09302022 WEEKEND

the right

art

All tied upLocal artist perfects macramé

By CARA HUNT | Tribune Features Writer | cbrennen@tribunemedia.net

DonovanBethune’s life has been tied up in knots ever since a friend intro duced him to the art of macramé almost four decades ago.

Macramé is the art of knotting string or rope in patterns to make decorative arti cles; it does not require a needle.

Donovan said he first got interested in the art form when he was in 30s.

“I was living in Florida and was at a friend’s house. I had a friend by the name of Curtis and he had this planter hanging in his house and I asked him about it and he explained what it was to me and I just became very interested in learning how to do it and so that is how I got started,” he told Tribune Weekend about his macramé planters.

“I had always been attracted to doing art, and so over the years I just made many of them.”

He perfected his craft and sold his planters and wall hangings to family and friends.

Donovan found real success with this macramé art when he moved back to the Bahamas after many years in Florida.

“I went to a local furniture store and approached the owner about selling some of my wall hangings. And he said, ‘Well, we can’t just sell one, can you come back and bring a few more?’ So, when I was leaving, one of the sales ladies came running out and offered to buy the sample on the spot. And that is how I have favour on my life with my work and people wanting to buy it as soon as they see it.”

Donovan said he loves the art form because it keeps his mind and hands active, particularly now that he’s older.

“I can’t just sit down; I have to be doing some thing all the time. If you just sit down and do nothing, life wears away,” he said.

Donovan explained that when he gets the rope for his projects, he has a clear vision in his mind of what he needs to do.

“You have to know exactly how much rope you need, otherwise you may end up wasting it and it can be expensive. So, I try to know exactly what I want it to be before I start,” he said.

Like many artists, Donovan feels his work has evolved over time. His creative juices were par ticularly flowing during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I really wanted to try something new and so I combined a few ideas I saw online and came up with these star macramé lamps. The design makes it so that the star shape is reflected onto the ceil ing,” he said.

He is also exploring other art forms with his daughter, She’Ashley, who is also an artist.

Donovan can be contacted at 437-6814.

art

‘This Island of Mine’ competition launched for upand-coming artists

Anew

partnership between the coun try’s oldest real estate firm and one of the country’s premier art galleries will mean a sizeable cash prize and fame for a few lucky budding artists. The collaboration is the latest element of HG Christie’s ongoing centennial celebrations.

“The Island of Mine” art competition - hosted by HG Christie and the CAB Gallery – will fea ture submissions from students aged 15 to 21, from August 22 to November 18, 2022.

To be considered, participating artists will be required to submit their piece of work on either Instagram/Facebook and tag both @HGChris tie and @CabGalleryandStudio while using the hashtag #HGCIslandofMine.

Those works will then be reviewed by a panel of judges comprised of members of both HG Christie and CAB Gallery curators, and the top three entries will present their artwork to the public during a special cocktail party and prize ceremony hosted at the CAB Gallery in November.

“The theme was really meant to be an ode to the islands and will hopefully allow each artist to share with the country and the world the things

Old Skool

Reggae Party postponed

By JEFFARAH GIBSON Tribune Features Writer jgibson@tribunemedia.net

THOSE who have been highly anticipating the return of One Blood: The Original Old Skool Reggae Party will have to wait a little bit longer now that the event has been postponed.

Inclement weather forced the organisers, Con cepts Events, to push the event back. It will now be held on October 15 at the newly renovated Club Waterloo.

Leah Rose of Concepts Events told Tribune Weekend that “later is always greater”.

She believes the delay will create an even greater appetite for old school reggae and the

they appreciate and cherish most about the island they choose to highlight,” explained HGC Presi dent and Managing Broker John Christie.

Supporting the launch and encouraging the youth of the Bahamas to compete was Minister for Youth, Sports and Culture Mario Bowleg, who will also be part of the reviewing panel.

“ ‘This Island of Mine’ is a fitting theme for this project because it provides the opportunity for talented Bahamians to showcase their ability and celebrate the beauty of our Bahamaland,” said Minister Bowleg.

“I want to encourage young artists from across the country to submit their works and tap into the opportunity. I know that you will put forward some exceptional work and I’m looking forward to seeing how each of you will showcase our beauti ful country.”

Up for grabs will be a $1,000 cash prize for the competition’s first-place winner. The second-place winner will be awarded a limited edition print on archival paper valued at $500 signed by Jessica Whittingham, and the third-place winner will receive a private studio session at the CAB Gal lery valued at $250.

“Local artists have a wealth of imaginative talent that deserves to be showcased on both the national and international stage,” said Natascha Vasquez, founder and curator at CAB Gallery, “and so we are so excited to see the amazing submissions that come in as a result of this com petition and we’re even more excited about the opportunity to exhibit that work as part of a new curated collection.”

“This competition is really about getting these up-and-coming artists the recognition they deserve on a national scale,” she added. “For an up-andcoming artist, this is a huge opportunity to reach out to markets that HG Christie reaches all over the world – and let’s see if these works get put in homes purchased here in the islands too.”

HG Christie said they are excited to be partner ing with the CAB gallery.

“We knew we wanted to join forces with a gal lery that not only encouraged the use of a wide variety of mediums but whose focus was really on showcasing emerging artists,” said Mr Christie.

25 to 50-something. The last event was held on December 26, 2019, at Club Waterloo and saw over 1,200 attendees.

October’s event will feature entertainment by Selector Ty and DJ XL, who is considered a legend in old school reggae and is making his return to the musical scene with this party.

A reggae lover herself, Leah designed the event to take party-goers back in time while also filling a void in Nassau’s entertainment scene.

SELECTOR TY, Leah Rose of Concepts and Selector 3D

unique form of mature entertainment the event has become known for.

Building on the success of its old school reggae series, Concepts again celebrates the diversity, influence and power of reggae.

Established in 2004, taking on the One Blood name after a few different iterations, the Old Skool Reggae Party and has grown in popularity over the years.

The reggae parties have consistently drawn a cross section of Nassau’s party-goers, from ages

“We will take the One Blood party series to another level with a larger and more dynamic experience, creating an event unforgettable to sat isfy the pent-up demand created by the pandemic for quality entertainment,” she said.

A philanthropic element has always been tied to the series, with Concepts hosting a number of benefit editions of the Old Skool Reggae Party. The group anticipates to support more causes in the near future.

Tickets are available at www.onebloodreggae. eventbrite.com.

NATASCHA Vasquez of CAB Gallery, Minister of Culture Mario Bowley and John Christie of HG Christie Real Estate

interview

Chavez Parker

04 | The Tribune | Weekend Friday, September 30, 2022 Music has been a part of his life for as long as he can remember. And now this Grand Bahama native is reaching new heights in his chosen career, as one of his compositions has been selected for a new Tyler Perry production. He tells Jeffarah Gibson how this promising opportunity came about.

Musician

Chavez Parker is feeling more than accom plished in his career, now that his song was chosen as the theme for world-renowned producer and film maker Tyler Perry’s newest show “Zatima”.

Chavez created and produced the theme song for the drama show, which is a spinoff of Tyler Perry’s “Sistas”. The show follows pro tagonists Zac (DeVale Ellis) and Fatima (Crystal Renee Hayslett) as they take a huge step to strengthen their relationship.

“Zatima’’ premiered on BET+ on September 22.

Music has long since been a big part of Chavez’s life. Born and raised in Grand Bahama, he has been playing the piano since the age of five. And growing up, he knew he wanted to expand on his skills and knowledge of music. This pursuit took him far and wide.

He first obtained an Associate’s in Music Performance from the Univer sity of the Bahamas, a Bachelor’s in Music Production from Full Sail Uni versity in Orlando, Florida, followed by a Master’s in Music Production from the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Valencia, Spain.

Chavez left the Bahamas to further pursue career opportunities in music. He currently resides in Atlanta, Georgia, and has worked as a recording engineer at multiple studios and as a freelance music

this weekend in history

September 30

• In 1066, the Norman Conquest – the invasion and occupation of England by an army made up of thousands of Normans, Bretons, Flemish and French troops – is underway. The armies who defeat the Anglo-Saxons are led by Duke of Normandy, better known as William the Conqueror. The Normans ruled England for about 300 years.

producer for various projects ranging from albums to full documentaries.

Additionally, to share his love of music with younger generations, he works as an adjunct professor at American InterContinental Uni versity (Atlanta Campus), where he teaches entry level music production classes.

He also works as a creative licenc ing manager for Blaze Unlimited, a creative music agency and one of the

industry’s leading sync companies whose work is featured on Netflix, Hulu and BET. It’s this connection that made the Tyler Perry opportu nity possible for him.

When the brief was sent out by Tyler Perry Studios to Blaze Unlim ited earlier this year, Chavez knew that he had to immediately jump on the opportunity. Upon submit ting his work, the Tyler Perry team narrowed down it to three final songs, two of which were Chavez’s compositions. After some revisions, the song he produced, called “Per fect”, was ultimately chosen as the “Zatima” theme song.

“The opportunity for Tyler Per ry’s new show came about when my employer Emoni Matthews received an e-mail from Tyler Perry Studios with a brief outlining the new show they were releasing and looking for custom theme music to finish it off. Emoni, knowing what some of my capabilities are, forwarded the e-mail to me to hop on the opportu nity, and the rest is history,” he told Tribune Weekend.

“The process was pretty simple for this one because Tyler Perry Studios already knew what they were look ing for in terms of the overall vibe, so I studied the examples they sent over, mixed with checking out previ ous episodes of the show that this current series is being spun off of, just to understand the overall tone of everything. It was just a matter of me making a creative decision, which I just allow myself to do naturally.

What came out is what I stuck with and I just polished it up for delivery.”

The inspiration for the chosen song, Chavez said, was a fusion of 90s’ sounds and early 2000s’ R&B, mixed with the theme of true love story. However, it was important for him to put a modern stamp on the song.

“I haven’t had the opportunity to meet Mr Perry as yet, but I’m look ing forward to that soon as I’m sure when he finds out that a Bahamian did the theme music for the show. It may interest him…to want to reach out since he has such close ties to the Bahamas,” he said.

Chavez believes this accomplish ment can inspire other Bahamian artists and producers to keep work ing as they have what it takes to appeal to an international audience.

“Next on my list is to have a suc cessful release with Bahamian artist A Major later on this year and to show more of my music to those who are now interested in my journey,” he said.

Chavez believes that his faith, hard work and unwavering determination is what got him this far and will help him to conquer what lies ahead.

Bahamians can support Chavez and the show by tuning in to “Zatima” on BET+.

To keep up with Chavez, follow him @bigvezy on all social media platforms (Instagram, Twitter, You Tube, TikTok).

• In 1955, James Dean, Hollywood actor and cultural icon of teenage disillusionment and social estrangement, dies in a car crash with his 1955 Porsche 550 Spyder. He was 24 years old. The films that define his short but influential stardom are “Rebel Without a Cause”, “Giant” and “East of Eden”.

October 1

• In 1553, Mary I is crowned Queen of England and Ireland. She ruled for five years, during which she earned the nickname “Bloody Mary” because of her vigourous persecution of Protestants in a vain attempt to restore Roman Catholicism in the country. She was succeeded by her half-sister, Elizabeth I.

WILLIAM the Conqueror

• In 1920, the Scientific American magazine reports that the rapidly developing medium of radio will soon be used to broadcast music into the home, signalling

the start of a revolution of how music is shared and consumed in everyday life.

October 2

• In 1836, naturalist Charles Darwin returns to England after a five-year journey on the HMS Beagle, on which he gathered the specimens and observations that led to his now universally accepted theory of evolution.

• In 1985, Hollywood icon Rock Hudson dies of AIDS at the age of 59. He was the first major celebrity to die of complications due to the disease. His death helped raise awareness of what until then had been largely ignored by the general public and mainstream media and dismissed as the “gay plague”.

CHAVEZ’s music was chosen as the theme song of the new show

Best described as a number crossword, the task in Kakuro is to fill all of the empty squares, using numbers 1 to 9, so the sum of each horizontal block equals the number to its left, and the sum of each vertical block equals the number on its top. No number may be used in the same block more than once. The difficulty level of the Conceptis Kakuro increases from Monday to Sunday.

Sudoku is a number-placing puzzle based on a 9x9 grid with several given numbers. The object is to place the numbers 1 to 9 in the empty squares so the each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once. The difficulty level of the Conceptis Sudoku increases from Monday to Sunday

P c r E E G H E A

HOW many words of four letters or more can you make from the letters shown here?

in making a word, each letter may be used once only. Each must contain the centre letter and there must be at least one nine-letter word. no plurals. Verb forms ending in s permitted.

TODAY’S TARGET

Good 25; very good 37

excellent 49

more). Solution on Monday

CRYPTIC PUZZLE

Across

1 Annoyed about article, became abusive (6)

4 Company releases territorial divisions (8)

9 It’s odd about the taxes (6)

10 Removed gear with no thread left (8)

12 John Napier’s records? (4)

13 Hundred small river fish in the basket (5)

14 Note it’s on the level (4)

17 Soldiers kept permanently on their toes? (8,4)

20 Not far from following a private hobby (5,7)

23 Infants unbottled (4)

24 To join, one goes to the capital of England (5)

25 Stop - this is a hold-up (4)

28 Attempt to include a garment as disguise (8)

29 Sea side in an American state (6)

30 An ivory castle perhaps (8)

31 Many agree it’s new and in short supply (6)

Down

1 Girl belittled is without mercy (8)

2 A ringlet made complete (8)

3 They look and sound agreeable (4)

5 Bound to fight? (2,3,7)

6 To expose a lie it needs hammering home (4)

7 Urges some simple translation (6)

8 Teased about being placid (6)

11 Honest kind of artisan made records (5,7)

15 Images I sold out of (5)

16 Quick trim (5)

18 Travelling at high speed injured a fish (8)

19 Bolt many together? (8)

21 Make a cat sit still (6)

22 Faster form of attack (6)

26 Lockers A to G perhaps (4)

27 Celebrity retired from the Mafia (4)

Yesterday’s Easy Solution

Across: 1 Olive, 4 Ethical, 8 Nip, 9 Even break, 10 Besides, 11 Titan, 13 Stuffy, 15 Hector, 18 Sheer, 19 Shake-up, 21 Open house, 23 Ill, 24 Enforce, 25 Title.

Down: 1 Omnibus, 2 Imposture, 3 Emend, 4 Even so, 5 Habitue, 6 Cue, 7 Liken, 12 To the hilt, 14 Further, 16 Repulse, 17 Assume, 18 Slope, 20 Alert, 22 Elf.

Yesterday’s Cryptic Solution

Across: 1 Masks, 4 Prosaic, 8 Nut, 9 Bagatelle, 10 Go-ahead, 11 Realm, 13 Skiing, 15 Mosaic, 18 Tenet, 19 Ethical, 21 Conscript, 23 Ian, 24 Satisfy, 25 Humps.

Down: 1 Manages, 2 Situation, 3 Sabre, 4 Pagoda, 5 Ontario, 6 Awl, 7 Cream, 12 Anarchism, 14 Notices, 16 Calends, 17 Verify, 18 Tacks, 20 Hatch, 22 Net.

EASY PUZZLE

Down

1 Encroach (8)

2 Manufacture and trade (8)

3 A cooking fat (4)

5 Having been made public (3,2,3,4)

6 Stupid person (4)

7 Cause (6)

8 The ‘ringed’ planet (6)

one

(6,1,5)

(4,2,4,2)

11 To fawn (3,3,6)

15 Fight (5)

16 Previous (5)

18 Stone chip flooring (8)

19 Automatically (2,6)

21 Chatter incoherently (6)

22 Be rightly classified (6)

26 Balance of advantage (4)

31 Detonate (3,3)

27 Domesticated (4)

Across: 1 Sunflower, 7 Henman, 9 Deep-fry, 10 Edit, 12 Rep, 13 Aerosol, 14 Irk, 15 Heel, 17 Operate, 19 Encore, 20 Maidstone. Down: 1 Sideline, 2 Used, 3 Nee, 4 Leftovers, 5 Onrush, 6 Easel, 8 Nepalese, 11 Tripod, 13 Arena, 16 Eton, 18 Ado.

0907

Yesterday’s Sudoku Answer

FIND where the fleet of ships shown is hidden in the grid. The numbers to the right of and below the grid indicate how many of the squares in that row are filled in with ships or parts of ships. The ships do not touch each other, even diagonally. Some squares have been filled in to start you off.

Solution on Monday

THE ALPHABEATER

TArgeT

black squares: 25, 26, 29, 32, Across: Smoked, Comfortably, Quicksilver, Ago, Smarts. Down: Neither, Jumpy, Wives, Macabre,

cAn you crack the Alphabeater? Each grid number represents a letter – or black square. As in Alphapuzzle, every letter of the alphabet is used. But you have to complete the grid too! use the given letters and black squares below the grid to start. the grid is ‘rotationally symmetrical’ – in other words, it looks the same if you turn the page upside down.

CoNCeALer

acorn aeon aloe alone arco canoe carol clone coal coca coerce cola cole conceal CONCEALER cone coracle coral core corn cornea corneal creole crone encore enrol leone loan lone loner lore narco ocean once oracle oral roan role

Solution on Monday

Extra letter 0907 181 (Deduct three each extra clue full solution 0907 181

CroSS D SuMMiT

*Calls cost 80p your telephone network access

Across: TAPIR Down: TIGER 94 and 89

Yesterday’s Kakuro Answer

Alternatively,

Extra Letter clues to your mobile,

plus

usual operator

music

Bahamian artist remixes hit rap song to appeal to local tastemakers

By ALESHA CADET | Tribune Features Writer | acadet@tribunemedia.net

Inspiredby the 2007 hit song “Shawty” by rapper Plies featuring T-Pain, Bahamian artist Shad Fer has released a new track called “Shawty Pt 2”.

The local rapper said he loves the original song so much, he knew he wanted to remix it for his latest single.

“I love the song and it was one of those special songs that meant a lot to me in my childhood. I’m hoping that one day they’ll (Plies and T-Pain) hear the song and appreciate what I did with it. I tried to DM them on Instagram but I’m probably gonna need a little more fame or connections first,” he told Tribune Weekend.

Shad said he knew he could create “something nice” from the original song the second he heard the beat.

“Based on the original song that the beat samples, I knew I wanted to make a song that was about having a genuine crush on someone. Some thing that expressed love and appreciation in an honest and vulnerable form, the way a lot of clas sic R&B songs used to be written. I knew it could be something that ladies and men that enjoy the genre would enjoy hearing during a drive or while they were chilling or getting ready to go out,” he explained.

While it uses some old school elements, the song still has a lot of contemporary sounds, including some dancehall and Afrobeat vibes.

“It was also important for me personally as a songwriter to let the sample shine without actually using too much of the original melody or lyrical ideas that the previous songwriters used,” he said.

Shad said he knew he wanted to be a music artist after he heard “Speechless” by Michael Jackson.

He started writing music and performed live for the first time singing in church at the age of nine. After learning to play the snare drum, he started playing the saxophone at age 12.

“I’ve always been a pretty gifted lyricist and was lucky enough to be featured on WordStar HipHop as a rapper at 14. Since then, I’ve just been con stantly creating music of all genres and performing as much as possible. I absolutely love music and playing the music industry game,” he said.

“I’ve been constantly making music. I usually record, mix and master in my room. But I also do many specialised songs for events such as birth days, anniversaries, celebrations and more.”

His most popular releases to date have been “Save Yourself”, a funk-pop song; “AWAYA WAYA”, a Caribbean pop track he did with

RAPPER and multi-instrumentalist Shad Fer

Benje, and “Say it to My Face”, which is one of his favourite rap songs to perform live.

Shad has also made a music video for “Shawty Pt 2” using just his phone.

“The right music video requires good money and resources, so I usually have to make that effort either when I can afford to or when the concept for the video can be executed without

budget or casting or technology being a concern. It’s pretty common for me to just shoot and edit a video myself, but I really want to increase my quality beyond what I can do alone. If people keep showing it love, I’ll have to make one,” he said.

When asked about the feedback received so far, Shad said he’s happy radio programme directors at local stations seem to really like the song.

“It means a lot because I recorded, mixed and mastered the music right in my room as opposed to a professional studio, so that tells me I’ve made decent progress. Also, it really mattered to me that women loved the song, and they really do, so that makes me happy because women are the best tastemakers. They say that it automatically sounded like something they should be hearing on the radio. They love the dancehall feel in the second half of verse two,” he said.

Going forward, Shad hopes to have bigger music releases. He recently performed abroad for the first time and received so much love that it really made him feel validated.

“I love the fact that I’m Bahamian, but I’m definitely going to be travelling back and forth constantly to make progress,” he said.

Shad’s music is can be found on YouTube, Apple Music, Spotify, Amazon, and other social media sites. He can be found on Instagram (@Shad_Fer), Facebook (Shad Fer), Twitter (@ShadFer), and TikTok (@Shad_Fer).

gardening

Coastal natives

Goodday, gardeners. Native plants have the unique ability to thrive in the harshest, most hostile growing condi tions. Without them our coastlines would be eroding in front of our eyes.

Unfortunately, where the land has been stripped of native plants, land erosion is a concern and visible on a regular basis. It is happening throughout our island chain on the coast, and inland.

In the photo in last week’s column there was a parcel of land com pletely and utterly stripped of all native plant material. Yes, it was surrounded by lots of bush on three sides, but little respect was given in the clearing of the property in regard to native trees or plants.

What happened to Environmental Impact Assessments? Are they only subject to application to a select few or is it a national concern?

It seems anyone can do anything they want and not be subject to environmental concerns that are of national concern. That is what I have been seeing, and honestly, I believe it to be a travesty that we have such little respect for our natural sur roundings. I believe that we can do better as a nation.

It takes each and every one of us who cares, to speak up and to act, even just in our own gardens. Today’s photo is from a boutique hotel development in Eleuthera that was developed responsibly and with concern and respect to the native environment. Pictured today is an ancient stand of sea lavender, aka bay lavender, aka Heliotropium gnaphalodes, as well as sea oats, silver top palm, and a few non-native coconuts thrown in for aesthetic effect and for shade. This is facing east on the Atlantic ocean with full exposure to harsh weather and full salt and wind exposure.

Bay lavender is a difficult plant to grow outside of its native conditions. It germinates easily enough from seed but keeping it alive can be a challenge in cultivation.

Sea oats are simple to propa gate and to cultivate, as are silver top palms, although silver tops are slower than molasses and are one of our most undervalued native plants.

It costs a fortune to replace silver top palms, for one because they are extremely slow to grow, also because they do not transplant well from the wild. If these are present on a development site, they ought to be protected, if they get killed, come ask me the price of replacing them, and you’ll regret removing them in the first place.

All three of these plants are present on much of our coastline, and all are essential to holding the initial beach dune in place, as well as providing food and shelter to native critters and creatures. They help to protect land from erosion and degradation.

Building a house right on the beach, are you? You’d be well advised to retain as much of the native plant material as possible. Otherwise, a visit by your insurance

claims agent will most likely be a lot more expensive when that time comes. I look forward to the day where regulations protect the plants that protect our land, but regula tions are moot without enforcement. We cannot continue to destroy our coastlines in a willy-nilly fashion. We simply cannot afford it. Please be conscious when developing or build ing on our coastlines. The same goes for inland building.

We need the trees. On another note, veggie growing season is upon us. Use your seeds from last season or get planting ready grown seed lings for faster and more predictable results. Whatever it is you wish to grow, now is the time! Even coastal homes can grow a veggie garden in the lee of the building. As always, I wish you happy gardening!

• Adam Boorman is the nursery manager at Fox Hill Nursery on Bernard Road. You can contact him with any questions you may have, or topics you would like to see dis cussed, at gardening242@gmail.com

AN ANCIENT stand of sea lavender

entertainment

New this week: ‘Reasonable Doubt’, ‘Blonde’ and ‘Hocus Pocus 2’

By The Associated Press

Here’s a collection curated by The Associated Press’ entertainment journalists of what’s arriving on TV, streaming services and music plat forms this week.

MOVIES

• Andrew Dominik’s long-delayed, NC-17 rated epic about Norma Jean Baker, or Marilyn Monroe, is finally here. “Blonde,” which is now avail able on Netflix, looks at the life and mythology of the Hollywood icon, played by Ana de Armas, through an experimental and fictionalised lens. But this is no celebration of Hol lywood’s “Golden Age” or one of its brightest stars; it’s an often-brutal critique of that industry and the sur rounding culture and how it failed her time and time again.

• For something infinitely lighter and seasonally appropriate, head over to Disney+ for “Hocus Pocus 2,” which brings the witchy Sander son Sisters (Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy) back to Salem. The first film, which was released in 1993, was neither a box office success nor a critical favourite by any stretch, but kept a hold on those who saw and loved it as children. And almost every years since, “Hocus Pocus” has had a spike in sales around Halloween time. This sequel adds some TV comedy favorites to the mix like “Veep’s” Tony Hale and Sam Richardson and “Ted Lasso’s” Hannah Waddingham.

— AP Film Writer Lindsey Bahr

MUSIC

• The first video from Björk’s new album shows her in a psychedelic mushroom forest with a phalanx of bass clarinet players, which seems pretty on-brand. The Icelandic star releases “Fossora” on today and says the title is a word she made up — the feminine version of the Latin word

for “digger.” Björk has described the collection as a “mushroom album.”

• Rita Wilson is flexing her big-name connections with her new album, “Rita Wilson Now & Forever: Duets”. It sees Mrs Tom Hanks collaborating with numer ous artists, including Elvis Costello, Keith Urban, Willie Nelson, Smokey Robinson, Leslie Odom Jr, Josh Groban and Jackson Browne. Each tune explores songs from the ‘60s and ‘70s.

• Can’t make it to Broadway for one of the fall’s loveliest shows? Then just stream the cast album of James Lapine and Stephen Sond heim’s “Into the Woods,” with an all-star cast including Sara Bareilles, Brian d’Arcy James, Patina Miller, Phillipa Soo, Gavin Creel and Joshua Henry. In the musical, several classic Grimm fairy tales are thrown into a blender and then emerge inter twined, unmoored and unfinished. The stream starts today.

— AP Entertainment Writer Mark Kennedy

TELEVISION

• Kerry Washington (“Scandal”) is behind the camera as an executive producer for Hulu’s “Reasonable Doubt”. Emayatzy Corinealdi stars as a LA defence attorney who chooses results over protocol and has a complicated personal life. Jay-Z’s debut album and discography are cited as inspiration for the show and episode titles, with hip-hop, R&B and neo-soul featured on the soundtrack. Michael Ealy and Sean Patrick Thomas co-star in the first scripted drama from Disney’s Onyx Collective, which focuses on pro gramming from creators of colour and underrepresented voices.

• Marcia Gay Harden and Skylar Astin play a mother-son odd couple

in CBS’ new dramady “So Help Me Todd.” The Oscar-winning Harden’s attorney Margaret Wright is organ ised to a fault; Astin’s Todd is the black sheep in a successful family, an effective private eye who lost his license because he balked at follow ing the rules. She decides the best cure for her wayward but talented

offspring is to put him to work for her law firm as in-house investigator, and he accepts. Humour, mysteries and family dysfunction are promised to ensue.

— AP Television Writer Lynn Elber

Literary lives – Andrew Lownie

Inside the ‘Traitor King’ - Part I

Sir Christopher Ondaatje writes about the English author and founder of his own literary agency who has just published Traitor King, a new biography of the Duke of Windsor – the former Edward VIII, and infamous Nazi sympathiser.

“No university should be blocking public access to archive material of great historical significance – which it purchased using public money and for which tax income was forfeited.”

– Andrew Lownie

Andrew Neil Lownie was educated at Westmin ster School and Magdalene College, Cambridge. He was president of the Cambridge Union in 1984, before taking his Master’s degree and Doctorate from the University of Edinburgh. He is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, and a former visit ing Fellow of Churchill College, Cambridge.

He has run his own literary agency since 1988, representing over two hundred authors, and is a trustee of the Campaign for Freedom of Informa tion, and president of the Biographers’ Club.

Lownie has written biographies of writer John Buchan: The Presbyterian Cavalier (1995); spy Guy Burgess: Stalin’s Englishman (2016); The Mountbattens: Their Lives and Loves (2019); and more recently Traitor King: The Scandalous Exile of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor (2021).

While researching for his book on the Mount battens, Lownie found himself blocked by the Cabinet Office and University of Southampton, despite them buying their archive to “ensure public access” in 2011. Lownie has also written The Literary Companion to Edinburgh (2000).

Traitor King: The Scandalous Exile of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor is based on fresh sources on the turbulent lives of the Duke and Duchess, who gave aid and comfort to his country’s enemies before and during the Second World War.

“No book before has started after the abdication in 1936 and looked fully at what happened to the Windsors in their exile.”

– Andrew Lownie

Although some of this material has been covered by other authors before, Lownie’s timely reason for publishing this book now is important.

“Lownie never alludes to the trials and tribula tions of any current members of the Royal Family, but “Traitor King” – a tale of the ultimate stepping back – is so packed with stories of fraternal feuds, bickering sisters-in-law, arguments over titles and money, ill-judged memoirs and reckless relation ships with unsavoury people, that the historical parallels need no signposting.”

– Marcus Field Evening Standard

On December 11, 1936 the final vote on the Abdication was passed in Parliament and Edward VIII ceased to be King of England. He had reigned for 326 days but given up his crown, foregoing his duty for the love of Wallis Simpson,

AUTHOR and historian Andrew Lownie

an American divorcée. Their courtship had been dogged by controversy and scandal, and King Edward had chosen to abdicate rather than give up his beloved Wallis, creating a freezing-out by his family and forced into exile.

Arriving the next day in Boulogne, the Duke had taken a special Pullman for Austria, where he had been lent the use of Schloss Enzesfeld belonging to Baron Eugene and Baroness Kitty Rothschild, just outside Vienna. He had nowhere to go while he waited to marry Wallis Simpson who had remained in France.

There followed expensive telephone calls to London to negotiate a financial settlement lead ing to the sale of Balmoral and Sandringham to his brother, King George VI. It was also agreed that he would receive £25,000 a year – the annu ity traditionally given to the younger brother of a sovereign. It was soon discovered that the Duke’s finances were not as meagre as the £100,000 he had told his brother. The Duke had in fact over £800,000 on deposit abroad, much of it controlled by Mrs Simpson. Negotiations would continue over the years.

Lownie reveals the endless telephone calls from the Duke to Wallis Simpson, who had ambitions of her own to make things uncomfortable in England and even “flit” to Germany where she continued to be in close contact with the Nazi movement and had “definite ideas as to dictatorship”. The situa tion was not helped by Wallis’s jealousy of Kitty Rothschild and the suspicion that the Duke was having an affair with her.

“On 9 March Wallis, with her maid Mary Burke and twenty-six pieces of luggage, moved to Chateau

de Candé, a fairytale castle of high towers, pointed turrets and Gothic doorways in the Loire, in prepa ration for her third wedding.”

– Andrew Lownie Traitor King

The 1508 chateau was sold in 1929 to Charles Bedaux, a Franco-American businessman reputed to be the fifth richest man in America. It was here that Wallis, who had changed her name to Wallis Warfield by deed poll, waited to hear if her mar riage to the Duke could go ahead.

On March 18, she got her answer when Sir Thomas Barnes, the Treasury Solicitor, announced that there had been no evidence of collusion and the marriage could proceed. But collusion did exist – Simpson having been caught in bed with his future wife Mary Raffray. But the King’s Proctor chose not to use it – nor a three-page memoran dum confirming Edward’s adultery with Wallis in Budapest in 1935.

“It was not a good portent for their marriage”.

– Andrew Lownie Traitor King

On May 3, 1937, Wallis’s decree absolute was made public and the Duke left immediately on the Orient Express from Salzburg. It was there at the Château de Candé, nine days later, that the couple listened to the Coronation Service of King George VI.

“... the mental image of what might have been and should have been kept forming, disintegrating, and re-forming in my mind.”

– Wallis Simpson

Wedding preparations continued, and on June 3, 1937 the Duke of Windsor finally married “the woman I love”.

* * *

A great part of Andrew Lownie’s well researched and timely book deals with the shock ingly traitorous pursuits of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor during and after the outbreak of the Second World War. She had already had a much publicised affair with the German ambassador Joachim von Ribbentrop (who sent her seven teen carnations a day in acknowledgement of the number of times they had slept together). Most incriminating is the information on the time the Duke and Duchess spent in Spain and Portugal in 1940 after the fall of France. The Duke, while negotiating with the British Government for a position of status, continued to be in touch with Hitler on the question of the formation of a new English government and the Conclusion of Peace with Germany (contingent with a military alli ance against the USSR), where the Duke would replace his brother as a puppet king in England in a Europe dominated by Hitler.

It was a problem for the British and Churchill sent a telegram to the Duke asking him to return to Britain as soon as possible. The Duke replied:

“I cannot agree to returning until everything has been considered and I know the result. In the light of past experience my wife and myself must not risk finding ourselves once more regarded by the British public in a different status to other members of my family.”

Lownie’s convincing argument is that the Wind sors were neither foolish nor naive, but actively engaged with the German intrigues.

Nevertheless, the Duke and Duchess were convinced to be taken by two flying boats of RAF Coastal Command to Saighton Grange in Chesh ire, which the Duke of Westminster had put at their disposal.

These plans were put into disarray when, on the very day they were due to fly back to Britain, Churchill, the Prime Minister, against the wishes of George VI, Queen Elizabeth and the Colonial Secretary, Lord Lloyd, offered the Duke a job –Governor of the Bahamas. It was a neat solution to a disintegrating situation, but a severe humilia tion for the former King Emperor, who had ruled a sizeable part of the world.

The appointment was made just in time. Sir Alexander Cadogan, the head of the Foreign Office, had received a memo from Reginald Leeper ... from an intelligence source in Prague:

“Germans expect assistance from the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, the latter desiring at any price to become Queen. Germany has been negotiating with her since 27 June. ... The Ger mans propose to form an opposition government with the Duke of Windsor, having first changed public opinion by propaganda. Germans think King George will abdicate during the attack on London.”

Intrigue followed intrigue, and on July 10, 1940 Baron Oswald von Hoyningen-Heune, the German ambassador to Portugal, reported to von Ribbentrop:

“... the appointment of the Duke as Governor of the Bahamas is for the purpose of keeping him away from England. ... the Duke intends to postpone his journey to the Bahamas as long as possible ... in the hope of an early (German) change in his favour.”

On the evening of August 1, 1940 the Windsors steamed out of Lisbon on the SS Excalibur. The same day, Hitler issued his directive No 17 order ing a full scale attack on Britain.

However, the Duke had already agreed that he would remain in continuing communication with his previous host and had agreed on a code word, upon receiving which he would immediately come back.

It was apparent that the Duke had not given up hope of returning to Europe.

• Sir Christopher Ondaatje is the author of The Last Colonial. He acknowledges that he has quoted liberally from Wikipedia; King Edward VIII: The Official Biography (1991) by Philip Ziegler; The Traitor King (2021) by Andrew Lownie, and 17 Carnations: The Windsors, The Nazis and the Cover-up (2005) by Andrew Morton.

THE DUKE and Duchess arrive in the Bahamas in 1940

THE DUKE and Duchess are greeted by Hitler during their tour of Nazi Germany in 1937

history

How Bahamians helped build Coconut Grove, Florida

MarvinDunn’s book “Black Miami in the Twentieth Century” (1997) paints a pic ture of the role Black people, many of them Bahamians, played in the development of the city of Miami.

Dunn writes of four historical events that brought Black people to Miami, starting with the 1880s collapse of the Bahamian economy, which forced thousands of Bahami ans to leave home to look for jobs.

Some went to the Florida Keys, particularly Key West, but the migra tion expanded along the Keys, all the way to Biscayne Bay. Some of these Bahamians settled in Lemon City, a small farming community, but by 1890 Coconut Grove had become a centre of Bahamian population, creating today’s distinctly Bahamian flavour of the area.

In the winter of 1894-1895, the southern states suffered a ‘Great Freeze’, with Jacksonville’s tem perature dropping to 14 degrees. Widespread crop damage caused both Blacks and whites to flee to Miami, and by the turn of the cen tury thousands of Black people had settled in small farming communities such as Florida City, Homestead and South Miami.

In 1896, Henry M Flagler’s Florida East Coast Railroad reached Biscayne Bay. The building of the railroad and the city required hard labour and thousands of Black work ers were happy to do the job.

From its very beginnings, Miami had a significant number of Black residents, of whom some 40 percent were Bahamians, and interestingly enough, when the vote to establish the City of Miami was taken, 162 of the 367 voters were Black.

Later, economic and political tur moil resulted in untold numbers of Black immigrants from Haiti.

Dunn says that Ebenezer Wood bury Franklin Stirrup (Sturrup), who was born on Eleuthera, was

the patriarch of the most-prominent Black family in Coconut Grove.

In 1888, at the age of 15, he and his family left the Bahamas to move to Key West, where Stirrup apprenticed under his uncle, learning woodwork ing and carpentry. After 10 years of working in the Keys, he returned to the Bahamas to marry his childhood

sweetheart – Charlotte Jane Sawyer – and bring her back to Florida.

In 1899, at the age of 25, Stirrup and his family resettled in Coconut Grove, where he worked as a chauf feur and farmhand, speculating in real estate and accumulating enough wealth to build a huge home for the family – the most impressive Black home in Coconut Grove.

In 1997, Dunn wrote that “it still stands today and is owned by Stir rup’s descendants.” (Having been restored, today it is a luxury vaca tion rental with five ensuite private bedrooms, welcoming common areas and a huge private garden)

Stirrup kept buying lots to build small, Bahamian-style rental houses, built by Stirrup and his wife, to rent to other Bahamians, giving the new arrivals an opportunity to save money and buy their own homes.

ONE of Coconut Grove’s historic gems, built by Bahamian EWF Stirrup in 1897

EBENEZER Woodbury Franklin Stirrup (1873 -1957)

animals

A very important arrival at the rainbow bridge

By KIM ARANHA Animal Matters

HeyMum, Chiefie here, I saw you looking a bit sad the other day. I heard you say to some body how you still miss me 16 months since I left you. You said that you miss my woof, and the feel of my soft fur.

I know you do, Mum, but you need to know

Is that I am always a wish away, we are all here watching over you, Mum. I was a bit concerned when that knife slipped when you were cooking yesterday (see, you didn’t know I was there did you?); glad you didn’t cut yourself.

There has been lots of excitement up here. The corgi community is pretty big and some of them are a bit snooty; they are special because they are royal. Well, the best surprise of all happened a few weeks back. We were all lolling around, playing a corgi game of catch, when suddenly, they stopped and started barking, wagging, and running around in circles. Then this lady appeared, with a scarf on her head, and a beautiful smile. They all rushed to her and she was so delighted to see them. The licks and wags and excitement was palpable. You could see how happy she was to be reunited with them.

There was one corgi in particular called Susan. She told us many times, that she was an 18th birthday gift to this lovely, smiling lady and stayed by her side for 15 long and impor tant years (the same amount of time I stayed with you Mum). She has been in rainbow bridge waiting for a long time, you should have seen how happy that little corgi was to be held and loved by her special human… almost made me, Chiefie, cry. And you know I am a pretty tough guy, well, OK, usually, except when I snuggled.

It was all very exciting because we then found out that this lady was the Queen, but for dogs every human who is good to us and loves us as we should be loved is a queen in our eyes. Anyway, this lady was a real, very hard-working queen, and she is now followed around by an absolute

army of dogs who adore her. I still haven’t figured out who the little bear with a blue coat and a red hat is who follows them all around all day, holding the queen’s hand ever so tightly... that will have to be for my next letter to you from rainbow bridge. I am thinking of going over to introduce myself soon.

Did you know that when you fly, Buddy, Boss and I put on our goggles

pet of the week

Calico Cat

and we fly above your plane making sure that the pilot misses bumps. We are always right there watching, and wagging. I love having my fourth leg back, too. So handy when I am in a hurry.

I see how close Bella and Garmin are with you now, so much closer than when we were five in the house. They never really had a chance to look in, by the time they came along

Buddy and I were “brother kings” … Boss came later but he was so big that he kind of eclipsed them too.

Bella is a funny little lady, being the only girl in the house for all those years she had to become pretty tough and forceful. Oh my, how she loved her Buddy. It was a very quiet love but truer than many. I noticed Mum that when Bud died, two things happened. One was that Bella would only sleep in Buddy’s bed from the day he came up here to join me, she never went back into her own bed and the other one is kind of funny. Bella was really quiet, and I notice, Mum, that now she talks all the time and even answers you back. She never “spoke” when Buddy was around. I asked Buddy about that and all he would do is laugh and shake his head, “Bella is a good girl”, he says, “the best”.

Meanwhile, a few updates: Archie is now head mud puddle and excava tions coordinator, a huge promotion, he never stops talking about his garden in Australia and how he loved playing with balls and getting as muddy as he could.

Nimba is still working with St Francis settling in the new arrivals.

Buddy found his sister, Berry, and they hang out for hours in the shade and swimming.

I found my sister Freckles; she is much smaller than me, but just as adorable.

Scruffy is still the star with his straw hat and glasses, and sweet little Snowy follows him around every where he goes…

By THE BAHAMAS HUMANE SOCIETY

Cali is one of many cats availa ble for adoption at the Bahamas Humane Society. This beauty is about one year old. She’s friendly with other cats and sociable with humans, too. Cali would love to find a home of her own with a sunny windowsill to bask in. If you’ve been looking for a cat to join your family, Cali might just fit the bill.

Come in to the BHS to meet her or call 325-6742 for more information.

Cali looks forward to meeting you.

If you can’t adopt, foster.

If you can’t foster, volunteer.

If you can’t volunteer, donate.

If you can’t donate, educate.

Help make a difference!

QUEEN Elizabeth II with her first Pembroke Welsh corgi, called Susan, given to her on her 18th birthday. (Photo/Lisa Sheridan/Hulton Archive)

(Photo/Linda Gill-Aranha)

community

Atlantis shines light on sickle cell

Whenthe sun goes down, the red light goes up at the entrance to Atlantis’ Royal and Coral Towers, in a bid to shine a light on a hered itary blood disorder which takes centre stage this Sickle Cell Awareness Month.

“We do not light up for every cause, but sickle cell disease is prevalent in people of African descent, our primary population in the Bahamas. Atlantis thought it important to bring awareness to SCD,” said Viana Gardiner, the resort’s vice president of public affairs and special projects.

According to the US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, sickle cell disease causes the body to produce crescent or sickle-shaped red blood cells. These cells have difficulty passing through small blood vessels and block normal red blood cells from entering tissue. Parts of the body that do not receive normal blood flow eventually

become damaged which could result in anemia, vision loss, chronic pain, deep vein thrombosis, infection, pulmonary embolism and stroke.

“We wanted to shine a light so that parents are aware they can get their newborns screened for sickle cell and begin to receive treatment earlier. We wanted to encourage people to participate in blood drives that are necessary to assist sickle cell patients in their pain management treatment and we wanted to inspire others to light it up and to donate funds to support the cause,” said Ms Gardiner.

The red lights, which went up last week, were due to debut earlier in the month. However, the resort took its lead from the state in observing a period of mourning for Queen Elizabeth II. The special lights will continue to illuminate select areas of the property for the remainder of the month.

“We are ecstatic that Atlantis saw it fitting to partner with us in raising awareness of Sickle Cell,” said Kristin Beneby, president of the Baha mas Sickle Cell Association.

“Corporate collaborations and public sector partnerships are essential if we are to improve the quality of life for persons living with SCD.”

The BSCA is a non-profit organisation that works to educate the public about Sickle Cell and its impact on patients, their families and caregivers.

The Association’s long-term goals include transforming sicklers’ hospital experience when seeking emergency care, expanding the organiza tion’s physical presence into more Family Islands and establishing a home to provide temporary accommodations for sickle cell warriors from the Family Islands travelling to New Providence for treatment.

ATLANTIS is bathed in red light in support of Sickle Cell Awareness Month this September.