Move over COVID-19, Alicja Hlibowicka’s bright and colourful bird art is ready to reinvigorate 2021 with positivity. Currently settled in Luxembourg, she has found a niche in her work that is as vibrant and fun as her own personality. Her roosters and chickens are displayed in bright, energetic and reflective images, each with their own distinct character.
Alicja hopes people who see her art will enjoy the colourful, fun elements and tap into the more rounded characters she gives her birds. In fact, the artist stumbled upon her art-form by accident, after looking for an animal that represented a close friend.
“My friend David is such a distinct, flamboyant character - I knew there had to be an animal that reflected his personality. A rooster seemed the perfect fit. These animals are proud but colourful and form such a part of our culture that it was easy to start seeing how I could paint other people and icons who have influenced me as roosters and chickens.” Alicja said.
"Mini Jackson Solo" by Alicja Hlibowicka
Ever since the history of mankind, roosters have symbolised so much: observance, masculinity, bravery, honesty, prudence, pride, strength, positivity, enthusiasm, and sexuality, all things that we as humans look for. But what is defines Alicja’s work is from others, is the story element which plays a vital component to her inspiration and final work. Often, this is reflected through a vignette of the real person’s life which she captures as a chicken or rooster (i.e. woman or man).
Alicja also incorporates everyday items into the rooster or chicken’s universe that is identified with the original subject. In her original artwork for David for instance, the real person was rarely without a cigarette, Alicja just could not paint the rooster any other way but with a cigarette between his beak.
"David - LED" by Alicja Hlibowicka
Since the first painting of David, Alicja has now a collection of over 15 originals based on friends’ colleagues, idols and icons, all themed as roosters or chickens. Her work has also expanded to LED and neon lamp versions, which have become favourites among her followers on platforms such as Etsy and Instagram as well as the attendees of her two art exhibitions held in Luxembourg before COVID-19. The lamps are as brightly coloured as her original art which inspired them.
“My painting ‘David’ is so popular I turned him into a LED version lamp, which shines beautiful colours. The colour, positivity and optimism told through my art would hopefully lift anyone, especially in these days where there have been so many restrictions on life.” Alicja said.
Alicja Hlibowicka
About Alicja Hlibowicka:
Alicja Hlibowicka is an emerging artist and the founder of Roosters and Art. She creates contemporary rooster art. She also works for a European Institution. Born in Tunisia to Polish parents, Alicja was raised in Canada. She has been painting for fun since she was a young child.
Alicja first created an art collection during secondary school. Later as a student, she continued to paint based on her mood and inspirations in life. She is chiefly inspired by people's personalities, fashion and colours. Her art depicts animals that emit human psychology. Alicja keeps it fun and colourful so it emits good energy.
Whether you mark holidays in December or not, typical winter customs are being disrupted. The pandemic has had a significant impact on society’s ability to connect and has also reduced individuals’ access to wellness-maintaining strategies and activities. For example, COVID-19 has limited and in some cases halted visits with loved ones, gatherings with friends and colleagues, and as cold weather comes, our options for outdoor activities will decrease.
A new perspective and approach may be required to get through this year’s holiday season.
Giving doesn’t have to be monetary. Messages of gratitude can be delivered throughout this pandemic to everyone working on the front lines, including health-care professionals, teachers, delivery services including post office outlets, and all of the those working in businesses like stores, pharmacies and restaurants. Thank you.
Rebooting and connecting
For many people, technology may be the only way to connect to others during the pandemic, and for some this might be the safest way to connect to family and friends over the holidays. (Pexels/Koolshooters)
For a bigger boost, think back to activities you loved as a kid, such as colouring, dancing, baking, singing at the top of your lungs.
We used to worry about how attached we were to our devices and particularly concerned about total screen time for kids. For many, this may be the only way to connect to others, and for some this might be the safest way to connect to family and friends over the holidays. It may be even more essential for those who live alone and/or who may have lost a significant person in their lives this year.
As we reflect on how to approach the holiday season, it’s important to scale our expectations and be compassionate with ourselves and others in these unusual times. We do need to make space for all of the emotions — good and bad — that we are experiencing. This may include frustration, anger, anxiety, sadness and disappointment.
It’s important to proactively set up activities and actions that can connect us to our humanness: expressing our kindness and gratitude to others, being in harmony with our technology, and trying to reconnect with moments and times in our lives that were meaningful or joyful.
About Today's Contributor:
Kerri Ritchie, Professional Practice Coordinator, Psychology, The Ottawa Hospital, & Clinical Professor, L’Université d’Ottawa/University of Ottawa and Caroline Gerin-Lajoie, Psychiatrist, Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry, University of Ottawa, and Executive VIce-President, Physician Wellness and Medical Culture, Canadian Medical Association
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license.
Santa's sleigh flying past the International Space Station on a precise digital twin of the Earth built by Cesium, a Philadelphia-based tech startup.
The North Pole has confirmed that Santa's sleigh will perform a ceremonial fly-by of the International Space Station (ISS) on December 24. The out-of-this world visit will honor the 20th anniversary of continuous life on the ISS, a milestone achieved in November.
The official NORAD Santa Tracker at NoradSanta.Org enables users to track Santa's journey all day on December 24. New for this year, visitors will be able to see the ISS orbiting the planet in its precise real-time location by zooming out on the 3D Santa Tracker app.
Other updates include additions to Santa's traditional garb, including a face mask, and for part of the journey - a space helmet.
NORAD, the North American Aerospace Defense Command, is a United States and Canada bi-national organization that defends North America by tracking objects flying in and around its airspace 24 hours a day using radar, satellites and fighter jets. Each year, it joins corporate partners in taking on a special mission to also track Santa's sleigh.
The app shows Santa's position reflected on a highly accurate digital twin of the Earth provided by Cesium, a Philadelphia-based geospatial software company.
"Cesium is rooted in aerospace, so it's especially meaningful to us that our technology will allow millions of people to enjoy this event in real-time from the safety of their homes," said Cesium CEO Patrick Cozzi.
"The ISS is a spectacular example of what humans can accomplish when we work together," said Hannah Pinkos, lead developer of the app. "2020 has been a tough year, but I think this special trip is Santa's way of reminding us to believe in ourselves."
Santa Claus Plans Socially Distant Visit to the International Space Station (Photo by cottonbro)
About Cesium - The Platform for 3D Geospatial:
Cesium has been providing the 3D geospatial platform that powers the NORAD Tracks Santa app since 2012. Born at aerospace software company AGI, an Ansys Company, Cesium became independent in 2019. Its open platform is used across industries to build applications using 3D location data collected from sensors like satellites and drones. By creating precise digital twins of the Earth with Cesium, users can understand the operations of smart cities, measure piles of soil on construction sites from thousands of miles away, and even track the location of Santa's sleigh in real-time as he travels around the globe.
The metal debut of David Hasselhoff has been released today!
After announcing this collaboration to the world at the end of October, CueStack finally published the song and music video of 'Through the Night' featuring David Hasselhoff on vocals.
Background Story:
'Through The Night' is a project that came to fruition after David openly expressed his interest in heavy music and big appreciation for his fanbase within that genre. His legendary performance at the Austrian Nova Rock festival showed the promise of something very special happening when these two worlds would finally collide.
As life-long David Hasselhoff fans, CueStack (Martin Kames, Bernth Brodträger) developed the vision for this unique project in 2018. After months of planning, meetings, songwriting and sketching out different ideas, they invited David to join them for a music- and video recording session in Vienna. Both the song and music video were recorded in April 2019 and David went back to California as CueStack and their team put together this vision during the following months.
After Martin contacted and briefed David, working tirelessly on creating an efficient schedule to pull all of this off on just one day, Bernth got to work on different demos and ideas for the song itself. 'Through The Night' was an idea for a song that Bernth wrote on the very first day of gathering material for the project. It already resembled the final result quite a bit but in regular CueStack fashion, many additional songs were created, exploring different artistic possibilities. Martin and Bernth eventually settled on the very first idea and demo and showed it to David.
CueStack & David Hasselhoff.
David liked the song right away but wasn't fond of the first set of lyrics. The song originally told the story of a lone wanderer in a dystopian future scenario, with intentions of capturing the entire journey in the music video, turning it into an epic short film. Without the images and story of the video in mind, the lyrics were too abstract for David's taste. So Bernth started from scratch to create the final lyrics, keeping only the original chorus. 'Through The Night' is now about pushing through dark times with hope and courage, fighting your way towards the light at the ending of the tunnel. This resonated with David immediately and still made it possible to work in themes of darkness and struggle into the lyrics, while keeping the focus on a positive message.
Due to the very limited timeframe of the music video shooting, CueStack turned the multiple basic sets into impressive, surreal and dystopian digital worlds afterwards. Bernth's background and previous experience as a graphic designer came in very handy for creating the digital sets, while Martin handled the extensive cutting process, editing and post-production of the final music video. With this quickly evolving workflow, they could turn those basic two-dimensional sets into vivid images and futuristic landscapes that further express the atmosphere and sound of the song.
After hundreds of phone calls made by Martin (including canceled video shoots, canceled recording dates, constantly changing crew/staff for the project, declined proposals, and much more) and many different songs, lyrics and pre-productions recorded by Bernth, the project finally came to fruition!
CueStack feat. David Hasselhoff – Through the Night (Official Music Video):
The collaboration started in 2018 and what seemed like an impossible idea slowly turned into a reality. The ultimate goal was to create a metal project with the most-watched man on TV, showing the world his heavy side. David recorded the track with CueStack in 2019 in Vienna where they also shot this epic music video together. CueStack conjured up a dystopian Sci-Fi world in the music video for 'Through the Night', continuing the cinematic style that was established with this year's first single 'Transhuman Generation'.
CueStack – Transhuman Generation (Official Music Video):
Another very well know special guest on this EP is Caleb Shomo, the singer and mastermind of the band 'Beartooth' who produced a retro synthwave remix of 'Through the Night'.
About CueStack:
The first full-length CueStack album 'Diagnosis:Human' will be released in 2021.
When the worlds of eccentric lighting / VFX designer Martin Kames and shred guitar content creator Bernth Brodträger collide, explosive music and art manifest in the form of CueStack. An unmistakable blend of metal and electronic music with well established sonic trademarks is the result, paired with an industrial, dystopian corporate identity that is ever-present in the band's cinematic music videos and artworks.
Martin Kames, David Hasselhoff, Bernth Brodträger
CueStack feat. David Hasselhoff – Through the Night is available on:
Fans of this unique collaboration can also get the extended 'Through the Night' Box Set: a Digipak CD featuring Caleb Shomo's (Beartooth) synthwave remix, as well as an unplugged version and 2 CueStack songs.
The Box Set also contains a unique poster, gym bag, autograph card and baseball cap.
Silhouette of a boy during sunset (Photo by Orlando Vera)
Researchers at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) have found elevated levels of a biomarker related to blood vessel damage in children with SARS-CoV-2 infection, even if the children had minimal or no symptoms of COVID-19.
They also found that a high proportion of children with SARS-CoV-2 infection met clinical and diagnostic criteria for thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA). TMA is a syndrome that involves clotting in the small blood vessels and has been identified as a potential cause for severe manifestations of COVID-19 in adults.
"We do not yet know the clinical implications of this elevated biomarker in children with COVID-19 and no symptoms or minimal symptoms," said co-senior author David T. Teachey, MD, an attending physician, Co-Leader of the Immune Dysregulation Frontier Program, and Director of Clinical Research at the Center for Childhood Cancer Research at CHOP. "We should continue testing for and monitoring children with SARS-CoV-2 so that we can better understand how the virus affects them in both the short and long term."
Most children infected with SARS-CoV-2 have mild or minimal symptoms, although a small proportion develop severe disease or Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C), a post-viral inflammatory response to COVID-19. Researchers have identified TMA mediated by the complement cascade as a potential cause for severe manifestations of COVID-19 in adults. The complement cascade is part of the immune system that enhances the immune response but also promotes inflammation. However, the role of complement-mediated TMA has not been studied in children.
To assess the role of complement activation in children with SARS-CoV-2, the Immune Dysregulation Frontier Program, including co-senior authors Edward Behrens, MD and Hamid Bassiri, MD, PhD and co-first authors Caroline Diorio, MD and Kevin McNerney, MD, analyzed 50 pediatric patients hospitalized at CHOP with acute SARS-CoV-2 infection between April and July 2020. Of those 50 patients, 21 had minimal COVID-19, 11 had severe COVID-19, and 18 were diagnosed with MIS-C. The researchers used soluble C5b9 (sC5b9) as a biomarker for complement activation and TMA. sC5b9 has been implicated as an indicator of severity in TMA after hematopoietic stem cell transplant; transplant patients with markedly elevated sC5b9 have increased mortality.
The researchers found elevations of C5b9 in patients with severe COVID-19 and MIS-C, but to their surprise, they also found that C5b9 was elevated in patients with minimal or asymptomatic disease. Although the study was prospective, meaning patients were enrolled and data collected from the time of hospitalization, the researchers obtained some of the laboratory data retrospectively when it came to evaluating whether they met the clinical criteria for TMA. Of the 22 patients for whom complete data were available, 19 (86%) met the criteria for TMA. Additionally, sC5b9 levels were elevated both in patients who did and did not meet criteria for TMA.
"Although most children with COVID-19 do not have severe disease, our study shows that there may be other effects of SARS-CoV-2 that are worthy of investigation," Dr. Teachey said. "Future studies are needed to determine if hospitalized children with SARS-CoV-2 should be screened for TMA, if TMA-directed management is helpful, and if there are any short- or long-term clinical consequences of complement activation and endothelial damage in children with COVID-19 or MIS-C. The most important takeaway from this study is we have more to learn about SARS-CoV-2. We should not make guesses about the short and long-term impact of infection."
Dr. David Teachey (right) and Dr. Edward Behrens (left), co-senior authors of the study.
The findings were published today in Blood Advances:
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia was founded in 1855 as the nation's first pediatric hospital. Through its long-standing commitment to providing exceptional patient care, training new generations of pediatric healthcare professionals, and pioneering major research initiatives, Children's Hospital has fostered many discoveries that have benefited children worldwide. Its pediatric research program is among the largest in the country. In addition, its unique family-centered care and public service programs have brought the 595-bed hospital recognition as a leading advocate for children and adolescents.
Award-winning, independent filmmaker, Antonio Arecibo recently announced he was deep into the production of a horror feature anthology entitled "Somnambular Tremors." An exploration of the profoundly frightening phenomenon known as false-awakenings, "Somnambular Tremors" will explore multiple characters in an interwoven narrative style similar to the "Creepshow" and "Tales From the Crypt" anthologies.
While thus far financing the project out-of-pocket, Antonio brings his signature one-man-production style to a genuine indie-film experience that has already generated early critical buzz.
False Awakenings: An Eternal Nightmare:
False awakenings happen when someone believes they have woken up from sleep, only to realize at some later point that they are still dreaming. Often a part of a larger, over-arching lucid-dreaming phenomenon, false awakenings are categorized as hybrid states, and can represent a significant psychological strain on an individual, who must often struggle through the delusions of wakefulness to reach conscious awareness. These struggles are all the more profound when sleepers are fighting to wake up not from a normal dream, but a nightmare. False awakenings are usually part of composite experience that can include lucid dreaming, sleep paralysis, and feelings of despair or foreboding.
"Dreams have fascinated mankind for thousands of years," said Antonio Arecibo. "They are normally a source of magic, joy, mystery, and can be a welcome escape from a life that is dull or painful. We're taught as children to follow our dreams as a source of inspiration, because the dream state comes with an inherent sense of positivity. And we also know that dreams aren't real – they eventually end and are always escapable, even when they turn bad. But what happens when that's no longer true? What happens when the dreamer and the dream merge as one? What happens if we can't wake up, and our nightmares follow us out into the real world? That's what I wanted to explore."
The Trailer:
About Filmmaker Antonio Arecibo:
A native of Puerto Rico, Antonio is a New York City based independent filmmaker who writes, directs and edits his own work, while also serving as a visual effects creator, cinematographer and producer. A one-man production crew, Antonio is skilled at working brilliantly and efficiently on a shoe-string budget, producing results that have high production values and critical acclaim potential. Arecibo has collaborated with Director/Producer Josh Taub on several projects, and is currently working on a short-film anthology that explores the mercurial nature of nightmares and false awakenings.
The Elf on the Shelf® and Elf Pets® Are Scarce but Can Still Be Found in Select Locations (PRNewsfoto/The Lumistella Company)
Breaking news from the North Pole Press Room! Santa is aware that families are having difficulty finding The Elf on the ShelfScout Elves and the Elf Pets this holiday season.
"The Scout Elves really are flying off store shelves this season," states The Lumistella Company president, Mike Champion. "But Adoption Centers across the nation remain open and a few still have Scout Elves and Elf Pets ready to be taken home."
"More families are searching for safe and innovative ways to provide entertainment for their children or to lighten the family's mood this year," notes The Lumistella Company Co-CEO Christa Pitts. "Though it might be difficult to find our products, I encourage families to look at Party City, Michael's, Target, and Barnes and Noble. Those retailers still have available but limited supply. I also suggest visiting elfontheshelf.com to find out how to support community businesses and shop locally. Our website lists all of our adoption centers through a store locator feature."
There are lots of ways to engage with The Elf on the Shelf this season. Families can visit the official The Elf on the Shelf YouTube channel for music videos and shorts, watch the Elf Pets movies on streaming services, or visit the website for fun, engaging Christmas recipes or elf inspiration. "We are devoted to helping families create more joyful family moments this holiday season," Ms. Pitts added.
The Elf on the Shelf Scout Elves and the Elf Pets are Santa's official helpers from the North Pole. With over 17 million Scout Elves and Elf Pets adopted worldwide, and with this year marking their 15th year in business, The Lumistella Company's banner of Christmas-inspired brands proves once and for all that while their products might be tricky to find, Christmas spirit is soaring higher than ever.
Henry Ford Health System is mounting a multi-media, multi-platform effort to encourage Michiganders to show their toughness and compassion through a renewed commitment to protecting those we love.
Nearly ten months into the pandemic, with disruptions to everyday life spreading "COVID-fatigue" almost as fast as the disease itself, Henry Ford Health System is mounting a multi-media, multi-platform effort to encourage Michiganders to show their toughness and compassion through a renewed commitment to protecting those we love.
The "Tough Love" campaign will launch publicly across TV and social media on Saturday, December 5, and later on radio and in print, acknowledging that, while it is not tough to wear a mask, wash your hands, or practice social distancing, "It's tough as nails to keep at it…months after we thought this thing would be behind us," to cancel holiday plans or to show your family and friends how much you love them by NOT seeing them.
"It's one thing to talk about infection and death rates, and repeating that people should wear masks, keep washing their hands and continue social distancing," said Heather Geisler, Henry Ford SVP and Chief Marketing, Communications and Experience Officer. "It's quite another to demonstrate in the starkest terms how we have endured and overcome past challenges as a community, and how we can be tough enough to get to the other side of this one. These individual acts of resolve will make all the difference."
Using archival images of other tough situations faced by Michiganders, including civil unrest in the 1960's, monstrous snow storms, as well as the determined and dedicated faces of Henry Ford frontline healthcare workers, the campaign calls on people to be tough and to persevere for the love of their neighbors, family and friends so that we can all celebrate the holidays next year "with no more empty chairs around the table."
In addition to radio, TV, print and social media, and Tough Love webpage, the campaign will also include other non-traditional efforts, including "Tough Love Letters" - an ongoing collection of select letters and notes from our frontline workers about the toughness they face on the front lines of the pandemic every day.
"At its core, this campaign acknowledges the fatigue we all feel and encourages perseverance, but it's also a love letter to our team members and those who are struggling," said Geisler. "We have been so inspired by the grit and compassion we've seen in our organization and our communities and we want to honor that."
The campaign comes on the heels of a mask advocacy campaign, launched last week by Henry Ford and HAP, to distribute more than 260,000 masks to employees, community groups, seniors, and corporate health partners. HAP is also distributing masks to members of its Medicare and Medicaid plans.
Office Decor Ideas For A Practical Workplace (Photo by bantersnaps)
Office decor is not generally a priority that the average office manager thinks about. You paint the walls a neutral colour and put in the furnishings you need, and you’re done, right? In fact, the decor you choose can make a big difference to the way your team feels and their ability to be productive.
Here’s how to decorate for a practical workplace.
Storage
Make sure you offer enough storage space. A lot of office managers think that they want a ‘clear desk’ policy for a paper-free office, but then don’t offer enough storage space for people to actually keep their desk surfaces tidy. As well as communal storage space for things like the stationery cupboard, individual employees need space to put things away too. Add sets of drawers under desks, or trays or boxes to go on desks. Stationery, paperwork, and personal items can be put away, keeping desks clear and free of distraction.
Safety
Remember to consider safety when you’re planning your office. The most common accidents in offices are trips and falls. Your storage will come in handy here, as clutter can be put away. Secure any trailing cables with trunking so people can’t get their feet caught, and consider finishing any stairwells with anti-slip stairs.
Lighting
The office needs to be well lit. Too bright and not bright enough can both cause problems like headaches and eye strain, especially for those looking at backlit computer screens all day. Get in as much natural light as you can, so avoid covering windows or opting for heavy blinds where possible. Overhead lighting shouldn’t be too bright. Instead, add task lighting on desks, so people can light their own workspace to the level they need, without struggling with glaring lights overhead.
Comfort
Comfort should be thought about in two ways. First, make sure that any workspaces have been set up in an ergonomic way. An ergonomic set-up will make a desk more comfortable to sit at for long periods and reduce the risk of back and shoulder pain. Make a workspace ergonomic by adding adjustable chairs, and extra items like footrests, wrist supports and stands for screens.
You should also think about comfort in a less practical way. Is there anywhere for employees to sit other than their desks? Some comfortable places to sit around the office, like sofas or banks of chairs. These spaces can be used on lunch breaks, as break-out spaces for meetings, or just somewhere quiet to sit away from the desk.
Personality
Offices don’t need to be stark. Most offices choose bland colours and don’t think much about adding extra items except maybe their logo on a wall. You can add some personality and make the space more interesting to be in by bringing your brand colours into your decor choices. Avoid boring corporate looking artwork, and instead display your best ad campaigns or other relevant artwork that says something about who your company is. This looks more interesting for employees and visiting clients alike.
Three Monkeys' (DCI Jack Callum Mysteries Book 1) By Len Maynard - Blog Tour Banner
The Book:
Three Monkeys (DCI Jack Callum Mysteries Book 1) By Len Maynard
Publication Date:22nd July 2020
Publisher:Sharpe Books
Page Length:270 Pages
Genre:Historical Crime
The Blurb:
1958.
A girl’s body is found in Hertfordshire.
Her eyes and mouth have been sewn shut. Candle wax has been poured into her ears to seal them.
DCI Jack Callum, policeman and dedicated family man, who cut his teeth walking the beat on the violent streets of London, before moving his family away from the city, to a safer, more restful life in the country, leads the investigation into this gruesome crime that shatters the peace of the sleepy English town.
Images of three monkeys are sent to the police to taunt them: see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil. Something more sinister than a mere isolated murder seems to be going on as more victims come to light.
Who is doing this and why?
At the insistence of the first victim’s father, a local dignitary, officers from Scotland Yard are brought in to bring about a speedy conclusion to the case, side-lining Jack’s own investigation.
In a nail-biting climax, one of Jack’s daughters is snatched. Before she can become the next victim, Jack has to go against the orders of his superiors that have constantly hampered his investigation, and risk his own career in an attempted rescue at the killer’s own home.
Three Monkeys: the first DCI Jack Callum Mystery - Excerpt:
Frances Anderton let herself out of the Blainey house and took a deep lungful of the warm, summer air. She walked down the crazy-paved path, through the gate and out into the tree-lined street. It was early, not yet seven. Hopefully, she would be home before breakfast.
She walked briskly along the street, before turning into Glendale Road, an equally leafy thoroughfare. A milkman trundled by, milk bottles rattling in the crates stacked on his float, but apart from him there didn’t seem to be anybody about. She crossed the road and took the small lane that led to Riverdale Avenue, a few streets away from her parents’ house.
She was regretting the argument she’d had with her father the previous evening that led to her being sent away by her mother to stay with family friends. It was to keep her out of the way of her father’s unpredictable temper – not that he’d ever hit her, but last night he had come very close to it. All because of that stupid dress, her desire to wear it, and his unreasonable demand that she should not.
It wasn’t as if she was a child. She was fourteen, for heaven’s sake. She should be allowed to dress how she liked, not be confined to the gymslips and ankle socks which, if her father had his way, would be all she was ever allowed to wear. She wouldn’t, couldn’t, stay his precious little girl forever. He should let her grow up. Her older sister hadn’t had these problems, she was sure. Fiona was wearing what she chose, going out to parties, mixing with boys, and father didn’t make her life miserable.
Along the road a young man was crouching down beside a gleaming, two-tone blue motor scooter. He appeared to be tinkering with the engine.
“Hello,” the young man said as she walked past. “It’s Frances, isn’t it?”
She was taken aback for a moment. “Yes,” she said, hesitantly. “How do you know who I am?” He was smartly dressed in a fawn jacket and cream slacks. His fair hair was short, neatly parted and combed, and he was very good looking. He was smiling at her, at her. She was not at all confident with boys, remaining very much in her sister’s much more glamorous shadow. Suddenly she was very aware of the wire braces on her teeth, her freckled face, and her unruly shock of ginger hair.
“You’re Fiona Anderton’s sister, aren’t you?”
“Are you a friend of Fiona?” she said.
“Yes, Fiona and I go back a long way. Derek Webster,” he said, and stuck out a hand.
She shook the hand. “Very pleased to meet you,” she said.
“Likewise, I’m sure. What do you think of the scooter?” he said. “I’ve only had it a few weeks.”
“It’s very…smart,” she said.
“It’s more than smart,” he said. “It’s a Phoenix, designed by the great Ernie Barratt, made with an all steel body and a 150cc engine. There’re not many of these around.”
She made a show of admiring the motor scooter, but not really sure what she was supposed to be admiring.
“Would you like a go?” he said.
“I…I don’t know how.”
He laughed. “Not to ride it,” he said. “I’ll take you for a spin, if you like, on the pillion.”
She shook her head. “I’d better not,” she said.
“Don’t you trust me?” he said. “Don’t you think I can ride it properly?”
“No,” she said. “It’s not that. I’m sure you ride very well.”
“Then where’s the harm?”
She glanced down at her Timex Alice in Wonderland wristwatch and felt immediately embarrassed by the childish timepiece. She pulled down the sleeve of her blouse to hide it. “I don’t want to be late for breakfast,” she said.
“You worry too much,” he said. “Your sister doesn’t…” He let the sentence fade away.
“All right then,” she said, rising to the unspoken challenge. “Take me for a ride on your wonderful Phoenix.”
“Well done,” he said. “Just hop on and hold onto my waist. I’ll have you home in time for breakfast.” He straddled the machine and steadied it as she climbed aboard.
Once she had settled behind him on the pillion, and wrapped her arms around his waist, he kick-started the scooter and eased it forward off its stand. Moments later they were heading down the street.
“Not too fast,” she called above the engine’s noise.
“Just relax,” he called back, “and when I lean into a bend, follow my lead and lean the same way.”
Within minutes they had left the leafy streets behind and were heading into a part of town she didn’t recognise. The neat houses with their tidy gardens were replaced by warehouses and factories guarded by yards of chain-link fencing.
“Where are we going?” she called.
“Away from traffic,” he called back. “I want to show you what this beauty can do.” He twisted the accelerator. The engine rose in pitch and she felt herself pushed back by the sudden turn of speed. She held onto his waist even tighter.
The scent of his hair oil was strong, almost overpowering, and she turned her face away from his neck to take a lungful of fresh air.
“I think I’ve had enough now.”
He didn’t answer. They had entered a long straight stretch of road and he increased their speed still further.
“I’d like to go home,” she said, but her words were whipped away on the air buffeting her face.
Still he was ignoring her.
Seconds later they were leaving the chain-link behind and entering more streets with houses.
“I want to go back, now,” she called.
Finally, he acknowledged her. “Yes, of course.” They were slowing down to a more sedate speed. “I just have to make a stop and then I’ll take you straight home.”
“Thank you,” she said with relief.
He steered them along a tree-lined avenue and then took a left turn, into a drive belonging to a large Victorian house that stood alone from its neighbours, surrounded by high privet hedges. He drew up outside the house and switched off the engine.
“I just have a call to make,’ he said, pulling the scooter up on its stand and dismounting.
“Should I come with you?” she said.
“No, you wait here. I’ll only be a moment.”
She watched him as he trotted up the steps to the front door of the house and inserted a key in the lock.
The door swung inwards and he disappeared inside.
She sat there on the pillion of the scooter and looked at her watch again. It had only been twenty minutes since he had offered her a ride, but to her it seemed much longer, and she was starting to wish she had never accepted his offer. She wanted to be at home, enjoying breakfast with her mother and sister, and building bridges with her father. Being a rebel didn’t sit comfortably with her.
She glanced at her watch again and was just about to dismount to see how long he was going to be. She had one foot on the ground when she was grabbed roughly from behind and something, a rag or a pad that smelled sweet and sickly, was clamped tightly over her nose and mouth. She tried to cry out, but whoever had grabbed her was too strong, and she was hauled backwards off the scooter. She flailed her arms and kicked out with her sandaled feet, her foot connecting with the rear end of the scooter, gashing her toe.
She was trying to pull air into her lungs, but the sickly-sweet aroma was all she could smell, and it was making her head spin. Gradually, as several minutes passed, her struggles grew weaker and her strength ebbed away from her. As she was dragged back over the ground her feet kicked weakly, but her arms just hung uselessly at her sides. Consciousness was slipping away, and her eyes started to close, until all she could see was the green blur of the privet hedges, and the crisp blue of the sky above her. And then they closed completely, and she sunk down into darkness.
Len Maynard
Author Bio:
Len Maynard was born in North London in 1953.
In 1978, a book of short ghost stories, written in collaboration with Michael Sims, was published by London publisher William Kimber. For the following forty years the pair wrote ten more collections of ghost stories before moving into novels in 2006, completing over thirty more books, including the successful Department 18 series of supernatural/crime crossover novels as well as several standalone novels and novellas in the supernatural and crime genres.
Always a keen reader of crime novels, and with a passion for the social history of the twentieth century it was fairly inevitable that, when he decided to branch out and write under his own name, some kind of combination of these two interests would occur.
The six DCI Jack Callum Mysteries were the result of several years of total immersion in the world he created for Jack Callum, his family, his friends (and enemies) and his work colleagues.
He has also written a trilogy of adventure thrillers set in the Bahamas (also available from Sharpe Books)
He is currently at work on the seventh book in the DCI Jack Callum series
Some Ms. Marvel comic storylines have revealed her as a well-rounded character while others have advanced Islamophobic themes. (Marvel)
Amid the stress of a rising second wave of COVID-19, comic book fans found something to celebrate this September. Marvel Studios announced the casting of its first on-screen Muslim superhero, Kamala Khan, the alter-ego of Ms. Marvel.
It should be no surprise then that Marvel Studios decided to capitalize on this success and signed Kamala for her own TV series on Disney+ for an anticipated debut in late 2021 or early 2022.
As a researcher who has examined Muslim superheroes in American comics, I find Kamala to be the most intriguing of all American Muslim superheroes. She has an ability to destabilize stereotypes of Muslims while reinforcing ideas about American exceptionalism. In the hands of different writers in various comic iterations, she has appeared as multi-dimensional and stereotype-breaking, but also as a one-dimensional figure that advances Islamophobic themes.
Kamala Khan is a Pakistani American who speaks Urdu. Panel from Volume 1, digital edition. (Marvel)
Muslim characters post 9/11
It may seem that Marvel Studios is taking a big risk spotlighting a Muslim character when we are living in a time of rising anti-Muslim hatred in the West. But while there has been a resurgence of Muslim superheroes in American comics after 9/11, some of these representations reiterate stereotypes.
Muslim characters underwent a mini-makeover in popular culture after 9/11. Characters emerged from being buffoonish villains to figures who gave off the appearance of depth while simultaneously regurgitating stereotypes. American studies and ethnicity scholar Evelyn al Sultany coined the term “simplified complex representation” to describe this approach in her book, Arabs and Muslims in the Media: Race and Representation After 9/11.
Certainly, Muslim superheroes were a thing before 9/11. But after 9/11, a spate of Muslim superheroes emerged, including characters like the orientalized Sooraya Qadir (Dust), who appeared in New X-Men in 2002, Simon Baz, member of the Green Lantern Corps featured in Green Lantern, and Josiah X who first appeared in The Crew. This is fascinating to me since superheroes often function as patriotic symbols, and Muslims are regarded as the quintessential “other” because Islam is usually framed as incompatible with the West.
After reading Sooraya Qadir’s debut, it became obvious to me that comics found a new way to sensationalize Muslim representation.
Enter Kamala Khan
To me, Kamala seemed to be the rare glimpse of hope that existed on the other side of the rainbow if we just characterized Muslims — who make up almost one-quarter of the world’s population — as something more nuanced. And she delivered on that front, particularly in her early days.
Readers met her as a Pakistani American that spoke Urdu. This means we saw representation of Muslims in the West escape the frequent stereotypical assumption that all Muslims are Arabs and vice versa.
This panel from Ms. Marvel, Volume 1, digital edition, written by G. Willow Wilson and illustrated by Adrian Alphona, depicts Kamala Khan as a believable character in a possible real-world setting. (Marvel)
Later in Magnificent Ms. Marvel #13, written by the Arab American writer, Saladin Ahmed, the sole focus shifted away from Kamala Khan when an Arab American sidekick named Amulet was introduced.
Successful sales, popularity
In Ms. Marvel’s earlier volumes written by the Muslim writer, and white Muslim convert, G. Willow Wilson, we saw Kamala anointed with her superhero mantle to the tune of Amir Khusro’s poetry. We saw her juggle her schedule between battles and mehendis, and even got a glimpse of her great-great grandmother’s move from India to Pakistan during Partition.
I remember thinking that this Urdu-speaking Muslim powerhouse could be the start of a new type of Muslim character. She was proof that creators didn’t need to recycle the tireless oppressed Muslim woman or terrorist Muslim male tropes for sales.
G. Willow Smith discusses Kamala Khan as ‘A Superhero for Generation Why.’
Introducing Islamophobic themes
But following the success of the Ms. Marvel series, Kamala appeared in Marvel’s Champions series about a team of teenage superheroes. Perhaps Marvel intended to further boost the popularity of the already-successful Ms. Marvel series by bringing in Mark Waid, a high-profile non-Muslim white writer, who authored the popular comic series (and award-winning graphic novel) Kingdom Come and others.
Here, Kamala is effectively used as a racist weapon against brown men and is depicted to suggest proof of western superiority. Sadly enough, I was concerned she could be used this way before she actually was.
I was reminded that such tropes may exist simply because of implicit bias as opposed to profitability.
Celebrate and watch
Kamala’s selfie with Wolverine, from ‘Ms. Marvel’ Volume 2, digital edition. (Marvel)
For now, we should celebrate the debut of Marvel Cinematic Universe’s first Muslim superhero. I have hope that the Disney+ series will do her justice as its showrunner is the stand-up comedian and writerBisha K. Ali, known for incisive commentary.
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