Metro Times 10/12/22

NEWS & VIEWS

shoe. Can’t nobody see it and it wears away the more you wear them. sa cy sa age ce nstagram

We received responses to last week’s cover story by Kahn Santori Davison about olan o it Coit an his staff being ta e by ike to esign a s ecial etroit edition of the Nike Air Jordan 2.

Anyone that knows true design and has taste would see these Jordans are historic. itsmama o nstagram

Respect to the creator but we need a better shoe if it’s representing Detroiters. el iablo aco nstagram

Why they pick this weak Jordan 2? The Detroit AF1s way better. And I hate when they put the graphics on the insole of the

Salute to you @ro_spit. You have a made an incredible mark and will continue shine at a high level! Keep grinding! coachbro n nstagram

At a loss for words right now, I know that’s crazy to hear. Just know that I am completely in tune with the moment, I’m locked in, humility is high, and I appreciate every bit of energy coming through. Thank you to @kahnsantori and @metrotimes for getting behind the vision allowing us to tell our story.

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NEWS & VIEWS 12th Michigan Starbucks store votes to unionize

By Steve Neavling

A STARBUCKS STORE in Bloomfield Township voted to form a union Friday, becoming the 12th Starbucks store in Michigan to do so.

Baristas at the 6420 Telegraph Rd. store voted 7-2 in favor of unioniz ing, joining the growing labor move ment sweeping across the country.

Uber for kids

Due to bus driver shortage, Detroit area school districts partner with HopSkipDrive rideshare app

By Darlene A. White

For years, students across metro Detroit have waited at the bus stop for the yellow school bus to take them to school. However, this year, many buses didn’t make it to those stops due to a shortage of bus drivers.

A new transportation program is taking action to put an end to that dilemma. A rideshare service called HopSkipDrive announced it has part nered with 10 Detroit-area school dis tricts, including Detroit Public Schools Community District, Ferndale Public Schools, Farmington Public Schools, Wayne-Westland Community Schools, and others.

The program is similar to Uber and Lyft, only it specializes in the trans portation of children ages and older, including children with special needs, students experiencing homelessness, and students in foster care.

“These students have individualized transportation needs that can’t always be met by the school bus easily,” says Miriam Ravkin, senior vice president of marketing at HopSkipDrive. “For instance, students with special needs may need transportation to an ap pointment, or a student in foster care may move homes late at night and need transportation to school in the morning. HopSkipDrive’s mission is

to create opportunity for all through mobility and by helping districts fulfill transportation needs for vulnerable populations, we’re driving greater edu cational equity.”

To re uest a pick up and drop off, district transportation staff will sched ule HopSkipDrive rides for students. HopSkipDrive also has a consumer app, where parents or caregivers can schedule rides for themselves.

In order to qualify for the position of driving the school-aged children, HopSkipDrive’s “CareDrivers” are sub ject to extensive background checks, including fingerprinting, background screenings, and ongoing driving record checks. They are also required to have five years of e perience in caregiving.

The service is looking for Detroitarea drivers, which it says will be paid $40 per hour. More information is available at hopskipdrive.com/drive. uring each pick up and drop off, CareDrivers wear a bright orange Tshirt emblazoned with the word “Care Driver” so that it’s easier for students to recognize them. There will also be a HopSkipDrive decal on their car.

The HopSkipDrive program idea came about in 2014, when three moms came together to create a transporta tion solution for getting their chil

dren to and from school. The plan has turned into a program that has partnered with more than 400 school districts across the country.

According to the HopSkipDrive website, the ride share program is 40% less expensive to use than a school bus with 12 students or less.

“I appreciate HopSkipDrive’s com mitment to providing an innovative school transportation solution,” says Bill Good, director of communications and pupil services at Ferndale Pub lic Schools. “Every day parents trust school districts to safely transport their children to and from school. HopSkip Drive provides parents and caregiv ers with an unprecedented ability to oversee their child’s trip to school every day through the smartphone applica tion. This level of transparency builds a culture of trust between the school, parent, and driver.”

“We are looking forward to partner ing with the amazing school districts in the Detroit metro area to help get more kids to school — safely and on time,” Ravkin says. “We love seeing children succeed through greater access to transportation.”

More information is available at hop skipdrive.com.

“We are so proud of our partners for working hard to make this his toric moment happen,” the Bloom field Township workers said in a statement. “We are looking forward to taking the necessary steps to make our store a better and more demo cratic workplace. This process hasn’t been easy, but we are excited for the future of Maple and Telegraph as a unionized Starbucks!”

Since December, at least 247 Starbucks stores in 35 states have voted to unionize, according to A ore erfect nion, a nonprofit that tracks labor unions. Only 54 stores have lost an election to unionize.

Baristas are asking for better wages, benefits, and working condi tions.

Michigan joined the movement in May, when Starbucks workers at 2480 Burton St. in Grand Rapids voted in favor of forming a union, 15-3.

On June 7, four Starbucks stores in Ann Arbor voted to unionize. One Ann Arbor store voted against it.

Two days later, four more Star bucks stores in Clinton Township, Lansing, Flint, and East Lansing voted to form a union. A store in Grand Blanc voted not to unionize.

On June 17, a Starbucks store in Ypsilanti voted to unionize.

Workers voted to join a union at a Starbucks in Mount Pleasant on Sept. 12.

The labor movement has grown beyond Starbucks. In Detroit, employees at reat akes offee Roasting Co. went on strike in Febru ary as part of a move to unionize. In August, the workers withdrew from an election to form a union because the company has been closing its stores.

HopSkipDrive is like Uber, but for taking children to school. Its drivers undergo extensive background checks and wear a bright orange shirt.

COURTESY PHOTO

Safe haven for LGBTQ+ youth opens in Detroit

By Steve Neavling

THE CITY OF Detroit on Friday unveiled the new $16 million Ruth Ellis Clairmount Center for LGBTQ+ youth.

The 43-unit, 45,540-square-foot development features housing, coun seling, and a community health and wellness center at 61 Clairmount St. in the city’s Piety Hill neighborhood. ity o cials said the center is the first of its kind in the idwest.

“Our city must do everything it can to not only help the most vulnerable members of our community and to create safe spaces where everyone is welcome, ayor ike uggan said at a news conference. “This administration will continue to not only create more affordable and supportive housing, but

also expand our policies and strengthen our connection with the LGBTQ+ com munity to build a stronger city that all of us are proud to call home.”

The center includes 32 studio and 11 one-bedroom apartments, 34 of which will be covered by vouchers to pay for housing expenses. An additional eight apartments are considered “low cost” for residents earning no more than 30% of the area median income. A peer support specialist will live in one of the units.

The center features a resource library and technology hub, a career training and event space, a roof deck, art studio, private patio, raised beds for garden ing, and a space dedicated to support

services such as therapy and case management.

Private care providers and addiction and mental health counselors will also be on hand.

At the 2,000-square-foot Ruth Ellis Health Wellness Center, LGBTQ+ youth will have access to primary care, comprehensive sexual health services, r , I treatment, gender a rming hormone therapies, and other critical services.

“The new Ruth Ellis Clairmount Cen ter is a significant milestone for uth Ellis Center, and more importantly, an example of how we must respond to the disproportionate number of LGBTQ+ young people experiencing homeless

ness nationwide, said ark rwin, interim co-executive director of the Ruth Ellis Center. “Our mission is to cre ate opportunities with LGBTQ+ young people to build their vision for a positive future.”

The center is named in honor of an LGBTQ+ activist from Detroit who, beginning in the s, offered shelter and support “to those whose race, sexual orientation or both set them apart from the dominant culture,” the center says.

Up to 40% of the nation’s unhoused youth identify as LGBTQ+, largely be cause of discrimination and rejection by their families, according to the Williams Institute. early of lack men who are between 18 and 35 and identify as

Detroit’s $16 million Ruth Ellis Clairmount Center for LGBTQ+ youth is believed to be the first of its kind in the Midwest.

CITY OF DETROIT, FLICKR CREATIVE COMMONS

LGBTQ+ have been homeless in the previous year.

LGBTQ+ youth are also dispropor tionately at risk of being the victim of violent crimes.

“The reason this facility is so im portant is not just because we need more permanent supportive housing, not ust because affordable housing is an issue, but because when you are an T youth, the likelihood that you are murdered is really high,” said state Sen. Adam Hollier, D-Detroit. “

nd creating spaces like this provide you with not only a place to stay and live, but a place with the kind of programing and support services to make sure you can live a life that you are proud of, that you are happy with, and it’s critically important.”

The center is graced with a large, colorful mural of Ellis proudly smil ing over Woodward Avenue.

Despite the recent inroads in protecting LGBTQ+ residents, many of them still face “discrimination, bias, and hate,” said John R. Johnson r, e ecutive director of the ichigan Department of Civil Rights.

“That is precisely why the Ruth Ellis Center and this new Claimount Center facility is so important — connecting affordable, livable hosing with the kind of services marginal ized communities often need to build better, more productive, and more equitable lives,” Johnson said. “It’s the kind of forward looking effort that connects important public policy to the practical needs of real people.”

Homeowner hit with $5,200 bill for water she didn’t use

By Steve Neavling

NICOLE GEISSINGER COULDN’T wait to move into her new home in Detroit and start her medical career with a fellowship at etroit edical Center.

ut the e citement uickly turned to anxiety when the 32-year-old physi cian received a $5,200 water bill from the city.

Confused, she called the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department and asked if the bill was a mistake.

It was not.

DWSD said she inherited the previ ous homeowner’s unpaid water bill and would be charged a late fee of more than $250 a month if she didn’t pay it.

acked with student debt, eiss inger couldn’t pay the bill without wiping out all of her savings.

“I just moved in,” Geissinger tells Metro Times. “How can I be culpable for it?”

Under state law, new homeowners are responsible for the previous owner’s delinquent water bills, ac cording to spokesman ryan eckinpaugh.

“This is a dispute between the buyer and the previous owner, eckinpaugh tells Metro Times

But the story doesn’t end there.

The previous owner paid what she was billed, according to invoices

Dixon claims ‘Antifa’ vandalized Lansing Trump supporters’ property

By Lee DeVito

ACCORDING TO REPUBLICAN

candidate for governor Tudor Dixon, the property of a retired Lansing couple who supports former President Donald Trump was vandalized by “Antifa,” which allegedly scrawled messages like “T I , “ T RORIST,” and “ANTIFA REVENGE” on their vehicles and driveway in red and white spray paint.

“A retired couple in Lansing had their cars and property vandalized by the tolerant people of ANTIFA because the couple supports President Trump,” Dixon wrote on Twitter. “Another exam ple of the radical left’s fight like hell’ tactics, courtesy of Gretchen Whitmer.”

Dixon provided no source for her

the previous homeowner/occupant to give us access to inspect the meter and update the billing.”

eckinpaugh says tried to alert the previous owner about the meter readings.

“We reached out to the original owner on several occasions about a meter inspection and updating the account,” he says. “We had a very specific notice on the front of the bill.

The notice read, “The water usage history graph is not available for your account due to no water meter or no water consumption in the last 13 months.”

The previous owner never contact ed DWSD, according to the city.

claims. According to a story from WLNS-TV published after Dixon’s post, Lansing police are investigating the incident, which allegedly occurred be tween Wednesday night and Thursday morning on the block of asalle Gardens on Lansing’s east side. Another story published after Dixon’s post by I T o identifies the couple as Sophia and Edgar Russell.

Anyone with information is invited to contact ansing police at 4600.

“Antifa” refers to “Anti-fascists,” a loose, decentralized political move ment often cited as a bogeyman by the right. It is not clear what Whitmer has to do with this vandalism, assuming it’s

and financial transactions reviewed by Metro Times.

Turns out, the previous owner’s wa ter meter wasn’t relaying usage to the city, so the bill was a flat service fee.

When Geissinger moved into the house, a DWSD employee came to her home and checked the meter to de termine how much water the former owner used.

That’s how DWSD arrived at $5,200.

“Once a real estate closing read was requested, we were able to get access to the meter thanks to the new owner and produce an updated bill reflecting the volume usage at the property based on the meter reading, eckinpaugh says. “ hile the meter is DWSD property, it was up to

real, other than saying that Democrats need to “fight like hell.

Of course, it was Trump himself who told his followers, “If you don’t fight like hell, you’re not going to have a country anymore” before they vandal ized the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

Before Dixon ran for governor, she was known as a host on the right wing outlet Real America’s Voices, where Dixon suggested without evidence that ntifa was behind the an. attack. She has also downplayed the incident, claiming “I don’t believe that we had an insurrection.”

etro Times reached out to the Dixon campaign for comment.

“Tudor condemns all violence, including the events at the Capitol that day, as well as the riots and destruc tion that took place that summer, the campaign communications director ara roadwater responded. “ nlike Gretchen Whitmer, who still has not condemned this vandalism or the re cent shooting of the 84-year-old Right

Whatever the case, Geissinger says it’s unfair that she’s being forced to pay for water she didn’t use. There was no way for her to know she was buy ing a house that came with a $5,200 water bill.

Normally, an unpaid water balance is reflected on the home’s title so that a prospective buyer knows there is a delinquency. But in this case, when the real estate agent checked the title, there was no balance because DWSD didn’t know what it was.

“I am early, early in my career. I’m a new homeowner,” Geissinger says. “But I’m not in a position where I can’t pay the bill. There will be a lot of late fees, and it will hurt by credit rating. I’m stuck with a more than , water bill.”

For a city hemorrhaging its popula tion, this is a strange way to welcome a new resident.

to Life volunteer.”

The Dixon campaign is referring to the civil unrest that followed the murder of eorge loyd by inneapo lis police, as well as a recent incident in which an anti-abortion Right to Life volunteer was shot while canvassing in Odessa Township. The man who pulled the trigger claimed it was an accident.

In eptember, i on oked about a plot to kill hitmer that was thwarted by the FBI in 2020. “For someone so worried about being kidnapped, Gretchen Whitmer sure is good at taking business hostage and holding it for ransom,” Dixon said at a campaign event in Troy.

“Threats of violence — whether to Governor Whitmer or to candidate and elected o cials on the other side of the aisle — are no laughing matter, and the fact that Tudor i on think it’s a oke shows that she is absolutely unfit to serve in public o ce, hitmer com munications director aeve oyle said in a statement.

Turns out, the previous owner’s water meter wasn’t relaying usage to the city, so the bill was a at service fee.

The Herschel Walker dilemma

By Jeffrey C. Billman

The important thing is not that Herschel Walker paid for an exgirlfriend’s abortion in 2009, or that he broke up with the woman when she refused to terminate a second preg nancy in 2011.

It’s not that he’s obviously lying about all of this, either. It’s not even the hypocrisy of a man who thinks he has the right to dictate women’s reproductive choices — he favors a total abortion ban with no exceptions for rape, incest, or the life or health of the mother but can’t figure out how to use a condom.

The truth is, Walker deserves almost as much pity as scorn. He is, after all, a human warning label for CTE who can barely string together a coherent sentence. Even so, his his tory of domestic violence allegations and bizarre and brazen lies made clear that he belongs nowhere near the Senate.

Now the Republican Party has a dilemma on its hands.

Or it should, anyway.

This is the party that worked for decades to stack the U.S. Supreme Court with anti-abortion ideologues, then rammed through draconian state abortion bans the second Roe fell —

including in Georgia, where women can no longer legally terminate preg nancies about six weeks after their previous menstrual period, before many women know they’re pregnant.

These are the same folks who’ve lectured us that abortion is murder, who now want to grant clumps of cells personhood; the same self-righteous prigs who’ve stood outside calling women who enter “baby killers.”

By their standards, Walker paid for the murder of his own unborn child. He then pressured a woman to murder another of his children. If they believe what they say they believe — if Walk er believes what he says he believes — this should be disqualifying.

But Georgia law doesn’t allow par ties to replace candidates so close to the election, and Walker’s victory would likely make Mitch McConnell the Senate majority leader.

So Republicans have a choice: pur sue political power, or keep faith with their own stated convictions. Guess which one they’ve chosen.

“If y’all find a perfect candidate that has never had challenges in their life, I want you to bring them to me and let me meet him or her,” a Georgia state representative told The New

York Times. A Republican state leader added that they are “not voting for fathers and husbands of the year.”

“Do you wait for a candidate who perfectly aligns with everything you not only want them to do when they’re elected, but all of your cultural and moral beliefs?” an evangelical pastor asked Politico. “Or do you take what’s given to you and make the choice between the options?”

Since we’re talking about choices, Walker’s opponent, Sen. Raphael War nock, is an actual Baptist minister and by all accounts a decent human being. But he’s also a Democrat, and that, it seems, is the truly unforgivable sin.

“After the fake Russian smear and the lies about Justice Kavanaugh, why would I worry about this?” Newt Gingrich, a former House speaker and paragon of sexual virtue, told the Times. “I am totally for Walker.”

A Republican consultant put it best, telling The Washington Post “I’m going to vote Herschel Walker. I don’t care if he performed an abortion him self — I am going to vote for him.”

After the scandal broke, Walker released an ad that said he had “over come” mental illness “by the grace of God.” He also told Fox News: “I was

forgiven, the Lord has forgiven me.”

But Walker hasn’t been forgiven of this “sin,” because he hasn’t acknowl edged it took place. Thirteen years of parochial school have informed me that repentance is a prerequisite to divine absolution. Instead, Walker has accused his ex of lying — never mind the receipt from the abortion clinic, the get-well card the woman received from Walker, and the check he wrote her, all of which she has produced for multiple media outlets.

Walker responded that he sends money to “a lot of people.” (I also re call the Good Book saying something about bearing false witness.)

The woman filed a paternity suit against Walker over the pregnancy she carried to term. A court eventually or dered him to pay $3,500 a month. He’s seen his son three times over the last 10 years, the woman says. Meanwhile, on the campaign trial, Walker has lambasted Black “absentee fathers.”

Three months after dumping his pregnant girlfriend, he told Playboy he was engaged to the woman who is now his wife. One month after that, yet another woman filed a police report against Walker, claiming that after a 20-year relationship, he threatened her after she told him she wanted to see other people. (Walker denied that allegation.)

Walker’s defenders have clung to his assertion that he knew nothing about the woman’s abortion. But if he did pay for it, they rationalize, it happened years ago — and even if he’s lying about it today, he’ll still vote to ban abortion in the Senate.

These are the same moral gymnas tics evangelicals used to justify their support for Donald Trump: Sure, he confessed to sexual assault, was ac cused of multiple rapes, tried to buy a porn star’s silence about their affair, threw migrant children in cages, was in bed with the mob, evaded taxes, and God knows what else. But he ap pointed judges who banned abortion, so all’s well that ends well.

That’s the real takeaway from the Herschel Walker saga.

Doug Jones, the former Alabama senator — the guy who beat fundie teen creeper Roy Moore, then lost to racist ex-football coach Tommy Tuber ville — probably said it best: “Folks, it’s time to acknowledge that ‘evangel ical’ is no longer a Christian religious label but a political one focused on political power more than faith.”

For people who claim to moral right to regulate freedom, power is more important than faith, and faith is a tool to obtain power.

If the Republicans believe what they say they believe, Walker’s history of abortion should be disqualifying. SHUTTERSTOCK Informed Dissent

NEWS & VIEWS

The Incision

Are Republicans giving up on Democracy?

By Abdul El-Sayed

Donald Trump was in Michi gan last Saturday. Don’t get me wrong: Michigan is lovely in October. But he didn’t come to go apple picking, watch football, or enjoy the crisp autumn weather. Instead, he came at the behest of candidates for three of the state’s top o ces. nd ichigan is far from Trump’s only stop this fall. He’s been in Pennsylvania, and if plans hold, he’ll be ranting in microphones on behalf of epublicans in ri ona, hio, and North Carolina by election day.

These candidates aren’t running in Republican primaries, where Donald Trump’s endorsement carries weight. They’re running in general elections, where they have to compete for vot ers who haven’t been bapti ed in the slop.

Recent polling shows that two-third of independents disapprove of Trump — the voters Republicans need to turn out in November if they have any hope of winning.

So with Trump’s approval under water, why bring him to your state?

The answer says a lot about the ’s long game with respect to merican democracy.

et me offer my most generous interpretation first. erhaps candidates are so deep into the hall of mirrors in which they reside that they actually believe this dude can help them win elections. They believe that his tin hat election denial, the claim that he’s being politically persecuted, or his stale brand of braggadocio can actually inspire some non-existent sub terranean base to come out to the polls on their behalf.

To be fair here, one of the deepest conceptual challenges in politics is seeing beyond your own echo chamber reali ing that the positive feedback you’re getting on the trail does not translate to having more than half of the voters like you more than the other per son. erhaps the types ust can’t see beyond the minority of mericans who’ve imbibed their lies.

But there’s a more sinister interpreta tion here. Though it takes a majority of

the voters to win an election, it takes far, far fewer to undermine one. lthough each of these candidates is ostensibly running to be elected to public o ce by way of our democracy, they are embrac ing a failed politician who sees his only path back to power through denying one. In doing that, Trump-embracing candidates are explicitly choosing to use their platforms to undermine the edifice of our democracy rather than try to suc ceed within it.

In that respect, it’s hard not to view these midterms as anything but a winwin proposition for a hellbent on power — not through, but in spite of our democracy. If they lose, they’ll leverage their losses and claim foul play to feed their base even more of the grievance on which they are campaign ing. nd if, despite their embrace of an anti-democratic demagogue, they hap pen to win, then they’ll happily claim victory and leverage their positions to undo our democracy just the same.

“This is the most important election in our lifetimes” is a tired cliché

at this point. But it’s true — and it will continue to be true every election for the foreseeable future. That’s because the ’s brinksmanship is like an automated ante-raising machine. Win or lose, they raise the stakes.

It also means that winning is not enough. We have to win, and we have to govern. The Republican grievance machine works because too many people believe that government does not. It runs on broken promises and unmet needs, aiming the insecurity it creates not at the very Republican party that has, for decades, undermined our soci ety’s ability to deliver basic resources to mericans but at emocrats who’ve promised to overcome it.

Democrats have to get serious about delivering what we promise: an educa tional system befitting our children’s brains, affordable, accessible housing, clean air and water, basic rights over your own body, the ability to take a few weeks off when you, a child, or a parent get sick or if you have a kid, childcare that allows you to work without having to sacrifice that whole check.

The is eering its base to ask what the point of elections even is. Our answer must come in demonstrating the value of winning them.

Originally published Oct. 4 in The Incision. Get more at abdulelsayed. substack.com.

Why else would you have a twice-impeached, election-denying former president under investigation in three different jurisdictions campaign for you?

SHUTTERSTOCK

Work hard, love hard

By Alex Washington

SWEETEST DAY is a holiday with a meaning that varies depending on who you ask. The Midwestern holiday began as a way to boost candy sales in the 1920s but has since evolved to be less about selling the sweet stuff and more about celebrating the sweetest thing ever known — love. n To some, it acts as a day to celebrate and spoil men, since traditional Valentine’s Day marketing is usually geared toward women. To others, it’s just one more reason to brag out loud about the love of their life. n This Sweetest Day, we talked to three Detroit area couples who love out loud while raising their families and working together daily. n Meet the Temples, the Williamses, and the Maples.

The Temples

WHEN YOU WALK into AYV Fresher in downtown oyal ak, the first person to greet you isn’t a seasoned employee or one of the store’s owners, elody and nthony “ oolade Temple. It’s their one year old son, nthony r.

fter narrowly dodging his rapidly moving walker, you’re likely to look up and see his parents working in the background of their clothing store, folding new items or handling inventory.

ashion is at the core of what brought the Temples together. The two met many years ago during a fashion show at the former obo all now untington lace . elody was a featured model, and oolade was there showcasing his streetwear brand, ifestyle.

At the time, Melody was still in her teens and oolade was not. ne thing that both make clear is that their romantic interest in each other was not something that began when they first met.

“ onestly, I’ve always thought she was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen, but I never looked at her like that, says oolade. “I never thought h, I’m gonna get her.’ I ust never thought of her like that.

In fact, nthony says he didn’t think twice about her until more than a decade later, as elody ap proached her late s. It was her th birthday when Anthony decided to shoot his shot — and Melody blocked his advances like Tayshaun rince blocked eggie iller in the layoffs. ot neces sarily because of a lack of interest, she says, but more because she ust thought he was being funny.

Their romantic story began to write itself af ter oolade took an interest in elody’s women’s streetwear brand, resher rand. ne night, while casually hanging out, elody told oolade she was leaving to deliver an order to a customer. This didn’t sit well with him. “It was like at night, and she told me she was going to do this delivery, oolade says. “I told her it was too late and she couldn’t be out in the streets doing that. o I gave her keys to my store.

t the time, oolade’s brand had a storefront in idtown, and soon after elody’s resher line would begin taking up a corner of the store’s real estate. oolade’s gesture to help out his friend meant the two began spending a lot more time together in the intimate setting of that storefront. oon they began to develop a more romantic interest.

“ hortly after we started kicking it, I got into a car accident, and he picked me up and drove me to work

every single day, says elody. “ ecause of that, we would spend all day together, before work and after.

They continued to develop their business relation ship and their personal relationship, despite a year age gap. hile elody says the age gap wasn’t much of an issue for her, oolade says that it’s something that definitely crossed his mind in the beginning.

“ or her, the age gap wasn’t a challenge. or me, it was there, he says. “The first thing I started thinking of is what I e pected her not to do. ike I know she’s not going to do this, or I know she’s not going to be attentive. I know she’s not going to be home, because she’s young. ut when we got into those situations I was wrong. I was completely wrong about her.

“I grew up knowing what I wanted and what I didn’t want in relationships, and I’ve always been straightforward about that, elody adds. “I was able to say, I can do this, you do that. This is how I pictured this working, so let’s figure out what’s going to work and what’s going to be our balance.’

s elody’s brand continued to grow, they uickly reali ed they had outgrown the small space they occupied in idtown. fter a temporary solution turned sour, the two found themselves in uick need of a new space. elody says she prayed on the situ ation and soon received a phone call from a friend about a space at . ile d. in downtown oyal ak that was for sale.

“I didn’t react negatively when our last situation went left, she says. “I prayed. I asked od and ust hoped that we would find something else. t the time it was a photography studio and a friend of mine sent me a video of how the space looked, and it was everything that we were looking for, everything that we wanted. verything was divine order in the way that it was supposed to be done, and it honestly gave me the confidence about the relationship, not ust business wise, but personally as well. verything ust flowed for us, it was never forced.

fter two years of dating, oolade asked elody for her hand in marriage on hristmas ve in . hen asked how he knew it was time, oolade says he ust felt different.

“I felt like I was actually in love for real, he says. “I thought I was in love one other time in my life, but the feelings I had for her, I ust knew it had to be real. ne day we had an argument over something small and stupid and she didn’t speak to me for three days, and it actually bothered me. I was ust like, hat am I do ing I really care about her, and she’s really not speak ing to me.’ sually, I don’t care, but I wanted to make this right. That’s when I reali ed what love really is.

The couple wed on ebruary , , ust weeks before I would shut the world down. The Temples said the pandemic had little effect on how they operated daily because they truly en oy each other as friends. They continued to work together and develop their brands, as they always have.

These days, the Temples have found their groove. Their decade long friendship set the tone for what would ultimately become their business relationship and marriage.

“ verything always flows with us it’s never been forced, says elody. “It’s ust about finding that right person and knowing that there will be small things to confirm that you’re doing it with the right person. I’m doing it with mine.

The Williamses

BACK ON OAKLAND niversity’s campus in the early s, during a time when ony iscmans were still a thing and cellphones weren’t nearly as advanced as they are now, a new student developed a rapport with a friendly stranger she would see while working shifts at the school’s student center.

That’s how the love story of ick and olanda il liams begins. The two were always friendly and polite, but never held a full conversation until one day in the school’s cafeteria.

“I didn’t know him. e would ust walk past the reservations o ce and do a little head nod, olanda recalls. “ e would ust speak and say what up’ and this before we ever sat down and fully had a conversa tion. They had this thing called midnight breakfast where you get breakfast at midnight in the cafeteria, and I remember telling one of my roommates at the time like, I think I’m going to definitely get him,’ and the rest was history. I got him.

ick and olanda dated for three years before ty ing the knot. The young couple got married and still

managed to go to class that onday. They skipped a honeymoon at the time because they couldn’t afford it. It’s something ick doesn’t regret, because he says all they truly wanted was to be with each other.

“ e didn’t go on a honeymoon, we couldn’t afford that. ut what we did know is that I wanted to be with her, and she wanted to be with me, and we wanted to build together, says ick. “That was the blessing, we grew together and really started from the mud, from nothing. e were so happy, broke, we were below the poverty level, and didn’t even know it.

hat started with a simple head nod and would turn into years of marriage, two children, and thriving businesses. Together ick and olanda own ream lends, a natural skincare brand, and istinct ife, a brand development agency.

hen it comes down to working together, the il liams move as one unit them against everything else.

“I want to do whatever I can to make things easier for o, and she tries to do the same thing for me, ick says. “ e apply that throughout everything. hen she came to me with this formula and the idea to do ream lends, it made sense. I’m a brand guy, I develop brands. I used the od given gifts and talents that I charge

other people for, and poured them into her. Actually, we pour into each other. I haven’t had a copywriter. Yolanda has been my copywriter since we started.”

The pair are more than business partners, parents, and spouses. They’re also friends. Both agreed that prioritizing their friendship is what helped them navigate their relationship for the last two decades.

“Getting married, being in love, that’s easy,” Yolanda says. “It’s the friend part that’s not as easy. I know a lot of married people that are married, been married for years, and they’re just married. They’re not friends. I think when you’re friends you’re able to see when you’re having bad days, when you’re having good days. There have been plenty of times working together where I have had to say, or Rick has had to say, I need my husband or I need my wife to respond, not my business partner.”

“She’s my best friend, no one is a better friend,” Rick says. “We help each other get better. She sees what I’m passionate about, and vice versa, and we push each other in those directions.”

The friendship also extends to their children. That might sound weird, but in an age where “fuck those kids” can be seen across social media memes, being present for their kids is something that the Williams are sure to prioritize.

“I grew up with my mom and grandmother say ing ‘I’m not your little friend,’ and I think that’s not correct,” says Yolanda. “I am your friend, because what happens when you’re not friends is they turn 18 and they don’t need you anymore. My children still respect us, but they’re still our friends. I like them, they’re cooler than most people.

The Williams currently homeschool their kids, with Yolanda taking the lead on that, but they are both active, open, and honest with their kids. Rick says this environment allows their children to see them differently by seeing how they work, because they’re with them all the time. He also says it allows them to communicate very freely as a family, which is something he didn’t have.

“As a general rule, I believe that we’re teaching our boys by how we live and how we move. My children watch me 24/7. There aren’t any breaks,” says Rick. “ very day we talk as a family about stuff, and to me that’s the difference. I didn’t grow up with that.

“I tell people all the time that my kids’ classmates are also their parents,” says Yolanda. “They have these two experienced classmates that are teaching them and listening to their views.”

When asked what it’s like balancing work, family, and their own relationship, Yolanda says it’s some thing they’re still working on, but they’re learning how to recalibrate.

“Life isn’t balanced. Sometimes you just have too much on your plate, but we’re learning to say no more,” says Yolanda. “I think balance is something that every body is always searching for. If somebody tells you that they have everything balanced, and it was working out 100% of the time, they’re lying. It’s a constant process.” ne thing the illiams have figured out is how hard they ride for each other. Even if they may not agree on how to handle a business venture, through thick and thin the Williams stick together.

“We sink or swim together,” says Rick. “My thing is we’ll do it, and I don’t mind sinking a little bit, as long as she’s staying on this boat with me.”

The Maples

ONE THING ABOUT Randi Rossario Maples, she’s going to tell you how she feels. Her presence is as large as the opinions she spews on Instagram, her comedy act, and the podcast she hosts on. She’s a woman of many words, until you ask her about her marriage to eff aples.

itting in their ak ark o ce, andi, who can sound off about anything, becomes uite bashful when speaking of her husband. There’s a softness to Randi that many don’t get to see.

The two met in 2008 at Bert’s on Broadway when they were both party promoters on the scene. They dated for a while, before separating and moving on to other relationships. The pair remained friends over the years and on Randi’s 29th birthday, she got a special surprise miles away from home.

During a girl’s trip to Miami, a friend of Randi’s who eff ust so happened to be following posted their location. eff used the opportunity to reach out to andi with the idea of sending her flowers for her birthday. After she told him she would still be celebrating in Miami, he told her he would be down there as well for business. The two went out to dinner and picked up where they left off.

“We had a ball, it was nothing but good vibes and we picked up e actly where we left off, says andi. “We went out to a steakhouse and during that date, that’s when I really knew he was my forever mate.” eff e tended his trip to iami and the rekindled lovebirds continued to enjoy each other. That was mid-May, and by the 4th of July, the two had purchased their first home together. ater that year, eff proposed to Randi, and the two would get married in May 2019, roughly a year from that date in Miami.

While that timeline may seem short to some people, andi says it felt different to her because eff wasn’t a stranger and was someone she already shared a friendship and connection with.

“We’ve always been extremely compatible with one another, but the timing was not what it needed to be, says andi. “I had to get some shit off my chest and he had to get some shit off his chest. e

had to both experience things and get some more season on us.”

“I’m a visionary, I can see my future and where we’re going, but I’m unable to see the journey,” says eff. “I’ve never been in a position where I was dating someone or talking to someone where I was able to see the older successful version of myself. I saw that with her.”

ne of the things that eff e perienced during that time he and Randi weren’t together is fatherhood. He has two children, Dominick and Sophia, from a previ ous relationship, and when it came to blending their family it took some adjusting, but they made it work.

“ e had no choice but to make it work, says eff. “It wasn’t just about what I wanted to happen, it’s what I felt was best for my kids, my future, and the family I saw myself having.”

“I was in a transition of learning how to really stand on my own, and during that transition, God blessed me with them,” says Randi. “It’s been an ad ustment, but I’ve figured it out. There are things I haven’t figured out yet, but we’re figuring them out together along the way.”

Randi has partnered with Alley Ray, the mother of eff’s children, and co authored a book together called Coparent Like a Boss. The book tells their story of learning to blend their family, a family that ex panded when Randi gave birth to their son, Chandler, in 2020.

The aples are a busy pair. andi is an influencer, who also works as director of operations for Detroit music based company , and eff owns the Capital Brand, a lifestyle branding and consulting agency. Together the two own StreamTicket, a live en tertainment streaming service, and these titles barely scratch the surface for all the things the two entrepre neurs have their hands in.

Balancing co-parenting, a toddler, entrepreneur ship, and a marriage can be a lot. The two have devel oped a routine that works for them, and Randi says their partnership is what makes juggling all of it easy.

“We’re still working through it, but I think we have a really good balance right now,” she says. “We’re genuinely teammates, and I love that for us, and I love that our kids get to see that with us.”

WHAT’S GOING ON

Select events happening in metro Detroit this week. See venue websites for information on COVID-19 policies.

STARTS FRI, 10/14

New Standards Jazz Crawl

The inaugural New Standards Jazz Crawl will bring 13 free concerts to eight venues across five days, includ ing performers in a , bebop, and blues hailing from etroit, ew ork, oston, hicago, and os ngeles. It takes place on ct. , , , , and between the etroit Institute of rts, arr enter erformance tudio, harles . right useum of frican merican istory, The carab lub, etroit istorical useum, etroit ublic ibrary, etroit ymphony r chestra, and useum of ontemporary rt etroit.

The a rawl kicks off on ri day, ct. at the etroit istorical useum with performances by icole itchelle, arion ayden, and ovia rmstrong at p.m. The evening continues at the carab lub at p.m. and closes out at the arr erfor mance tudio at p.m. with a meia orn and The athering rchestra onet. ach set is minutes long and is completely free to attend.

The New Standards Jazz Crawl

coincides with the world premiere of a multimedia installation curated and conceived by arr enter artistic director Terri yne arrington called New Standards: Part of Shifting the Narrative: Jazz and Gender Justice. The installation runs ct. ov. at the arr enter erformance tudio at . irby t. in etroit.

—Randiah Camille Green

Concerts begin between 6 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. nightly at various venues (make sure to check for COVID-19 protocols); see full schedule at thecarrcenter.org. Entry is free.

SAT, 10/15

Red Bull SoundClash: Babyface Ray vs. Larry June

It might be fair to say that is the year of abyface ay. hile he’s been rapping for well over a decade, this year his hard work seems to be paying off. e released his critically acclaimed album FACE at the beginning of this year and earned a spot as a part of XXL maga ine’s reshman class. ow, abyface ay will go against ay rea rapper arry une in a bi coastal clash of the titans. ed ull an nounced the return of its SoundClash

series, which pits two artists against each other in a musical battle. “I’m ust excited to put on for the D and show the world what we all about. istory in the making It’s gonna be something special, for sure. e wanna thank ed ull for putting us on to this, said abyface ay in a press release.

There will be two rounds, with each artist getting the opportunity to rock the stage in their hometown. The battle is all in good fun though arry une and abyface ay will also perform their collaborative track “ tra of m that was released on arry une’s pace ships on the lade album in ugust.

—Alex Washington

Doors open at p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 15 at the Russell Industrial Center; 1600 Clay St., Detroit; redbull.com/events. Tickets are $25.

FRI-SUN 10/14-10/16

Motor City Comic Con

It’s arguably never been a better time to be a geek. omic book culture is bigger than ever, thanks to the onslaught of blockbuster superhero film adaptations from arvel and omics. opu larity is so high that it’s perhaps no surprise that the long running otor ity omic on has returned with two

conventions this year one held in its typical time slot in ay, and a fall ver sion slated for ctober.

“ otor ity omic on used to have two conventions each year, and we are going back to that tradition, says e ecutive director i llen. “ The year was the last time both a fall and spring convention was held, so we brought it back this year.

It’s not ust about superheroes. This year, rockstar lice ooper is one of otor ity omic on’s celebrity guests. The year old performer who came up in etroit’s classic rock scene will be in attendance at the convention all three days, available for autographs and to pose for photos with fans. ther celebrity guests include pro wrestler nna ay, comedian ames “ urr urray, Taken actor live tan den, The Walking Dead actress aurie olden, comedian amie arr, and M*A*S*H* actress oretta wit.

The Motor City Comic Con takes place from noon-7 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 14, 10 a.m.-7 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 15, and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. on Sunday, oct. 16 at the Suburban Collection

Showplace, 46199 Grand River Ave., Novi; motorcitycomiccon.com. Tickets start at $35 for ages 13 and up, with VIP passes available.

—Lee DeVito

The Gathering Orchestra Nonet performs as part of the New Standards Jazz Crawl.

COURTESY PHOTO

MUSIC

Heavy metal

Parody band Mac Sabbath warns about the evils of fast food

By L. Kent Wolgamott, Last Word Features

Mike Odd has a tough job.

He’s the man in charge of Mac Sabbath, the world’s greatest drive-through metal band that’s made up of twisted dopplegangers of McDonaldland inhabitants led by a creepy clown who’s got a problem with fast food and sings about it via Black Sabbath songs.

An instant sensation after Black Sabbath posted its video for “Frying Pan,” a reworking of “Iron Man” on Facebook and Twitter on New Year’s Day 2015, Mac Sabbath burst out of Southern California and has been wreaking its fries-meet-heavy-rock havoc around the world since then.

Odd, who’s the spokesman for the band — the members remain anony mous — was recruited as manager in part because he has his own “theatrical horror rock band,” Rosemary’s Billygoat, and in part because he’s an admitted weirdo.

“When you’re a weirdo you hold certain things near and dear,” Odd says in a recent phone interview. “Black Sabbath invented heavy metal, punk rock, goth, everything that’s cool if you’re a weirdo. If you look at 1970 when ‘Paranoid’ came out, there was nothing that fast, like a modern punk rock song. In the late ’60s, there was nothing as creepy and ominous as Black Sabbath. They’ve really influenced everything you love if you’re a counterculture weirdo. And there’s no bigger weirdo than Ronald.”

Ronald would be Ronald Osbourne, the twisted genius behind Mac Sabbath, who bears a striking resemblance to a certain clown from the fast-food chain that shall not be named — for copyright infringement purposes — and shares his last name with Black Sabbath’s star, Ozzy.

He’s joined in Mac Sabbath by cheeseburger-headed guitarist Slayer Mac Cheeze, gumdrop-shaped bassist Grimalice (who may or may not be

related to Grimace), and drummer Catburgler, a particularly twisted cross between the Hamburgler and the Catman from Kiss.

Their repertoire consists of Black Sabbath songs repurposed for Ronald’s campaign to free the earth of fast food. So “Paranoid” becomes “Pair-a-Buns”; “Sweet Leaf” is in Mac Sabbath’s hands, “Sweet Beef”; and “Never Say Die” becomes “Never Say Diet.”

“A lot of people look at it and think it’s pro-fast food culture thing,” Odd says. “In the same way they look at Black Sabbath and they’re doing a com mercial for evil at large. Then you break down the lyrics and they were making a warning about evil. This is a warning about fast food and the evils it will do to your soul.”

In Odd’s telling of the story, he was recruited by Osbourne — Ronald, not Ozzy — while eating at a burger joint in a Chatsworth, California, and taken to a band performance underneath another fast-food eatery in the San Fernando Valley.

The band began playing shows around California. Then came the so cial media posts from Black Sabbath.

“That’s what really made it happen,” Odd says. “You’ve got to give it up to lack abbath, not ust for influencing the band, but for promoting the band. It wouldn’t have gotten to this level if

they didn’t get the joke and support it.”

The Black Sabbath post landed the band an invitation to play England’s Download Festival, along with Kiss, Judas Priest, and Motley Crue. Returning to the U.S., Mac Sabbath got out of California and has extensively toured the United States, continuing to connect with fans around the country.

Why has that occurred, Mr. Odd?

“There’s something that happened with these characters and Black Sab bath,” he says. “I guess it’s the way they work together so well. They’re both so psychedelic and ’70s and creepy at the same time. There’s something about the nature of people who like Black Sabbath that relates to the cheeseburg er culture as well — for reasons that don’t need to be enumerated.”

Mac Sabbath is all over YouTube. But the band has yet to make a studio album.

“There’s a possibility (of a studio record , but that seems to be a di cult thing to achieve,” Odd says.

So, for now, Mac Sabbath exists only on stage, where it brings its thundering chaos with Grimlice shredding and Osbourne being Osbourne.

“It lasts a little over an hour,” Odd says. “It depends on Ronald. He’s not very predictable. There’s a good eight to 12 songs depending on what happens.”

So, Ronald gets a little out of control?

“The problem is that he is in control,” Odd says. “It’d be nice if I could control him at all. You’re talking about a dis turbed clown who maintains he’s trav eled in the time-space continuum from the ’70s to warn us about the evils of fast food and to get us back to the ’70s when music and food was still genuine. So you have a person — I don’t know if person is the right word — you’re looking at an entity who is constantly battling technology. There’s always a backlash. Sometimes, it’s hilarious. Sometimes it’s not so hilarious.”

What it ultimately is is good, clean, loud rocking fun for the whole family — at least that’s how Odd sees it.

“One of the most amazing things about it is it looks like this big scary, gnarly thing with these laser-eyed skull clowns and this heavy creepy music, this absolute heavy metal evil thing,” he says. “When you break it all down after it’s over, everything he’s doing is a kid friendly, family thing. There’s no rated stuff in there. o se or drugs or anything of that stuff. onald doesn’t work blue. It’s an entertaining thing the family could enjoy.”

Mac Sabbath performs on Saturday, Oct. 15 at the Magic Bag; 22920 Woodward Ave., Ferndale; 248-544-1991; themagicbag. com. Doors open at p.m. and tickets are $20 advance, $25 day of show.

Mac Sabbath brings its twisted take on Black Sabbath and a certain drive-thru chain to Ferndale’s Magic Bag on Saturday.

PAUL KOUDOUNARIS

Not gonna lie — the Detroit epper ompany’s concept at first generated a bit of skepticism. A menu built around stuffed bell peppers

The dish is something that’s associ ated with memories of mom cooking dinner for the family, and it’s just not anything that I’ve ordered while out at a restaurant.

And here, on Detroit’s east side, Marlin Hughes had set up a restaurant dedicated to the dish. Seemed weird, but he put my skepticism to rest.

Far and away the best option was the stuffed poblano, with two umbo halves of pepper bursting with ground beef, brown rice, quinoa, as well as mushrooms, onions, broccoli, celery, and carrots that are stir-fried with a house barbecue sauce. The sweet and tangy sauce along with the thick coating of cheddar cheese over the peppers are what made the dish. Hughes revealed the barbecue sauce’s secret ingredient — pineapple juice. Excellent.

Admittedly, I’m late to the game on Detroit Pepper Co. It’s gotten a bit of media attention since opening with the help of a Motor City Match grant in East English Village in late 2019.

Hot stuff

By Tom Perkins

Hughes quickly built a customer base and managed to weather the pandemic in a small, clean carryout-only space.

The concept sprang out of a birth day party that Hughes threw for his wife many years ago. e made stuffed peppers for the event his first stab at doing so — and they were such a hit that he prophetically declared as they cleaned up, “We’re going to sell these peppers some day!”

Not long after, as Hughes tells it, opportunity knocked, they bought the building at Warren and Cadieux, and Hughes quit his job of more than 20 years at the post o ce to launch the restaurant.

The menu is generally healthy and built with fresh ingredients — every thing is cooked to order, so expect to wait a minute. Customers pick from a short list of meats or cheeses they want in and on the peppers, and the menu also offers sandwiches, rice bowls, smoothies, salads, and a range of sides.

There are plenty of vegan options, vegan cheeses, and gluten-free choices. The smoothies are made with real fruit instead of a gross, sugary premade mix. If you need it sweeter, he’ll add agave.

Hughes said his son is autisitic and

long ago that got him into researching and preparing healthy foods, which naturally carried over into Detroit Pepper Co.

Another excellent plate was the stuffed alape o peppers, which I got filled with ground beef and coated in cheddar. It radiates sharp heat, which, beyond the peppers, owes to fresh alape o hot sauce ughes developed after customers complained that the dish wasn’t spicy enough — he’ll sometimes tweak and change his menu based on customer feedback.

The etroit stuffed pepper is Hughes’s traditional pepper. He packs it with brown rice and black beans, and I got one of mine with ground beef and another with ground chicken. The beef works better, and it was topped with Martin’s Detroit Pepper red sauce, a marinara he makes in house with slightly sweet and fragrant San Marzano tomatoes.

The vegan pepper comes with brown rice and quinoa, red sauce, squash, black beans, and zucchini — a great fall pepper. I ordered a thick blanket of mozzarella, rendering the pack age vegetarian instead of vegan. The inside-out grainbowl is similar with a

Detroit Pepper Co.

mix of whole grain rice, squash, zuc chini, black beans, roasted peppers, and onions, and I also got that blan keted in mozzarella. My one complaint of the meals — didn’t love the moz zarella cheese the restaurant uses, and would definitely stick with cheddar going forward.

I love a high-end chili cheese fry, and at the top of the list for the next visit is the Detroit chili cheese fry with a hand cut roasted potato medley, house chili, diced red onions, and cheese. Also eyeing the stir fry hoagie, with stir fry vegetables, Italian-style hog with Detroit tomato sauce, let tuce, tomatoes, banana peppers, and Italian dressing.

The Detroit Pepper Co. packs a mean stuffed pepper.

VIOLA KOCKO

FOOD Avalon Cafe replaces Great Lakes Coffee at Rivertown Market

Hamtramck’s New Dodge Lounge reopens with arcade games

AFTER SOME DELAYS, Ham tramck’s long-standing New Dodge Lounge has reopened under new management this month, with updates that include the addition of arcade games and plans for entertainment most days of the week.

The bar switched hands earlier this year, and is now run by the management team behind the Detroit Shipping Co. food hall. Management previously told Metro Timesthat they initially hoped to open in August, but now say they were waiting for final approval from the Michigan Liquor Control Commission, which was just granted in recent weeks.

The bar will now be open nightly Fri day, Saturday, and Sunday, with plans for a grand re-opening on Saturday, Oct. 22. After that, it plans to hold hours from happy hour to close, “six or seven days a week,” co-owner Jonathan Hartzell tells Metro Times.

“We’re getting all of our live music set up, because we’re going to start doing music Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights, general manager rica arkoff says. “Our goal is to do something fun every single night of the week. So we’re doing a service industry night, we’re working on getting karaoke together, and a couple other things like an open mic and stuff like that.

They say they plan to start booking local artists to perform soon, and plan to make upgrades to the bar’s stage and sound system in the coming years.

In the meantime, the bar underwent a “thorough” cleaning, which included a new paint job. They also changed the open seating area in the back of the bar into an arcade that includes a handful of arcade games, as well as skee-ball and pinball.

Other changes include reupholster ing some furniture and upgrading TVs.

Hartzell says he was inspired to run a business in Hamtramck because his great-grandfather lived in Hamtramck, and he’s in the process of getting vintage family portraits installed on the walls.

“We’ve got a lot of family photos up there that kind of tell the story of the transition of Hamtramck over the last, you know, 120 years,” he says.

As a soccer fan, he also wants the bar to cater to fans of the Detroit City FC soccer club at nearby Keyworth Stadium. He says he’s in talks to host DCFC’s end-of-the-season party, and also has plans to host an exhibition of work from the team’s o cial photog rapher.

He says they plan to also host other rotating visual artists on the walls, simi lar to what they do at Detroit Shipping Co.

There are also plans to upgrade the bar’s kitchen equipment, but in the meantime it has agreements with nearby Amicci’s Pizza and Yemen Cafe, which will deliver to the New Dodge Lounge.

“We’d love a happy hour crowd, peo ple hanging out, watching sports while playing video games, have a few drinks, and then roll into our music and other activities nine o’clock till close,” he says. “There should be programming almost every night of the week, so you can come in here and have some experience.”

He says they plan to host music of all genres.

“We’re really starting to learn who the good bands are and who’s really worth having and booking,” he says. “But we’re open to everyone applying, and, you know, hosting over the next six months the best that Detroit’s got.”

New Dodge Lounge is located at 8850 Joseph Campau Ave., Hamtramck.

—Lee DeVito

New restaurant Symposia opens in Greektown

A NEW FINE-DINING restau rant called Symposia is opening in Greektown’s Atheneum Suite Hotel and Conference Center.

The Mediterranean-inspired spot is owned and operated by the Papas family, the people also behind Greektown’s Pegasus Taverna, A Bar, Mosaic, and Santorini Estiatorio.

“Since we opened Mosaic and Santorini Estiatorio, we’ve been eager to introduce another res taurant concept in the Greektown district,” Athina Papas said in a press release. “Symposia will build on our commitment to preserving the cultural aspects of the area, as well as enhancing the community moving forward.”

The restaurant features a menu created by executive chef Elliot Patti, who previously worked at acclaimed restaurants around the world.

“The menu for Symposia is a culmination of my culinary experi ences,” Patti said in a statement. “I twist authentic recipes by taking liberties with unexpected juxtaposi tion. I look forward to serving these dishes to our guests.”

The menu includes items like roasted beet with whipped feta,, Spanish octopus, Prawn Bucatini with Greek olive oil, Australian Lamb Chop, Amish Half Bird, and an olive oil cake with pistachio, or ange, honey-whipped Greek yogurt.

The restaurant is named after Plato’s “Symposium,” which is de picted in artwork on display in the nearby Atheneum lobby.

“We didn’t have to look far for inspiration,” said Papas. “The art piece in our A Bar of Plato’s Sym posium inspired the vision for the restaurant. Symposiums of ancient times were used as a space to gather, drink, and dine in celebration of an exchange of ideas and philosophies. In that same spirit, Symposia pro vides a welcoming atmosphere for family and friends to gather while savoring our unique cuisine.”

The restaurant has a capacity of 65 and will be open for dinner from -10 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday and -11 p.m Friday-Saturday.

Symposia is located in the Ath eneum Suite Hotel and Conference Center at 1000 Brush St., Detroit; 313-962-9366; symposiadetroit.com —Lee DeVito

AVALON BAKERY HAS a new cafe inside Detroit’s Rivertown Market.

The bakery opened its latest location Wednesday morning, serv ing coffee and valon favorites like the Bite of Bliss and Vegan Willis ‘Wich along with cookies, bread, and other pastries.

It also has a “biscuit bar” with its popular breakfast biscuit sandwiches.

Rivertown Market sells several packaged Avalon products al ready, but those fresh biscuits are some of the best we’ve ever had.

While exciting, the news is bittersweet. Avalon replaces the supermarket’s reat akes offee stand, which closed for several months while employees went on strike and fought to unionize.

reat akes offee baristas withdrew their union efforts back in August after the company closed several stores, including the Rivertown Market location.

“While we are disappointed and heartbroken, we are grateful for all who have stood with us, for your solidarity, love, and support,” the workers said in a statement at the time. “We’ve been on strike for over 150 days, all of us have had to find new obs. ur re sources, time, and energy need to be cared for in order to stay in the fight for workers’ rights.

The strike began in February shortly after a lack of COVID-19 protocols led to an outbreak at the coffee chain’s idtown loca tion on Woodward Avenue.

Employees said they were over worked and fighting for a starting wage of per hour, affordable health insurance, anti-harass ment and anti-discrimination protections, and paid time off among other things.

Rather than meet those de mands, the owners closed the idtown store indefinitely, and the building still sits shuttered with a “ reat akes offee sign hanging outside.

The Avalon Cafe inside Rivertown Market will be open daily from a.m.-4 p.m.

—Randiah Camille Green

Hamtramck’s New Dodge Lounge.

VIOLA KLOCKO

WEED

Weed-infused pies that will knock you on your ass

Detroit’s Pink Panties Pizza went viral on TikTok for its pizzas with up to 1,200 mg of THC. We tried it.

By Randiah Camille Green

When I first heard about Pink Panties Pizza, a Detroit-based THCinfused pizza delivery service, I thought it was fake.

But it is, indeed, very real.

A delivery driver handed me a box with “warning, this pizza got weed in it… good weed...” written on it. A cartoon pizza on the box wearing pant ies, fishnet stockings, and heels smiled back at me.

That was after several back-andforth text messages with the business that began with “what up dough,” and before I got so fried that I was stuck in a never-ending loop of “uhhhh” and couldn’t finish a coherent sentence.

Pink Panties Pizza is not necessarily a secret, but it does seem shady at first glance. Their website lists a menu, but you have to text them to order.

The infused pies start at 500 mg of THC and you can “boss up” to 750 mg,

1,000 mg, or 1,200 mg if you’re brave. I stuck with 500 mg. You know when Rick James says “I was high as the sky” in Give it to Me Baby? Yeah, that was me. Less than half a slice gave me an unbearable case of the giggles and left me in zombie mode the next day.

Somewhere out there is a video of me laughing to the point of tears because my cousin asked my cat if she liked paper, and then balled up a receipt for the cat to play with. It’s the type of non sense that’s only hilarious when you’re that high.

Other outlets have reported that Pink Panties Pizza has locations in Ohio and Kentucky, but the owner tells Metro Times it’s a one-of-a-kind business only in Detroit. He chooses to remain anonymous, so we’ll just call him eff.

“It’s been a few articles published where they didn’t actually do their

research or contact me, eff says. “ e get a lot of people that come here out of state for Pink Panties Pizza and we post on our social media where they are from, so that’s probably where the confusion came from. I’ve been trying to make us a Detroit thing. Like when people come to Detroit, they’ll be like ‘yeah I saw the Renaissance Center, I went to Belle Isle, and I got a Pink Panties Pizza.’”

The name is a nod to the strain of weed used in the pizza: pink panties.

hen we te t the number, we’re told “the menu is old so prices are slightly different.

On the menu, a large specialty pizza was $40, but when we texted our order it was . That didn’t stop us. e ended up downsizing to a personal-size pizza with vegan cheese, mushrooms, and green peppers, which was $35 plus a $20 delivery fee.

eff, who is from etroit’s east side, tells us specialty items like vegan cheese drive up the price, plus the cost of gas. Pink Panties Pizza is a small one-man operation, after all, and the ingredients are purchased per order

rather than in bulk.

eff makes the pi a and delivers them in between working two jobs and being a full-time father.

“Every order is always fresh with ingredients from the supermarket or farmers market that day,” he says. “Plus the cost of food, just within the last four or five months, has gone up e po nentially. My boxes, my stickers, all the time I have to put into it, the amount of THC… I’m getting oil changes almost every three weeks now to deliver orders. It’s just me by myself and I gotta make sure my son is good, so I’m not always able to fulfill every order.

n average, eff says he delivers around 10 pizzas a week.

A large pizza with cheese and pep peroni generally starts at $40 for 500 mg of THC and delivery is $20 within city limits (it goes up for the suburbs).

hen he first started ink anties Pizza in 2017, pizzas were $30 and $10 for delivery, but that was five years ago. lame it on inflation.

Besides being the most expensive pizza I’ve ever ordered in my life, it was surprisingly tasty. Vegan cheese can be

Detroit’s Pink Panties Pizza seems shady, but it’s actually legit.

hit or miss, but this pizza was cheesy with a crunchy crust, fresh toppings, and buttery dough.

It was tempting to devour the whole thing, disregarding the ridiculously high amount of THC that would surely have sent me to the shadow realm.

The personal size has four slices which clock in around 125 mg each, so I stopped shy of half a slice. This was more than enough to give me a full body high that went from feel-good, to laughing so hard it hurts, to lights out. I was not eating more of that pizza, no matter how good it was or how strong my munchies got.

In hindsight, it makes more sense to order a large pizza since the whole pie is 500 mg regardless of the size. That way you can actually enjoy a full slice, which is what eff advises.

“I mean it also really depends on you and what you want to do,” he adds. “Some people wanna get that high. hen we first started we only did mg and I would deliver and people would be like, ‘Man, it wasn’t strong enough,’ so that’s when I came up with the different boss up’ levels.

If you’re thinking about ordering, there are a few things you should know.

First, orders must be placed 24 hours in advance with a 50% deposit. Some times same-day orders are possible if you text Pink Panties in the morning for an evening delivery. It just depends on whether eff is available.

Payment is only accepted through CashApp or ApplePay.

egarding how far he’ll deliver, eff says “as long as they’re willing to pay, I’m coming. I’ve had people want pizzas in Ann Arbor and Port Huron.” hen asked if the business is legal, he notes that they only deliver to people 21 and up, or 18 years old if they have a medical card.

The idea for weed-infused pizza came when eff was trying to find a legal way to help a friend who had just been released from prison make money. t the time, eff was managing a cannabis dispensary and thought he could buy weed from local growers, sell it through the dispensary, and give his friend the profit.

It all made sense until someone broke into his car and robbed him of the weed and the $5,000 his friend gave him to invest. From there he decided to make his own weed butter and sell edibles.

“But it was slow because [weed] brownies and cookies are everywhere,” he recalls. “So I wanted to come up with something different that I could make every day without getting bored.”

Though there were times when he would only sell one or two pizzas a month, eff says he never stopped. Then things started to take off last year after a customer video went viral on TikTok.

“I was working as a hotel supervisor and I kept getting notifications from people who wanted to inquire about the menu — like 300 requests a day,” he remembers. “I wasn’t even on TikTok at the time but my friends told me about the viral video so I found the girl who posted it and made her a brand ambassador. Now we do most of our busi ness through social media or word of mouth. I’m still working two jobs, but the goal is to be able to do this full time when I can make enough to provide for my family.”

The company’s slogan is “pizza so good, you’ll want to eat the box.” rapped in aluminum foil, the rem nants of my Pink Panties Pizza sit in my fridge daring me to eat it. I’m saving it for a day where I have no plans and nowhere to be the next day, so as not to repeat my past mistake of eating it on a weeknight.

More information is available at pinkpantiespizza.net.

RANDIAH CAMILLE GREEN

CULTURE

Mushroom magic

Tess Burzynski spreads spores in Detroit at Fungi Freights farms

By Lee DeVito

Tess Burzynski loves mushrooms — but that wasn’t always so. She says she became acquainted with them as a child, when her Polish grandfather would take her foraging for the elusive morels in northern Michigan during the spring.

“At that time, I was like, ‘Eww, what is this? It looks like a brain! I don’t want to eat this, grandpa!’” she says.

She has since become fascinated by fungi. As a student at Wayne State University, she found that there was still much about the organisms that is unknown to science. “Why do we learn about bacteria and other parts of the microbiology realm, and we know so little about fungi?” she says. “It really just pushed me to kind of dive deeper, and do my own research.”

To that end, she established Fungi Freights, a mushroom farm built on vacant parcels of land in Detroit’s Poletown neighborhood. The “Freights” refers to the repurposed shipping containers that she plans to use to grow mushrooms, and also to host a commu nity center where nearby residents can come in to learn more about science.

Burzynski closed on the property in early 2020 after writing a proposal to Detroit’s Land Bank, and spent the early months of the pandemic cleaning the site up. The space now hosts com munity workshops and other educa tional events, and she says the idea is to bring the modular shipping containers to communities to teach people to grow their own mushrooms for food security and economic development.

Burzynski says mushrooms are high in protein, and contain essential vita mins and minerals. “They are kind of a power pack when it comes to nutrition,” she says. “So just incorporating them into your diet in some way, especially if you’re vegan or vegetarian, it can give you a lot of vital properties that you might not get from other foods, espe cially if you’re not eating meat.”

At the site, she grows mushroom varieties including the garden giant, oysters, and shiitake. “Especially right now in the fall, they love to pop up,” she says. To people who don’t like to eat

mushrooms, she suggests they’re just preparing them wrong. “I like to say mushrooms are kind of like chicken,” she says. “Like, chicken really doesn’t have a flavor unless you put that flavor into it. You can spice it, you can mari nate it, and you can do the same thing with mushrooms. You can kind of make them taste however you want based on the type of palate you have.”

There’s another benefit to ingest ing mushrooms. Burzynski says she hit another mushroom milestone as a teenager when she took psilocybin, a fungus known for its psychedelic and euphoric effects. “That solidified my love for mushrooms,” she says. “It really helped me through a lot of things I was going through at that time.”

Burzynski is part of a movement that believes substances like psilocybin can be used as a therapy to help treat depression and other mental health issues. “It really does help to open your mind, and break down those social barriers that kind of society has, to see things for what they are,” she says.

Last year, Detroit residents voted to decriminalize “entheogenic” substances like psilocybin mushrooms, joining other cities across the country, in cluding Ann Arbor and Hazel Park in Michigan. The laws only decriminalize possession of psilocybin mushrooms, which are acquired through the black market. While Burzynski doesn’t grow psilocybin mushrooms at Fungi Freights, she has also founded a non profit called Integrative, which is work ing on policy solutions and drafting legislation to help legalize psilocybin and make it more accessible to people.

“I think having a substance — es pecially a natural organism that grows freely on Earth — to be decriminalized, that should never have been a question,” she says. “But the fact that we’re moving toward not penalizing people for this is going to definitely help change those social stigmas around utilizing psilocybin for mental health and overall well being.”

Burzynski graduated from Wayne State University with a dual degree in microbiology and environmental

science, and is interested in how fungi can be used to restore soil health at polluted sites, a process called mycore mediation.

“So that’s kind of where I incorporated the two, working with fungi as an organism as a species, but also being able to connect it to the land and talk about soil health and the role that fungi plays not only for health on a personal level, but health of the environment,” she says. The process could help rehabilitate other vacant properties in Detroit.

Clearly, there is much still to learn about mushrooms.

“I love the strange and peculiar,” she

says. “I like to say that fungi have a lot of connections to and reasons why there is life on Earth. So they’re really important — but nonetheless strange.”

She adds, “With fungi overall, it’s just it has become my life, and I am just so happy to be in the position I am to bring it to the light.”

Fungi Freights will be open to the pub lic for a “Fungi Extravaganza” festival from noon-5 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 5, with live music, art and vendors, a petting farm, and food. The farms are located at 5426 and 5500 Moran St., Detroit. More information is available at fungifreights.net.

Tess Burzynski founded a fungi farm in Detroit.

COURTESY PHOTO

“It really does help to open your mind, and break down those social barriers that kind of society has, to see things for what they are.”

CULTURE

OK, this movie isn’t (that) bad

By Eileen G’Sell

Greedy for gauzy sunlit patios, candy-colored Cadillacs and clinking martinis, I expected Don’t Worry Darling to be a brilliant disas ter, a fau prestige flick worth view ing for its production design alone. I e pected to en oy the film in the same way I en oy watching and rewatching narratively preposterous fragrance ads from the early ’ s o substance o problem. s livia ilde’s second directorial feature and perhaps the most gossip plagued movie of the year — Don’t Worry Darling has so far re ceived more attention for the personal skirmishes between its cast and direc tor and sheer presence of arry tyles than for any salient failings of the film itself. ut the public has always adored a good catfight, real or imagined, espe cially between smart, beautiful women who dare to maybe dislike each other. ust as the public loves punishing smart, beautiful women for daring to do something serious.

Don’t Worry Darling doesn’t suc ceed as serious art, but it does work as a decent dystopian drama with some seriously memorable cinematic moments. et in ictory, a s company town nestled in an unnamed desert valley, the film follows lice lor ence ugh , a something wife to ack arry tyles , a rising “techni cal engineer for ictory’s top secret “development of progressive materials. arly on, we get a whiff that this idyll

of glossy pools and glassy houses isn’t what it seems. “ e shouldn’t be here, declares argaret i i ayne , one of ictory’s few lack citi ens, disrupting company head rank hris ine dur ing a speech in his backyard. Indeed, no one knows why they are there, and Margaret pays for making a stir.

ictory, it seems, is only possible if no one asks uestions, and the wives never tread past a boundary after which nothing is “safe. ound like a clunky metaphor for male oppression erhaps, but it’s also not far off from the literal s reality of a ew e ico community built by the . . govern ment where the llies’ top scientists and engineers tested nuclear weapons while their wives were kept as ignorant as possible. I’m not sure if story writers consciously drew on this history, but its geographic similarity to ictory often felt uncanny. or those inter ested, Tara hea esbit’s e cellent novel

The Wives of Los Alamos e plores the vantage of these wives to eerie, often profound, effect.

Reminiscent of Pleasantville,Stepford Wives, and Revolutionary Road with a brutal dash of Clockwork Orange , Don’t Worry Darling may be derivative, but that would hardly seem to matter in an age when every other film is a sequel prequel contemporary remake. hat it does with its dystopian flourishes is often uite original, as are the film’s furtive final images that have

prompted Inception level interpreta tions online.

Throughout the film, the visuals themselves outshine the plot and script often to hypnotic, unnerving effect.

treme close ups of coffee poured, eggs fried, and breakfast plated — all taken from a bird’s eye view mir ror recurrent black and white clips of usby erkeley like showgirls forming geometric shapes with their bodies, gesturing not only to the ways that domestic and se ual duties conflate wives with household props but also to ictory’s fascist overtones erke ley, let’s not forget, was influential to eni iefenstahl . In an early visually dis uieting scene, lice wraps her face and head with the aran wrap out for her husband’s lunch, her face smashed as to be unrecogni able till she tears it from her skull.

ith its sun blanched, menacing atmosphere and ugh at its helm, the film perhaps most strikingly resembles ri ster’s Midsommar, in which ugh played ani, a reluctant whistleblower at a cult like wedish festival. In Don’t Worry Darling, the year old once again plays a complicated woman who refuses to be gaslit. nce again, she breaks down into righteous hysterics, her torment never compromising our faith in her udgment and reliability.

In the role of her passive, if amo rous, spouse is arry tyles can he pull it off That doesn’t really matter

Don’t Worry

Darling

Rated: R

Run-time: 123 minutes

his character, like most of the men onscreen, are more caricatures of patriarchal power than flesh and blood husbands. or those among us who en oy watching ugh play whistleblower who en oy watching her incredibly e pressive face and body do, well, prac tically anything tyles can remain ust “style, as it were, a cardboard cut out of a heartthrob hubby who seems to enjoy cunnilingus.

I’m too old, thankfully, to care about tyles but young enough to find ilde’s filmmaking debut, Booksmart, a sur prisingly fresh yet relatable bildungsro man that values the levity and com ple ity of teenage girldom. lso written by atie ilberman, Don’t Worry Dar ling isn’t as good as Booksmart, but it also isn’t as bad as people want it to be. In fact, it isn’t bad at all, when you con sider most of what passes for cinema these days. It is an uneven, but visu ally compelling, film whose emotional resonance rests on the s uare shoulders of ugh, her generation’s answer ate inslet.

Is it brilliant o. ut it also isn’t bad. on’t be gaslit. ee it for your selves.

Olivia Wilde’s flick is visually compelling and filled with emotional resonance.

COURTESY PHOTO

CULTURE

Savage Love

Knots landing

By Dan Savage

There is more to this week’s Savage Love. To read the entire column, go to Savage.Love.

:Q I’m a 31-year-old cis man married to a 33-year-old non-binary partner, and our relationship has always been very vanilla. Over the past few years, I’ve discovered that I’m a kinky person, with a particular interest in both domination and submission. It took me a long time to summon the courage to bring this up with my spouse, as they have a cocktail of factors that could complicate play around power dynamics. This includes a history of trauma and sexual abuse, anxiety, body image, and self-esteem issues, and residual religious guilt. In the past, even discussing sex and sexuality in the abstract has been fraught. But o r rst con ersation ent s r risingly well. My spouse is cautiously open to exploring submission, and they want to continue the conversation. I have real optimism that centering consent, boundaries, and communication in D/s play might actually make sex feel safer for them. And I hope that isn’t just dickful thinking.

So, now I’m the dog that caught the car an m terri e o messing this up. What advice would you give to gently ease into D/s play from a vanilla relationship? Can you recommend any books or podcasts that approach this kink at a rmly J le el an center safety and consent? My spouse is a reader and an academic at heart, and that might be a way to explore the idea from within their comfort zone. —Don’t Overwhelm My Spouse

A: “Let me address the elephant in the room right away,” said Rena Mar tine. “Why on earth would a survivor of sexual trauma actually want to engage in D/s sex?”

Martine is a sexual intimacy coach who has helped couples explore BDSM and other forms of erotic power ex change. She’s also a former sex crimes prosecutor, which makes her particularly sensitive to issues faced by survivors of sexual assault and abuse.

“When it comes to trauma, there’s

a concept known as ‘restaging,’” said Martine, “which means the trauma survivor takes a situation where they felt powerless and ‘restages’ it, so they’re actually in the director’s chair and choosing to give up some of that control.”

While BDSM isn’t therapy, some people who have submissive desires and traumatic se ual histories find giving up control to a trusted partner empowering and low-key therapeutic. Instead of control being something an untrustworthy abuser took from them, control becomes a precious thing they loaned to someone they could trust. And when they handed it over, they knew it would be returned, either at a set time or immediately if the sub used their safe word.

“Research by Dr. Justin Lehmiller tells us that victims of sex crimes are actually more likely than nonvictims to fantasize about almost all aspects of BDSM,” added Martine. “Anyone who’s curious about the science of sexual fantasies should read his book, Tell Me What You Want. And Holly Richmond’s Reclaiming Pleasure is a great starting point for any sexual assault survivor.”

Before you attempt to engage in D/s play or even begin to discuss your fan tasies in detail, Martine recommends thinking about the emotional needs that shape these fantasies.

“What is it about domination and submission that appeals to each of them?” Martine said. “What aspects of D/S play are they excited about? Hav ing a conversation about the ‘why’ will ensure they can each approach this new dynamic from a place of compassion and safety.”

Now, if you give thought to the “why,” DOMS, and your honest answer is, “Because it turns me on,” that’s good enough. And if your spouse’s honest answer is, “Because my partner is interested in this and I’m interested in exploring it,” that’s good enough. While some people into BDSM can point to one specific e perience or something that shaped them more broadly (like a religious upbringing), you don’t need to justify your interest in D/s or BDSM by making a list of traumatic experi ences. If this kind of play — this kind of theater for two — turns you both on, that’s a perfectly valid reason to explore D/s play.

As for getting started, Martine had a really good suggestion.

“My favorite newbie recommenda

tion for easing into D/S play is using a sleep mask,” said Martine. “It’s innocuous, easy to remove, and gives each player a chance to practice surrender ing control by giving up one of their five senses.

Taking a baby step like that — playing with a simple blindfold and nothing else — is a great way to test the waters while you keep talking about other “junior varsity” kinks you and your spouse feel safe exploring together.

“And for general D/s tips,” said Martine, “check out Lina Dune’s Ask A Sub podcast.”

Follow Rena Martine on Instagram @_rena.martine_.

:Q I’m a hetero 40-year-old woman, married to a guy who is very skilled and generous in bed. I’m also someone who absolutely needs to be in control of my body. I’ve never done drugs and only once got so drunk I didn’t remember every detail of the night. I hated that feeling. I think this need for control is why I don’t like having orgasms. I enjoy the feeling that comes immediately before an orgasm but then my body seems to suppress that last bit. Because I don’t enjoy the feeling of actual orgasms this is ne ith me. n the ery rare occasions that I’ve had an orgasm, I feel gross after. But I could happily screw all night with no orgasm! I’ve discussed this with my husband, and he said that as long as I was having my best experience, he was not upset that I wasn’t having orgasms. But a friend — a friend I don’t have sex with — is convinced my aversion is a symptom of some sort of emotional scar. I did have some negative sexual experiences in the past, but I dealt with them and moved on. Should I explore this aversion even though the only person concerned is someone I don’t have sex with? Or can I be an emotionally whole person who just prefers the pre-gasm to orgasm?

—Personally Prefer Pre-gasms

It doesn’t sound like... Go to Savage.Love to read the rest.

Ask: questions@savagelove.net. Listen to Dan on the Savage Lovecast. Follow Dan on Twitter @FakeDanSavage.

CULTURE Free Will Astrology

By Rob Brezsny

ARIES: March 21 – April 19

“Magic Realism Bot” is a Twitter account that generates ideas for new fairy tales. ince you will benefit from imagining your life as a fairy tale in the coming weeks, I’ll offer you a few pos sibilities. 1. You marry a rainbow. The two of you have children: a daughter who can sing like a river and a son who is as gleeful as the wind. 2. You make friends with a raven that gives you savvy financial advice. . ou invent a new kind of dancing; it involves crying and laughing while making holy prayer gestures toward your favorite star. 4. An angel and a lake monster join forces to help you dream up fun new adventures. . ou discover a field of enchanted dandelions. They have the power to generate algorithms that reveal secrets about where to find wonders and marvels.

TAURUS: April 20 – May 20

On February 1, 1976, singer Elvis resley was partying with buddies at his home in emphis, Tennessee. s the revelry grew, he got an impetuous longing for an 8,000-calorie sandwich made with rench bread, peanut but ter, blueberry preserves, and slabs of

bacon. Since this delicacy was only available at a certain restaurant in Den ver, Colorado, Elvis and his entourage spontaneously hopped onto his private et and flew miles to get there. In accordance with astrological omens, Taurus, I encourage you to summon an equally keen determination to ob tain pleasurable treasures. opefully, though, they will be more important than a sandwich. The odds of you pro curing necessary luxuries that heal and inspire are much higher than usual.

GEMINI: May 21 – June 20

Gemini writer Nikki Giovanni reminds us, “It cannot be a mistake to have cared. It cannot be an error to have tried. It cannot be incorrect to have loved.” In accordance with astrological omens, I ask you to embody Giovanni’s attitude. Shed any worries that your caring and trying and loving have been blunders. elebrate them, be proud of them, and promise yourself that you will keep caring and trying and loving. The coming weeks will be an excellent time to renew your commitment to your highest goodness.

CANCER: June 21 – July 22

I was born near Amarillo, Texas, where the . . nergy epartment stores over , plutonium cores from old nuclear warheads. erhaps that e plains some of my brain’s mu tant qualities. I’m not normal. I’m odd and iconoclastic. On the other hand, I don’t think my peculiarity makes me better than anyone. It’s just who I am. I love millions of people who aren’t as quirky as me, and I enjoy communicat ing with unweird people as much as I do with weirdos. Everything I just said is a preamble for my main message, Cancerian: The coming weeks will be prime time for you to give e tra honor and credit to your personal eccentrici ties, even if they comprise a minor part of your personality.

Just a friendly reminder, when you walk into a bar that’s crazy busy and the bartender is running back and forth like the “Tapper” avatar. The simpler the order, the quicker the service.

Last call for Oktoberfest, again.

LEO: July 23 – August 22 uthor ennifer uang testifies, “ oetry is what helps me remember that even in my fragments, I am whole.” What about you, Leo? What reminds you, even in your fragments, that you are whole? Now is an excellent time to identify the people, animals, and influ ences that help you generate a sense of unity and completeness. nce you’re clear about that, spend uality time doing what you can to nurture those healers. aybe you can even help them feel more cohesion and harmony in themselves.

VIRGO: August 23 – Sept. 22 irgo ournalist ydney . ar ris described “the three hardest tasks

Dickinson is the only writer I’ve ever read who knows my name, whose work has influenced me at my heart’s core, whose music is the music of songs I’ve listened to and remembered in my very body.” In my astrological reckoning, now is an excellent time for you Sagit tarians to identify artists and creators who provide you with similar e alta tion. And if there are no Emily Dickinson type influences in your life, find at least one! You need to be touched and transformed by sublime inspiration.

CAPRICORN: Dec. 22 – Jan. 19

JAMES NOELLERT

in the world. e said they weren’t “physical feats nor intellectual achieve ments, but moral acts. ere they are 1. to return love for hate; 2. to include the e cluded . to say “I was wrong. I believe you will have a special talent for all three of these brave actions in the coming weeks, Virgo. Amazingly, you’re also more likely than usual to be on the receiving end of those brave actions. Congratulations in advance!

LIBRA: Sept. 23 – Oct. 22

When he was young, Libran poet . . erwin had a teacher who advised him, “Don’t lose your arrogance yet. You can do that when you’re older. Lose it too soon, and you may merely replace it with vanity. I think that counsel is wise for you to meditate on right now. ere’s how I interpret it ive honor and respect to your fine abilities. alute and nurture your ripe talents. Talk to yourself realistically about the success you have accom plished. If you build up your apprecia tion for what is legitimately great about you, you won’t be tempted to resort to false pride or self absorbed egotism.

SCORPIO: Oct. 23 – Nov. 21

In his absurdist play Waiting for Godot, amuel eckett offers us two characters, Vladimir and Estragon, who patiently wait for a white bearded man named Godot. They’re convinced he will provide them with profound help, perhaps even salvation. las, although they wait and wait and wait, Godot never arrives. Near the end, when they have abandoned hope, ladimir says to Estragon, “We are not saints, but we have kept our appointment. y sense is that you corpios, like ladimir and stragon, may be close to giving up your own vigils. Please don’t! I believe your personal e uivalent to odot will ultimately appear. ummon more patience.

SAGITTARIUS: Nov. 22 – Dec. 21

Poet Charles Wright has testified, “I admire and revere and am awed by a good many writers. But Emily

I’ve read and studied poetry for many years, but only recently discov ered apricorn poet i ette ood worth eese . ow is it pos sible I missed her er contemporary, ournalist . . encken, described her work as “one of the imperishable glories of American literature.” She received many other accolades while alive. But today, she is virtually unknown, and many of her books are out of print. In bringing her to your attention, I am announcing my prediction about you Anything in your life that resembles eese’s reputation will change in the next 12 months. If you have until now not gotten the recognition or gratitude you deserve, at least some of it will arrive.

AQUARIUS: Jan. 20 Feb. 18 uthor ophia embling defines a friend as a person who consoles you when you’re feeling desperate and with whom you don’t feel alone. A friend is someone whose life is interesting to you and who is interested in your life. aybe most importantly, a friend must not be boring. hat’s your definition, Aquarius? Now is an excellent time to get clear about the qualities you want in a friend. It’s also a favorable phase to seek out vital new friendships as you de emphasi e mediocre and overly demanding alliances.

PISCES: Feb.19 – March 20

Do you or do you not wish to capitali e on the boost that’s available Are you or are you not going to claim and use the challenging gift that would complicate your life but also e pedite your growth? Act soon, Pisces! If you don’t, the potential dispensation may disappear. This is an e cellent chance to prove you’re not afraid of achieving more success and wielding more power. I hope you will summon the e tra cour age necessary to triumph over shyness and timidity. Please claim your rightful upgrade

This week’s homework: What has been your favorite mistake in the past 10 months?

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MOVING

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Call today for a FREE QUOTE from America’s Most Trusted Interstate Movers. Let us take the stress out of moving! Speak to a Relocation Specialist, call 855-947-2919 (AAN CAN)

TRAINING / EDUCATION / MISC. COMPUTER & IT TRAINING PROGRAM!

Train ONLINE to get the skills to become a Computer & Help Desk Professional now! Grants and Scholarships available for certain programs for qualified applicants. Call CTI for details! 1-855-554-4616 (AAN CAN)

HEALTH

STILL PAYING TOO MUCH FOR YOUR MEDICATION?

Save up to 90% on RX refill! Order today and receive free shipping on 1st orderprescription required. Call 1-855-750-1612 (AAN CAN)

HEALTH VIAGRA AND CIALIS USERS!

0 Pills SPECIAL $99.00 FREE Shipping! 100% guaranteed. CALL NOW! 888-531-1192 (AAN CAN)

AUTOMOTIVE CASH FOR CARS!

We buy all cars! Junk, highend, totaled – it doesn’t matter! Get free towing and same day cash! NEWER MODELS too! Call 866-5359689 (AAN CAN)

AUTOMOTIVE DONATE YOUR CAR TO KIDS

Your donation helps fund the search for missing children. Accepting Trucks, Motorcycles & RV’s , too! Fast Free Pickup – Running or Not - 24 Hour Response - Maximum Tax Donation –Call 877-266-0681 (AAN CAN)

TV/CABLE/INTERNET

CABLE PRICE INCREASE AGAIN?

Switch To DIRECTV & Save + get a $100 visa gift card!

Get More Channels For Less Money. Restrictions apply. Call Now! 877-693-0625 (AAN CAN)

TV/CABLE/INTERNET

HUGHESNET SATELLITE INTERNET

Finally, no hard data limits!

Call Today for speeds up to 25mbps as low as $59.99/ mo! $75 gift card, terms apply. 1-844-416-7147 (AAN CAN)

TV/CABLE/INTERNET

4G LTE HOME INTERNET NOW AVAILABLE!

Get GotW3 with lightning fast speeds plus take your service with you when you travel! As low as $109.99/mo! 1-888-519-0171 (AAN CAN)

PUBLISHING BECOME A PUBLISHED AUTHOR!

We edit, print and distribute your work internationally. We do the work… You reap the Rewards! Call for a FREE Author’s Submission Kit: 844-511-1836. (AAN CAN)

SERVICES

MASSAGE

A CANDLE LIGHT MASSAGE

Soothing Massage in Relaxing Candle Lit environment

Serving the Metro Detroit area

Contact: 248-820-0031

MASSAGE

PROFESSIONAL SERVICES ONLY

(INDEPENDENT)

DRAPING IS REQUIRED INTAKE FORM is given COVID -19 READY

Enjoy a calm and soothing massage

HEALTHY BENEFIT

HEALTHY MASSAGE 734 447 7895

Early and late appointments are available must be left on Credit Card on file.

MASSAGE

RELAXING NURU MASSAGE

for the quarantine must not be sick. Must be clean and wear mask. Outcalls only incalls are at your cost Hey I’m here to help. This is Candy melt in your mouth so try my massages they’re sweet as can be!!! (734) 596-1376

ADULT

ADULT ENTERTAINMENT HIRING

SEXY WOMEN!!!

Hiring sexy women

(& men). Highly Paid Magazine, Web, and Movie/TV work. no experience needed, all sizes accepted. 313-289-2008.