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Arts & Entertainment, Sports
D. Wade's Crossover
| March 12, 2013
His feet propped up on a conference table, Dwayne Wade is chilling in his hotel suite in downtown Indianapolis, anticipating the start of a grueling six-game road trip that begins in a few hours against the Pacers and ends a week later in Los Angeles against the Lakers. At the moment, the 31-year-old Wade looks every bit a model of NBA servitude: the 6-foot-4-inch superjock sent in by the leagues central casting, clad in sweats and Miami Heat hoodie, surrounded by the best-selling high-performance manual Clutch: Excel Under Pressure, on proud display.
But these days, Wade actually has a lot more on his mind — and calendar — than hoops. When he's not leading LeBron & Co. on the court, he's busy building an impressive business empire of his own design, whether it's inking a sneaker deal in China; endorsing products for various U.S. partners in the beverage, snack, jewelry, or apparel industries; promoting his book, A Father First; or just generally weighing the myriad other opportunities that continue to proper his band to a whole new level.
Call it D.Wade's crossover, the remix. "There's noting like winning an NBA championship," says Wade, owner of two title rings with the Miami Heat, earned in 2006 and 2012. "But being successful in business is gratifying, too. It's challenging, for sure, and doesn't necessarily help you sleep at night, but it's gratifying," he says while chuckling. "But like they say, 'mo' money, mo' problems.' Nothing is truer than that statement."
It's also the that the NBA, or any professional sports league for that matter, doesn't have a history of spawning winning Black business figures. Sure, there are some success stories (e.g., Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan), but it's mostly the cautionary tales of gifted athletes who earn millions, only to blow them on fancy cars, big houses, gambling, drugs, and enough baby mamas to cast a realty show that make headlines. The roster of lose-it-all jocks is too long to list here but includes such greats at Mike Tyson, Terrell Owens, Lawrence Taylor, Evander Holyfield and Allen Iverson.
Wade is working overtime to keep his name off that list. "Those are the guys we learn from," said Wade, whose estimated $65 million net worth ranks him among Forbes' richest celebrities. "It's scary. You know I played with Antoine Walker but didn't see any signs of [anything wrong]. Then two or three years later, [he] winds up bankrupt." Walker, who won an NBA championship with the Miami Heat before joining the Boston Celtics, has spoken openly about blowing through $110 million over his 13-year career and pleaded guilty last year in Nevada to having more than $750,000 in unpaid gambling debts.
Of course, you might say Wade, Inc. is rolling its own kind of dice — as evidenced by its namesake's gusty move recently to break from vaunted Nike — and yes, Brand Jordan, to sign with Chinese footwear making Li-Ning. Wade reportedly will earn $10 million per year during the 10-year contract and receive significant equity in the company. Although Li-Ning, founded by the Olympic gold metal gymnast of the same name, boasts huge popularity in China (ranking second in the market behind Nike), you'd be hard pressed to find an American who ever heard of the brand. Wade's bet: that he can earn Li-Ning street cred on the urban U.S. blacktop while amassing some brant cachet in China, where the NBA and Western culture generally are enjoying a youth lovefest.
Li-Ning execs see huge promise in their new American ambassador. "Kids here are looking to consume all things Western," says Brian Cupps, Li-Ning's vice general manager for basketball during a phone interview from Beijing, China. "We're not well-known in the U.S., so bringing on D. Wade puts us in a great position. For the NBA to go global, they have to win China, and for Li-Ning to go global, we have to win the United States. D. Wade has the celebrity and superstar power to help us do that."
As Wade puts it: "The easiest thing to do would have been to sign back with Jordan and just be on the roster. But athletes get older, and the things I was looking for were not with Nike. Sure, I am taking a risk in terms of being part of the cool factor. I mean, Jordan and Nike are the cool factor. But I have to open up my mind to the opportunity to build my future and empire."
Wade's defection to the Great Wall means not only a "significant" amount of financial equity in publicly traded Li-Ning, which was founded in 1990, but his first serious cooperate title, chief bran officer, a role that gives him influence in setting the tone and direction of all Wade products. Among his first moves at the company: tapping Cuban-American designer Alejandro Ingelmo as creative consultant for special projects and assigning him to design two off-court fashions sneakers to be launched this spring.
"I write my own ticket," Wade says. "I sign athletes, look around the league and see whose contract is coming up. I talk to our designers, owners — not just about my brand but about how the overall business of Li-Ning is doing."
Wade's journey to this point has been anything but smooth, and its bumps are well chronicled. There was his mother's drug addiction that landed her in prison; a high divorce profile; and a bitter custody battle for his two young sons Zaire, 11, and Zion, 5. And, of course, there's that tidal wave of tabloid fodder about his romance with actress Gabrielle Union.
For his part, Wade chalks it all up to the steepest of learning curves: the evolution of a well-intentioned-if-not-naive NBA upstart into worldly business man. To dramatize just how far has traveled, Wade hops up, grabs his iPhone and starts scrolling through pictures. He finds the shot, circa 2003, snapped shortly after he decided to leave Marquette after his junior year to enter the NBA draft. It was around that time that he took a $300,000 advance from his agent and bought, among other things, a pimped-out Cadillac Escalade.
He peers at the photo while laughing: "It was so ghetto-looking: a blue Escalade with the blue 26-inch rims," he says. "But that's how I started my [professional] life. As soon as I got my money, I was like, 'I'm doing what I want.' I also wanted to fix my credit and make sure my mom had a place to live because she was just out of jail. So that's what I did."
He shrugs and adds, deadpan: "Being first-generation rich is tough."
President Barack Obama Joins NBA Africa As a Strategic Partner
Wade also wanted to open a Miami sports bar and partnered with a group of local business people to pull it off. The honeymoon into entrepreneurship was short-lived. Before D.Wade's place served up a single burger, his partners were suing him, demanding more cash, and then he had to walk away from the venture.
In 2010, Wade settled the dispute for an undisclosed amount. Lesson learned: When you're negotiating a business deal, bring along more than your crew of inexperienced homies. "I didn't put the right legal team behind me," he says. "We didn't do our due diligence."
He reflects further on this lapses. "When you first come into the league, all you want to do is play basketball, and you don't think about how important your name is," Wade says. "You're on top of your finances and you don't ask questions because you don't want to look dumb. But now, I'm asking questions. [Or I say] 'I don't understand what this means.' I mean, it's my money — I better ask."
These days, when Wade steps into meetings, he's fully prepared and engaged whether it's with sponsors such as beverage giant Gatorade, watchmakers Hublot, snack company Pepperidge Farms or his team at the Dwayne Wade Fantasy Basketball Camp. "Dwayne is a consummate athlete partner," says Josh Shaw, founder and president of Mission Athletecare, a maker of personal-care products designed by athletes including Wade, who owns shares in the company. "He has great maturity, thoughtfulness and intellect, and he's always checking in with questions and ideas for improvement."
D.Wade's latest Mission innovation: Court Grip, a traction enhancer applied to the bottom of sneakers for indoor athletes, sold in 20,000 U.S. stores. "A lot of courts I go on are slippery, and so I wanted to develop something food for gripping," Wade says. "The deal with Mission is good because not only am I an equity partner, but I'm also helping build the company."
In the end, that's the new philosophy at the center of Wade's world. "I want more for my line of the Wades coming up: to build a legacy away from basketball," he says. "And I want to get my passions out. So that's what I'm doing — more than anyone ever probably thought I would."


On Thursday morning a mass in memory of the late John Joe Galvin was held in the college church. The mass was attended by all 6th year students, friends of John Joe from other classes and many of the school's staff. John Joe was remembered through music, readings, photographs and a moving powerpoint presentation recalling the fun loving, good natured young man who was a devoted son and brother, who had a large coterie of friends and who had a great zest for life. May he rest in peace.
Those 6th years studying Art were busy on Thursday and Friday as the practical section of the examination took place. A variety of techniques and materials were put to use as some welded, others sketched and more worked with clay and made lino cuts. Good luck too all of them.
On the subject of art, well done to Mark Mansfield who received a Certificate of Commendation for his entry to the prestigious Texaco Art competition.
A group of students with a particular interest in equestrian sports were priveleged to visit the hallowed Ballydoyle on Tuesday afternoon where they were treated to a tour of the facilities of what is perhaps the premier horse training facility in the world. Currently housing such stars So You Think, Fame And Glory and leading Derby contender, Recital, the place is seeped in tradition and is spectacular in its lay out and scope. Many thanks to the staff there for accommodating our visiting party.
1st years Kenneth O'Connor and Donagh O'Connor in Ballydoyle.
The U-14 hurlers put up a brave display in the Leinster semi final on Wednesday before succumbing by 1 goal to a strong Kilkenny CBS side. A huge effort has been put in by players and mentors, Mr Purcell and Mr Wall, and no doubt the fruit of their labours will be seen in the years to come.
Another group of young hurlers took part in a St Kierans College blitz on Tuesday with one team emerging top of their group and the other second. Well done and thanks to all the Juvenile hurlers and coaches.
And finally a mention of a past pupil making waves in the world of music, namely Michael Stafford aka Maverick Sabre who recently appeared on 'Later with Jools' and who next week plays support to Snoop Dogg on his British tour. His recent album release is available to buy on itunes while his 'Jools' appearance can be viewed on youtube. Best of luck to him.


The Security Industry Joint Labour Committee (JLC) recently confirmed its representatives which will begin negotiations on an employment regulation order (ERO) in June.
The Irish Security Industry Association (ISIA), which represents 70 per cent of the industry has had three representatives confirmed to participate as members of the JLC. The three confirmed represenatives are ISIA Guarding Division Chairman, Alan Durnan of Brinks Ireland. Durnan served as a represenative on the previous JLC prior to the high court ruling in July 2011 which deemed JLC's unconstitutional. John O'Donoghue, Vice Chairman of the ISIA's Guarding Division, will also take a seat on the JLC. O'Donoghue who is Group CEO of NOONAN held a seat on the Joint Industrial Committee (JIC) which negotiated the Registered Employment Agreement (REA) that the future ERO is likely to be heavily based on. Jim Dolan of ISS will hold the ISIA's third seat and has extensive experience in this area from his involvement in the negotiations of the cleaning industries REA.
Negotiations are expected to commence before the end of June.


Jetboil all started in 2001 with a simple idea. To create an outdoor cooking utensil that was lightweight, efficient and ergonomic. They alternated between the mountains and the lab and came out with a range of products that are as reliable as they're remarkable.
Back country cooking was revolutionised in 2001 by Dwight Aspinwall and Perry Dowst when they created a compact and efficient cooking stove like no other called Jetboil.
Using Fluxring Technology which is small metal folds in the Flux base of the cooker, creating a greater surface area enabling boiling times to be quicker and improving fuel efficiency. This new type of stove was introduced at the 2003 Outdoor Retailers Trade Show and the company hasn't looked back since.
Jetboil make three kinds of cooking systems depending on usage; Fast boil gas, Precision stoves with gas and liquid fuel and propane gas Basecamp systems. The company is headquartered in Manchester, new Hampshire in the U.S and distribute all over the world.
The compact Zip model is particularly popular with backpackers, Scout groups and the military, whilst the others are ideal for campers and travellers. For those that love their coffee first thing in the morning, Jetboil even make a coffee press along with other useful cooking utensils and accessories.


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News Courts
'I cry myself to sleep every night' - court hears of lasting impact of Hellfire Club knife attack
The Central Criminal Court
Natasha Reid
July 3 2018 10:16 AM
A judge has praised a young man and woman for preventing the death of their friend, who received a four-inch stab wound to his chest from a man 'in the throws' of a psychotic episode.
https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/courts/i-cry-myself-to-sleep-every-night-court-hears-of-lasting-impact-of-hellfire-club-knife-attack-37075177.html
https://www.independent.ie/incoming/9bdf0/37075243.ece/AUTOCROP/h342/ccjindo.jpg
Mr Justice Michael White made his comments yesterday at the sentence hearing of a father-of-one, who pleaded guilty to attempting to murder the teenager, who was camping with friends at a popular hiking spot.
Michael Corbett (28), with an address in Raheny in Dublin, admitted the attempted murder of the 17-year-old on June 27, 2016 at the Hellfire Club on Dublin's Montpelier Hill.
Luán Ó Braonáin SC, prosecuting, told the Central Criminal Court that the guilty plea had been entered on the basis that two other counts would be taken into consideration. Corbett had also been charged with assault causing the harm of the teenager's then girlfriend and their male friend; they were both 18.
Garda Pauline Glennon of Tallaght Garda Station testified that the three teeangers had gone camping. The young woman's mother dropped them to the car park on the Killakee Road around lunchtime and they had hiked up the hill.
She told Mr Ó Braonáin that they had set up their camp beside the ruin of the hunting lodge, pitching their tent and setting a fire. The 17-year-old had a knife in a sheath to cut branches.
She explained that the three had noticed the accused, who had set up camp 50 metres away. He had approached to introduce himself and they'd sat around the campfire chatting for a couple of hours.
It was decided that more firewood was needed and the 17-year-old went off to find some. The accused went with him, while the other two teenagers went off in another direction.
Unbeknownst to the three, Corbett had taken the knife with him.
As the 17-year-old was about to get firewood, he was grabbed from behind by the accused, who put his left hand across his mouth and attempted to cut his throat with the knife.
He was sliced across the throat three times before he managed to push his attacker away. He fell to the ground and Corbett then stabbed him in the chest. The knife broke, leaving the blade embedded in his chest.
The knife no longer being useful, Corbett picked up a log and hit the teenager on top of his head with it.
The other two friends noticed that something was happening and attempted to intervene.
The young woman was first on the scene, where Corbett punched her to the face. She was knocked to the ground and pulled by her hair.
The third teenager was also assaulted. He told gardai that the accused was annoyed that they'd had a knife, asking them why they'd had it and accusing them of trying to attack him.
He was told that they had it for camping and that they'd leave and he could keep the knife if he wanted.
However, he then started stamping on his first victim's head and pulling his hair. The two other teenagers again tried to go to his aid, but Corbett knocked the young man to the ground and began to stamp on his head too.
He escaped and managed to run for help. He came across people near the ruin but the accused followed and suggested that he was the person being attacked.
Corbett ran off into the forest once the emergency services were called. The gardai were given his first name and a description, including the fact that he had a Mohican-style haircut.
The 17-year-old was treated for a stab wound to his chest, blunt trauma to his head and lacerations to his face, neck, and eye. He had remained conscious and the blade was removed from his chest with ultrasound guidance.
The judge was shown photos of his injuries as well as those of the other two victims.
Gardai eventually located the accused near the scene and he gave a false name. When asked if he had been involved in a row, he said that he had been attacked by two fellas and a girl, whom he described as 'weirdos', He said that one of the males had a knife.
During his garda interviews, he said he'd got 'a strange vibe off the tall fella'. He said he'd noticed the knife on the ground and had put it in his pocket.
He said he felt the three were having 'a coded conversation, fairly strange,' and that they didn't seem to be the nice teens he'd thought they were. He said the conversation had turned a bit dark and that he got a bad vibe off the person he described as the leader.
He agreed that he had assaulted each of the three, hitting one of the males in the head with a tree stump and pushing and punching the girl in the face. However, he said he didn't think he had stabbed anyone.
When asked why he thought these three people would attack him, he replied that they were three 'effing loop the loops. It was just weird'.
He has been in custody since, spending much of that time in the Central Mental Hospital.
The barrister then read victim impact statements prepared by his three victims.
The youngest man described the four-inch stab wound to his chest muscle, as well as the other physical injuries.
He said that he had since become more distrusting of strangers and has difficulty communicating with new people. He has increased anxiety and has experienced some vivid flashbacks.
He described a huge rush of shock and panic when the attack began.
"He didn't say anything. He just started to slice my throat," he recalled, explaining that he had remained conscious throughout.
"I felt like this was the end and almost accepted myself that this was when I was going to die," he added.
He said that he was now much more wary of strangers and what they might be capable of, especially as his attacker had spent time chatting with them.
He said that he'd decided against professional psychiatric help for financial reasons, but hoped to pursue this in the future.
The young woman said that she had been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and had suffered night terrors. She has seen numerous counsellors, but is still 'completely and utterly paranoid' even with friends and family.
She has lost friendships, relationships and her dream job.
"I can't look anyone in the eye and can't trust anyone," she said. "I can't walk down the street on my own. I cry myself to sleep every night."
She said she now lacked trust in people, including those she loves.
"I'm afraid to be alone," she said. "I hate myself because of this."
She said she used to be a person people looked up to.
"Now I feel like a nobody, worthless, sh*t," she concluded.
The third victim said he was struck with shock and required valium to calm down after the attack. He had also been diagnosed with PTSD, required counselling for several weeks and was confined to his house for several weeks.
He, too, needs to have others in his company and has lost jobs and close friends.
"I now live thinking it will happen again," he said.
Michael Bowman SC, defending, handed in the report of a forensic psychiatrist, who said his client suffered from a deep-seated mental illness, paranoid schizophrenia, and that he'd had an acute psychotic episode that day.
He had been sectioned six months earlier, he noted.
The judge said that the three teenagers were engaged in the innocent pastime
of camping in an area known by many Dubliners as a nice place for a summer's evening walk.
He said they had been confronted by a man 'in the throws of a very serious mental illness'. One of them had been very close to losing his life.
"His young friends had to witness it and, displaying wonderful courage, came to his assistance," he said. "I must commend them for preventing what would have been either lifelong injuries... or in fact his death."
He also said that it was clear from the reports that Corbett's mother had been 'stretched to her wits' end' and was doing her best to get him help.
He said the court would reflect on the sentence until the 16th of July. Dressed in a black tie and white shirt tucked into grey tracksuit bottoms, Corbett was remanded in custody until then.
Follow @Independent_ie
Man charged with attempted murder over Hell Fire Club stabbing
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Yesterday, three of the current editors of the Global Studies magazine Here Be Dragons met with two senior leaders in RMIT University, Pro Vice-Chancellor Paul Gough, and Deputy Vice-Chancellor Education Belinda Tynan.
Emma Hutchinson, Natasha Karner and Natassia Bell represented the larger team of editors from the Bachelor of Arts (International Studies), the BA (IS) (Honours), and Master of International Development degrees, to hand over copies of the first three volumes of the magazine, and to discuss the origins, modus operandi, and future of the magazine.
Natasha (pictured to Belinda's right) remarked that "Both Belinda and Paul were really nice and very interested in the inspiration behind the magazine. It was great to sit down and talk about how Here Be Dragons has become a creative outlet for students, and our hopes that it will keep our BAIS alumni connected into the future."
Natassia (pictured to Paul Gough's left) said that "It was an honour to meet these senior individuals and have them recognise our efforts in Here Be Dragons, as well as to take the time to ask us about our goals and aspirations beyond graduation. It really shows the great community that we have here at RMIT."
Whilst speaking to Paul, Emma (pictured to Belinda's left) noted that her experiences with being involved in the magazine have already been useful because "I have been able to provide evidence of experience using certain skills during job and internship interviews. By referring to my work in Here Be Dragons, I can point to something concrete that demonstrates not only my writing and editing skills, but also my ability to work within a team and also lead a team."
Here Be Dragons is available for download here.


Join the Waconia High School Varsity coaching staff Mark Grundhofer and Collin Bender for this intro to baseball pitching clinic to prepare for the Pee Wee Baseball Season 2! Rain site is the WMS Gym. Participants should wear athletic clothing, cleats, bring a glove and provide their own adult/older sibling catcher.
Join Waconia High School Varsity pitching coach, Collin Bender, for four pitching lessons. This clinic is open to baseball players of all levels of ability/experience. Participants should bring their fielder's glove and wear athletic clothing. All participants need to have their own capable catcher with them for each lesson.
Coach Collin Bender and other Waconia baseball coaches will teach players the proper fundamentals of hitting, fielding, and throwing. Coach Bender has over 30 years of baseball coaching experience. As the assistant varsity baseball coach at Waconia High School, Bender helped the 2017 Wildcats achieve a perfect 26-0 record and the Class 3A MN State Championship. Participants should wear athletic clothing (including gym shoes) AND bring their glove, bat, and batting helmet.
Coach Collin Bender is the Waconia High School varsity pitching coach. Under the guidance of Coach Bender, the 2017 Waconia High School Baseball pitching staff posted a perfect 26-0 record and the team won the Class 3A MN State Championship. In this clinic, Coach Bender will draw on decades of experience as a high school baseball coach and youth baseball clinician to teach participants proper pitching mechanics, as well as a sound mental approach to pitching. Participants should bring their baseball fielder's glove and wear athletic clothing, including gym shoes. All participants need to have their own capable catcher with them each Sunday.
Sundays: January 20, 27, February 3 & 10.
This camp will help you improve your swing mechanics and mental approach to hitting in preparation for the baseball season. Join Waconia High School baseball coaches Mark Grundhofer, Collin Bender, and Josh Sell for three lessons of quality baseball hitting instruction. Participants should bring their own baseball bat and batting helmet. Gym/tennis shoes are required and athletic clothing is recommended.


Diverse and wide-ranging changes have been made effective to the legal framework for immigration to Australia. The provisional activity visa guidelines have been simpler making the application process friendlier to the immigrants. The modifications include a newly merged sponsor category, the elimination of certain nomination and sponsorship criterions in the application, the integration of diverse subcategories of visas and the facility to file applications digitally.
The stay deadline for immigrants under the subcategory visa 457 has been decreased in case if these visa holders lose their employment. As of now, they were permitted to stay for 90 days after losing their job and now this timeframe has been reduced to 60 days. They have to either find a new employer or make arrangements to exit from Australia in this 60 day period itself.
The definition of the term family unit member has been modified and limited to specific criterions. From now onwards the children from e current and former marriage of the visa holders who are above the age of 23 years and the members of family beyond the nuclear family will be denied visa as the dependent of an Australian visa holder.
The guarantors of the Prospective marriage and partner visa applicants who have filed for an approval of visa will now have to furnish necessary credentials from the department of police as a part of their character evaluation by the Department of Immigration & Border Protection. They must also agree to reveal to the DIBP if they are convicted of any specific offenses.
A new class of visa has also been approved for citizens of selected nations. This visa will permit the visitors for vacation and business purposes and visa that will have a validity of ten years. This new category of visa will permit the immigrants to arrive multiple times to Australia and stay for up to 90 days upon each arrival. However, the immigrant is not permitted to stay beyond 12 months for a 24 month calendar period. It will also have an application fee of 1000 Australian dollars.
New measures have also been put in place to ensure that the information furnished by the immigrants is accurate and latest. Specific immigrants possessing Australian visas will have to undergo a reassessment to ensure that the details submitted by them are accurate and latest. This will ensure that they are still eligible for the Australian visa that they possess and they are not a danger to Australia.
The immigrants who possess the work and vacation authorization subcategory 462 and are employed in certain specific jobs will be permitted to apply for a second work and vacation visa. They must have however worked for a minimum of three months on that visa in the farming or tourism sector.
Apart from these major changes certain minor modifications have also been made effective. The visa fee for subcategory 400 visas has been hiked to 275 Australian dollars. The timeframe within which the visa holders of this category are allowed to travel will be limited but for the highest period of six months.
The subcategory 407 visas have also been altered. The visa holders of this subcategory will now have to clear the new optional test for proficiency in the English language has been introduced along with a new test for authenticity. The training has to be made available by the sponsor and the option of third party sponsored training has been eliminated barring some exceptions.
The subcategory 408 visas have been modified for staff exchange, researchers, and entertainers. Several visa subcategories have been removed and the criterion for the nomination has been eliminated.


Valor is a community of cadets and midshipmen where Jesus Christ is known and experienced, and the gospel transforms hearts for a lifetime of leadership. We meet as a large group every Thursday at 7pm as well multiple small groups throughout the week. If you're a cadet in the VT Corps we would love to have you come on out and join us.


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books · culture
Word on the Water: The London Bookbarge
October 12, 2020 October 4, 2020 gracehicksonLeave a comment
Word on the Water
⌲ Regent's Canal Towpath, Kings Cross, London N1C 4LW
I recently moved to London, a city I love and have written about many a time before, to begin a new career in the Film industry. Not only have a fallen in love with London itself and all it has to offer, but I have also visited many a bookshop since living here. It is no secret that Daunt Books in Marylebone has been my favourite book shop for a long time, I dedicated a post to the store which you can read by clicking here. However, dare I say, I may have found a new favourite…
I took a stroll down Regent's Canal from Angel through to King's Cross on the premise of visiting Word on the Water, not really too sure what to expect. It was my birthday, so I knew I wanted to treat myself to a new book or two. When I arrived, I was charmed by the quaint little barge that managed to house so many books. Both on the outside of the barge and in the cosy interior, there were a wealth of titles to choose from – I was spoilt for choice. Not only did they have a variety of amazing novels but they also had a variety of beautiful editions, I couldn't believe my eyes. I could have spent hours in there (I almost did!). From the low ceilings and upholstered couches to the worn, leather armchair and vintage trinkets adorning the shelves and the walls, I had never been so charmed by a book 'store' before. The vintage-feel and uniqueness of quite literally have a book shop on the water were a new, refreshing way to browse the literature that I love. And, if the charming interiors and the hundreds of books were not enough to draw me in, the owner's absolutely beautiful dog and his pet parrots were definitely enough. I fell in love with his beautiful dog who was so calm and friendly, and his parrots who would happily have a chat with you whilst you browse. The staff members were also incredibly attentive, friendly and happy to help and discuss the books with you. I picked up a beautiful copy of Jane Austen's 'Emma' and a hardback Chiltern edition of F. Scott Fitzgerald's 'The Great Gatsby,' and I was extremely pleased with my choices. For all book lovers visiting or living in London, I couldn't recommend Word on the Water more.
Click here to visit Word on the Water's website for more information.
September Reading Wrap-Up: Black, Female Authors
September 30, 2020 September 30, 2020 gracehicksonLeave a comment
In light of the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Elijah McClain and many other Black people in the world due to the racism that is so ingrained in society, both now and for generations, I decided that it was time to further educate myself. I looked at my bookshelves and realised that 98% of the works I owned were written by white writers. It was time for a change, and so I decided to dedicate September to reading novels by Black, female authors. I feel it is important to note before I begin writing that the experiences and sufferings of Black people should not be white-centric: white liberals should not be painted as heroes for their allyship with the Black Lives Matter Movement. That is no way my intention for this blog post. But, I think it is important for myself and for white people and Non-Black people to read, listen, watch, learn and educate themselves. As an avid reader, I decided that my bookshelves were a great place to start. I decided to read a mixture of books, and it is important to note that Black writing is not a monolith. The authors I chose to read this month come from many different places, they write in different styles that fit in with their genres and they deal with issues of race in many different ways. This diversity expanded my knowledge and as Black authors' lived experiences inform their writing in different ways, the novels I chose took me to new places and gave me new insights which I heavily value. Whilst I discovered new authors and even added a couple of new books to my 'favourites' shelf on GoodReads, I also explored an old favourite of mine, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, and was extremely happy to revisit her writing. With all of this said, I believe it is important to recognise that my reading material in the past has not been diverse enough, if at all, and moving forward I aim to make a conscious effort to read more Black writing. Reading Black writing and blogging about it, posting on social media about the Black Lives Matter movement and similar should not, in any way, be performative. This support and proactiveness of white and Non-Black people should continue even after the media reports are silent. I am keen to continue my education, and the diversification of my reading. If anyone has any recommendations, I'd really appreciate you leaving them in the comments.
Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams
Reading time: just less than 1 day
GoodReads rating: 5 out of 5 stars
After reading 'Queenie,' I am absolutely not surprised that it is a Sunday Times Bestseller and has been longlisted for the 2020 Women's Prize for Fiction. I absolutely loved this book – it made me laugh, cringe and cry. It is quite rare for me to find books that make me physically laugh out loud but I found Carty-Williams' character of Queenie to be absolutely hilarious. I was particularly fond of Queenie's friendship with Kyazike, which was both endearing and amusing. Carty-Williams' depiction of racial micro aggressions in friendships, relationships and the workplace was particularly eye opening and shed light on the challenges faced by Black women every single day. Through Queenie's everyday life and the culmination of many challenging events that ultimately impact on her mental health, Carty-Williams demonstrates both the conscious and unconscious racial bias ingrained into our society, from within the medical services to Queenie's place of work.
A quote I found particularly interesting was 'I wished that well-meaning white liberals would think before they said things that they thought were perfectly innocent.' Whilst we all must keep fighting the fight and speaking out on the Black Lives Matters movement, this particular part of the book reminded me that we should keep educating ourselves – there is always a lot more to learn, especially for non-Black people, and we need to continue to read, listen and understand the correct ways to speak on the matter.
I have spent many years writing about the problems faced by women in society, in the economy and in a political climate, amongst many other circumstances, and it's extremely important to recognise that it is impossible to be a feminist unless you are an intersectional feminist. Carty-Williams' harrowing writing relating to Queenie's sexual relationships and in a broader sense, Black women's experiences with men, broke my heart and educated me on the importance of recognising not just female struggles, but Black female struggles.
Arguably, my favourite part of the book was Queenie's relationship with her grandparents, particularly her grandmother. The balance between matriarchal affection and tough love made an endearing read and as someone who is extremely close to my own grandmother, it resonated with me a lot. I absolutely adored their relationship and the resolution of Queenie and her mother's strained relationship at the end of the novel.
White Teeth by Zadie Smith
Reading time: 3 days
Where do I start? I had been looking forward to reading Smith's work for a very long time, and had to start with her debut. Please don't get me wrong, I found this book to be amazingly witty, with clever quips galore that had me laughing out loud. Smith uses her quick wit to create a whole world, spanning three generations, and depicts the nuances of the differing cultures within the novel. Smith encapsulates the meeting of different ethnicities, cultures and demographics to detail the lives of Archibald and Samad, and their respective families. Smith writes with constant reference to varying iconographies of popular culture which is an element of White Teeth that I absolutely loved. Archibald himself gave me Humbert Humbert vibes, marrying Clara when she was quite young and in all, seemingly being a little bit dense.
The strange thing about this novel, whilst witty and clever, is that it forms no cohesive plotline. With a deviance in timeline and a wealth of characters to be narrated, I found the lack of cohesive plot difficult to engage with, which is one of the reasons that I was limited to three GoodRead stars only. I felt the length of the novel was unnecessary, the book is split into four different parts and, by the final part, I was willing the ending to come, finding that Smith unnecessarily deviates from the plot onto tangents that add nothing to the story for my personal liking. The parts dedicated to both Samad and Irie were my personal favourites, and read them with the most speed. The lack of cohesiveness for me, makes me think that this novel may be slightly forgettable for me, though the characters themselves are memorable enough.
Nonetheless, I did enjoy this novel – whilst I felt no attachment to the characters, I thought the character development was excellent and Smith's strong narrative voice made for an amazing debut novel. The quirky characters and their diverse and creative family histories made for some amusing reading and I would not be discouraged from picking up another Zadie Smith novel in the future.
The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
Reading time: a few hours
The Bluest Eye is novel that follows Pecola, a young Black girl in 1940s Ohio that wishes more than anything to have blue eyes, a feature on many young white girls her age that is considered beautiful. The novel follows both her desire and the traumatic events that happen in her life, and also pertains to her family and their background. Morrison alternates between writing from Claudia MacTeer's point of view, Percola's point of view and sprinkles in third-person, omniscient narration to tell the tragic tale of Percola's life.
Firstly, it is impossible not to mention Morisson's writing style. Though writing about hard hitting, heartbreaking topics, her prose is soft and fluid and almost feels as though the book is one long, beautiful poem. Morrison's skill of writing so beautifully of something so heartbreaking only makes the book that much more tragic. Her words and descriptions are reminiscent of the era, the book quite literally taking the reader back to Lorain, Ohio in the 1940s. Every time I picked up the book, I was transported.
I quite literally have no words for the beauty of this book, it left me with a broken heart and is a story that will stay with you forever. Exploring not only the general racial oppressions of the Black people in 1940s America, but also the tragedies and oppressions faced by Black women. From beauty standards devised from white features, to the abuse and violence imposed on Black women by men. The bluest eyes in the novel represent the beauty of the white, middle-class in Lorain, Ohio but, (*spoiler alert*) as she finally obtains the bluest eyes that she has for so long desired, she loses her sanity in exchange. An ironic, beautifully told tragic tale that I will carry with me forever. I can't wait to read more of Morrison's work.
I have very few words for this book other than utterly incredible. Americanah tells the tale of Ifemelu and Obinze, childhood sweethearts from Nigeria, whose lives change during many years apart during their respective UK and USA hiatuses. The novel details the course of their lives when they meet again in Lagos during adulthood.
I have always been a huge fan of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, her novels on feminism (namely 'We Should All Be Feminists' and 'Dear Ijeawele') are those which introduced her to me, and I relied on them heavily to support my thesis during my undergraduate dissertation. I now attribute Purple Hibiscus to being one of my favourite books of all time, so I was keen to read Americanah. I was not disappointed, and now may dare say that I loved it even more than Purple Hibiscus.
The character development in this book is incredible, Adichie leaves the reader actively rooting and hoping for the characters. I loved Ifemelu, and was completely enraptured in her relationship with Obinze. This element of character development and thus reader attachment is what I found to be missing in Zadie Smith's writing, picking up Americanah which, for me, was a huge page turner, was largely refreshing.
The book is rife with dialogue, conversations in the UK, USA and Nigeria, with both Black and white people, of varying ages in varying social settings, and this together paired with the inflection of time throughout the novel really made clear the continuation of racism, micro aggressions and prejudices. Adichie raises the idea of 'being Black' in the USA vs. being Nigerian in Nigeria, and I really learned a lot about Nigerian and more widely, African experiences of expatriation. Adichie skilfully worked the topic of racial injustice and prejudice into a novel that was heartwarming and heartbreaking at the same time. Whilst the ending was not entirely sad, it still left me sobbing. I can't recommend Adichie's works more to anyone, wanting to learn and educate themselves more on issues of racism, or simply to someone who wants to read an incredible novel.
Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People About Race by Reni Eddo-Lodge
Reading time: 2 – 3 hours
Renni Eddo-Lodge's 'Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People About Race' (2017) is arguably the most important book in my entire list. This book taught me more information about Black British history than all of my years in education. If you're looking to learn and be educated on matters and motivations relating to the Black Lives Matter Movement, this is the book for you. It's the book for everyone. It taught me how revisionist and reductionist the British education system's portrayal of British history really is, and I felt that I walked away with a wealth of knowledge that is essential for all to know.
Eddo-Lodge humanises the issues that Black people face in British society. She puts a name to the children who suffered under the racial discrimination of the social care system, the parents who suffered under the prejudice of the British healthcare system and the people who suffered under the brutality and negligence of the British criminal system. Eddo-Lodge makes it impossible for Brits to say 'it isn't as bad in the UK as in the USA,' something which has been circulating around social media for months now. She humanises and showcases the racial injustices and micro aggressions ingrained in all aspects of Britain's institutions for every reader to see and understand with her poignant words. It is impossible to read this book without feeling ashamed of the UK and without feeling to need to further educate yourself and understand that the UK is an extremely racist country. Whilst it isn't written into the GCSE curriculum or A Level specification, it is our history, and we need to learn and understand it if anything is going to change.
This book made my heart ache and imposed shame and disgust on me, but in the best way. I put it down feeling more educated and motivated to really understand more of my own country's history and the ways in which our society needs to change. I couldn't give this any less than 5 GoodReads stars, I would have given it 10 if I could. If there is any book in this list that you choose to read, I'd argue it should be this one.
Girl, Woman, Other by Bernadine Evaristo
Reading time: 1 week
There were many things that I loved about this book and many things that I didn't love, hence the 3 star rating on GoodReads. I feel as though a 3 star rating isn't going to be very popular, given that the book won the 2019 ManBooker Prize! I can totally see why she won the prize, and appreciate the skill of her writing. However, my reading preferences meant that I wasn't blown away by the novel. I feel separating my loves and my dislikes into two paragraphs is the best way to explain this…
Evaristo's intersectionality in this novel is incredible. I feel it is so rare to read about, for example, non-binary identifying people in modern day fiction as a whole. So to have a non-binary character in the novel was so refreshing, it added a new dynamic to the plot and I loved learning about it through a fictional tale. In general, Evaristo's inclusivity of the LGBTQ+ community is something I really loved too. She didn't stick to the rigid character type of cisgender, heterosexual women with a wealth of men-related issues. It was great to see diverse characters with different life experiences, and actually made the plot so much more engaging. I felt that whilst the book was fictionally enjoyable, I was learning too, which is something I really value in a novel.
The novel also has little-to-no punctuation. At first, I found this so strange and really quite difficult to engage with, but, as the novel went on, I actually found that the book flowed beautifully due to this grammatical element and it made it more of an enjoyable read for me. It made the ease of picking up the book and quite literally flowing through the pages incredible, and felt it was a representation and reflection of the fluidity of characters within the novel itself.
However, I am very much a reader of plot-driven novels. I love when a book is driven by the plot rather than the characters, I feel it makes for much more of a page-turner and keeps me engaged throughout. Evaristo's chapters focus on a different character each time, whilst they are seemingly all linked in some way. I found it difficult to keep engaged and saw myself oftentimes losing interest in the story. As the book is character driven, I hoped it would be a novel I would be able to dip in and out of, however I didn't feel this way and found it difficult to pick up once I had put it down.
Having said this, I did enjoy the book on the whole and am keen to read more Evaristo novels. I also thought the cover art was beautiful and love how the novel looks on my shelves. The cohesiveness in art work between all of her novels is so visually pleasing. Perhaps I'll get on better with more of her work but for this particular novel, I was not blown away but did enjoy the book.
The fight for racial equality continues, and reading/educating ourselves is the bare minimum of work that needs to be done. For more information on how we, as a human race, can help, please see the links below.
Support #BlackLivesMatter
Black Lives Matter Links
Black Mental Health Matters
Black Minds Matter UK
M4BL – The Movement for Black Lives
The Best Books I Read in 2019
February 10, 2020 February 10, 2020 gracehicksonLeave a comment
2019 was my book-ban year. I had hundreds of books on my shelves that I just hadn't gotten around to reading, and I decided that in 2019, I wouldn't buy any books but rather read everything that was outstanding on my shelves. It's been great, and whilst I've read books that I didn't necessarily like or love, I've equally read books that have quickly become my favourites. I loved many of the books that I've read this year, but in this post I've listed six that I now consider some of the best books that I've ever read. Whilst it is now February 2020, it's never too late to write about books you love!
Salem Falls by Jodi Picoult
This is a book that had been sat on my shelf for a while. The only other Picoult book that I had read was, predictably, My Sister's Keeper. I really enjoyed it and thought her writing style was great – I love the way each chapter focuses on a different character's perspective and think that it adds real depth and character development to her stories. I decided it was time to give Salem Falls a go and I really didn't regret it. At first, I wasn't too sure about the Wicca element of the story, I felt it could take away from the realism of the tale. In the end, I found it only enhanced the story and it became a real page turner. I was invested in the fate of the characters, particularly Addie and Jack. I thought it was a different approach to a harrowing tale and in the end, it really worked. I'd recommend this novel to those people who like both page turners and romance. I'll definitely be picking up more Picoult novels in 2020.
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
I'd heard great things about Salinger's work and had always wanted to read The Catcher in the Rye, and couldn't resist picking up this beautiful Penguin copy when browsing in Waterstones. A seemingly superficial novel but when read with deeper focus, becomes an intriguing comment on American society in the late 40s/early 50s, particularly what it means to be a youth at that time. Holden is full of angst and his story epitomises the true feelings of alienation, identity and youth-hood. A coming-of-age story that is definitely worth the accolades and prizes it has received, and also a relatively short novel that could be read in one sitting. For anyone looking to dip a toe into contemporary classics, I would argue that The Catcher in the Rye is the way to go.
There is nothing surer than the fact that this book was my ultimate favourite from 2019. I couldn't resist the absolutely gorgeous Virago Modern Classics edition, the cover is beautiful and compliments my book shelf perfectly. At first, I found this book to be a little bit slow on the uptake – du Maurier is extremely descriptive, the intricacies of this book make you feel as though you're genuinely stood in Manderley with the characters, as though you're a part of their conversations, of them readying the morning room, as though you're experiencing the memory of Rebecca first hand. As the mystery grew, I became more intrigued but the one thing that made this book my favourite of 2019 was the plot twist. I really was not expecting it at all, and I think that's where du Maurier's description and intricate detail is important. Without this, I don't think I would have been so shocked at the plot twist. 10/10, could not recommend this book more.
Strange Pilgrims by Gabriel García Márquez
My only collection of short stories of 2019, I thought it was brilliant. Twelve stories that relate to the strangeness of living in a foreign land, I found a lot of it, whilst largely symbolic, to be heavily relatable having previously lived in two different countries (Spain and Portugal). What is means to be 'foreign' is the common theme and something which I haven't read about before, so it was refreshing to read something new. My two personal favourite stories were 'I Sell My Dreams' and 'Maria dos Prazeres.' I found a lot of the writing to be dream-like, whimsical and more fitting to a fantasy theme, yet still portraying a realistic, societal issue. For this reason, I found García Márquez to be such a talented writer and I can't wait to read more of his work.
At some point in their lives, everyone should read this book. It took me a while to get around to it but when I finally did, I didn't regret it! A philosophical novel but still a page turner, I loved following the protagonist's journey. It really made me think about my approaches in life and being more positive/prioritising myself and my goals. It's also a relatively short novel and can be read in one sitting. I'm not the biggest fan of the edition that I have but Waterstones and Blackwell's sell beautiful, hardback editions of the novel for anyone interested in buying it. I'm looking forward to reading more of Coelho's novels, I feel they offer great lessons of life but also amazing page turners.
Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
I would argue that this is possibly one of the strangest books I've ever read, and considering the premise to the plot, I'm almost ashamed to say that I enjoyed it. Hubert Hubert is pathetic and honestly one of my least favourite characters I have ever come across, but nevertheless, I loved the book and can see why Lolita is so popular. Nabokov has influenced me to delve deeper into Russian literature, despite the very strange storyline and I can't wait to read more of what Russia has to offer. I particularly love the Penguin Classics copy of Lolita that I own, it was relatively well priced and I picked it up in Waterstone's. I know it's a common debate when Lolita is discussed but I personally do believe that Hubert Hubert is a monster, nevertheless I really enjoyed the book and would say it is definitely worth the read.
I can't wait to lift my book-ban this year and read brand new, current books. Hopefully I'll come across some that are just as amazing as this year! For any avid GoodReads users out there, I log and review everything that I read and also make lists of books that I still need to read, you can find and follow me by clicking here.
Atonement by Ian McEwan
March 9, 2019 March 9, 2019 gracehickson1 Comment
After seeing Joe Wright's cinematic adaptation of 'Atonement' (2007) when I was younger, being a big fan of both James McAvoy and Keira Knightley, I was enamoured. The cast, the cinematic landscaping, costume and make-up, the mise-en-scène in general: I thought it was perfection, and arguably this was one of the films that inspired my love for cinema and cinematic adaptations of novels. I noticed recently that it had been uploaded to Netflix and couldn't help indulging in another watch, it felt strange to watch a young Saoirse Ronan take on the role of Briony after becoming a big fan of hers after seeing more of her recent films such as 'Brooklyn' (2015), and was pleased and not at all surprised to see that she was nominated for an Academy Award in the category for Best Supporting Actress. In short, the film is one of my favourites and I would recommend it to anybody interested in historical female subjectivities, British history as a whole or skilful and concentrated use of location and setting as a cinematic technique.
On the contrary, after seeing Wright's adaptation as an early teen, I had attempted to read Ian McEwan's novel; inevitably I wanted to draw the contrasts and the similarities and to understand and analyse the book that inspired the cinema. Unfortunately, after around 30 pages, I put the book down. I found it difficult to engage with, I wasn't lost in 1935 England as I was with the film, the characters inspired no feeling in me and in all, I wasn't motivated to continue with McEwan's novel. I largely now attribute this to my age, as an early teen I was engaging in teen literature along with some of the classics, but I'm not sure I could've appreciated McEwan's writing style or understood some of the literary techniques that he employs. Now, as a 23 year old, much more educated woman, I took on the challenge once more of picking up Ian McEwan's 'Atonement', and I did not regret it…
Admittedly, the first 100 pages of the book may have been tougher than the remainder. The book is separated into three parts, and the first one has the slowest version of events. In fact, you almost feel as though nothing of substance has really happened. But when you gain understanding that this is a literary technique employed by McEwan to represent how one small action, that of Briony, can escalate the events of the whole novel, you begin to appreciate the varying speeds of progression within the novel as a whole. Briony's running away with Robbie's letter, in which he includes the crude use of the word 'cunt,' her latching onto Lola's insecurity and uncertainty and accusing Robbie of being a 'maniac,' leads onto both part two and part three of the book, whereby Robbie is imprisoned, World War II begins and Cecilia becomes a trainee nurse in London, a path which Briony also follows. Thus McEwan, by using varying modes and speeds of progression, represents the escalation of events and creates a book which becomes impossible to put down, even giving a nod toward the theory of The Butterfly Effect.
For me, I became largely attached to the characters. Robbie took on a level of softness in my eyes, I found him to be warm yet stoic and extremely admirable. His story was the one in the novel that I most wanted to follow. Cecelia, for me, is a character of contrasts, of binaries that make up a complex character, yet a character of clarity. Strong willed yet messy, determined and stoic, just like Robbie. Warm, yet cold. One of my favourite parts of the novel is during the first section, whereby Cecelia is dressing for dinner, a dinner which Robbie is due to attend. Her uncertainty regarding her outfit, how she looks, the aura and character which she personifies, this doubtfulness contrasts against the strong willed nature we have previously experienced, especially in her address of Briony and her cousins. As for Briony, I have read many a review stating that by the end of the novel, a certain level of sympathy and understanding for Briony was invoked. Throughout the course of the novel, I only felt a level of disdain and disappointment for Briony, arguably due to my investment in Robbie and Cecelia's relationship. But it is McEwan's character development and the complexities within these characters that is created which makes the book so literarily perfect and so beautifully constructed.
However, my favourite part of this novel and yet the most controversial, is the ambiguity of the ending. I have seen many reviews speculating on the the ending – some writers argue that in fact, Robbie died in Dunkirk and Cecelia died in Balham Underground station, and that neither survived the war, as Briony writes in the post-script of the book. Others debate over the fact that in actuality, as depicted in Part Three of the novel, both characters survived the war and went on to live happy lives together after so many years of separation. I couldn't say that I came to such a definite conclusion, but I think that this is the beauty of the novel – it allows you to make your own judgements on the plot, as it does with the characters, and through this use of ambiguity, McEwan has created a novel that stays with you for not only days, but weeks after putting it down. 'Atonement' is now back on my bookshelf, amongst some of my other favourite novels, but I am almost certain that in years to come I will pick it up again and indulge once more.
The Sun & Her Flowers by Rupi Kaur
December 23, 2018 December 23, 2018 gracehicksonLeave a comment
Toward the end of Rupi Kaur's second installment of delectable poetry, 'The Sun and her Flowers,' she writes, 'the road to changing the world is never-ending.' A fitting quote for the book that has undoubtedly touched on some of the most politicised issues affecting the lives and cultures of people all over the planet. A step up from 'Milk and Honey', Kaur's first instalment of poetry of which I wrote about here, 'The Sun and Her Flowers' has become a staple on my book shelf, and a book I have reached for time and time again. As always, Kaur's words are both relevant and comforting, and a source of reassurance in testing times. Though this time, her words are politically charged and socially situated in the current climate of social pressures and rape culture. Kaur relates her words to topics such as the refugee crisis, perceived images and expectations of women, sexual abuse and cultural heritage. Nobody can deny the importance of her work in a climate such as the one that we, the society of today, are living in.
After reading 'The Sun and Her Flowers' over and over, bookmarking the pages that held the most relevance to me, and continuously returning to Kaur's words, I became as attached to this book as I did with 'Milk and Honey', but also curious as to the perception of her work amongst critics. For the most part, Kaur is praised for her attention to detail, social relevance and words that relate so perfectly to the young female generation and the challenges they face. However, existing criticism for both 'Milk and Honey' and 'The Sun and Her Flowers', most notably from male critics of the older generation, critique Kaur's writing style: her lack of poetical structure, punctuation and any real pentameter. Of course, Kaur's work is a far cry from Shakespeare's sonnets, but it is seemingly a pioneer in revolutionising a genre that is becoming more and more accessible to the youth of today, and further than that, more and more engaging. Kaur tackles polemic struggles of predominantly the female generation through what could be described as a stream of consciousness, thoughts, words spilling onto the page. Unconventional, but in no way should this reduce credibility. Kaur forms a pathway for an ever-emerging genre of poetry, and this should surely be celebrated.
Kaur does make use of a common theme in the poetry genre that has been utilised by the greats over and over again throughout the years from Frost to Wordsworth: nature. Kaur separates her book into chapters titled in relation to the evolution of a flower: 'Wilting', 'Falling', 'Rooting', 'Rising', 'Blooming'. Kaur's poetry starts with the emotional struggle of grappling with events in her life which have heavily affected her: 'Wilting', 'Falling'. As aforementioned, this emotional struggle is both contemporarily relevant and of utmost importance for many, and the development of her chapters correlates with the development of her recovery, of her overcoming the effects of these events: 'Rooting', 'Rising', 'Blooming'. Kaur's symbolic description of her emotional growth and recovery, becomes a source of inspiration and support for a generation of youth who have continuous impending societal pressure placed upon them. Kaur not only tackles the issues of body image and societal popularity, but also the issues that more and more young women face today, including sexual assault. Kaur shows once again her bravery to face these issues with determination and grit. Her writing is frank, targeted and determined.
'Wilting' and 'Falling' mark the start of the emotional process depicted in the book. 'Sun becomes moon and moon becomes sun and I become ghost,' the line which conveys the ever changing of the days, the continuation of time along with the continuation of sadness. Kaur grapples with herself, conveys the conflicting emotions plaguing her mind and symbolises the internal suffering that most go through during a break-up, during a loss. A concentrated use of nature is present here, one of my favourite lines being 'I explain how a honeybee does not dream of kissing the mouth of a flower and settle for its leaves.' However, whilst Kaur describes sadness and struggle, she, too, is empowering, strong and conveys the way in which we should never settle for less than we deserve: 'if I'm not the one of your life I'll be the greatest loss instead.' Kaur foreshadows the emotional growth and strength that she achieves toward the end of 'The Sun and Her Flowers'. She also presents the issue of societal pressure, of feeling the need to conform: 'I hear a thousand kind words about me and it makes no difference yet I hear one insult and all confidence shatters,' a quote which is all too relevant, and something which I myself, as a 23 year old woman, could relate to. In the same chapter, she tackles the issue of sexual violence. The placing side-by-side of the two issues represents the plethora of struggles that women, and people in general, face in today's society. 'Home' is the poem which describes one particular experience of sexual assault. Kaur creates irony through the juxtaposition of both the imagery of sexual violence and the subversion of connotations of the word 'home,' a conventional place of comfort and solitude. Through techniques such as this, Kaur takes subjects of a somewhat 'taboo' nature, subjects that are both sensitive and scarring, and places them in the everyday, situates them into the norm, into the lives of today's youth and more broadly, today's society. She does not shy away, she confronts these issues with full force: expletives and all.
'Rooting', 'Rising' and 'Blooming' mark the evolutionary section of the book. These three chapters are where Kaur grows, in emotion and in strength, where Kaur begins her recovery from her aforementioned trauma. 'Rooting' makes reference to Kaur's immigrant background, both politicizing the book and offering it a place in today's society, when considering the current refugee crisis and debate in both the UK and the US (used merely as examples) surrounding immigrants, refugees and borders. Kaur writes 'borders are man-made. They only divide us physically, don't let them make us turn on each other.' Her words ring loud and clear in a society divided by prejudice and opinion surrounding the refugee crisis. Rupi Kaur also addresses her own cultural heritage, making reference to the strong female figures in her life, small trinkets of memory that remind her of her childhood, of her roots, her past. It is in this part of the novel that Kaur's prose becomes personal, and culturally rich. This section of the book is what particularly sets 'The Sun and her Flowers' apart from 'Milk and Honey'. Whilst 'Milk and Honey' is emotionally rich, addresses the internal conflict and emotion faced by many in today's society surrounding the circumstances of break-ups, broken friendships, familial conflict, 'The Sun and her Flowers' is much more politically representative of worldwide issues, whilst simultaneously addresses her own, personal culture and heritage. The combination of the two juxtaposed together is wonderful.
In all, and in true Rupi Kaur fashion, the undercurrent of feminism and empowered female strength is what makes 'The Sun and Her Flowers' stand out for me. Kaur maintains her 'girl power' ethos, no matter which issue is being tackled in which section of the book, her feminist undertones are maintained throughout, and this, more than anything, is why I continue to engage with her poetry. She writes, 'I am busy learning the consequences of womanhood when I should be learning science and math instead,' an idea which may seem preposterous to some, but is wholly relevant in a world where women are largely underrepresented in industries such as Finance and Engineering. She also describes the way in which we, as women, engage with 'a trillion dollar industry that would collapse if we believed we were beautiful enough already.' Once again, addressing the issue of body image and self confidence, alongside the issue of underrepresentation and women's education, Kaur covers the plethora of issues faced by the women of today. Last but certainly not least, and arguably my favourite element of Kaur's works, her words are an ever-comforting source of support and inspiration for those who are struggling to deal with or overcome issues in their lives, no matter what those issues could be categorised as. Her words of comfort come as a breath of fresh air in her poetry which deals with heavy, suffocating issues. She reassures the lonely that 'the irony of loneliness is that we all feel it together at the same time,' and reminds those who have suffered that 'here you are living, despite it all.' And, much like Milk and Honey, Kaur not only reassures but reinstates faith lost through her words, and here is where I will finish, with arguably my favourite quote from the whole book:
'Like the rainbow after the rain, joy will reveal itself after sorrow.'
Milk & Honey by Rupi Kaur
August 4, 2017 August 26, 2018 gracehickson2 Comments
The first time I wrote about Milk & Honey was in the first ever edition of my Wishlist series, which you can read by clicking here. There was much hype surrounding the book, the implications and meanings of the poetry and almost every female within a 30 mile radius had this book in hand. Shortly after writing my wishlist post, I actually went on to buy the book. I've had it for a few months now, and read and re-read it I would say over ten times. I have completely fallen in love with Kaur's prose, but I didn't want to write a post on the book until I felt completely compelled to: until I understood the meanings and intentions behind her work, and until I felt like I could do the book justice. I think the time has come!
Firstly, I want to comment on the appearance of the book, how beautiful is the cover? I suppose it's arguable that the book itself doesn't affect the content: 'do not judge a book by it's cover' etc, but it just looks so super pretty on my bookshelf. It had a matte black cover which feels so luxurious, and the monochrome colour scheme with a hint of honey-gold is both appropriate and gorgeous. I know it doesn't affect the skill of Kaur's words and the effect they have on the reader, but there is nothing quite as satisfying as a beautiful, well constructed book.
While on the topic of appearance, I'd also like to comment on the illustrations of the book. They aren't the epitome of art; they aren't super detailed, but they are functional, simple, and through this, become skilful and almost beautiful. The way in which the images seem to be hand-drawn almost with a ballpoint pen, makes the words even more relatable to everyday life, makes the pages adaptable to your own personal situations. Much like her words, the images are so simple that they take on their own beauty.
But now for the actual book itself: the 'poetry.' I quote the word 'poetry' because I'm not sure how far to argue that Kaur's words do classify in this genre. Of course, the words themselves are not a novel, they do not progress into a storyline of such, but they do not seem to follow a metric, they do not form a conventional form of poetry. I've read much critique of Kaur's work because of this, but isn't this what makes the book unique, beautiful? The simplicity of her words and the uncomplicated nature of the structure, for me, is what makes the book so special. She is unapologetically brutal, she doesn't miss a beat, and she talks of her themes with the utmost candour. For this, I have the utmost respect for Rupi Kaur. Anyone who is planning on reading this book should be aware of triggering topics such as sexual abuse and rape, topics of which she is very frank about. Her frankness and openness about such topics, are what make her a bold and incredible writer.
The book is split into four parts: The Hurting, The Loving, The Breaking and The Healing. It becomes almost a process; a cycle that I'm sure every woman has experienced or will experience at least once in her life. I love every part just as much as each other but I would say that The Healing is my favourite, it's both empowering and reassuring. Below I have left some of my favourite quotes from each section. I fully recommend purchasing this book and giving it a read, you won't be disappointed.
'A daughter should not have to beg her father for a relationship' (28)
'I was made heavy: half blade and half silk, difficult to forget and not easy for the mind to follow' (30)
'the thing about having an alcoholic parent is an alcoholic parent doesn't exist, simply an alcoholic who could not stay sober long enough to raise their kids' (39)
'you tell me quiet down cause my opinions make me less beautiful, but I was not made with a fire in my belly so I could be put out' (30)
The Loving
'I want to be so complete I could light a whole city and then I want to have you cause the two of us combined could set it on fire' (59)
'You might not have been my first love but you were the love that made all the other loves irrelevant' (63)
'you look like you smell of honey and no pain, let me have a taste of that' (66)
'how do you turn a forest fire like me so soft I turn into running water' (65)
The Breaking
'don't mistake salt for sugar: if he wants to be with you he will, it's that simple' (85)
'I didn't leave because I stopped loving you, I left because the longer I stayed the less I loved myself' (95)
'I am a museum full of art but you had your eyes shut' (100)
'I had to leave, I was tired of allowing you to make me feel anything less than whole' (107)
'You cannot leave me and have me too, I cannot exist in two places at once – when you ask if we can still be friends' (136)
'Loneliness is a sign you are in desperate need of yourself' (153)
'If you were born with the weakness to fall, you were born with the strength to rise' (156)
'fall in love with your solitude' (161)
'your body is a museum of natural disasters, can you grasp how stunning that is?' (173)
'the world gives you so much pain and here you are making gold out of it – there is nothing purer than that' (185)
5 Great Books I Recently Read #2
July 7, 2017 August 26, 2018 gracehicksonLeave a comment
The Realm of Possibility by David Levithan: The structure of this book is something which caught my eye and part of the reason I picked it up. Written from the point of views of various students, this book is an insight into the world of high school, and an insight into the minds of the modern adolescent. Being a modern adolescent myself (although I could technically be classed as an fully grown adult now, sob!), I found the book relatable. I found the description of the high school atmosphere nostalgic: the gossip, the friendships, the arguments. It's a book that discusses the struggles of high school but isn't a book that dismisses them, Levithan conveys the importance and struggles of young people, and for this I think the book is brilliant.
If I Stay by Gayle Foreman: I had high hopes for this book, as I've wanted to read it for a long time; I wasn't let down! Truth be told, I wanted to read this book in desire for wanting to watch the film. I hate watching films that are based on a book, without reading the book, is that just me? So I picked up a used copy from a charity shop, and I loved it! The style of writing and the plot very much reminded me of 'The Lovely Bones,' which is a book that I've read over 20 times, (if you have never read this book, I highly recommend it, its super special to me!). The character development in this book is really good, and the story too is gripping. Would highly recommend!
After You by Jojo Moyes: I'll start by saying the obvious: it wasn't as good as the first book. But I really don't hold it against Moyes, 'Me Before You' was a masterpiece, and super hard to follow, and for all other soppy romance novel lovers like me, I think you'd all agree that a sequel wasn't even really needed to this book. I say that with the greatest of intentions, because 'After You' was still a brilliant book. I still found myself encapsulated in the lives of the characters, which seems to be something that Moyes does really well. While I think a sequel wasn't wholly necessary, I simultaneously think that Moyes rounded off the story of Louisa Clark's life really well, and I'm super glad I read this book.
It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini: Okay, so this book was a little out of my comfort zone, I'm known for reading either as many tear-jerking, soppy romance novels as I can get my hands on, or a classic, a book from years ago which is studied in English Literature classes all over the world. But I decided to pick up this book because I'd heard it was highly acclaimed and praised as being a masterpiece. The praise wasn't wrong, I read this in a day, and I found myself completely attached to Craig! It reminded me of 'Girl, Interrupted' a little bit, which is one of my favourite books and films. I liked how Vizzini took a taboo subject, and made it relatable, he wrote about suicide in such a way that it took away the fear of asking for help, as Craig did – a review on the cover of my copy says 'this is an important book,' and for my generation, and generations to come: it truly is.
We Were Liars by E. Lockhart: this book gives me vibes of 'The Virgin Suicides', in that the style of writing seems to be voyeuristic like that of Jeffrey Eugenides, the book is confined to one space, and we see the unfolding of events through the eyes of Cadence. The thing about this book was that it was a short read, but it was a read that had me turning page after page until an hour later, I was done. I couldn't put it down. By the end of the novel, my jaw had hit the floor! The ending was completely unexpected! Giving an insight into both the world and the prejudice of the rich, this book truly transports you.
It by Alexa Chung
June 19, 2017 August 26, 2018 gracehicksonLeave a comment
When Alex Chung released 'It,' I was sceptical. Curious, but sceptical. I adore her, I think her gamine figure and androgynous style make the perfect combination, and should I ever ask for anyone's face other than my own, it would be hers. But what could she possibly write about? Fashion? But how would her book differ from any of the other coffee table books you can find sitting at the back of your local Urban Outfitters? I was doing what we are always taught not to do: judging a book by it's cover. I also understand that I am very late to the party with this one, but I finally took the leap (years later) and purchased the book.
So here I am; eating my words, if you'll pardon the (extremely bad) pun, because the book was amazing. A brief, but significant read. Alexa takes us through a list of her favourite things, her wardrobe staples, her thoughts, snippets of her childhood. Whilst learning about her, we also learn of her development: how she became who she is today. I love her mocking tone of the model industry that centres around size 0 women, I love her positive attitude toward heartbreak and how one day, it will be overcome. I love her listing of essential wardrobe pieces, and I too find myself sharing her penchant for leather jackets and admiration for Jane Birkin. I earlier referred to the book as a 'coffee table book' and I say this with the best of intentions: the images are gorgeous. From doodles from Alexa herself, to 90's photographs of the Spice Girls.
She speaks of everything in the book with a happy heart, a positive attitude and it was a breath of fresh air to read. From lists of movie stars and music artists that inspired her, to lessons her mother taught her during childhood, Alexa's life and thoughts make for an interesting read. My favourite page in particular was the one in which she described her grandfather, and his eccentric style. I loved how she fondly reflected on memories of his whacky shirts and jumpers gifted to him at Christmas that would always be left unworn, as he had a particular way he liked to dress. Memories such as these make her, and the book itself, more relatable. My scepticism was misplaced, and she completely disrupts the model stereotype in that she is an ordinary, everyday girl. And it seems that this, in turn, is what makes her extraordinary. Not only did I fall in love with Alexa Chung's book, I too, fell in love with Alexa Chung.
books · language
El Tiempo, Todo, Locura by Mónica Carrillo
June 5, 2017 August 26, 2018 gracehickson5 Comments
Wanting to delve into the world of Spanish poetry, preferably more modern than the usual Pablo Neruda I'm used to reading, I saw this beautiful book in a bookstore in Madrid and had to pick it up. While I'm not sure you could categorise this book as 'poetry,' it's certainly thought-evoking and conveying of emotions. Carrillo describes the entries in this 431 page novel as 'microcuentos' which directly translates as 'micro accounts,' but more naturally I would say snippets – short insights into her thoughts, her experiences, her musings.
'Te quise como si no me fueras a romper el corazón'
The book is split into three equal parts, which are all separated by the title – el tiempo (time), todo (everything/all), locura (insanity). The musings seem to depict her battle between heart and head, of wanting but at the same time not wanting someone, it's full of contradictions, juxtapositions – but that's the beauty of it. It leaves double meanings, it's confusing but clear at the same time. Her self conflictio, the separation of her head and her heart, while confounding, is relatable.
'Y, al final, la espera fue el fin'
The book itself is absolutely gorgeous, a hardback complete with covering sheet and two silk bookmarks attached. My copy is looking a little bit worse for wear after taking it on the metro with me during commutes to the city – yes, I really did carry that huge book around with me. It was definitely worth it, and my Spanish has radically improved after reading it.
For those who don't speak Spanish, I thought I would just leave a couple of my favourite snippets from the book, alongside my translations of them, so you can get a feel for the book and what I'm trying to convey in this post. Please note, I'm not a native speaker and my translations may not be 100% correct!
(213): 'Olvidé que para quererte bien tenía que enamorarme de mí antes' / 'I forgot that to love you well, I had to fall in love with myself first.'
(225): 'Ella tenía tantos defectos que le parecía perfecta, él era tan imperfecto que no resultó defectuoso, perfectamente imperfectos' / 'She had so many flaws that she seemed perfect, he was so imperfect that he wasn't imperfect, perfectly imperfect.'
(293): 'Qué culpa tendrá mi corazón si no esta bien de la cabeza' / 'How guilty my heart will be if it is not right in my head.'
(315): 'Te quise, creer, te quise, querer, y de tanto que te quise, olvidé quererme
hasta que me quise, y olvidé quererte' / 'I loved you, believe, I loved you, want, and I loved you so much, I forgot to love me, until i did love me, and I forgot to love you.'
(341): 'Contigo tuve el superpoder de enredarme en mil pensamientos y el defecto de no saber desanudarlos' / 'With you I had the superpower of being tangled in a thousand thoughts and the problem was that I didn't know how to untie them.'
'Te eché de menos cada día de más'
Below are a couple of photographs of snippets from my copy, which I also love. You can see the shortness of them, and often the senseless locura of them, but in this way, they gain meaning:
'Y llegó la temporada de tormentas, y mi tormento, tú'


Favorite Books to read with kids!
You can use these websites as sexuality education resources in different ways. Discover what feels most comfortable for you and your child.
Use these websites to learn what issues your kids are dealing with related to their sexual development.
Direct your kids to these websites as trusted sources with correct information about healthy sexuality.
Look at these websites with your kids to create conversations and teachable moments about healthy sexual development.
You and your kids can check out these websites separately and then schedule a time to discuss what you both learned. These discussions can include any questions and comments you want to share with each another.
sexetc.org is an engaging website created by teens for teens to explore and learn about healthy sexuality.
amaze.org has engaging cartoon videos on all sorts of topics related to healthy sexuality.
goaskalice.columbia.edu is supported by Columbia University health professionals. Any time your child has a question that you don't know the answer to, visit this site (either together or separately). I use this site myself when I receive workshop questions that I don't know the answer to!
I use this assessment with clients to better understand their needs and prioritize their goals. Feel free to utilize this tool for yourself. Beginning conversations with kids about sexuality can feel daunting because there's so much information to cover. Reflecting on these questions will give you a starting point to focus on with your kids.
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TIPS tip: nix the TIPs, they're worth zip.
Re: TIPS tip: nix the TIPs, they're worth zip.
Wow, that was some painful rant.
So his argument is two-fold 1) TIPS are bad because gold is a better hedge of inflation and 2) TIPS are bad because CPI understates inflation.
1) Flawed logic. The quality of gold as a hedge against inflation says nothing of the quality of TIPS. Besides, how good of a hedge against inflation was gold purchased in 1980? Pretty miserable. How good will gold be as a hedge when bought in 2007? Nobody knows. But it's worth considering that after a ~300% increase, it may already price in the next 20 years of inflation. But all of this, of course, is besides the point of whether TIPS are a good or bad inflation hedge.
2) More to the point, he rants that CPI understates inflation (and even argues that 5.4% nominal TIPS yields are below inflation). But nowhere does he provide any data whatsoever to back up his assertion. He claims that M3 growth is a better proxy for inflation, but wheres the price data to show that?
In this old post I compared prices found in the NJ Record from 1935 with those from 2005 and found that over a 70 year period, CPI explained a surprisingly large amount of the change in price.
we can also simply look back on the last 20 years of nominal Treasury yields, where we see an average yield of 6.21% before taxes. That yield is especially diminutive when compared to the average increase in M3 of 7.8% (which is closer to the actual rate of inflation) over the last 35 years."
As you can see, Mogabo is soooo far off the mark as to be nowhere near credible.
As it turns out, it looks to me like all this borrowed money went into the stock market, and this new monetary fuel sent stocks to new records of various kinds.
That is one possible explanation. Another, and more reasonable one IMO, is that earnings growth expectations for the first quarter were somewhere around 5% and actual earnings growth came in at ~11-12%. That's a huge surprise to the upside. As it stands now, large cap equities are only trading at a mid-teens 2007 Earnings multiple. That doesn't sound like a bubble to me just because the market is hitting new highs. As Buffet said, if the S&P 500 grows only 5% a year we'll be marking a record high of 1,200,000 at the end of the century . . . between here and there are tons of new record highs, most of which will not be bubbles.
Doug Noland of the Credit Bubble Bulletin at PrudentBear.com writes . . .
David Tice, founder of the PrudentBear.com site, figures . . .
I'm supposed to take investing advice from these guys??
tips are used for income and are predictable as far as amount vs cpi . gold may or may not respond to anything but hyper inflation and actually costs you money to store it. it pays no interest and is highly volatile.
while gold may be considered an inflation hedge its no replacement for tips.
gold and tips may be an acceptable hedge in the right allocations.
Gold is an inflation hedge... but its price pretty much moves on speculation relevant to a specific currency and inflation (in a country).
Gold was about $800/oz us in the late 70's early 80's. Went down to approx $300+/oz in the late 80's and 90's.
If you are going to play with gold... it is best to be contrarian and buy when it is way down. Eventually people will worry about inflation and the speculation will kick in again. Then it is time to sell.
If you buy now... Expect to be buying at the top and getting scr3wed. The only way it makes sense to buy now is if world wide financial markets were expected to collapse or hyper-inflation.
Buying gold coins and NOT holding them tight in my clutching talons (my Precious! my Precious!) seems counter to the whole idea of holding gold - thought one held it so you could sew it into the hem of your coat when fleeing across the new apocalyptic landscape?! Wasn't it fun getting gold shipped to you? Almost as fun as having cases of ammo or a firearm delivered. I figure there's more fun in fondling gold coins than going to the casino, and costs me less too! Re: expenses - even Vanguard charges fees to hold paper & money, no?
A little gold(St Gaudin's), platinium(Aussie Koala) and some Morgan silver dollars rattling around in the old safe deposit box.
10% interest in a non working Colorado gold mine anyone.
Ah - the 1970's in Colorado. Passed on the Morman idea of seven years supply of freeze dryed food - the small meals that came out for backpackers weren't bad.
I do vaguely remember a discussion with a lead engineer at Boeing in the late 60's as to the proper method of crossing borders with the family fortune(his parents beat Mao out of China). Metal/metal detectors can make things iffy at times - Jade carvings and precious/semi precious stones definitely have a place in times of turmoil.


text:
by admin • 14 January, 2020
"Income is the No. 1 key as you get older," says Dwain Phelps, founder and CEO of Phelps Financial Group in Kennesaw, Georgia. Phelps says dividend income is something investors should be planning for starting in their 40s. "Dividend income can be an excellent source of income, but it's important that investors understand the differences between interest income and dividend income," says Andrew Crowell, vice chairman of wealth management at D.A. Davidson & Co. in Los Angeles.
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Blair's Mega Death Sauce, 5oz. Fire Ant Juice Gourmet Hot Sauce, 5oz. Naga Jolokia 10 Hot Sauce, 5oz. Hellhound Ghost Pepper Sauce, 5.7oz.


The internet is stuffed with articles about how to manage a business with a proper social media presence. If someone searches by a topic in Google search, it will return more results than you could ever hope to find.
So when a tool, trick, or pneumonic device comes along that gives clear directions and is easy to remember, we should bookmark it for reference. Here is a nice infographic which explains how the 70/20/10 posting rule works.


Difficult second albums, break through first albums and the illusive 'dance music' album. Before I raise the curtain on TEA's top 15 I must first champion two releases which could have easily made the list. The first being Forest Swords and the Dagger Paths EP (not to be confused with the Wu-Tang's Gza and his legendary liquid Swords LP). Although Dagger Paths is an EP, its 6 tracks hold enough weight for it to make TEA's honour roll as to does Adam X's Traversable Wormhole project which saw one of techno musics most exciting remix packages to date.
This aside TEA presents its top 15 albums for the year.