Latest news with #HarryPotter-style
Washington Post
4 days ago
- Sport
- Washington Post
Ten Hag says he can't work Harry Potter-style magic to hasten Leverkusen rebuild
LEVERKUSEN, Germany — Erik ten Hag has warned he can't work Harry Potter-style magic to forge a new-look Bayer Leverkusen into a true team as the ex-Manchester United manager prepares for his first game in charge. Ten Hag's first job since leaving United sees the Dutch coach faced with a major rebuild at Leverkusen following the departure of his title-winning predecessor Xabi Alonso and key players including Florian Wirtz , Jeremie Frimpong and Granit Xhaka .
Toronto Star
4 days ago
- Sport
- Toronto Star
Ten Hag says he can't work Harry Potter-style magic to hasten Leverkusen rebuild
LEVERKUSEN, Germany (AP) — Erik ten Hag has warned he can't work Harry Potter-style magic to forge a new-look Bayer Leverkusen into a true team as the ex-Manchester United manager prepares for his first game in charge. Ten Hag's first job since leaving United sees the Dutch coach faced with a major rebuild at Leverkusen following the departure of his title-winning predecessor Xabi Alonso and key players including Florian Wirtz, Jeremie Frimpong and Granit Xhaka.
CairoScene
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- CairoScene
This Escape Hotel in Saudi Turns Your Stay Into a Survival Game
This Escape Hotel in Saudi Turns Your Stay Into a Survival Game Explore spellbinding escape rooms—from cursed tombs to jungle chaos—at the Escape Hotel. Found in Jeddah and Riyadh, it's a full-day plunge into puzzles, pressure, and team dynamics. Of all the ways to spend a night off in Riyadh or Jeddah, choosing to get locked in a room on purpose might sound…questionable. But at The Escape Hotel, that's quite literally the check-in process. Just you, your crew, and an ominous voice announcing you've got 60 minutes to make it out alive—or at least in one piece. Spread across both Saudi cities, The Escape Hotel isn't your typical stay. It's a story-driven experience where each room is its own immersive, cinematic world—designed to drop you headfirst into the chaos of a live-action thriller. You might find yourself in a Harry Potter-style wizarding chamber, chanting spells and decoding dusty scrolls. Or in a mummy's tomb, where ancient relics whisper secrets and the walls seem to breathe with curses. Prefer the high seas? There's a whole pirate dungeon, lit by flickering lanterns and littered with cryptic maps and creaky surprises. There's also the Jumanji room—a wild jungle adventure with hanging vines, secret compartments, and a countdown that drones like a war drum. And for the brave (or just recklessly curious), the Zombie Room throws you straight into full survival mode—with live performers, unsettling soundscapes, and jump scares that test your reflexes and your friendships. Regardless of which disturbing 'room' you check into, once that door shuts behind you, there's no turning back. Not until every riddle is solved, every code cracked, and every dramatic twist faced head-on. The brain behind the mayhem is Alanoud Alsheikh, who brought The Escape Hotel to life in 2017—before Saudi's entertainment scene really exploded. 'I wanted to create an immersive, cinematic experience that goes beyond the usual escape room,' Alsheikh, CEO of The Escape Hotel, shares with SceneTraveller. 'We even added live actors to make guests feel like they're part of a real, unfolding story.' In fact, the team's commitment to realism sometimes raises eyebrows. 'We once had props held at customs for months because they looked like they belonged to some kind of forbidden temple,' Alsheikh recalls, laughing. 'That says it all.' The crowd? A wonderfully chaotic mix: teenagers, parents, tourists, couples, corporate teams—basically anyone with a tolerance for suspense and a friend group to test it on. Each game is private (thankfully), with a two-player minimum. So it's just you and your handpicked team—your ride-or-die, or your ride-or-let's-watch-them-panic. Inside, there's yelling, laughter, drama, high-stakes decoding, and the occasional existential crisis. You find out very quickly who crumbles, who leads, and who's just here for the vibes. Rules are strict: no phones, no food, no stilettos, and definitely no breaking stuff—even if the mummy room is really testing your patience. Abide by the playbook, and the reward is watching your team gradually crack something together—then scream in celebration when the final lock clicks open. It's the kind of experience that sticks with you. Between the logic puzzles, the adrenaline, and the high-pressure teamwork, you leave not just with memories, but a sharper sense of how your friends and family operate under pressure—for better or worse. So if you find yourself in Riyadh or Jeddah and want a stay that trades room service for riddles and bellhops for jump scares, Escape Hotel might just leave you wide-eyed, adrenaline-pumped, and wondering if you ever really knew your travel companions at all. Call it a stay. Call it survival. Either way, checking out has never felt so earned.
Newsweek
18-07-2025
- Sport
- Newsweek
Justin Thomas Tries Luck With Harry Potter-Style Magic, But Birdie Doesn't Drop
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Currently ranked sixth in the U.S. Ryder Cup standings with 10,078.31 points, Justin Thomas kicked off his Friday round at The Open Championship just around 5 a.m. ET, paired with Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood. With Bethpage Black looming in September, Thomas knows the final major of this season could be pivotal in securing automatic qualification, and he's treating it like it. PORTRUSH, NORTHERN IRELAND - JULY 18: Justin Thomas of the United States hits his second shot on the 1st hole on day two of The 153rd Open Championship at Royal Portrush Golf Club on July... PORTRUSH, NORTHERN IRELAND - JULY 18: Justin Thomas of the United States hits his second shot on the 1st hole on day two of The 153rd Open Championship at Royal Portrush Golf Club on July 18, 2025 in Portrush, Northern Ireland. (Photo by) More Getty Images Coming off a 1-over 72 in Round 1, the 32-year-old looked sharp early in Round 2, carding a birdie at the second. But it was his near-miss on the third hole that stole the spotlight and gave fans a moment of Harry Potter moment. On the par-3 third, Thomas faced a slippery 29-foot right-to-left birdie putt. He struck it cleanly. The ball curled toward the cup, slowed, and came to rest right on the edge. "Fall in, it has to!" exclaimed the Sky Sports commentator, as per their video posted on X. Another broadcaster added, "He should blow on it," capturing the moment's absurdity. Thomas, ever the showman, leaned over and jokingly tried to cast a Harry Potter-style spell on the ball. The crowd burst into laughter, but even wizardry couldn't coax it in. McIlroy and Fleetwood paused mid-stride, watching to see if gravity would grant Thomas a delayed birdie. It didn't. The ball hovered, refused to drop, and Thomas tapped in for par. Despite the magical miss, Thomas kept his momentum. He birdied the 13th and 17th holes on the back nine, finishing the day with a 4-under 67, a solid bounce-back from Thursday's round, where he made three bogeys and finished T45. If Thomas continues this upward spirit and clinches the win, it would mark his first Open Championship title and third major overall, following victories at the 2017 and 2022 PGA Championships. His best Open finish remains a T-11 at Royal Portrush in 2019, the same venue hosting this year's showdown. More Golf: Jon Rahm's Frustration Boils as Fan Disrupts Tee Shot at The Open
Boston Globe
16-07-2025
- General
- Boston Globe
Ask the Gardener: The bittersweet reality of controlling weeds
Each plant demands a different tactic when hoping to rein in its growth. But before we delve into what to do, we must discuss whether or not eradication or suppression is the most feasible when dealing with weeds. It is tempting to imagine a weed intervention that results in all of the plants going away and never returning, even more so if that intervention did not involve the use of harsh chemicals and without any collateral damage. I have even been known to dream about a Harry Potter-style magic spell that would lift all the weeds out of the ground at once and make them disappear. Advertisement Sadly, no such spell exists, and holding onto the idea that you can get rid of weeds in one fell swoop is a flight of fantasy. Suppression is the best approach, and when combined with competition from desirable plants and timely interventions that leverage our knowledge of weed species, a gardener can hope to keep weeds in check. Advertisement To begin, why are weeds so good at survival? It turns out that they love the disturbance that we create as we garden or as we alter the landscape. Many produce prodigious amounts of seeds that can remain viable in the soil for up to a decade. I am thinking of The cruel irony is that every time you pull up a garlic mustard, you bring more seeds to the surface for next year. Not letting them go to seed is the first step in suppression. Annual and biennial weeds respond well to this strategy, robbing them of their ability to return by reducing their seed production. Some perennial species produce aggressive rhizomes that spread underground. Perennial and predominantly woody weeds are a completely different beast altogether. Advertisement One reader writes about his frustrations with one nasty customer, Q. I think it's bittersweet — so I hope I'm classifying it correctly — but it's my latest obsession, though it has been for some time, but the last few weeks it has been particularly top of mind as I spend most weekends landscaping my property. I tore piles out between my house and a neighbor — it felt good to get it out of there. I ripped a thick, attached vine from a massive tree while feeling good about 'saving' the tree. But today, I read that ripping bittersweet out can actually reinforce its regrow, leaving the soil prepared for more invading. Chemicals seem to be the only thing to really kill them, and with their abilities to regenerate, it's impossible with a two-gallon spray bottle — and no idea if it's safe for kids or wildlife. I feel like it's absolutely everywhere and it has the perseverance to take over vegetation. We live in Chelmsford, but in Haverhill — where my parents live — there's none in their neighborhood, for now. I know we call them invasive for a reason, but how did it become so prevalent and can we really get rid of it? The town I last worked for put $45,000 toward invasive species on town-owned land, but that will hardly make a dent. Patrick, Chelmsford A. Bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus) is one of the worst threats to our fragmented ecosystem and has a long, sordid history of how it became so prevalent in the region. The future holds more challenges, as bittersweet, along with other woody vines such as Advertisement Harvard University botanist The red berries from Asiatic bittersweet attract birds that spread the invasive weed. Garry Kessler The vine produces copious amounts of red berries, which, when eaten by our avian friends, further aid its dispersal. I learned this firsthand as the area directly underneath my winter bird feeder sprouted thickly this spring with bittersweet seedlings. With large vines entangled in nearby trees, there is an endless supply of seeds to establish and reestablish the vines. If you plant other fruit-bearing trees and shrubs like For control and suppression, I recommend physical removal of small-diameter stems (up to 1 inch thick). For larger stems, repeated cutting or targeted painting of the freshly cut stem with herbicide is effective. Be sure to use the herbicide judiciously and carefully. Keep children and pets away for at least 24 hours. Advertisement For suppression to be successful in the long term, repeat visits and vigilance are needed. At the municipal level, advocate for more long-term funding to suppress invasive species; short-term injections of funding without follow-up in the subsequent years tend to result in reestablishment. Ecologically harmful species are an immense challenge, and one can be easily overwhelmed by the scope of it. But do not lose hope! The fight is a noble one and well worth the effort to ensure that future generations enjoy functional ecosystems as well. Ulrich Lorimer is the director of horticulture at the Native Plant Trust in Framingham. Send your gardening questions, along with your name/initials and hometown, to for possible publication. Some questions are edited for clarity.
