#( .barry is new pen; .emil is old pen )

[bruisedconscience]

@beneviolencia I found my old tablet pen halfway through drawing studies of ice prince and ice box (and I kind of like the new pen better rip!!)

(click for better quality!)

[brooksiescollection]

San Francisco Silent Film Festival 2017 - Day 4

The Doll (Die Puppe) (1919)

Master director Ernst Lubitsch sets out his intentions early as we see him construct a toylike world in which his fantastical characters soon come to life. Wealthy milquetoast Lancelot (Herman Thimig, resembling a more effete Willy Wonka), startled by the prospect of marriage, seeks refuge at a monastery full of some very fat and self-satisfied monks, who concoct a crazy solution to his problem. Why not buy a realistic talking doll and marry her instead? The one he selects happens to be a replica of the dollmaker’s daughter Ossi. 

When the doll is broken, the real Ossi (the hilarious and exuberant Ossi Oswalda) steps in to replace her, and madcap hilarity - along with a generous dose of unapologetic sexual innuendo - ensues. As you might expect from Lubitsch, it’s a well-handled, inspired piece of entirely entertaining silliness, and one of the funniest films of the festival. 

Silence (1926)

The productions of Cecil B. DeMille’s short-lived PDC Productions of the late 1920s can be quite uneven - on one hand, there’s the excellent Chicago (1927) and Eve’s Leaves (1926); on the other, there’s forgettable fare like Hold ‘Em Yale (1928) and Midnight Madness (1928). Happily, Silence, recently rediscovered at the Cinematheque Française, is one of the better productions, a well made and glossy melodrama from The Phantom of the Opera helmer Rupert Julian. 

Though the storyline would win no awards, it’s lifted by the always likeable H.B. Warner as a man whose girlfriend (Vera Reynolds) adopts a more suitable candidate as the ‘father’ of her illegitimate daughter. When the ruse is uncovered by a slimy conman (Raymond Hatton), the now-grown daughter (also played by Reynolds) takes matters into her own hands, with potentially tragic consequences. The Mont Alto Picture Orchestra provided a particularly good and at times unusually percussive accompaniment that greatly contributed to the suspense of the early scenes. Given how many of these DeMille productions have been rediscovered in only the past decade, there may be plenty more treats lying in wait for us.

Image from Wikipedia

Terje Vigen (A Man There Was) (1917)

This Swedish film is a lyrical tone-poem of a feature, with a storyline just strong enough to move you but not so complex as to distract from its vivid imagery of the Scandinavian coastline. Based on a well-known poem by Henrik Ibsen, it tells of the tragic impact of the British blockade of Norway during the Napoleonic Wars upon a simple Norwegian sailor (Victor Sjöström, who also directs) and his impoverished family.

If you’ve seen Sjöström’s Hollywood classics such as He Who Gets Slapped (1924) and The Wind (1928), you won’t be surprised by his deft handling of such delicate material, but you will also find him a fine and subtle actor, conveying grief more eloquently with a single agonised glance than any amount of histrionics. To my mind, this was a far more successful experiment in capturing the rhythms of a piece of Scandinavian literature than Pan (1922), shown at the festival a few years ago. The Matti Bye Ensemble provided a suitably atmospheric accompaniment.

The Lost World (1925)

Most silent film fans would be familiar with this property, but who can say they’ve actually seen the film? Almost nobody living, thanks to the purchase and destruction of all available prints in the late 1920s. David Shepard and Serge Bromberg spent years examining surviving footage of variable quality and completeness to assemble this, the closest thing we may ever see to the original ten-reel version.

In this restoration, The Lost World finally reveals itself as a fully realised precursor to the action blockbusters of the current day. Jurassic Park (1992) is the obvious comparison, but there are also moments that evoke everything from the Indiana Jones series to the disaster pictures of the 1970s, to the current cycle of effects-driven superhero films.

Wallace Beery is perfectly cast as the eccentric Professor Challenger, who leads a ragtag expedition to prove the existence of dinosaurs on an isolated South American outcrop. The world of the movie, and especially the love affair between Bessie Love and Lloyd Hughes’ journalist character, are more satisfyingly fleshed out than in previous truncated versions. It’s absurd, it’s sometimes cheesy - but it’s a whole lot of fun.  The Alloy Orchestra’s stark, unorthodox score was one of their best and a great match for the picture, with the dinosaur’s cries chillingly rendered.

Image from Internet Movie Database

Two Days (Dva Dni) (1927)

Any film that begins with the callous death of a puppy and only becomes more depressing thereafter is not going to be a laugh riot, but for those with sufficient intestinal fortitude, this bleak Ukranian film has much to recommend it.

After an aristocratic family flees the Bolsheviks, their faithful servant (Ivan Zamychkovskyi) remains to guard their valuables. He soon finds himself torn between his worship of his son (Sergey Minin) despite his allegiance to the boorish Bolsheviks who take command of the house, and that of the son of his employer (Valeriy Hakkebush) who, when the tables turn, reveals himself no less thuggish than the invading enemy.

There’s shades of Emil Jannings’ downtrodden doorman from The Last Laugh (1924) in Zamychkovskyi’s performance, and while the film’s brutal, uncompromising vision makes it hard to love, its central message - that extremist ideology of any stripe is capable of distorting minds and destroying families - is undoubtedly a timely one.

Image from Wikipedia

The Three Musketeers (1921)

Like The Mark of Zorro (1920) before it, Fred Niblo’s epic starring vehicle for Douglas Fairbanks is the origin story of a hero. The supreme egotist in real life, Doug’s artistic ego was sure enough to know that you don’t need to be on screen every moment to still be the star of the show. It is only after a good deal of set-up about palace intrigues involving France’s King Louis XIII (Adolphe Menjou), his Queen (Mary MacLaren) and the treacherous Cardinal Richelieu (Nigel de Brulier) that Fairbanks’ character of D’Artagnan even makes his first appearance, beginning the story as a rather crude country youth. It takes an allegiance with the legendary Three Musketeers (Leon Barry, George Siegemann and Eugene Pallette) and his involvement in a plot to clear the Queen’s name to earn his status as a national legend.

Doug is as effortlessly charismatic, athletic and humorous as always, and the multiple moving parts of a storyline that easily might have sprawled into confusion are deftly handled, painted with broad enough strokes to be easily understood, but containing enough detail to gain an immersive sense of the period, which is lavishly rendered. The image quality for this new restoration is top notch, derived from Fairbanks’ own print that was deposited at the Museum of Modern Art in New York in the 1930s.

Don’t let its lengthy two-hour running time act as a deterrent - it all passes in the blink of an eye, without a moment’s drag. What a rip-roaring way to end the festival!

As always, I had the opportunity to catch up with a number of friends and fellow film bloggers both new and old, including Pamela Hutchinson, whose excellent Silent London website is well worth your time; Thomas Gladysz, director and founder of the Louise Brooks Society, Mary Mallory of The Daily Mirror, the indefatigable Donna of Strictly Vintage Hollywood, Beth Anne Gallagher of Spellbound by Film, and FilmRadar’s Karie Bible - most of whom have penned their own recaps of the festival that I urge you to read. 

The silent film community is full of passionate and wonderful people who are dedicated to keeping this art form alive, and I’m proud to be a part of it. Thank you to all who contributed to another wonderful weekend of silents!

[stephaniefchase]

Bajan Newscap 8/17/2017

Good Morning  #realdreamchasers. Here is your daily news cap for Thursday, August 17TH, 2017. There is a lot to read and digest so take your time. Remember you can read full articles via Barbados Today (BT), or by purchasing a Daily Newspaper (DN).

RING THE BELL! – Two of Barbados’ leading political scientists have reiterated their call for Prime Minister Freundel Stuart to call early elections so the country’s critical economic and social problems can be addressed urgently. Political scientist and pollster Peter Wickham and retired Dean of the University of the West Indies Faculty of Social Sciences Dr George Belle were firm in that call, with the latter suggesting that the current administration is bankrupt of ideas to fix the country’s woes. He argued that Democratic Labour Party (DLP) parliamentarians should also be concerned about their political future because they too will be negatively affected the longer the party stays in office. Though not always in agreement with the retired lecturer in political science, Wickham was on the same page with him on the call for an early poll. The pollster argued that an election would either force the DLP to come up with a plan if Stuart did not have one or, alternatively, give way to someone else with a plan. During separate interviews with Barbados TODAY both Belle and Wickham also addressed Stuart’s role in last week’s Social Partnership meeting at the Hilton Barbados Resort, although they had different takes on the issue. Belle questioned Stuart’s chairmanship of the meeting, arguing that the role should have been delegated to Minister of Labour Senator Dr Esther Byer-Suckoo. The political scientist further contended that the country saw no leadership from the Prime Minister, only a “pedantic summation” at the end of the discussions. But Wickham argued that Stuart’s performance was consistent with what he believed to be his function as the country’s political leader. “Stuart has no desire to take control of the situation nationally. I think that we would have been foolish to expect that he would have done something different to his consistent position, which is that the ministers will run the Government, while he supervises as chairman,” the pollster told Barbados TODAY, reiterating that Stuart’s style of leadership was not one of engaging the public. “He has no desire to engage on these issues. None. He has a desire to chair and to facilitate and that is exactly what he did.” Wickham said Barbadians should not expect Stuart to change at this stage of his political career. “That is his articulated and defended leadership style. He is not moving away from it now. He wants to be a chairman, not a leader,” he argued. (BT)

MAXWELL FOLK FIXING ROAD - The badly-damaged Maxwell Coast Road is finally being fixed. That news would undoubtedly make residents happy, if only it was not them who were shelling out thousands of dollars to repair it themselves. In the baking midday sun yesterday, a few irked residents watched as a “Bobcat” laid out marl in an attempt to fill the pothole-infested path in the Christ Church district. They told the DAILY NATION the road had rapidly deteriorated due to the constant traffic of construction trucks from the nearby luxury property, Sandals Royal Barbados. (DN)

CARIFESTA ‘NEVER UNDER THREAT’ - Minister of Labour Dr Esther Byer Suckoo has strongly denied reports that CARIFESTA XIII was under threat. In fact, the Government senator insisted recent meetings held at the Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) involving the Barbados Workers’ Union (BWU) were only centred around wage negotiations. Meetings were held on Monday and Tuesday at he state-run organisation in the Pine, St Michael, and attended by officials from both the CBC and the BWU. “There was never a threat to disrupt CARIFESTA. The meetings at CBC were merely wage negotiations. There was no meeting about any threat to disrupt CARIFESTA because the unions understand that CARIFESTA isn’t a local event, but a regional one,” she said. “There was never a threat of industrial action by the union.” (DN)

GOING PLACES - Chairman of the Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc (BTMI) Alvin Jemmott believes the country’s efforts at expanding the tourism product is bearing fruit, especially as other destinations enter the marketplace. With the country preparing to welcome an estimated 2,000 visitors for the Caribbean Festival of Arts (CARIFESTA) from August 17-27, Jemmott said the cultural spectacular was coming at an ideal time for the industry. Meantime, the BTMI chairman has revealed that the former home accommodation programme had evolved from what was envisaged. That initiative, first highlight over a decade ago for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007, and was developed to cater for the projected increased arrivals due to the region’s staging of mega sporting event, during what is a peak travel season. Homeowners were invited to use the spare capacity in homes to accommodate tourists. Drawing reference to programmes like Airbnb, he said the number of yearly booking through this platform indicated that market was steadily increasing. He further told Barbados TODAY that effort were ongoing to entice visitors to these shores beyond the tradition means; with a heavy focus on new media. (BT)

PELICAN VILLAGE TENANTS WANT TO TAKE OVER THE CRAFT MARKET - Pelican Village on Harbour Road, St Michael could receive a new lease on life as early as the end of this month, if the tenants win the tender bid to manage the outlets there. In anticipation of taking control of their destiny, they are in the process of forming a cooperative, and have established links with the Barbados Cooperative Society (BCS) to ensure their venture is a success. The tenants have also formed ties with the Barbados Tourism Product Authority, the Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc, the National Cultural Foundation and the Barbados Museum to draw on their expertise, Managing Director of Bajan Art Forms Onkphra Wells, told Barbados TODAY. Wells is one of the driving forces behind the project. Minister of Industry, Commerce and Small Business Development Donville Inniss reported last December that tenants had owed the Barbados Investment and Development Corporation (BIDC) some $15 million in arrears, up from $10 million in 2014. Since then, Government has been seeking to outsource management of the under-patronized Pelican complex. (BT)

TURKEY BUSINESS SOARING AGAIN AT CHICKMONT - Three years after a major fire cost more than $770,000 in losses and depleted the turkey stock at a farm operated by Chickmont Foods Ltd, the company is reporting that things are back to normal. A fire at ZRS Farms on August 26, 2014 damaged a pen and affected the estimated 7,600 two-week-old turkeys that it housed. General Manager and Director of Chickmont Foods Edward Albecker said at the time there was no need for Barbadians to worry about any turkey shortage as a result of the fire. Today, while Albecker did not go into details about the company’s recovery, he told Barbados TODAYin a brief interview, everything was “pretty much” back to normal with the turkey producing arm of the company, and business overall was booming. In fact, he said besides having enough turkeys and chicken to serve the local market, the island’s main poultry producing company had witnessed an estimated five per cent increase in the sales of eggs over the last few weeks. The Balls Plantation, Lowland, Christ Church company is an amalgamation of poultry companies, Montrose Limited, Chickgrowers Limited and Super Poultry Farms Limited. The Barbados Egg and Poultry Producers Association (BEPPA) gave the assurance that there was no shortage of supply and that the price of eggs had not increased. (BT)

SUGAR TWIST - A fresh attempt is being made to bring the stalled Andrews sugar project in St Joseph back to life. Nearly one-and-a-half years after the High Court upheld an injunction by Andrews Great House owner Emile Peter Elias to shut down the US$250 million venture, Government is returning to court to argue that the wrong officials were sued. With the project on life support, Elias’ attorney Ebrahim Lakhi told Barbados TODAY the Freundel Stuart administration had applied to the court to have Chief Town Planner Mark Cummins and the Attorney General Adriel Brathwaite, QC, removed as the subjects of the injunction. He said the administration was contending that it was Stuart, in his capacity as Minister responsible for Town Planning, who should have been sued in the first place. Lakhi said the authorities were objecting to the judicial review application which said the chief town planner had exceeded his jurisdiction in granting planning permission for the project. (BT)

STILL NO SETTLEMENT IN SIGHT TO HYATT CASE - After ten hours of arguments spread over two days, those involved in the Hyatt Centric legal battle are no closer to a settlement. A High Court judge today adjourned the hearing until tomorrow, after close to seven hours of legal arguments today. This after Barry Gale, QC, representing Hyatt developer, the Mark Maloney-led Vision Development Inc, spent three hours last Wednesday trying to convince Justice Sonia Richards at the Supreme Court that attorney-at-law David Comissiong had no legal standing to attempt to stop construction of the US$100 million hotel. The hearing resumed this morning around 10:30 with Gale completing his arguments, followed by Queens Counsel Hal Gollop, who is representing Prime Minister Freundel Stuart. Following an over two-hour session the parties broke for lunch, after which Comissiong began presenting his arguments from around 2:40p.m. on why he requested a judicial review of the permission granted by the Prime Minister, in his capacity as Minister responsible for Town & Country Planning, to Maloney’s company to build the 15-storey hotel on Bay Street, The City. At around 6 p.m. the judge adjourned the hearing until 10:30 a.m. tomorrow, at which time Gale and Gollop will reply to any points that may have emerged from Comissiong’s four-hour presentation. (BT)

LIAT LAUNCHES TICKETING PARTNERSHIP WITH NINE AIRLINES - LIAT, the Caribbean Airline will this week open access to more destinations with the launch of its Interline Gateway. The Interline Gateway hosted by Travel Port will allow LIAT customers to book tickets with LIAT along with any Interline partners. The product which will be available through the LIAT Call Centre will see passengers being able to book tickets which include a LIAT flight along with flights from any of the nine interline partners: JetBlue, Caribbean Airlines, British Airways, Corsair, Virgin Atlantic, Air France-KLM, Air Canada, Surinam Airways, and WinAir. The payments for these tickets will be made via credit or debit cards. This will now allow LIAT passengers to make one booking via LIAT for their travel as well as have LIAT assistance in case of changes. “LIAT is always looking at ways to improve the product we offer our customers and allowing them to access the destinations offered by our interline partners is another way we are doing this” stated chief executive officer, Julie Reifer-Jones. Reifer-Jones noted that the Interline Gateway has been in development and LIAT was happy to bring this added benefit to the market. Customers who wish to use the service can call the LIAT Call Centre and speak to an agent about booking a reservation. The Interline Gateway will be accepting bookings from August 15. (DN)

CITY CRIME PLEA - A leading cleric has called for a national conversation on crime in Barbados, and one that includes those actually involved in criminal activity. Monsignor Vincent Blackett of the Catholic Church made the plea as a consultative process that will see churches, non-governmental organisations and businesses in Bridgetown provide solutions to the upsurge in crime in the area kicked off yesterday. The Henderson Williams City Development Foundation held an emergency meeting at Hilton Barbados where a large contingent from various churches in The City, as well as business and community leaders, gathered. “I came in here this morning and I looked at people around the table, but there are many pockets. Missing are people who occupy The City but do not live there,” Blackett said. (DN)

GUNPLAY IN THE PINE - While residents of The Pine, St Michael said they were used to outbreaks of gunfire, the brazen manner in which two men were shot last night came as a surprise to many of them. At around 9 p.m. 40-year-old Kerwin Depeche and 35-year-old Ryan Quimby were hanging out with other men at a shop in the area of Block 5, Bottom Close in Wildey, St Michael when an unknown assailant exited a van and opened fire on the group of men, injuring Depeche and Quimby. Depeche was shot in his right foot, while Quimby was shot twice in his left thigh. When Barbados TODAY visited the area, known as Dungeon, residents were prepared to comment, but on strict condition of anonymity. Some described the incident as chilling, but most said it was unprecedented in its brazenness. Another concerned person blamed old rivalries for the violence in the community, although he did not suggest this to be the case with last night’s shooting. Another resident sought to hold the country’s political leaders responsible, suggesting they were not setting good examples. He also said the authorities were placing attention of the wrong people, expending energy on the “ghetto youth”, while the real culprits responsible for importing illegal guns were left untouched. (BT)

BRADSHAW CALLS FOR MORE INTERACTIVE FORM OF POLICING - Member of Parliament for St Michael South East Santia Bradshaw is calling for a kinder and gentler form of policing and more community activities to combat the worrying rise in gun violence. In the wake of a shooting last night that left two men nursing injuries, the Opposition Barbados Labour Party (BLP) parliamentarian was particularly concerned about the manner in which lawmen interact with the youth in her constituency. It was around 9 p.m. when 40-year-old Kerwin Depeche and 35-year-old Ryan Quimby were hanging out with other men at a shop in the area of Block 5, Bottom Close in Wildey, St Michael when an unknown assailant exited a van and opened fire on the group of men, injuring Depeche and Quimby. Bradshaw said the shooting was unfortunate, considering the fact that there had been ongoing efforts to ensure residents felt comfortable at home. However, she also said the Royal Barbados Police Force needed to change its approach to policing the area, suggesting that the perceived aggressive method was not working. In condemning the violence, Bradshaw said there were several reasons for the surge in gun crimes, with joblessness at the top of the list. The Opposition politician told Barbados TODAY community centres within the constituency needed to be upgraded to offer opportunities for the youth to become engaged in productive programmes. (BT)

LEAVE IT TO US! - Law enforcement officials are cautioning against vigilantism after the latest shooting incident caused shock and fear in a St Michael community. Police reported that sometime after 9 p.m. on Tuesday, an unknown assailant opened fire in the area of Block 5, Bottom Close, Wildey. As a result, Kerwin Depeche, 40, also from Wildey, received a gunshot injury to the right foot, while Ryan Quimby, 35, of Bush Hall, St Michael, was shot twice in the left thigh. Depeche and Quimby were liming by a shop with other men when a van pulled up. The shooter got out and opened fire on the group. The two were transported to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital by private vehicle for medical attention. Some residents accused police of inadequate patrols and only appearing after the fact, and said they would have to defend the block. (DN)

WANTED MAN SURRENDERS - Forty-seven-year-old Shanley Vergusson Stoute, who was the subject of a wanted man bulletin, is now in police custody. Stoute, who is also known as Stoute Man, of Parish Land, Christ Church, surrendered to police, accompanied by an attorney, Tuesday, August 15. He is currently assisting police with investigations. (BT)

BAIL FOR WOMAN WHO ALLEGEDLY HELPED WANTED MAN - A mother of two who allegedly helped a wanted man evade police earlier this year, was granted her freedom yesterday after spending five months on remand at HMP Dodds. Ashley Danica Anita Jones was released on bail after Magistrate Kristie Cuffy-Sargeant accepted her two $5,000 sureties, but with strict conditions. The No. 17 Birch Path, Regent Hill, Pinelands, St Michael resident had been on remand since February after appearing in the District ‘A’ Magistrates’ Court charged with perverting the course of public justice through a series of acts, when she provided wanted man Livardo Hinds with daily meals, concealed his whereabouts and gave his name as Livardo Weekes to protect him from prosecution. Jones must not associate with Hinds until her case is settled and she will also have to report to the District ‘A’ Police Station every Monday and Thursday with valid identification The accused woman, who was represented by attorney Romain Marshall, returns to court on November 23. (BT)

BAIL FOR WOMAN ACCUSED OF HARBOURING ALLEGED SHOOTER - Twenty-four-year-old Patrice Deisha Downes, who was accused of harbouring shooter Reco Omar Grimes, was released on bail when she appeared in the District “A” Magistrates’ Court yesterday. Grimes was charged with discharging a firearm in the Fairchild Street market on August 11. Downes of Hothersal Terrace, St Michael, was not required to plead to the charge that knowing or believing that Reco Grimes had committed serious bodily harm, she did an act with intent to impede his apprehension or prosecution, sometime between August 11 and 12. There was no objection to bail, and Magistrate Cuffy-Sargeant released her with two sureties of $5 000 each. Downes, who was represented by Angella Mitchell-Gittens, was ordered to report to Central Police Station every Wednesday. The accused returns to court on November 22.  (DN)

HINDS CHARGED OVER KADOOMENT DAY VIOLENCE - A St Michael painter accused of engaging in violent behaviour with other persons on Kadooment Dayis out on $10,000 bail. Thirty-year-old O’Neal Clavis Nile Hinds of Belle Gully, St Michael was not required to plead to the indictable charge when he appeared before Magistrate Kristie Cuffy-Sargeant yesterday, accompanied by his attorney Shadia Simpson. Although Hinds has a case pending in the High Court, there were no objections from prosecutor Station Sergeant Glenda Carter-Nicholls when it came time for a bail application to be made. However, Hinds, who walked with the aid of crutches, must report to Central Police Station every Friday before noon with valid identification as a condition of his bail release. He makes his second appearance in the No. 2 District ‘A’ Magistrates’ Court on November 10. (BT)

HOLDER GETS $5,000 BAIL - There were no objections to bail when Lamar Jamal Holder appeared before a Bridgetown magistrate today charged with committing two indictable offences. It is alleged that 32-year-old Holder unlawfully and maliciously wounded Ryan Benskin on July 13, and engaged in violent conduct with other people. The 3rd Avenue Licorish Village, My Lords Hill, St Michael resident was granted $5,000 bail and ordered to report to the District ‘A’ Police Station by noon every Wednesday with a valid form of identification. Holder returns to court on October 17 when two other co-accused men are scheduled to appear before Magistrate Kristie Cuffy-Sargeant. (BT)

MAGISTRATE ADVISES YOUTH AGAINST GOING WRONG ROAD - A local magistrate has encouraged Barbadian youth to take advantage of the numerous opportunities being made available to them to be leaders and role models. Magistrate Douglas Frederick gave the advice to the 11- to 16-year-olds who were at the closing ceremony of the Shaping Adolescents to Function in their Environment (SAFE) Zone summer programme last Friday. Broaching the issue of gun violence, the magistrate contended that until a solution is found to address that problem, the island would remain in a worrying state. President of SOS Fabian Sargeant added that more social workers were needed in primary and secondary schools. In light of the acts of violence that have been seen on traditional and social media, he said, an intervention was needed to bring about much change. (BT)

EX-BLOCK LEADER TELLS HOW TO HELP YOUTH - A former block leader has put forward several suggestions he thinks can help get the nation’s youth back on track and away from criminal activity. Winston “Iston Bull” Branch, former block leader from Chapman Lane, The City, said finance was important to make the youth more self-sufficient and able to run their own enterprises.  He listed agriculture as a viable option, pointing out there was a lot of idle land that the youth could be given access to. They also needed access to loans, which would be channelled into money-making ventures where they could work for a salary These points were made during Branch’s contribution at an emergency meeting at Hilton Barbados yesterday by The Henderson Williams City Development Foundation to discuss crime in The City. (DN)

HIV A HARD LESSON - Educating children about HIV/AIDS is proving to be a challenge for social workers. This observation was made by community nutrition officer, Stacia Whittaker, of the HIV/AIDS Food Bank. She said children were joining adults in prejudice against people living with the disease. Whittaker, who has been with the Food Bank since 2003, said the level of discrimination in the country was saddening. She added that teaching children about the illness was proving to be difficult as they ignored the information given by social workers and listened to the myths they heard from adults at home. Speaking on the sidelines of a donation yesterday of food supplies and toiletries by the Barbados Defence Force’s summer camp Camp Energy, she said: “The Ministry of Health, Education and Labour have portfolios that deal with HIV/AIDS education, so there is a lot of information out there. (DN)

LUCKY PINK - Former international cricketers Franklyn Stephenson and Roland Butcher think that even if the West Indies can make the adjustment to playing under lights in the opening Test at Edgbaston today, the three-match series will prove to be a major challenge against an England side in their own conditions. Stephenson, who played County cricket in England for Gloucestershire, Nottinghamshire and Sussex, told NATIONSPORT yesterday he hopes the team can quickly adapt to the pink ball, which will be used in England for the first time. “The pink ball is relatively novel and I hope that that works in the boys’ favour. Not all is against them but I am not holding out much hope for the West Indies in this Test series,” he said. Stephenson said that Jason Holder’s men can take some heart from the solid performances in the pre-series tour matches. (DN)

WINDIES NOT FAZED BY UNDERDOG TAG - Inexperienced West Indies will hope to silence their many detractors when they clash with a dominant England in the historic day/night opening Test at Edgbaston here today, in what is likely to be their sternest challenge in recent times. Written off long before arriving here for the three-Test series, the Caribbean side, with just three wins in their last 23 Tests, are expected to be put under intense pressure from an England squad still buoyant from their emphatic series win over South Africa last month. Further, the Windies have not won a Test here in 17 years and are also without a series win in nearly three decades, since Sir Vivian Richards presided over a 3-1 victory in 1988. Captain Jason Holder, on his first tour of England since taking over the helm of the side two years ago, told reporters here yesterday that despite being underdogs, he had been boosted by his side’s form in the recent first-class tour matches.  (DN)

MAXED OUT! - There may be nine Barbadians on the Windies cricket team but most of Barbados won’t get to see them in England anyway. SportsMax, the region’s exclusive rights holder of the England tour, is no longer airing on MCTV, as the Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) owes hundreds of thousands of dollars to International Media Content Limited (IMC), owner of SportsMax. SportsMax chief executive officer Oliver McIntosh confirmed the news after IMC issued CBC a termination notice yesterday for failing to “fulfil its obligation to pay IMC as per its agreement” for the last six months. “We would have assumed that since SportsMax is part of a bigger subscription package, that the funds that MCTV received for the channels would’ve just flowed to us, but that hasn’t been the case for a period of time that we estimate to be more than half a year,” explained McIntosh in an exclusive interview with DAILY NATION.  (DN)

U-15S DEFEAT PUERTO RICO - Barbados’ footballers sustained their winning streak yesterday, defeating Puerto Rico 2-0 in a top-of-the-table CONCACAF Under-15 Championship clash at the IMG Academy in Florida. Substitutes Thierry Gale and Nazario Adamson came off the bench to score a goal each in the second half to lead the team to victory. Coach Renaldo “Pee Wee” Gilkes, while admitting the match was harder than the one played against Guadeloupe, said the boys handled the pressure really well, paced themselves and scored at the appropriate time. “It was another difficult one. The competition is very very high over here. All of us [are] in Division 2 of the CONCACAF competition. The weather conditions were a bit more favourable. There was a bit more breeze . . . and I think we were able to settle down and play our brand of football,” Gilkes said. (DN)

34 FOR GOODWILL SWIM MEET - A 34-MEMBER Barbados team will leave the island tomorrow for Guyana to compete at the 23rd Goodwill Swim Championships. This short course meet will be contested over three days from Friday to Sunday and competition is open to regional swimmers in the eight and under, 9-10, 11-12, 13-14, and 15 -17 age groups. Swimmers who competed at the CARIFTA Swim Championships earlier this year, are not eligible for the meet, which will be held at the National Aquatic Centre on the East Bank of Demerara. Apart from Barbados and hosts Guyana, the other participating countries are Suriname, Bermuda, The Bahamas, St Lucia and Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados. (DN)

BEAUTY’S BACK - When seven-year-old Beauty was rescued by a team from the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) three months ago, she was nothing but skin and bones. Now the loving pitbull crossed with an unknown breed is healthy and lively again, and was the centre of attention yesterday when youngsters from the Barbados Defence Force’s Camp Energy visited the RSPCA on Spring Garden, St Michael.   (DN)

DANIEL CRAIG CONFIRMS HE WILL RETURN AS JAMES BOND - British actor Daniel Craig has confirmed he will reprise the role of James Bond one last time, ending months of speculation.  Craig made the revelation during an appearance on the US TV programme The Late Show on Tuesday. Asked by host Stephen Colbert whether he would return as James Bond, Craig responded: “Yes”, to cheers from the audience.  Craig has appeared four times as the spy with a taste for martini: in Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace, Skyfall and Spectre. Eon Productions, the company that runs the movie franchise, said on its website that the 25th Bond movie would be released in US cinemas on November 8, 2019, with a traditional early release in Britain and the rest of the world. Asked by Colbert whether he would appear in any further Bond movies after that one, Craig said no. “I think this is it. I just want to go out on a high note and I can’t wait,” he said. (DN)

That’s all for today folks there are 136 days left in the year Shalom! #thechasefiles #dailynewscaps Follow us on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram for your daily news. #bajannewscaps #newscapsbystephaniefchase