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europetraveltips · 3 years

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THE 6 BEST PLACES TO VISIT IN EUROPE IN 2021

Anticipating how travel will glance in 2021 is a waste of time. However, what's without a doubt is that this year has hit the delight business hard: the meaningful ventures, the mother and-pop organizations, individuals doing things right. So going in 2021 will not simply be an opportunity to reconnect with ourselves and feel the buzz of showing up in another spot and another headspace, alive to additional opportunities. As it were, it will be our opportunity to decide in favor of the sort of world we need to live in: one of maintainable organizations, environments and networks, instead of people gazing into the seductively empty bereft of a cell phone screen. It will likewise be an opportunity for a considerable lot of us to recall that we live in a mainland that is one of the extraordinary interwoven designs mankind and topography. Here's the place where we'll be going in Europe in 2021, and it feels progressively basic that we as a whole get out and do likewise – and make a decision in favor of euphoria. For more future motivation, look at our manual for the best occasion objections for 2021 and the best UK objections to visit in 2021.

6. THE AZORES

With the conceivable exemption of Iceland, no place in Europe does land dramatization very like the Azores – the Hawaii of the mid-Atlantic, with thickly forested islands bordered by rough precipices that appear to emerge from the nothingness like goliath green knees from an early stage shower. The archipelago, 950 miles from the bank of parent country Portugal, is a position of volcanic cavities, sulphuric natural aquifers, penetrating whales and surf breaks ignored by epic stacks. The archipelago of biospheres and marine stores has likewise been a calm paragon of practical the travel industry, a kind of European response to Costa Rica.

There are ships and little planes to islands like Faial, Pico and São Jorge, yet the majority of the activity occurs on Sao Miguel, which is all around loaded with great spots to remain. The exemplary twofold header is to put in a couple of evenings each at two sister inns: the Azor, with fresh mod-store calculation and a roof pool ignoring the harbor in the principle town of Ponta Delgada; and the Furnas Boutique Hotel up in the mud-percolating volcanic focal point of the island, where the superstar is the dark stone, Japanese-style warm pool.

In Vila Franca do Campo, the whale-watching and plunging area of interest thirty minutes along the south coast from Ponta Delgada, Convento de São Francisco is a 10-room shop in an exquisitely stark seventeenth century religious circle. Different features incorporate the Sete Cidades Lake Lodge, a progression of wood lodges on a kayak prepared lake in the wild north-west; and the Santa Bárbara Eco-Beach resort , a position of low-threw substantial innovation ignoring a long surf sea shore on the north coast.

By need, the food is consistently locavore, from the islands' popular cheeses to uncommon however delightful fish, for example, wreckfish and blue-mouth rockfish, and cozido das Furnas, a seven-meat stew slow-prepared in Furnas' volcanic earth. This is an immortal kind of spot; a profound nature escape, which feels about directly in 2021.

5. DUBROVNIK AND ITS SURROUNDS, CROATIA

Dubrovnik might be a little overwhelmed with Game Of Thrones sightseers, yet there's constantly been a sure wizardry to this limestone fortification on the Adriatic. Also, what's regularly neglected is the thing that an extraordinary beginning stage it is intended for a legitimate experience. Toward the south, it's not exactly an hour's drive past the languid harbor towns of the Dubrovnik Riviera to Montenegro – a country which has step by step been rediscovering its post-war magic, particularly with the impending appearance of a biophilic-innovator inn from Janu, Aman's new more youthful sister brand. Toward the north, it's under three hours to Mostar, an impeccable Bosnian town of fairylit millhouse cafés and Ottoman stone scaffolds, not a long way from the Kravice cascades, with a turquoise swimmable tidal pond encompassed by Niagara-like falls.

Yet, the alternate approach is offshore, towards the vehicle free, tumbledown Elaphiti islands of Koločep, Sipan and Lopud, handily came to by neighborhood ships. The one to visit in 2021 is Lopud, an island of Renaissance-time stone houses, outlandish gardens and demolished fortifications. Its Franciscan religious community is presently open as the five-suite Lopud 1483, following a meticulous 20-year redesign by Swiss workmanship supporter and donor Francesca Thyssen-Bornemisza. She and her family have filled the 5,000-square-meter religious community with Renaissance and contemporary workmanship, a Franciscan drug store and a reflection garden planned by an Arctic shaman, while protecting the unpleasant plasterwork and patina of the antiquated cloister.

4. SKÅNE, SWEDEN

Sweden's southernmost region infrequently gets the inclusion it merits – in huge part in light of the fact that such a lot of buzz is drawn across the Øresund Bridge from Malmö to Copenhagen. Yet, Skåne is certainly worth investigating, from the interwoven appeal of the city to the lakes, wineries and Nantucket-esque clapboard waterfront towns of the rich open country, frequently alluded to as Sweden's larder.

Malmö has large numbers of the things making it work that have put Copenhagen and Amsterdam on each most-liveable rundown going: youthful, bikeable, streaked with trenches and substantial espresso joints, yet additionally home to a wonderfully saved Dutch-Renaissance old town. However it stays more blended than the disobediently elegant Danish city across the water, particularly in regions like Möllevången, a refined, multicultural piece of town referred to local people as Falafel City. Furthermore, Sweden's generally loosened up Covid-19 guidelines have implied that hip locavore frequents, for example, Bastard, Vollmers and the Höganäs Saluhall food corridor, just as zero-squander lunch most loved Restaurang Spill, have clutched their magic heading into 2021.

A sample of Skåne produce is a decent antecedent to an excursion to the open country: regardless of whether south to the sea shore hovels and marram-grass rises of the Skanör-Falsterbo promontory, or north to the clapboard coastline town of Mölle, where the Grand Hôtel Mölle remarkably investigates the stone sea shore and the wild Kullaberg Nature Reserve, with its porpoises and beacon climbs. Past Mölle, Båstad is another exemplary coastline town, with a customary kallbadhus (cold washing house) spa toward the finish of a wooden dock, having a place with the legacy splashed Hotel Skansen. All over the area, which is by and large calmer than the Stockholm archipelago, there's a relaxed feeling of provenance at spots, for example, at the zero-squander Hörte Brygga in the south-west, with its superb water-side nursery in the mid year. Like an European response to New England, this is the most polished of breaks.

3. SALENTO, ITALY

For a genuine Italian break in 2021, we'll head right to the lower part of its heel. Habitually under-staffed as the nation's response to Cornwall, on its own hot recurrence, the Salento district offers an unpleasant cut rendition of the best of Italy – from the nearly Caribbean west coast to the plunging bluffs of the west coast; from Brindisi down to southernmost Santa Maria di Leuca through the florid dream of Lecce, all beasts and limestone sections. This is a dry, ochre-toned place where there is olive forests and precipice hopping kids, too drowsy to even consider having a very remarkable scene. The cucina povera will in general be plain and unfussy: take the shockingly awesome gnummareddi, or sheep offal rolls, served in the walled garden at A Casa Tu Martinu in Taviano; or the barbecued bream at Lo Scalo, incorporated into the bluffs at Marina di Novaglie, and run by the Longo family for 50 years.

In any case, a progression of little savvy stays have increased the game here as of late. For example, the nine-room Palazzo Daniele in Gagliano del Capo, a nineteenth century apartment given a rich mod-devout makeover by hotelier Gabriele Salini – where travel disruptor Thierry Teyssier dispatched his 700,000 Heures 'fleeting inn' idea. Or on the other hand Masseria Canali, a low-threw, seven-room estate of curves and collectibles west of Brindisi, which opened for takeovers this late spring with a pool deserving of A Bigger Splash.

2. TIMIȘOARA, ROMANIA

This western Romanian city is regularly alluded to as Little Vienna, with its stupendous Habsburg Secessionist structures and roundabout downtown area. In truth, it's not as glossily refined as the Austrian capital, however that is the point. Indeed, even in its stupendous focus, the primary spot in Europe to have electric streetlamps, Timișoara doesn't feel like a scam. Also, as other Romanian urban communities, including Cluj-Napoca and Sibiu, there's a discernible feeling of energetic good faith in this understudy town. A large number of the city's foundations have the vibe of somebody's parlor – like Scârț Loc Lejer, a bric-a-brac bar possessed by a craftsman's group, with a congested nursery, a bordering theater and a gallery of Communist commercialization in the cellar. Somewhere else, there are hopping club evenings at underground Database and practices at the graffiti'd Aethernativ Café, with faint echoes of early Noughties Berlin.

There are celebrations in Timișoara for everything from world music to film, Romany workmanship and jazz, the last of which has consistently been enormous here, in any event, when Ceaușescu pushed it underground. The National Opera House has drama and expressive dance works of art, with tickets at the cost of an IPA in London, and the craftsmanship goes from a road workmanship display in a street passage to the Muzeul de Arta's assortment of wry pictures by Corneliu Baba. All of which drove it to be named European Capital of Culture for 2021, an assignment which might get pushed back a couple of years in the wake of Covid-19. Name or not, this is a legitimate city of culture, and definitely worth a city break.

1. CHANIA, CRETE, GREECE

While its Ottoman-affected harbor and spaghetti bowl of cobble-stoned roads are gently delightful, Chania is sneaking up all of a sudden with regards to its food. From basic ocean side bistros to lovely Cretan high end food, this city on the north-west shore of the Greek island has a select yet rapidly growing scene that is tricking in master palates.

#europe #europe travel #europe trip

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sciencespies · 4 years

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Curbing land clearing for food production is vital to reverse biodiversity declines

https://sciencespies.com/nature/curbing-land-clearing-for-food-production-is-vital-to-reverse-biodiversity-declines/

Curbing land clearing for food production is vital to reverse biodiversity declines

Preserving terrestrial biodiversity requires more ambitious land-conservation targets to be established and met. At the same time, “bending the curve” on biodiversity loss needs more efficient food production, and healthier and less wasteful consumption and trade. If undertaken with “unprecedented ambition and coordination,” these efforts provide an opportunity to reverse terrestrial biodiversity loss by 2050, according to a new study.

The research was published September 10 in Nature and forms part of the latest Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF) Living Planet Report. The work was led by the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), a research institute based in Austria.

“This important paper adds further evidence that food and environmental security are not incompatible,” said Fabrice DeClerck, a co-author and senior scientist at the Alliance of Bioversity International and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), who co-authored 2019’s EAT-Lancet report that outlined food system transitions to feed 10 billion people sustainably by 2050.

In a novel approach to explore future terrestrial biodiversity trends as affected by habitat conversion, the researchers built an ensemble of models to better understand possible future scenarios, much in the same way the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) creates future climate projections. They explore different assumptions — conservation and restoration efforts, and the impact of more sustainable food production and consumption practices — to build a timeline for a reversal in biodiversity loss.

“We wanted to assess in a robust manner whether it might be feasible to bend the curve of declining terrestrial biodiversity due to current and future land use, while avoiding jeopardizing our chances to achieve other Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),” said David Leclère, the lead author and IIASA researcher. “If this were indeed possible, we also wanted to explore how to get there and, more specifically, what type of actions would be required, and how combining various types of actions might reduce trade-offs among objectives.”

The study comes at a relevant time for international discussions related to climate, conservation and food systems, including the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity, which is taking stock of its Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020.

The research was also featured in the 5th Global Biodiversity Outlook, released this week.

“We found that apart from increased conservation efforts, the most important actions to revert the loss of biodiversity are all related to how we manage the food system,” said Mario Herrero, the chief research scientist for agriculture and food at CSIRO, Australia’s national research agency. “Key transitions towards healthy and sustainable diets, renewed waste reduction efforts and increases in productivity will help enormously restore ecosystems. These are central elements where we need investment and action and are an integral part of the forthcoming World Food Summit.”

How much loss is already locked in?

Even under a best-case scenario, ongoing land conversion will drive further biodiversity loss before the curve starts bending. At least a third of the projected losses in the coming years are unlikely to be avoided under any scenario. Potential biodiversity losses were found to be highest in the regions richest in biodiversity, including sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), South Asia, Southeast Asia, the Caribbean and Latin America.

The study’s baseline projections for biodiversity loss — which include global and local extinctions and reductions in viable population levels for plants and animals — will be driven by the loss of about 5.3 million km2 of unmanaged forest and natural vegetation by 2050. To have a chance at reversing biodiversity loss — or bending the biodiversity curve towards restoration — about 9.8 million km2 must be restored by 2050. This implies a significant increase to the Bonn Challenge, an international agreement to bring 3.5 million km2 into restoration by 2030.

While study does not factor in the impact of climate change, the authors discuss climate’s increasing role in biodiversity loss, writing:

“Land-use change is currently the largest single threat to biodiversity, but other threats will increase in importance in the future, in particular climate change.”

Additionally, the “Integrated Action Portfolio” proposed by the researchers to address biodiversity loss implies doubling crop yields in SSA, which will be no easy feat. “While significant yield gaps prevailing in this region might offer opportunities, closing the yield gap in a sustainable manner will require investments and innovative policies, and might be complicated by climate change,” they wrote.

“We need to adopt a zero land conversion approach,” said DeClerck. “We need to realize that doubling productivity in SSA amongst others is a core contribution to the biodiversity and food security challenge, combined with producing the foods that contribute to, rather than detract from public health.”

While a rapidly shifting climate is hurting biodiversity, Climate will also play a big role in the sustainable intensification of agriculture, especially in places like sub-Saharan Africa where agricultural production will need to increase considerably in order to meet land conservation goals.

Terrestrial habitats will need to be better protected, the researchers argue. Even if current global agreements to protect 17 percent of land by 2020 are more than doubled to 40 percent and include biodiversity hotspots, about half of biodiversity losses projected under the study’s baseline scenario will not be avoided.

But the effectiveness of protected areas is declining as pressures on those areas are growing.

The report is not all bad news. Complementing research published in the past couple of years, the team found that integrated efforts that target habitat conservation, improved production practices and significant shifts towards healthy and less wasteful diets enable reversing the loss of biodiversity. These efforts are similarly necessary to achieve climate security and are not incompatible with global food security targets. Urgent action is needed this decade, however, to have any chance of transitioning to a net-nature positive scenario.

#Nature

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perlukafarinn · 5 years

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Movies (I saw) of the 2010s, ranked

Because I had lots of better things to do but no inclination to do them.

As I went through all the new releases I watched this decade, a few things came to mind:

I missed so much! Most recently, I still haven’t seen Parasite, The Lighthouse or The Irishman. I’ve also seen only one of Disney’s live action remakes, two out of four Star Wars films of the decade, and I’ve missed quite a few of Marvel and DC’s outings. My tendency to mostly watch older films came to bite me in the ass here. But c’est la vie, there’s only so many hours in the day!

A huge part of my viewing history took place during film festivals, so festival movies are way over-represented here. I’m not mad about it.

There’s not too many outright bad movies on my list, because I tend to avoid movies that look bad or like I might not like them (shocker, I know). Even the ones in my bottom ten aren’t as dreadful as I was expecting.

There’s no way I can rank all these films numerically! What about movies that I can tell are good but just aren’t for me? What about movies that are bad but enjoyable? How can you compare tired Oscar-bait with soulless blockbusters? It’s impossible!

Hence these categories. I’m doing a top 10 worst and best, and the categories go roughly from worse to better movies, but otherwise this isn’t based on quality so much as what clever category names I could come up with (or couldn’t, as the case may be). I’m also listing the movies within each category alphabetically because that’s even less ranking I need to do.

Buckle up, this is over 6000 words...

Oh, and if you don’t feel like reading the whole thing I still encourage you to reply with your own favorite movies of the decade!

The Worst Exactly what it says on the tin. These movies aren’t just unenjoyable or disposable, they are actively unpleasant to watch.

American Hustle (2013) Wait, this got how many Oscar nominations again??

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013) This movie is so bloated and yet they couldn’t find any time to actually develop most of the main characters? I had such a bad time watching this one, I ended up skipping out on the last part of the trilogy.

Hurricane Bianca (2016) This looked like it might be enjoyably bad but it wasn’t. I still love Bianca Del Rio, don’t get me wrong, but her humor is not the kind you build a whole movie around, yet alone two. And yet…

Hurricane Bianca: From Russia With Hate (2018) Yeah, I watched them both. I’m a simple woman: I see Katya in a trailer, I watch. I really shouldn’t have bothered, this one is even worse.

Iron Man 2 (2010) Superhero fatigue got me bad in the past few years but even before then I hated this movie. Literally nothing enjoyable here, I was aggressively bored while watching. The Lack (2014) This is a movie about women, written and directed by a man, called “The Lack”. You might think I’m being uncharitable to say this movie is entirely about penis envy but the writer/director himself confirmed this at the Q&A I was at. This is why Q&As are always a bad idea, people!

Left Behind (2014) This one tips into “enjoyably bad” at times but in the end, it’s still two hours of your life wasted on a movie meant to make its Evangelical viewers feel vindicated in their horrible beliefs. Morgenrøde (2014) I have a fairly high tolerance for slow movies but this movie is sloooowwww and literally nothing happens in it. This is the movie that taught me not to trust it when festival brochures use the word “contemplative”.

Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief (2010) Just dreadful. This is the worst kind of film in my books: the kind made to follow a trend, not to tell a story.

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011) It’s been eight years since the fourth PotC movie came out?? God, it’s been a long decade.

The Utterly Disposable I didn’t exactly have a bad time watching these but they left no impression on me.

Alex Strangelove (2018) Netflix has released so many unremarkable-looking teen movies this decade. This is one of the few I bothered to watch and it’s cute enough, I guess.

Fyrir framan annað fólk (2016) I am Icelandic but I don’t watch a whole lot of Icelandic movies and I feel kind of guilty about that. Not guilty enough to give a boring movie a pass, though.

Ghostbusters (2016) This super did not need to exist and not even my love for Kate McKinnon makes it any less disposable.

The Great Gatsby (2013) At least it’s pretty.

Hot Tub Time Machine (2010) I remember this getting a few laughs out of me but that’s about it.

The Imitation Game (2014) I think I just… don’t like Beneditch Cumberbatch? Sorry. This movie is the perfect expression of the bland, middle-of-the-road biopic, with the added mishandling of the subject’s sexuality.

Isn’t It Romantic (2019) I love a good satire but this ain’t it, chief. This movie isn’t doing anything that Crazy Ex-Girlfriend hasn’t done 100x better.

John Carter (2012) If you’re gonna throw this much money into something, you could at least hire a charismatic lead actor. Then again, it seemed to work for Avatar. Magic Mike (2012) I did like that this sexy stripper movie kept showing how unhappy the main character is doing what he does as if that wouldn’t totally ruin the fantasy.

Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates (2016) Watched this on an airplane, which is fitting. This feels like a quintessential airplane movie; it’s mildly entertaining but ultimately disposable enough that it has completely slipped your mind by the time you reach baggage claim.

Paul (2011) Occasionally funny, I think? Barely remember it tbh.

Planetary (2015) There’s some interesting points buried in here but the movie’s too busy trying to look important to actually get them across effectively. Also feels surprisingly padded for just 80 minutes. Valentine’s Day (2010) Taylor Swift was actually kind of funny in this, which was a pleasant surprise. Zero impact otherwise.

“I Have No Memory of This Place” Movies I literally could not remember watching until I had read the entire synopsis, but for one reason or another was not comfortable calling “disposable”.

Bobby Sands: 66 Days (2015), The Departure (2017), Hell Is Empty: All the Devils Are Here (2016), Innsæi (2016), Last of the Elephant Men (2015), Late Summer (2016), Speed Sisters (2015), Una (2016), The War Show (2016) Lumping all of these together because they’re all festival movies I have hardly any memory of and that I may have in fact fallen asleep over.

Incendies (2010) Chalk this up to me seeing it almost a decade ago. When I finally remembered it, I could vaguely recall finding it affective. Probably due for a rewatch.

Prisoners (2013), Rush (2013), Warrior (2011) Around 2012-2014 I was working my way through IMdB’s top 250 list and I saw so many forgettable movies about men committing various violent acts. Literally can’t remember a single thing about these movies.

I’m So Sick of Superheroes Dear God Make It Stop I’d probably like some of these more if not for superhero fatigue but that is the trade-off for total global dominance. A couple of superhero movies did escape this category and you’ll see them later on my list.

Thor (2011), Iron Man Three (2013), Thor: The Dark World (2013), Captain America: Winter Soldier (2014), Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), Ant-Man (2015), Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), Captain America: Civil War (2016), Avengers: Infinity War (2018) Lumping all of Marvel’s movies in this category together because I don’t really have a lot to say about Marvel anymore. Special mention to Winter Soldier for being the movie that soured on me the most and to Age of Ultron for in hindsight being the beginning of my superhero fatigue.

The Dark Knight Rises (2012) Boy, this trilogy ended on a sour note. Man of Steel (2013) Confused story structure aside, this movie is utterly grey and joyless. It’s also army propaganda!

X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014) The only reason I watched this was because it was on IMdB’s top 250 list. Peter Dinklage was good in it, if I recall correctly.

Don’t Like This Nope.

12 Years a Slave (2013) Very uncomfortable to sit through, which I get was the point, but I’m not sure it was the right choice. It honestly feels like misery porn.

Black Swan (2010) I’ve long made peace with the fact that Darren Aronofsky will just never click with me.

The Broken Circle Breakdown (2012) This movie is exhausting to watch because of the near constant country music playing. Loudly.

Kate Plays Christine (2016) This is a movie about a really interesting topic but instead of the real tragedy that actually happened it chooses to focus on an actress’s fictional struggle to connect with her role. I think the movie wanted us to think the struggle was real (heh) but for that they would’ve needed a better actress. La La Land (2016) I love classic musicals and I really wanted to like this movie but in the end I just couldn’t. As a movie it’s okay but it’s not a good musical and the whole white savior of jazz thing was……….. an odd choice.

Last Days in the Desert (2015) I’m a sucker for good, thoughtful religious films. The idea of Jesus and the devil being played by the same actor was intriguing to me and I liked that the devil wasn’t evil so much as just tired. But ultimately, this movie felt a little too cold for me.

Magic Mike: XXL (2015) I have no idea why every critic on the planet seems to love this movie. Strippers aggressively thrusting their crotch in your face is not sexy, it’s uncomfortable!

A Silent Voice (2016) Melodramatic and not in the fun, over-the-top way.

Vonarstræti (2014) It’s good but it’s just not for me.

Wir Monster (2015) I saw this at a Q&A screening and decided I didn’t wanna stick around after the credits rolled. On my way out, I tripped and almost fell onto the actors as they were walking past me. That experience had a way bigger impact on me than the movie itself. Make of that what you will.

Guilty Pleasures/So Bad They’re Good An enjoyably bad movie is a better watch than a middlingly competent one.

#REALITYHIGH (2017) Incredibly clichéd and tries way too hard to be “hip” or “lit” or whatever it is the kids were saying back in 2017. Don’t care, I’ve seen it four times.

Bridget Jones’s Baby (2016) The first Bridget Jones is a highlight of the genre. The second one is just bad but the third tips over into enjoyably bad. I also loved having Renée Zellweger back on my screen!

A Cinderella Story: Christmas Wish (2019) Recently watched this with my sister while baking and wrapping Christmas presents. It’s a terrible movie but we had fun (mostly by making fun of it).

Descendants (2015), Descendants 2 (2017), Descendants 3 (2019) I’m not apologizing for this even though I feel like I kind of should.

The Kissing Booth (2018) This movie is like a 13-year-old’s first fanfic come to life so of course I’m gonna love it. Even if the love interest is incredibly unappealing.

The Twilight Saga: Eclipse (2010), The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1 (2011), The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2 (2012) Who would’ve thought at the start of the decade that Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson would turn into indie darlings starring in one critically acclaimed film after the next? I love that for them.

Oscar Bait but I’m Not Biting Not sure the Oscars weren’t a mistake tbh.

The Artist (2011) I kind of enjoyed this but ultimately it’s watered-down Hollywood history made appealing to modern audiences and its aim is far higher than its reach.

Birdman (2014) It was a fun watch but it left no impression.

Darkest Hour (2017) Technically a good movie but such obvious Oscar bait I just couldn’t fully enjoy it.

The Help (2011) Let’s leave the white savior narrative behind in the 2010s, shall we?

The King’s Speech (2010) I love Colin Firth. I barely remember this movie.

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017) Don’t love that the racist cop is the most fully fleshed-out character in this movie while the black characters are all unnamed extras.

Whiplash (2014) It’s just drumming, J.K. Simmons, it’s not that serious.

I Feel Like I Should Like This More This category is mostly three camps, as you’ll see.

120 battements par minute (2017), 69 Minutes of 86 Days (2017), Fire at Sea (2016), I, Daniel Blake (2016) All important movies with a worthy message that I just couldn’t connect with on a personal level.

Adieu au langage (2014), Before We Vanish (2017), Bridesmaids (2011), Jagten (2012), A Separation (2011), Timbuktu (2014), Transit (2018), Winter’s Bone (2010) Critically acclaimed, maybe it’s just me?

Her (2013) The rest is all movies I expected to like more than I did. I’m not sure what didn’t click with this one. It’s been a while since I saw it.

Get Out (2017) I wasn’t gonna watch it because I don’t really watch horror so when I finally caved, I knew pretty much everything about it. Watching a movie the first time knowing everything that happens in it and after seeing it dissected for months on end by every critic on the planet does take a lot of the enjoyment away, as it turns out.

Gone Girl (2014) Really thought I’d love it. It’s good just didn’t click with me.

The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014) It’s pretty. Liam Neeson is always fun.

Pacific Rim (2013) Mako is great and I enjoy the chemistry between her and Raleigh but ultimately this one just kind of slipped out of my mind as soon as I’d seen it.

Toni Erdmann (2016) It’s too damn long!

The Tree of Life (2011) I just watched this the other day so it’s very possible my opinion will change. I was expecting to love it but I… didn’t. It felt like this movie was trying too hard to be profound and important, at the cost of actually saying something, well, profound and important.

No Strong Feelings One Way or the Other I actually have nothing to say about any of these movies and most of them are good but they had to go somewhere.

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2011), Boyhood (2014), Brave (2012), Creed (2015), Django Unchained (2012), Exit Through the Gift Shop (2010), Flavours of Youth (2018), Frozen (2013), The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012), Interstellar (2014), Intouchable (2011), The Jungle Book (2016), Monsters University (2013), Rogue One (2016), Schaste moe (2010), Shutter Island (2010), Three Identical Strangers (2018), To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before (2018), Undir trénu (2017), Wreck-It Ralph (2012)

Middling Festival Fare I have nothing to say about these either but I couldn’t lump them in with the others. I mostly liked them more than the movies in the previous category and they took bigger risks. Some of them might even be great, just very much not my cup of tea.

3 Tage in Quiberon (2018), Acid Forest (2018), Amateurs in Space (2016), Barakah Meets Barakah (2015), Der Andständige (2014), Disappearance (2017), Dreams by the Sea (2017), En fremmed flytter ind (2017), Føniks (2018), The Girl Down Loch Aenzi (2016), God Exists, Her Name is Petrunija (2019), Gods of Molenbeek (2019), Jag är Ingrid (2015), Já, Olga Hepnarová (2016), Looking for Oum Kulthum (2017), Mister Universo (2016), Neruda (2016), The Raven and the Seagull (2018), Rester vertical (2016), Slow West (2015), Sugar Coated (2015), Summer Survivors (2018), Tickled (2016), Worldly Girl (2016)

Maybe Not the Best But a Lot of Fun Better than those guilty pleasures but generally pretty flawed. Austenland (2013) A very cute little romcom. Extra points for Jennifer Coolidge, the most underrated character actress of this century.

Baby Driver (2017) I feel like revisiting this one might not be as enjoyable for reasons that have nothing to do with the film’s quality but I had fun watching it in the theater.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (2010) I was a fan of this franchise from the start so even though this movie is kind of dour and dark, it was still a blast to watch. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011) Do I love every choice this movie made? No. But I saw this at a midnight screening, in full cosplay with my friends, in a theater packed with fans. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

I, Tonya (2017) For a movie that contains so much abuse and such a bummer ending, it’s surprisingly entertaining!

The LEGO Batman Movie (2017) Lego Batman is my favorite Batman.

Nothing Like a Dame (2018) I just really love Maggie Smith.

On - drakon (2015) This movie feels like it was pitched as “Twilight but with dragons!”. It’s fun, though, and it’s got an interesting aesthetic and a proactive heroine who gets herself out of trouble with ingenuity and bravery.

Sing Street (2016) I love the soundtrack to this movie and the characters are incredibly endearing. The story is very simple in not a great way but it doesn’t need to be deep to be enjoyable.

Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) I like that they skip the origin story for once and keep the scope of it fairly limited. A very nice little slice-of-life teen movie combined with a superhero flick. Tom Holland is a good Spider-Man. Would’ve been better without Iron Man tbh. Star Trek Beyond (2016) I feel like they got the characters right here, which was a problem for the first Star Trek of the rebooted trilogy. It’s a fairly inconsequential movie but it’s a blast.

Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (2015) I’m not the biggest Star Wars fan so I don’t have a lot of opinions here. It’s fun! Not a lot more I want from Star Wars. Ultimately didn’t intrigue me enough to wanna see the rest of the trilogy.

Ten no Chasuke (2015) This movie is a little weird, a little goofy and a lot of fun. I like the guy who just constantly lives through different movie plots because the angel writing his life can’t think of anything original, that tickled me.

Good Movies I Don’t Have a Clever Title Here They’re good movies, Brent.

Barbara Rubin and the Exploding NY Underground (2018) An enjoyable, well-made documentary but considering its subject matter disappointingly conventional.

Black Panther (2018) This movie could have been much better had it not been under the constraints of the MCU. Still one of the best offerings of the genre this decade.

Boy Meets Girl (2014) We need more movies like this. Not just for representation (although that is important) but also because cinema needs a greater variety of stories than are currently being told.

Brooklyn (2015) The scope of this movie is very small but the characterization is nuanced and every aspect of the film goes towards furthering that.

Bugs (2016) The focus of this movie is split between its very interesting subject matter (the use of bugs as food around the world) and the chefs we’re following around who kind of seem like dicks and honestly drag the movie down a lot.

Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) Steve Rogers is one of my favorite MCU characters, purely on the strength of this movie. In a world where no one seems to know how to adapt Superman to film, it’s nice they got this one right.

Cloud Atlas (2012) This movie has such lofty ambitions and I admire it for that, even if the execution is off at times. But the use of yellowface is..... bad. It’s very bad and the directors should have known better.

Cold War (2018) I love the music in this, which is good because it is near constant.

Damsel (2018) I love a deconstructed western and I love Robert Pattinson. It’s a shame that the female character at the center of the story wasn’t better developed, considering how much screen time she got.

Damsels in Distress (2011) This movie is quirky and cutesie, which isn’t everyone’s cup of tea (and usually isn’t mine) but I love it. Some solid acting goes a long way.

Der kommer en dag (2016) This movie is two hours of children suffering yet it comes across as so optimistic? I think it’s the space race stuff. Who doesn’t love the space race?

Frantz (2016) I am always down for stories that reckon with the effects of WWI.

Future Baby (2016) There’s a scene in this movie where a surrogate mother gives birth and it is both very graphic and heart-wrenching. If the rest of the movie were more like that one scene, it’d be on my shortlist for the best of the decade.

Fyre (2019) How was Fyre Festival a real thing that happened?

Girls Don’t Fly (2016) Girls don’t fly because the man training them to be pilots is a dick and treats them horribly. It’s a bummer but important to uncover.

Hidden Figures (2016) Kevin Costner’s character needed to be written out - black stories that don’t involve “good” white people are both possible and necessary. But I adore all three main actresses and they do some amazing work.

Hjartasteinn (2016) The subject matter is cliché but it’s handled beautifully.

The Lego Movie (2014) Everything is awesome! Everything is cool when you’re part of a team!

Journey to the Shore (2015) I honestly wasn’t sure how to feel for most of the run time of this movie but by the end it got me.

On Body and Soul (2017) This movie feels like a dream and I mean that in a good way.

The Salvation (2014) Have I mentioned that I love deconstructed westerns? Mads Mikkelsen is always on point, even with garbage material, but he’s got some good stuff to work with here.

Searching for Ingmar Bergman (2018) This movie made me more interested in its director, Margarethe von Trotta, than Bergman himself. Everyone should check out The Lost Honour of Katharina Blum!

The Shape of Water (2017) This movie is very much like a fairy-tale, which means it’s not particularly nuanced or complicated, but it is beautiful.

Still the Water (2014) This movie starts with a cow being graphically slaughtered and yet the only word I can think of to describe it is “gentle”. But maybe skip the first five minutes if you’re sensitive to blood or animal death.

Studio 54 (2018) How were the 70s even real?

Sumarbörn (2017) It’s a rare feat to get such good acting out of child actors.

Thor: Ragnarök (2017) The best MCU movie. It’s a lot of fun without once losing its heart, which is a rare thing for Marvel (just google the words “bathos” and “mcu”, other people have covered this already).

Warm Bodies (2013) The cutest rom-com of the decade features a zombie as its main lead. I’m not mad about it.

Wild Tales (2014) The dissonance between the realist shooting style and the cartoonish violence often results in some excellent dark humor. The rest of the time, it just feels kind of off.

The Wolf of Wall Street (2013) Jordan Belfast is both a lot of fun and utterly despicable and the movie is not afraid to go as balls to the walls as it needs to.

The Young Karl Marx (2017) So like... Marx and Engel were into each other? At least a little, right?

Great Movies Also No Clever Title

Andið eðlilega (2018) Okay so I don’t watch a lot of Icelandic cinema but from what I have seen, I am incredibly encouraged by the direction it is heading. Call this exhibit A.

Ága (2018) This movie is very slow and not a lot happens but that’s kind of why it works so well. It hooked me in and had me genuinely interested in every uneventful scene.

Brecht’s Threepenny Film (2018) I walked away feeling like I’d understood maybe one third of this film but it left me with a feeling of exhilaration that’s hard to define and that few films manage.

Les aventures extraordinaires d'Adèle Blanc-Sec (2010) Adèle Blanc-Sec is like Tintin and Indiana Jones combined except way better. In a just world, she would be a much more popular character and the reported film trilogy would have actually happened.

En duva satt på en gren och funderade på tillvaron (2014) This movie is delightfully weird and messed up. Nothing more to say here.

The Favourite (2018) I was honestly expecting to be let down by this movie after all the overwhelming praise but as it turns out, it deserved all of the accolades and possibly more.

Gravity (2013) This movie was kind of marketed as “realistic sci-fi” and while I can’t say it felt particularly real, the emotional arc sure as hell did.

Inception (2010) The complexity of this film was vastly over-hyped but it’s still the best work I’ve seen by Nolan (though to be fair, I still haven’t seen Dunkirk). Kreuzweg (2014) The film is composed of just fourteen still shots, representing the Stations of the Cross. That could have come across as really gimmicky but it works because the shots are well staged and the material is just that good. Loveless (2017) This is the bleakest, most depressing movie I think I’ve ever seen. The Martian (2015) The best thing about this movie is the way it shows the world coming together just to save this one guy. International cooperation is the future!

Paradies: Liebe (2012) This is a movie about sex tourism and it is as unpleasant to watch as that sounds. But it’s also incredible.

Paradies: Hoffnung (2013) The third in Seidl’s paradise trilogy (I missed the middle part, don’t remember why). Just as messed up as Liebe but mildly more palatable.

Une nouvelle amie (2014) I saw this movie with my dad, which was kind of awkward, but that doesn’t take away from its beauty. We really do need more stories like this.

Tale of Tales (2015) I am always here for a fairytale adaptation, particularly ones that stick close to the dark, gruesome, humorous tone of most traditional fairytales.

Welcome to Norway (2016) This movie is just really, really funny.

White God (2014) If you’re sensitive to animal abuse then this is not the film for you. The dogs in this movie actually won the Palm Dog Award and it was well deserved. They’re very good dogs! Tom of Finland (2017) How refreshing to see a movie about a historical gay person that isn’t all death and tragedy! It does have some of that, unavoidably, but it’s also a lot of fun and ultimately is a celebration of a very important sub-cultural figure.

Vinterbrødre (2017) I wasn’t expecting a movie set in a mining community to look this beautiful.

Wonder Woman (2017) The best superhero movie of the decade, despite the slightly messy third act. It’s such an earnest, hopeful movie and unlike most films of the genre, it’s not afraid to take itself seriously or to come across as cheesy. Superheroes are cheesy! That’s one of the best things about them!

Amazing Animation I don’t like animation being singled out from live action as if it’s somehow less, but I wanted to highlight how many excellent animated films were made this decade.

The Breadwinner (2017) I’ve seen this film’s production company, Cartoon Saloon, been called the Irish version of Disney but Disney has never made anything half this daring. Coco (2017) The ending made me sob like a little kid. This movie doesn’t get enough credit for being one of only two Pixar films this decade to live up to their early work.

How to Train Your Dragon (2010) The flight scenes in this movie gave me actual vertigo and I loved it.

How to Train Your Dragon 2 (2014) The rare sequel that’s actually better than the original! For all the franchises that exist out there just to continue milking that cash cow, it’s nice to see something get continued because the filmmakers had more stories to tell.

Loving Vincent (2017) This movie has been criticized for a weak plot, to which I say: it’s an animated movie made up of oil paintings! Do you really care about the plot? Sometimes the spectacle is all you need, especially when it’s something that touches you as deeply as Vincent van Gogh’s art does.

Moana (2016) Moana’s scenes with her grandmother and Te Fiti are up there with some of the most emotionally evocative stuff to come out of Disney studios. It’s a pity the rest of the movie couldn’t quite live up to that.

Rise of the Guardians (2012) Mostly, this movie just looks incredible. I am also an eternal sucker for Chris Pine, even if his voice sounds weird coming out of a teenager’s mouth.

Song of the Sea (2014) This is the most beautiful animated film I’ve ever seen outside of Studio Ghibli’s best, both the look and the feel of it.

Tangled (2010) I know I sound like an old fogy but this movie would’ve been much better if it had been traditionally animated. Still pretty good!

Toy Story 3 (2010) It’s been nine years since the third Toy Story came out?? Christ, this decade.

Your Name (2016) I really should be watching more anime.

Zootopia (2016) Disney’s best work since Treasure Planet, which is an underrated masterpiece. It’s almost worth the resurgence in furries (jk furries, you’re okay).

This Is Why You Guys Should Be Watching Documentaries Because documentaries are a seriously underrated art form.

Ama-San (2016) This is the kind of cinema vérité filmmaking I live for.

Behind the Curve (2018) The existence of flat earthers remains baffling (well, maybe not that baffling when you look at the rest of our society) but this documentary is excellent.

Dawson City: Frozen Time (2016) This is a documentary about a cache of lost silent films that were found in the 70s and most of the movie is silent, with information being conveyed through text and images. It’s these kinds of choices that elevate a good documentary beyond just educational programming.

Exodus: Where I Come From Is Disappearing (2016) Absolutely heart-wrenching. It’s difficult to watch but the issues it discusses shouldn’t be looked away from.

Foodies (2014) There’s a foodie in this movie who rates his food on looks before he even tastes it and a chef whose signature dish is a dessert called “sex on the beach” which includes a very realistic-looking used condom. I wanted those two to meet but they never did and that is my one criticism of this film.

Free Solo (2018) I developed a fear of heights after watching this movie.

The Great Green Wall (2019) I had never heard of the great green wall before seeing this movie. It’s so surreal to get a window into a society where no one is arguing about climate change because they are already undeniably feeling the effects of it. And by strange, I mean incredibly sad and upsetting.

How to Let Go of the World: and Love All the Things Climate Can’t Change (2016) Speaking of climate change. This movie takes on climate grief and shows why you can’t stop at that, why you need to push past it and keep fighting. I’d argue The Great Green Wall actually does that same thing and better but it’s still a very necessary message.

Into the Inferno (2016) Werner Herzog is just. The best. Especially his documentaries.

Kismet (2014) This movie examines how art affects people by way of one of the least respected art forms out there (soap operas). I just really love that premise and the execution is even better.

Merchants of Doubt (2014) Honestly fuck every single person making money by hastening our descent towards climate catastrophe. Good movie, though.

My Scientology Movie (2015) This was the first Louis Theroux movie I saw and it’s a great one to start with. For all they’ve been treated like a joke, Scientologists are actually pretty scary.

The Other Side of Everything (2017) The personal is the political in this film. What an incredible look at the ways our past shapes our present and future.

Pervert Park (2014) This movie fucked me up.

The Prison in Twelve Landscapes (2016) The conceit of this film is looking at the US prison system indirectly by keeping the camera outside the actual prisons and off actual prisoners. It works incredibly well, just astounding documentary film making.

Push (2019) Just when you thought you couldn’t hate the rental market any more!

Safari (2016) Fuck trophy hunters.

The Silence of Others (2018) I didn’t even know about the Spanish 1977 Amnesty Law until I saw this movie. Maybe that’s just my own ignorance but I feel it shows how necessary documentaries like these are.

Tower (2016) I cried like a baby watching this movie. Using rotoscope animation to tell the story of the 1966 shootings a the University of Texas was I think an excellent choice and made for a unique documentary.

Visages villages (2017) Agnès Varda is possibly my favorite director and it hurts to leave this one off the “best” list (call it an unofficial #11). Still not sure I shouldn’t have swapped out one of the actual top ten for it.

Welcome to Sodom (2018) The world is so fucked up.

It Stayed With Me Movies that left me reeling and that I couldn’t get out of my head for days after watching (call all of them an unofficial joint #12).

The Act of Killing (2012) Speaking of fucked up! It is absolutely surreal seeing these mass murderers try to justify their actions to the interviewers. “I was just doing my job” is no excuse and trying to use it as one is actually reprehensible.

Arrival (2016) I didn’t actually see it until this year and I felt it couldn’t possibly live up to the hype but it did! It’s reminiscent of Interstellar in that in this ‘hard’ science fiction story the ultimate solution is based on an emotional revelation but Arrival pulled it off much better. The Congress (2013) This is basically two movies in one; one is fairly grounded sci-fi and the other is just a straight up acid trip in film form. In any case, Robin Wright is absolutely flawless.

Carol (2015) Cate Blanchett please date me. Grüße aus Fukushima (2016) I’m always gonna be a sucker for a movie about women connecting and helping each other through trauma.

High Life (2018) I saw this one knowing nothing about it and ngl it shocked me a bit. The way it incrementally got more and more fucked up made me feel a bit like a frog being slowly boiled alive. November (2017) The atmosphere this movie creates is unreal. Maybe not the strongest characterization but it balances a feeling of magic and wonder with just utter bleakness and it left me reeling. Paterson (2016) I can’t even fully explain why I loved this movie so much or why it stuck me. Mostly, it’s just so damn cozy. The Square (2017) I mean, that scene with the ape man was fucked up right? Tangerine (2015) I don’t think filming on your iPhone is the future of cinema or anything but it does show how accessible filmmaking is slowly becoming. Also, that scene of Alexandra performing Toyland is one of the best musical moments in cinema this decade and that is not up for debate. Team Hurricane (2017) I’ve never seen a movie with an aesthetic like this before (it’s very vaporwave) but this film is about and was mostly shot by a group of actual teenage girls. It’s a little melodramatic in places but at the same time that feels very sincere and the girls all clearly have a lot of talent and a lot to say. Varda par Agnes (2019) This movie probably wouldn’t have stuck with me so much if Agnès Varda hadn’t died earlier this year. She is a truly unparalleled figure in film history.

The Best According to me, anyway. But I’m right.

Cameraperson (2016) This is a different kind of documentary filmmaking. What it most reminds me of is Beaches of Agnès (no, I’m never done talking about Agnès Varda) but even that is not a perfect comparison. It’s deeply personal while also covering an insane variety of topics. Embrace of the Serpent (2015) This movie feels like a dream and I mean that in the best way possible. At turns beautiful, brutal, and absolutely baffling. The Florida Project (2017) I’ve seen this movie criticized for glorifying poverty and I can’t discount that opinion. For my part, I thought this movie did an incredible job balancing the world as seen through the eyes of a carefree child enjoying her summer and the dangerous, precarious reality of living in poverty. Inside Out (2015) When Pixar gets it right, they get it really right. The Love Witch (2016) I just really, really love witches. The best looking live action movie of the decade. The fact that writer/director/editor/producer Anna Biller hasn’t made another film since is an actual crime. Melancholia (2011) No movie has ever hit me this hard in such a visceral way; I was miserable for days after seeing it. Lars von Trier is an asshole but he knows how to film depression. Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) Believe the hype, it is actually perfect. And I don’t even like action movies! Moonlight (2016) It’s rare to see a movie this deeply, devastatingly human. The final two shots of the film, paired together, are literally the most beautiful thing I have ever seen in a theater. Kona fer í stríð (2018) The best Icelandic movie that’s been made yet. Halldóra Geirharðsdóttir is a national treasure. Shoplifters (2018) I mean, who’s expecting a movie called ‘Shoplifters’ to be so devastating? It’s such a painful film but it is also heartwarming and intimate. Un couteau dans le coeur (2018) This movie is strange and funny and violent and gorgeous. I’ve never had such a good experience at a film festival as I did the two times I went to see this movie.

#well it's done #this was mostly written for an audience of one aka me #but hey this took a while so do check it out if you want

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applegelstore · 6 years

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My sis and I are through with the actual main plot of KH3, so I can officially go back to scheduled ToZ fangirling now. …Well, I promised Cray a bit of fix-it-fanart, so after that, I guess.

Hit the cut for a resume. It got super long and has endgame story spoilers, so you might not want to stumble upon it by accident.

Another extra big shoutout (again!) to @crazayrock for bearing my liveblogging on Discord, screaming without context and occasional spoilers. And linking me fluffy Soriku doujinshi. Here, have my favourite, spoiler-heavy excerpt of our conversation:

Okay anyway, let’s get started: GAMEPLAY

Kingdom Hearts 3 is BEAUTIFUL. The gameplay is so smooth and intuitive that you can immediately get to playing like you’d never done anything else; in fact so smooth that I doubt I will ever be able to pick up the first game ever again. It’s always been fun, but the looooooong years’ gap actually did wonders to the gameplay.

The keyblade form changes are fun and keep things fresh, you can do flashy triangle button shit every other minute, and shotlock is still insanely useful without being a game-breaker.

It seems easier than the first two main games, though?

The gummi ship is still a pain in the ass to steer, but I do enjoy the open world-like travel options (even if there’s not… much to discover except heartless lasering the shit out of you). I’m also eternally grateful that they kept the gummi ship thing from KH2 where you can just use a new gummi ship once you got the blueprint and don’t buy actual fucking legos as in the first game.

Thank you, Square. Not thanking you for the dumb cherry flan game, though.

The Caribbean being basically an open world stage was delightful! Apparently what our resident island kid needs is a big ship and tropical islands to plunder.

VISUALS AND STUFF

PRETTY LIGHTS EVERYWHERE

The long gap between the games also did wonders to the visuals.

There’s finally, FINALLY a few towns with actual NPCs you can talk to. Why it took the team so many years and the Gods know how many games is beyond me. The magic effects are beautiful, the animations smooth (honestly you can hardly tell apart cutscenes and fully rendered CGI scenes in this day and age of the PS4. I’m probably the only person still amazed by this because the only games I played on PS4 before were a few hours of Child of Light and of course Tales of Zestiria and Berseria. No, I still haven’t played FFXV but that’s a topic for another day). How far videogames have come.Even space finally looks like space, lol. Not really high-end what the PS4 can do I assume but god, it’s such an amazing and much needed upgrade from the terrible textureless colourful tubes you flew through before.

No excuse for the terrible battleship thingy before the Keyblade Graveyard, though. I got lost and beaten up so many times and crashed against more walls than I can count.

Nothing beats the World that Never Was, but the Keyblade Graveyard also has creepy cool potential, as does the beautiful but ghosted City in the Sky.

Still not getting what’s with JRPGs and very Definitely Final Dungeons (TM) that are basically space. …………or heaven. Or nothing. I’m getting the bad kind of original NGE TV series ending vibes. But. Okay.

The soundtrack is splendid

.……I miss Traverse Town and Radiant Garden, however.

Which brings us to:

THE WORLDS

I guess I can live with no more Final Fantasy characters being there (although I always loved that), and the meta jokes in Toy Story world really got me. Seeing Disney characters calling the KH villains call out on their shit was delightful. …the KH characters lampshading their own games’ sloppy dialogue writing was delightful.Still, those Disney worlds are always so much more in my head than what I actually get to play. This has been bugging me ever since the first game and it still does. I do not expect or want to replay the entire movies, but would it hurt to give the cutscenes some goddamn background music? Whenever there’s cutscenes, either the world’s usual BGM keeps playing or the music stops altogether. Together with the shortened dialogues and generally drastically shortened plots with odd cuts, that leads to scenes that are awkward at best. They never even remotely have the impact the movies had. You just sit there and think “oh wow that is so silly and awkward”.

Dancing scene in Corona? My favorite scene in Tangled. Zero impact on me without the lovely BGM (at least they made it a minigame so the moment isn’t over after 3 secs). Just for example. You can ask me like, world by world, but I can think of only exception off the top of my head and it’s not helping:

Let it Go of course. Listen guys, I actually love the song. But it’s so overused (and Frozen is an overrated movie at best that doesn’t deserve its hype in the slightest) that I can’t even really enjoy it being there. Like.

 IF THAT’S OKAY WITH YOU,WHY DIDN’T YOU INCLUDE LITERALLY ANY OTHER ORIGINAL SONG FROM THE ORIGINAL MOVIES. Instead of BGM just not being there entirely, or in odd, cringey re-renderings that nobody wants to listen to (*cough* Atlantica *cough*).

Why torture me and not give me the one good scene from At World’s End (the up is down scene) when you had the chance?Kingdom Hearts is also prone to super lazy level design and wasting chances at wonderful scenery for no apparent reason other than I suppose empty cliffsides are quick to render. All games before did that, and KH3 is, sadly, no exception. We get to see a bit of Corona and Athens and they finally have NPCs, too, but you cannot even get near Arendelle. You cannot enter Elsa’s palace. You spend the entire time there climbing around in the snowy mountains of Norway, and unfortunately it looks less interesting than one would expect from the lovely concept art that the film unfortunately never used.You cannot enter Rapunzel’s tower although Sora can apparently parkour his way up even without her help.

………In short, the places you can go are, again, very limited, and a lot of interesting places and scenes you never get to see.

And to follow the plot you still only need the stuff that does NOT happen in those Disney worlds because they’re all beach filler episodes. It’s always been like that, but I keep wondering whether I’m the only one bothered by that. I’m also still salty they didn’t introduce a single new world from a 2D animated movie.

Also, as I said, I miss Traverse Town, it felt so warm and welcoming and beautiful.

And I get behind The World that Never Was missing although I loved it there, but why not give us back Radiant Garden? Destiny Islands since they’ve been restored? Disney Castle?

As much as I love the series, it never fucking lives up to its own potential. Idk whether it’s made more difficult by copyright issues or whatever, I just know that it bugs me.The first two games also had like twice as many worlds.

PLOT

I mean it’s never been deep; however, it’s complicated. No analysis or whatever from me because plot analysis and meta writing bore me like seven hells, just my emotional reaction: AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH  Okay, bad news. I got into it expecting nothing, and still got disappointed. I don’t actually enjoy the prospect of writing essays about it, but here’s my tea with it; in not particular order:

1) the pacing is terrible. Nothing happens for like 30 hours and then suddenly like 20 characters’ arcs are (naturally poorly) resolved within the last few hours of cutscenes. Build up anyone? At least they actually did pick up Maleficent and the box thing again. …In the epilogue.

2) Speaking of build ups, Sora’s breakdown could have been developed nicely and steadily over the game to feel natural, and instead it’s hinted at in the beginning by everyone picking on him, but then it’s never further developed and comes out of fucking nowhere. Like. For real? It felt terribly OOC.

3) Why on earth have they shown 90% of the plot in the trailers already, and why are those scenes so massively disappointing in context

4) Kairi. Oh god, Kairi. What are we gonna do with you. I want to love her, I really do, but she’s a prime example of shittily written female leads. Mostly because she’s not leading. It’s not her fault. She’s just a fictional character. But honest to God, Nomura, why. Her screen time is almost nonexistent, and she’s entirely use- and helpless whenever she’s on screen (which isn’t often). Her ONLY point in the plot is being rescued because she is fucking useless. Why. Just why. Why waste her character like that. All we know is that she’s shoehorned into being the token love interest, but she has zero plot relevance and there is even less build up of her relationship with Sora. It’s all tell and NEVER show; and not even much telling, either. She has literally zero direct interaction with in the entire game before they share their paopu. The question remains: why are straights like this

5) On a related note: look, I don’t even ask for (or expect, or even hope) my ship to be canon. Squeenix doesn’t exactly have a rich history in queer representation. I’m totally fine with Sora and Riku being best friends. BUT. Building up Sora as the most important person in Riku’s life (and arguably, vice versa) over the course of several games, just to then hardly have them interact in the finale and then SUDDENLY bring back Kairi into the equation, who hasn’t interacted with him since the ending of KH2 (except for one unsent(?) letter) is just piss poor writing, period.I actually love Cray’s suggestion she gave me over Discord: let Sora, Kairi and Riku all share a paopu together (and let them group hug, too, you cowards). It would have been the perfect message to send (Sora as truly all-loving hero, and loving all your friends equally; romantic love isn’t more important than platonic love and doesn’t need to be singled out). Really sad that this isn’t what happens. Apparently that wouldn’t have been no homo enough.

LET THE DESTINY TRIO GROUP HUG YOU COWARDS 

Do Riku and Kairi even interact once in the whole game?

 HOW IS THIS A TRIO, IT’S JUST A SHITTILY WRITTEN LOVE TRIANGLE

6) Time travelling is a bitch, Christ. It doesn’t solve plotholes or can be played for drama, it just adds MORE plotholes. It just got WORSE. The cloning blues and people not aging doesn’t help, either.

7) Just so you know, I care absolutely zero for wild fan theories. You’re not Nomura. I want a statement from the man who wrote this shit himself why on bloody earth Sora dies when he apparently successfully found and brought back Kairi (and since nobody aged a day, apparently it didn’t even take that long lol). DUDES, THIS IS KINDA PART OF THE PLOT, AND YOU DON’T BOTHER TO EXPLAIN IT INGAME???? And how was Ienzo/Zexion able to revive Naminé while Kairi was still missing/dead/whatever…?

Okay so in short the writing is worse than ever and that’s saying something.

However, let’s try to find something good in this trainwreck; it wasn’t all bad. There’s some really nice scenes which sadly are better enjoyed without any context at all.

So, guess my favourite scenes.You had time enough, here’s the solution:

1) Purifying uhm er rescuing Aqua. Poor girl. She deserves the rest. Poor, poor Aqua. The only properly wirrten female in the whole damn franchise. Also the only person other than Riku who fucking gets shit done.

2) The Gayblade (TM)

3) Happy Axel in the reunion with his kids. Oh god, the poor chap deserves it so much. Thank you, Nomura. I don’t care that it makes pretty much no sense. Make him happy. Give him his friends back. Just give Axel all his friends and let him happily set things on fire. Hi I love Axel

4) The party at the beach cutscene before the credits roll. Axel and Xion get clothes. Half the organization is on our side now. I almost teared up at the Wayfinder trio saying goodbye to Eraqus’ forceghost. Hey come on he’s the voice of Luke Skywalker

5) Sully yeeting Vanitas

6) Woody calling out Xehanort that nobody loves him

7) Jack Sparrow bad breathing Luxord

I wish we had gotten:

1) justice for Kairi

2) a happy Zexion, the poor emo kid. Well maybe now he will be, with all the orga members who changed sides now, lol.

3) I will never trust mobile games ever again so I don’t want to play KHUX but I would have loved to learn about the Keyblade Wars :;)))) 

WHAT WAS THE KEYBLADE WAR ABOUT CAN WE SPEND MORE TIME IN THAT COOL CITY IN THE SKY WHAT’S THE DEAL WITH MIKLEO I MEAN THAT EPHEMER KIDDO

 WHAT’S WITH THE MASKED DUDES AND DUDETTES FROM THE MOVIE 

WTF WHAT HAPPENED TO THEM AFTER THE MOVIE???? WHERE THOSE KEYBLADE USER NAMES ACTUAL MOBILE GAME PLAYER NAMES??? Next game? PLEASE?

I really, REALLY hope the epilogue means we will get Xiggy/Luxu as our new big bad and we learn more about the five dudes and dudettes from the movie. Please. PLEASE. I’m so up for it. Them finally pickung up the bit with Maleficent and the mysterious box again? Hell yeah.

The secret movie was really unexciting in comparison, although I laughed very hard at the “Verum Rex” scene in Toy Story world. Maybe that’s why it was much cheaper to unlock than in KH1 and KH2.

4) give Ven a drink

DLC ideas I would actually pay for because I’m a sad human being: 1) more Disney worlds 2) Japanese audio 3) at least one of the following as permanently playable characters: Riku, Kairi, Axel, Ven, Aqua. At least as a guest member as in KH2. THIS SUCH A BIG STEP BACKWARDS I’M FUMING

FINAL THOUGHTS

Kingdom Hearts 3 is a hella lot of fun, beautiful, and also moving when it sets its mind to it. Unfortunately it doesn’t always do so. I don’t feel like it wasn’t worth the wait; it was. However, I’m very salty how rotten the writing is. I do not mind logical fallacies, I do not mind the cheesiness and cringeyness; however, I do mind how so many interesting characters do not get the screentime they deserve, and Kairi is a very bad joke.

I’ll probably find more to nitpick about (Gods. Just. Don’t come up with dub excuses why Sora is lv 1 in each game. JUST LEAVE IT BE. You don’t explain why Donald and Goofy are lv 1 again, either. JUST. LEAVE. IT. BE. The sacrifice was dumb and not even moving, I’m just still furious that Kairi’s ONLY point in the plot is being so useless that it’s literally getting herself KILLED and she needs constant rescuing to the point that Sora has to sacrifice himself for her, effectively. Kairi deserves better, Sora deserves better, I deserve better than to think about this absurdity.…I’m just… gonna cherry-pick the good bits from the lore and try to pretend the finale didn’t exist, I guess. GODS.

#long post #random rambling tag

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inappropriatefangirlneeds · 6 years

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Gotham s4ep21 “One Bad Day” Personal Review

“It´s an odd time for a nap” Warning spoilers below

* “Oh, Jim, you still think that you're the only one who can save the city.” Okay that one was lovely. Almost a bit like that one Pirates of the Caribbean movie. I love how everyone was vaguely rooting for the same thing: Save the City! while trying to as well reach their own personal goals. > LUCIUS FOX of course is the precious cinnamon roll that he is and just wants to save the city. > JIM GORDON kind of just wants to save the city as well. But I do think this whole talk with Edward, as entertaining as it was it was jarring plot wise. Of course we do have the “We're gonna settle this. No, Jim. This isn't the GCPD. Here, I make the rules, so we're not gonna do this until we talk about what I want to talk about.” line that claims Edward is the one that wants to discuss relationship stuff while Jim is the one who wants to stick to saving the city. But Jim actually brought as much into the conversation as Ed did. Especially if he indeed thinks Leslie is just using Edward he should have just kept this to himself and let Edward run into his misery and laugh about it over the whiskey into which he usually cries. But for Jim it´s at least as important as it is for Ed to plant his flag in that conversation. He´s still asserting “ownership” (for the lack of a better word..) over Leslie Thompkins by claiming he knows her better than Ed does. Ed might have the relationship and the sex but Jim still got the connection to who Leslie really is, ha ha take that Ed (to be read in Jim´s voice.) > TABITHA GALAVAN worries about the city, BUTCH GILZEAN doesn´t comment it but both want a cure for Butch. > BARBARA KEAN was really endearing in the scene with Jerome. She goes from “not really??!” to “absolutely not on my watch”, her personal stake in it was being nice to Tabitha. How Sweet. > OSWALD COBBLEPOT is a bit more used to situations like this. He´s just keeping an eye on his goals: Money. While waving the city issue aside “Of course not” just to scramble and struggle and scurry to do all he can to make things better once they went astray. > LESLIE THOMPKINS want´s her “legal knots untangled” and of course save the city as well. It´s a win win thing. “We solve it and we trade the information for clemency.” “I'm trying to protect what we've built.” > EDWARD NYGMA is bound to act in Leslie´s interest “Well, then the mayor would be wise to forgive Lee and I our indiscretions.” But he´s in fact kind of the only one to declare that he personally doesn´t give a damn about Gotham. “If Gotham becomes a rock pile, I mind zero percent. I'm only helping you because I'm with Lee now.” The situation is however one that he´s trying to use to figure out more about his nagging “does Lee even like me” question. > Oddly the show sent BRUCE WAYNE on a much more personal quest this week. By getting him out of the GCPD he´s separated from the Save Gotham plotline. Of course you could say everything that´s against Jeremiah could be useful for that other goal but there´s a split. SELINA KYLE also is just there to “be there for Bruce” what a muffin. * “I almost got killed fighting your ex-boyfriend's rotting corpse.” Everyone is so nice and grown up to each other. I don´t like the whole Tabs, Babs, Butch relationship mess but I really like how they keep treating each other. BARBARA KEAN sees how important BUTCH GILZEAN is to TABITHA GALAVAN and just a small reminder how Tabitha was there for her is more than enough to have her agree to helping her. JIM GORDON and LESLIE THOMPKINS agree that the past changed things but they still care for each other and respect each other. As icky as the whole situation including Edward Nygma is (rant above and below), that is sweet. Then the third trifecta is SELINA KYLE also despite all the ups and downs being there for BRUCE WAYNE and even explicitly voicing this! It´s not a I hate you but I´m here. It´s also a unmistakable I like you. Progress. And while we´ve had all those unusual little moments of agreement between Alfred and Bruce we have ALFRED PENNYWORTH acknowledge her by basically asking her to stay for dinner. Sweet. So JEREMIAH VALESKA and BRUCE WAYNE. I´m not feeling it > Jerome still tries to tell everyone he´s better than his brother and saneTM. “Are you out of your mind?!” “Why do you keep insisting I'm insane? What's insane about having a backup plan?” / “I'm nothing if not sane. And reasonable. Two things my brother never valued. Which is why I'll be successful where he failed. Well, that and being vastly more intelligent.” > He´s then again acknowledging that his brother was right that there was something inside of him. “Jerome gave me what I thought was the worst day of my life. But only by losing everything was I able to face what was inside me. And I believe I've seen something very special inside of you as well. But to free it, you'll have to lose everything and everyone you hold dear.” > I feel vaguely remembered of how RA´S wanted to kill everyone that Bruce loved to change him. > While talking to Selina Kyle Bruce wonders if that one day made part of him insane and if Jeremiah saw this and wanted to bring it out. I somehow could not care less. I don´t really feel medias obsession with that “beast/evil inside man” or whatever. Like just don´t? Even Jeremiah made an effort to “just don´t”, and it would have worked if it weren’t for him getting poisoned. That´s hardly relevant. > Then we have RA´s AL GHUL and Jeremiah both obsessing over Bruce Wayne and teaming up. Okay. > On a side note: Ra´s what good are your visions if you have to makes sure yourself that they happen? How´s that different from you know ordinary people, usually that´s called having an idea.

* “Ah, Lucius. It's making some kind of weird noise.” “What kind of a noise?” “A bad one, and and it's it's, uh, getting all glowy.” HARVEY BULLOCK so we got the message that mob mentality wise the GCPD is still pissed because of the Pyg scenario and blames Harvey. But all it takes to get them clapping again is some (dumb) luck of choosing the right 50% option. Okay, okay and the willingness to run up to a bloody bomb. But to be fair all the police still in the city took kind of the same risk, so we are down again to the luck thing. Look, I love Harvey. But the dynamics of “followers”, including the Valeska ones on this show are just ridiculous. * “Detective. Don't lie to me.” “It's not looking good, kid.” Harvey keeping to lie to himself about Jim´s likely demise was sweet though. Also hooray for another case of directly addressing an issue (Does it show that I´ve been around too much passive aggressiveness lately, and tbh struggle with that myself .. ) * “Leave Gotham. Start a new life somewhere else. Alone.” JIM GORDON telling LESLIE THOMPKINS that she should leave Gotham and should start a new life again (2x15). Like that one time when he already did, and she left and started a new life and then Jim shot her husband. Am I a bit sensitive here or is that additional “alone” kind of not okay? Like it feels like an implied if Jim can´t have her no one should. She´s been through so much and has done so much that she´s not worth anything more than a life in solitude? Like I get why Jim would think that Leslie couldn´t have feelings for Edward (and I agree #Kristen #framedJimlostchild etc) but hey how about she might think it´s nice that someone is around that cares about her, and even is ready to suppress his own narcissistic goals and ways for the sake of her.. While the scene with EDWARD NYGMA and Jim Gordon tattling about Leslie was funny I hate it in terms of plot. And if Leslie & Ed´s split is going to be about Jim Gordon or in general a “this is my wifey” conflict I´m gonna murder someone. There´s already been plenty of tension in between them before they mashed Jim into this. This could be about Leslie´s ambitions and goals. As much as I´m kind of meh about the whole atoning for her Virus related sins (or her injecting herself the virus in the first place .. ) thing I like that her character got a goal in doing god (even if they haven´t really shown how she wants to reach a better situation for her people in a way that does even seem slightly plausible) while at the same getting some badass scenes and now I fear this is going to be pushed to the background for the sake of everything being about Leslies feelingz. Nothing wrong with emotions but how about we can get her not being about her feels for men and about her feels for what she thinks is her duty. * JIM GORDON got some advanced phone trolling going on. Him being on screen just like the Valeska´s before is almost as good as him keeping hanging up on Jervis Tetch. * And “A PALE imitation of Jerome” how on earth could he drop that one with a straight face :D * “It doesn´t matter” What kind of crap interlude was the SCARECROW scene? Like I appreciate the view, thanks. I also very much relate to just abandoning the task once it turns out to be more difficult than expected. Like a girl against three villains who would have guessed that much trouble. But that´s just a waste of a potentially so interesting character. Like do something with that beanpole of terror Gotham! But hey .. at least his lack of commitment to the task DID in fact matter in the end! * And srsly why is the one that got tortured going to make dinner? I get that none of the three had an easy day so how about just ordering some food? ALFRED honey make that shower a very long hot and bubbly bath, that´s the least. * On another side note: Why did they spare Alfred? Why have a stand in? Why keep Alfred alive? Did they have something more sinister planned? Bruce killing real Alfred 2.0? * “ You do realize the city is about to be blown up? It's an odd time for a nap. “You know that she drugged me.” “Yeah. Don't really care.” * Think. Think. Think, think, think, think, think, think” * “ sighs You're behind me, aren't you?” * “Would you believe it? They put me on hold.” Whoever wrote JERMIAH´s lines, bless you. They are so polite, polished and yet vaguely unsettling. I love them. Of course bless Cameron as well! * “I hope you didn't catch a cold in my brother's grave. I know those things aren't exactly designed for the living.” * “No, not Alfred” Oh hello there Theo Galavan, long time no see .. they really refuse to do the “beautiful morning” thing with Theo (Aka you can´t have a dying character talk about something going to be a beautiful morning 2x11 and then have them be revived 3x6 and not have them say something like oh what a beautiful morning or not as beautiful as expected) but then repeat that one line with another character ??! Gotham?! * Oddly it´s even nice to see Oswald getting a dose of what others that went against him had to put up with buuut .. let´s get back to Oswald having the great Plan B´s n stuff again soon pls

#gotham #gotham meta #gotham s4ep21 One Bad Day #edward nygma #jim gordon #mine Gotham full episode reviews

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code-sumeragi · 6 years

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I remember when Boss Baby was first announced. Everyone shat on it. They thought it was the stupidest thing. I doubt many of them actually saw the movie. I finally got around to watching it and wow it was actually pretty damn good.

And it dealt with a subject matter that a lot of people are familiar with; the introduction of a new sibling. Like, what a brilliant choice of thing to make a movie about that isn’t considered oversaturated in the market. And they handled it very well. Like, just watch it. I thought it was well worth the time spent.

Watched Cabin Fever 2. Don’t bother with it. It is one of the worst things I have ever watched and not even in a campy, funny way. It’s just horrible. No recurring characters from the first one, just a shared name. Seriously. The plot literally falls apart. There’s no way a small town like that could get away with disappearing the kids in the first movie, to what they did in this one. Bad plot. Bad movie. Bad everything.

Watched Cube 2 and Cube Zero. I like Cube 2 more than the original in terms of characters. The plots were pretty similar but it definitely feels like sequel bait. Cube Zero was just dumb.

Watched Temple. Not very scary. Like, it’s the non scariest, scary movie I have ever seen. Also, weirdest rendition of a kitsune I’ve ever seen. All the characters were stupid.

Finally saw SW the Last Jedi. Suffers from middle Star Wars movie syndrome. All exposition, all action is boring. The movie was boringly average. I finally see what everyone shits their pants over and wow is everyone overreacting. jfc I’m an agoraphobe who leaves home once every two months at the most and I’m not as antagonistic over this shit. Seriously. Antis take this shit way too seriously. Step away from the computer please.

The Conjuring is creepy in the not in my fucking scientifically proven with peer reviewed evidence household kinda way. Ghost fuck me up because I swear we have two living with us (one is our old dog an other is just one that hangs around), so this shit is not kosher. I hate when they say based on a true story. Fucks me up even more. Jump scares. Make up fucked me up too. Either way, never watching this again.

The Vault was interesting. Throughout the whole movie I knew I recognized on of the actors, turned out it was James Franco. Ew. I feel dirty. One of the main girls looks like Amy Poehler and the other looks like Crystal Reed. Bank robbery gone haunted vault. Not a bad movie. But James Franco . . . :\\\

Pirates of the Caribbean Dead Men Tell No Tales. Wow what a waste of time. Couldn’t even get a Keira Knightley cameo. Makes it easier to watch if you watch the whole movie thinking that Jack Sparrow is being played by a Johnny Depp impersonator instead of Depp himself. Not worth it though.

Thor Ragnarok. Holy shit it is as good as everyone says and I am definitely buying it on bluray. I made a good choice in loving Valkyrie because she is as amazing as I imagined she was. But I guess I got a bit of a different impression about the Grand Master because he was a bit different than I thought. More megalomaniac than I would have hoped.

#codex

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yasbxxgie · 5 years

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The water in this hospital is all pulled out of thin air In Jamaica, one hospital is giving up bottled water by using a system from Zero Mass Water, which uses the moisture in the air as a water supply

In Jamaica, bottled water is often seen as a necessity, even though the country struggles so much with plastic pollution that the government recently implemented a countrywide ban on plastic bags, straws, and Styrofoam. At the children’s ward of a local hospital, for example, tap water isn’t safe to drink for children with compromised immune systems. It also isn’t available reliably. But the hospital now has a new source of readily available, clean drinking water: It’s using solar-powered “hydropanels” on the roof that pull moisture from the air.

“We’re not only solving for resilient drinking water but also reducing plastic waste,” says Cody Friesen, CEO of Zero Mass Water, the startup that makes the technology in use at the hospital, the University Hospital of the West Indies in Kingston, Jamaica. The project is the company’s first installation as part of the Caribbean Climate Smart Accelerator, a program that aims to build resilient infrastructure in the region while supporting economic growth.

The company’s product, called Source, “use a material science approach that absorbs water from the atmosphere passively,” says Friesen, who is also an engineering professor at Arizona State University. Nanomaterials inside each panel absorb vapor from the air, and then solar power pushes the water into a reservoir, where minerals are added for taste. Then the water can be sent by pipe to taps inside. At the hospital, 20 panels on the roof can provide almost 800 gallons each month, more than patients need.

Globally, around 2.1 billion people don’t have clean drinking water at home, either because water infrastructure doesn’t exist or because the water flowing through pipes is contaminated. Zero Mass Water, which has raised $65 million to date–including $22 million in 2018 from Breakthrough Energy Ventures, the new venture fund led by Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos, and Richard Branson, among others–wants to make its technology broadly available. To date, the panels are in 20 countries. In Lebanon, they provide water for orphaned Syrian refugees. In India, the panels are at schools. In northern Kenya, they’re in use at a foundation that rescues girls from child marriage; previously, when they needed water, the girls had to walk two miles each day through the area that they’d escaped and collect it from a dirty river.

In Puerto Rico, the company installed panels at fire stations after Hurricane Maria when local water supplies were cut off, and that water source is now in place for future storms. Instead of bringing in crates of bottled water after a hurricane, the community can use the panels. “When I think about climate change in general, and then resiliency as a response to that, what we really need to move away from is this conception of reacting to an outlier event,” Friesen says. “Instead, [we need to be] preparing ourselves and preparing populations in a way that is infrastructure free.”

The company also sells panels to wealthier homeowners, using part of the profits to help fund its work in the developing world. “We have a lot of people that are looking to basically lower their plastic footprint and lower their carbon footprint associated with their drinking water, and this provides that,” he says. “So we take a small piece of those profits and we apply that forward to panels that are helping people.”

The technology is still relatively expensive to produce, though Friesen says that the cost will come down as the company scales. He envisions it following the same path as solar power, which is now as cheap as coal. Eventually, water made from the panels could be as cheap as other sources of potable water anywhere in the world, from regions that struggle with long droughts to coastal communities that suffer from saltwater seeping into local water supplies. “It’s effectively like we can put an artesian well anywhere on the planet,” he says.

#condesatiion #cody friesen #zero mass water #jamaica #puerto rico #plastic waste #drinking water #fast company #climate change #caribbean climate smart accelerator #hyrdopanels #nanotechnology #solar panels #technology #infrastructure

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bookingbuys-blog · 5 years

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How to Avoid Paying Bank Fees While Traveling

Updated: 8/22/2019 | August 22nd, 2019 Saving money for travel is one of the biggest obstacles that keeps people rom realizing their travel dreams. Yet, all too often, I see travelers throwing money away in avoidable bank fees. Banking overseas is more than just putting your card in an ATM and taking out money. There is a lot more to consider — especially if you want to become a savvy traveler! When you travel on a budget, banking overseas involves knowing three things: How to avoid paying bank fees. How to eliminate foreign transaction charges. How to get a good exchange rate. I know too many people who travel abroad and end up paying obscene ATM fees and credit card transaction fees. All because they didn’t do their research and plan ahead. In 2019, there’s absolutely no need for it. You didn’t save up all this money in order to give it the banks, right? I know I didn’t. I want to keep it all for myself because every avoided fee is more money for food, drinks, and activities on the road! Want to save more money on your next trip abroad? Here is how you eliminate ALL bank fees when you travel in 5 easy steps! Table of Contents Step 1: Eliminate ATM Fees Step 2: Avoid Credit Card Fees Step 3: Minimize the Exchange Rate “Penalty” Step 4: Don’t Change Money at Airports Step 5: Always Pick the Local Currency Step 6: Don’t Get Currency at Home (and Skip Those Foreign Currency Cards!) 1. Eliminate ATM Fees ATM fees can really add up — especially if you’re traveling for weeks or months at a time. Let’s think about it: While you’re on the road, you will probably withdraw money from an ATM twice a week. Fees vary around the world, but on average you end up paying around $3-5 USD per withdrawal. That is $10 per week, $40 per month, or $520 per year! Do you know how many days you could spend in Southeast Asia for that amount? Almost 3 weeks! Even if you only use the ATM half the time, that’s still $260 USD per year. And most travelers I know go to the ATM even more than twice a week, which only increases the amount in fees they pay. Why give banks money you need for travel? You did a lot of work saving your money — don’t waste it by giving it to a bank. To help you avoid fees, here are four things you’ll want to do on your next trip to eliminate those pesky fees: First, pick a bank in the Global ATM Alliance. This is a network of large banks that have come together and waived fees and allows for free ATM withdrawals. While they have the high fees ($5 USD per withdrawal) for banks outside their network, by using partner ATMs you can avoid ATM charges entirely. Below is a list of major banks in this alliance: Bank of America (United States) Barclays (England, Wales, Spain, Portugal, Gibraltar and certain countries in Africa) BNP Paribas (France, Ukraine, Turkey, Poland, Morocco, Italy, New Caledonia, Réunion, Guyane, Guadeloupe, Martinique, and Luxembourg) Deutsche Bank (Germany, Poland, Czech Republic, Spain, Portugal and Italy) Banca Nazionale del Lavoro (Italy) Scotiabank (Canada, Caribbean, Peru, Chile, and Mexico) Westpac (Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Vanuatu, Cook Islands, Samoa, Tonga, Papua New Guinea, and Solomon Islands) Be sure to check with your local bank on specific coverage areas. There are some exceptions, i.e., if you use your Barclays card in one country, there might not be a fee, but in another, there may be. Other fees, such as an international transaction or foreign currency fee, may also still apply so double-check before you go! Note: Bank of America charges a 3% foreign transaction fee on all withdrawals not in USD. Secondly, if you are a US resident, the best bank to use is Charles Schwab. Why? Charles Schwab has no fees and reimburses all your ATM fees at the end of each month. You will need to open a high-yield checking account in order to qualify, but there is no minimum deposit required and no monthly service fee. Their ATM card can be used in any bank machine around the world, and you’ll never pay a fee. This is my primary bank card and I’ve been using it for years. Since getting it, I’ve avoided all ATM fees. It’s literally saved me thousands of dollars over the past decade of traveling the world. Third, get a low-fee card. I use HSBC as my backup because HSBC has ATMs all over the world and charges only $2.50 USD per ATM transaction when you use a non-HSBC ATM. While it’s not as good as zero, it’s still better than what a lot of other banks charge. Additionally, Capital One doesn’t charge any withdrawal fees, but you do have to pay any fees charged by the local bank. Finally, ask your local bank or credit union. Not charging ATM fees has become a widespread practice over the last few years, so make sure to ask your local bank. Here are some suggested ATM cards for non-US travelers: Canada: Scotia or Tangerine are a part of the Global ATM Alliance. Australia: ING, Citibank, or HSBC have no feed cards. UK: UMonzo or Starling let you avoid ATM fees abroad. If you are looking for other ways to cut wasteful expenses on the road, visit this collection of all my best tips for further money savings. 2. Avoid Credit Card Fees The next major fee we need to get rid of is the credit card foreign transaction fee. Most credit cards charge a 3% fee on purchases made overseas. That can add up since most of us use our credit card for everything. It’s become a lot more common for credit cards to waive that fee since if you use your card a lot overseas, you’ll probably use it a lot anywhere. My favorite no overseas transaction fee cards are the Chase Sapphire Preferred, Barclay Arrival Plus, Capital One, and Citi Premier. (For more suggestions, you can find all my favorite travel cards here.) If you use these cards overseas, you won’t pay 3% and you’ll save a lot of money! For non-US citizens, check the following websites that list cards that might not charge any overseas fees: Australian Frequent Flyer (Australia) Credit Cards UK (UK) Candian Kilometers (Canada) 3. Minimize the Exchange Rate “Penalty” Every time you use your card overseas, your local bank coverts the transaction into your local currency for billing purposes and takes a little off the top for doing so. Thus the official rate you see online is not what you actually get. That’s the interbank rate, and unless you become a major bank, you’re not going to get that rate. All we can do is get as close as we can to that rate. To avoid being on the real losing end of conversion, follow the following tips: Use a credit card — Credit card companies get the best rates. Using a credit card will get you an exchange rate closest to the official interbank currency rate so avoid an ATM or cash if you can. Use an ATM — ATMs offer the best exchange rate after credit cards. They aren’t as good as credit cards since commercial banks take a little more off the top, but it’s much better than exchanging cash. Money exchange offices offer the worst rates because they are so far down the food chain, they can’t get the best exchange rate (plus, they usually charge a commission as well). Don’t use ATMs in weird locations — Using those ATMs you find in hotels, hostels, local 7-11s, or some other random place is a bad idea. They’re convenient, but you’ll pay for that convenience. They always charge high ATM fees and offer horrible conversion rates. Skip those ATMs and find a major bank. Here’s a video that highlights just how sneaky these companies can be: 4. Don’t Change Money at Airports Most exchange bureaus in airports are so far down the financial food chain they don’t have the clout to offer good exchange rates. The rates you see at airports are the worst — never, ever use an exchange bureau there unless you absolutely have to. Another tip: avoid using the company Travelex at all costs — they have the worst rates and fees. Never, never use them. Avoid their ATMs too! 5. Always Pick the Local Currency When you use your credit card abroad, you will often be given the option to be charged in your home currency (i.e., instead of being charged in euros, they will charge you in US dollars). Never say yes. The rate at which they are converting the currency is always worse than the rate your bank will give you. Pick the local currency and let your credit card company make the conversion. You’ll get a better rate and save some money in the process. 6. Don’t Get Currency at Home (and Skip Foreign Currency Cards!) While buying currency at home might seem like a good idea, you’ll end up getting a worse exchange rate. Unless you are 100% sure you’ll need cash right on arrival, avoid exchanging money in your home country. Airports all have ATMs where you can withdraw money. You can get a much better rate when you do that. Don’t get currency before you go. Additionally, avoid any “foreign currency cards” (like those offered from currency exchange companies) where you can pre-load money at a set exchange rate. The rates given are also terrible and they often have all sorts of additional fees. Doing this basically is trying to predict the exchange rate. You’re hoping it doesn’t get worse when you travel but what if it gets better? You don’t know either way. That’s exactly why you shouldn’t get these cards. *** Bank fees can add up to some serious money over the course of a long trip. If you want to save money, you need to be proactive when it comes to banking and currency exchanges. A little planning can go a long way and save you a ton of money over the weeks, months, and years of your travels. I see too many travelers visit the ATM all the time without paying attention to the latest exchange rates. You’re on the losing end of the stick that way. Be smart and bank smart. I haven’t paid a bank fee while traveling the world in over ten years and you shouldn’t either. And with these simple tips, you’ll never have to again. WANT MORE? HERE ARE OTHER IMPORTANT TRAVEL TIPS TO HELP YOU SAVE MONEY: How to pick the travel credit card for your trip How to save money while you travel 12 things you should NOT do when you travel How to Travel the World on $50 a Day

My New York Times best-selling paperback guide to world travel will teach you how to master the art of travel save money, get off the beaten path, and have a more local, richer travel experiences. It has everything you need to know about the book Click here to learn more about the book and get your copy today! Book Your Trip: Logistical Tips and Tricks Book Your Flight Find a cheap flight by using Skyscanner or Momondo. They are my two favorite search engines because they search websites and airlines around the globe so you always know no stone is left unturned. Book Your Accommodation You can book your hostel with Hostelworld as they have the largest inventory. If you want to stay somewhere other than a hostel, use Booking.com as they consistently return the cheapest rates for guesthouses and cheap hotels. I use them all the time. Don’t Forget Travel Insurance Travel insurance will protect you against illness, injury, theft, and cancellations. It’s comprehensive protection in case anything goes wrong. I never go on a trip without it as I’ve had to use it many times in the past. I’ve been using World Nomads for ten years. My favorite companies that offer the best service and value are: World Nomads (for everyone below 70) Insure My Trip (for those over 70) Looking for the best companies to save money with? Check out my resource page for the best companies to use when you travel! I list all the ones I use to save money when I travel – and that will save you time and money too! The post How to Avoid Paying Bank Fees While Traveling appeared first on Nomadic Matt's Travel Site.

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laraehrlich-blog · 5 years

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Original content owned & copyrighted by Green Global Travel.

Led by the Plastic Free Foundation, Plastic Free July is a massive patch of plastic pollution in the ocean twice the size of the state of READ MORE:

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S TO PLASTIC BAGS

Lotsa Style’s Plastic-Free Products

Lotsa Style line. Their broad range of plastic-free items not only helps reduce plastic use, but they also Reusable Beeswax Food Wrap, a brilliant alternative to cling wrap. Made from organic cotton and beeswax, the wrap is washable and works well for all kinds of foods.

We also loved their Reusable Silicone Food Bag, a sustainable version of the classic sandwich bag. These high-quality bags lock airtight, keeping food fresh and preventing leaks. It’s safe for microwaves and freezers, doesn’t hold odors, and (best of all) can be washed in the dishwasher.

But our favorite Lotsa Style products are their Wheat Straw Plates. They’re a green alternative to plastic plates, which we use for our family picnics at

Lunchbox’s 3-in-1 Splash Box

Lunchbox’s 3-in-1 Splash Box makes making lunch easy and eco-friendly. The 3-piece set is made from durable stainless steel, with leak-proof silicone lids. It’s both dishwasher- and oven-safe, which makes heating and cleaning up afterwards a breeze.

But the feature we like the most is how the 3 pieces (which hold a total of four cups of food) nest together. Once you’re done eating, the mini snack container fits inside the top container, with a silicone strap to hold it all together.

Lotus Trolley Bags

Lotus Trolley Bag is an awesome replacement for the mess of random tote bags we used to use when we went Large Club Cart version specifically sized for Costco, Sams, BJ Wholesale, etc. They make a great alternative to plastic bags for groceries!

EQPD LastBag

In an effort to eliminate single-use plastic bags, Eqpd (pronounced “equipped”) took it upon themselves to create the ultimate solution.

The company is based in rural Twisp, Washington, in the Cascade READ MORE: The 40 Best Backpacks for Travelers

FREE WATER BOTTLES

BINDLE BOTTLE

plastic pollution problem.

There are tons of free water bottles on the market, but the Bindle Bottle is noteworthy for its innovative twist.

Made from stainless steel, the bottle has a hidden waterproof, scent-proof storage compartment. It measures 3.2″ H x 2.75″ W, so it’s large enough to hold your cash, credit card, ID, and more.

The new 20 oz Slim version is small enough to fit in cupholders or on a bike rack, with dual-walled, vacuum-insulated construction to ensure your drink stays cold (or hot) for hours.

Takeya Actives Insulated Water Bottle

Takeya are great for keeping cold liquids cold (up to 24 hours) or hot liquids hot (up to 12 hours). They’re available in either 24 oz or 40 oz sizes, and in a variety of colors.

Thanks to their insulated Spout Lid, the bottles allow for easy and controlled drinking, even with just one hand. The -free water bottles are easy to clean and safe to use, with no metallic aftertaste.

The wide mouth allows ice to fit in, and the double powder coated exterior protects your hands from extreme hot and cold conditions. The removable silicone bumper also ensures fewer dents and bumps on the bottle’s exterior. We use ours literally every single day!

LifeStraw Go

READ MORE: 60+ Cool Camping Gear Reviews

STRAWS

Final Straw (Shark Butt Gray & Coral Cases)

FinalStraw has found an awesome answer to the world’s plastic straw problem, which has proven increasingly dangerous for READ MORE: 5 Rare Sharks Worth Saving

NaturalNeo Organic Bamboo Straws

READ MORE: Top Foods to Buy Organic (& When It’s Not Necessary)

MADE FROM RECYCLED PLASTIC BOTTLES

American Backcountry Bearly & Appalachian Trail T-Shirts

American Backcountry recently unveiled their newest line of T-shirts. The REPREVE shirts are made using recycled bottles, and each shirt contains up to seven plastic water bottles.

The T-shirts made from the REPREVE fabric are cotton tees, and so they don’t have the usual moisture-wicking properties of other American Backcountry products. However, they still feature the epic graphic designs.

American Backcountry prides itself in celebrating America’s public lands

, and these shirts help keep those public lands clean as well.

They’re also quite stylish, with the Bearly design reminding us of an adorable Black Bear family we recently photographed in

Waterlust’s Sun Kissed Sea Leggings & Rash Guard

Purchasing this matching set of “Sun Kissed Sea” leggings and rash guard from Waterlust will save up to 20 plastic bottles from the planet’s landfills/oceans!

Not only that, but 10% of the profits from your purchase are donated to University of Miami research on air-sea interaction.

The rash guard is made from 92% RPET, while the leggings are made from 86% RPET. They both have colorfully stunning ocean-inspired patterns, which are created using eco-friendly printing methods.

Both of the products provide 4-way stretch comfort and are quick-drying, breathable, and moisture-wicking. They also feature UPF 50+ sun protection, making this the perfect outfit for activities such as READ MORE: 10 Best Places to Scuba Diving (World Travel Bucket List)

Connor Airflow Outdoor Hat

Not many companies are as committed to the zero waste lifestyle as Conner Hats. Their products are handmade with organic and recycled materials, and their warehouses are all 100% solar-powered. They even use recycled paper tags and biodegradable packaging!

The Airflow Outdoor hat is a fantastic purchase for those who enjoy outdoor recreation such as READ MORE: The 2o Best Caribbean Islands to Visit

MADE FROM RECYCLED PLASTIC

Patagonia Men’s Cloud Ridge & Women’s Stretch Rainshadow Jackets

Patagonia clothing is always striving to be more sustainable and eco-friendly. They’ll help you move one step closer to plastic-free living with their new rain jacket styles, which are made from 100% recycled face fabric.

We’ve tried out two of these styles, the first being the Men’s Cloud Ridge jacket. The 3-layer recycled polyester shell is waterproof/breathable and offers next-to-skin comfort. This jacket is ideal for adventuring through humid tropical

Orvis Flat Creek Tech Men’s Flannel

Orvis works hard to help with sustainable campaigns and making the planet a cleaner place. This is evident in their long-standing commitment to donating 5% of all pre-tax profits to conservation

projects.

Now they’ve done even better with this eco-friendly flannel shirt for men. The shirt is made from recycled

Royal Robbins Jammer Knit Dress & Pants

Royal Robbins recently caught Mary’s eye with their Jammer Knit clothing range. Their dress and pants are both made from 79% RePET polyester, which is created using recycled PET plastic.

The dress features an internal shelf bra, princess seams for flattering shape, and a hidden side zipper pocket. It’s available in jet black, ink-blue floral print or asphalt floral print, and goes well as a casual outfit or dressed up for a day out.

The jammer pants are comfy and offer the flexibility of leggings with the durability of hiking pants.

They are the perfect item for everything from lazing at home to exploring READ MORE: The Best Travel Clothes for Women & Men

Indigo Swimwear’s Olivia Top & Bottom in Jungle Tropic

The plastic bottle is the most common form of plastic pollution in the ocean. But Indigo Swimwear also recycles old fishing nets and other ocean waste into this sexy, sustainable swimsuit.

Made from NYL regenerated nylon, the Olivia bikini looks great, with its single shoulder crossover top, cheek-baring bottom, and lush tropical flower print.

It’s also great for the environment and READ MORE: The Ultimate Beach Vacation Packing List

Costa Sunglasses Victoria & Baffin

Costa del Mar is a revolutionary line of sunglasses. The glasses’ frames are made completely from discarded fishing nets, and created to be fully recyclable.

Not only are these shades a sustainable product, but they’re helping to create a cycle of plastic reuse as well. The Bio-Resin raw material process is part of the company’s Kick Plastic initiative to Baffin for men and the Victoria for women.

The masculine, textured Baffin is named after the cold current that brings in the old, discarded fishing nets they used in creating these manly sunglasses. The curvier, sleeker Victoria gets its name from the port city in British Colombia.

Adidas Terrex Two Parley

Adidas created their Terrex Two Parley sneakers in collaboration with the Parley for the Oceans, a

Arbor Collective Foundation Shoes

These stylish shoes are created with Arbor’s ongoing commitment to sustainability and durability.

Each pair features reground rubber soles made from recycled materials, free-range and hormone-free leather lining, and all locally-sourced materials.

Designed for the active man, with a great blend of comfort, style, and performance, these shoes are the perfect companion for any journey. The responsive polyurethane sock liners help to keep your feet comfy all day long.

The classic lace-up look, combined with added premium details, allows these shoes to go well with almost any outfit. If you don’t want to “READ MORE: The Best Travel Shoes for Women & Men

FRIENDLY BAGS

Camelbak Pivot Tote

Camelbak is one of the most eco friendly bags we’ve tested.

The 20-liter bag is made from 70% repurposed materials, and can quickly change from a tote to a backpack, with stowable straps.

It has lots of storage features, including a 15″ padded laptop pocket and a zippered side pocket big enough for water bottles. It comes in black, but of course we love the olive green color option!

Sand Cloud Ambassador Plus Bundle

You don’t have to be a Sand Cloud Ambassador bundle includes a two-toned laptop sleeve backpack, whale tail baseball hat, a reusable glass bottle that says “SAVE THE FISHIES,” a silver metal straw, two bamboo toothbrushes, and organic reef safe sunscreen.

Best of all, 10% of all profits are donated to NGOs, including Marine Conservation Institute, Pacific Marine Mammal Center, Hawaii Wildlife Fund, Ocean Connecters, Surfrider Foundation, and more!

United By Blue 25L Rift Pack

United by Blue means you’re receiving a high-quality product, and contributing to cleaner oceans.

This is thanks to the company’s promise to remove one pound of trash from the ocean for every product bought from them.

Their 25L Rift Pack backpack is also made from 100% recycled polyester, making it an awesome buy for those looking to cut down on their plastic waste.

The bag is available in five stylish designs, all of which are lightweight enough to carry all day, and feature ample pockets and extra compartments. From everyday use to exploring the wild, this bag will become your new best adventure friend!

Tortuga Inner Backpack 35L

The Tortuga Setout backpack offers the space-saving convenience of rolling luggage with the practicality of a backpack. Now that convenience is combined with the added benefit of being eco-friendly.

While the brand is not well-known for eco-friendly products, they have recently joined the movement. Both the 35L and 45L Setout backpacks (which are available in navy and black) are now being made from recycled PET polyester.

This backpack offers a large compartment with space for clothing, as well as smaller sections for accessories and a safe compartment for your laptop.

Thanks to a suspension system that keeps the bag feeling lightweight on your back as you move, this is definitely one of the best backpacks for travel we’ve tested in 2019.

OGIO Alpha Convoy 520S Travel Bag

OGIO has created the ideal carry-on luggage.

Not only is CORDURA tougher than normal polyester, but it’s stain-resistant, tear-resistant, and more lightweight as well. Producing recycled polyester also helps to lower energy consumption and reduce waste, making this an all-round sustainable material.

The Alpha Convoy 520S is available in black, charcoal, and woodland camo. The bag is perfect as a carry-on, and complies with all international airline requirements.

The 4-wheel spinner offers a large primary storage space as well as numerous smaller pockets, allowing for convenient organization during your trip.

READ MORE: The Best Carry-on Luggage (Backpacks, Duffels & Rollers)

RECYCLED PLASTIC

Jenga Ocean Game

Enjoy the fun side of zero-waste living and purchase this Jenga Ocean game from Bureo.

This new version of the longtime family-favorite game has been created using only recycled plastic, made from discarded fishing nets.

Each game contains over 25 square feet of recycled nets, which are all sourced through Bureo’s recycling program, Net Positiva. This translates to over 2 pounds of plastic fishing nets in each Jenga game sold.

The individual Jenga Ocean blocks all have cute ocean-inspired artwork, hand-drawn by artist Lake Buckley. From family game nights to barbeques with friends, there is never a bad time to bring out Jenga, especially when it helps contribute to a plastic free environment!

Tervis Tumblers Limited Edition

When you buy these reusable tumblers from Tervis, you’re joining the fight to protect our oceans. That’s because 100% of the tumbler’s proceeds (and no, that’s not a typo!) go towards organizations that work to protect the oceans.

The limited edition ocean-themed tumblers are made from at least 50% recycled materials, and they are -free. With a choice of two charismatic marine animals– either a READ MORE: 10 Simple Wildlife Photography Tips

WITH PLASTIC FREE PACKAGING

Unwrapped Life Shampoo & Conditioner bar

When you think about it, it’s incredible how much plastic there is in packaging the everyday items we all need. Plastic wrap, plastic bags, and plastic bottles have become so ubiquitous, it’s easy to forget how utterly unnecessary they are.

As their name implies, Unwrapped Life is a company dedicated to eliminating this unnecessary waste, offering hair care, toiletries, and household products free from plastic packaging.

The zero waste brand offers 7 different dry Shampoo & Conditioner Travel Sets, with names like the Balancer, the Detoxifier, and The Hydrator. Each bar is vegan (made with 100% essential oil), color-safe, and packaged in reusable tins in a compostable paper box.

The only downside of Unwrapped Life’s eco friendly products is that they’re a bit on the expensive side. The travel sets run $40 Canadian, which is about $30 US.

However they should last around 50 to 75 washes, depending on hair length, which is the equivalent of two to three 16-ounce bottles of liquid shampoo and conditioner.

READ READ: 10 DIY Natural Travel Toiletries & Personal Care Products

Repurpose Compostable Products

Repurpose Compostables’ wide range of compostable kitchenware is taking the plastic free world by storm.

Perfect for picnics and plates, bowls, cups, and utensils. They’re all made from sustainable plants, such as corn, sugar cane, and eucalyptus.

The bowls, plates, and cups are all designed to withstand food and beverages of varying temperatures (even hot

The post 25 Awesome Plastic Free Products (for Plastic Free July & Beyond) appeared first on Green Global Travel.

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tripstations · 5 years

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World’s top 10 sustainable places to stay revealed

Travel is not just about seeing the wonders of the earth but understanding our impact upon it. With increasing frequency, people are looking to make the shift from “tourist” to “conscious traveler” by finding ways to maximize positive impacts on the locations they visit. Making thoughtful choices about how, when, and where you go on a vacation can make a significant difference. So, this Earth Day, travel experts analyzed over eight million traveler reviews from last year to find the key hot spots for eco-travelers.

Delving deep into sentiment, the global data showed the 10 best places to stay around the world, as reviewed by Expedia travelers. From boutiques with beehives and resorts with rainwater recycling, to grand urban retreats with solar cell power, many of these amazing places show that luxury and sustainability are not mutually exclusive. Additionally, the experts highlighted the top countries with the best reviewed eco-conscious accommodations, with the USA topping the charts.

Top 10 eco-friendly stays

1.Sandos Caracol Eco Resort, Mexico 2.Nomad Hotel Roissy CDG, Paris, France 3.Siloso Beach Resort, Sentosa, Singapore 4.Habitat Suites, Austin, Texas 5.Pakasai Resort, Krabi, Thailand 6.PARKROYAL on Pickering, Singapore 7.The Green House, Bournemouth, UK 8.Listel Hotel, Vancouver, Canada 9.Hotel Verde, Cape Town, South Africa 10.Sherwood Queenstown, Queenstown, New Zealand

Top 10 sustainable countries around the world

1.USA 2.Mexico 3.Canada 4.Australia 5.UK 6.Costa Rica 7.Thailand 8.New Zealand 9.France 10.Italy

Sustainable travel is the perfect opportunity to show Mother Earth and fellow inhabitants how much you care.

1. Sandos Caracol Eco Resort – Playa del Carmen, Mexico

Situated between dense jungle and the blue of the Mexican Caribbean coast, this Rainforest Alliance-certified destination is among the highest-rated by travellers for the multitude of positive impacts it offers.

•Extensive policies governing waste management, resource consumption and natural conservation

•Opportunities for guests to engage in ecologically sustainable practices: eco-tours, cruelty-free animal interactions and beach meditation

•A commitment to the community, reflected in celebrations of local indigenous culture, on-site markets that support local artisans, and local partnerships to improve area schools

2. Nomad Hotel Roissy CDG – Paris, France

Located five minutes by car from Charles de Gaulle airport, the Nomad Hotel Roissy CDG boasts Scandinavian-inspired design, tech-enabled customisable room layouts and a mission to “to reduce the ecological impact of these buildings to a minimum, at every stage of life, from design to operation”—making it the perfect accommodation for digital nomads with green leanings.

•Rigorous standards for creation/loss of heat and a low total annual energy consumption, supported by green (living) exterior cladding, solar panels, air handling units

•Proactive efforts to neutralize water impact through use of rainwater collectors

•Use of sustainable materials, including PEFC wood, carpets made from recycled fishing nets, recycled stone and glass shower units

3. Siloso Beach Resort, Sentosa – Singapore

Just off Singapore’s south coast lies Sentosa Island, a haven whose southwest coast is the home to the Siloso Beach Resort. Steps from the sandy beaches of the South China Sea, this award-winning eco-resort has taken special care to integrate the surrounding habitat into its design by prioritizing open spaces and preserving established natural features like mature trees and flowing springs. The result? A uniquely organic take on a luxurious beach resort experience.

•200 original trees preserved (and 450 planted) on-site; landscape pool fed by underground waters and built according to natural terrain formation

•72% of the resort is open-air—and activities including cycle tours, hikes and other eco-adventures

•Operations keep ecological impacts top-of-mind, emphasizing locally-sourced foods, limited use of plastics, and reduced energy consumption

4. Habitat Suites – Austin, TX, USA

Habitat Suites, a sustainable gem in the heart of Texas’ most progressive city, boasts a 30-year track record of forward-thinking environmental stewardship. Habitat Suites has been a charter member of the Green Hotels Association since 1991—and won an Austin Green Business Leader Gold Award in 2018.

•Widespread use of alternative energy, including solar panels, solar thermal and electric vehicle charging •On-premises organic fruit and herb gardens; clean, local and organic food options

•Use of plant-based, zero harsh chemical detergents for cleaning; bio-safe guest shampoos and detergents; hypoallergenic suites that include live potted plants and windows that open for access to fresh air

5. Pakasai Resort – Krabi, Thailand

Spa treatments, boxing and cooking classes plus plenty of space for lounging by the pool—the Pakasai Resort delivers on everything you’d expect from a tropical Thai resort, then sweetens the deal with an impressive list of sustainability efforts. “Krabi’s Greenest Resort” was the first in the area to win an ASEAN Green Hotel Award (2014).

•Resource conservation efforts include rainwater capture and greywater recycling, energy efficient lighting, biogas production and reduction of plastic use

•Careful attention given to reducing carbon emissions through waste minimization program and collaboration with the local community and local organizations

•Guests are encouraged to make their stay even greener by joining the #GreeningPakasai campaign, which incentivizes visitors to make low-carbon choices around food, transportation, linen services and local activities

6. PARKROYAL on Pickering – Singapore

With 15,000 square metres of greenery and a cutting-edge design, the PARKROYAL is equally impressive in what it does and doesn’t do. This LEED-certified masterpiece saves 32.5 Olympic-sized swimming pools’ worth of water annually and could power an estimated 680 households with the energy saved by its conservation efforts.

•Highly regulated resource consumption through employment of light, motion, and rain sensors

•Solar cells and rainwater collection mean zero-energy maintenance of the 15,000 m2 sky gardens

•Thoughtful construction processes reduced concrete (and associated waste and energy expenditure) use by more than 80%

7. The Green House – Bournemouth, UK

Equally suitable for weddings, self-care weekends and romantic getaways, every detail of this eco-hotel has been designed to help guests feel great while doing good. That ethos touches every facet of The Green House, from the building’s renewable energy production and Forest Stewardship certified, UK-crafted furnishings to the on-site restaurant’s adherence to local sourcing and high animal welfare standards—the company car even runs on bio-fuel from the kitchen’s old cooking oil!

•The use of earth-friendly cleaning products and efforts toward energy conservation

•Staff are trained in the ethos of sustainability and are encouraged to find new ways to improve the Green House’s efforts

•Environmental efforts extend to the exterior grounds, including bird and bat boxes (to provide a safe place for breeding) and rooftop beehives that produce honey

8. The Listel Hotel Vancouver – Vancouver, BC, Canada

The Listel Hotel dedicates itself to both environmental responsibility and the arts. The hotel provides a location to elevate local and international artists—including a gallery dedicated to First Nations artists from the Northwest Coast—while participating in the city of Vancouver’s “Corporate Climate Leader” program, setting an example for sustainable tourism efforts across the globe.

•Responsible food practices including membership in Vancouver Aquarium’s Ocean Wise sustainable seafood program and a commitment to offering local and sustainable food and wine

•Conservation efforts including 20 solar panels, a state-of-the-art heat capture program (reducing the hotel’s natural gas use by 30%) and water reduction and air quality programs

•Adherence to a 100% Zero Waste policy since August 2011

9. Hotel Verde – Cape Town, South Africa

“Sustainable by design, stylish by nature” is the modest motto of Cape Town’s Hotel Verde. The first hotel in Africa to offer 100% carbon-neutral accommodation and conferencing, the Cape Town Verde has earned an extensive list of international accolades (LEED Platinum certification and a 6-star rating from the Green Building Council of South Africa) for its extensive adherence to sustainable practices.

•Restoration of the surrounding wetlands now supports indigenous water-wise vegetation and a healthy population of Cape honeybees—as well as an ecotrail, outdoor gym, and eco-pool for visitor use, plus on-site edible food gardens and aquaponics

•Energy efficiencies include photovoltaic panels on the roof and north-facing facades, wind turbines, energy-generating gym equipment and geothermal heat

•Commitment to social responsibility through sustainable procurement practices, waste management and community involvement

10. Sherwood Queenstown – Queenstown, New Zealand

Sustainability and connection with nature are behind every detail you’ll encounter at the Sherwood Queenstown, a boutique hotel perched on three acres of alpine hillside overlooking Lake Wakatipu. The Sherwood operates based on the belief that “a simple respect for nature lies at the heart of any sustainable practice”. The hotel’s orchards and kitchen garden supply its award-winning restaurant; most rooms offer sweeping mountain or lake views, and all are outfitted with South Island wool blankets and locally-sourced beverages. Mornings start with optional yoga sessions, followed by hiking, mountain biking, skiing or snowboarding.

•A focus on materiality selection that integrates the building with the landscape, while employing upcycled fixtures, fittings and furnishings

•Conscious choices about energy generation—the Sherwood is one of the largest private solar installs in New Zealand and currently generates enough electricity to return surplus to the grid

•Selection of food, wine, beer, spirits, and other consumable products that are local, natural, healthy, ethical, seasonal and sustainable in their production and use

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sparefreckle · 6 years

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Nordic Destination-At A Glance

In the past decade people started to acknowledge that hotels are not in all aspects a blessing for the local population and eco system. More recently, we also started to understand what impact traveling has on the ecological systems and global warming. Where ECO tourism and sustainable tourism have much in common, sustainable tourism also considers the social impact on the area where the facility settles down. But, historically there are many ECO resorts with excellent social programs who could consider changing tags. nordic-destination.com is one of the authority sites on this topic.

Has sustainable tourism only a local impact? In most cases sustainable hotels and resorts concentrate on how they impact the local community in particular and the country in general. They are called sustainable hotels/resorts/lodges or sustainable destinations if there are more of them in an area or country. Add the impact of the travel to the destination and we have sustainable tourism. Is green energy a viable option for hotels? In most Western countries one can chose to buy green energy. That option is not available in the Caribbean. Consequently the only way is to generate electricity. While there are many forms of green energy (please refer to: my article Green Energy Options in the Caribbean) we will only discuss wind and solar power as these are the most obvious ones.

Wind Energy

Paradise Bay installed a 80 kW windmill with an expected yearly yield of 180,000 kWh. It is the first utility-grade windmill installed in Caricom and we could not find any resort that already installed a windmill, although there are several with plans and one under construction. With an estimated yearly power use of 120,000 kWh the resort will be better than zero carbon, once the connection to the mains is realized, as the remainder of the energy is sold to the local electricity company. In our case it was feasible to place a windmill because of the direct position towards the wind, while the windmill could be placed in a backward location, non-intrusive for the guests. We only get positive reactions about the windmill.

The need for upgrading is obvious; it is most easy to increase capacity to the now current technology (2 - 3MW) at already existing wind parks. The smaller windmills are taking down, completely revised (reconditioned) and are sold with an as-new warranty and optionally with a 15 year all-inclusive maintenance contract. The cost per kWh is competitive with larger windmills, typically between 7-9 US$ cents; 5-6 times lower than the mains

Solar Energy

The price of photo-voltaic cells has come down substantially as production increased because of subsidies in the past decennia. In the Caribbean we have now reached the point where the solar cost gets close to the electricity company's charge. This is in contrast to Western hemispheres where the cost of energy is lower and the sun is less strong.

Solar panels installed at hotels often supply a small part of the total energy needs and is then not much more than symbolic. But guests appreciate these efforts, so it has a marketing value. To supply a substantial part of the hotel's energy needs is usually not feasible because of the large amount of panels needed.

Solar water heaters are an excellent way to avoid using energy and the payback time is 1 - 4 year depending on the setup. As the water use by guests differs substantially it is much more economic to put a number of solar heaters in parallel. When there are cloudy or rainy days the yield will be much lower. One approach is to dimension worst case (rain). Another way is to feed the solar heated water in the "cold" input of the electrical heater

What can hotels do to save energy? Use air conditioners with heat recovery units, which convert the heat loss into hot water. On most air conditioners this can also be installed afterwards and they can make use of traditional (electrical) water heaters which are well isolated. The installation can be performed by good air conditioning technicians. The savings will be substantial and justifiable in all cases we have seen. The reason why this is not a mainstream issue yet has to do with the much lower energy cost in the US and Europe and the rapid growth of energy cost. Solutions always lag behind the reality.

As the waste heat will produce more water than your guests will ever use, it is still very important to take energy efficient air conditioners. Generally, the energy use has been considered for bigger central systems, but the big savings are reached with the split system air conditioners on a per room base, which is customary in the Caribbean. Typical savings are 30-40% so the payback time is short.

When the guests are not in the room you don't want to keep the air conditioning running. The traditional solution is the room key switch. When the guest leaves and takes out the key, the air conditioning switches off -or with some advanced central systems- goes to a higher temperature. Another strong impact is door switches. When the balcony door is opened you don't want the compressor to run. Perfectionists also switch off the air conditioner when the windows are open, but this is not always appreciated by the guests.

Refrigeration is another area where big savings can be made, especially with the smaller units such as in the guest rooms. Savings run too in the 30-40% range. Availability of energy conserving professional coolers and freezers is still limited.

Use high efficiency dish washers and washing machines with hot water connections; this has a huge impact. Most dish washing machines you have installed already have the ability to work with hot water instead of cold water (that is heated by the electrical element). So it's just a matter of changing the installation which is an easy job. Especially for washing machines you will need to install a thermostatic valve that mixes cold water into the hot water to get the desired temperature. Energy saving lamps is the most well known form of saving energy and money and most hotels already use them. There are new developments underway that will save even more, so it's important to keep your eyes open before you order bulbs.

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kkwokmotiongraphic · 6 years

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Recycling Motion Graphic Project - Research

For this project, we will be focusing on the topic of recycling and plastic waste. This is a serious environmental issue which many people know about, but choose to ignore or take it for granted.

With this project, we hope to bring social attention to the topic by creating a short motion graphic which contains factual information. The motion graphic should be interesting and creative in order to gather people’s attention, before I begin this project researching the topic is needed.

The first thing I looked at was the local council recycling, there are different types of recycling to make it even more effusion. For examples: household wastes, textile and normal recyclable containers such as papers, plastic and tin.

Naturally, there are different tins which takes those waste to their designated location. Brown bin with grey lid should only be filled with plastic, papers and tin whilst a brown bin with grey lid should only be filled with garden waste. Green bin for normal waste and orange “Survival bag” should only be filled with recyclable household waste.

According to an article written by National Geographic 91% of plastic is not recycled. A new study conducted in 2015 suggests that human produced 6.3 billion metric tons of plastic waste, only 9% of it was recycle, 12% was incinerated and 79% was discarded in landfills or the natural environment.

Plastic had begun it’s mass produce since six decades ago, whilst it is easy to produce plastic it takes more than 400 years for it to degrade.

One of the reason why people choose not to recycle as it can be proved to be difficult, there are some type of plastic which cannot be recycle and there are some other materials that can be recycle.

In recent years, there is a rise of zero waste shops around the world. Costumers bring their own container to the shop, and it is cheaper since "The cost of packaging plays a part," the owner of one zero waste shop says, "and supermarkets also charge a premium for organic".

Aside from plastic and other recyclable waste, people have also tried to recycle strange things such as a living animal and many more.

Furthermore, recent analysis of recycling rates around the world suggests Wale is currently the best in the UK, second in Europe and third in the world.

Single-use plastic; as the name suggests are used only once before they are thrown away or recycled. These items can vary from food packing and straws.

When plastic and other recyclable materials are not dispose properly, it will effect the environment in many different harmful ways. It had been all over the news and social media about how sea creatures are found dead on beaches around the world with plastic bags in their stomach, the way plastic bags flow in water is similar to the way jelly fish swims.

A well known example of this is about the sea turtle who have an plastic straw stuck in it’s nose and it was very painful to watch because of how deep the plastic straw was, there are many other examples surfacing around social media and sadly it is becoming a common thing due to our use of plastic.

Aside from recycling in the traditional way, there are many other ways which we can reuse plastic way and make them into usable items. There are many tutorial videos online which shows, for example how plastic bottles can be reuse.

This art form is also known as junk art.

Yuken Teruya is one of the many artists who uses recycle materials to create artwork, their ‘Corner Forest’ uses toilet paper rolls and carve into them. This artist could’ve created this work in raising awareness of where toilet paper once came from, by carving trees into them and naming the project ‘Forest’ is an effective way to do so.

Similarly, Wim Delvoye uses used tire and carve into them instead of cardboard rolls from toilet paper. I think the artist created this work in respond to how transport are contributing to global warming as well as plastic use, car tires are not exactly recyclable. It could be how transport are making their mark on nature, killing nature with the way it goes.

Moreover, Time Noble’s and Sue Webster’s Shadow Sculpture is one of my favorite because of how creative it is. The trash they use may seem like they are placed in a random order but upon closer look, the shadow shows another story. The intention could suggests that the junks are made by humans hence the human shadow, or that if pollution continues we will be sitting atop of the rubbish we created.

Furthermore, Alejandro Duran’s Washed Up series is one that fascinates me. It is beautiful and breath taking to look at. Merging plastic waste together with nature to show the impact it has to our environment in a creative way, the washed up project is an environmental installation and photography project that transform the international debris washing up on Mexico’s Caribbean coast into aesthetic yet disquieting works.

On the other hand, crafts that everyone can do are endless since people are always coming up with ways and methods in creating something new from plastic.

Few examples of this are making holders for pencils, plant pots, piggy bank, lamp and many more.

Sources: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

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hudsonespie · 4 years

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Global Activists Demand Immediate Ban On Cruise Ships Sailing

Community members from around the world have launched the Global Cruise Activist Network, a worldwide group of activists who are demanding the cruise industry doesn’t return to business as usual as cruise ships start sailing again after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Image for Representation Purpose only; Credits: flicker.com/franbanks1

On Wednesday, September 2, port communities worldwide — including in the United States, Canada, the Caribbean, Central America, Australia, Europe, and Scandinavia — as well as those who represent the concerns of cruise victims and cruise workers, hosted a virtual press conference to talk about the launch of the network, discussed the ways the cruise industry impacts their local communities, and introduced a global set of guidelines called the “Principles of Responsible Cruise Tourism” they want companies to follow before cruise ships start sailing again.

“The Global Cruise Activist Network is giving a voice to people living in port communities worldwide. Our organizing efforts are giving us the power we desperately need, to better organize in our communities and to demand that the cruise industry doesn’t return to business as usual as it starts sailing again after the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Karla Hart of Juneau Alaska, one of the organizers of the network. “Through the network, our members have been able to support fellow activists in demanding additional noise restrictions; better understand how ports and cruise terminals are being financed; share what works for community-led air and water pollution monitoring; learn from locations dealing with referendums and legal actions; and track where and when cruise ships are returning.”

Members of the network represent locations including Key West, Florida; Charleston, South Carolina; New York City; Bar Harbor, Maine; Santa Cruz & Monterey Bay, California; Seattle, Washington; Juneau, Alaska (United States); Vancouver & Victoria, British Columbia (Canada); The Bahamas; The Cayman Islands (Caribbean); Belize City, Belize (Central America); Gold Coast & Sydney, Australia; Venice, Italy; Southampton, UK; Antwerp, Belgium (Europe); Bergen, Norway; and Copenhagen, Denmark (Scandinavia). The network also includes someone who was on board during the Costa Concordia sinking in 2012 who helps coordinate a group supporting cruise victims, and a former cruise employee who helps coordinate a labor rights group supporting crew members still stranded at sea.

PRINCIPLES OF RESPONSIBLE CRUISE TOURISM

For decades, the cruise industry’s business practices have put the social fabric, economic integrity, public health, and environment of host communities — as well as passengers, crew, coastal and marine ecosystems, and the climate — at risk. The latest example of this — the industry’s mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic — shows that the industry is unwilling to protect the public interest without legally binding regulations.

Inspired by the 2002 Cape Town Declaration on Responsible Tourism, the Future of Tourism Coalition’s Guiding Principles, and the principles of Free, Prior, and Informed Consent, the Global Cruise Activist Network is calling cruise companies to delay their return to operations until they address the “Principles of Responsible Cruise Tourism.”

“The Global Cruise Activist Network is calling for an equitable and responsible system of leisure travel that optimizes economic benefits to all stakeholders, while eliminating the negative social, public health, and environmental impacts of cruising on port communities, workers, and passengers. We oppose the return of a ‘business-as-usual’ cruise ship industry. Until these common sense policies are collectively adopted, effectively implemented, and consistently monitored, the cruise industry will remain complicit in putting passengers, crew, communities, and the planet at risk,” said Jane da Mosto of Venice, Italy.

Each member of the network is focused on a specific set of principles that are unique to the needs and demands of their area. These principles include:

Self-determination: Respect the universal right to self-determination of each home port and ports of call, including nearby Indigenous communities.

Economic impacts: Address the cruise industry’s ongoing history of exploitive business practices by implementing policies that maximize the retention of revenue within home ports and ports of calls.

Labor: Create a safe, just, and equitable environment for workers on board and on shore by aligning with the strictest labor and environmental standards in the world.

Climate change: Stop contributing to climate change by publicly committing to achieving zero emissions across the entire global fleet, including implementing slow-steaming protocols, halting LNG investments, and eliminating the use of heavy fuel oil globally.

Air and water pollution: Stop polluting the air and water by leading the development of a universal shore power system, ceasing the use of scrubbers, and stopping the dumping of all waste near shore.

Monitoring and transparency: Install continuous air and water monitoring equipment and publicly disclose the performance, and support third-party monitoring.

Environment and biodiversity: Reduce speeds near coasts to prevent whale strikes and avoid sonic disturbances to sensitive coastal and marine wildlife, stop development of private cruise destinations, and eliminate dumping of all plastic waste.

Public health: Notify passengers of the potential health risks of breathing ship exhaust, implement measures to control the spread of disease, and when an outbreak occurs, cease all travel immediately and provide real-time reporting of infectious diseases.

Crime victims: Institute policies and practices to protect passengers, including from sexual assault, and implement Man Overboard Detection technology.

Worker repatriation: Provide for the repatriation of all ship-based crew in the event of future disease outbreaks, and ensure that crew members who remain on board are being adequately paid.

The Global Cruise Activist Network’s logo features two international maritime flags representing the letters K and L, which communicate “I wish to communicate with you” (K or Kilo) and “You should stop your vessel immediately” (L or Lima).

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thechasefiles · 5 years

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The Chase Files Daily Newscap 21/1/2020

Good Morning #realdreamchasers. Happy Errol Barrow Day! Here is your daily news cap for Tuesday January 21st, 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 Daily Nation Newspaper (DN).

YOUNG DEMS GUNNING FOR 2023 – A cadre of young people capable of standing for Parliament under a Democratic Labour Party (DLP) banner is being raised for the next general election due in 2023, DLP president Verla DePeiza has said. But despite declaring her confidence that the future of the party – wiped out in the 2018 polls – is “secure”, the DLP leader is so far mum on the identities of the would-be political contenders. She said: We will allow some level of confidentiality to those persons who have indicated their interest because of the type of work that they are in. “However, I am certain this has not stopped them from stepping forward.” The party’s youth arm, the Young Democrats, is also reporting a significant surge in interest and membership over the last few months, she added. At a meeting at the party’s George Street headquarters, DePeiza said she was “heartened” at the number of young people who have formally indicated their interest to represent the Dems at the next general election. She said: “This party’s future is clearly in good hands and anytime you have young persons who are willing to front for the party, then you know that your future is secure.” In a veiled reference to the governing Barbados Labour Party, the DLP president stressed that unlike “the other party”, the candidate selection process would not be widely publicized, neither would there be “busloads of people” turning up at the meetings. Nevertheless, she said that some of the party’s branches had already started the process and promised that names would be announced in the “next few months”. DePeiza declared: “Our young people are not shirking their responsibility to the party. “Our young democrats recently hosted a panel discussion here and it was a most professional outfit they put on. “It gave me good courage and I was well heartened about how they managed themselves even with a difficult situation on the day. “That gave me all that I needed to know to confirm for me that this party’s future is secure.” In a recent newspaper article, prominent pollster Peter Wickham suggested that last week’s conviction of former DLP commerce minister Donville Inniss was a clear indication that the DLP should let go of its old guard of political leaders. But according to Kemar Stuart, president of the Young Democrats, a shift to a new table of DLP figures could soon become a reality as over the last few months. He declared scores of young people across a number of professions have been expressing interest in joining the party. He told Barbados TODAY that among the newcomers are agriculturalists, banking and finance professionals, economists, cultural practitioners and young attorneys. Stuart said: “The Young Democrats has not been active for close to 600 days before I took up the presidency so we basically started with around 20 persons, but now we are going past 60 persons actively involved. Daily we are adding new persons to the general membership and in the executive as well.” He explained that his vision for the youth arm is to assist in training future leaders and expressed hope that in an election someday soon, at least ten of the 30 candidates on the DLP’s slate would come from the Young Dems. He told Barbados TODAY: “We have persons who are more than capable. “I an in the last election and we have Young Democrats who are qualified up to the doctoral level. “Some people still need training and we are going to work with them to develop them to the next stage but we will work with them one step at a time and we will get there without leaving anybody behind.” (BT)

MP SETS UP YOUTH JOBS SKILL FUND – Declaring his concern over unemployed young people gone astray in his constituency, Christ Church East MP Wilfred Abrahams has launched an “empowerment” drive to help those “who can still be saved”. He set up a special fund to assist youth interested in acquiring new skills and qualifications, the energy and water resources Minister told a branch meeting at the St. Christopher Primary School Sunday evening. The MP revealed that so far, over $10,000 in pledges had already been made and he was hoping to attract more as the need arise, adding that he was placing most of his energy for 2020 toward empowering people. Abrahams said: “If you have zero in the certificate and qualification column, come. I will help you. “We are going to check these courses and you have to be doing something that gives you or yields some certification that actually advances you somewhere. “If it is cosmetology, it has to be somebody who is registered that you can put it up and start your business. “I am happy to pay for anybody who does not have a CXC to do mathematics or English at the O level institute or at Foundation School or wherever.” As rising violent crime continues to stretch into a new year, Abrahams said he was tired of going to the funerals of young people in his constituency but admitted that some youth are simply “beyond salvation”. He said: “There are some people who can be saved and to be honest there are some people who are beyond salvation. “It is probably not the politically correct thing to say, but there are some people who we can’t reach and the law will have to deal with them.” But he declared: “But for all of the rest, for those who we see starting to deviate, for those people we see starting to hang with bad company, for those people who we are starting to see get hopeless because things are not working out for them, it is our duty to step in and help those people.” During a recent constituency clinic, Abrahams said, many people in Christ Church East districts lacked many basic tools to be gainfully employed. He told constituents: “There is a disconnect between those who know in Barbados and those who don’t know and sometimes people are in the position they are in, not because they don’t have the skill to take themselves further but because they don’t actually know some of the things that we know.” Stressing the venture was not political, Abrahams urged constituency leaders to identify the most vulnerable in the constituency and help them. He also appealed to those who were empowered by his constituency office and those who have “good” jobs to contribute to the fund and lend their expertise. Abrahams promised: “At our next branch meeting, we will have somebody explaining some of the big mistakes you make when going for a job interview. We will explain how to present yourselves during a job interview, what your CV should look like, and the dangers of social media.” The MP also had a stern warning for people who are interested in wasting his time as he insisted he was only interested in addressing the needs of those truly in need of help. He said: “There are some deadbeat people out there who are intent on wasting your time and you have to call it as you see it. “This year is the year of empowerment and I am trying to help everybody who is trying to help themselves. “If you are not trying to help yourselves, don’t come and waste my time. “I am probably going to hear all about myself having said that, but sometimes you have to call it as you see it. (BT)

Cvq TRAINING FOR SECURITY GUARDS – With the push to expand the list of skilled CARICOM people eligible for free movement to include security personnel with Caribbean Vocational Qualification (CVQ), the Barbados Workers Union has launched CVQ training for local officers. The launch of the initiative now makes the BWU one of two organizations in Barbados to offer the CVQ in private security service. As the BWU Frank Walcott Labour College enrolled its first cohort of security guards employed by the Royal Westmoreland Homeowners’ Association, General Secretary Toni Moore revealed that after the first batch of officers receive their certification, the programme will be opened to all security firms across the region. Moore said: “Although we are based in Barbados, we will be extending the services regionally and throughout the year we hope to have regional participants. “It is a mobile qualification and it means that you can move throughout the Caribbean. “It is a means of attaining a job in this profession throughout the Caribbean.” Moore contended that the private security personnel were among the vulnerable groups that the BWU was seeking to protect and this certification was one way of protecting this class of workers and increase the value of the profession. She said: “For some time, the Barbados Workers’ Union has been seeking to promote the interest of security officers as one of the vulnerable groups in the labour market. “This category of worker is not regarded as highly as they ought to be for the important work, they do in protecting property and the person. “We have been advocating for safeguarding the interest of security officers, calling attention to the important work that they do and more so calling attention to a need for more rights and for these fights to be protected. “We have to ensure that the officers are equipped with the necessary training to execute their responsibilities.” But Moore pointed out that as the union took steps to upgrade the profession, officers have an obligation to ensure that their attitudes were in sync with the new outlook of the profession. The BWU leader added: “[This] Training course is about knowledge skills and attitudes and I must say that attitude is more important sometimes than skills and knowledge. “Sometimes you have people coming into the workforce with the skills and knowledge but their attitude sucks and that is not going to take you nor the company anywhere.” (BT)

DRAFT SECURITY FIRMS INTO CRIME FIGHT - Amid growing concerns about crime, the head of a security company has suggested that private security officers be brought as a “force multiplier” in the country’s crime-fighting effort. Head of security of the Royal Westmoreland Homeowners’ Association Neville Springer said he is concerned that the role of private security is fully not recognized in the national law enforcement apparatus. He also called for public attitudes towards security guards to shift towards embracing private security as national crimestoppers. Springer was speaking to reporters at the launch of a regionally-recognised skills certification programme for guards conducted by the Barbados Workers’ Union (BWU). Springer, a former Barbados Defence Force (BDF) soldier, said that while security officers can play a vital first-responder role, it is not the practice to administer this level of training to them. He told reporters: “I think those of us who lived in the UK, North America and Canada, would know that security officers are trained and certified first before they are licensed. In those parts certification is a requirement for licensing but unfortunately in Barbados this has not been the case. “I am hoping that this will change because persons have a very dim view of security, while they have a different attitude to police and soldiers, and they see them in a more professional light. “I see the private security sector as a force multiplier for the national security sector. It is impossible for the police force and the BDF to do it alone.” According to Springer, these auxiliary officers would need to be trained in areas such as first aid and evidence preservation if they are to play a meaningful role in curbing crime, which resulted in 49 murders in 2019 and two murders so far in 2020. He told reporters: “There is a process and just like the medical profession where you have the paramedics that do a first response before going up to the secondary care system, the security system performs a similar first response function. “The security officer is a first responder for a number of incidents, be it criminal or safety and security issues. “They must be prepared to do the job properly otherwise when it comes to the judicial system it would be all for naught.” But the private security boss contended that in order for any of this to take place, there must be an overhaul of how society views private security. Springer said: “The public does not recognize the role that private security play in keeping the island safe. “People believe that it takes nothing to be a security officer and everybody believes that they can do the job of a security officer because they only see the security officer standing at a gate or walking around a retail outlet. “Many don’t know the other key functions that security officers are supposed to be trained to perform,” he stressed. (BT)

BLIND EYE TO CRIME WORSENS SITUATION – Community groups, churches and citizens alike were in for a tongue-lashing from Member of Parliament and Cabinet Minister Wilfred Abrahams, who Sunday night accused them of turning a blind eye to the country’s crime situation, thus contributing to the problem. The Minister of Energy and Water Resources told his constituents in Christ Church East that in many cases they have been silently consenting to deviant behaviour and had become even more desensitised to the frequency of brazen crimes. He declared: “Our silence has been too long and silence is consent. “By our silence, we are all tacitly consenting to what has been happening in Barbados. “That is not okay, and we have to draw the line. “You see it on the front page of the newspapers and you say ‘oh Lord, another one’ and then we flip the pages of the newspapers and look inside and wipe that out. “There’s a funeral and a lot of people cry and then you hear nothing else at all. “We have become desensitised as a people and as a country and unless we do what we can for every young person that you have a chance to influence, the situation will not change.” While stressing that not every young person could be saved, he urged citizens to return to the days where voices of reason would assist in saving those who were “capable of salvation”. He then appealed to churches, fellow MPs, community groups and national organisations to commit themselves to a greater role. Abrahams said: “For every young person that you have a chance to correct, correct them. “We are seeing the consequences of inaction by a negligent Government before and we are also seeing the consequences of inaction by communities that just don’t care or are afraid to step in where we need to step in.” He then pledged: “I am going to unpick my teeth when I see anybody doing wrong. “If you curse me so be it. If it is somebody that I am young enough to influence, then so be it, but I want my branch to be prepared to come on this journey on this year of empowerment with me and be prepared to do the same things starting with the people closest to you, the people in your families, neighbourhoods and communities.” (BT)

WHY KILL HIM? – For residents of Harmony Hall, St Lawrence Gap and Dover, Christ Church the circumstances surrounding the death of Jason Hobbs are like a mysterious puzzle that no one can put together. According to some at Dover where Hobbs worked as a taxi operator, he was a charming, friendly, and the humble one of the group. “Everyone who knew him loved him,” one woman told Barbados TODAY. Her sentiment was echoed by many others. It is for that reason that when the 35-year-old went missing days ago, many who knew him well were extremely concerned.Even more unsettling was the news that the body of a man found at Elbow Bay, My Lady Hole, Fortescue, St Philip on Friday, was later identified as Hobbs’. “It was horrible out here with everybody hoping and praying that it wasn’t true,” said a shopkeeper in the area. She added: “He went to school with my children at St Lawrence Primary School. He was always a very kind, sweet person. A really, really nice guy and everyone, even the tourists who knew him are saying what a really fun guy he was and it’s just breaking everybody’s heart.” Police have not officially classified the case as a homicide but from the responses of those who spoke with Barbados TODAY, many fear he was killed. However, in the absence of confirmation, residents have been avoiding questions about the chilling circumstances and in all cases have declined to disclose their identities. Nearby, a group of men watching a football game also remained silent. “He was very good to me. That is all can say, nothing more,” said another person. The stall owner explained: “They don’t want to get involved because nobody knows what happened. He’s been missing for days, we heard rumours about where the car was found and all kinds of gruesome details and that is why people don’t want to get involved.” She however opened up about the reality of being a mother in these troubling times. “Strange things are always happening in Barbados these days. The issues relating to violence are now totally out of hand and for us mothers of young men, it’s always on your mind because you’re always wondering if they’re going to come home,” she revealed. “I have a son very close to Jason’s age and I don’t think they have to be bad boys and they don’t have to be involved in anything to be hit. You just don’t know what is happening.” Closer to the beach, a water sports operator described Hobbs as “a good man”. “Water ran from my eyes this morning bigman. He raised with me around Dover and in this community so it hurt me to see this is how things turned out,” he said. Although he was raised at Harmony Hall, Christ Church, Jason, the third of his mother’s seven children had moved out and was living at Apartment #1, 72 Elizabeth Park, Christ Church. When Barbados TODAY visited, the apartment complex was deserted. Meanwhile, at the residence of Jason’s mother, Marselle Hobbs, the atmosphere was sombre and the woman, who days ago was pleading for her son to come home now had very little to say. Her only hope is that authorities can eventually explain how and why she lost her son. (BT)

JAMAICAN DETAINEE TREATED FAIRLY – The Immigration Department maintains that the human rights of Jamaican Kivesi Andrae McPherson were in no way violated during his five days of detention at the Grantley Adams International Airport. In fact in a clear-the-air statement issued through the Barbados Government Information Service this evening, the department insisted that it did “everything in its power” to repatriate McPherson in a timely manner. Any delay, the department added, was not its fault. Additionally, the immigration officials remain adamant that “the officers provided yeoman service by going beyond the call of duty” to ensure that McPherson got the meals he requested. Last Friday, attorney-at-law Asante Brathwaite told Barbados TODAY that McPherson’s family was contemplating bringing a lawsuit against the Government of Barbados for unlawful detention. She explained that her client who was arrested for importing $20,000 worth of cannabis on December 30th had been convicted last Thursday, paid the fine of $8,000, and was released into the custody of the Barbados Immigration Department as is customary. Brathwaite was however puzzled over why her client could not get a flight home and complained that Macpherson reported that he had to purchase three meals daily. But according to the Immigration Department, a request was made on January 10 for McPherson to travel to Kingston, Jamaica. The department explained that Caribbean Airlines requires 48 hours advance notice for deportees to travel on its aircraft. That permission was granted by the airline’s security manager, three days later on January 13. The next day McPherson was checked in and issued with a boarding pass to depart on the 6 a.m. flight. He was escorted to the gate by an immigration official and at that point, “the captain of the aircraft refused to accept Mr. McPherson on board because he was not escorted by an immigration officer to Jamaica,“ the statement said. The Immigration Department said it was not customary for escorts to be provided in these circumstances. “The general manager of the airline was contacted and he subsequently advised that he would have to get additional clearance from the security manager in Trinidad, and the department would be informed when permission was given to travel, the immigration statement explained. “That permission was granted on the evening of January 15, 2020. The following day, Mr. McPherson boarded a Caribbean Airlines flight, which departed for Jamaica via Trinidad at 4:58 a.m. His attorney was informed of his departure,“ the statement said. The immigration department further pointed out that Brathwaite was never prevented from speaking with or visiting her client. It also maintained that the department provided the Jamaican national with three meals daily with the exception of January 10, 2020 when he “opted” to buy chicken and chips from Chefette Restaurant because he did not like the meal that was offered. “On January 12, 2020, the department purchased his lunch from Island Grill Restaurant at a cost of $33 and supper from Grab & Go Restaurant at a cost of $12 because he did not eat what was being offered by the department. It also noted that McPherson refused breakfast on January 15, because he was upset that he was denied travel.” (BT)

TWO MEN INJURED IN SHOOTING – Two men were injured in a shooting incident at Greenfield, St Michael that occurred at 2:40 p.m. Police identified the victims as Jerome Antonio Stuart, 23, of 8th Avenue, New Orleans and Triston Akeem Alexander of #13 Grooves Cottage, St George.Stuart suffered a graze to his right leg but did not go to the hospital while Jones’ left knee and angle were injured. He went to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in a private motorcar. Police are asking anyone with information that can assist investigations to contact Central Police Station at 430-7676, Police Emergency at 211, Crime Stoppers at 1-800-8477 or any police station. (BT)

REMANDED ON DRUG CHARGE – A 45-year-old man was sent to Her Majesty’s Prison Dodds for 28 days after he appeared before the law courts for the second time in two weeks for a similar charge. David Sylvester Small, who was recorded as having no fixed place of abode, is accused of having cocaine paraphernalia in his possession today, January 20, 2020. He pleaded not guilty to the charge. Station Sergeant Crishna Graham objected to bail for the accused on the grounds that he was before the court just recently and had been granted bail. The prosecutor added that there was a need to protect society and the accused. She also pointed to his propensity to reoffend. However, his attorney-at-law Lalu Hannoman in his application for bail told Magistrate Douglas Frederick that everyone was innocent until proven guilty. “It is my instruction that it was a plastic straw that he had with him and no drug was found. Two weeks ago it was the same thing. It was again a plastic straw, which in itself is preposterous. “As an environmentalist I would love if everyone was charged with a plastic straw because they should not exist,” Hannoman submitted in his application saying that his client had a fixed place of adobe as he lived with a female friend. After considering the submissions of both sides the magistrate ruled in favour of the prosecution and remanded Small until February 17 on that grounds that he was before the District ‘A’ Magistrates’ Court only two weeks ago. (BT)

DRUGS AND AMMUNITION SEIZED BY POLICE PATROL – Police seized counterfeit cash, ammunition and cannabis during an operation at 2nd Avenue Weeks Land, Goodland, St Michael, on Sunday. Members of the Tactical Response Unit (TRU) and Suppressing Criminal Activity Targeting Society (SCATS) were on a routine patrol targeting hot spots and areas known for illegal activity. On their approach, some men in the area ran away. During a subsequent search, they discovered: thirty rounds of 7.62 Calibre ammunition; two black 5.56 magazines; a quantity of vegetable matter suspected to be cannabis, a controlled drug; one black T-shirt; one pair of long black jeans which had 14 hundred dollar bill, notes all with the serial number E-34687191, in the front right pocket. one can of gun oil. one black rubber ski mask and one black woolen ski mask/balaclava.(PR/SAT)

COOL GUY DENIED BAIL – He says he is innocent of four drug charges against him but a St Michael man was still unable to persuade a Bridgetown magistrate to grant him bail when he appeared in court today. Sean Leslie Estwick, of Thompson Gap, Spooner’s Hill, St Michael is accused of possession of cannabis as well as possession, possession with intent to supply and trafficking of cocaine. The offences are alleged to have occurred on January 19. In objecting to bail for the accused Station Sergeant Crishna Graham submitted that there was a need to protect the accused and society as there had been several complainants from businesses located at Browne’s Beach as it related to Estwick, a frequent visitor to the area. “The court will need to protect him and the community at this time. He is also currently on bail in another jurisdiction for similar matters. He is also a habitual offender,” the prosecutor said in her submissions. In response Estwick told Magistrate Douglas Frederick, “Everybody saying I am a bad person, everybody in the [Browne’s Beach] area. But I am not a bad person, I am a good person,” the 46-year-old carpenter said. “I have a good personality, I am a cool guy. I am a person that believe in the Lord and say my prayers.” Magistrate Frederick who described the submissions as “interesting ones” told the accused that although those are good attributes, he needed to address the issue of bail. Estwick responded: “Give me a chance.” He went on to explain that the pending matter against him was one in which he had been ordered to pay $5,000 but had only been able to honour $4,000 of the amount. However, Magistrate Frederick told him the outstanding fine was not helping his cause and he needed to address the matter as soon as was possible to remove that “obstacle”. The accused will make his next appearance before the No. 2 District ‘A’ Magistrates’ Court on February 17. (BT)

WAITHE PLACED ON BOND FOR DRUG OFFENCES – Magistrate Douglas Frederick today asked a 39-year-old man if he had ever heard of a dentist after he admitted to using cocaine to treat a cavity. Corey Anthonia Waithe, of Rock Hampton Gap, Jackson, St Michael appeared before the Bridgetown magistrate this afternoon where he pleaded guilty to possession, possession with intent to supply and trafficking of 1.63 grammes or $81 worth of cocaine as well as 2.68 grammes or $13.40 grammes of marijuana. “I use it on a tooth that has a hole,” Waithe said. “I use it a couple of nights. The marijuana I boil to help me to sleep at night. I am not a drug addict,” Waithe maintained. Station Sergeant Crishna Graham told the court the illicit substances, which were in the form of vegetable matter and powder, were discovered by police who executed a search warrant at Waithe’s residence on January 19. They were contained in two separate transparent bags in his bedroom. His attorney-at-law Mohia Ma’at urged the court to show leniency on the grounds that Waithe had not been before the court since 2012. The lawyer also submitted that the convicted man had not wasted judicial time and was remorseful. “Foremost in his mind is the disappointment and embarrassment that he has caused to his mother and the rest of the family circle. He is very sorry and remorseful and wishes the court to have a high degree of mercy,” Ma’at told the District ‘A’ Magistrates’ Court. However, when asked whether he had a problem with drugs Waithe responded: “No sir”. He was also adamant that he did not need help. “Okay, you can’t say that help was not offered,” the magistrate replied as he warned Waithe that he would find himself before the law courts again if that was the case. The bond was then imposed on the trafficking charge and Waithe was convicted, reprimanded and discharged on the other charges. (BT)

OWNERSHIP IMPORTANT FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT – One of Barbados’ noted economists believes that the island’s development model is in need of an upgrade. In fact, Professor Avinash Persaud is of the view that residents should be taught to develop high-value skills and become owners of enterprises instead of just workers. “Today our development model requires an update. Nothing lasts. We have learned that formal schooling and professional education give us a massive step up, takes us a long way, but does not take us all the way,” said Persaud. “Thriving is no longer about moving on from hard labour. It is about freedom of all our people to pursue the life they wish to lead. What we have learned over these past 30 years is that high-value professional skills are critical, are necessary but are not sufficient. Ownership also matters,” he said. Pointing out that ownership has become even more concentrated around the world, especially in the technology space, Persaud said the challenge now was for Barbadians to become owners and not mere workers. “Imagine too, a robot of the not too distant future that can do everything you can do. If you own that robot, life is sweet. . . The problem arises, when someone else owns your robot, the one that can do everything you can do. Pop goes your income. Technology is not your enemy: ownership is,” he said. He said: “The challenge of the future is not an unlimited supply of unskilled workers, but masses of skilled robots owned by a handful of people.” He put forward the idea recently as he addressed the Errol and Nita Barrow Educational Trust’s Gala Fundraising Dinner at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre. The economic advisor said it was critical that people looked beyond developing traditional skills and a profession. “To thrive then, we need our people to have the knowledge that not only generates an income, but owns their working lives in some way; owns their own businesses in others,” he said. “That is why in the third decade of the 21st century, 100 years after his birth [former Prime Minister Errol Barrow], the task we have set ourselves at the Trust, is supporting the development of skills that go beyond the traditional professions and truly empower the kind of knowledge that might help a chef become a restaurant owner, a bartender become a bar owner, a grower become farmer, a nurse become owner of an international company of nurses, an architect, accountant or lawyer become a global practice manager or owner,” he explained. (BT)

NO FIRM CONCENSUS ON RUM GI – There seem to be a disagreement brewing among rum producers in Barbados as to what a proposed geographical indicator (GI) should look like for Barbados-produced rum. Reports are that Mount Gay, Foursquare and St Nicholas Abbey, have backed a proposal by Government, which was prepared by the Barbados Investment and Development Corporation (BIDC). However, the West Indies Rum Distillery Ltd, makers of the popular Plantation rum brand, believes the GI should include locally-produced rum that was also aged overseas. A GI is a sign that specifies that a product originated from a particular place. The qualities, characteristics or reputation of the product depends on the place of origin of the product. The GI puts no restriction on the type of stills used during the distillation. Both short-term and long-term fermentation techniques are permitted. Molasses, syrup or fresh cane juice can be used in the production. The proposed GI, which recognizes the properties of Barbados’ water, stipulates that rum distillers must use Barbados water to make their rum. Additionally, the rum must be aged in refilled casks or new oak, sourced from a list of recognized wine and spirit denominations. Mount Gay, Foursquare, St Nicholas Abbey and West Indies Rum Distillery Ltd. are the four major rum distilleries on the island, and Barbados TODAY understands that the GI proposal will require the approval from all of them. It is understood that Mount Gay, Foursquare and St Nicholas Abbey have fully backed the move, but West Indies Rum Distillery, while it supports the implementation of a GI, believes there should be some inclusivity. Asked about the GI push by Barbados, Managing Director of West Indies Rum Distillery Ltd Andrew Hassell said: “Traditionally, rums and spirits were aged in the Caribbean and in Europe. “We at West Indies Rum Distillery, are totally for inclusive GI where it respects where all of the rum producers have traditionally done, and we are optimistic that when a Barbados rum GI is done it will be inclusive and to the benefit of not only all of the distilleries, but all Barbadians,” said Hassell. While the West Indies Distillery Ltd ages most of its rum on island, some of its rums undergo multi-aging, where it is first done in Barbados and then finished in France. (BT)

RIGHT MOVE SAYS COMMISSION – Barbados’ Ambassador to CARICOM David Comissiong is supporting Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley’s decision not to send Foreign Minister Senator Dr Jerome Walcott to a meeting between Caribbean leaders and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Jamaica on Tuesday. In a statement to the press, Comissiong said Prime Minister Mottley, the Chair of CARICOM, took the correct position in maintaining that if all CARICOM member of states were not invited, Barbados could not in all good conscience, accept an invitation to attend. He said Barbados was not showing any animosity or disrespect to anyone, but simply carrying out a leadership duty in the overall best interest of CARICOM. “Mr Trump pulled this type of stunt last year with his invitation of four specially-selected and invited CARICOM Prime Ministers to Trump’s private property in Florida, much to the chargin and suspicion of several of the other leaders and Governments of CARICOM. A chargin and suspicion that actually manifested in several charged public statements,” he said. Comissiong said no one should expect that Barbados, charged with the responsibility for protecting the interests of the organization, to join Pompeo and six American selected CARICOM countries, in repeating an exercise that has already caused unhealthy distress, divisions, suspicions and tensions in the regional organisation. “And particularly when Mr Pompeo and the US State Department have already made it clear what agenda they will be pursuing in the Caribbean in relation to Luis Almagro/OAS, Venezuela, Cuba, Nicaragua, etc,” he said. “One of the fundamental missions of CARICOM is to deal with powerful third world? countries not as individual Small Island States, but as a unified, collective of 15 nations. By doing so, we forge ourselves into a much stronger bargaining unit, and are better able to withstand the pressures that many big nations apply when they are conducting their foreign affairs. So we in CARICOM should always strive for unity and collective action,” he added. Addressing a gala to celebrate the centenary of the birth of the late Prime Minister of Barbados Errol Walton Barrow, at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre last Saturday night, Prime Minister Mottley warned of attempts to divide the 15-member Caribbean Community (CARICOM) grouping. “We don’t look to pick fights. I don’t look to pick fights, but I am conscious that if this country does not stand for something, then it with fall for anything. As chairman of CARICOM, it is impossible for me to agree that my Foreign Minister should attend a meeting with anyone to which members of CARICOM are not invited. If some are invited and not all, then it is an attempt to divide this region,” Mottley said. (BT)

LIFESTYLE DISEASES TAKE 8 OUT OF 10 LIVES MANY YOUNG – The island’s main general hospital is facing an unprecedented dilemma that could result in stroke victims being turned away. The alarm was raised at the weekend by Associate Consultant in charge of the Resistant Hypertension Clinic at the state-owned Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) Dr Kenneth Connell during a policy intervention forum organised by the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Barbados (HSFB), at Accra Beach Hotel Resort in Christ Church. Describing the situation as phenomenal, Dr Connell warned that the never-before-seen rate at which stroke victims were turning up at the Accident and Emergency Department (A&E) daily, could soon result in the hospital having nowhere to put them. “We are talking about all these strokes presenting to the Emergency Room (ER) today, in 2020. But on the trajectory, these patients wouldn’t even be making it inside the ER because we would physically have no space to accommodate them,” declared Dr Connell, who is also President of the HSFB. Declaring that NCDs are killing Barbadians early, the senior medical official also disclosed that these illnesses were now responsible for eight out of every ten deaths in a country where 31 per cent of children are considered obese or overweight. To press home his point, the top medical official recalled the days when heart attacks were one or two and weeks apart. These now, he pointed out, had now become commonplace. “The fact that some junior doctors…would never know the day when there were five admissions to internal medicine because there was one heart attack. And if you were a student and you saw a heart attack, it’s a big deal because you are not going to see another one for a couple of weeks. Now, you are…desensitized [at] seeing a heart attack,” said the senior medical professional, who is also Deputy Dean in the Faculty of Medical Sciences at the UWI, Cave Hill Campus. He added: “I now ask on mornings…how many MIs (myocardial infarction) were admitted. And then my next question is ‘how many survived the A&E experience,’ because some of them will die on presentation.” Dr Connell contended that the statistics on strokes and other non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are available and accessible to the Government and that it was now up to the policy-makers to accept or ignore them. The youthfulness of the majority of stroke victims and other non-communicable disease patients presenting to the ER, is also of particular worry to the medical official. “There are over 21 patients in the emergency room waiting to be placed on a ward, and most of them are under the age of 50. And I must tell you, that of the 16 that are admitted under the University [of the West Indies] Services, some ten of them are strokes; and there are young strokes,” he revealed. “This is something that we are not accustomed to seeing…the fact that there is a backlog of patients in the emergency room has nothing really to do with the health system. It has to do with what the health system is now receiving. We are just receiving more NCDs. They are at our doorsteps. We can colour it however we want, but this is our reality,” he declared. Dr Connell recalled that his registrar only last week raised concerns about how the hospital would be able to find wards for the ongoing influx of stroke victims and other NCD patients. He said his reply was: “More importantly, how are we going to stop them from coming in. How are we going to stop this process, because it is only going to get worse.” He was quick to point out that these diseases are being driven by obesity, cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes and mental health issues.

Dr Connell released other data to show that one in every five individuals in Barbados has diabetes and that the annual economic cost has skyrocketed to in excess of $209 million. He also produced figures from the Barbados National Registry for 2016 which reported 15 strokes per week and nine heart attacks per week. The associate consultant singled out the consumption of sugar, sweetened beverages and unhealthy foods as a major worry to health officials. For example, Dr Connell cited a recent Barbados Student Population survey which revealed that 18.5 per cent of students ate fast foods three to four times a week, while 73.3 per cent reported drinking one or more soft drink a day. That data also showed that 15 per cent ate no vegetables or fruit in the past month. “Unhealthy diets, which is the main [driver] for obesity is not legislated against,” the top medical official noted, adding that tobacco use and the harmful use of alcohol are already regulated by law. He said air pollution and physical inactivity were also risk factors with regards to NCDs. (BT)

LTGAY CLASSES FOR SOME AT CHURCH – Class four students of the Lawrence T Gay Memorial School started classes at the neighbouring Grace Hill Moravian Church where they have been relocated as a result of environmental issues plaguing their Spooner’s Hill, St Michael plant. And while Vice President of the Barbados Union of Teachers (BUT) Richmark Cave told reporters this morning that the students and teachers had settled in well at the temporary location, parents and guardians voiced concerns about the need to find a solution for the air quality issue which started in 2015. Parents told Barbados TODAY that they were relieved that arrangements were made to resume classes for the class four students who were preparing for the 11 Plus Examination in May, however, they wanted to know what solution would be made for the remaining school body. “I happy that they are back at school because the Common Entrance is around the corner. But my major concern right now is I got a seven-year-old at the same Lawrence T Gay that is out of school and my concern is that the ministry gets something sorted because it is difficult for parents to make preparations for them. “It is either me or the mom have to stay home with him. The fortunate thing for me is that I am self-employed. But I know other parents will be facing similar issues,” one concerned father lamented. “I am glad my daughter is back in class preparing for the 11 Plus because that is important. But right now I can’t go to work because I have nobody to keep my little boy who is in Infants B. “I mean this is too long this problem going on at that school now and I am beginning to think the ministry doesn’t care about parents. And then I will hear these people in the news talking about they are concerned about all of these people reporting sick. But in situations like this one, you really can’t leave the child home alone, or take them to work with you, and don’t tell me about grandparents because the grand parents got to go to work too,” another parent said. Meanwhile, Cave said he too was happy to see the class four students back in the teaching/learning environment. He said he had no problem with the students being housed at the church since that was what happened in 2015 when the environmental issues started. “I don’t have a problem with them being housed here because right now there are just three class four’s. Previously when they were relocated in 2015 we had a whole infants department here, which is something like nine to ten classes and we didn’t get any complaints. And with three classes here I don’t see a problem,” Cave added. The BUT official said he was aware about plans to conduct detailed testing on the air quality to be sent overseas. However, Cave said until those results return, he was aware that all stakeholders were hoping that the entire school could get back to a conducive learning environment. Last week, following a flare-up of the environmental issues, students and parents met with ministry officials, including acting Education Officer Joy Adamson to discuss the recurring problem. (BT)

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