Forget reappearances from the Master, the Cybermen and Captain Jack the latest episode of Doctor Who opted for a more deep-cut reference to the long-running shows past.

Can You Hear Me? by showrunner Chris Chibnall and a writer new to the series Charlene James saw the Doctor (Jodie Whittaker) and friends lured into a trap by Zellin (Ian Gelder), an immortal god who was haunting the dreams of humans, all to feed his beloved Rakaya (Clare-Hope Ashitey).

The Doctor remarks that Zellin isa mythical name, [from] way beyond this universe, with Gelders villain confirming that he and Rakaya are both all-powerful, ever-living beings, pitting two planets against each other purely to pass the time.

We immortals need our games, Doctor, Zellin says. Eternity is long and we are cursed to see it all.

He continued: The Eternals have their games, the Guardians have their power struggles. For me this dimension is a beautiful board for a game the Toymaker would approve.

Confused? If those references to Doctor Who history are lost on you, heres a handy explainer

Doctor Who Enlightenment BBC

Making their debut in the 1983 story Enlightenment, the Eternals are a race of elemental beings of immense power, capable of manipulating matter and creating objects out of thin air.

These amoral creatures, like Zellin, act purely for their own amusement, manipulating Ephemerals (read: mortal beings) for fun.

Though their origins are uncertain, the Eternals are said to live outside of time, in the realm of eternity and, in their first Doctor Who appearance, they participated in a race through space arranged by the Guardians of Time (more on them below).

The prize would be enlightenment the granting of their hearts desire brought to life, symbolised by a crystal. The Eternals copied ships from Earth history, fitted them with ion drives and sails to catch solar winds and used kidnapped humans to crew the crafts.

Though Eternals cannot be destroyed, the fifth Doctor (Peter Davison) and his companion Turlough (Mark Strickson) were able to defeat Captain Wrack (Lynda Baron), an Eternal in league with the Black Guardian, by throwing her overboard into space.

Though they didnt appear in Doctor Who again, the tenth Doctor (David Tennant) referenced the Eternals in 2006s Army of Ghosts, while the witch-like aliens the Carrionites mentioned how the Eternals had banished them into deep darkness soon after the dawn of the universe in 2007s The Shakespeare Code.

The aforementioned Guardians first appeared in Doctor Whos 16th season in 1978, a series of interlinked stories which saw the fourth Doctor (Tom Baker) on a quest to find the legendary Key to Time.

Transcendental beings who embodied aspects of the universe, immortal and indestructible, we met the White Guardian (Cyril Luckham) who represented light, order and structure and his eternal opponent the Black Guardian (Valentine Dyall) the personification of darkness, entropy and chaos.

The White Guardian sent the Doctor and his companion Romana on a mission to find the Key to Time, its pieces disguised and scattered across the universe, warning them that the Black Guardian planned to use the key as a weapon. Though the Doctor was able to reassemble the key, he eventually scattered the pieces back through time in order to prevent it falling into the Black Guardians clutches.

The Black Guardian sought revenge five years later (our time), recruiting the exiled alien Turlough to kill the Doctor in 1983s Mawdryn Undead. Turlough began travelling with the Time Lord and grew fond of him, turning against his master. He threw the enlightenment crystal at the Black Guardian, who vanished in a burst of flame, though the White Guardian warned that his nemesis could never be truly killed.

So how does the Toymaker fit into all this? Well, retroactively

Before Doctor Who canon was all that convoluted, the first Doctor (William Hartnell) encountered the Celestial Toymaker (Michael Gough) in a 1966 story bearing the villains name.

Here, the Doctor and his companions arrive in an otherworldly domain overseen by the Toymaker another immortal entity, who forces them to play a series of games, with the outcome deciding whether they will remain his playthings for all eternity.

The Doctor was of course able to outwit the Toymaker and escape, with the character never making an encore plans for a comeback in the 1980s fell by the wayside when Doctor Who was put on hiatus by the BBC during the Colin Baker era.

The Toymakers origins were never explained then-Doctor Who script editor Donald Tosh later revealed that, years before the Time Lords were established in canon, the Toymaker was supposed to be a member of the Doctors own race.

2001 spin-off novel The Quantum Archangel suggests that he is instead another Guardian a la White and Black the Crystal Guardian. This has never been verified on television, though Zellins comments in Can You Hear Me? do appear to confirm a link of some kind between all three beings

Doctor Who continues on BBC One at 7:10pm on Sundays

Read more:
Doctor Who: Who are the Eternals, the Guardians and the Toymaker? - RadioTimes

An intricately inlaid table made for Madame Infante, the daughter of Louis XV for the ducal Palace at Colorno will be offered for between US$100,000 and US$200,000 Courtesy of Christie's

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In April, Christies will host a sale of more than 250 pieces from a collection of Dalva Brothers, a New York-based art dealer that has been the go-to source for 18th-century French furniture and decorative arts for 87 years. The dealer is closing shop.

The sale, including European furniture, Svres porcelain, Chinese works of art, clocks, and sculpture, is expected to fetch approximately US$5 million.

The sale, titled Dalva Brothers: Parisian Taste In New York, has a strong representation of works of royal and aristocratic provenance, led by a Svres porcelain gold-ground teapot and cover (thire bouillotte) circa 1779, likely made for Marie Antoinette or Louis XV I. It has an estimate of between US$30,000 and US$50,000.

Additionally, an intricately inlaid table made for Madame Infante, the daughter of Louis XV for the ducal Palace at Colorno will be offered for between US$100,000 and US$200,000, as will a Consulat ormolu-mounted mahogany and Angoulme porcelain clock, circa 1800, supplied to the Chteau de Saint-Leu for Napoleons brother, Louis Bonaparte and his wife Hortense de Beauharnais, later the King and Queen of the Netherlands. It is estimated to fetch between US$60,000 and US$100,000.

Highlighting the 18th-century French furniture from the collection is a Louis XVI pietra dura and ormolu-mounted ebony secrtaire en cabinet by Adam Weisweiler and supplied by Dominique Daguerre, circa 1785-90. The cabinet has a presale estimate of between US$600,000 and US$1 million.

For the past eight decades, Dalva Brothers has worked with such institutions as the J. Paul Getty Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Palace of Versailles, and the Louvre. Private clients included Greta Garbo, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and John Dorrance, the former president of Campbells Soup.

While my family has been privileged to work with these objects from the Age of Enlightenment, this auction heralds a new chapter for Dalva Brothers, Leon Dalva, whose parents founded the business in 1933, said in a statement. It is our wish that these works of art will bring happiness to their new owners just as they have to my family and our clients over the years.

The family is closing the dealing business due to a variety of reasons, according to Jody Wilkie, co-chairman of decorative art at Christies New York.

Although the Dalva Brothers gallery in a six-story townhouse on East 77th Street is a warm, fascinating place to showcase their collection of antiques, the world in which they are operating has changed a great deal, Wilkie says.

Dalva Brothers used to be located on East 57th Street in Manhattan at a strip of major antiques stores, many of which already went out of business. The closing of the great treasure house is very much a New York story, Wilkie adds.

Highlights of the sale will be open to public view at Christies Rockefeller Galleries in New York starting on March 27 until the auction day, April 2. A second sale of the Dalva Brothers collection will take place at Christies Paris in November.

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Christies to Offer 18th-Century French Decorative Arts From Dalva Brothers - Barron's

One normally wouldnt consider North York a place where riches lie beneath the ground, but David Birnbaums basement tells another story.

Neatly arrayed, floor-to-ceiling, in crammed bookcases, filing cabinets, metal shelves, bankers boxes, document cases and bulging manila envelopes is a veritable treasure trove that libraries around the world would love to get their hands on.

Theres an Indiana Jones-ish vibe to pulling a dusty tome from a shelf, its leather binding cracked and decaying, or peering at fragments of a centuries-old Hebrew manuscript in a dim light.

Its hard and seems crass to put a dollar value on a collection this remarkable. Its worth millions, Birnbaum told The CJN. Were looking for a good home where it will be properly catalogued and digitized.

Thats easier said than done given the collections sheer size. But of late, two local scholars have embarked on a campaign to convince the University of Torontos Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library to acquire the storied Birnbaum Archives.

The collection centres almost wholly on two giants of 20th century Jewish thought and scholarship: Nathan Birnbaum (Davids grandfather), a hugely influential figure in European Jewry who died in 1937, and Solomon Birnbaum (Nathans son and Davids father), a world-renowned scholar of Yiddish and Hebrew who died in 1989 in Toronto at age 98.

The archives also hold the writings and artworks of two more of Nathan Birnbaums sons: Menachem, an artist who was murdered at Auschwitz in 1944, and Uriel, a writer and artist who died in 1956.

A stones throw from David Birnbaums house lie the papers and vast writings of his late brother Eleazar Birnbaum, an expert in Arabic, Persian and Turkish who taught at the University of Toronto and died last October at the age of 89.

Theres more: Eleazars and Davids brother, Jacob, was a key founder of the movement struggling on behalf of Soviet Jewry in the 1960s.

By any measure, this was a productive family.

Yes, they were all very prolific, understated David, who trained as an architect and worked as an environmental planner for the Ontario government. Hes curated the archives for 31 years, and now, at age 86, agrees its time for a permanent home where their contents could be preserved and studied.

Asked the size of the archive, which is spread out on two floors of his unassuming house, David sits back in his kitchen chair and thinks. It amounts, he said, to 5,200 letters, between 50,000 and 60,000 papers, documents and manuscripts, and some 3,000 books, which have been meticulously catalogued by whether they are by Nathan, Solomon, Uriel or Menachem, about them, or mention them.

A further 2,000 scholarly books, some of them rare, are in Solomons library.

Among the letters are 18 carefully preserved, handwritten missives from Theodor Herzl to Nathan Birnbaum (the two would have a falling out), and an invitation to speak co-signed by Albert Einstein. The correspondence alone represents a whos who of 20th century Jewish history: Letters to Birnbaum from Sholem Aleichem, Chaim Nachman Bialik, Max Nordau, Martin Buber, and I.L. Peretz, to name a few.

Scribblings, photographs, newspaper clippings, poems, personal notes, its all here.

The material would interest scholars for years to come, wrote Prof. Naomi Seidman, of U of Ts religion department, to the Fisher Library recently. We would love to see the Birnbaum Archive housed on the University of Toronto campus, not only for our own research, but also for the opportunities it presents to showcase the remarkable lives of this singular family.

Remarkable barely begins to describe Nathan Birnbaum. Born in Vienna in 1864, he championed a spectrum of radically opposed movements, according to Kalman Weiser, a professor of Modern Jewish Studies at York University.

Birnbaums life was a series of progressions some might say a trajectory first, as a leading figure in the Zionist movement well before Herzl (Birnbaum is credited with coining the term Zionism), then as an architect of Yiddish-based cultural autonomy for Eastern European Jews (he organized the landmark 1908 Yiddish language conference in Czernowitz, modern day Chernivtsi, now in Ukraine), and finally, as a leader in the staunchly anti-secular, anti-Zionist Agudath Israel party. He died in Holland.

Nathan Birnbaum was a pivotal figure in Jewish nationalist thought and Orthodoxy, whose chameleon-like transformations mirrored European Jewrys responses to the challenges posed by post-Enlightenment forces, noted Weiser.

His whole life consisted of what a Jew was, David Birnbaum said.

Solomon Birnbaum was also a maverick intellectual: An Orthodox Jew who authored the first modern grammar of Yiddish, written in the trenches of the First World War, and who devised an ingenious Yiddish spelling system that was introduced in Orthodox schools in Poland in the 1930s.

After fleeing to England in 1933, he became an expert in Hebrew paleography (the study of ancient writing systems and deciphering historical manuscripts) and epigraphy (the study and interpretation of ancient inscriptions.)

In 1947, he was able to date the Dead Sea Scrolls accurately by studying their scripts well before radiocarbon dating.

He came to Toronto to join his sons in 1970 and spent his remaining decades continuing his research into the evolution of the Hebrew alphabet, and lesser-known Jewish languages, such as Ladino, Bukharic (spoken in central Asia) and Yevanic (in Greece).

The output of father and son was staggering; it seems as though they saved every scrap of paper in their lives. How it all survived the Holocaust is another conversation.

The depth and importance of this archive cannot be easily exaggerated, noted the American scholar Jess Olson in his 2013 biography of Nathan Birnbaum.

The archives are indeed a big deal, said Weiser, who also favours their acquisition by U of Ts Fisher Library. Its the ideal place.

But essentially, it all comes down to money. A benefactor is needed to purchase the collection and donate it.

For Birnbaum, the treasure obviously strikes close to home. Rather than a dry impersonal historical record of well over 100 years of European Jewish history, he said, the archive reflects the experiences of those who actually lived that history.

Read more here:
A treasure trove of Jewish history is sitting in a North York basement - Canadian Jewish News

Beethovens music has a knack for embedding itself in our DNA. If the human brain came hardwired with a pre-set music library, his greatest hits likely loom atop that short list. With a limitless legacy and a persona bolstered by melodic achievements of legends echelons, it makes sense why the University of Houston is observing the 250th anniversary of the composers birth. Set to begin on February 17, UHs Moores School of Music will welcome internationally acclaimed guest artists, scholars, and panelists to Beethoven 250 UH 2020, a two week long festival devoted to Beethovens sestercentennial.

I think these moments give us a chance to come together as a community and to celebrate the greatness of human achievements, says Dr. Courtney Crappell, Director of the Moores School and Associate Professor of Piano and Piano Pedagogy at UH.

For the Houston community, we want people to be on our campus to experience it with us. Of course at [Moores] we are focused on our students experience. So for us to put this together on our campus, especially for the students who are with us right now at this moment in history...it gives us a chance to curate an experience for our students thats going to change them forever, says Crappell.

The festival will house residencies from the internationally heralded ensemble Formosa Quartet, and Hungarian violinist Kristf Barti, whose performances of Beethovens Violin Concerto in D Major, op. 61, in which he simultaneously plays the piece while conducting the orchestra from his violin (a feat he will repeat at his February 29 UH concert appearance) have garnered critical praise. Each week-long residency will include open rehearsals, masterclasses, and concerts open to both Moores students and the general public.

Im working to bring top musicians from all over the world to the school of music anytime we can do it, and every time we have the opportunity to do it, says Dr. Andrew Davis, Founding Dean of the Kathrine G. McGovern College of the Arts (home to the Moores School). He says that when he reached out to these artists, it was with only the festivals concept; the artists, in turn, chose the pieces to be programmed at the event, a decision Davis says helped maintain a collaborative spirit.

Im kind of a fan of letting the artist be the artist and not totally dictating what theyre going to do. So I give them the concept and let them go to work and theyve been really responsive. I think they put together a super exciting series of programs, says Davis of the performance calendar stacked with sonatas, chamber music, and the composers third symphony, the Eroica. Its enough to make any Houstonians Beethoven-loving heart skip a beat.

In curating the festivals lineup of guest artists, Davis prioritized the students musical needs, stressing the importance of these artists interacting with some of UHs most musically inclined Coogs.

We would not bring them to the school if we weren't confident that they would impact the students in a positive way. We're not going to bring people to the school who just have no interest in teaching and no interest in interacting with students and making an impact. We're going to invite people we know love students and love the teaching aspect of what they do. These big events are an opportunity to bring people like that to the school of music and simultaneously make a wider impact in the community because there's something here for everyone whether you're a scholar, a musician, a professional, an amateur, or just a fan of the music of Beethoven, it'll be a great two weeks for every one of those audiences, says Davis.

As UH maintains its influence as a research university, Davis wanted to add dimensions of history, philosophy, scholarship, and humanities to the festival - something, he says, he deeply values.

I'm really interested in working across disciplines and I really believe that its not all about the music; it's about the study of the music, the interpretation of the music, and all of the ways that you can connect the music to the other disciplines in the university.

Beethoven 250 UH 2020 welcomes Formosa Quartet to the Moores School of Music for a week long residency open to students and the public beginning February 17.

Photo by Sam Zauscher

Beethoven 250 UH 2020 will host some of the worlds top Beethoven scholars, including UCLAs William Kinderman, in a series of academic conferences and lectures designed to appeal to both scholarly audiences and the wider public. Guest speaker Kinderman will be speaking about the political aspects of Beethoven.

Beethoven was struggling politically in a way that resonates not only in our era, but you can probably find resonance in any era politically about the freedom of the individual, and how does the individual express oneself with freedom of speech, the freedom of emotion, and the freedom to be who you are?, says Davis.

I think there's a lot of resonance and a lot that we can take from Beethoven and his struggles as an artist and his solution to these struggles as an artist. I think there's a lot we can take from that that's informative for the way we live our lives, the way we deal with politics, and these issues today. Honestly, that's why I think we all study history, that's why we all go to the university - so you can get an education. You don't study history because its some artifact. You study it because it's real, it repeats itself, it goes in cycles, you learn from it, and it influences the way you make decisions. That's why you're studying this stuff; that's why we're doing that at the teachers level; that's why we bring Beethoven back and we really study him hard, says Davis, noting the composers status as a great intellectual figure in the history of the Western world.

Hes the first one that interrogates it really hard and goes beyond the 18th century Enlightenment to explore what's inside of you. What's going on with all these inner voices inside your head? What's going on on an emotional level, or a psychological level, and how do I express that in music? The enlightenment is all about ration, reason, and logic; if you can't explain it, then you don't need to be talking about it. Well, Beethoven is interested in [that]. Everything that happens on a real, human, emotional psychological level - how do I get at that in music? He's really the first one in music, I think, who really systematically explores that at a really deep level. That's what makes him the first romantic, and I think that's the essence of what makes him important.

Dr. Courtney Crappell echoes Davis perspective.

There are some figures in human history that loom large, and Beethoven's one of them. I know that sounds very grandiose but I don't think it is too much when we talk about Beethoven. You think of how significant his works are, and you think of even the most popular piece, maybe the most recognized piece in the world - the 5th Symphony. You can sit and listen to that work over and over. Every time you hear it, youre changed. You think about what humanity has accomplished together, and that's a signal that you've got a great piece of art. Something that can be revisited over a lifetime without growing stale, says Crappell, calling Beethovens music a touchstone.

If you're looking at something that explores beyond or breaks boundaries, well, you need a reference point to see how they're doing that. Beethoven provides that for us.

Crappell shines light on Beethovens cross generational influence, informing genres like musical theater and musicians such as Billy Joel and Elton John.

The musical aesthetics of Beethoven are present in all of them. You think about the core aesthetics he plays with, whether that's metric placements, the rhythmic syncopation, the longer durations of harmonies, or the harmonic progressions themselves; you can look at a piece of modern music and almost compare it directly to the music of Beethoven and find sometimes, you just change the piano - you can just change the left hand accompaniment patterns - and it sounds like Beethoven instead of Journey.

Dont stop believing in Beethoven at Beethoven 250 UH 2020. The festival runs from February 17 through February 29. For a full calendar of events visit uh.edu/kgmca/events/beethoven-250/.

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UH To Honor Beethoven with Two Week Music Festival - Houston Press

Exercise....to many people it is a way of life. To others, it is a like a four-letter word! Which way do you look at it? If exercise is a part of your daily routine, you probably have loved ones or friends that you truly care about that really need to be a little more active. With February being National Heart month plus the month of LOVE, read ahead to see how you can encourage those people close to your heart to take better care of their bodies.

So, how can you do this? About every magazine that you pick up, there is an article on weight loss or some type of exercise. There are TV channels specifically geared to fitness and exercise. You are able to YouTube all sorts of routines that you can exercise to on your phone or computer. Gyms and workout facilities are constantly offering incentives to join. Its hard if you are a regular exerciser to figure out why in the world a person doesnt want to improve their health.

I have been in this business long enough and have heard all of the excuses. What are or have been the barriers in the past that have hindered exercising? If it is lack of time, help organize and plan a routine for your loved one. Meet up on your way home from work at a gym. Wake up a little earlier in the morning to take a walk together. Give up a favorite activity to make time for some physical activity. You must demonstrate sincere care and support.

Has there been some lack of motivation? Be there for them and encourage, encourage, encourage. Be careful not to nag or constantly harp on them. Suggest activities that they enjoy, are fun, and excite them. Being too enthusiastic and overaggressive can backfire. Be a role model and insure that you will be with them every step of the way. If joining a gym or fitness facility, make sure it is convenient and has user friendly equipment that will keep you both coming. Reinforce the idea that persistence will produce results, although gradual at times, but they will come.

Don't let your loved ones compare themselves to others. Focus on their personal accomplishments. Set realistic goals that are achievable. Make sure you acknowledge their gains and triumphs! Reward them with healthy gifts not a calorie-filled dessert. Looking good for vacation or special family events such as reunions or weddings are great incentives.

Share what has worked for you and educate about the benefits of exercise if you need to. You may be close to a young person with a diagnosis of a heart problem, Type 2 diabetes, or asthma or are overweight. They might be unaware of the benefits of exercising. Take them to a professional to help relay the message of the benefits of physical activity. Tell them you want them to enjoy a more active, fulfilled life which can be attained if they start working out.

During this month set aside for love especially, dont hold back in trying to motivate a loved one or friend to add some physical activity into their life. By encouraging them to make their lives more active, you are hopefully adding years for a longer, healthier life together.

Julie Kirk is a fitness instructor at Great River Health Fitness. Her column appears in Living Well the second Tuesday of each month.

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Focus on Fitness: Motivate the Ones You Love - Burlington Hawk Eye

Dimitrios Marinakis was born on 23 March, 1971 in Myrina, Lemnos. He studied Civil Engineering and worked as an independent civil engineer. In 2002, he was elected for the first time as member of the Municipal Council and was appointed as Vice-Mayor, President of the Sports Organization and representative at Local Union of Communities & Municipalities of Lesbos.

In 2010, Marinakis was elected as a member of the Municipal Council for a second time. In 2014 his party won the local elections in the first round and has become Mayor of Lemnos in September of 2014. He was re-elected in the 2019 municipal elections.

Lemnos by night. Photo by Lemnos Municipality

Thank you very much. Lemnos is an exquisite place, where one can enjoy a lot of things and discover many pleasant surprises. We are very proud of our historical background, our cultural heritage which dates since the prehistoric days, our gastronomy, and tradition, human and natural landscape.

Lemnos has also a very interesting modern profile, as our island tries to keep up with European and international developments, by adopting new policies in several sectors, such as environment, social protection, energy efficiency, animal protection etc. We have already won two national awards for our environmental initiatives in waste management.

First of all, we focus on continuing and accelerating the completion of our ongoing projects, so we can start new ones, by taking advantage of several financing programs and by absorbing the maximum possible amount of resources. Through these projects, we can significantly improve our infrastructure, such as construction or maintaining of buildings (i.e. schools), sports infrastructures, waste and water management, flood protection etc.

We want to modernize our infrastructure, improve our citizens quality of life and make Lemnos even more attractive to our visitors and more open to the European and international community.

Also, a very important issue for us is waste management. We want to further improve our numbers in recycling and increase peoples awareness of recycling and composting. We also focus on better management of natural resources and on being more energy efficient.

Our Organization of Education, Lifelong Learning, Culture and Sports organizes and supports many sports events during the whole year. Our aim is to bring young people closer to athletic activity, which is basic for their good health, their mental and physical growth. It is definitely a way to be active and learn to act as team players. We support local athletic clubs and sports academies and we co-organize sports events (in football, basketball, athletics, sea sports etc.) throughout the year.

The last five years Municipality of Lemnos organizes the international sports event Lemnos Ancient Pentathlon, which takes place every July with the participation of teams from European or other cities. According to the myth, Lemnos was the place where the ancient pentathlon was born during Argonauts passing. It is an event that promotes fair play and brings together young people from different places and different cultures.

With this opportunity we would like to invite Municipalities from all Europe or any other city that would like to participate in this years event to express interest and join us. It is a really exciting experience for all participants. You can find further information in ourwebsite.

We try to encourage people to stay in Lemnos and hopefully, despite the recent crisis which caused serious problems, we see a lot of young couples choosing Lemnos to raise their children, because of the very good level of life quality. We are in a constant effort to improve the infrastructures in our towns and villages and we encourage and support in any possible way activities that create better conditions for future growth.

I really believe that the interconnection between municipalities is crucial. We can all have very important benefits in many areas. For a remote and rather small place like Lemnos, it is very important to be able to follow the European developments, in order to get new ideas and apply innovative and most of all efficient policies.

Your website is a very useful tool for municipalities and citizens. We definitely need more information about Europe and European Union as we all now live under the same European sky.

We want to conclude our current infrastructure projects and start new ones. We also want to improve our water resources, because better water and waste management are among our priorities. We also focus on improving our citizens everyday life, on better management of our human resources and we plan more initiatives for tourism and entrepreneurship, social security, culture and sports.

With our decisions, our actions and initiatives we aim to improve the living conditions of the citizens of Lemnos and to offer motivation for young people to stay and be active here. We work on the direction of the sustainable growth with respect to the environment and its needs.

Find out more about Lemnoshere

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We aim to improve the living conditions in Lemnos and to offer motivation for young people to stay and be active here - TheMayorEU

New Delhi, Feb 11(IANS):Hockey India on Monday congratulated India midfielder Vivek Sagar Prasad on being adjudged FIH's Rising Star of the Year 2019.

Vivek, who made his international debut in January 2018 during a tour to New Zealand, was part of the Indian team that won the FIH Men's Hockey Series Finals in Bhubaneswar.

He said the recognition is a big motivation and he wants to strive harder. Vivek also played a key role in India's performance in the Olympic qualifiers in November last year where they edged out Russia to earn a ticket to 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Vivek was up against Argentina's Maico Casella, Australia's Blake Govers, Zachary Wallace of Great Britain and Jonas De Geus of the Netherlands.

"This is a big moment for me and I thank everyone who voted for me. This comes as a big motivation to strive harder for the Indian team and give my best, as we aim to achieve higher goals for the country. I would also like to thank my teammates, especially the seniors who always motivated me. If I made any mistake, they encouraged me to give my best," said an elated Vivek, who had led the India U-18 team to silver medal at the 2018 Youth Olympics in Argentina.

Hockey India President Mohd Mushtaque Ahmad said, "I congratulate Vivek for winning the prestigious FIH Rising Star of the Year award. He has transitioned into the senior team well and has been effective in the midfield, carrying out his duties as expected. I wish him the best in his future endeavours and hope this award motivates him to do better for the team."

Read the rest here:
Award big motivation, want to strive harder for India: Vivek - Daijiworld.com

Leeds United travel to Griffin Park on Tuesday night to face Brentford in the Championship and some of the clubs supporters believe that comments from oppositions manager should serve as the perfect motivation.

The Whites go into the midweek fixture on the back of four defeats from their previous five league games and it means they only sit second in the table on goal difference.

Marcelo Bielsas side have seen their advantage in the automatic promotion spots completely cut and now they need to quickly turn their form around.

The Yorkshire giants travel to an in-form Brentford side that are fifth in the Championship and they will leapfrog them with a win.

Leeds did beat Brentford 1-0 at Elland Road in the reverse fixture this season, but they suffered a 2-0 loss on their trip to Griffin Park last season to dent their automatic promotion hopes at the time.

Brentford manager Thomas Frank has been speaking ahead of his sides match on Tuesday and believes that Leeds will be dreading facing them.

We definitely have more momentum than Leeds right now. Everyone knows how much I respect Marcelo Bielsa and what he has done to build up Leeds as a club and as a team but they couldnt pick a worse place to play Tuesday night, Frank said, as quoted by the clubs official Twitter account.

(Photo by Ashley Allen/Getty Images)

A selection of Leeds supporters on social media believe that manager Frank has given the perfect fuel to spark a response from the players.

They know they are in for a difficult fixture on Tuesday, but they do have talisman Kalvin Phillips back in midfield from suspension and know they have a chasing pack breathing down their neck in the league table.

Here are some Leeds fans responding to Franks pre-match comments:

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Leeds fans believe comments from Brentford manager are the perfect motivation - TBR - The Boot Room - Football News

Julian Alaphilippe (Deceuninck-QuickStep) had a bit of a false start this season after abandoning the Vuelta a San Juan in Argentina last month after just two stages, a stomach bug and the inability to eat having robbed him of his strength.

But the 27-year-old Frenchman will be back in the saddle this week at the Tour Colombia 2.1, hoping to get his season back on the track it took in 2019, when he seized 12 wins, including Strade Bianche, Milan-San Remo, Flche Wallonne and two stages at the Tour de France. Alaphilippe also wore the French Grand Tours yellow jersey for 13 days, driving his countrymen into a frenzy.

Alaphilippe started his 2019 season in fine form in Argentina, taking two stage wins there and then adding another in Colombia. Hes hoping to replicate that early season form again after shaking off the bug and traveling to Colombia early to train with some teammates.

For sure I want to see our team win a stage, he said Monday at the official press conference in Paipa. There are a lot of possibilities to win stages this week with [sprinter] Alvaro [Hodeg] and stages that are more difficult for Bob [Jungels] and me. Im motivated and the shape is good.

Alaphilippe instigated and helped drive the race-defining move last year, getting into a breakaway on stage 5 to La Union that also included overall race favourites Miguel Angel Lopez (Astana), Richard Carapaz (racing at the time for Movistar), Daniel Martinez (EF Pro Cycling) and Ivan Sosa (Team Ineos). Alaphilippe took the stage win and race lead on the day, but hed surrender it to Lopez up the climb of Alto de Palmas on the final day. Expect similar antics from the precocious rider again this year.

For me, Colombia is always good preparation to start the season because we arrived before the race for training to get used to the altitude, he said. The race is always hard and the level also with the riders. Its a good way to start the season before we go back to Europe.

I hope to be in good shape to continue to do some attacks and try to win a stage, he continued. For sure it will be a little bit more easy for Egan [Bernal] to win, because its always hard here in Colombia.

The race wont dip below 2,590 metres of elevation this year, making it tough going under any circumstances, but the climbs on offer in 2020 are not quite as difficult as last year. Alaphilippes teammate Bob Jungels, who won the stage in Medellin in 2019, addressed this years route during the press conference.

I think this year the roads might be a little easier on paper than last year, the Luxembourg champion said. But I think here at altitude nothing is really easy, but we will see. We hope to be as successful as last year.

When we were here last year, we combined the race with a training camp and it worked out really well," Jungels said. "The main reason why we came back is Colombia is a wonderful country and weve had super good training. And, like I said, the start of the season was ideal after that, and I think from the organisation to the hotels and all the race courses, its ideal for us to prepare again, and we are very happy to be here.

Alaphilippe agreed with his teammates assessment of the country theyll be racing in for the next six days, and he added a bit more.

Its always nice to be in Colombia because of the atmosphere and the people, just everything, Alaphilippe said. If I can, I would like to continue every year to start my season here.

Original post:
Julian Alaphilippe: I'm motivated and the shape is good - Cyclingnews.com

Allan Saint-Maximin has urged his Newcastle United team-mates 'to keep going' because it will be 'crazy' in the city if they 'go and do everything well'.

Quickly establishing himself as a firm fans' favourite, Saint-Maximin has stepped up as the Magpies' talisman since completing his move from Nice last summer.

The Frenchman has had a greater positive influence on his team's win rate than any other Premier League player this season and the black-and-whites' points per game jumps from 0.54 in the 13 matches he has not started to two per game when he has.

In his last appearance before the winter break - the 3-2 victory against Oxford United - Saint-Maximin fired his side into the last 16 of the FA Cup for the first time since 2006 with a late, late goal in extra time.

"That's why I tried to do everything because I know that," he told NUFC TV of the Magpies' 14-year wait to make it into the fifth round. "That's why when I scored I went directly to the fans because I know it's really important for the fans, for the history and for the club - and I'm really happy to give this to the fans.

"We have to keep going. We know if we go and do everything well, in Newcastle, everything can be crazy. We want to do everything for this."

Saint-Maximin, who only returned from a hamstring lay-off last month, has jetted off for some sun during the winter break and has also used his time off to do some gymwork.

The 22-year-old will hope to start against Arsenal on Sunday and can't wait for Newcastle's trip to West Brom next month as the Magpies look to make the quarter-finals of the FA Cup for the first time since 2006.

"I'm really happy. I think the fans are happy now because we play against West Brom and we have to do the same: work a lot and learn because we know it's really difficult to win a game in the FA Cup," he added. "The atmosphere is different, they don't play in the same pitch. They do everything - it's like a final. We have to keep going to win the next game."

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'Everything can be crazy' - Allan Saint-Maximin on Newcastle United's added motivation - Chronicle Live