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oneeyewonder91 · 5 years

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Day at the Theme Park

Hello everyone!!

Long time no see for sure. I have been standing in the background of Tumblr, observing and seeing a lot of great posts by awesome people. Congrats to @poopypantsaudrey on flying past 3500 followers and almost reaching 4000!

I have done some adventures over the past few months and can’t wait to share them.

Well I am going to guess one of your reasons for reading this post is you want to hear a new adventure? Well gather your favorite snacks (MMM, crunchy Cheetos) and finding a nice comfy seat.

Submitted for the approval of the Tumblr community, I call this adventure How to Poop yourself at an Amusement Park

Back in March, I took a journey to the magical state of Texas to visit some family and to experience the Lone Star state as an adult. Last time I was there was as a little boy as an attendees for a family reunion and of course did not have the freedom to explore the things I really wanted to do. One of these things was to visit an amusement park. Sadly, where I reside, there are not many parks close by as our climate is not the best for outdoor fun most the year. (Our season are Rain, Winter, Rain Part 2, and Road construction). When I began planning this trip out, I decided that one of the things I wanted to do was make a public mess while at an amusement park. The rules of this were as follows: I wanted it to be a big park, I could not inconvenience any other park goes while I was messy, and I had to at least pee twice while there and poop once.

I booked my trip and made sure to pack at least two extra pairs of burner pants (cheap pants I have started buying simply for these types of situations) and 3 pullups. I knew that things may get very messy, so I made sure to buy pullups with very tight leg bands so hopefully nothing would squeeze put the sides.

I spent a few days just visiting with family and doing Texas things (horseback riding, enjoying sun, and of course indulging in delicious BBQ and Tex-Mex cuisine.

Finally, on day 4 of my trip, I decided it was time. I have been sure to eat a good amount of fiberous foods and to grease things up with some big burgers and doughnuts. I held the stink train in me for a day and a half (and for me that is a long time, as lately I have been pooping twice a day).

I could tell the morning I awoke that I was full and in need of some relief. I told my family I was going to explore and would be back for more visiting that evening. I threw on a pair of pants, two pullups to keep things safe, and and extra pair of pants over that. It was warm and snug, but I figured that a little discomfortable from being to warm would be better than having messy leakage.

My target was about an hour away, so I swung through Starbucks to grab a large coffee and a sausage, egg, and cheese sandwich. Before leaving, I had avoided peeing, so as I ate my sandwich and washed it down with coffee, I could my bladder filling and starting to stretch.

Texas is beautiful country and I enjoyed the drive. I had also felt some knocking at the back end before leaving, but as I drove, the feeling began to reside, only emitting a few puffy farts from time to time to relieve a little extra pressure.

Arriving at the amusement park, I already knew today would be a good day,. First off, I love amusement parks. It’s the rides, the shows, the food, and of course, the atmosphere.

I purchased my admission and a Fast pass, so I could avoid as many lines as possible. It was almost noon and the park was not overly full. It was midweek and there were smattering of groups of people here and there. Some sections were fuller than others, and some seemed completely deserted. My need to pee was starting to get to a point where I knew the floodgates would open soon. It was time to find a ride to pee on. I am a fan of many different types of rides, but I wanted this one to be a more intense roller coaster. I walked for a bit trying to find the right coaster I wanted to pee on and finally dcided on one we will call Giant Coaster.

Before jumping in line, I checked to make sure my pullups were snug and that everything would be able to hold together while the ride pulled some major G force through turns and over hills. Feeling secure, I took my place in line behind 20 or so people. The air was warm, the sounds of popular music were playing, and the anticipation of what I was about to do was growing. This was not my first time peeing on a roller coaster. I had accidently wet myself while riding a roller coaster in Missouri as a child because I hid the fact I had to pee from my grandmother. This would be a whole new experience

Nearing the front of the line, I started to worry. What if I did leak? How do you explain that? As the train I would be riding in approached, I took some deep breaths and assured myself things would be ok. I grabbed a seat at the rear of the train (my favorite place for roller coasters) and we began the slow progression towards the lift hill.

In order to increase my now enormous need to pee, I started to let out little dribbles as we began moving up the hill. Not big dribbles mind you, but tiny little squirts that I could feel slowly making a damp spot on my pullup. As we reached the top, my need to pee was reaching its climax and I was utterly bursting to release. The train teetered at the top of the hill, almost as if deciding if it should fall back or move forward. Then with a lurch, the train crested the hill and we rocketed downward. As my car finally began its descent, so did I begin soaking my pullup. I moaned softly with relief as a massive amount of pee began flooding each centimeter of the front of my pullup and it felt amazing to wet myself at such a high rate of speed, almost like to thrills in one. I continued peeing as we hit the first loop and the first corkscrew roll, and only stopped as we entered some large turns. I could feel the pullup had gained a lot of weight with all of the pee in it, and my bladder throbbed as if to say “Thank you! Oh thank you for emptying me!” As exited the train at the station after the ride was over, I hoped no one would notice the obvious puffy bulge the pullup was making at the front of my pants. One down, and a mess and definitely more pee to go.

I spent the next few hours wandering about, enjoying a few more roller coasters, flat rides, and of course people watching. There is a type of crowd that frequents amusement parks midweek. Kind of a cross between families with young kids, and young thrill seekers who may have a day off from work or college and want to ride as many rides as possible. I also ate a few different things in order to increase my urge to poop. Before eating, my urge was around a 3.5 and I could tell I would need to poop at some point. I then ate some delicious Texas nachos, a corn dog, and a chocolate ice cream sundae with banana and whip cream, just to get things all lubed and ready to flow. After all this, I had been at the park for around 3 hours and was now at a red alert 8 on my need to poop. But where to do it??

I knew I didn’t want to poop on a ride. That could create a mess for staff and could affect other park goers. I didn’t want to just sit down and poop somewhere like I had done before. I decided to be a bit daring. I walked around a little more, feeling things slowly sliding south, and the pressure on my butthole growing ever more. I started to let a few puffy farts, which is typically my signal that pooping will commence soon. Looking around, I realized that my journey through the park had taken me full circle. I was back at Giant Coaster. And suddenly, I knew what I wanted to do. Acting like I was just waiting for some friends to finish getting on and riding the ride, I learned against a low fence, sticking out my butt slightly so I was in a small leaning position. A quick look around me show that I was in direct line of sight to all those waiting in line as well as a food stall straight across the way where people were enjoying ice cream.

Taking a deep breath, I slowly relaxed my body and gave a slight push in order to get things moving. I felt the head of a hard poop breach my butthole and come to rest there. I expected it to keep sliding, but it just stuck there. I gave another push, but only received an airy fart for my troubles. This is a situation I had not expected: Usually my poops behave and slide out without much effort. I suppose what caused this sudden tough poop was the change in climate and length of time I had gone without going. I gave another push and felt the this big poop scrap along the interior of my bowel. Moving my legs slightly more apart and adopting more of a leaning on the wall position, I took a large breath and gave a big push. Things began moving and soon the poop was pressing against the fabric of my pull up. As I pooped, my bladder also started to release and I flooded my already wet pullup with even my pee. Push after push, breath after deep breath, I filled my pullup. As this enormous poop came out of me, it became softer and more of a mushy texture towards the very end. I was in heaven. This was one of the biggest poops I had taken in quite awhile, and to be doing it in such a public place was amazing. As I finished, I let a loud muffled fart as if my body was saying “Ta da!!”

Feeling much fuller and much lighter, I stood up. I could tell my pants were very bulgy, and I secretly hoped maybe someone had noticed this young fellow pooping himself. I started walking, feeling my solid, heavy movement sway as I walked. Unfortunately, I knew I would not be able to leave the park in this state. I was in a rental car, and I knew squishing poop on the seat, even with a towel, would lose me my deposit. But I wanted to squish!

I found a small stage area that had a few people walking through, but no shows in progress. Walking to the nearest bleacher, I quickly took a seat, feeling my massive mess flatten under me and push up into my crotch. I took out my phone, and popped in my earbuds, and enjoyed the sensation. I gave a few small bounces and feel the lump under give slightly. I also wiggled a bit, just to spread things around. When I finally stood up, I knew I had a giant flat pancake on my butt. It was time to clean up.

I was able to locate a family restroom on a map, which was more near the park entrance. I walked toward the entrance area, spreading carefully as I could feel that the poop had breached the bands of my first pullup, and were now moving into the second pullup.

I was finally able to locate the restroom and went in to clean up. Cleaning up took quite a while. Luckily, the brand of pullups I had wore held up quite well and I was very happy with them. I wash able to get all the poop off with lots of TP, and I disposed of the super mess in the bathroom trash can. I made sure to bag the pullups and the underlayer pair of pants with a plastic bag I had brought in my pocket. Unfortunately, the restroom stunk terribly from the cleanup, so hopefully it aired out before anyone else went in.

Leaving the park, I thought about the day I had had. I am really shocked at the size that poop was, and slightly disappointed I hadn’t wet as much. Oh well, more water or soda for next adventure. Once I got back to the family house, I took a good shower to make sure I was clean again and spent the rest of the evening sitting outside eating burgers and hot dogs with the family.

I know I have been gone for a while. Again, my sincere apologies. As I said earlier, I do have a few more adventures I have done to write up. Those will come soon!

Thanks for reading and hope you all enjoyed!

Until next time: Keep posting and stay wet, messy, or both!

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paharvey99 · 4 years

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No Waitrose October 7 - Days 7-9

Day 7

You don’t get in-law jokes any more, do you? That’s what occurred to me as I put the kettle on at the end of a long Wednesday. Although really I mean mother-in-law jokes, don’t I. I don’t think I ever heard a comedian complaining about their father-in-law.

I was thinking about in-laws because I was having a cup of cocoa, and I was using some cocoa that the person I live with’s parents bought me for my birthday. It’s a 1kg bag of fancy Dutch cocoa. It’s not exactly a usual present, a big bag of cocoa, but in the six weeks I’ve had it it has already firmly established itself as one of the best presents I’ve ever had. I was thinking about this and how I was going to write about how much I liked getting cocoa for a present, when I realised I was going to have to write about the person I live with’s parents and explain that they’re my de facto in-laws, that’s probably the best way of describing them. What do you call your in-laws if you’re not married in law? Your outlaws? That’s a different thing. Then I started thinking about how no one makes in-law jokes any more.

That was my Wednesday evening observation, thought I’d share it with you. I’ll be referring back to it at the end of today’s blog, so don’t forget about it or you won’t enjoy it as much.

Wednesdays are turning out to be a bit mad, because the person I live with has a big important thing every Wednesday morning that she needs peace and quiet for, and the four year-old I live with is only in nursery in the afternoon. I decided the best way to deal with this is to take the four year-old I live with out to the supermarket to do the big shop every Wednesday morning.

First the four year-old and I had a big argument about whether to go to Morrisons or Sainsburys. I wanted to go to Morrisons in Worthing, she wanted to go to Sainsburys in West Hove basically because she wanted an argument, but after I floated the idea of buying some new clothes in the Nutmeg range she relented and we set off for Worthing.

I hadn’t been to Worthing in about a year; it hasn’t changed. Morrisons has changed a bit, obviously, with its one way systems and hand sanitising stations. The one way system meant we couldn’t go straight to the clothes as soon as we got in the shop, we had to go through the fruit and veg, which caused some consternation. We got there eventually and filled our boots with all kinds of desirable items. If we’re ranking supermarket children’s clothing lines, I’m going: Morrisons > Sainsburys >>> Tesco >>>>>>>>> Asda. M&S isn’t a supermarket, so I haven’t ranked it here. Waitrose does some clothes, but not enough to make it into the rankings.

Anyway we got loads more food and I got some stupid beer (Morrisons has an OUTSTANDING range of stupid beer, who knew) and then we set off home. It was a lovely bright day, so I turned left off the A27 and headed up past Sompting church (a wonderful church) and up over the South Downs for a scenic route home. This turned out to be a poor idea, as we still had to go to the garage to pay the man from the day before, and by the time we got home it was almost time to go back out to nursery. I chucked some lunch together (red pasta with cheese, straight down the line) and then bundled the four year-old back into the car to go to nursery, dropped her off, drove back and finally got to start work for the day at the precise point I realised how knackered I was.

Work work work, nursery run, bathtime, bedtime, teatime – I’d made roast chicken, roast potatoes and roast cabbage. I have definitely said this before, but roast chicken is the easiest midweek meal I know. Bung a chicken in the oven with some potatoes round, an hour and a bit later it’s done and all you need is some veg. I usually microwave peas, today I cut a savoy cabbage into wedges and roasted it with the chicken and potatoes. I liked it, but it attracted suspicion from the person I live with.

After tea I made myself some cocoa and we hate-watched Mary Berry’s cooking programme. She was in Cork, where we had a brilliant holiday last year. Mary clearly hated Ireland, she hated the rain and the whiskey and everything, it was great television if you like watching Mary Berry having an awful time, which I do.

When she was in Cork, she went to a place called the English Market, which is a big old indoor market full of bazzin’ food stalls and cafes and so forth. We went there on holiday and I got overexcited and spent about £50 on meat and fish and cheese. Mary went to the same fishmonger we’d been to, and the fishmonger made a joke about one of the fish looking like his mother-in-law, and I thought, “oooh, how strange, I was just thinking about how you never hear mother-in-law jokes anymore just half an hour ago, and now I’ve only gone and heard one. That will make an almost passable framing device for my blog.”

Didn’t go to Waitrose.

Day 8

Woke up exhausted from yesterday’s travails, all ready for another stupidly busy day. Today was the cold water tank replacement day, the plumber was coming at 10am. Then he texted to say he was coming at 12ish. This was slightly concerning, as we didn’t know how long it was going to take, and we didn’t want to run the risk of him overrunning into Friday, as we had the mortgage surveyor coming to look at the flat on Friday so that our buyer could get a mortgage, and we didn’t want anything to jeopardise that. Does that make sense? It made sense to us, deal with it.

I was also slightly concerned about how the plumber was going to get the old tank out, as it looked pretty well wedged in. It looked as if he would have to rip the bathroom cupboard apart and make a massive mess, which when he finally arrived, was exactly what happened. I had to talk to some American people for work while this was going on, and American people are always so slick and professional, even when they’re sitting at home on Zoom in their pyjamas, which these people were, and I was sitting their bleary-eyed and on mute and interrupted by a BANG BANG BANG BANG every time I tried to talk.

After I stopped talking to the Americans the plumber asked if I would help him, and it turned out that even having ripped the bathroom cupboard apart, the tank was still wedged in. It took a lot more banging, about half an hour of banging, during which a nosy man from upstairs came nosing about to see what the banging was, but eventually it popped out and we flung it triumphantly into the street. Most excitingly, it had been wedged in with a copy of a newspaper from 1963 with a contemporaneous report of the investigation into the Great Train Robbery, with the headline YARD NAMES ‘THE WEASEL’.

The plumber then tried to fit the new tank, then realised the new tank was too big, then decided we didn’t actually need a tank at all as we have a combi-boiler. I was losing my faith a bit in the plumber at this point, but Google suggested he was right on the latter point, so we agreed to not have a tank and he diddled the pipes and buggered off.

Thoroughly exhausted, but relieved to be done with the plumber, I did the nursery run and then the bath and then bedtime and then after bedtime I noticed that one of the new joints on the recently diddled pipes seemed to have a… oh god no… is that a trickle of water? I watched the joint for a few minutes. Slowly but surely, water was emerging from the joint. We had another leak. I made tea, chicken and aubergine and other veg and noodles, it was great, but slightly spoiled by the overwhelming panic and fury of having another leak. We ummed and aahed about getting another emergency plumber, I called a couple but got no reply, and then decided if we turned the water off overnight, it would be ok until the morning.

Didn’t go to Waitrose.

Day 9

Woke up nice and early to check the leak, there was a droplet of water on the pipe, same as before. I rang a plumbing firm that said it opened at 7am; it didn’t open at 7am. At 7.30am they answered, then said they were fully booked today, and all next week. The next one I rang said they could do Monday, so I agreed, just in case we couldn’t get anyone earlier. I had absolutely loads of work to do, as well as the nursery run, and the surveyor was coming at some point around lunchtime, so a plumbing issue was really the last thing I wanted to be worrying about. I thought to myself about how what I really wanted was someone to come round NOW and sort it out NOW and to not be too expensive please.

At that moment, one of the plumbers that hadn’t answered last night called up. I explained the situation and told him our address. It turned out he was two minutes away with half an hour free, so he came round, tightened up the joint and declared everything to be fine. Then he said he wasn’t going to charge me, all I had to do was leave him a nice Facebook review. I agreed, and he left. All before 9am. It was like a Christmas miracle.

I did the nursery run, then came back and we tidied like billy-o ready for the surveyor. We weren’t even really sure what the surveyor was going to be looking at, but we decided it was best to be tidy so as not to jeopardise the sale, because maybe mortgage lenders don’t lend to people who want to buy untidy flats, that might be a thing. After all the tidying I made lunch, last night’s tea heated up, as I was confident that if I made lunch the surveyor would arrive in the middle of it, which he did.

The surveyor measured some stuff with a laser tape measure (that can’t be the right term) and then chatted about the cricket pitch (our flat looks over a cricket pitch). He was only there about five minutes, it didn’t seem like he was going to say our flat wasn’t good enough for a mortgage, but who can say what secrets his lasers revealed.

After lunch I did two days’ worth of work in about five hours, gave myself a splitting headache and went and got the four year-old I live with from nursery. She was in a mad mood, which was fun, and then I made tea while she went to bed. I made sausage pasta, which is a bit of a comfort food staple in our house – onion, garlic, sausages freed from their skins and broken up into a rough mince, courgette, tin of tomatoes, tomato puree, dash of chilli and a couple of tablespoons of cream, then with pasta chucked in – tonight it was spaghetti, but it could be anything. It occurred to me that the tomato and cream combination has a similar quality to chicken tikka masala, but with sausages and pasta instead. I couldn’t decide whether this was a stunning revelation or one of the most banal observations imaginable. Possibly it was both.

After tea we watched a couple of episodes of a Netflix programme called Emily in Paris, which I’d heard was hilariously awful, and so it turned out.

Didn’t go to Waitrose.

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thechasefiles · 4 years

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The Chase Files Daily Newscap 22/4/2020

Good Morning #realdreamchasers! Here is your daily news cap for Wednesday 22nd April, 2020. There is a lot to read and digest so take your time. Remember you can read full articles via Barbados Government Information Service (BGIS), Barbados Today (BT), or by purchasing a Midweek Nation Newspaper (MWN).

ABRAHAMS: PEOPLE NOT PAYING THEIR WATER BILLS – The COVID-19 pandemic is causing revenue at the Barbados Water Authority (BWA) to leak by as much as 25 per cent, primarily because more people are not paying their bills. This was revealed yesterday by Minister Water Resources Wilfred Abrahams, who was a guest on Starcom Network’s Down To Brass Tacks programme along with BWA general manager Keithroy Halliday. “Our financial position, as tenuous as it was, has become worse. The reality is that a lot of people are not paying their water bills at this point in time. The take for the Barbados Water Authority on the bill has dropped to, I think, about 25 per cent of what it is supposed to be,” the minister said. Abrahams said they had operated in good faith and assured people their service would not be disconnected amidst the coronavirus crisis, but he wanted Barbadians to use their conscience. (MWN)

PAY YOUR WATER BILL – As Barbados faces its worst drought in decades, Minister of Water Resources Wilfred Abraham revealed the state-owned water authority was battling its own lack of flowing funds. He warned that revenue at the Barbados Water Authority was fast drying up as Barbadians failed to pay their bills. Speaking on Voice of Barbados’ Down to Brass Tacks, Abrahams, addressing complaints about persistent water outages in rural parishes caught in the grip of an ongoing drought, said the state-owned utility has taken a double-digit knock to its already weak finances in recent weeks. “Our financial position as tenuous as it was has become worse,” he said. “The reality is that a lot of people are not paying their water bills at this time. So the take for the Barbados Water Authority on the bills has dropped to I think 25 per cent of what it is supposed to be.” He argued that just as the BWA determined not to disconnect people during the COVID crisis, consumers should not put their bill payments on the back burner. Abrahams told the programme: “I am just going to ask people to use their conscience a little bit. The fact that we are not going to disconnect you for health reasons does not absolve you from paying your water bill because at the end of the day you are not just going to continue racking up arrears against you but in the interim, you are starving the water authority, or the water authority is being starved of money it needs to do basic things to make the system work properly.” He warned that the problem went further than BWA, saying the Government was stretched because no money was “coming into the Government’s coffers”. He declared: “Land tax is not being paid, VAT [Value Added Tax] is not being paid, business has ground to halt in Barbados, so people are not able to pay their statutory obligations in Barbados. So the Ministry of Finance is catching itself to even find money to run the country so it just not a good situation for us to be in.” The Minister responsible for the BWA noted that the authority was almost at the point of getting to the bottom of what he termed “dangerous debt” levels discovered in 2018 but has now suffered a setback and as a result, a number of critical programmes would be on hold. He cited the proposed $14. 8 million Vineyard project that is expected to provide relief to the water-scarce parishes of St John and St Joseph through the redistribution of water from Vineyard, St Philip to the Golden Ridge/Bowmanston system. Abrahams: “We were scheduled to be starting all of these things… when the COVID issues descended upon us. We have the bulk of the pipes for Vineyard project so we had started the process, we have located where we are going to put the reservoir in Stewart Hill, we have specs for everything that needs to be done for it, we were sourcing the financing for it, we were investigating loans, we had people, that we were looking to get the financing from, but the reality now is that with the decreased revenues of the Barbados Water Authority, occasioned by people not paying their water bills we cannot speak to a financier and we cannot prove to them a guaranteed source of income for the next 12 months. Our income now is at its worse for I don’t even know how long.” Abrahams said the BWA would now have to turn back to the Government to find the money to complete the project, noting that Prime Minister Mia Mottley and Minister of Finance Ryan Straughn have been trying to source funding. (BT)

BRA TO OPEN TWO OFFICES –The Barbados Revenue Authority (BRA) will reopen the Weymouth Corporate Centre and Warrens Towers II locations in St Michael to facilitate limited transactions from Wednesday, April 22. A press release said this is to further enable payments in relation to PAYE, VAT and income tax during the period of the curfew. The offices will open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and will follow the recommended physical distancing protocols. Payments for licensing transactions remain suspended during the curfew period, according to the statement. (BGIS)

MINISTRY READY FOR E-LEARNING - Online teaching has started at all tertiary institutions and most private schools. A statement from the Ministry of Education, Technological and Vocational Training (METVT) said this follows consultations last week with substantive Minister of Education Santia Bradshaw and ministry officials, principals of all public and private schools, and unions representing teachers and principals. From April 20 to 24, all public schools will be preparing to roll out online teaching using the Google G Suite for Education platform. The statement said this platform may be accessed from any PC, laptop, tablet or smart mobile device. The ministry emphasised the importance of education during the curfew period and is working with providers and suppliers to ensure every child has Internet access and devices to utilise the new elearning platform. Radio and television will be utilised in the interim to provide educational content to ensure that students are not disadvantaged. Further assistnce can be accessed by calling the ministry’s helpdesk at 535-0798, between 8:15 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Additional information may be found on the ministry’s website www.mes.gov.bb. The ministry advised those schools and teachers who are ready to engage with their students using the Google G Suite Classroom that they may do so, but no new concepts are to be taught. These new measures are being implemented after schools were closed last term to limit spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). (BGIS)

NOT YET IN THE CLEAR – It would be unwise of Government to ease the current restrictions despite Barbados not recording a positive test for coronavirus in the past six days, COVID-19 Czar Richard Carter has declared. He is adamant that as long as there are still live cases of the respiratory illness on the island it means we are still under threat. In an interview with Barbados TODAY, Carter said while the string of negative tests was a positive sign he was still very concerned that 45 people were still infected. Carter said: “I will say, however, that six days without cases, while it is encouraging it does not matter really as much as the fact that we currently still have over 40 live cases in Barbados that we are managing. As long as you have live cases in your country you have an epidemic that is going on.… One case is all it takes to spark a spike. “There can be no immediate contemplation or consideration of lifting restrictions right now. We have to continue to be on our guard and it will be far too early to be talking about the relaxation of the restrictions. One live case means that you have to be considering and dealing and trying to get to zero. Essentially that is our goal, to get to zero cases in Barbados. “We don’t know how many or whether there are other cases that have not been diagnosed within the community. We are trying our best through the contact tracing and through the surveillance that we are undertaking to detect and identify whether there are any cases but we can never be 100 per cent sure outside of testing every single person.” Carter stressed that over 2.5 million diagnosed cases of COVID-19 worldwide started with one case. But he pointed out that public health officials in Barbados would be the ones responsible for advising Government on whether those restrictions ought to be lifted. “So the public health officials will advise the Government when it is appropriate to lift any restrictions that have been put in place. “In all of this we have been following the advice of the public health officials in Barbados and they have advised the Government in relation to when it is necessary to impose restrictions and they will guide the Government as to when it is appropriate to lift them,” the Czar noted. Minister of Health Lieutenant Colonel Jeffrey Bostic announced yesterday that having acquired 2,800 swabs and 27,000 testing kits, health authorities are moving to ramp up COVID-19 testing. He also warned that Barbados was not yet out in the clear. “I want to reiterate that although this is indeed very encouraging for all of us it is not a sign that we are out of the woods. We must not drop our guard. We must not drop the level of defense that we are putting up against this enemy,” Lt. Col. Bostic said. (BT)

DOC: CAUTIOUS CHANGES TO COME – Barbados is preparing to launch new protocols should the island continue to record no new COVID-19 infections, says Acting Chief Medical Officer Dr Kenneth George. However, although there have been no new infections for the sixth straight day, he advised caution. “We are not going to be rash, even with small incremental changes or with things like opening up businesses and allowing construction. We have been told to let the science guide us, so that’s what we’re doing. We have agreed two weeks – the full incubation period for this disease – with no new cases, will be the trigger for something new. “As we get more information and if things trend downwards, we will have a systematic approach, but countries should not rush to reverse a lot of the changes. It is going to be incremental. . ” (MWN)

PAHO GIVES MORE KITS FOR COVID FIGHT - The Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) has boosted Barbados’ COVID-19 testing capabilities with a donation of 11,000 testing kits. Accepting the kits and 782 Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) packages from PAHO/WHO Representative for Barbados and Eastern Caribbean Dr Yitades Gebre, Minister of Health and Wellness Col Lt Jeffrey Bostic said the donation is timely for use in the country’s island-wide testing programme scheduled to begin soon. Speaking during the handing over ceremony at PAHO’s Dayrells Road, Christ Church headquarters this afternoon, Bostic revealed that health authorities were now in possession of 38 000 testing kits and noted that that number is expected to be increased soon. “We are on top of it in containing it and we need to really expand our testing. This is exactly what we are going to be doing in a day or two. We are going to be expanding the testing and establishing testing centres so that we can get back to as normal a state as early as possible without compromising public health,” Bostic said. Minister of Health and Wellness Lieutenant Colonel Jeffrey Bostic receives the donation of kits and equipment from PAHO/WHO Representative to Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean Dr Yitades Gebre during a handover at PAHO Headquarters today. (BGIS) Chief Medical Officer Dr Kenneth George who also attended the ceremony, stated that while recovered COVID-19 patients are being released and there has been no evidence of re-infection, the authorities are monitoring this particular aspect of the pandemic closely since it has been happening in other countries. “It is something that we will continue to monitor. As the Minister said we have been given a mandate from the Prime Minister [Mia Amor Mottley] to scale up our testing. Today is day six without any new cases and the Ministry of Health has always had the approach to be extremely transparent. “And we would like to make sure that there is no in-country transmission and the only way we are going to do that with some confidence is if we scale up our testing. “So what we have told general practitioners in Barbados is that persons even without a travel history presenting with respiratory illness we are willing to test. We have placed special emphasis on frontline workers and particularly the elderly,” Dr George said. Minister Bostic thanked PAHO for its assistance in the COVID-19 fight. He said Barbados has been following PAHO and WHO’s guidelines and protocols to contain the spread of the virus. Meanwhile, Dr Gebre praised Barbados’ handling of the pandemic and noted that many countries could benefit from copying the model. He said PAHO is pleased to continue to provide the country with technical and administrative support to ensure that lives are saved and the negative impact on society is kept at a minimum. Dr Gebre said it was encouraging to note that most countries in the region were managing the pandemic well, with there being no signs of community spread and some nations reporting no COVID-19 related deaths. “No country at this point has shown that they are overwhelmed with the number of cases. All of them are doing extremely well in terms of containing. There is no community transmission in the Caribbean,” Dr Gebre said. When asked whether the United States of America’s (USA) threat to halt its funding to the WHO over the organisation’s handling of COVID-19, Dr Gebre said that the US was committed to helping WHO’s work in developing countries in need of the assistance during the pandemic. “During this pandemic the United States government has provided resources to support other countries. In our region, USAID provided $100 000 for Barbados and then for each of those countries in the range of $60 000 to $70 000 for the next three months. So we have received half a million dollars from the United States government in our region to provide technical support. Continuously that kind of support is needed,” Dr Gebre said. (BT)

PAHO DIRECTOR: INCREASED VIRUS TESTING CRITICAL – The director of the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO), Dr Carissa F. Etienne, on April 21 called for accelerated and expanded testing for the coronavirus (COVID-19) in countries of the Americas, including the Caribbean. “We need a clearer view of where the virus is circulating and how many people have been infected in order to guide our actions,” said Etienne during a virtual press briefing. “The pandemic continues to impact our region, and it’s vital for all countries to actively embrace preventive measures, while preparing for more cases, hospitalisations and deaths,” she added. As of April 20, there have been 839 119 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 42 686 people have died in the Region of the Americas. The PAHO director said that countries have been prepared to test and detect cases of COVID-19 since before the pandemic was declared. Since February, PAHO said it had trained and equipped laboratories for PCR testing in more than 30 countries. But, as cases have increased, Etienne said countries have found it increasingly difficult to keep up. She highlighted PAHO’s recommendations for countries to expand their capacity and use all available national laboratories; to prioritise patients with symptoms, tracing contacts and following up with those that may be infected; and to ensure access for all so testing would be free of charge for patients. PAHO said it has provided more than 500 000 PCR tests to 34 countries and territories, “and we have worked with other countries to track and support their capacity”, said Etienne. An additional 1.5 million PCR tests are being dispatched throughout the region this week, “followed by another 3 million next week to strengthen laboratory surveillance networks in our member states”, she highlighted. “To address the market shortage, we are working with leading manufacturers to make these tests available through the PAHO Strategic Fund,” Etienne said. “Twelve countries are now using this mechanism to purchase quality commercial PCR-based tests. “As we negotiate other options, we are considering tests that run on both open and on so-called closed platforms, to maximise each country’s ability to test,” she added. To help ensure countries procure reliable products, Etienne said PAHO is providing guidance to regulatory and health authorities, and is calling on manufacturers “to work closely with us so that we can ensure equitable access to new quality tests, as they reach the market so all our countries can benefit from innovations”. Global access to medicines, vaccines, and medical equipment to respond to COVID 19 “should not be a privilege of certain countries or communities”, she said. “Our collective goal must be to ensure that access to the testing, treatment, vaccines and other technologies is available to all based on needs.” (CMC)

UN URGES ACTION TO AVOID “BIBLICAL FAMINE” – The world is at risk of widespread famines "of biblical proportions" caused by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the United Nations has warned. David Beasley, head of the World Food Programme (WFP), said urgent action was needed to avoid a catastrophe. A report estimates that the number suffering from hunger could go from 135 million to more than 250 million. Those most at risk are in ten countries affected by conflict, economic crisis and climate change, the WFP says. The fourth annual Global Report on Food Crises highlights Yemen, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Afghanistan, Venezuela, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Nigeria and Haiti. In South Sudan, 61 per cent of the population was affected by food crisis last year, the report says. Even before the pandemic hit, parts of East Africa and South Asia were already facing severe food shortages caused by drought and the worst locust infestations for decades. Addressing the UN Security Council during a video conference, Beasley said the world had to "act wisely and act fast". "We could be facing multiple famines of biblical proportions within a short few months," he said. "The truth is we do not have time on our side." In a call to action, he added: "I do believe that with our expertise and our partnerships, we can bring together the teams and the programmes necessary to make certain the Covid-19 pandemic does not become a human and food crisis catastrophe." (BBC)

T&T STUDENTS AT CAVE HILL PLEAD FOR A RESPONSE FROM AUTHORITIES IN PORT OF SPAIN – More than a dozen Trinidad and Tobago nationals who are studying at the University of the West Indies (UWI), Cave Hill Campus are today expressing concern that their cries for help from authorities in their homeland are falling on deaf ears. Speaking on the behalf of her peers, final year law student Shantal Seecharan told Barbados TODAY that most of them, ranging from ages of 20 to 25, were “barely getting by” because they have already run out of funds and were now rationing food supplies. She said they missed the deadline for flying home before Trinidad and Tobago closed its borders towards the end of March, and repeated efforts to get help from authorities there have been unsuccessful. “The reason why most of us missed the deadline to go back home is because we didn’t have the funds to just purchase a ticket at that point and leave,” she said. “In terms of the supplies that we have they are currently running out. Some organisations and people in Trinidad are trying to help us but for the past week it has been very hard to get supplies to us so we have been trying to make arrangements so we would be able to get some groceries. Everything is limited right now so we all have to ration,” said Seecharan. She explained: “In terms of rent, I know some other students, right now their rents are paid for April, but they don’t know what will happen after April. We suppose the landlords will not kick them out because of the moratorium but we know that is not law.” Teaching will end this week, but the students still have a number of assignments due, and they are preparing for assessments, which are to take place between May 11 and June 12. However, speaking on behalf of the 13 students, Seecharan said faced with “extreme sadness” because they were unable to be with their loved ones at this time, the situation has been compounded by the stresses of preparing for assessments. She said she was not aware that any of the students wanted to withdraw from their studies or drop out, adding that they were doing their best to “power through” and stay positive. “Some students have told me that their mental health has taken a significant hit, that they are extremely demotivated to continue their studies and to finish their assignments on time. Some of them sleep all day and stay up all night or they are not sleeping and not eating,” she said. However, she added: “We are all supporting each other because some of us have bad days. Sometimes we want to give up, but we are there for each other and we are remaining strong. We plan to continue to power through and remain hopeful that our government will answer our call.” While the majority of them are final year law students, others are studying medicine and social sciences. She said the students were overly concerned about their families back home, adding that several of them had family members who were now out of a job. “Some parents are both essential workers. One student is very concerned that something could happen to one of her parents and she has a younger brother who she would need to be there for if that were to happen,” she said. “Then we have situations where both parents are non-essential workers and unfortunately, they have lost their jobs and have no income. We also have people from single-parent households . . . and they are living from pay cheque to pay cheque,” she said. Seecharan explained that most of the students have already received welfare assistance from the university in the past year. The last time they tried to contact officials in their homeland was on Sunday. “We have been sending in our applications for the special exemption to our minister of national security (Stuart Young). But those emails and calls have gone unanswered. However, on Sunday we decided to ban together and put all our information in one document, and we sent it Sunday,” she said. Seecharan said she was pleading with authorities in Trinidad. “Please, answer our calls, please give us a response and tell us you are beginning the process for us. Tell us what plans, what arrangements are being made for us. “So far we are not hearing anything and we just want some level of response, some level of reassurance. Something more than just being told ‘stay put’. We want our cries for help to be heard,” she cried. She told Barbados TODAY that the group has also been in touch with local authorities, seeking help to start the process for them to go back to Trinidad and Tobago. A part of that would include getting tested for the coronavirus in Bridgetown. She said local officials have been responding to their emails and things were looking positive. Seecharan explained that while the group of students was told by the group of 33 seniors that they could be accommodated on their flight that was scheduled to leave Bridgetown on Tuesday for Port of Spain, they were unable to make it because they did not get clearance from Trinidad officials and they have not yet been tested by local medical officials. Seecharan said the lawyers who acted on behalf of the seniors had agreed to help the students in their quest. (BT)

TRINIDADIAN’S FLYING HOME - THE 33 stranded Trinidadians should be back home today, despite a short delay. After a Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) donation of 11 000 testing kits and 782 pieces of personal protection equipment to the Ministry of Health, Minister Jeffrey Bostic spoke about the situation concerning the Trinidadians. The presentation of equipment was made at PAHO's office, Dayrells Road and Navy Gardens, Christ Church. “There are two chartered flights, I believe, which are scheduled to take them back to Trinidad today. We are doing the tests and we will send the results to Trinidad but that is not going to stop them from making the flights this afternoon. They will be tested, they will fly and we will pass the information to the authorities in Trinidad as soon as we have the results,” Bostic said. The Trinidadians were at Grantley Adams International Airport this morning with the first group waiting to board their flight, when they were informed of the delay. Nation News was told that the Trinidad Government had requested medical testing before the group left Barbados. The 33 were taken to Paragon to be tested. The Trinidadians had been quarantined at Sugarcane Club in St Peter and stayed there even after the quarantine period. Bernie Weatherhead, owner of Sugarcane Club, was at the airport to see them off. The Trinidadians had arrived on a flight from England last month after completing a cruise vacation that had started in Dubai. However, they were left here after Trinidad closed its borders as a response to novel coronavirus (COVID-19). (MWN)

TRUMP TO IMPOSE 60 DAY IMMIGRATION BAN – United States President Donald Trump said on Tuesday his new US immigration ban would last 60 days and apply to those seeking “green cards” for permanent residency in an effort to protect Americans seeking to regain jobs lost because of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). Trump plans to institute the ban through an executive order, which he said he was likely to sign on April 22. He said it would not apply to individuals entering the United States on a temporary basis and would be re-evaluated once the 60-day period had passed. Trump said that pausing immigration would put “unemployed Americans first in line for jobs” as the country re-opened. “It would be wrong and unjust for Americans laid off by the virus to be replaced with new immigrant labour flown in from abroad. We must first take care of the American worker,” he told reporters at the White House. Trump said there would be some exemptions in the order and he could renew it for another 60 days or longer. The president, a Republican, won the White House in 2016 in part on a promise to crack down on immigration. Critics saw his announcement as a move to take advantage of a crisis to implement a long-sought policy goal. The order could spark legal action. A senior administration official said the administration was looking at a separate action to cover others affected by US immigration policy, including those on so-called H-1B visas. Trump confirmed that a secondary order was under consideration. The first order would include exemptions for people involved in responding to the coronavirus outbreak, including farm workers and those helping to secure US food supplies, the official said. As the country begins to open up its economy, immigration flows were expected to increase, and the administration wanted to ensure that employers hire back fired workers rather than giving jobs to immigrants at lower wages. The US Department of State issued roughly 462 000 immigrant visas in fiscal year 2019, which began on October 1, 2018. The visas allow an immigrant to obtain lawful permanent resident status, informally known as a green card. The status allows a person to live and work in the United States and apply for citizenship after a five-year period. Critics viewed Trump’s new policy as an effort to distract from his response to the pandemic. “I think this is a malevolent distraction,” said Neera Tanden, president of the Center for American Progress, a left-leaning policy institute in Washington. Giovanni Peri, an economics professor at the University of California, Davis, said researchers generally agree that immigration into the United States has stimulated economic growth, increased the size of the economy, and created jobs. “The idea that immigration threatens American jobs is just not there in any data,” he said. (Reuters)

GUYANA TO RELAX MEASURES FOR CARICOM TEAM – The National COVID-19 Task Force (NCTF) says it has agreed to relax the stringent measures for people entering Guyana so as to allow officials of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) team to participate in the recount of ballots in the March 2 regional and general election. In a statement issued here on Monday night, the NCTF said that it had agreed for the CARICOM officials to undergo the reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) tests for coronavirus (COVID-19) instead of being subjected to 14 days of quarantine. The NCTF had earlier decided that people who arrived here during the lockdown period as a result of the country’s efforts to stem the spread of the coronavirus would have faced a 14-day quarantine. But the decision came in for criticism from some Commissioners of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) and some of the political parties that had contested the disputed elections. But following the intervention of President David Granger, the NCTF said the mandatory quarantine for 14 days will no longer be applicable. Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo, who heads the COVID-19 Task Force, has written to the GECOM chairperson, retired justice Claudette Singh and the CARICOM Secretary-General, Irwin LaRocque informing them of the decisions of the NCTF. Nagamootoo had on Sunday indicated that the Task Force had decided that the recount must be conducted within the COVID-19 curfew hours, and that international observers coming to the country must submit themselves to a 14-day quarantine at a government-run institution. But these decisions were reversed on Monday. LaRocque had earlier written to Granger urging that medical examinations for members of the delegation to be done in their countries of origin before their arrival in Guyana. In the statement, NCTF said “the CARICOM officials identified to participate in the recount of ballots be permitted to undergo WHO-approved reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) tests for COVID-19 in their respective home countries prior to arrival in Guyana, and they will be permitted entry on the basis that such test results are negative”. The Task Force said if any official is unable to have such a test conducted in their home country, that upon their arrival in Guyana, the Ministry of Public Health will facilitate the test here on condition that the official self-quarantines for a maximum of 48 hours while the test results are being ascertained. As such, quarantining of the incoming officials for the mandatory period of 14 days will not be applicable upon compliance with either of the established requirements. “Having been reviewed, and the interest of public health safety being considered, the NCTF accordingly varied the decision taken previously on this issue,” the statement added. (CMC)

INSURER GENERAL ACCIDENTS ENTERS BARBADOS MARKET – A Jamaica-based general insurance company with an operation in Trinidad is set to enter the Barbadian market following regulatory approval here, the firm said. General Accident Insurance Company (Barbados) Limited, a subsidiary of General Accident Insurance Company Jamaica Limited, which hold an 80 per cent stake, has been licensed by the Financial Services Commission to operate as a registered Class 2 insurer. A Barbadian consortium, BCDL Holdings Limited, whose shareholders include current and former executives of Williams Industries and Williams Caribbean Capital, owns the remaining 20 per cent of General Accident Barbados. The company’s Chairman P.B. Scott said: “The decision to enter the Barbados market reflects the long-term confidence we have in the economy and people of Barbados. It is also consistent with our strategy of expanding General Accident’s reach across the English-speaking Caribbean. “With the announcement, General Accident will now be present in Jamaica, Trinidad and Barbados. We look forward to combining General Accident’s brand, expertise and financial strength with BCDL’s extensive local relationships in Barbados.” Sharon Donaldson, General Accident’s Managing Director said: “We will be providing more details about our official launch date and reaching out to brokers, policyholders and other stakeholders shortly.”(BT)

MAN SHOT IN PATIO – A St Philip man is in stable condition after being shot on April 21. Police public relations officer Acting Inspector Rodney Inniss said Wayne Harewood, 52, of Duncans, St Philip, was sitting in his patio when four men approached and a number of shots were discharged. He received an injury to the chest and two others to the left side of the head. Harewood was transported to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital by private car and was reported to be in stable condition after undergoing emergency surgery. Officers from District C Police Station responded to the incident which occurred about 8:15 p.m. Investigations are ongoing. (MWN)

THREE ON SERIOUS BODILY HARM CHARGE – Two tree trimmers and a soldier were today granted $9,000 bail each on a joint criminal charge. They are 48-year-old Rene Orlando Pilgrim and 24-year-old Raheem Akeem Grimes both, of 5th Avenue North Lowlands Drive, Friendship Terrace, St Michael and 25-year-old soldier Kyle Akeem Hutson, of Ruth Road, Ellerton, St George. They are accused of causing serious bodily harm to Ryan Gittens of April 17 with intent to maim, disfigure or disable him. They were not required to plead to the indictable charge when the matter was called before Magistrate Alison Burke this afternoon in the District ‘A’ Magistrates’ Court. Grimes is charged separately with wounding Theirry Gittens on the same date. That charge is also indictable and he got an additional $8,000 bail on the charge. There was no objection to bail from Station Sergeant Glenda Carter-Nicholls and the three accused left the court after their sureties were accepted The tree trimmers – Grimes and Pilgrim are represented by attorney-at-law Dwight Moseley while Hutson, the soldier, has Angella Mitchell-Gittens was his legal counsel. They will next appear in court on September 14. (BT)

ALLEGED ARSONIST REMANDED – An alleged arsonist has been remanded to prison until May 19. Christopher Stephen Licorish, of no fixed place of abode, appeared in the District ‘A’ Magistrates’ Court today accused of destroying the home of Eugene Licorish and that of Reginald Seifert by fire on April 14. The accused could not plead to the charges in the magistrates’ court as they are indictable. Magistrate Alison Burke , sitting at the District ‘A’ Magistrates’ Court explained the concept of indictable cases to Licorish who responded: “I sorry it happened ma’am”. The court then explained again why he could not plead to the offence at this time. Station Sergeant Glenda Carter-Nicholls objected to bail on the grounds that the accused has no fixed place of abode and it would be difficult for police to locate him if he absconds. The prosecutor also pointed to the seriousness of the offences and the likelihood that the accused could re-offend if granted bail. In his application Licorish asked to be granted bail so he could go to the Psychiatric Hospital “to get some work”. He continued: “I could save and pay the person for the house.” His application was denied. (BT)

THIEF PICKS PRISON STAY – Scaling the walls of another man’s residence twice in a bid to steal limes during the Covid-19 curfew has landed a 45-year-old man in jail for the next six months. Tony Ricardo Harris, of Lower Carters Gap, Enterprise, Christ Church pleaded guilty to loitering on Davison Hunte’s premises on April 19 in a bid to commit theft. He also admitted to being outdoors at No 16 Oleander Drive, Enterprise Christ Church, on the same day around 3:30 p.m. without a reasonable explanation when a national emergency directive had been given to people to remain indoors. According to Station Sergeant Glenda Carter-Nicholls the complainant was at home when he observed Harris who he knew from frequenting the area, in his backyard picking limes. He shouted at him and Harris ran and climbed over the wall. However, he did not stay away for long and returned a second time and he again rushed over the wall when the homeowner saw him. He was chased by neighbours but made his escape into the sea. Police later apprehended him. “I went and pick de man limes,” Harris, who is known to the court, told lawmen when he was detained. He appeared in the District ‘A’ Magistrates’ Court today. When Magistrate Alison Burke asked him whether he had anything to say in his defence Harris replied: “No ma’am.” He however admitted that he knew what was taking place in the country. “Yes ma’am Covid-19,” he said. The magistrate queried his reason for being outside if he knew the situation, Harris responded: “I was trying to use two limes.” He then told the magistrate that he lived in an abandoned house. The magistrate sentenced him to six months in prison on each charge which will run concurrently. (BT)

JONES FLOORED BY FUNDING WOES –Long before the coronavirus pandemic brought sports around the world to a halt, elite boxer Ajayi Jones experienced a blow due to lack of funding. The 23-year-old 2015 Caribbean Boxing Championships gold medallist was hoping to attend the Olympic Qualifiers in Buenos Aires, Argentina originally set for March 26 to April 3. “I was preparing for the Olympic [Qualifiers] in Argentina but I was not selected to go because of lack of funding. I had the Olympic dream for about two years and when I heard I wasn’t going it shattered me. It almost made me not want to compete for the rest of the year,” he told MIDWEEK SPORT. (MWN)

MALONEY 2ND IN FIRST ESPORTS RACE – British F4 champion Zane Maloney got the better of a midfield battle and grabbed second place in the opening round of the Kokoro Performance iRacing series last Friday at the Circuit de Barcelona. Starting from grid position four, Maloney found himself in a midfield battle and defended second place in the race in which competitors used iRacing’s Dallara F3 cars with a fixed set-up provided by the organisers, and a reverse grid format for close competition throughout the field. The top four remained a closely knit bunch separated by a little more than a second separating winner Dion Gowda, Maloney, Kai Askey and James Pull as they raced over the finish line. (MWN)

PLAN TO HELP ARTISTES AS NIGHTLIFE VANISHES –The disappearance of the entertainment scene as Barbados fights the COVID-19 pandemic has left artistes singing the blues. With the island in curfew mode for almost a month, the closure of hotels and entertainment spots across the island, and the recent announcement that the 2020 Crop Over festival has been cancelled, the Barbados Association of Calypsonians and Artistes (BACA) is now working on a plan to help its members survive the slump. BACA President Sean Apache Carter said in a statement that the current events have presented the association with both a challenge and an opportunity to step up and show its worth through the proposition of revenue-earning initiatives, should the climate allow in the light of COVID-19 and the expected cancellations. Carter said: “These proposals will not only prove beneficial to our members but to the entire music fraternity. We have had cordial meetings with both the Minister Hon. John King and Chief Executive Officer of the National Cultural Foundation (NCF) Carol Roberts-Reifer, prior to the arrival of this pandemic and our position remains the same.” The BACA president noted that as the plans advance, the association eagerly anticipates working with both entities where possible for the benefit of all. He said BACA also looks forward to the stakeholders’ consultations announced by Cabinet to allow for viable solutions. With Crop Over’s cancellation, many soca and bashment artistes will be more significantly affected than calypsonians as they would normally perform at numerous fetes, limes and band launches, and tours normally scheduled for the summer have been cancelled, Carter said. He indicated that until there is a return to some sense of normalcy, or what may become the “new normal”, all entertainers who may have been anticipating the prospects of the Crop Over Festival being postponed in order to mediate the fallout mentioned above, now find themselves in a dire position. Carter further explained that the Soca Monarch and Pic-O-De-Crop competitions undoubtedly provide the biggest payday relative to an individual performance for many artistes. He said this will also have a severe impact on the many dancers from various dance troops who enhance overall performances and presentations in the competitions. He said he also believes that soca artistes will be significantly impacted by the lack of private events associated with Crop Over as generally, only the top three competitors ever walk away with a profit in any given competition. Carter told Barbados TODAY: “We represent a wide cross-section of artistes so our members are impacted at varying levels. One individual has found himself unemployed for the first time in 35 years and having paid NIS doesn’t help him at this time as there is no unemployment for self-employed persons. “A few others have communicated that they are not sure how they will pay their rent at the end of the month or even be able to buy food when the current stock runs out. These are indeed unprecedented times. The entertainment community has been hard hit by the impact of COVID-19. This is three or four weeks many have not worked and don’t know when or where the next job will be.” Carter noted that members who are part-time entertainers and have not been heavily affected by the pandemic are considering to record and release songs during this period of uncertainty. (BT)

The world is facing the rapid spread of the Covid-19 Coronavirus Pandemic. As we continue to do our part in Barbados please remember to stay home but on the days you have to go out wear your masks, practice social distancing (stand 6-10 feet away from each other), practice good daily hygiene, eat healthy, exercise and keep your mind active. There are 254 days left in the year Shalom! Follow us on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram for your daily news. #thechasefiles #dailynewscaps #bajannewscaps #newsinanutshell #coronavirusinbarbados #nationalresponse #dailynews #thechasefilesblog

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howellrichard · 4 years

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5 Tips for Healthy Meal Prep: How to Make It Easy

Hiya Gorgeous!

What’s on your plate today, my friend?

It’s an important question, because what you eat today becomes a part of your makeup tomorrow. You’re literally creating yourself—cells and muscles, energy and skin—with every forkful.

Are you eating your way toward more health and vitality? The easiest way to tell is to examine your meals. Specifically, their color.

If they resemble a fresh-from-the-field, vibrant garden, you’re likely fueling up with the good stuff.

If a beigey, processed option is making up your meal, you’re probably doing your body a disservice.

But let’s be honest for a sec…

Cooking healthy meals can be a challenge—especially on busy weekdays.

That’s been the case for me lately. To be honest, some of my healthy meal prep habits have gone out the window!

I spent the winter living in Florida to help my parents and am just settling back in at home. Between all the unpacking, organizing, cleaning and oh yeah… running this crazy wonderful business, I’ve been relying on crappy, premade, vegan food, filled with the processed stuff that I suggest eating sparingly.

You can probably relate…

To get us both back on track, I’ve pulled together a list of my 5 favorite tips for easy, healthy eating.

My hope is that they make your life a little easier—and help you get a rainbow of healthy produce onto your plate this week.

5 Tips to Make Healthy Meal Prep Feel Easy

Tip #1 – Wash n’ chop

Easy meals can actually start when you get back from the store.

When you get home, don’t just toss your fruits and veggies (AKA my favorite pharmacy) in the fridge. Instead, give them a little TLC.

I call this a “wash n’ chop” session (and it’s 10x better with your favorite music on in the background). Here’s how it works:

Set aside 30 minutes when you return from the store.

Wash all your fresh new produce. (You can find some tips for practicing extra care during COVID-19 here.)

Then get chopping! Cut up and portion out the veggies you’ll use for dinner each night. While you’re at it, prep some fruit to toss in morning oatmeal or smoothies (and tear some greens for those, too). And don’t forget about snacks. Slice up some fruit or veggies you can reach for anytime you need to nibble!

Your main goal for your wash n’ chop is simply to have things ready to go. This one small investment of time upfront will save you hours during the week.

Tip #2 – Batch cook

When it comes to healthy meal prep, I like to keep my freezer working overtime! Freezing leftovers is an important step in reducing food waste and giving yourself an easy array of home-cooked options for super busy nights.

I also love a “Cook-Free Friday”, where I just defrost a recipe I batch cooked the previous weekend.

The best place to start is by freezing big recipes, like soups and stews. They’re easy to multiply for leftovers and they reheat well, too! Just make sure to freeze them in individual portions. That helps reduce food waste because you don’t wind up defrosting more at one time than you can actually eat.

You can also do some batch cooking during your wash n’ chop. Just toss a few trays of veggies in the oven to roast and simmer some grain on the stove while you work. Presto! Healthy meal prep for a week of hearty lunches.

This is just a small taste of how batch cooking can save you time and energy when you’re craving a night off. And FYI, most homemade things will last for 3 to 6 months in the freezer, assuming they’re stored well in airtight containers. Speaking of which, quality storage containers are essential here. I like to use either glass containers with leak-proof lids (Glasslock, Elacra and Pyrex have good options) or BPA-free, phthalate-free plastic storage containers (like OXO Good Grips or Snapware).

Another must in my house are silicone, airtight, reusable storage bags. (Think traditional zippered food bags but without all the waste and unhealthy plastic compounds.) Kiva World, WINIT and Pristi Kitchen Essentials all have good options.

These save tons of space and make our next tip even easier…

Tip #3 – Blend your breakfast

I’m a big believer in ADDING before we subtract. We’re trained to think that getting healthy is about deprivation—about taking away. But it doesn’t have to be that way.

Remember this: True, sustainable health is about abundance.

It’s about crowding out the stuff that doesn’t serve you by adding in vibrant things that bring you joy. On your plate, that looks like lots of fresh fruits and veggies you love!

A smoothie for breakfast may be the easiest way to do that since it allows you to start your day with big servings of the best ingredients. Just toss ice, filtered water, and your favorite produce into a blender and whir your way to better health!

To make it even easier, apply Tips 1 + 2 to your smoothie routine:

As you do your wash n’ chop, prep your smoothie ingredients and toss them into the silicone storage bags we were just chatting about.

Stick those in the fridge or freezer and, just like that, you’ve batch prepped your breakfast for the week! (Do you see how these healthy meal prep ideas can layer together and make your life simpler?)

You can also use a vegan meal delivery service to make smoothies a breeze. I’ll tell you about my favorite in a moment.

Tip #4 – Keep it simple

I love to try an ambitious new recipe from time to time. It’s fun to learn new tricks in the kitchen, after all! But to be candid…

A worn-out Wednesday is not the time for that, toots.

You’ve just finished a full day of phone calls and meetings, decisions and discussions, laundry and dishes—only to find out that the Sunday-afternoon version of you thought it would be fun to put a two-hour dinner recipe on the menu for tonight. Thanks, weekend me.

In your weekly meal-planning, be a little kinder to weeknight you.

Stick to staples you know (and that your family likes)

Keep your recipes to 30 minutes or so of active cooking

Minimize dishes with one-pan recipes when you can

And save the fancy footwork for your leisurely weekend days

It’s okay to go easy on yourself, gorgeous. A healthy lifestyle requires a rhythm that’s comfortable for you. So keep it simple and set yourself up for long-term success.

Tip #5 – Have a backup plan

Even with all the weekend prep and wise planning mentioned above, life still happens.

Occasionally, you’ll have a tough day or just won’t be in the mood to cook. And that’s totally okay! You’re human. It happens. Here’s the important thing…

Have a backup plan so that a no-cook night doesn’t automatically become an eat-junk night.

There are a lot of options here:

Know a few healthy items you can order from a quality take out restaurant

Have some of those batch-prepped meals waiting in your freezer

Sub in another fresh smoothie (who doesn’t love breakfast for dinner?)

Use all your pre-chopped veggies to make a tasty salad in five minutes flat

Or have some dishes from a vegan meal delivery service on-hand just in case

Knowing in advance some healthy ways to respond will keep you from reaching for the super quick (but super processed) options by default.

BONUS Tip #6 – Get some support

One last bonus tip. Don’t be afraid to get some support!

I told you earlier about how busy things have been since I’ve transitioned home from Florida—and how often I was reaching for the low-quality vegan junk foods I advise limiting.

It led me to explore something I’d never been open to before: a vegan meal delivery service.

All the ones I’d heard of were super salty and often packed with added sugar. So I’d always said no thanks.

But one of my team members had been raving about Splendid Spoon, so I finally agreed to give them a try. I was instantly impressed. It’s a vegan meal delivery option that’s:

Gluten-free

Non-GMO

Low in sodium

Free of added sugar

Shipped in 100% recyclable packaging

And 100% delicious

They made healthy eating feel easy for me in this busy season.

As a new meal delivery convert, I want to encourage you to get the support you need to stay on track when you need it, too.

I arranged an exclusive deal with Splendid Spoon to give you $35 off their most popular plan.

So if you could use a little support (in the form of some healthy smoothies, soups, and bowls), then I hope you’ll give their meal deliveries a try!

Healthy Meal Prep—Made Easy

I hope these tips have shown you an easier path to prep and enjoy nourishing meals, even on your busiest weeks.

Remember that you’re worth the effort. Your health and your glorious body both deserve some of the TLC that you offer so freely to everyone else.

So implement a few of these practices and take a satisfying bite of self-care.

Your turn: What’s your favorite hack for healthy midweek cooking?

Peace & delicious meals,

The post 5 Tips for Healthy Meal Prep: How to Make It Easy appeared first on KrisCarr.com.

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davidastbury · 5 years

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2920 c

Shorts ... #27

He hadn’t been kind to his mother; he hadn’t treated he as he should have done. He never allowed her to get close - rejected her kindnesses - discarded her gifts - didn’t thank her - never showed any gratitude. When they talked he never said the things he should have said, but often said a lot of things he should not have said.

All this was long ago and one way or another he has found ways to be at peace with it. Of course he never asked for her to be his slave - he never wanted her eagerness to do everything for him. And so, here he is today, feeling that same wordless irritation as his second wife over sweetens his tea.

A lost skill .... written by Janet Bailey

There has been a lot of posts about the mills in Bury. When I was hairdressing in the early '60's we used to have lots of women from the cotton mills come for their hair done. You wouldn't dare say anything about them when they were under the hair dryer because they could lip read anything you said. They used to talk to each other while they were under the hairdyers by what they called 'me mawing' just moving there lips. 😃

(Mee-mawing was a form of speech with exaggerated movements to allow lip reading employed by workers in weaving sheds in Lancashire in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The noise in a weaving shed rendered hearing impossible so workers communicated by mee-mawing which was a cross between mime and lip reading. To have a private conversation when there were other weavers present, the speaker would cup their hand over their mouth to obscure vision. This was very necessary as a mee-mawer would be able to communicate over distances of tens of yards. It was said that each mill had its own dialect.

"Stop mee-mawing at me!" means "Stop pulling faces at me or talking behind my back”).

On the Train

She has a disfigurement but I am not going to say anything about it. She’s about twelve or so and life must be difficult. Let’s hope that the doctors will do something - perhaps they have to wait until she reaches a certain age - perhaps they will do something soon.

I can see how she wears her hair in a thick curtain and how she raises one of her shoulders.

Oh God, I hope things are okay at school. I hope she has a loving home - I hope someone is telling her, repeatedly, that she is beautiful.

Night Out

A group of friends - glad to see each other - glad to get drunk together. The men ruddy and randy; the women collapsing with laughter - their voices strident and confident; expressive and exhilaratingly filthy.

So much to be afraid of! So many uncertainties - but none tonight - simply the joy of being a forty-year-old child.

Winter Nights 1965

Cheap rented room in Whalley Range. She’d tried to fix up curtains - tried to make it nice. No TV and burglars had stolen her radio. It was a large room; a leftover from a different world; you could see it in the high ceilings, the double dado rails, the missing interior shutters; the grandeur of the chalk coloured fireplace with its florid carved scrolls, now reduced to housing a sad little electric fire.

These were nights of twilight and shadows; when it seemed as cold inside as out. When the yellow streetlights leaked through the draughty windows and the twigs of the giant chestnut tree scraped across the glass.

And they huddled together. They couldn’t have been happier. Nights of cider and cigarettes - of sour metallic kisses - nights when he couldn’t get enough of her - nights when he was insatiable for her quick mind, her breath, her hair, her voice, her face, warmth, smell.

And the world could not offer anything better to him - he never forgot those nights in the cheap rented room in Whalley Range.

Madame

During our last stay in this hotel we got to know one of the long-term residents. It was at the time of her eightieth birthday and the staff made a big fuss for her. I was fascinated by her raucous smoker’s voice and how she called everyone ‘dhaaa-ling’ - and the way she somehow combined being warm and friendly with downright aggressiveness.

I wrote a little piece about her which I posted on here at the time - just a simple incident - hopefully giving a truthful picture...

In the restaurant: Madame looks up sharply.

Madame: ‘Who has taken away my water?’

Waiter: ‘I took it, I thought you had finished.’

Madame: ‘Well, I haven’t!’

Waiter: ‘I will get you some more.’

Madame: ‘That’s no use. I had dissolved my pills in that glass!’

Waiter: ‘I am sorry.’

Madame: ‘It will be your fault if I get pregnant.’

So we were delighted to see her again - and to learn that she hasn’t slowed down.

We sat at the next table and Pat was able to overhear this little gem.

Madame: ‘Waiter!’

Waiter: ‘Yes Madame?’

Madame: (poking dish with a fork) ‘Is this really butter?’

Waiter: ‘Yes it is, Madame.’

Madame: ‘I do not believe you. I don’t think this is butter at all - it’s more like candle-wax: if I dig into it I will probably find a wick!’

The school bag.

The hotel allocates a space where departing guests can leave items for which they have no further use. Four or five shelves brimming with things like deluxe swimming goggles, piles of books and magazines, inflatable alligators, straw hats, sun creams, flip flops etc. Anyone can take what they want.

I saw a girls school bag; lots of pockets, pink shoulder straps - a bit knocked about - ‘well used’ is the phrase. The interior was scuffed and marked by felt-tip pens, which the owner had not capped - and traces of stickers, unsuccessfully scratched away by her thumbnail. I held it upside down to shake out the sand and the flap swung open revealing a drawing on the underside - a childish image of a kitten in a bow tie, surrounded by bunches of marijuana leaves. I had to smile.

And then, under the picture of the unfeasibly cute kitten, she had neatly stencilled her name ... Lucie Wider.

I put it back on the shelf.

‘O Master of the Universe,

Bless the life of Lucie Wider!’

We knew each other for a few short weeks - right up to the time she left out little town forever. London was the magnet and I understood her reasons for going - I didn’t question any of it - I let the day come round and carried her bags and cases to the station - and I watched the bus take her away.

That was a long time ago. I heard nothing from her in the first few weeks and months - and then the months became years - in fact, nearly sixty years. And now others will have filled her life and they will see her as she is - but for me it is entirely different - I hold a gleaming fragment - fixed forever at that moment; how she had panicked over a last-minute confusion with her ticket - how she was cheerful and tried not to look at me - how she was heartbreakingly soulful - how she tried to smile and how hard she tried not to cry.

Ian and Lorna...1966

‘Come round anytime’ - said Ian - so I did. It was a midweek afternoon and I cannot remember why I was free, but I was. The door wasn’t fastened and I pushed it back and went in. Silence. No sign of Ian - no sign of anyone. And then I saw the shoes - his and hers; Ian’s and Lorna’s.

I stood staring at them and thinking that in a medieval painting it would have meant that the two saints had gone to heaven. I then realised that they were upstairs in the bedroom, so in a way, they had gone to heaven.

A window was open and the curtains were flapping. There was a school nearby, and it must have been playtime; voices shrieking and screaming with happiness.

I left - pulling the door shut behind me.

The Room ... 1964

She kept the rent-book on a table near the door, so that the landlord didn’t have a need to come into the room. It was a large room with three south-facing windows and the green carpet had three bands of faded colour, bleached by the summer sunshine. The furniture obviously hadn’t been planned; a few items bought with economy in mind - a sofa with cat scratches, a cheap drop-leaf table, a wardrobe with a door that kept swinging open, a strong, ugly bed. The only expensive item was her Spanish guitar, propped in the corner furthest from the door, next to a pile of sheet music.

She was very tidy; he wasn’t - but she didn’t mind. When alone she put all his ‘stuff’ away and did what she could to make the room attractive; but it was always unpleasant - except for the nights when they were together - the nights when, in the gloom, she glowed like a silver goddess and their damp foreheads touched and he saw both her eyes melt together and become a single eye, like a beautiful cyclops and she and the room slid into a perfection where everything was sour, salty, brackish.

Roman Baths

My dislike of the ancient Romans - and pretty much everything about them - has caused my aversion to ‘health spas’. I am sure that the Roman enthusiasm for personal hygiene and public bathing played a significant part in their decadence - and as such I avoid the modern equivalent of these facilities.

I have no wish to linger in agitated tepid water nor to loiter, like Nero, in steam rooms, with a towel over one shoulder. Nor to be oiled and mauled by persons of either sex. I am repulsed by the fussing and pampering and the weird relaxed regression into childishness. And despite great admiration for Jim Bacchus, I would not enjoy sprawling bare bellied, with a bunch of grapes on my head, a goblet of wine in my hand, surrounded by the nude frolickings of nymphs and Cupids.

Natasha and her brother Nikolai in their droshky, returning home, late at night.

‘You know,’ she suddenly said, ‘I know I’ll never again be as happy and peaceful as I am now.’

‘That’s nonsense, silliness, rubbish,’ said Nikolai, and thought: ‘How lovely my Natasha is! I have no other friend like her and never will. Why is she getting married? We could keep driving around together!’

‘How lovely my Nikolai is!’ thought Natasha.

‘Ah! there’s still light in the drawing room,’ she said, pointing to the windows of the house, shining beautifully in the wet, velvet darkness of the night.

( Tolstoy: War And Peace ... vol.2 pt.7 )

The Couple

I had a feeling that things would not go well for them. Everything looked fine; they were young and radiated happiness and optimism - he, doing well at his firm; she, post-grad in Russian Lit and offered a permanent position - you couldn’t find a nicer couple. But I had this feeling and it coloured the way I viewed them.

Impossible to put into words, of course. It wasn’t anything that I could explain - utterly intangible - to the point that I suspected myself of projecting some inner malice - some grudging resentment - perhaps some unconscious jealousy.

Only later, when hearing from friends, did a faint perception begin to dawn. There had been too much of ‘something’ about them. I didn’t know what that something was - I still don’t know what it was ... but that ‘too much’, which had illuminated their happiness and optimism, became the ‘too much’ which broke them.

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