Today the Department of Awesomely Good Deeds salutes a true Caturday hero: 5-year-old Shon Griffin from Philadelphia, aka “Catman” according to his aunt Kris, who helps take care of the city’s street cats while dressed as a superhero.
Aunty Kris and her fiancée have been involved in cat rescues and fostering for many years, and had recently taken to looking after a local group they named the Kolony Kats. One cat, Bug, would just not cooperate when it came to getting shots and being neutered. “Nothing we tried worked,” Aunty Kris said. However she had noticed that her nephew Shon had formed an instant bond with the cats so she let him help out. “The cats took to him right away. Bug came right over to Shon, rubbed against his legs and allowed him to pet him.”
Shon has been Catman ever since and now he helps his aunt take care of the Kat Kolony kitties while dressed up in his favorite superhero costumes. Amazingly, these cats who are usually wary of humans if not downright unfriendly all seem drawn to Shon.
“He’d scratch their bellies and scratch their heads. It was amazing to see these cats who wouldn’t even allow us to touch them, but immediately took to him. He must have this magical effect that the cats can pick up,” Aunty Kris told The Dodo.
Head over to The Dodo to learn more about Shon the Catman and then visit the Kolony Kats Facebook page to learn more about how they’re helping Philadelphia’s street cats.
Oh my god oh my god oh my god oh my fucking god you guys I am so fucking excited.
There’s a new sci-fi series coming out, and it looks so fucking amazing I want to cry. I’m not kidding, there’s tears in my eyes right now I am so excited.
“The show revolves around Koen, played by recent NIDA grad Hunter Page-Lochard, whose uncle is the tribal ‘Cleverman’ (which means he possesses superpowers that are passed on when he dies). Koen belongs to a persecuted minority, the treatment of which mirrors that of Australia’s Indigenous population. It’s Koen’s job to come to terms with his powerful destiny, mend his relationship with his older brother – and try to do the same for his broken society.”
-Jenny Noyes, Daily Life
The story looks amazing. There are obvious parallels to not only the injustice Aboriginal people face in Australia, but also our treatment of refugees (the references to walls and camps are entirely purposeful). The visual effects look stunning, the cast is amazing (DEBORAH MAILMAN, UNCLE JACK CHARLES, AHHH), and 80% Indigenous.
It’s coming out June 2. I am so fucking excited.
Oh my god oh my god oh my god!!
Ahhh I am so excited to see this, the trailer looks so rad. And not only does it have an 80% Indigenous cast, it was created, developed, written and directed by Indigenous people as well!
The story behind it is pretty cool; it was conceived by Ryan Griffen, a Kamilaroi man, who wanted to create an Aboriginal superhero for his son. Griffen and his cowriters consulted with four Aboriginal communities to obtain permission to incorporate various stories and traditions (like that of the cleverman) into the show, ensuring that the subject matter was handled respectfully and that traditional stories weren’t changed without consultation:
“It’s a very sensitive topic, men’s business, stuff that not everyone likes to talk about. So I dealt first with two countries that are very close to the show, which is my country and writer Jon Bell’s country. We felt we needed to get permission from our own people first, before we continued.”
The show also features the languages of the Bundjalung and Gumbaynggirr people. The creators chose to have the Hairypeople (brutally persecuted beings inspired by various traditional stories) speak an Indigenous language rather than an invented one because, as Griffen points out,
tl;dr it’s dystopian future sci-fi based around Aboriginal storytelling and culture, with what looks like some cutting commentary on both historical and present-day racism/discrimination/“border protection”, and it’s got a ridiculously talented cast and crew and I am pumped for it.
Reblogging this because EVERYONE should watch this and that cast is crackingly good.
knitting in the dark 