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ibtk · 3 years

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Book Review: THE ANIMALS IN THAT COUNTRY by Laura Jean McKay (2020)

(Full disclosure: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review through Edelweiss and Library Thing's Early Reviewers program. Content warning for violence, including that against animals. Caution: this review contains a spoiler in the form of an excerpt.)

'Well, I’ve got a secret for you, Miss Kimberly Russo.' She digs her sharp little nails into my skin. ‘What is it?’ ‘This flu means people can talk to animals.’ Her head shoots up. ‘I want the flu, Granny. Don’t you?’ ‘Grown-ups don’t wish they had diseases, and neither should you.’ ‘But don’t you?’ Outside, Wallamina and Princess Pie are nose and beak to the sliding door, trying to press their way through. Eyes shining. ‘Course I bloody do.’

I can see the wild in her. She looks and acts like any dog. Plays, wags, stares into my eyes with her baby browns; does chasey, catch, begs for biscuits. Then the dusk comes and she lifts her neck and howls the saddest song in all the world, and there’s that wild. Dingo, owl, night thing — that sound is a warning. Loneliest you’ll hear. Wraps around your face, your sleep, your dreams. She’s saying: ‘Hey, hey. There’s something coming.’ The rangers here are always telling me, don’t talk like that. They say how dingoes are just establishing territory, checking on their pack. Dingo admin. But stand on the hot road that runs from the gift shop to the enclosures, and listen to the dingo in her cage call out to the packs on the other side of the fence. Tell me that’s not special. Tell me she doesn’t know something about the world that you and me haven’t ever thought of.

Jean Bennett isn't you're typical grandma - unless you're picturing Gemma Teller Morrow, that is. Jean drinks, smokes, swears, and sleeps around, usually all at the same time, and occasionally with her gay and committed coworker, Andy. She's got a tiger tattooed on her boob, and a dingo named Sue imprinted on her heart.

A lowly guide who dreams of becoming a ranger, Jean works at an Australian wildlife park, run by her son's ex-girlfriend Angela and owned by Angela's father. Jean and her husband Graham landed there years ago, after bouncing around the world for a while. Eventually Graham left Jean to shack up with another woman; their only child, Lee, jumped ship too, but not before hooking up with - and impregnating - Angela. Now Ange mostly keeps Jean around for the free child care (and maybe also because Ange feels sorry for her).

As for Jean, she stays stuck in this weird, awkward morass for her granddaughter Kimberley - one of the few people she can tolerate, let alone love. Jean prefers animals of the nonhuman variety, and the Park's residents/captives are her found family. She has a special place in her cockles for Sue, a dingo mix who she helped rescue as a wee little pup.

Jean's precarious life is already teetering on the edge of chaos when THE FLU arrives - first in southern Australia, then at the Park's gates, thanks to none other than an infected Lee, as charming as he is irresponsible.

Zoanthropathy (from Greek: zóo, “animal”, anthroponis, “human”, pathy, “disorder”), aka zooflu, otherwise known as "the talking animal disease," allow humans to understand and communicate with other animals:

'The strain known as zoanthropathy affects cognition in humans, and it is believed that enhanced communication between humans and nonhuman animals is possible. Zoanthropathy is hosted and spread by humans. [...] The disease is very high in morbidity and very low in mortality. Infected humans appear able to communicate (encode) and translate (decode) previously unrecognisable non-verbal communications via major senses such as sight, smell, taste, touch, and sound with nonhuman animals.'

When Lee runs off with Kimberley - to commune with the whales on the southern coast - Jean embarks on a cross-country road trip to find them. Riding shotgun is Sue, whose keen nose points the way to Tomorrow (Tomorrow being Sue's conceptualization of Kimberley. Jean is Yesterday, and Lee is Never There. Scathing, yet accurate.)

As with most potentially animal-friendly tales, I was equally nervous and excited to dive into THE ANIMALS IN THAT COUNTRY. As it is, the book both thrilled and disappointed me; I almost feel like it deserves two separate ratings, one for the idea and actualization of the dystopian zooflu future - which is breathtaking - and another for the human-centered plot that propels the audience's journey into this world - which is decidedly less so.

Let's start with the zooflu. It seems like it would be awesome to be able to talk to animals, right? Think again. I mean, really turn the idea over in your head, sit with the superpower, and try to envision what this might entail. Given that most of the nonhumans we encounter on the daily are exploited, oppressed, or otherwise negatively impacted by humans -

be it the 25 million farmed animals we create, torture, and kill for food every year in the US alone; the "wildlife" (read: free-living animals) we displace, starve, and kill through habitat loss; the dogs and cats we buy, neglect, and then abandon at shelters; or the animals we unintentionally hit with our cars (or the bugs we trod on just walking down the street); etc. x infinity

- we are weapons of mass destruction. To most of our nonhuman kin (and sometimes our fellow humans, too). Instead of words of wisdom and messages of hope, we'd be more likely to hear cries of terror. Confusion. Pain and agony. Hellfire, everywhere. Created and fueled by us and our own.

Heck, I'm not even sure it would be beneficial to always know exactly what our beloved, nonhuman family members are thinking. I have a fifteen-year-old dog named Finn who's going deaf and blind and battling dementia. More often than not, I suspect that being privy to his innermost thoughts would freak me the fuck out. Not to mention break my damn heart.

And then there's the mode of communication: not just just verbal, as we're used to, but all-encompassing: "sight, smell, taste, touch, and sound." Think pheromones, sound waves, scratches and ticks. The beating of countless tiny wings, all bombarding your brain and trying to tell you something. That kind of thing, coming at you uninvited and from all directions, is apt to drive a person mad. And it does, as evidenced by zooflu sufferers who stuff their orifices with whatever's handy to block incoming stimuli - or, at the more extreme end, the pseudo-religious trepanners who invite strangers to drill holes in their skulls in a misguided attempt to relieve the pressure.

Talking to animals sounds like the stuff of dreams - but in McKay's hands, it's a nightmare.

And a pretty trippy one, at that: fittingly, the incoming messages that Jean's left to decode aren't quite what you'd call straightforward. There's a lot of translation required, and Google hasn't yet caught up:

I’m reading her body like some language I barely remember from a high school textbook. Bonjour madame, connaissez-vous le chemin de la gare? Let’s go to the station. Or, where the hell is the supermarket? I can parrot the words, but the meaning is in scraps.

Copies of this book should be sold with a sheet of acid, or maybe some edibles. I kid, but also not.

If, like me, you assumed that increased understanding and compassion would surely spring forth from this newfound ability to communicate with nonhuman animals, you'd be wrong. While some people do indeed embrace the flu, many others lash out: animal-free zones are established, and hungry citizens start hunting former pets, since they make for easy prey (apparently they've never heard of fruits and veggies?).

There's one especially excruciating scene that I don't think I'll ever be able to forget. Jean takes refuge in a makeshift church, only to catch a glimpse of how the missionaries make their sausage (stew):

A small fluffy dog has pelted out a kitchen door, thin bit of twine tangled around its legs, body blonde fire, screaming, Hello. Please. Please bite its soft. Quick. Help me. I jump up, calling the poor little bugger, but the parishioners shriek louder, climbing on their chairs like that dog is the snake from the garden of Eden. The woman rushes for her daughter and hauls her by an arm out of the room. It’s funny, for a second, until the laugh dies in my throat. The little dog, too tangled in the twine to move, slumps panting in the aisle. It’s not just m e. Where’s other me. She’s still — The god-botherers are faster than me. They grab that dog with WWF wrestling passion, using real lumps of wood, real knives. The little dog has enough time to issue a thick whiff of terror from its undercarriage, Help her, before they’ve slit it ear to ear right there in the pulpit. There was no blood with Lee. He didn’t even look that drowned. He might have come alive any moment. He might be alive right now in his grave. This little dog, though, is bleeding out on the beige carpet. The door to the kitchen is open. Matthew the soup cook leans on the jamb, then turns back. A fluffy tail on a chopping board. The steaming pots. Pain like a stab to my guts — he stirs a soup very much like the one he was serving up in the park.

Of course, this scene is so repulsive to most of us - Jean included - only because the animal being killed and consumed is designated for "companionship" instead of "food," at least in this particular culture. Chances are you've known and loved a dog or two yourself - and so the doomed beast transforms from a something to a someone. Not an unfeeling object to be used and discarded at will, but a sentient creature with her own feelings, desires, and loved ones. Had it been a chicken or pig, the result wouldn't be quite so horrifying; Jean herself eats meat, and justifies doing so, on several occasions.

Yet an earlier scene - in which Jean comes upon an abandoned tractor trailer truck packed with pigs destined for slaughter - will hopefully challenge readers to expand their circle of compassion:

I’ve seen battery hogs before — of course I have. But not out and about. Not staggering around and trying to walk, calling to whatever they think is ‘more’. Glazed eyes that strain like they’ve never seen sunlight. Skin stretched over bodies fed to the point of bursting — something between swine and meat. Saw some animal liberationists on the street in the city one time, saying factory farms were the same as Nazi camps. I called them bloody racists too. The pigs clatter past me down the ramp, fucked-up eyes on the road ahead, calling, Hello is it more. Those animal nutters were wrong, but not in the way I thought. It’s not the same as the Nazis: that was us doing to us. What’s this? [...] A hurt sow sits on her haunches, then lies down on the verge, panting unevenly under the slathering sun. Another weaves blindly over the asphalt toward her, flies spinning around her head. They push their noses into each other. Send me a postcard, the sick one says. Postcard, indeed. What the fuck. I watch more closely. The meaning bright off that tight skin. All the little bits saying, Leave me, and, I’ll hear about it, and, Don’t you see it. Move on. There’s more. The ones that can walk stretch their legs, for, More, more, more. I stand at the top of the truck ramp watching them break into a group trot toward the next paddock. Skin rippling. Hooves carolling. Know that heart-in-your-mouth run. Know exactly what ‘more’ is. I’ve seen it in Lee and I’ve had it too, at times. These pigs are half dead, they’re stumbling around, blind, mad, and fucking hopeful.

Even if many of the characters in this book resist the humanity clearly evident in nonhuman animals, I hope that readers will hold these passages close - especially at the dinner table.

Sue, our main nonhuman protagonist, is a fascinating character; like many of the semi-domesticated animals in the park, McKay paints her as a series of conflicting impulses: safety or freedom. Hunger or satiation. Dingoes or humans. She is fiercely loyal, much to her own detriment. She has wants and needs of her own, and she's often satisfied to set them aside for the good of her (adopted) pack.

And I guess that brings me to the second half of this review: the humans, most of whom are awful. Jean, exponentially so.

Initially I thought that Jean would be my people: she's a hard-drinking, mold-breaking badass broad who gets on better with animals than people. She has a mini-rescue in her backyard where she keeps some of the park's doomed relinquishments. (The public treats the park like a rehab facility when in fact it's in the business of entertainment - old, sick, injured, and "common" animals are routinely killed.) She and Kimberley spend their afternoons together designing the animal rescue they hope to build one day.

But Jean is kind of a terrible person. To call her a misanthrope is half the story: she's also senselessly mean and cruel, especially when drunk, hungover, or frustrated (in other words, 90% of the time). I don't fault Jean for her substance abuse problem - alcoholism is a mental health issue and should be treated as such - but nor is it an excuse for being such an asshole. (There's even a scene where she trolls people discussing the zooflu online, like a fucking American redhat.) She's shit to everyone around her, except for Kimberley and Lee (Lee, who could use a good ass-kicking).

And then there's Sue: Sue, who followed Jean across the damn country when she should have been settling into a dingo pack of her own. Sue, who found Kimberley and saved Jean's life. Sue, who is nothing but good and true and trustworthy. Sue, who Jean assaults on multiple occasions: kicking her in the ribs, binding her with rope to prevent her escape, and even trying to shoot her (with a gun that's thankfully empty of bullets). At one point, she "forgives" Sue for saving her life - as if Sue's the one who needs forgiveness!

Despite the abuse, Sue continues to stick by Jean's side, which galled me endlessly. Towards the end of the story, following the attempted murder, Sue gets revenge of a sort, dominating a delirious Jean and forcing her subservience. However, the book ends shortly thereafter, cutting any sense of satisfaction far too short.

I really felt cheated with Jean: I thought she might be my avatar in this world - but she's just another terrible human who doesn't deserve the company of animals.

Likewise, the whole subplot involving Kimberley's parentage is way over the top dramatic and unnecessary; it seemed like we were being plucked from a dystopia and dropped into a soap opera for a minute there. Just, gross. So yeah, there are definitely some aspects of the book that I appreciated more than others. THE ANIMALS IN THAT COUNTRY may be imperfect - but I'd still wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone looking to explore our relationship to nonhuman animals in a dystopian setting.

#books #reviews #book reviews #fiction #science fiction #dystopia #nonhuman animals #Laura Jean McKay #the animals in that country

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thesweatycollectiontyrant · 5 years

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The Addams Family

Everyone loves this creepy and kooky family, but now, people get to love them in a whole new way: onstage. Here’s the Full Disclosure on The Addams Family.

Background Info

This very quickly became the most often-produced high school show. The Addams Family was of course adapted from the comic turned television series turned movies. Most everyone knows about it, so there can’t be much information to dispose on you all.

Writers

The music and lyrics were written by Andrew Lippa, also known for The Wild Party, Big Fish, and John & Jen. The book (oof) was written by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice.

Character List

GOMEZ ADDAMS (Baritone) - An attractive man of Spanish descent, who adores his wife, takes great pride in his children, and is immensely proud to be an Addams; caught between his daughter and his wife he feels completely trapped and unable to make either happy, which is his greatest joy; must have great comedic timing, move well, and strong vocals. Fencing skills a plus.

MORTICIA ADDAMS (Alto) - Beautiful, leggy, the real head of the family and the critical and moving force behind it; easy comedic actress with a sexy, dry wit; feels her husband is hiding something from her and will use any tactic to lure the secret out; a strong dancer.

UNCLE FESTER (Tenor) - Serves as the musical’s narrator; rotund and child-like, hugely enthusiastic and totally incorrigible; a vaudevillian, needs strong comedy and legit tenor vocals.

GRANDMA (Spoken) - Fun and quirky, but don’t mess with Grandma; comedic actress with strong character vocals.

WEDNESDAY ADDAMS (Mezzo-Soprano) - Gothic in a sexy way, witty with a terrifically dry sense of humor; just wants her family to be “normal” for one night to meet the parents of the boy she’s fallen in love with; strong pop belt vocals.

PUGSLEY ADDAMS (Treble) - A charming, funny, husky boy who loves being tortured by his sister; he wants to ensure he won’t lose his sister to her new boyfriend so he takes matters into his own hands; strong, high vocals. Voice not yet changed.

LURCH (Bass) - A man of very, very few words, often spoken at half speed; most of what he utters is long, plaintive groans, some tinged with irony or exasperation; must have true low bass vocals.

MAL BEINEKE (Baritone) - Stuffy father of 19-year-old Lucas and exasperated husband to his rhyming wife, Alice; thinks the Addams’ are beyond strange and does not want to spend time having dinner with them, much less be related.

ALICE BEINEKE (Mezzo-Soprano) - Mother of 19-year-old Lucas, seemingly mousy housewife who’s devoted to her family so she puts aside her own desires; while at the Addams’ family dinner party, she drinks a potion that causes her to let her hair down and speak her truth; very strong comedic singer/actress.

LUCAS BEINEKE (Tenor) - Fell in love with Wednesday Addams and plans to marry her; experiences the youthful pain and drama of young love and struggles with the differences between his family and the Addams family.

Who’s Singing?

Be mad at me if you wish. I will only follow along with a recording that I have a score for. *insert unnecessary evil laugh*. I have the recording that Theatrical Rights Worldwide sends out as a reference recording that goes along with the tour version of the score. Keys, songs, and some of the plot is different from the original Broadway version. Regardless, this show is fun. Here, we have Jesse Sharp as Gomez Addams, Keleen Snowgren as Morticia Addams, Shaun Rice as Uncle Fester, Amanda Bruton as Grandma Addams, Jennifer Fogarty as Wednesday Addams, Connor Barth as Pugsley Addams, Dan Olson as Lurch, Mark Poppleton as Mal Beineke, Blair Anderson as Alice Beineke, and Bryan Welnicki as Lucas Beineke.

Let’s Do This

I can’t exactly remember the moment where I realized that I loved this show. Or when I even tried listening to it all the way through. Back when I was younger, there were many mornings before school, where I’d wake up at 4:30am and watch re-runs of The Addams Family on TV Land or TBS or something. It was fun. I’m really excited to listen to this recording because I’m so used to the Broadway version. Also, I’ve seen this version of the show thrice, so why not listen to a professional recording of it? Anyway, here we go!

“When You’re an Addams” begins with that really fun Latin beat. I’m really digging Gomez’s voice. He’s not a complete character, but he’s not completely “I’m a trained singer”. Same goes for Morticia. Probably just because this entire time, we’ve been used to Bebe and Nathan, who are absolutely nothing but characters. I love Snowgren’s laugh after “you need to have a sense of humor”. I’m a really big fan of this recording so far. It’s super fun. That interlude introducing the Ancestors needs to play at my funeral. I’M IN LOVE WITH THESE TEMPOS DURING THE DANCE BREAK. It’s just the right amount of slower. They really get to settle in. Especially the line dance section. OKAY SOPRANOS ON THAT HIGH B. Go. Off.

We then have “Fester’s Manifesto” which is the first incantation of the “Let’s Not Talk About Anything Else but Love” theme. It’s cute. Ukulele is involved. So are the ancestors.

Next comes everyone’s absolute favorite audition song, “Pulled”. Wednesday go off. I love the offbeat accents in the eighth note section (”puppy dogs with droopy faces”). The part she places “Liberace’s greatest hits” in her mix is more head voice-y and I’m a #bigfan. And then of course the end is just face-melting.

“Wednesday’s Growing Up” is an added short song about Gomez lamenting her getting older.

“Trapped” is Gomez’s first solo in the show where he laments that he’s lying to both his daughter and his wife. Lots of fun examples in the lyrics about being trapped. I like it quite a bit. *Disclaimer: I’m kind of on a Lippa kick because I just closed Big Fish* The song is fun. Good character piece.

In “One Normal Night,” Wednesday explains to everyone that she wants them to act more normal for when the Beinekes come over. I’m a big fan of the oo vowel Fogarty uses on “that’s all I need from you”. Aside from that, she’s a little whiney. Welnicki has a very nice voice as Lucas. His verse is really good! Shaun Rice does an awesome job as Uncle Fester in his little area of the song. Just as quirky and strange as Kevin Chamberlain. A little less operatic (sad face) but to each his own. The ensemble is going all the way off at the end of this number. It’s absolutely ridiculous.

There are a couple reprises of the “But Love” theme that are nice.

“Secrets” is a number for Morticia, Alice, and the rest of the female Ancestors. Morticia explains to Alice that she doesn’t keep any secrets from Gomez and it keeps their marriage alive. Alice tries to explain to Morticia that she does keep secrets from Mal and it makes their marriage nice, too. Nice little Latin groove for the beginning rotating between F# minor and Gb major. The dance break happens with a big Jazz shout section, and then the ensemble comes back in to close out the number.

Pugsley then has a nice little moment with “What If?” in which he questions Wednesday’s love (though of torturing) for himself. Cute little song.

Next is a fun ensemble number called “Full Disclosure”. It’s split into two parts, led by Gomez, and performed by the family, the Beinekes, and the ensemble of ancestors. They play a wicked game where you all take turns drinking out of a sacred chalice where when you drink, you must tell the truth. During “What If?” Pugsley grabs one of Grandma’s potions and puts it in the chalice right before it’s Wednesday’s turn. Much to his dismay, it actually gets to Alice, who drinks.

She turns into a woman unleashed in the number, “Waiting”, filled to the brim with high belting. Alice spills to EVERYONE about the demise of her and Mal’s “relationship.”

After Alice states her peace, Gomez revs back up and the second part of “Full Disclosure” begins, commenting on Alice’s insanity. Alice also has one of the most interesting vocal moments (one of which out of three productions I’ve seen live, only one of the actresses has done it correctly.) Alice outlines an E major triad, arpeggiating up to a G#5. It’s hard to hear unless you’re really listening to the accompaniment. The ensemble ends on a crazy huge G major triad with the highest of the high sopranos in the ancestors wailing on a B5.

Act II opens with Morticia��s charming Chicago-esque number about her love of the macabre, “Just Around the Corner”. This is tailored to the crotch hem of Bebe Neuwirth’s strengths: a vocal range of exactly one octave and saying “hotcha” at the beginning of the number. Can we give up the pastiche and cast good people? That’s the most controversial I’m going to get during this post. (or is it?)

(It’s not.)

“The Moon and Me” is Uncle Fester’s little ditty to his true love, the Moon. In lieu of the original cast, the actor playing Fester accompanies himself on the ukulele. It is a bit stagnant for a while musically, but ends on a legit Tenor High C (!) which is just loverly.

“Happy/Sad” is a beautiful song from Gomez to Wednesday, describing his feelings of her growing up. I’ve always seen this song as a parallel to the Tevye-Hodel moment at the train station to Siberia, but if Tevye’s thoughts could’ve been voiced. The relationship between a father and his only girl is very special. This song is sure to tug at heart strings of anyone with parents or children. And everyone has one of those things.

“Crazier Than You” is a duet between Wednesday and Lucas. Wednesday tries convincing Lucas that she’s crazier than him by the William Tell apple and arrow test with a twist. Wednesday blindfolds herSELF.

There’s fun belting and all that stuff. Really fun and rhythmic accompaniment.

“Not Today” is a solo Gomez sings after he finds out Morticia leaves him (WHICH IS STUPID. I don’t get the plot point, let’s be honest. Is she like noticing things about her own marriage when Wednesday has her problems with Lucas? Did the scriptwriters spill grape juice on their original drafts and they had to piece together a new story at the last second? I couldn’t tell you.) Anyway, it’s a nice song. Check it out.

Then Gomez and Morticia make up during “Live Before We Die/Tango de Amor” and there’s a lot of 5/4. Amen. Praise God. Let’s wrap this up.

Honestly, “Move Toward the Darkness” is a really sweet closing number. Everyone comes together at the end and the Addams build each other up in their own special ways. Beautiful descending chords at the very end commencing after Lurch’s Eb2. It’s truly hauntingly gorgeous. I love Morticia and Wednesday’s duet in the second verse in particular.

Audition Songs

These are actually really good audition songs. However, a lot of the situations are incredibly specific, so be wary of that.

“Pulled” - Wednesday Addams, B3-Eb5

I can confidently say that there are too many girls singing this song. It’s good - don’t get me wrong, but like, chill, ladies. However, if you sing something well, sing it. Just make sure you can sing it well. All I’m saying is, the amount of times I’ve had to play this at auditions for people who shouldn’t be singing the song because it’s too high, patter, requires acting, you know any of those stipulations. It’s a good song though, I like it.

"Trapped” - Gomez Addams, C3-F4

This is a fun character song with two key changes that are sufficiently long for a cut in any of the keys you’d like to sing it in.

“What If?” - Pugsley Addams, A3-Eb5

Cute little song for a treble kid. Adorable.

“Waiting” - Alice Beineke, A3-E5

This song is NOT for the light of heart. Lots of sustained high belting and lungs of steel. Maybe a possible audition song for Diana Goodman or Lilli Vanessi? Or Margaret White? (Any Marin Mazzie role; like it’s perfect.) (RIP)

“The Moon and Me” - Uncle Fester, C3-C5

This song is WHACK range-wise. Get your life on it, character tenors.

“Happy/Sad” - Gomez Addams, Eb3-Eb4

This song will never fail to make me tear up. It’s so beautiful, and I just love it. Good song for auditions, in my opinion. Never seen anyone bring it in or even have it in their book. It’s beautiful and simple, and would be really good to bring in for a show like Fiddler.

“Not Today” - Gomez Addams, D3-G4

This is a fun song, and honestly a better choice than Trapped. It’s Latin-influenced and has a really fun melody built off of the melodic minor scale. Fun high notes at the end for a Baritone to really let it rip.

To Wrap It Up

This show is, to quote one of my close friends when referring to poorly written shows, “deeply flawed”. The book is strange and the plot waries in many spots, but Andrew Lippa really did us in with that score. The score is truly magnificent. There are so many spots, especially provided for us by that AMAZING ensemble on the Original Broadway Cast Recording that send shivers up and down my spine every time I listen to it.

I’d truly love to do Addams someday; whether that would be me Music Directing it, playing Fester, or maybe even Rehearsal Accompanying; it would be a true joy and something I would love to encounter sometime in my career. Eh, I’ll do it someday. Every high school wants to do it. It’s fun, it’s accessible, there are a lot of principles, it’s based on iconic characters in the American television, film, and comic canons, so why not turn it into a musical?

Get it.

#the addams family #bebe neuwirth #nathan lane #krysta rodriguez #literally didn't even listen to them tho #snap snap #sol la ti do #full disclosure

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anthonycrowleymoved · 5 years

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can you give some insight into the difference between a sociology and psychology degree cause im trying to major in psych i think and i want to be a therapist and i know lots of people end up getting a masters in social work but i wanna know like... what the differences are ty ilu

hey! full disclosure, i’m a soc major but only took like. one college level class on psych in high school, so i’m not going to pretend i know everything about both subjects.

they’re definitely related, but when comparing but i think the best way to think of it is in terms of ‘micro’ versus ‘macro’ studying of the self. in my experience, psychology focuses more on how individuals think and how their brain works, while soc focuses more on institutions, inequalities, and social constructs (race, class, gender are the big ones but obviously there are others) and how they affect people, both as groups and as individuals.

past that, i’d say most differences are more with individual departments. for example, from what i understand smith’s psych department is much more quantitative based than the soc department, but i also have read some sociology-based papers (and done some personal research, because data science double major) that have more math basis, and depending on what individual professor’s specialties are there may be some overlap. looking at the course catalog, smith has courses on the psychology of black experiences, for example, which may connect to soc more than clinical neuroscience (another class offered by the department).

i know a lot of people who are double majors in psych and soc, and from what i understand it’s a relatively easy double major to get (thinking about it of the double majors i know in the soc department probably the most common second major is education followed by psych. i know i’m the only soc/data science double major, as a point of comparison i guess) i also know of some people who majored in soc and then got a phd in psych or vise versa, so they are not wildly different from each other in that way

based on my experience, i know a lot of people here who major in soc and then go into social work and i know a lot of the professors in my department also teach at the school for social work here. again, i’m not at all involved with the psych department, so that could also be the case there, but i think soc students pretty regularly go on to get masters and phds in social work (again, in my limited very biased knowledge). but, based on what i know about the social work program i also don’t think degrees in social work are necessarily the same thing as degrees in councilling. i would probably advise you if you’re on the fence about what you want to study and what you ultimately want to go into to take an intro class in soc and see if you like it, and if you like it more i would say yes, they’re different, but you could still follow your dream of being a therapist with a soc degree (obviously look at programs before you do though because that may not actually be the case i’m kind of talking out of my ass a little bit)

feel free to ask me more questions about soc btw this was kind of rambly but i love the subject a lot lmao

#nonny mouse #inquiries

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newblood-freya · 6 years

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It’s called falling

A/N Full disclosure: this is a filler chapter

Summary: Jude goes to fencing 🤺

Chapter four: Hazel

On my way to fencing I briefly consider turning back and finally seeing what it is that Taryn has been doing at that cafe every day for the past month. But, I decide it would probably be best to let her be. After all, I have plenty of secrets of my own and while I might be a liar and a thief, I try to avoid being a hypocrite as well.

Looking around I notice that the roads are completely empty, so without a second thought I go as fast as I can while still being aware of my surroundings. This. The speeding. The freedom. Feeling the wind whip around my body, watching the world blur together on either side of me and being in full control as everything else is melting. I will always love this.

When I’m close to the studio I start to slow down. By the time I got to a less reckless speed I’m nearing my usual parking spot. I pull into my spot, coming to a complete stop before kicking down the stand while dismounting the bike and rushing inside the building.

I pull open the doors to the room and am instantly greeted by my usual partner Hazel Evans. Her red curls already pushed into a bun at the base of her neck as she stood there smirking at me. “Wow, never thought I’d see the day Jude Duarte was anything less than punctual.”

“Hey, it’s not my fault I got cornered after school.” I smirked back, my mood lifting a bit more after the small exchange.

Her eyebrows lifted a bit, “What idiot cornered you? Was it Cardan?” Hazel smirked, amusement coloring her voice. “Oh, please tell me it was Cardan? And then tell me about the epic ass kicking that you finally gave him?”

I couldn’t help but laugh a little a her obvious anticipation. “Actually, it was Locke.” The redhead opened her mouth to ask something, but I already knew what she what she was going to, ask so I cut her off. “And no, Haze, there was no ass kicking.”

“Then what did happen?”

I’m about to answer before I notice the look the instructor was giving us and decide to go get changed. Grabbing Hazels hand I pull her in the direction of the locker rooms and quietly detail the exchange. I think about telling about Taryn’s reaction but ultimately decide to keep my sister’s passive aggression to myself.

Hazel is quiet while I change. When I finish, I turn to my friend only to find her already giving me a look. I open my mouth to ask why she was giving me that look, but she beat me to the punch. “What did he mean by mostly naked stroll?”

“After an epic dodgeball game, that I won of course.”

Her voice was flat but I could see the amusement lighting her eyes when she interrupted, “Of course.”

Giving the redhead a flat look I continue. “Your sarcasm is noted and unappreciated. Anyway, after I won the coach sent us off to the showers and when I came Nicassia had stolen all of my clothes.”

Hazel winced. “Shit.”

“My thoughts exactly. So I did what I thought would best preserve what was left of my dignity. I braided my hair, wrapped myself in a towel and walked out head high, without showing one ounce of fear or embarrassment.”

While Hazel processed that I grabbed her hand and led her out of the locker room over to where she set down her stuff. When we reached our destination my partner turned to me and said, “We’re gonna need to stretch.”

“What?”

“Well, you clearly have some anger to work through and I don’t plan on letting you win. So start stretching Duarte.”

Normally I’d be more than a bit put out by her demanding tone, but she was right and I wasn’t going risk pulling a muscle just I wanted to be difficult. So I roll my eyes and mock, “Yes, sir.”

By the time fencing was over I was covered in sweat and very glad that I had stretched before hand. Looking over at Hazel, I see that she isn’t much better off. I turn to leave the locker room when she stops me.

“Hang on. Do you want to go to this party with us tonight?”

A crease forms between my brows. “Hazel. It’s Tuesday. We have school tomorrow.”

“And? Come on Duarte, live a little.” She leaned forward a bit, “And, besides, after the day you’ve just had you deserve some fun. Plus, I’d bet bet Bens music collection that you haven’t missed a single day of school since the school year started.”

I want to argue but, she kind of has a point. “Fine. Us?” I asked with a sigh.

The ginger beamed at me. “You’re coming?” I nodded. “Yes! Um… us is just me and Jack.” At my raised eyebrow she corrected, “Jack and I, jeez grammar police.”

“What? No Ben?”

“Nope. Hot date with the boyfriend.”

Nodding I hum in acknowledgement. Ben and Severin had been together for about a year and are basically couple goals. With a whole dramatic love confession and everything. I’m glad things are still going well.

“Speaking of boyfriends,” I can practically hear Hazel’s dramatic eye roll behind me as I start towards the door. “when do you think you and Jack will stop tiptoeing around each other and become an official couple?”

“Later, Jude.”

Holding the door open I get a good look at the embarrassed and exasperated look on her face. “God, you’re worse than my brother. At least Ben tries to subtle about his blatant shipping.”

I smirk at her flimsy attempt at avoidance as we near the buildings exit. “That’s not an answer, dear.”

“Look, it’s complicated. And that’s all I’m gonna say on the subject.” I made the okay sign with my fingers as she continued. “Anyway this is where we part ways,” she gestured to my bike. “I will text you the address of the party. It starts at eight.”

“Gotcha. See ya later Haze.”

A/N I don’t know anything about fencing so I skipped over that bit. Sorry if this wasn’t worth the wait.

@illyrianbeauty @louloutte9 @sunsummoner @mikaylamee @lexieheron @paulatheprokaryote @howtotameyourillyrian @highlordrhysie @urbisie @sensitivehighlord @elide-lochan-salvaterre @queen-elain @soap-is-cool @littlemergirl4779 @hergracesatelier @dressedindustandshadows @gently-say-aha @nephelle-warrior-scribe @heyheyheylemonade

Let me know if you’d like to be added or removed from the tag list.

#the cruel prince #the folk of the air #cardan #prince cardan #tcp #tfota #jude duarte #king cardan #taryn duarte #holly black #queen jude #it’s called falling #fanfic #my fanfiction

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lexpistachio · 7 years

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Hi lex, i had a question. Are there lgbtq books/comics that you enjoyed that you think are more representative and are narratively better than cp? If you do i would love to check more out and get a feel for the differences.

Not gonna lie, I’ve been hemming and hawing about how to answer this ask haha. But thank you for your q!!!

Yes, there are a lot of lgbt books/comics that I have enjoyed better than CP and that I think are narratively better and which treatment of LGBT issues I did find more satisfying.

But I’ve also read (and critiqued) CP by itself, like how I read any other works, and try to come up with things that are objectively enjoyable about it and things I don’t like about it in a vacuum. I wanted to shy away from making any comparisons, lest it be incongruous or void. I didn’t want to be unfair in comparing it to a work of a different medium or genre, or make hierarchies on works that tackle LGBT issues based on their treatment of it. And anyway, I feel like the brunt of my criticisms about CP has something to do with its abandonment of some of its storylines and its uncompelling character arcs and story. That is to say, I think… maybe any other well-structured, well-written story will do?

For instance, I just recently finished Andre Aciman’s Call Me By Your Name, and it’s a coming-of-age love story between two guys with a sizeable age difference, and further, it’s a story where there are no extrinsic deterrents to their relationship and what drives the story are just their feelings, how they act on it and don’t act on it, and y’all it doesn’t even tackle coming out, or homophobia; in those aspects, you can compare it to CP, and it just does a better job of addressing the issue of age difference or in general, just expressing the nature of desire and physicality and confusion that comes with First Love. The younger guy’s insecurity, while it was assuaged, never really went away, but at least it was addressed. Are the two works really comparable? No. But did I enjoy it better? Absolutely. And it’s the same for like, I guess 90% of LGBT works I’ve read vis a vis CP.

And I have read a lot of stuff. In the interest of full disclosure, I did grow up reading shonen-ai and yaoi?? If you know what those are, you won’t be surprised at how fluffy comics with “queer” characters has existed long before CP (or, while at it, how reminiscent zim*its is of a traditional yaoi pairing with the Hunky Seme and blushing virginal Uke; might be also why i hate the pairing for how i’ve seen that dynamics a million times before). Though I make no value judgments about yaoi, I guess what I’m trying to say is that there are a LOT of romance (and even scifi and fantasy) LGBT works that don’t focus on queer issues, and they aren’t less enjoyable for that fact. The key is deciding early on if queer issues such as homophobia is something to be dealt with in the comic’s universe, and not flip flop midway and ending lacklustre and lacking like how CP did it. I guess I wanted to address the point that our criticisms of its lack of discussion about stuff is waived because CP is “supposed to be fluffy”; I maintain that it’s worthy of criticism because it wasn’t consistent on its discussion. Shhh this stays as a secret lol but one of the earliest yaoi novel I remember reading was this pulp trashy novel Only The Ring Finger Knows and it’s about two guys falling for each other and navigating their relationship and living together and they don’t really face scrutiny for being gay. But all their insecurities and all the misunderstandings were addressed properly, and it’s not Man Booker material but I remember feeling satisfied.

In addition, I do believe that the Coming Out story where the protagonist comes out stronger™ for it is as cliche as they come.

One of the most nonchalant mention of sexuality that I can remember is from one of my favorite webcomics ever– The Less Than Epic Adventures of TJ and Amal--when TJ gets asked if he’s gay and he replies, “I ping all I am ninja.” But it’s also a story about a POC who’s gay and trapped in an arranged marriage, but it doesn’t dwell on that and the story keeps moving. At the heart of that comic is just two guys finding themselves and falling in love while on a roadtrip. That’s as tropey as you get, and yet the character development is to die for.

There’s a lot of LGBT stories where the queerness aren’t used solely as a device to drive a larger story. There is A LOT.

Off the top of my head, Sarah Waters has historical novels like Fingersmith and Tipping the Velvet that are more plot-driven, doesn’t deal with the queer issues, but have women falling in love and being happy together. Fingersmith is also where the movie The Handmaiden is based from, which if you haven’t watched, should. Some of David Levithan’s stories deal with homophobia, but most are just guys falling in love and being happy and cute. Hanya Yanagihara’s A Little Life–a read I don’t recommend to anyone dear to me– has its protagonist fall in love with his Hollywood celebrity best friend (though I think the takeaway from this novel is that love doesn’t cure trauma, though people suffering from it can be happy) and there is no fuss about their queerness at all, and the book is actually nominated for a Man Booker.

There are also works like Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe (POC, LGBT), or Perry Moore’s Hero, or Tillie Walden’s autobiographical graphic novel Spinning (LGBT, sports) that are about coming-of-age and aren’t afraid to tackle the warping effect of homophobia, the feelings of shame and fear that comes with being queer in a realistic world, and yet did not demure to end on a hopeful note.

I know the webcomic Tripping Over You is but a fluffy slice-of-life that’s just two guys who are in a relationship, talking it out and that’s it?? And it’s satisfying, and I can’t help but highlight how the coming out story of one of its characters, Liam, to his father was nothing but his decision to make, despite all the hiding he did was affecting his relationship with his partner as well. That coming out arc was a blip in the larger story arcs that are… their relationship and about being adults.

And I mean you even have fanfics that include that feature its characters coming out, and I have read a disturbing amount of fics you guys, even hockey rpf featuring different pairings, that discuss the issues that CP seemed to present (but didn’t follow through on) in a better way. I remember this lowkey one about a beat reporter starting a relationship with a professional hockey player, and the difference in their status is addressed, financially and in other terms, and that both of them are fully cognizant about these things as they proceed with the relationship. And the hopeful coming out scenario is a product of playing out the consequences of it and the alternative. I also remember this moment in that fic where the main POV character deals with a panic attack with his partner present, and it’s so much powerful to me than anything CP has shown about mental health.

In terms of mental health, I remember reading Tobias and Guy which is as light and fluffy as you get when a guy (literally named Guy) falls in love with a demon guy, and has this arc when Guy dealt with depression while in that relationship, and it was short and succinct but dared one of its characters to at least ask “but his family are loving and are supportive of him. how can he think like that?” for the sake of expounding the topic. I think it’s an okay portrayal of how partners in a relationship might deal in a situation where on suffers from mental health illness. I feel like the show You’re The Worst has also been exemplary in that regard. SKAM’s season 3 deals with internal homophobia and mental health illness while in a relationship and coming out (with none of the backlash of homophobia like CP) but doesn’t deal with cliches, and remains as a compelling and moving story.

In terms of insight into sports, a notable read for me is Nina Revoyr’s The Necessary Hunger (LGBT, POC, Sports), as it treated the sport the characters are in as integral part of who they are, which, I think is an effective use of the sports as a genre. As a manga-reader though, I’ve been spoiled by sports manga which are the best! sports! comics! (Slam Dunk! Hajime no Ippo! Hikaru no Go!) because they deal with their respective sport with so much insight, aplomb and passion, viewed in the eyes of the hero who’s in a journey to triumph. In manga, even baking bread can be a sport haha. To be honest these sports comics don’t need to have an athlete’s insider info on the world it’s set in. They just have to be believable. CP, I think, lacks both believability and insight, and more importantly, a deep tangible way the sports affects its protagonist. I find that so unsatisfying. I’m looking forward to how well C.S. Pacat’s Fence does.

My favorite college slice-of-life comic isn’t LGBT however, but it’s about a group of occasionally-starved college students in an art school. I read/saw the anime when I was in high school and has since stuck with me. I was equally invested in each of the characters’ storylines, not much like how I lost interest in CP after Rans and Holster and Shitty and Lardo were relegated to the fawning supportive straight friends stereotypes. The main romance doesn’t detract from the characters having their own stories and careers they want to fulfill. Even the POV character, who wasn’t my fave, had an endearing and compelling story.

As a bottomline: I don’t think there is a holy grail of lgbt works insomuch as they subjectively appeals to us. These are just some works that stand out to my memory and there are various takeaways from each for our purpose of comparison, but there are tons of material out there, LGBT and otherwise. SERIOUSLY. And I think there’s nothing wrong with trying it out one work at a time, see if it pings you. Trust your judgment friend!

#this answer is A MESS i'm sorry #omgcheckplease #omgcp #omgcp_critical #lukestarrunner

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coneycat · 7 years

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Went to Atomic Blonde with several women from work yesterday. Afterward I was kind of sorry I hadn’t just gone back to Dunkirk for the fifth time. At least there would have been Spitfires, and I would have known who to root for. (Everyone whose face you can see, in the case of Dunkirk.)

This is the time for what LJ users used to call “the cut” because, while I have no intention of wasting very many words on this movie, I’ll probably bring up spoilers and I don’t want to be an asshole about that if I can help it.

There’s been a great deal of talk about the style of the thing, and yeah, that’s fair, it’s got all kinds of style. I was also particularly struck by the authentic late-eighties nothing-matters-and-what-if-it-did tone-- I was the only member of our group who was an adult in the late eighties and I very clearly remember the feeling that it hardly mattered that the economy was in the shitter and I would probably never have a real job or a real adult life because Reagan’s macho posturing seemed likely to provoke a nuclear war that would make any worries about the future academic.

[Eighties pop music compilations can make the era seem like a lot more fun than it was. Believe me, nobody would have worn those clothes (or used all that Aquanet) if we weren’t deeply troubled.]

The movie captures that sense of awfulness and despair pretty well, although I’m not sure that was deliberate. And of course that tone is running parallel to the activity of the young Germans on both sides of the tottering Berlin Wall who are actually doing something productive.

Because, and this is perhaps the point, none of the spies in this thing seem to be accomplishing anything. Charlize Theron’s character arrives in Berlin to be promptly snatched by Soviet agents-- later in the film she tells another character “I was made by the Soviets before I ever arrived,” as if this should be news to him, and as a member of the audience I was like, “I realize it all seems like a very long time ago because this fucking movie will not fucking end, but you do remember that buddy you’re talking to is the one who helped you out of the crashed car after you killed that guy with your shoe, yes?”

[On reflection, I may be mis-remembering the person she was talking to, but the point stands: the statement was emphatically not news to anyone.]

Everyone knows exactly who the opposite agents are, a little bit like old episodes of The Man From UNCLE in which Napoleon Solo goes around introducing himself by his real name all the time. There is absolutely no spying here, not even James Bond level spying, just lots of messy killings. Theron does have contacts among the East German protesters but damned if I know (or, more accurately care) where she got them or why they turn up again at the end.

I think this is supposed to be a really tricky, many-layered plot. In fact, the more layers you peel back the less sense a lot of it makes. The Maguffin is a list of every agent on both sides of the fence and on both sides of the Wall, in microfilm as well as in the memory of an East German defector. This list will reveal the identity of an MI6 traitor who’s actually working for the Soviets. The obvious candidate for that role is the James McAvoy character, which immediately made me suspect the real double agent was Theron.

Which obviously made no sense, given that she messily dispatches every Soviet agent who crosses her path. I was about to become suspicious of her superiors by the end of the movie, but-- nope, she’s the mole all right. There is a sort of cop-out reveal nearly at the end (she was double-crossing the Soviets all along!), and then yet another reveal after that, which I suppose explains why the East German defector, who remember should have known she was the double agent, was willing to trust her. Turns out she’s actually a CIA agent who is undercover as an MI6 agent and she was actually working for the Americans all along.

[I should note that, given all the absolutely horrible death-squad-supporting bullshit the CIA was getting up to during the eighties, it is absolutely does not go without saying that the CIA would be the good guys in this scenario, but we’ll let that pass.]

I’m willing to believe this mythical list includes all the lines and arrows that would have enabled the defector to figure out where Theron’s character’s loyalties actually lie, but that certainly doesn’t explain how in hell she was able to construct a past that completely got past MI6′s background checks. I mean, I assume MI6 does some form of background checking before employing someone in this kind of role? Unless she was recruited by the CIA as a child and dropped into Britain and then... yeah, no. It makes no sense. And as someone who reads and enjoys cozy murder mysteries about crime fighting dog trainers and the like, I am more than willing to suspend disbelief if I am enjoying myself. In this case, not so much.

There has been discussion in some quarters about the business of Delphine (rookie French spy and this movie’s Bond Girl) getting fridged, in a tired playing out of the old old trope. Look, this movie was written and directed by men, okay? If you find yourself thinking, “well, this is pretty male-gaze-y for a female-led film”-- yes, except for the part about being a female-led film. Fury Road this ain’t.

Also, in the interests of full disclosure I should also add that while I was in high school and university during the 80s, I spent most of the decade listening to 60s rock because I pretty much hated pretty much all the synthesizer-heavy pop music of the era. So that trip down memory lane wasn’t nearly as much fun for me as it might have been for someone else. Although I am grateful the folks who selected the music managed to pick the stuff I haven’t been avoiding on oldies radio for the last ten years, so at least I wasn’t already sick of the songs. Except “99 Luftballons,” which I have a bit of a soft spot for (although I wish it had been used in some other sequence.)

Yeah, I wanted to like this. Kickass female James Bond figure? Sign me up. I’d love a successor to Salt, and Hanna was too emotionally complex to really qualify as Bondian. And it’s been quite a while since both of them. Alas, Atomic Blonde wasn’t anything like as much fun as I hoped. Although if you’re into lengthy, gory, and well-choreographed hand-to-hand fighting scenes this is probably exactly what you’re hoping for.

Me, I’ll just hope Logan Lucky lives up to its goofy entertaining trailer. It seems far more my speed.

#atomic blonde #not so much my thing #also i am really glad the eighties are over #i had to be reminded how much i did not enjoy them the first time around #wish i had liked this better

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thechasefiles · 5 years

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The Chase Files Daily Newscap 1/8/2019

Good MORNING #realdreamchasers! Here is The Chase Files Daily News Cap for Tuesday 8thJanuary 2019. Remember you can read full articles for FREE via Barbados Today (BT) or Barbados Government Information Services (BGIS) OR by purchasing by purchasing a Daily Nation Newspaper (DN).

PSVS MAY STRIKE TODAY – With the new school term in full swing today, there was uncertainty last night over whether thousands of students and workers would be left stranded by another strike by public service vehicle (PSV) operators. This was after an emergency meeting was called into the night following ongoing contention between the Transport Authority and operators. Up to press time the location of that meeting was not disclosed, but numerous officials, including chairman of the Association of Public Transport Operators (APTO), Morris Lee, were in attendance.Earlier in the day, a meeting scheduled for 9:30 a.m. between the authority and the newly formed Public Service Vehicle Workers’ Association (PSVWA) did not come off. As a result, the upset drivers met at the National Union of Public Workers (NUPW) in the presence of president Akanni McDowall, where they discussed their next step. Following their talks, a voice note circulated on WhatsApp, which stated that drivers would be off the job today. (DN)

PSVS’ NEXT STEP UNSURE – An air of uncertainty surrounds the smooth functioning of Barbados’ public transportation system after a request by public service vehicle operators for dialogue with the Barbados Transport Authority on a number of pressing issues appears to have been rejected. To make matters worse, primary and secondary students across the country return to classes tomorrow amid the uncertainty of what next step the aggrieved PSV owners will take. President of the new group representing PSV operators, Shawn Best, spokesperson, Fabian Wharton and other members expressed extreme disappointment after the meeting, scheduled for 9:30 this morning was called off. “We are trying to achieve the same things that everyone else is trying to achieve, and that is a better transport system,” said spokesperson, Fabian Wharton. “So we are extremely disappointed with the turn of events, but we have not lost hope that we can have this conversation later in the evening with our members and then be guided by them. That is all we can do,” he said while indicating that no action had been planned. The situation reached boiling point last week when PSV drivers and conductors staged a work stoppage over the imposition of ‘an expensive’ new uniform bearing the logo of the Barbados Transport Authority. Ever since then, there were suggestions that if this along with a slew of other grievances were not addressed by authorities, PSV operators, who make up approximately 65 per cent of the country’s fragile public transport system could put down their vehicles. “At this point, there’s no planned course of action or anything like that. All we are interested in right now is to have some civilized dialogue on the way forward. “After last week’s events, we were scheduled to have a meeting with the transport authority this morning at 9:30. Our delegation turned up to the Transport Authority’s offices. However we were subsequently informed that there wouldn’t be a meeting,” said Wharton. While top officials from the newly-formed group told media they were giving transport authority officials until the end of today [Monday January 7th] to engage them, they did not indicate what the next move would be. “Basically we are going to wait until the end of the day. We are going to try all mechanisms and all resources to try to have that [dialogue] occur. All we are after is to have a conversation as it relates to the issues that we face and come up with solutions that are beneficial to everyone in the industry,” he said. After receiving the disappointing news from transport authority officials, the group converged on the grounds of the National Union of Public Workers (NUPW) on Dalkeith Road, St Michael. “We have asked the President of the NUPW, [Akanni McDowall] to assist us in trying to get that dialogue going and we are asking other friends that we have to do the same,” said Wharton. McDowall again pledged his support, describing the fledging organization as a “friend” of the NUPW and indicating that for the time being he was just giving industrial relations advice to the group. “I like the fact that they are very reasoned in their approach. They are looking for dialogue. They are not saying that they just want to take industrial action and inconvenience the public. All they want to do is have a meeting and I find that is a position that I can support,” said McDowall. “Personally for me I remember catching vans when I was going to school and when I first started to work and I understand the environment they work under and if there’s anything I can do personally or if there’s anything that my organization can do to assist those members, we will do those things in order to achieve the best possible result,” the union president added. (BT)

SCHOOL SCARE – Police and union officials are probing an incident at a primary school this morning when an unknown man barged onto the compound as teachers were attending a meeting in preparation for tomorrow’s start of classes. While no one was reportedly injured, president of the Barbados Union of Teachers (BUT) Sean Spencer said the security breach could have resulted in a more serious outcome. He said the manner in which the intruder entered the school caused some staff to be alarmed, forcing them to flee for fear for their safety. “The janitor managed to lock herself up [in a room] to keep out of harm’s way. The man apparently grabbed keys from a member of staff, entered the classroom and threw a television and other stuff across the room,” the BUT leader told Barbados TODAY this afternoon. He said the majority of staff, mostly teachers, were in a meeting at the time. “The police would have been alerted to the situation and responded. When they searched the area the individual was not found. It gives rise to a situation where the staff is now unsettled,” he added. He lamented that the school has been without a proper perimeter fence for over ten years. “The fence has been very porous. It could be one where you could say that the poles and the fence have long divorced and gone their separate ways,” Spencer said. The union boss said that this latest incident brought into sharp focus teachers’ concern regarding the security at the island’s schools and he queried whether a more serious incident would have to take place for measures at schools to be urgently improved. Spencer told Barbados TODAY this matter, along with other security breaches, would be high on the agenda of a planned meeting later this month with the Ministry of Education. “A number of the staff members, both teaching and non-teaching members of staff [found themselves] having to secure themselves basically to escape what seemed to be some mentally-challenged individual,” he recalled. “What this brings to bear is the fact that we have again, and unfortunately, been visited by a case where the outcome could have been much more severe and dire…and it seems it would take some more unfortunate circumstance or set of circumstances to see these security measures being improved,” he contended. He said the BUT was concerned that the school plants in Barbados appear now to be left open to all and sundry to traverse and trespass. “And it really and truly is not a tenable situation. The teaching fraternity is really and truly highly desirous of seeing that these needs be addressed urgently…and we are going to be having to look into this matter more thoroughly,” he promised. He suggested that some of the proposals which the union could submit for improved security include petitioning the Ministry of Defence and Security or addressing the Ministry of Finance which controls the purse strings of Government. “But this is an issue which has grave consequences. You have schools which have nursery students, three years of age who can potentially be harmed. We had two cases early during the last school term . . . one at Belmont Primary which led to a parent being charged and another situation where another individual who also seemed to have mental challenges, went onto the compound of another rural school and threatened to kill a child. These are not the situations we want to be the common practice in 2019,” the BUT president warned. (BT)

TALKS END IN STALE MATE – Even after nearly two hours of negotiations yesterday, the Barbados Workers’ Union (BWU) and the Barbados Agricultural Management Company (BAMC) still have not decided how many sugar workers are to be sent home. BWU deputy general secretary and director of industrial relations, Dwaine Paul, made the disclosure after the meeting which took place at the Agriculture and Factory Department of the BAMC in Warrens, St Michael. Discussions are to continue tomorrow. The BWU and the Sugar Industries Staff Association have been in talks with BAMC since November. While some of the workers said they were hearing at least 45 people would be sent home, Paul said no final number had been reached. He explained that the layoffs were not as straightforward as in other sectors. (DN)

BARP IN A BIND – Members of the Barbados Association of Retired Persons (BARP) enrolled in the health insurance plan are wondering whether they may have to dig deeper in their retirement pockets to pay increased rates from May, the start of Year 2 of the contract. The concerns are being raised as some people reported that attempts to pre-pay premiums for periods beyond April 2019 have been rejected, while BARP adopts a wait-and-see stance in anticipation of new rates.Sagicor Life Inc., Beacon Insurance Co. Ltd and Brydens Insurance Inc., providers of the one-year-old health plan, could be asking for more in the second year of the scheme. Thousands of BARP members lost their coverage two years ago when the Insurance Corporation of Barbados Ltd cancelled the association’s Golden Health Insurance Plan, which eventually led to the current providers taking on the task of coming up with a new plan last May. (DN)

MASSY’S 7% DIP IN BARBADOS - Trinidad and Tobago conglomerate Massy Group is reporting a decline in profits in Barbados due mainly to a slowdown in consumer spending. Despite this however, the company is reporting an overall commendable 2018, after two previous years of disappointing performances. In its annual report for last year Chairman of the Board Robert Bermudez said overall the performance was admirable due mainly to “cost compression initiatives and the indirect procurement programme that was implemented in the year”. While profits from operations in Trinidad and Tobago remained flat versus a three per cent decline the prior year, profits from operations in Barbados declined by seven per cent, which Bermudez said was “largely driven by the slowdown of consumer spending that accompanied the government’s austerity measures”. On the other hand, profits from Guyana grew by ten per cent as that country continued to hold out high hopes for its oil industry. “Our operations in Colombia turned around the energy business there and nearly trebled the profits from the automotive business. We continue to see Guyana and Colombia as our most important geographic growth poles in the near term,” said Bermudez. Stating that the group was on an “excellent trajectory” for future growth, he said this year the company would be enhancing its initiatives to communicate with shareholders, investors, analysts and brokers “to make sure that the efforts and progress of the Group are well communicated to those stakeholders who participate in trading the Group’s shares”. In 2017, the Group suffered setbacks from the discontinued operations of Massy Communications and an investment in an IT services company in Costa Rica. Chief Executive Officer Gervase Warner said last year the group achieved a strong performance despite the recent “economic challenges” in Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados, which impacted Massy’s heritage companies in the automotive and retail sectors. “The Group’s balance sheet remains strong. The debt-to-debt plus equity ratio reduced from 31 per cent in 2017 to 30 per cent in 2018. Cash flow from operating activities before tax was $971 million, and Group cash grew from $1.57 billion to $1.63 billion,” said Warner. “The Group also incurred significant losses claims relating to three category five hurricanes that hit the Caribbean in the final two months of the 2017 financial year. In comparing the Group’s continuing operations from 2017 to 2018, profit before tax increased by 16 per cent,” he said. Officials said the Massy Group faced “an exciting future” with a strategy in place, adding that while there are still challenges to be met in economies like Barbados, there are significant opportunities to be explored in Guyana, Colombia and other Latam countries in the Caribbean basin. (BT)

MINISTRY MAKES DECISION ON DRUGS – The Ministry of Health and Wellness today said that recent analytical results from the Medicines Quality Control and Surveillance Department (formerly CARPHA laboratory) has indicated that analysis of samples of Indapamide 1.5mg and Valsartan 160mg and 320mg manufactured by Ciron Drugs and Pharmaceuticals PVT Ltd failed to meet the dissolution test and, as a result, have been withdrawn from the market. As a result, the government release stated that the Barbados Drug Service will seek to ensure that patients on these products are not disadvantaged and will therefore continue to supply the Diovan® 160mg and 320mg tablets, the Novartis brand of Valsartan. Natrilix SR® 1.5mg, the Servier brand of Indapamide will also be made available. “We are therefore advising patients to consult with their pharmacists to determine if their particular brand is affected. The Ministry of Health and Wellness also wishes to inform Barbadians that the Valsartan affected by the recent recall on the international market is not available locally through the Barbados Drug Service. It should also be noted that the Servier brand of Indapamide, Natrilix SR, was not part of the recall. “We therefore wish to assure the Barbadian public that the Ministry of Health and Wellness stands behind the Barbados Drug Service in commitment to its mission “to provide quality pharmaceuticals to all residents of Barbados at an affordable price and to serve the beneficiaries in a courteous and efficient manner,” the release stated. The Ministry said it would continue to keep abreast of all warnings from the international regulatory agencies to safeguard the interest of the Barbadian population. (BT)

ROSS STUDENTS ENJOYING BAJAN EXPERIENCE – Classes at the Ross University School of Medicine are now in session and with the exception of a few minor complaints about the housing situation, students appear to be satisfied. Barbados TODAY visited the Sir Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Center-based campus this afternoon where a newly-refurbished building was buzzing with activity. Students, mostly first year, who were having their first taste of the Ross University experience, were pleasantly surprised with the school and its new host country. Kelly Pedraza, a first-year, first-semester student who has only been on the island for a week said: “Everything has been great. The people have been really welcoming, which I am kind of surprised about. “Today was our first day [of classes] and everything was pretty introductory, so I’m not very worried yet,” she said with a smile. “I think that after the initial adjustment period, everything will be really smooth.” During her short time on the island, Pedraza has also paid a visit to a few of the country’s popular landmarks. “I’ve been to Carlisle Bay. It’s really beautiful there. Everybody’s been really warm and understanding about the fact that I don’t know a whole lot [about the island]. I’ve been to Oistins. That was the first time I tried shark and it was really good, so no complaints,” she said. Kinza Javed, a first-semester student from Connecticut noted that “the campus is beautiful on the inside and the professors and faculty have been very helpful in creating the perfect environment so far for me personally.” She added that the first few days had been surprisingly smooth. “I actually thought it would have been much more difficult to adjust than it has been,” she said. Despite the regular campus shuttle service, Kinza said transportation had been an issue and accused some taxi operators of attempting to scam students. “Everyone charges you different amounts for going to the same places. I wish people would appreciate Ross students’ business a little bit more and not charge us crazy amounts as you would for tourists. We’ve been scammed a little bit,” she said. As it related to the contentious issue of housing, Kinza told Barbados TODAY that conditions could be a little better. Without going into detail, she said: “A lot of students are having major issues with the housing. It seems like it was a little bit rushed, but other than that, all other accommodations relating to the school have been great. All members have been very helpful, both Barbadian and American.” Ryan Nguyn a Canadian of Vietnamese decent agreed that the housing situation was “a little bit rough right now”. Nevertheless, he was happy to “have clean running water, an AC unit and a roof over [his] head.” “I am by all means happy with what I have right now,” he said. The Canadian student whose goal is to one day specialize in internal medicine is also very happy with the hospitality shown to him by locals. “It’s been phenomenal. The ‘Bajans’ here have been very helpful, very friendly. . . I am actually very surprised with the community here, with how everything is turning out. I didn’t have any issues moving in, so I’m actually very surprised that it has been a very smooth transition. “We just had our first class today, in biochemistry and a little biology. It was good,” he said, while adding that amid preparations for the start of class on Monday, he too was able to enjoy many of the activities offered on the island. “We’ve been to the (St Lawrence) Gap so far, we went to Oistins fish market, the Boatyard as well. Those are phenomenal places. It was a time just to get all of the first-year, first-semester students to get together and interact and talk to one another about where they’re from and what they’re doing,” he said. (BT)

ROADBLOCK! – Member of Parliament for St Thomas Cynthia Forde is up in arms over a developing situation at Vaucluse where a public road has been blocked and there appears to be a move afoot to permanently limit public access to the area. An aggrieved Forde, who took Barbados TODAY to the area, where a section of the road is currently blocked by marl, forcing vehicular traffic to drive on an elevated piece of land in order to access the other side. “This has been a public road for many centuries. It should not be blocked. And the Ministry of Transport and Works (MTW) did not block the road as far as I have been told. So it has to be some other private citizen, or businessperson, or somebody. I don’t know, nor do I care at this point in time. I will call MTW, and I will write officially to ask them to please have this road opened up. “But the story here is that this race track was developed. I believe it had gone through the measures with the Town and Country Planning Department. I know at one point, the Town and Planning did not approve it, up until 2008. I am not going to say that it has still not been approved because I don’t have the facts on that one. I have the facts on other things,” she said. The area MP also lamented that wells in the same area have been capped, causing the area to flood whenever there is heavy rainfall. Forde added: “However, there were some wells that the older generation, I believe it would have been from the time when sugarcane was king, all in the 18th and 19th century, there were massive wells that took off the water. And now, those wells have been capped. I don’t know who capped them, but whoever capped them was wrong.” She noted that on numerous occasions the MTW managed to clear away water that was settled on the road. Forde also said that on at least one occasion, a private contractor was hired by another businessman to clear the road to make sure it was passable. Barbados TODAY also understands from a source, that an application has been made to the authorities to have the same road converted to a private road. When asked if she was aware of the application for a change to a private status, Forde said she had been told. However, she made it clear that she would not stand by and allow the road that is a major artery to be closed. She said the only solution the road needed was for the wells in the area to be opened up by whoever closed them, and for the road to be properly paved. “You would appreciate that Earthworks is down the hill from here. If you come up from the western side, you have the St Thomas Church, the rectory and other places of interest with heritage attractions and so. “When you want to get from where you are on the West Coast, to get to Earthworks, and then leave Earthworks, to come to Highland Outdoor Tours, to see the bridge at Dukes that was built from eggshells and egg yolk and so on to Welchman Hall Gully, this is the best road. I will not support this road being closed,” Forde stressed. Managing director of Eastern Land Development Ltd, Michael Cozier, who owns the land on both sides of the road, told Barbados TODAY that he did not know how the road got blocked. When asked if he was the person who applied to have the road made private, Cozier said he was unwilling to discuss the company’s business with Barbados TODAY. “I am not discussing with you all, any of the company’s business. I am not entertaining any questions at all about the company’s business. The company’s business is not the business of your newspaper or the business of Cynthia Forde. I will go no further with this matter,” Cozier told Barbados TODAY. (BT)

EXPLOITED – A group of stranded Haitians has not only run out of money, and is appealing for assistance with funds to purchase tickets to return to their homeland, but some of them are being exploited. Barbados TODAY understands that some of the Haitians who came to the island looking for work, have found employment, but are not getting paid. his development has angered former Government Senator and Chairman of the National Assistance Board (NAB), Reverend Dr David Durant, who told Barbados TODAY that he is currently trying to assist a young man who worked on a construction site for ten days, in accessing funds from a contractor who has been refusing to pay him his money. The young man who speaks little English, told Barbados TODAY that he has been calling the contractor who has been rejecting his calls. He said he knows he should not have been working, but only did it to help himself because he has been on the island for almost five months and ran out of what limited money he came here with, weeks ago. “I don’t think it is fair for people to be so low in their particular situation, and for us to push them lower, or push them further into the mud, by exploiting them. I think that is very unjust and unfair, and if these situations are true, I would really want to appeal to those persons who are doing it, to desist from doing such a thing. “If you are having people come and work, and because you know of their plight, you can refuse to pay them, and they can’t do anything about it, then you are exploiting their energies and their work and their labour, without giving them a cent. So I want to appeal to anyone involved in this practice to stop it because we have a few that we have to deal with, and one is here right now on our premises who is asking me if I can get the money from the person that he worked for. “So I plan to go to the person and I am going to ask them if they can pay, and if I have to get the law involved to ensure that he can get the money, that is what I will do, because it is over a BDS$1000 that he is owed from what he said,” Durant explained. Over the past few weeks, the story of a group of Haitians who were evicted from the Bonnetts, Brittons Hill, St Michael home they rented, has been highlighted in the local media. The young men, between the ages of 21 and 36, who were rescued by Durant and taken to his Restoration Ministries Church where they rested and were fed, were offered shelter at the Salvation Army Church’s Reed Street hostel, where they have remained. However, the frustrated Haitians who paid between BDS$2500 and BDS$3000 to come to Barbados on the promise that work and accommodation would be provided for them, have been living a nightmare. Not only have some of them run out of money and are unable to feed themselves, but while some of them want to return home, they are unable to, because they cannot purchase the tickets. Last week, Dr Durant and Barbados’ Ambassador to CARICOM David Comissiong appealed to Barbadians to gave monetary donations to help purchase the return tickets. However, Durant told Barbados TODAY this afternoon, that he would like to make a fresh appeal for help, since only one individual come forward with a donation of BDS$1000, some of which has already purchased a return ticket for one of the men who is expected to leave the island on Wednesday. Seven of them are still hoping for more money to come in so they too would be able to return home. “I don’t know how I got involved in this so deeply. I came out to rescue the group from being exposed to the early morning elements, and here I am now dealing with a situation that I did not anticipate. I find that they are all coming back to me, and more are even coming. Yesterday, six of them came to the church during service. These are young people who came here under the false notion that Barbados has jobs and also accommodation for them after paying exorbitant sums of money to an agency, and have discovered that they were really fooled. “It is important therefore that something is done to help the situation at this time. I have asked for help from fellow Barbadians. I know that some of the stranded Haitians have appealed to some of their families back in Haiti, to help, but some of them are very poor as well, and are unable to do so, and hence they are still stranded here. I am waiting on other contributions to come in. If people can give BDS$100, BDS$200, BDS$300, they don’t have to give a $1000 if they don’t have. But whatever they can give, every little bit would add up, and we would be able to get more tickets, and we would be able to help the others,” he said. “Some of the guys don’t have any money at all. When they come here, of course, we have to give them something to eat because they are hungry. We experience that on a daily basis as they come. That is really their condition right now. What they came with has been exhausted. So it is for us to get them back, since in the six months they have to visit, work is prohibited. They cannot work,” Durant added. Meanwhile, Ambassador Comissiong said while he does not want Barbadians to feel as though Haitians are coming to the island to be a burden on people, he believes that an appeal should also be sent to Haitians in Haiti and those in the diaspora, to make donations. Ambassador Comissiong said it was unfortunate that when Barbados and other Caribbean countries lifted the visa requirement for Haitians, that the Haitian Government did not disseminate public education to explain to the people of that nation that the lifting of the visa requirement does not mean that Haitians could simply come and work in Barbados, or that jobs are readily available here. “The Haitian people need to be given the correct information as a matter of urgency, because we are having this regrettable situation where a number of Haitians are coming to Barbados believing that they can work, and that there are jobs readily available when this is in fact not the case. I am trying as much as I can to urge the Haitian authorities to implement such a public information campaign. And I have been communicating with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Haitian Ambassador to CARICOM, and to Barbados’ Honorary Consul in Haiti. “If the correct information doesn’t get to the Haitian people, we are likely to see more cases of Haitians coming here, thinking they can work, finding that they can’t work, there are no available jobs, and therefore ending up asking Barbadians to assist where they can,” Ambassador Comissiong said. (BT)

STEP UP, MEN – Even with a policeman in almost every community in Barbados, there is no significant intelligence provided by these lawmen on criminal elements and activities in their own neighborhoods. This assertion comes from the head of the Criminal Intelligence Department (CID), Eucklyn Thompson who said that while calls continue for members of the public to provide intelligence on the criminal elements, many police officers were not leading by example. “Not because somebody lives in a particular area means that they are going to act in a particular way. We are dealing with human beings and while as a police officer you are called upon to provide information on issues in your domain, not everyone is so minded. We have our own faults, we are not above faults and while we have a calling to respond to things in our environment, it is not always the case,” Thompson stated. The senior lawman provided no data to support his statement but one retired senior police officer told Barbados TODAY that during his 20 years as an investigator, only once did a fellow officer provide him with a tip from his community that led to the successful conclusion of an investigation. He said this was the case even with the implementation of the Resident Beat Officer scheme and officers being assigned to specific communities. Despite difficiencies in information flow from both internal and external sources, s Thompson has given the assurance that there will be very few hiding places for crime in 2019. He vowed that the intelligence-gathering arm of the police would be kicking over every rock to get to the root of serious crimes, especially illegal guns. He warned that no one was beyond the long arm of the law and therefore all avenues would be followed, including the money trail leading to the head of criminal enterprises. “There is legislative framework to deal with tax evasion, money laundering and so on…We still operate under the premise that no one is above the law and whatever intelligence is available, we are duty-bound to follow,” said Thompson. Noting that he did not want the criminal element to be forearmed with advanced knowledge about police plans, the senior lawman did not divulge the details of any imminent strategy. However, he made it clear that intelligence related to gun violence was a priority. “It is a concern and the blindest person can see that things of that nature are occurring and we have to address those issues as a matter of urgency. I cannot reveal our strategy but suffice to say that gun crimes are a serious concern to the Royal Barbados Police Force and we are strategizing on the best ways to deal with this serious issue,” he said. Thompson pointed out that while the police had always held high standards for investigating crime, there was always room for improvement. He also repeated the call for more members of the public to come forward with information on crime. “The police service has always operated with the support of the public. We can have our own intelligence network but critical to what we do is the support of the public. This goes a long way in resolving a lot of the critical issues, so we can never get enough information on crime issues. From our standpoint there is always room for improvement in terms of our crime-fighting strategies,” he stressed. (BT)

APPOINTMENT OF ADDITIONAL JUDGES DELAYED - Government’s plan to tackle the worrisome issue of backlogs in the judicial system by bringing on additional judges, has been put on hold until repairs to the Supreme Court Complex at Whitepark Road are completed. This afternoon Attorney General Dale Marshall told Barbados TODAY that the promise of three additional judges to assist the decongestion of the court system was not feasible when there are not enough secure locations to conduct criminal matters. “In relation to criminal matters there are some practical difficulties and the completion of the work in Whitepark Road is one of those issues. In order to be able to do criminal trials there are certain arrangements that have to be put in place. You have to have cells as well as other security measures and when we looked at the cost it was not feasible,” said Marshall. The AG explained that two courts at the Cane Garden complex are currently being used for criminal High Court matters because they already have holding cells. He said that to retrofit other courts with cells because of a temporary displacement, was simply not a good use of the taxpayer dollar, especially since additional courts are being built at the Supreme Court Complex. “We have committed to bringing in additional temporary judges and those trials will have to take place in a court with cells. We have investigated the possibility of retrofitting a number of installations but those all prove to be challenging in terms of cost benefit analysis. Therefore, we have decided just to delay the bringing on of those additional judges until we come back to Whitepark Road. Three additional court rooms are being built in the Whitepark Road Complex. So, in these trying economic times it makes no sense to retrofit facilities for a few months,” he said. Back in May sections of the court were relocated after workers, through the National Union of Public Workers (NUPW) complained that they were falling ill as a result of environmental issues related to mold. When the problem reared its head in April, NUPW General Secretary Roslyn Smith condemned the court as a “sick building”. The Civil Court and Court Registry were relocated to Manor Lodge, at a rental cost of $200,000 per month. Last November Marshall assured the public that the Barbados Supreme Court will be back under one roof by March this year. This represents a two-month delay in Government’s original January timeline to return the Supreme Court back to its Whitepark Road home. “I’m really holding the individuals, the contractors to this. The current estimate is that all of the work will be done by the end of February. I had anticipated that we would have been moving back in January, but we have now slipped by two months. So, we’re expecting to move back in during the month of March and I am holding everybody’s foot to the fire to make sure that this can happen,” Marshall said at the time. “The work both inside and outside of the building is progressing and we think that we are still on target for the courts to be completed for the end of February so that the move from Warrens to Whitepark Road can be accomplished by the end of March. This is still our latest project completion and occupation date,” he stressed. (BT)

CANUTE CAUTIONED – “Think before you act!” That was the stern warning handed down by Magistrate Wanda Blair to the man who was charged with hitting a motorist in the head with a piece of wood in a viral social media video, just before remanding him to HMP Dodds. After hearing the news, Canute Hiran Ward, 36, of Dayrells Road, Christ Church, lowered his head and released a loud sigh as he stood in the dock of the Holetown Magistrates Court today. Ward was not required to plead to causing serious bodily harm to Ramar Nurse with intent to maim, disfigure or disable him, or to do some other serious bodily harm to him while at Fitts Village, St James on January 2, 2019. After attorney-at-law Kadeisha Wickham made a bail application on his behalf, Ward rose to address the court. “I know I was wrong, but I was provoked…” he began by saying, before being stopped by the magistrate who informed him he could not reveal details of the incident. “I just got a job the last two months and jobs are hard to get in Barbados. I would not like to lose it,” Ward then continued. However, Magistrate Blair agreed with the objections made by prosecutor Station Sergeant Samuel Hinds. “Given the serious nature and the fact that the complainant is still hospitalized, I am going to remand you. Your lawyer has made a sterling application on your behalf and although jobs are hard to get, people need to think before they act in whatever circumstances,” she said. Hinds had earlier objected to the accused being granted bail, stating that the act appeared to be unprovoked and the injuries to the complainant were serious in nature, as he was currently hospitalized in stable but serious condition. Hinds also disclosed that Ward was known to the court for similar offences, even though they were of a less severe nature. Ward, who was supposed to be represented by Queen’s Counsel Michael Lashley, instead had his bail application made by Wickham, due to Lashley’s lateness. At 11:40 a.m. and after waiting over an hour for Lashley – who was reportedly in another court – to arrive, the Magistrate told Wickham she could wait no longer. “The court is not waiting anymore. He said he was on his way and unless he is coming from Timbuktu, he should be here by now,” Blair declared. Wickham then asked the court for some time to consult with Lashley and was given five minutes to do so. When she returned, Wickham told the court Lashley had indicated he was on his way and would soon be there. However, the magistrate told Wickham she was ready to proceed with the matter and read the charge to Ward. In her bail application, Wickham said Ward was a father of five and the breadwinner of his family. She said if he were remanded he would be unable to provide for them.Additionally, she said the accused also supported his brothers. While admitting her client had previous convictions, she said his last one was in 2007. Wickham maintained that Ward was sorry about the incident and was willing to adhere to any bail conditions. “He just wants an opportunity to provide for himself and his children,” she told the magistrate. Ward is scheduled to reappear in court on February 1, 2019. (BT)

WILLIAMS BAILED ON ASSAULT CHARGE – Akeem Nathaniel Williams will return to court next month, but on that occasion it will be at Oistins. The 27-year-old had his matter transferred to that jurisdiction when he appeared in the District ‘A’ Magistrates’ Court today. Williams, of 3rd Avenue, Crystal Crescent, Kingsland, Christ Church, pleaded not guilty to unlawfully assaulting Kevin Hinds while at Oistins Bay Garden on January 5, 2019. Magistrate Douglas Frederick released him on $2500 bail and ordered him to return to the Oistins court on February 6, 2019. (BT)

BOYCE REMANDED UNTIL FEBRUARY 4 – Despite the magistrate’s willingness to grant him bail, Nicky O’neal Boyce still found himself being remanded to HMP Dodds after his surety did not turn up in time. The 31-year-old of 4th Avenue, Skeete’s Road, St Michael, pleaded not guilty to two charges when he appeared in the District ‘A’ Magistrates’ Court today. Boyce denied that between August 10 and 11, 2018 he stole a bonnet valued $400 belonging to Patrick Lovell. He also pleaded not guilty to stealing a car battery, a bumper, one park light and two headlamps, a total value of $636.56, belonging to Tyrone Walters sometime between August 14 and 15, 2018. Boyce was not required to plead to the charge of wounding Chris Clairmonte on July 26, 2018. Prosecutor police constable Kevin Forde objected to bail on the grounds of the seriousness of the offences and that the accused man had a propensity to re-offend based on his antecedents. The prosecutor also revealed that the complainant in the wounding matter had received serious injuries including lacerations to his body and a fractured skull. Forde said Boyce was also already on bail. In his brief bail application, Boyce said, “I would like some bail so I can go back home with my family. My brother just died and my girlfriend is two months pregnant.” He told the court that while he had been charged with other persons in relation to the offences before the court, they all had been granted bail. Boyce also pointed out that the man whom he was charged for wounding was currently on remand at HMP Dodds. Magistrate Frederick suggested that with the wounding complainant already in prison, no harm could be done in granting Boyce bail, noting that they would be apart from each other. In fact, he said it would be more likely for them to “clash” if they were both on remand at the same time. He then asked the accused man if he had anyone present to sign his bail, with Boyce saying that his girlfriend was on her way to court. However, by the end of the day’s proceedings, she had not yet come. The magistrate then remanded him to prison until February 4. (BT)

COMMUNITY SERVICE FOR FIRST-TIMER - A teenager will have just over two months to complete 180 hours of community service if he is to keep a clean record. Rachad Omar Holder, 18, of Foster Hall, St John, was given the opportunity by Magistrate Douglas Frederick after pleading guilty to two charges when he appeared in the District ‘A’ Magistrates’ court today. Holder pleaded guilty to possession of cannabis as well as having an offensive weapon in his possession on January 6, 2019, while in Independence Square, the City. In giving the facts, prosecutor police constable Kevin Forde revealed police were on duty in the area having responded to a report of a disturbance within the vicinity. While controlling the crowd and dispersing members of the public, police saw Holder and another man walking towards Pirates Cove and observed what appeared to be a knife in Holder’s pants’ pocket. He was stopped and searched and one brown-handled knife was found. When asked to account for it he told police, “I get beat up yesterday and I got it to protect me.” A further search of his right pants’ pocket turned up a transparent bag containing what appeared to be vegetable matter. However, he told police he had found the illegal drugs in a bush. The drugs weighed 14 grams and had a street value of $80. Magistrate Frederick ordered the first-time offender to complete 180 hours of community service before March 29, 2019, when Holder is scheduled to reappear in court. (BT)

ST JAMES WOMAN WANTED BY POLICE – The Royal Barbados Police Force is requesting the public’s help in locating a woman wanted for questioning in connection with a serious criminal matter. She is Louann Merlaine Gibson, of N0. 4 Thorpes Terrace, St James. The 47-year-old is approximately 5′ 5” tall, brown in complexion, of medium build and has an oval face. Gibson is being asked to present herself to the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) accompanied by an attorney-at-law of her choice. Anyone knowing the whereabouts of this woman is asked to contact the CID at 430 7190/7191, Police Emergency 211, Crime Stoppers at 1-800-8477 or the nearest police station. The police has warned the public that it is a serious offence to harbour or assist wanted people. Anyone caught committing this offence can be prosecuted. (BT)

CONFIDENCE TRICKSTER ON THE PROWL – Police are on the hunt for an unknown man who robbed two elderly citizens of their money on Sunday night. The culprit is between 5′ 9″ and 5′ 11″ tall, of medium build and brown in complexion. His hair is cut low, he wears a thin moustache, has a rotten front tooth and teeth missing on both sides of his mouth. He was wearing a faded dark blue shirt, gray track pants with two white stripes on the sides and sneakers at the time. His first victim was an elderly woman who lives at Black Rock, St Michael. Police said the culprit gained entry to her home by requesting a glass of water. “Having gotten the water, he was able to convince the complainant that he had package for her granddaughter. She then handed over a sum of money to the man at his request in exchange for the package which he told her was in his car parked a short distance from the residence. The man then walked away in the direction of Black Rock Main Road and did not return,” lawmen reported. The culprit reportedly targeted his second victim, an elderly man, around 1p.m. The man met the complainant in the car park of a store in the Black Rock, St Michael and told him he had a parcel and some US currency for his girlfriend. “The complainant then gave the man directions to his residence and left the car park. The man followed him to his residence and on arrival requested a glass of water. The complainant let the man into his residence and went to get him the water, on his return with the water both the man and the money [the complainant] had left on a computer table were gone,” the police said. As such the Royal Barbados Police Force is reminding members of the public, particularly senior citizens, of the following crime prevention tips: Do not to allow strangers to talk their way into their homes under any circumstance. Do not allow any strangers to draw them out of their homes under any pretext especially if they are home alone. If persons suspect that they maybe the victims of a crime or are aware of any suspicious activity in their area, they are to contact Police Emergency at 211, Crime Stoppers at 1-800-TIPS (8477), or the nearest police station. (BT)

DENTED PRIDE – Guyana Jaguars defeated Barbados Pride by six wickets to win their third-round encounter in the Cricket West Indies Regional Four-Day Championships at Kensington Oval today. Chasing 45 to win in 16 overs, the defending champions scored 48 for four wickets in 8.3 overs. The not out batsmen were Leon Johnson on 11 and Raymon Reifer who ended the match with a six off left-arm spinner Jomel Warrican, on 10. Guyana might have lost four wickets in pursuit of the modest target but the outcome of the game was never in doubt. The Jaguars were set the modest target after the Pride were dismissed for 232 in 74 overs. Barbados Pride were floundering at 97 for four in the first over after lunch still needing 91 runs to erase the deficit of 188 runs. Roston Chase and Shane Dowrich shared a vital fifth-wicket partnership of 107 on a pitch that was keeping low to give the home team hope of drawing the game. (BT)

LEWIS UPBEAT ABOUT GAY CLUB – The man behind a new venture being advertised on social media over the last few days as a club catering to members of the LGBT community says response has been overwhelmingly positive so far and is reflective of a paradigm shift in how Barbadians are seeing that segment of society. Well known entrepreneur, Charles “Charlie Spice” Lewis, told Barbados TODAY that ever since he started advertising his new club, G Lounge Barbados, on social media over the last 48 hours word has spread quickly, and has been mostly very positive. “We have had 75 applications for membership and another 60 inquiries (about membership). I have also spoken to visitors from the LGBT community who are over the moon about it and are even willing to extend their vacations here so they can patronize it when it opens later this month. I have also had a positive response from some prominent Barbadians who say they have been longing for a place like this.” While acknowledging there were other clubs with the G Lounge name in New York and Philadelphia among other places, Lewis said the name of his establishment was distinct enough from his counterparts’ not to create any problems, and indeed he had reached out to them regarding cross-promotion opportunities. The businessman said he had encountered no legal difficulties with establishing the club, since it was located on a property he already owned. He added: “It is a legitimate bar I am operating, not a place where people will be indulging in sexual activities. As a matter of fact, there are gay patrons in every place of entertainment in Barbados; no one screens people at the doors based on their perceived sexual orientation!” He added: “The only thing I would caution club members on, especially the visitors, is public display of affection owing to the nature of Barbadian society for the most part.” According to reports, advertisements on social media for the club have requested “gay” or “gay-friendly” staff, which might generate controversy in some circles, but Lewis countered this. “Anyone is free to apply for a job at the club, but I have specifically included this because it is important that our employees do not offend anyone, even if they are not necessarily gay themselves.” On that score, “Charlie Spice” said he grew up in a Barbadian society that was highly homophobic, but his attitude towards the homosexual community changed after he resided in Europe and the United States for many years. “After living in those places I realized people there were a lot more open-minded and tolerant of LGBT people living among them, and although I am straight, I have many friends who are gay. I am comfortable with my own sexuality, so their preferences do not bother me in any way.” He has also noticed that younger Barbadians are more tolerant of the LGBT community than their forebears. “I am particularly excited about this project because it is coming at a time when Barbadians’ attitudes towards the LGBT community are changing, especially among the millennials. “In the past, you found people suppressed their homosexuality, but now they are becoming more open about it. My experience abroad showed me that homophobia is a learned behaviour as opposed to a natural reaction, and younger Barbadians are becoming more open-minded on this matter.” (BT)

SECOND STRAIGHT FOR ST. ANDREW LIONS – ZONE 2 bottom club Scotty’s Car Rentals St Andrew Lions claimed their second win on the spin with a 3-1 defeat of Claytons Kola Tonic Notre Dame when the Barbados Football Association’s Premier League resumed after its Christmas break on Sunday night at the Wildey Turf. At the top of Zone 1, champions Weymouth Wales suffered their second loss in a row at the hands of archrivals Barbados Defence Force Sports Programme (BDFSP) by a 2-1 scoreline, and Empire Club maintained their impressive run with two stoppage time goals in either half in their 2-1 triumph over RBC Capital Markets Barbados Soccer Academy (BSA). This, the seventh round of games, was due to resume on Saturday evening but technical issues with the lighting system resulted in a postponementof the scheduled fixtures.Lions scored the first Premier League goal of 2019 in the 26th minute of their opener with Dames through the right boot of Darico King, who whipped an excellent free kick out of the reach of goalieJason Welch. (DN)

For daily or breaking news reports follow us on Instagram, Tumblr, Twitter & Facebook. That’s all for today folks. There are 357 days left in the year. Shalom! #thechasefilesdailynewscap #thechasefiles# dailynewscapsbythechasefiles

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ibijus · 7 years

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tagged by @weeping-detective AW YISS LETS GO

20 facts about me:

1. People assume I’m The Quiet One™ and god knows how many times I've used that at my favor... I’m The One With The Awful Ideas That’ll Get Someone Hurt And Yet Everyone’s Onboard.

2. When I was 8 I had a liiiiittle accident while playing at school that ended with a cut at my wrist that bled everywhere while I, no joke, ran and screamed around WHIT MY EYES CLOSED. The scar is giant yet nobody ever asks about it probably fearing to trigger me lol

3. Had my vesicle removed when I was 14. Recovery time is super quick and the surgery is very easy so when I told people at school I had surgery not long before classes began some people didn’t even believe me because I waited over half an year to actually mention it (it was a new school and stuff.

4. Me and my brother share a room, there’s a wood divisor and I even have my own door but he gets the window. Lil shit will listen to music and play games at full volume but I need to listen to my pop garbage with headphones on or he laughs at my music taste, the absolute ass.

5. Growing up people would assume me and my cousin where twins.

6. We had this house with a pool at the back and one day mom call’s everyone for lunch and I show up dripping and she’s like WTF CHILD turns out I jumped the fence to the pool and got inside. I was… Less than 4 years old? At best 4 years old. Mom and dad had to leave the pool only half filled from that point forward because they didn’t trust me to not fricking drown myself. THAT WAS A WISE CHOISE, I ALSO WOULDN’T TRUST CHILD ME.

7. So, when I was born we had this HUGE dog, Leo, and my parents were afraid that he’d eat me lol but tbh he’d be able to eat newborn me in one bite TURNS OUT he loved me to bits and once I rode him and he was like “wtvr tiny human lets go” and I was freaking out because I’m not a cowboy tnks but it was only a few steps and he sit down and I slid from his back and fell on my bottom on the floor behind him

8. I had 9 hamsters.

9. I HAD LITTLE CHICKS. Funny story, there were two of them and one day they were gone and my mom told me she gave then to a friend of my brother whose uncle had a little farm where they would grow up happy and healthy. Few years forward family is chatting and brother turns to mom and say “remember those chicks you gave to some random guys? Lol I bet they ate them” and I immediately turned to them like EXCUSE ME I DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT THAT and they froze and I still remember the way my mother looked at my brother like he had betrayed her…

10. Once my brother hid a giant screw driver in my school bag and I sat right in front of the teacher’s desk, so I’m fishing for my books and suddenly pull that huge stupid things and everyone around me is silent and the teacher does a double take on me and say “now is not woodwork class” and I didn’t talk to my brother for a few days because of that (to this day he’s very proud of that and adores when I retell him what happened that day in class)

11. My grades where atrocious until right before high school.

12. My grades at high school were great then good then “yeah it’s passable” but that was the time I met my BEST FRIENDS.

13. Somewhere in the house there’s a Harry Potter notebook where I used to write poetry. I’ve been searching for it for years because it needs to be BURNED.

14. Once as a child I cried watching the Care Bears. (there was one bear that was sad because he was alone but it turns out everyone was planning him a surprise party and I cried SO HARD, I bet I’d cry again if I saw it now)

15. A lot of people assume I do drugs?? Mostly weed. It happened SO MANY TIMES I just find it funny now but for f cks sake no I don’t smoke weed, I’m very against drugs to the point even I find myself annoying about this topic LET ME BE CHILL WITHOUT ASSUMING I’M HIGH PLS I ASSURE YOU ON THE INSIDE I’M SCREAMING

16. When I was a kid I thought that if you lost an arm or leg it would grow back, but it only happened until a certain age, because I had seen adults without a member but never children so I never feared that one day I’d do something stupid and lose an arm or leg. GOOD THING I NEVER PUT THAT ONE TO TEST.

17. I wear glasses since I was 5 and I really want to do the surgery to get rid of them.

18. There are two things I’d love to say on a fight but the opportunity never shows itself: 1. The only reason I’m not your father is because your mother didn’t have change for a 50; and 2. Smell my balls. I don’t even know, it makes me GIGGLE just thinking about it.

19. I think I threw up in every school trip I even went…

20. I’m VERY proud of this one: my brother is kind of a germaphobe and when we were kids and I got REALLY MAD at him I’d wait for dinner and when he turned around I’d sip from his cup. I wouldn’t tell him anything or act any different, just take tiny sips… A few years ago I finally turned to him and told him “when we were kids and you were an ass I’d wait for you to turn around and I’d drink from your cup.” His face. His fucking face. It made it worthy waiting all those years to disclosure my villainous acts. I’m proud.

TAG TIME! (if you want to, of course) @emeraldonyxdragon @earl-of-221b @dulcetailurophile @thegreatkitto idk guys if someone else want to do it and tag me I’ll love to read and like ;D

#personal #tags

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chimepunk · 7 years

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What novels or book series would you recommend?

oh fuckin boy dude so many. 90% of what i read is either gay or scifi/fantasy or both, and some are technically for a younger audience but still great, so thats what most of this is which hopefully you’re cool with here goes

this got super long so i’m putting it under a cut. bolded titles are the ones that i’m super recommending, though i love them all

novels

the coldest girl in coldtown by holly black - vampires! a trans character! a bi character! one of the most novel approaches to vampires in fiction that i’ve seen! 10/10 would recommend

the darkest part of the forest by holly black - again, holly black is one of my favorite authors. this one’s got faeries (the proper vaguely unsettling kind that i’m all about) magical music, girls embracing their sexuality, girls being knights, interesting sibling dynamics, and a super cute m/m pairing

les miserables by victor hugo - ok yeah, it’s like 1400 pages long and historical fiction, but i love les mis a lot ok. it’s gotta be on this list just because it owns my ass. it’s like a old drunk french man trying to tell you about the june rebellion but he keeps getting distracted by things like people’s personal lives, the intricacies of the parisian underworld, and how much he wants to fuck the sewers. it’s wonderful

the night circus by erin morgenstern - magical circus that mysteriously appears for days at a time and then vanishes? a competition between young magicians drawn out for years? a wide variety of fascinating side characters? (i will say that the synopsis available for the book is somewhat misleading, as it’s actually less about our two protags and more about the circus itself. but that’s what makes it so enchanting)

the song of achilles by madeleine miller - retelling of patroclus and achilles story to be explicitly romantic. will make you feel like you’re floating on clouds and then rapidly crush your soul. sort of a happy ending? but it’s still a tragedy. their ending is the same as it was in the illiad so if you’re not prepared for that then maybe don’t read

good omens by neil gaiman and terry pratchett - a demon who’s not very good at being a demon and an angel who just wants to collect his books in peace thank you very much try to sabotage the end of times. absolutely hilarious

fairy and folktales of the irish peasantry by w.b. yeats - the best collection of irish faerie stories by one of my favorite poets. if you like creepy and tricky faeries i would def recommend checking these out

rootabaga stories by carl sandburg - another collection of folktales, this time inspired by the american midwest. kinda weird, kinda zany, very neat

the poison eaters by holly black - a short story collection of faery stories that are sometimes creepy, sometimes touching, sometimes gay. my personal favorite is about a library science student who finds a book collection where the characters come out at night and interact, but they’re all really great

series:

alex rider adventures by anthony horowitz - teenager gets recruited by MI6 as a spy, has incredibly high success rate, gets pretty fucked up along the way but damn those one liners tho, maybe have some self preservation alex? just a thought

all for the game by nora sakavic - about a fake sport called exy that’s kind of like indoor lacrosse but more violent. contains: crime families, found families, an aspec protag, girls kicking ass, unhealthy levels of sass, wonderful slowburn m/m that you can’t even see coming for a long while, and a happy ending for everyone!! i came for the gays and ended up reading all three books in two days. also you can get the whole series for less than five bucks on kindle! (note: tw for rape, physical abuse, torture, ptsd, child abuse, drug use, alcoholism, some use of slurs, mentions of past self harm, mental illness)

artemis fowl by eoin colfer - more faeries, but this time they live underground and are way more technologically advanced than humans. the first book focuses on our anti-hero trying to catch one and steal their gold, and they quickly become allies and solve faerie related cases together!! one of my favorite series growing up, and i cried in the middle of the hallway at school when i finished the last book

camp half-blood series by rick riordan - does rick riordan write a lot of mythology books? yes. do i love them all? yes. neurodivergent kids! kids from a huge range of racial and ethnic backgrounds! queer kids! collect them all! ft. greco-roman mythology and a lot of stupid jokes

emelan series by tamora pierce - ok this is easily one of my favorite series of all time. non-western high fantasy setting (picture greece/turkey, china, tibet, mongolia, scandinavia, etc type settings), following four young mages who have unique kinds of magic as they train and grow their skills and become powerful in their own right. only one of the kids is definitely white (jury’s still out on sandry), one is a lesbian, one is ace, one is pan, all four are raised by a loving f/f couple, body diversity, one of the best found families i’ve ever read, feminism, discussion of racism, classism, cultural identity, war, and so much more. it’s so so good and so under-appreciated please read all of the emelan books

the dark is rising sequence by susan cooper - full disclosure i have not finished this series yet but i’ve re-read the first book a million times. it’s a neat take on arthurian mythology, with dark forces trying to take over and kids getting shit done

diviners by libba bray - psychic teenagers in 1920s new york! i’m a slut for prohibition, but these are also super fun and have likable and real characters, and doesn’t only focus on wealthy white people having parties which is nice. the occult! government conspiracies! historical references! genuinely scary situations! it’s rad!

the enchanted forest chronicles by patricia c. wrede - i adore this series so so much. it’s about a princess who’s father keeps telling her that she can’t have hobbies like fencing or cooking or conjugating latin verbs because they’re unladylike and insists that she marry this doofus prince that she couldn’t care less about. so she runs away and volunteers to work for a dragon and proceeds to send away all the princes that try to rescue her. it’s genuinely funny, has a really neat magic system in the later books, great female friendships, cats, dragons who have no time for your gender roles, and wizards who are the most ridiculous group of antagonists you will ever see

the infernal devices by cassandra clare - i really really do not like the author of this series but it also broke me so it must go on the list. if you’re familiar with the mortal instruments or shadowhunters on freeform, it’s set in that universe in the 1870s in london and it’s very steampunk and very angsty and it made me cry a lot

the kane chronicles by rick riordan - see: camp half-blood series but egyptian

fablehaven by brandon mull - oooooh fuck me up i love this series. this is another one meant for slightly younger readers but all of brandon mull’s series are so wildly imaginative and i’m a slut for world building so. the premise is basically that there are secret preserves all over the world that house magical creatures, and five of these preserves have vaults with artifacts that when brought together make a key to this massive demon prison. an evil society called the society of the evening star is trying to get the artifacts to open the prison, and a different group who is allied with the preserves called the knights of the dawn is trying to get to them first to prevent this from happening. there are dragons, light and dark powers, crazy convoluted vaults to get through, and some really cool creatures and characters

beyonders by brandon mull - this guy again! this one’s about a parallel world called lyrian that people on earth can only get to through small liminal windows, and usually can’t get back through. the story follows two kids, jason and rachel, who get stuck in lyrian and end up becoming major members of the resistance against the evil emperor maldor. just like fablehaven, the world building is insane and you’ll fall in love with all the characters. this is yet another series that made me cry in the middle of class when i finished it

the kingkiller chronicle by patrick rothfuss - this is series is long as all fuck and the last book isn’t out yet but it’s my #1 favorite series of all time. i found out about it bc a cashier at a local grocery store held up the line to write it down for me and i never went back. parts of it are achingly, hauntingly beautiful, other parts are hilarious enough to leave you in stitches, others make you want to pull your hair out. there’s sass, recklessness, beautiful and deadly girls, an overwhelming love and emphasis on the importance of music and storytelling, magic that’s more like science, ethnic adversity, student loans, a thing that might be a cow or might be a dragon depending on who you ask, and more quotable lines than you could dream of. the audiobook by nick podehl is also fabulous, and lin manuel miranda is producing and adapting it for the screen and maybe stage at some point in the future!

a modern faerie tale by holly black - guys. i love holly black. almost everything she’s ever written is on this list. this one is fairly self explanatory by the title, but it’s gritty and dark and has those lovely creepy faeries that she’s so great at writing. also a surprising m/m couple in the last book, both of whom are characters in the other two installments. (tw for drug use/addiction, brief sexual assault, and probably other things that i can’t remember right now)

the raven cycle by maggie stiefvater - also in my top 3 favorite series of all time, i cannot begin to describe this series. i first read it while up in the nc mountains which improved the experience to a surprising degree, but it’s stuck with me for the last several years. basically 5 teenagers go in search of a dead welsh king, but along the way there is magic, psychics, ghosts, a sentient forest, dreams becoming reality, curses, teenage shenanigans, classic cars, swearing, church, kisses and not kisses, illict hand holding, a baby crow, bisexuality, a death list, hitmen, and nicknames and it will consume your heart before you know what’s happening to you (tw child abuse, implied sexual assault, substance abuse, dissociation, mentions of past suicide attempts, body horror, gore, and disturbing scenes esp. in the last book)

six of crows by leigh bardugo - a team of criminals band together to break into an impossible fortress, fall in love, con an entire city, and get rich. set in the same universe as the grisha trilogy (which is also good but not as good as soc), this is basically a heist followed by a con, but pulled off by ruthless teenagers and with the help of magic

curseworker trilogy by holly black - crime families, magic that can only done through touch so everyone wears gloves, moral ambiguity, and a twisted romance. one of holly black’s best and most underrated series

baccano! by ryohgo narita - this is a japanese light novel series which has been adapted into an anime, but is much more extensive in print. the plot is extremely convoluted, but an absolute ride spanning several centuries, although the bulk of it is in the 1930s in nyc and chicago. there’s an elixir of immortality, crime families, trains, a solipsistic assassin and his mute assassin gf, serial killers, a demon with a catch phrase, murder, explosions, adorable couples, gambling, a gang leader named jacuzzi who is always terrified, killer corporations, and much much more

no.6 by asuka asano - another japanse series, this time focusing on two boys, one who grew up in a utopian city, the other who grew up outside the walls after the city destroyed his life. they meet when they’re 12 years old, and several years later, they’re reunited when the outsider rescues the city boy from arrest. they, along with a pimp and a nonbinary dog hotel owner, try to expose and overthrow the government. also ft. drag performances, mice who like shakespeare, killer bees, and boys falling in love.

the merlin saga by t.a. barron - my favorite take on arthurian mythology, chronicling merlin as he comes into his power. there’s a vividly magical island, giants, amulets, talking trees, stones that will try to swallow you, a swamp witch, celtic deities, huge wicker hats, poetry, new kinds of fruit, people that are also deer, and human’s long lost wings.

#i love giving recs!#ask me for recs for whatever whenever you want!!#ask #anon #lit

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