.  

Internet Forums: This will facilitate in creating message boards for online discussions.  

Online Marketing is hassle free ,reachable to maximum percentage of purchasing populace, is easier to  setup,run, monitor and the results are trackable and measurable . It is considered cheaper in comparison to  print marketing and advertising on TV &Radio.  

[abroad-education]

Beginning a venture to New Zealand, be it for educational pursuits, career prospects, or personal development, represents a thrilling and life-changing endeavor. Proficiency in English holds a pivotal role in achieving success in New Zealand, with the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) serving as a crucial pathway. In this blog, we will delve into the impact of IELTS Coaching in Ahmedabad, on molding your expedition to New Zealand, navigating through its stunning landscapes, embracing its top-tier education, and capitalizing on its flourishing job market.

[marjoleinekramer]

Kunstdepot bij COVRA heropend, aan de slag met zoekwoorden onderzoek en zelf een keer 'in the picture'

Afgelopen half jaar stond in het teken van persoonlijke ontwikkeling. Ik heb veel over mijzelf en communiceren met anderen mogen leren met coach Astrid Hartog en ook veel geleerd van de boeken 'Omringd door idioten' en ' Omringd door slechte bazen en luie werknemers'. Deze zijn erg komisch geschreven en het maakt bepaald gedrag van mensen in je omgeving toch ook op een leuke manier inzichtelijk. Waarom gedraagt iemand zich op een bepaalde manier? En hoe zorg je dan dat je iemand wel bereikt, wanneer hij/zij ergens met de spreekwoordelijke 'totaal andere bril/hoed' naar kijkt? Er zat voor mij een grote mate van herkenbaarheid in en heeft me inzicht gegeven in bepaalde dynamieken, zowel thuis als op het werk.

Kunstdepot heropend Het kunstdepot in het opslaggebouw voor laag- en middelradioactief afval (LOG) bij COVRA is begin februari heropend. Gasten konden die dag ervaren dat bewaren een kunst op zich is. Gedeputeerde Harry van der Maas verzorgde het openingswoord en archeologe Marie-France van Oorsouw vertelde iets over het belang van afval en de mooie dingen die je er in kan vinden. Onno Bakker (directeur Maritiem Muzeeum Zeeland) en Jan Boelen (algemeen directeur COVRA) openden het vernieuwde depot vervolgens door met veegwagens door een stapel verhuisdozen van het depot te rijden. De gasten konden het depot daarna uitvoerig bekijken.

Omroep Zeeland heeft nieuwsbericht geschreven over de heropening van het kunstdepot in het LOG (opslaggebouw voor laag- en middelradioactief afval) bij COVRA. Ook was Gabrielle Bouwman van het muZEEum woensdag 7 februari Zeeuw van de Dag bij Omroep Zeeland op de radio.

Opening TLG bij COVRA Precies een maand later hadden we opnieuw een opening; 7 maart is het Transport- en LogistiekGebouw (TLG) geopend. De collega's van transport hebben nu eindelijk hun nieuwe gebouw om vanuit te werken met hun vrachtwagens en emballage. De interne opening heb ik helpen voorbereiden, het was leuk om zoiets voor collega's te doen (ook al was ik die dag van de opening zelf op skivakantie).

Overname van een oude kerncentrale Later die maand werd bekend dat COVRA eigenaar wordt van de voormalige kerncentrale in Dodewaard. Niet alleen de PZC berichtte hierover, maar ook Omroep Zeeland en de NOS. Zeeuwen gaan volgens directeur Harald Schoenmakers helemaal niets merken van de overname. Schoenmaker is directeur van het Nederlands Elektriciteit Administratiekantoor (NEA), eigenaar van de aandelen van GKN. “Bij de centrale in Dodewaard werken drie mensen, die blijven daar werken. Alleen de aansturing en alles wat daarmee te maken heeft, gebeurt door COVRA.” En dat betekent concreet vooral aandacht voor de sloop van de centrale, die zo’n tien jaar duurt. “Maar daar gaan natuurlijk jaren van voorbereiding aan vooraf.” COVRA wordt daarmee dan ook verantwoordelijk voor de ontmanteling van de oude kerncentrale.

Leesvoer: Jaarrapport 2023 Begin mei is het Jaarrapport van 2023 gepubliceerd. Dit is te downloaden via de COVRA website. In dit rapport is meer te lezen over thema’s en projecten die in 2023 in de aandacht stonden bij COVRA. Naast het verslag van de directie en van de Raad van Commissarissen is ook de jaarrekening onderdeel van het rapport.

Veilige opslag radioactief afval van kernenergie TW (Technisch Weekblad) heeft een verhaal geschreven over een veilige opslagplek voor kernafval voor de komende 200.000+ jaar. Op woensdag 29 mei verscheen dit verhaal over de oplossing voor radioactief afval van kernenergie op hun website, waarin algemeen directeur van COVRA Jan Boelen is geïnterviewd.

Marketing social media en speciale objecten In 2024 zijn we verder gaan de slag gegaan met marketing op META (het moederbedrijf van Facebook, Instagram en Whatsapp). Momenteel promoten we landkaartjes van provincies, met de woonplaatsen waar COVRA in de loop der jaren radioactief afval heeft opgehaald. 

Het kaartje met ophaalpunten van radioactief afval in heel Nederland

Het doel van deze promotie op Facebook en Instagram is meer bezoekers naar onze website krijgen, en dan met name op de pagina: https://www.covra.nl/nl/radioactief-afval/waar-wij-radioactief-afval-hebben-opgehaald/. Dat gaat voorlopig best aardig!

Ook laten we sinds april speciale objecten uit de Voorlichting bij COVRA zien op social media. Denk dan aan radioactief behang, een verzameling aan radioactieve stenen of een portret van één van de Radium Girls.

Zoekwoorden onderzoek website In het verlangde van deze wensen en doelen is er ook een een zoekwoorden onderzoek gedaan voor de COVRA website. Hiermee kun je zien waar mensen in zoekmachines als Google op zoeken en hoe vaak ze dan bij COVRA als informatiebron terechtkomen. Betreft radioactief afval in Nederland is het natuurlijk wel de bedoeling dat mensen ons gemakkelijk kunnen vinden, dus we hebben onze website weer iets op aangepast naar de wensen van Google.

Foto's en video over de bouw van het MOG We hebben een nieuwe video gemaakt over ons nieuwe gebouw, het Multifunctioneel OpslagGebouw (MOG). Deze ging over de visie van de eindgebruiker. Eerder zijn er video's gemaakt over het vergunningstraject en het ontwerp van de installaties. Ook ben ik regelmatig met onze huisfotograaf op de bouwplaats te vinden, om het proces van het ontstaan van zo'n opslaggebouw in beeld te brengen. De foto's en video’s zijn te zien op de projectpagina, maar ook op YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram en Twitter.

Intranet - projectmatig werken Mogelijk krijgt COVRA, net als vele bedrijven, een intranet voor de interne communicatie. Ik heb een projectvoorstel geschreven, de projectgroep opgericht en het plan van aanpak met planning is akkoord bevonden. Eerder dit jaar heb ik een enquête uitgezet onder collega's met de vraag naar hun behoeftes betreft zo'n intranet. Momenteel werk ik die behoeftes en andere bevindingen die hieruit naar voren kwamen uit in een rapport.

Zelf 'in the picture' Ook stond ik begin juli zelf in de Medewerkersrubriek op social media van COVRA. Ik vond het leuk om dit 'van de andere kant' ook eens mee te maken! Het verhaal is niet alleen gepubliceerd op LinkedIn, maar ook op Facebook en Instagram.

[whattheabcxyz]

2024-05-08

Singapore

2 men convicted in $3b money laundering case deported to Cambodia - good riddance!!!

NEA steps up measures to deter littering in hotspots

IRAS to claw back S$60m from buyers who used "99-to-1" loophole to avoid ABSD

Losses of over $100m prevented after more than 3K scams disrupted by police & banks - haven't we heard all this before?!

Ex-auxiliary cop jailed for misappropriating seized sex enhancement drugs for his own use

Amazon invests $12b in operations & cloud infrastructure here; also launches AI training scheme

Police have incurred $646K so far to maintain assets seized in $3b money laundering case - just f***in' auction them off ASAP ffs!!! 🤦‍♀️

Foreigners make up almost a third or more of PMET staff for 20% of larger firms here

Basketball coach who sexually abused 4 teen boys gets 19 years’ jail & caning

MAS to ensure DBS identifies root cause of recent disruptions & addresses it effectively

LTA says new onboard unit's power draw is comparable to an in-car camera's

Finance

Singapore is now world’s 4th wealthiest city, overtaking London

Business

Company running luxury timepiece investment scheme found to have breached contractual obligations to 5 HK investors - smells like a huge scam to me

Science

Is there a biological basis for why some organ recipients experience a personality change? - turns out there could be!

Health

Teens who vape have higher levels of uranium & lead in their bodies, scientists find - I don't think the stupids will care, since they were stupid enough to vape in the 1st place

Sports

British female darts star refuses to face transgender player allowed to compete in women's tournament - good for her; other sportswomen should be boycotting tournaments that allow this too, unless they don't mind going up against someone physically stronger than them & losing every time no matter how hard they train!!!

Singapore keen to host World Chess Championship at end-2024

Nature

^ Orang utan’s use of medicinal plant to treat wound intrigues scientists - it somehow knew to use a plant known for its pain-relieving & wound-healing properties!

Travel

Surge in Chinese tourist arrivals in Singapore for Labour Day "Golden Week"

[casspurrjoybell-25]

The Healer of Shakkara - Book Two

*Warning Adult Content*

Chapter 10 - Zenír - Part 3

"It did not go to plan, I take it?"

"No. Selah had his own plans for the evening but in the end, neither he nor my father would get their wish. I hadn't expected him to be there," Zenír said.

"My father had done a good job instilling fear in me by that point and I did my best to avoid him but eventually Selah succeeded in getting me alone."

He paused for a breath and went on in a soft, slow whisper.

"There were things I didn't know about Selah," he said.

"While I had thought all his wild plans to be mere fantasy, he had been quite serious in the intent. That night, he asked me to run away with him... steal a pair of horses from the stables and ride hard for the coast... board the first ship that would have us as a pair of hands and sail whither the wind would blow."

"You didn't go with him?"

Zenír shook his head.

"I was a coward, too scared of my father to dare his wrath again. I refused and tried to offer Selah the only future I could imagine for us... one in which I wed his sister and he and I contented ourselves with the love of friends."

He sighed.

"The other thing I didn't know was how truly desperate Selah was... desperate to be free and despairing that he should ever be so. When I refused to go with him, he accepted it with surprising ease. 'Let us share one last drink as lovers, then and one last kiss,' he said. He poured us each a glass of wine, we drank together and we kissed. 'If we cannot be free in this life, we must put our hope in the next,' he said and it was then I realized he had poisoned us both. The last thing I ever saw was his face and the last thing he ever saw was mine but while I survived, he did not."

Zenír took another breath.

"Ironically, it was my father who saved me. I was still recovering from the beating and his physician had given me something so I could dance unimpeded by pain. The herb was also a common antidote and for that reason alone I was spared. Still, Selah knew his business and the poison he'd dosed us with was a potent one. My recovery was long and far from certain. And in the meantime, my father had greater concerns. Selah's father remained unaware of the nature of my relations with his son and knew only that Selah had, for whatever reason, made an attempt on my life and ended his own. Eager to make amends and avoid suspicion, he was willing to give my father whatever he wanted."

"The Heart of Shakkara?"

"Indeed. My father still had one problem, though... me. My father never broke my spirit entirely but Selah's death and the loss of my sight left me crushed. It is difficult, when you are taught that the corruption in your soul will lead to grief and ruin, not to believe it is your fault when grief and ruin are visited upon you. I had no desire to disobey him again but this was not assurance enough, it seemed. I had caused him such trouble already, who knew what greater damage I might do? My 'sinful proclivities' aside, it was my gift that worried him... for as I began to recover, it was already clear that the loss of my sight had strengthened it."

"Maybe Selah gave him the idea... maybe I'm lucky he didn't have the heart to kill me himself. I don't know. All I know is, one day, when I was just well enough again to walk, I was taken from my bed in the hours before dawn and bundled into a carriage. The driver refused to speak to me and when he finally stopped, he threw me from the coach and drove away. I was very confused and entirely lost but at last ascertained that I was in a part of the city known as the Dregs, where beggars and cripples and prostitutes and other abandoned people lived. At first, I thought it was some test my father had devised... a lesson to teach me humility and shame and I began an attempt to make my way home."

"I would hardly have been better off with my sight than without it, though and was soon more hopelessly lost than ever. Eventually, I stopped to rest near the door of a tavern, the enticing scents of which awakened me to the fact I had no money. It was then I heard the bells in the temple begin to ring with the slow, solemn tolling that signaled someone of importance had died. A man walked by and catching the scent of expensive perfume... one I recognized from my father's soirees... I reached out and caught at the hem of his cloak. With an oath, he kicked me roughly and walked on. A different man, one who smelled of fish and unwashed flesh, stopped to help me."

********

'Ah, zenír, you are new to this life,' he said, in a harsh, accented voice.

'Why, your clothes are still clean. Don't worry... you will soon learn which sorts give coins and which give only kicks.'

'I did not want his coins,' I said.

'I only meant to ask for whom the bells toll.'

'Ah, a sad story, zenir,' he said.

'More tragedy for house Hespera. The archdeacon's son is dead.'

Shocked, I said nothing. Blind and with only the clothes on my back, no one would believe me if I told them who I was. No one was likely to recognize me, either, outside of the circles my father traveled in and even if I could find one of them, they were more likely to kick me than to listen to anything I had to say. My father had killed me without killing me, quite effectively.

'Here,' the stranger said and pressed a coin into my hand.

'Little as I can spare it, you look as if you need it more. Buy yourself something to eat and let the rich mourn the rich. The rest of us have enough sorrows. What's your name? I'll drop a word 'round. There's groups of us what pool our takings, so's none go hungry. Maybe some are takin' new recruits.'

'What is it you called me?' I asked.

'Zenír?'

'Ah, that's Abbaran,' he said.

'My mother tongue. Means 'stranger' but respectful, like.'

'That is my name then,' I said. 'Zenír.'

The man laughed.

'I like you, Zenír. You may call me Darwa.'

********

Darwa is a feminine Abbaran name and so I had my first lesson in survival on the streets, which is never to assume anything about anyone. Anyway, that is where I remained, scraping an existence in the Dregs, until I tried to pick the pocket of the wrong man, and met Sevhalim."

Iksthanis was silent for a moment, and when he spoke his voice was soft and rough with strain.

"You mean to tell me this whole time I have not even known your real name?"

"You have... it is Zenír," said he.

"It has been for years. Since the day the death bells rang for Alec di Hespera."

"You do know that none of that was your fault, don't you?" Iksthanis whispered.

"Selah, your father... none of it. You were a victim and blameless."

Zenír shrugged.

"I do and yet it is difficult not to imagine how things might have turned out if I had only been the son my father wished I was. He said my nature would bring me nothing but misery and pain and..."

"And has it? Is that all you have known?"

Zenír lifted himself and turned, though he could not see Iksthanis, he wanted the other man to see the honesty on his own face.

"No. Since I met Sevhalim and you and our friends... I have known wonders. You, especially, have taught me how to love selflessly and without fear."

"Then why are you trembling and why do you weep?" Iksthanis asked, brushing the back of his hand against Zenír's cheek.

"Because this war that is coming... the war that is already here... it is for the Heart of Sakkara, in more ways than one. We're going to need every piece of it, including the one in the Temple vault. Someday, Thanis, I want this for us... a peaceful, safe home, where we can simply live and love but we can't have it yet. Not if we want to help our friends... especially Galen. Now, I think that Alec di Hespera must rise from the dead and at long last, go home."

"For vengeance, I hope," Iksthanis growled.

The corners of Zenir's mouth twitched with a mix of emotions.

"Alec di Hespera... would need help with that... I think."

"He shall have it," Iksthanis said.

"If a man called Zenír will have me."

"I will," Zenír whispered and smiled as he was pushed into the pillows with a kiss.