#but until people confront the economy of bodies we’re not all accepted

[amethystsoda]

It’s interesting how much of Porter’s new era is about optics—becoming more popular and learning how to navigate that fame.

It really set in with the limited size range for tour shirts. Some fashion brands won’t offer 2xl and higher because it “devalues” their brand as a fashion house to be seen on larger bodies. And it feels the same to see a very cute tour shirt and be told “that only comes in a Small.”

I try to imagine if artists I stan would even be willing to interact with me in a respectful way or be seen with me… somehow with this era, I feel like I’d be judged harshly for the hand my genetics dealt me.

[krystlind]

here i am. i will just write. I will just write this to me, as I always do.

I have to confess some fears

Of being heard, of hiding, hiding behind others

And then I felt this built up over the year, where its been hard to give, been hard to make space, been hard to hear of others, started losing that

i forget I have something worth saying, not because i’m credible

I realize its because I’ve been neglecting myself, what I have to say

I think as women, especially filipino women, we have such a collective mentality, we forget to be our individual voice

so in the mission of rising up...

I want you to know, that you have the answers inside of you. you have everything you need to know, already inside of you. the key is to get really still, and silent, and to learn how to listen to that voice, that is your intuition. find her. the higher self, as some would call it. in order to be able to tune into that voice clearer, you have to tune into "her” frequently. this is by getting in touch with yourself, through journaling, learning about yourself, talking with others. but a very unfrequented way of doing this is by getting still and silent. silent and stillness is one of the most powerful things we can do, and yet it is so underutilized. un-tapped into. we’re in a world where when we need answers, when we need understanding, we consume. we stream. we read info, we subscribe, we talk talk talk. we turn go on social media, on the news or videos, even books and podcasts. 

honestly, I am one to stream and consume a lot of content and information. I stream a lot of things. but lately, i just haven’t been able to carry it, all the noise. is anyone here with me on this? something I’ve been really craving lately, is silence, and getting quiet. It’s funny when I see the evolution of the pandemic, the beginning was a lot of “what’s going on with the world” attached with consuming a lot of news, updates, etc to “what’s going on with our lives, jobs, careers, norm” consumed with social media, seeing how people are dealing, what companies are doing, etc and then it just kept going longer more than we expected, and it became “what’s going on with me.” I see this year, has been so much change, so unprecedented as we said. and i mentioned this in a previous podcast, mid2020 reflections and intentions setting, how it’s allowed things hidden at the bottom of the pool to rise up to the surface. and for many of us who allowed that to rise up, we started to see things in ourselves that have been buried deep, from the distractions, from routine, from noise, from the humdrum of life, rise up. for better or for worse, this year has made us confront that which was needing confrontation all along. whether it was related to the economy, to our systems, to racial injustice, to poverty, to our home life, to our relationship, to our jobs, to our priorities, to what really matters, to most importantly, ourselves.

the reason for this theme, is because.. it came from a realization, from a moment. basically, over the past few months, i was finally letting go of a relationship, and it was really difficult. it was a person i was with for 3 years, and towards the end it just got so unaligned. . but we stayed together during the quarantine. and the problems that were always there really just got amplified. things got really rocky, and i had to get out. all of a sudden, in the midst of all the pandemic craziness going on, on top of having lost my job, i was moving out and trying to find a new home to live, and transitioning out of a 3 year relationship. It was one of those moments i felt all the plugs had been pulled. i was talking to one of my spiritual mentors, because i was anticipating this next chapter, and not really knowing how to get through. the thing is in the past, whenever there is something I’m trying to figure out, hard decision-making, i’ve tended to look at all resources around me, my community, externally, and start trying to make sense of things. i talk with my friends, mentors, i look up next steps, i research, i collect as much advice, and look at all the pieces in front of me, and make a plan. so this was quite natural to do. i don’t remember quite what I said, i was fretting “denise, i just don’t know how i’m going to get through this next part. I’m not sure where I’m moving to next. I don’t want to go back home to family, but I also need to look for a job. I’m also scared of being heartbroken, or that I’m gonna take the wrong step. I’m not sure how to make the most informed decision right now.” and she replies “you know everything you need to know already inside of you to get you through this.”

and that really just hit me. why? because, it made me stop and ask, “I do?” and then that flipped to, “well, yes don’t i? why wouldn’t i?” the fact that i was so surprised to hear that, made me realize, how soon I was to look at all the external things around me, to plan y next move, to make me feel secure, to look for the answers, to look for clarity, how much i leaned on people as sound boards, and outside advice, to feel equipped. and there is nothing with that. i think it is so so important to use people and resources around you. but why is it that often the first place we go to make sense of what’s happening, is everyone and everything around us, and the last place we consult with is ourselves. 

since hearing that, this past few months, something i have been practicing that has been so profound is stillness. it is one of the most powerful tools we can use to get grounded and get clarity, and it is the most underutilzied. why? i  believe it is because often we don’t trust oursevles or we have been so conditioned to empower ourselve snad decisions with extenral things, and noise. we have discounted the voice within, when all along, there are answers deep inside of us, just waiting to be heard, whether it is a pointed answer or just a way of being that we don’t know yet until we tune into ourselves.

somme of the most profound realizations i have gotten in 2020 during the pandemic, was not when i talke diwth enough people, listened to enough podcasts, read enough stuff, but when it was when i got alone, got in silence, and listened to myself. really listened to myself. and when I say these moments, i mean that it literally changed me. 

for example, in the beginning of quarantine, i heard “you’re not here for us” and that was journey into love and acceptance of my body, of listening to it, of giving it love instead of making it someting to be improved.

another one was with Christy, “who are you without your productivity, and timelines” and i got silent and still and just let somethign come up, and that’s when i realized i was putting so much of my worth on my plans, and i almost didn’t know my identity without it. that realization when getting still was so profound, that’s when we began the 21 day jouranlign journey to embrace stillness. it was also a way to counter the chaos, that called people to plan, that was the beginning of my relationship to stillness.

did midyear 2020 reflections, “what is your soul trying to tell you” this has been the most powerful question for everyone

“you have been becoming all along”

“you are carried”

Becoming still and silent, has so much to offer.

In turn, this has made me really wonder 2 things:

1) why is it that the first places we turn to is everywhere but ourselves

- we haven’t been told there’s an inner knowing

- we don’t trust ourselves enough

2) what are ways we have been taught to not trust in ourselves, to disregard our intuition, and why?

How we’ve been taught to trust everything, but ourselves

And pull from every where but within

History

Before the Spanish colonized the Philippines, there existed a 500-year long tradition of indigenous feminism that predated women’s liberation in the West. Babaylan refers to the pre-colonial Philippine tradition of female mystical healers whose spiritual connectedness was a source of political and social power. Babaylan women serve as intermediaries between spiritual and material worlds in their communities. Their leadership roles are multi-fold: warrior, healer, priestess and sage. Babaylans listen to the community and lead through a deep understanding of the inter-connectedness of all life forms.

our authority, taken away. made dependent. 

Religion

I am christian, I am a follower of God, I believe he is the almighty and that we all have a piece of the divine in us

i believe that religion and the church, back in the day it was set up as an entity of power

catholicism, you confess to the priest

and they were able to control people, to listen to the priest, how things were translated 

and some of those structures, i think mistakenly and unfortunately are still permeating the way that religion and certain churches are made and teaching today

you’re taught the concept of die to the self, go to Christ

i don’t think that ever meant neglecting ourselves

if you’re a person of faith, don’t think i’m dethroning God and his authority in any way. i think there’s something very accurate about God as the ultimate omniscient source of truth. 

i feel like religion has taught us to go every where but ourselves: go to God of course, go to the church, the pastors, open up to the community group or bear each other’s burdens, but none of that about getting still and hearing what our own souls have to say. it’s almost like it blasphemous to do so. which is frustrating because i do feel that God, the Divine, communicates to us through our soul. hello

1st John 4No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.

another way we have been conditioned societally to neglect our own personal knowing, voice, is through identity constructs and norms. whether its gender norms women of being non-disruptive, non- as a woman, we have been made to question our credibility. that we have to build that up first before we have the right to take up space.

studies show: job descriptions

While both genders browse jobs similarly, they apply to them differently. Research shows that in order to apply for a job women feel they need to meet 100% of the criteria while men usually apply after meeting about 60%.LinkedIn behavioral data backs this up — women tend to screen themselves out of the conversation and end up applying to 20% fewer jobs than men. What’s more, women are more hesitant to ask for a referral from somebody they know at the company.

Women have an intuition, that is so powerful. we were made to carry life so our intuition is bestowed. i’ve read somewhere that men have gut feeling and women have intuiotion, 

Women are said to posses a superior intuition (women's intuition), an almost psychic — and somewhat frightening — knack for knowing what others are feeling and thinking. Experts say this intuition is based on an ability to read facial expressions and body language.

Society is set up (credibility) to not come to the table without backing it up

what school did you go to, what are your accolades, what’s the data, what are the studies, how does your experience back it up

and in no way am i discrediting the importance of this, i am a huge proponent of if you’re coming with a view, an opinion, back it up

but what i mean is that this emphasis sometimes makes us question how much more we can go internally for answers

that we see ourselves as a person less of an authority with answers for our life than the professional therapist

but that’s why, even in therapy, they let you talk, they’re not trying to give you the answers, but the TOOLS to MINE the answers outside of yourself

that’s what i mean, we are a walking gold mine, of our own desires, next steps, of what we need to hear.

take a quick reflection of the past year of the global pandemic. lots of us were turned on our heels, lots of changes, i know for me.

audit, how many times you went externally for answers, to “make sense” and then how many times, you went internally. and i get it. it can be non-instinctive to go internally. what does that even mean. but i know you felt it, when the world was just getting too much. news alert here, covid update, numbers. you know it when social media just got too much. can you relate? there was a time, i would go on social media and it seemed like during the pandemic, everyone was making a statement, was making moves, releasing this webinar, this offering, this class, this opinion about the protest, this stance, wow they’re all making moves! i should too! and if i don’t, i’m not being worthy of this time. like i felt that. this need to “fill in” also. filipina on the rise as a platform wasn’t as engaged in this current event, we’re not making enough posts, we’re not doing virtual events

and i actually took a step back, and was like, “I don’t need to. there’s enough. there’s really no point in saying something, posting something, offering something, to be a part of it

otherwise you’re just adding to the noise!

so where it cam authentically for me, was when i felt something true from my heart to talk about, then i would. such as making the starting a podcast webinar because a lot of people in this time started getting creative and wanting to start a podcast which is awesome! and then on a random day, something stirred in my heart that i felt i needed to write about. and i would write about it. it’s so much better that way, more authentic, and more valuable to the collective conscious then just posting because you feel you *need* to.

and honestly, i don’t post now unless it’s really coming from me. not as a branding or growth technique, i know a lot of people do that and that’s cool! but I want to come of authentic and sincere, like people feel connected, not more content in their face

but it relates to what we’re talking to, if the goal is to channel something impactful, authentic and sincere out there, that comes from within and being so in touch with what it is you truly believe in and how you want to show up for the word, and guess what, that comes from diving deeper, not distractions, this is why in our last podcast we talked about personal activism, and how its so much more effective to find personal clarity and understanding of your stance before debating with the collective and adding on to the noise

when the world goes loud, get silent. when everyone goes outwards, go inwards. when the world is moving, get still.

We forget we have this inner knowing.

this is your power. this is also how you get back in touch and start cultivating that relationship with yourself, buidling that trust back up with yourself. we want to build trust within ourselves, but we need to start by giving her a voice, and saying, “hey, you’re worth it, to be heard. i know i’ve been runnign around to everything else around me first, but i’m going to give you a listen.

and this is in no way, devaluing the power of wisdom around us. from family, friends, research, teachings, education, from our community, from God, etc. 

in fact, it is counting its value, because our inner guide, is not based off of anything. our inner knowing, has been formed by these beautiful things. you have a whole voice and guide inside of you, that has lived through your life, even though you don’t remember every single thing, think of that inner wisdom as having remembered and integrated, all your experiences, all your memories and lessons learned, as having the ingredients of all the wisdom and knowledge you’ve ever received.

Intuition, or a sixth sense, is something many of us rely on for snap judgments and often life-altering decisions. But what exactly is it? A 2008 study in the British Journal of Psychology defined intuition as what happens when the brain draws on past experiences and external cues to make a decision -- but it happens so fast that the reaction is at an unconscious level.

our soul is speaking to us, and we silence it, the very thing that makes us who we are. we discount its credibility. we discredit our own selves when we turn to everything but ourselves.

get still when you can, and listen to what you have to say. it’s not going to be like “plan this, then that.” it’s not about these material details. the soul counts that second to what its trying to tell you about your being, your value, the love that you are. when I heard “you need to be here for us” that was the most powerful thing to hear from my soul, because it allowed me to take care and give love for my body. and i wouldn’t have heard that.

so i just encourage you for a moment every day, to get still and embrace the silence. when you’re tempted to look for answers first everywhere, don’t forget to see what’s already lying within. it’s like you’re sitting on a gold mine, and you just need to tap into it. you will find so much beauty and love, in what your inner, higher self is trying to tell you. you will find she has so much love and grace and kindness and high hopes for you. 

it doesn’t mean you’re ignoring God. it just means that you are allowing yourself to love yourself by giving her trust.it

[artificialqueens]

Rupaul's Retirement Home ~ Hobnob

AN: I took some time off to defeat my inner saboteur, and visit my great Aunty Dorris. She just turned 100 so she’s basically crumbling away like an oaty biscuit. Her 100th bday bash was mental she was off her tits on meds. Before that she was in a temporary nursing home, and to be frank it was proper dodgy. This fic is a homage to my experience around old people, and how I don’t really like them too much because they remind me of death.

Beauty can come from unexpected places, but more often than not you’ll just see a pile of dog shit. ~Hobnob

The first thing you’ll notice about Rupaul’s retirement home is the smell. There’s no avoiding it. The second you walk in the stench of old moth balls and re-heated cottage pie makes your nose crinkle and your eyes water. It’s nothing if nostalgic of visiting your Nan’s house, but 100 times worse. As if a physical force were to greet you at the door.

The second thing you’ll notice is the horribly outdated decor. Floral wallpaper peeled by time, beige settees with ominous stains, and varnished tabletops plastered with finished Sudoku’s and the TV times. The room was neither here nor there. Too clean to host rats, too dirty to pass basic safety inspection.

Finally, you’ll notice the residents. Wrinkled, aching, and old. They litter the room. Some hunched over an outdated telly set, some sunk in armchairs with their eyes closed, possibly deep in thought, Possibly sleeping. Most likely the latter.

Overall most would find Rupaul’s retirement home to be a grim reminder of mortality. Of how our skin will wrinkle and crease as if to give up on itself. Of how our eyes will turn a milky white and sink into our skull. Of how our fingers will struggle to clasp at pens and keep still to endless frustration.

Raja exhaled slowly, the corners of her mouth dropping into a frown. For five years she’d been cooped up, destined to repeat the same routine over and over to the tick of an old grandfather clock gathering dust in the corner.

As far as retirement homes go, Rupaul’s was tolerable. The staff weren’t overly incompetent and the food was just about edible. But Raja was restless, and there wasn’t enough room in some stuffy little lounge on the coast of Yorkshire to stretch her legs.

She used to travel overseas, gliding across salt water with a smell in the air no Yankee candle could recreate. She used to go to places she couldn’t even pronounce, and eat foods that weren’t served in a tinfoil dish. She used to make friends, enemies and acquaintances on a daily basis.

But now, Raja was 80. Deemed too old by society to sail a boat, or bathe herself for that matter. All thanks to one silly fall she took 5 years ago. Maybe if her knee hadn’t popped, she’d be in Scotland sampling haggis, or Norway looking over a grassy creek between snowy mountains.

“Raja.”

Or maybe even grabbing a bite to eat in Liverpool, then catching the annual lights show.

“Raja…”

She was too old for abseiling but who knows, she could give hiking a go…

“RAJA!”

She snapped out of her daydreaming and rubbed her temple, turning her head to the source of the noise, slightly dazed.

“You just going to stand there with your eyes facing different directions?”

Sat beside her with a grin comprised of dentures was Charlie Hides, brandishing her familiar mess of grey hair in contrast to a red painted lip.

Raja promptly took a seat, sticking up her middle finger at Charlie mockingly.

“At least I don’t have Athletes foot. I could smell you from a mile away.”

Charlie chuckled, though it developed into a violent cough and she was forced to have a sip of water. The two had met after Charlie was thrown in by her family. They shared similar complaints with the home and bonded over their general hatred of coronation street that always seemed to permanently remain on the telly set.

“They have cream for athletes foot but you can’t cure delusion Raja Gemini.” She tutted, reaching over to grab a crossword off the table. Her hands were unsteady and held the paper a little too tight, causing it to crumple slightly. Raja decided to look away.

“Delusion? I was daydreaming bitch I’m too young to go crazy.” Raja said sinking her back into the settee, her bones creaking along with the worn springs.

Charlie smiled to herself, keeping her eyes on her crossword as she produced a black biro from behind her ear. “The fact you just called yourself young proves my poi-”

“Pill time ladies.”

Their banter was interrupted. Raja grimaced.

“Come on up up.” The carer repeated, patting them both on the backs as if they were some variation of untrained pet.

Raja hated the pills they shoved into her body. They tasted like rust and made her loose any appetite she may of had. Sometimes if she was lucky she could stuff them in her pockets and flush them down the toilet, like she used to do with broccoli as a child.

She exhaled slowly, gripping her yellowed nails into the edge of the settee, ready to hoist her weight up and shuffle up to the poor intern passing out small paper cups of drugs. Before she could go any further Raja felt Charlie grab her wrist.

“Do you know where Tempest is? She’s late for her pills today.”

Raja looked stunned for a moment. She was about to respond but her words were abruptly interrupted by an impatient voice.

“Ladies. Pills. Now.”

The pair rolled their eyes collectively and got up as fast as they could, which was fairly slow. Making their way over to the counter Raja thought over Charlie’s question repeatedly.

The line shuffled gradually with the sound of slippers chafing against the carpet until it was Raja’s turn to drug herself up. Accepting the pills graciously she decided it really wasn’t worth kicking up a fuss about taking them.

Before she could neck down the paper cups contents one of the newer workers, Serena, approached Raja with a quizzical look. She was petite, with a head of blonde hair and an expression of confusion constantly plastered on her round face.

“Wait-wait Raja, you are friends with Miss Hides aren’t you?”

Raja rolled her eyes slightly and nodded, tempted to respond with a sarcastic ’unfortunately’ but deciding it wasn’t worth her voice.

“Yes, well, we’ve been noticing some traits of early stage dementia and i was wondering whether you could shed some light on how her memory is doing.”

Raja froze, pursing her lips. She looked over to Charlie who was absent mindedly chatting to Mrs Kasha Davis. Probably about the state of the economy and how Teresa May was drunk on power.

Dementia?

A second wave of realisation washed over Raja as she recalled when Charlie asked where a former resident, Tempest Dujour was. To put it frankly, Tempest had been dead for a week after passing from heart failure, yet Charlie seemed to have no recollection of this.

“Yes.”

“Yes? Care to elaborate?” Serena Cha Cha said impatiently, quirking a brow.

Raja didn’t want to elaborate. She didn’t want to put any more energy into thinking about it. She didn’t want to think about how the mind just does that sometimes. It forgets.

Suddenly Raja was in the mood for her pills. “Can i get back to you on that later? We’re holding up the line here.” Raja said stoically, turning on her heel to avoid futher confrontation.

“Actually now would be a good time to-”

Her back was turned to Serena dismissively. This could all wait. She necked back her pills and cast another sideways glance at Charlie. She was sat down now with a new crossword, her feet on the table facing towards a small radiator, warming up her toes through the nippy winter evening.

Despite Serena beckoning Raja back, she made her way over to Charlie and took a seat. She was attempting to grab the pen she’d dropped on the floor as she cursed under her breath. It was almost painful to watch.

“This bloody place the seats are too high up. I can barely bend over as it is.”

Normally Raja would agree and go off on one about how shitty the furniture is, but instead she offered a sympathetic smile.

“Could be worse.” Raja sniffed, leaning over to pick up the pen for Charlie. “Appreciate that we weren’t put in a place with no central heating.”

Charlie took the pen from her hands gratefully, looking down to her unfinished crossword. “Part of appreciating something is not acknowledging you have it. Think about having it and you aren’t enjoying it.”

Raja didn’t exactly know how to respond to that. She looked over to the TV set. Red Dwarf is on much to the joy of the residents. The theme tune gets turned up to allow the more hard of hearing residents to listen in.

Think about having it and you aren’t enjoying it.

“Oh, Raja?”

Her train of thought is broken as she looks to Charlie.

“When’s it time for our pills?”

Raja placed a hand on Charlie’s hand and squeezed tight. She hadn’t the heart to answer that. She simply shrugged.

“Defiance…”

“What?” Charlie said confused, biting the end of her chewed pen. She made a mental reminder to never borrow a pen off her.

“open resistance; bold disobedience.” Raja repeated, poking a bony finger at the crossword proudly. “Defiance.”

The other woman let out a noise of joy before scrawling down words illegible to anyone else. Raja took the time to peer out the window. It was pitch black outside with frost creeping around the corners of the window. In summer the view would be that of a lovely garden, brimming with tulips and hanging plant baskets.

Raja had a feeling it was to keep the residents happier. Having such a wonderful view was a reminder that there was a world outside the home, and it was still growing and moving.

But she couldn’t see the garden. She could see the stained wall around it, and the flower patterned curtains that hadn’t been drawn in a long time, but no garden.

Raja wondered how many of her friends would stick around during the winter. Some would go back to see family, some would even give into age and pass on.

She leaned back in her chair and shut her eyes. Maybe she would think more, maybe she would go to sleep. It was yet to be decided.

Prehaps sleep.

[stephaniefchase]

Bajan Newscap 1/25/2017

Good Morning #realdreamchasers! Here is your daily newscap for Wednesday 25th January 2017. Remember you can read full articles via Barbados Today (BT) or by purchasing a Midweek Nation Newspaper (MWN).

STUART “WE’RE ENTITLED TOO!” - Prime Minister Freundel Stuart Tuesday accused the Opposition of spreading “bold untruths”, while suggesting that Government’s move to restore the salaries of senior Government officials and parliamentarians was no different to that which had transpired back in 2000 when public servants were given back eight per cent of their salaries. “This is just a restoration of salary parliamentarians voluntarily gave up,” Stuart said while seeking to set the record straight about “the bold untruth that was told in this House about parliamentarians getting a salary increase, rather than just having a restoration”. Stating that the claims by the Opposition “offended my sense of decency”, he said when the ten per cent cut was introduced the Barbados Labour Party parliamentarians had opposed having the money taken from their salaries. “Members of the Opposition made it very clear that they did not want their salary touched, that it was not going to make any impact anyhow and that they wanted their money. “So they opposed the reduction, and now they are opposing the restoration too,” he said. Stuart said while he could not fault the Opposition for saying they would not accept the ten per cent restoration to their salaries until public servants receive a pay increase, “ as far as the empty grandstanding is concerned, and the bold untruths. I will have no part of that. “This resolution has my 100 per cent support,” Stuart added. (BT)

MPS TO GET BACK THEIR MONEY - The green light has been given. The House of Assembly yesterday evening approved the Ministers And Parliamentary Secretaries (Remuneration And Allowances Of Members) Order, 2016, in the absence of Opposition members, who earlier staged a walkout. Government MPs refused to back down from the contentious legislative move to restore a ten per cent cut in their salaries, but rather doubled down on the decision. All who spoke denounced the actions of members of the Opposition Barbados Labopur Party and accused them of attempting to mislead the public. Minister of Education Ronald Jones termed yesterday “possibly one of the saddest day of his life”. “It is insidious to implant in the minds of both a discerning and undiscerning public that somehow in the midst of salary negotiations, that the Government would first increase their salaries and then wait for the real increase,” he argued. The implication, Jones added, indicated “a sickness of mind and body”. (MWN)

WALKOUT - Opposition leader Mia Mottley led another walkout of her members from Parliament yesterday as she blasted the ruling Democratic Labour Party (DLP) for seeking to restore the docked ten per cent of their salaries in light of the latest Central Bank report. In fact, Mottley said the resolution, coming just hours after Central Bank Governor Dr DeLisle Worrell gave his outlook for the economy, could be seen by the thousands of public servants who had not received a raise in seven years, as an attempt by Government to feather its own nest. “The Opposition will have nothing at all to do with this resolution . . . and if you see us leave the Chamber, it is no disrespect. We will not be in this Chamber for any vote with respect to this resolution,” she declared before leading her Barbados Labour Party (BLP) colleagues out of the Lower Chamber. (MWN)

DEMS ACTING ‘IN BEST INTEREST OF COUNTRY’ - Minister of Finance Chris Sinckler has vowed that the Government would continue to take decisions “that we believe are in the best interest of the country”. That was his response in the House of Assembly yesterday in the wake of the latest report by the Central Bank governor on the state of the island’s economy. He blasted Opposition Leader Mia Mottley for leading a walkout of Barbados Labour Party colleagues from the House yesterday afternoon. Sinckler denounced the Opposition MPs’ interpretation of the Central Bank report, arguing that the press release did not suggest that wages be cut. (MWN)

DON’T GO THERE MIA - A Government minister has taken umbrage to a suggestion made by Opposition Leader Mia Mottley that the Freundel Stuart administration was seeking to  “feather its own nest” with the restoration of a ten per cent pay cut to parliamentarians and other senior Government officials. Mottley had made the remark before leading members of her Opposition Barbados Labour Party (BLP) in a walkout of Parliament Tuesday, in protest of the move to restitute the salaries to pre-2014 levels.In response Minister of Sports, Culture and Youth Stephen Lashley said: “I certainly have a problem with the Leader of the Opposition pointing a finger at me, as an honourable member of this House, and claiming that I am being part of a parliamentary act to feather my own nest.” Making his contribution to the debate on the Government resolution, which was eventually approved by the House in the absence of the Opposition members, he accused the BLP of “having spun an abuse of the truth in this House”, while insisting that the matter was a mere pay restoration and not any increase in salaries as had been suggested. For this reason, Lashley called for a public apology from Opposition Leader Mia Mottley and her team while charging that they had not only misled the House, but the entire country on the matter.Lashley argued that the resolution should have been a simple matter, but lamented that it had become the subject of political partisanship on the part of the Opposition. “Unless we confront it, the members of the public will get the impression we are in this House voting salary increases for ourselves,” he cautioned fellow members on the Government side. The ten per cent pay cut for parliamentarians and other senior Government officials came as part of an austerity package announced by Minister of Finance Chris Sinckler back in December 2013. At the time, a number of new taxes were also imposed, and some 3,000 public workers sent home. Suggesting that the austerity period was now over, Lashley said “all that is before the House is to restore the salaries of the members of parliament, including the Cabinet”. While pointing out that on the basis of a legal amendment made years ago Government was prohibited from increasing the salaries of public officers without the agreement of the labour unions, Lashley challenged the Mottley to show by what legal means the Stuart administration had hiked parliamentarians’ salaries, as the Opposition leader had claimed. “The Leader of the Opposition is getting involved in guerrilla warfare tactics. If you stand up in the House, and you make a position known that the Government is giving itself and all parliamentarians a salary increase, then the Leader of the Opposition should point to the instrument [legally empowering Government to do so], because the Government cannot come in here and give salary increases just like that, “ he stressed. (BT)

NUPW BLASTS GOVT OVER PAY PLAN - The move by Democratic Labour Party parliamentarians to restore the ten per cent docked from their salaries has been blasted by the National Union of Public Workers (NUPW). President Akanni McDowall has called the move “unreasonable”, “unconscionable” and “insensitive” in light of the fact that civil servants have not had a wage increase in the past seven years. He is calling out public servants to a meeting on Friday at 2 p.m. at NUPW headquarters “to discuss this issue and the way forward”. McDowall said last night that the last round of salary negotiations was in October, and since then the NUPW had been trying to get a meeting with the Ministry of the Civil Service “but to no avail”. “I find it unreasonable, unconscionable and insensitive that this Government, at this time, would demand the ten per cent restoration of their salary when public servants have not received a salary increase for over eight years. These same public servants are faced with numerous taxes and a high cost of living . . . . “There seems to be a lack of regard for the average man on the street who has to struggle every day to pay bills, send children to school and keep a roof over their head . . . . The economy has not turned around; how can you expect to restore your salary and your people are suffering?” McDowall asked. (MWN)

UNIONS SLAM GOVT OVER PAY MOVE - Two of this country’s trade union leaders have led a stinging condemnation of Government over the decision to restore the ten per cent taken from the salaries of parliamentarians and other senior Government officers back in 2014. President of the National Union of Public Workers (NUPW) Akanni McDowall and President of the Unity Worker’s Union (UWU) Caswell Franklyn took no prisoners as they tore into the Freundel Stuart administration, describing the governing parliamentarians as shameless, “unconscionable”, “money grabbing” politicians who cared little about the average Barbadian.   In tabling the resolution this afternoon, Minister of Finance Chris Sinckler was careful to point out that it was not a salary increase, while suggesting that Government was simply honouring its promise to restore the amount, which was initially due to be repaid at the end of 19 months but was yet to be restituted. However, McDowall said his members were equally anxious for word from Government on a proposed 23 per cent pay increase. “I am left with no choice but to call a meeting of all public servants for this Friday at 2 p.m. at NUPW headquarters to discuss this issue and the way forward. Public servants should come out and say to this union by their presence how bad they need a salary increase.” Also speaking out strongly against the pay restoration, Franklyn called on Barbadians to hold the Freundel Stuart administration accountable for “their insensitivity to the workers of the country”. “What has happened to people from National Housing Corporation that have not gotten back a cent after they were sent home? They are talking about getting back their ten per cent but what about those people who lost 100 per cent? These people are unconscionable and that should be their resignation. “Barbados should rise up against this nonsense but Barbadians are too docile. These people got no shame whatsoever. They are basically uncaring and unfeeling, money grabbing bunch of people. They should be ashamed,” an upset Franklyn said. As for Sinckler’s suggestion that the monies were long overdue, Franklyn argued that if Government was such a stickler for timelines, then it would have honoured its commitment to increase the Value Added Tax from 15 per cent to 17.5 per cent for 18 months only. (BT)

DEBT BURDEN DESPITE GROWTH – Not even 1.6 per cent economic growth last year was enough to loosen the vice grip of high debt and weakening foreign earnings now burdening the Barbados economy. In his economic report for 2016, Governor of the Central Bank Dr DeLisle Worrell yesterday admitted that Government and state entities owed a staggering $4.9 billion to private individuals and companies, though it represented a 15 per cent drop from last year’s position. And as attention focuses on the state of the country’s foreign reserves amid increased discussion on the value of the Barbados dollar, Worrell reported that at the end of December, the bank held $681 million in reserves, or the equivalent of just 10.3 weeks of imports. (MWN)

CONCERN OVER DECLINING FOREIGN RESERVES -  Barbados Economic Society (BES) president Jeremy Stephen is worried about the island’s falling foreign reserves. He said while the Central Bank seemed hopeful that the sale of the Barbados National Terminal Company Limited (BNTCL) and the start of a number of planned projects was likely to bring in $250 million or about US$125 million, it would do little to dent the near $200 million fall in reserves over the last year. His comments came last night as he responded to Central Bank Governor Dr DeLisle Worrell’s report on the performance of the Barbados economy in 2016. “Government and the Central Bank are very positive on the receipt of about $250 million that was pending at December 31, so they are expecting, some time in this calendar year, to receive this $250 million, of which $100 million is expected to be gained from the BNTCL sale, and you have got around $68 million that should be [received] from the Chinese relating to the Sam Lord’s project,” Stephen noted. (MWN)

REID: END OBSOLETE PUBLIC SERVICE SYNDROME - A leading public servant is calling for an end to “the obsolete public service syndrome” in order to facilitate business and improve competitiveness in Barbados and the Caribbean. Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture Esworth Reid Tuesday morning said for much too long regional states lagged a long way behind the more developed countries because of “our obsolete way of thinking and our obsolete application of business practices” linked to the delivery of public service. Sadly, he suggested, the Caribbean was likely to be considered as Third World countries for a long time to come by the developed world. However, he stressed the people of the region did not have to be seen as second class or third class people. The permanent secretary maintained that public sector output in the individual countries of the region still had some way to go before it became compatible with what is required to effectively drive private sector led growth. Reid concluded that there was a need to upgrade the thinking of Caribbean public servants through retraining. (BT)

STOP FAKE ADVERTS – Member of Parliament for St Michael West Central James Paul is leading an attack on false advertising which “encourage recklessness” among consumers. Speaking in Parliament this morning on the Health Services Amendment Bill 2017, which proposed widening the ban on smoking in public to include electronic cigarettes, Paul suggested there was a rise in misleading and dangerous labelling, which legislators should consider controlling before it is too late.   He also urged Barbadians to pay closer attention to the fine prints on the labels of products as quite often they contradict what the products purport to do. (BT)

EDUCATION SYSTEM GETS TWO THUMBS UP – Barbados is being seen by one regional policymaker as a leader in an evolving Caribbean education system. Antigua and Barbuda’s Minister of Education Michael Browne said education in the region continued to progress, with Barbados at the top of the pack. The visiting minister said there was “so much goodness” in education, but it was being undermined by a high level of criticism of the efforts by people and institutions.  In recent times the education system here and in the region has been said to be failing students and in need of reform. At a conference on higher education last October, Dr Mariana Alfonso, a senior education specialist at the Inter-American Development Bank, had warned that even though Barbados was considered a leader in Latin America and the Caribbean, its overall level of learning was still way below par. Basing her assessment on studies done between 1999 and 2012, she said many school leavers could not even meet the basic requirement of four Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) passes for entry into the public service. A week later, university professor Dr Justin Robinson claimed Barbados’ education system was creating a “world-class elite”, but a large percentage of people were “falling through the cracks”, with more than 90 per cent of students unable to pass five subjects in one sitting. However, Minister of Education Ronald Jones has denied those charges, contending information presented on the education system by some officials was “all wrong”. (BT)

MIA WARNS YOUTH ABOUT SMOKING – Opposition Leader Mia Mottley is appealing to young Barbadians to avoid smoking, warning the addictive practice “will harm you in many ways”. She admitted to her parliamentary colleagues yesterday that she was struggling to quit smoking. Minister of Health John Boyce had earlier made a comprehensive presentation to the House of Assembly during the First Reading of the Health Services (Amendment) Bill that extends the ban on public smoking to include e-cigarettes, as well as their sale to minors. Giving her support to the amendment which was passed, Mottley urged Government to go further and engage the population in “conversations” that would encourage them to cease habits that contributed to the high incidence of non-communicable disease among the population. (MWN)

BAN ON SMOKING E-CIGS IN PUBLIC AREAS - Smoking of e-cigarettes in public places in Barbados as well as the sale of the product to minors has been banned. The House of Assembly yesterday passed the Health Services (Amendment) Bill which adds the electronic cigarette to those tobacco products which people are already forbidden to smoke in public. Minister of Health John Boyce, who introduced the amendment, served notice that steps were also being taken to have cigarette packaging graphically illustrate the harmful effects of smoking. Boyce explained that an e-cig was a hand-held electronic device that vapourised a flavoured liquid and contained the addictive ingredient nicotine. (MWN)

TRIBUNAL TO RULE IN CASE OF WOMAN WITH 464 SICK DAYS - The Employment Rights Tribunal is set to order the two sides in the wrongful dismissal dispute between the then Barbados Tourism Authority (BTA) and former quality assurance officer Constance Reid-Batson back to conciliation under the direction of the Chief Labour Officer. Tribunal Chairman Hal Gollop, QC, Tuesday said he was not satisfied that all of the avenues of conciliation had been fully exhausted and therefore he was prepared to order further talks between the sides on a resolution, even if it meant his decision could be overturned by a higher court. When the hearing resumes at 2 p.m. Wednesday at the Warren’s Office Complex, Warrens, St Michael, Gollop will hear submissions from the BTA’s attorney-at-law Dr Lenda Blackman and Reid-Batson’s attorney Gregory Nicholls on the Statutory Boards (Pensions) Act. The Tribunal’s Chief Legal Consultant Winston Chase told Barbados TODAY the two lawyers would focus on aspects of the Act that deal with pensions and gratuities for employees of statutory corporations. Following the presentations, the panel will decide whether or not the case should go back to conciliation, Chase said. The BTA is claiming that Reid-Batson, who started work in 1986, was dismissed in May 2014 because her prolonged illness had affected the agency’s productivity. It was revealed during a sitting of the tribunal last month that Reid-Batson had chalked up 464 sick days over a 24-month period and had received ten warning letters between February 7, 2014 and March 5, 2014 regarding her absence from work, The former BTA employee had also admitted during that hearing that she had not reported for work between March 5, 2012 and March 4, 2014 and that she had not submitted a sick certificate for the period she had been absent. However, she had disagreed with the BTA’s attorney that she had abandoned her job. (BT)

NO LEADS IN LEWIS MURDER CASE – Police are still on the hunt for suspects in the murder of Romario Lewis last Thursday morning. Lewis, 22, of Fairview, Christ Church, was found lying face down in Highland, Foursquare, St Philip. He suffered multiple gunshot wounds and appeared to have several stab wounds to the upper body. He was Barbados’ first recorded murder for the year. Public relations officer, Acting Inspector Roland Cobbler, said yesterday that no breakthroughs had been made in the case as yet. He appealed to anyone who could provide any information to call District “C” Police Station at 416-8200/1, Crime Stoppers at 1-800-8477 or the nearest police station. (MWN)

COURT TO RULE AGAIN ON CYCLING AGM – The impasse that has engulfed cycling over the past year is likely to occupy the attention of the High Court sometime next month. Attorney at law Larry Smith, who is representing people “interested in the affairs of the cycling”, told the MIDWEEK NATION that he had filed a further application last week and was confident the matter would be heard shortly. Last month, the council of the Barbados Cycling Union (BCU) refused to call an annual general meeting (AGM) as stipulated by the High Court. Smith will be asking the court to appoint an independent group to oversee the election process. Smith said that the last council was doing little to advance the cause of cycling by failing to call an AGM. (MWN)

BFA SHARES PLAN FOR YOUTH FOOTBALL - Plans are under way for further development of youth football, said senior vice-president of the Barbados Football Association (BFA), Captain Al Walcott, during a press conference held at their Wildey offices yesterday. One of those developments will see the Association covering cost for the Secondary Schools Football programme. “The BFA will be injecting a significant amount of funds into the programme for all schools who are participating in the competition. Whatever they need in terms of gear, equipment, transportation, referee fees and coaching will be provided,” he said. Another initiative is to extend the youth programmes throughout the 2017 season. (MWN)

DEACONS END PRELIMS UNBEATEN - Defending champions Flow Deacons duly finished the preliminaries of the Goddard Enterprises senior knockouts unbeaten by predictably defeating Burger King Clapham Toners 25-16, 25-15, 25-8 in a rescheduled game at the Kensington Bond on Monday night. While the match contained little for former queens Toners, who had already been eliminated from Thursday’s semi-finals, Deacons needed to follow up their Sunday night victory over Pan American International Insurance Warrens to finish unbeaten and in the No.1 spot. With young Shonte Seale leading the attack, Deacons seemed almost in practice mode although a number of serving errors kept Toners in track, even if some distance behind their opponents. Toners recalled former national setter Allison Pile, who would have been a member of their champion team in the 1980s. (MWN)

MAROONERS STING SCORPIONS - Combined Campuses and Colleges (CCC) Marooners registered a stunning upset victory over Jamaica Scorpions in the opening fixture of the Regional Super50 Tournament at the Three Ws Oval yesterday. After winning the toss, Marooners posted a moderate 215 for eight off their 50 overs before dismissing Scorpions for 140 in 35 overs to win by 75 runs. The match commenced fifteen minutes late due to transportation problems encountered by the Scorpions’ squad but once play got started man of the match, 19-year-old Amir Jangoo, announced himself with an impressive a half-century in his debut List A match. After losing his opening partner, captain Jamal Smith, lbw to Nikita Miller for 13, Jangoo played steadily to notch up 64 from 114 balls. The left-handed Trinidadian stroked four fours and one six off (balls). (MWN)

DISABLED MAN IN NEED OF A HOME - A disabled man is now homeless after his brother left him at the home of his mother on Monday morning. Don Marshall, 47, a victim of rheumatoid arthritis, and his mother Eminel Marshall turned up at the NATION and appealed for help. Don, once a robust man, saw his health decline over the years. He stopped working ten years ago and has no means of taking care of himself. His father, who had been paying his rent for a room at a house in Jackson, St Michael, for the last six months, said he could no longer foot that bill, leaving Don homeless. “This morning while I was in bed, I heard a sound outside and it was his brother who brought him and left him there,” said his mother. (MWN)

DYING ART - The death rattle appears to be sounding from the art forms of limbo dancing and fire eating, as well as tuk music, with fewer than ten people estimated to be practising these forms of entertainment here. And if the response to a series of workshops organized by Ruk-A-Tuk Inc in association with the Ministry of Labour and Human Resource Development is anything to go by, the last rites are likely being administered, as a combined total of only 13 people have registered for the three disciplines, each of which was anticipated to attract up to 15 people. However, while Ruk-A-Tuk Inc’s Managing Director Wayne Poonka Willock is concerned about the future of these art forms, he is holding on to hope that those who take advantage of the ten-week workshops will help keep these cultural forms alive. Registration is still open this week via email at tukbandman1@gmail.com or 418-1035. The training is being funded by the European Union through the department of Human Resource Development. (BT)

There are 12 Days until Girlfriends Expo & Arts Festival (February 4th & 5th) and you can purchase your tickets from Ticket Pal. Well that’s all for today folks. There are 340 days left in the year                          ;) Shalom! #thechasefiles #dailynewscaps Follow us on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram for your daily news. #bajannewscaps #newscapsbystephaniefchase https://www.facebook.com/TheChaseFilesTVShow/?fref=ts

[ladystylestores]

Your Wednesday Briefing – The New York Times

Europe is considering barring American travelers

European Union officials are racing to determine who can visit the bloc beginning July 1, as countries try to restart travel while keeping new coronavirus infections at bay.

A draft list of acceptable travelers includes those from China and Vietnam, but visitors from the U.S., Russia and Brazil will not be welcome, according to the document seen by The New York Times. A final decision is expected early next week, though European officials aid it was highly unlikely an exception would be made for the United States.

Prohibiting American travelers from entering the European Union has significant ramifications and is a blow to President Trump’s handling of the virus. Millions of American tourists visit Europe every summer. Business travel is common, given the huge economic ties between the United States and the E.U.

In other news:

Boris Johnson announced that pubs, restaurants, museums and hair salons in England would be allowed to reopen on July 4 and cut the required social distance between people to about three feet, prompting warnings from scientists on the increased risk of transmission.

Facebook, Google, Amazon and others in the business world reacted with anger after President Trump suspended new work visas for foreigners at least until the end of the year.

The virus is gaining steam across Latin America, and experts fear the worst is ahead. Inequality, densely packed cities, weak health care systems and fumbled government responses have contributed to the spread.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top U.S. infectious disease expert, said at a congressional hearing that the next two weeks will be critical in the country’s disease-fighting efforts, as he warned of a “disturbing surge” in cases.

Novak Djokovic, the world’s No. 1 in men’s tennis, is the fourth player to be infected with the coronavirus after he organized an exhibition series in Croatia and Serbia.

The Times is providing free access to much of our coronavirus coverage, and our Coronavirus Briefing newsletter — like all of our newsletters — is free. Please consider supporting our journalism with a subscription.

Heartbreak as annual hajj is essentially canceled

Saudi Arabia announced on Tuesday that only about 1,000 people will be allowed to perform the annual hajj pilgrimage at the end of July — a decision that effectively cancels one of the world’s largest gatherings of Muslims.

The restrictions are meant to slow the spread of the coronavirus in the kingdom, which has one of the largest outbreaks in the Middle East. Last year, 2.5 million people took part in the pilgrimage. This year, those allowed to perform the hajj will have to be younger than 65 and will be required to undergo a virus test in advance.

The announcement disappointed Muslims around the world, many of whom have saved for years to travel to Mecca, and will deal a financial blow to the kingdom’s economy.

Paris death renews scrutiny of the police

“I’m suffocating.”

Those were the words Cédric Chouviat called out seven times as police officers in Paris pinned him to the ground and put him in a chokehold, according to footage analyzed in an internal police report in April, but revealed by French outlets this week.

The video of Mr. Chouviat, a white, 42-year-old delivery man who died with a broken larynx after the confrontation in January, is reigniting scrutiny of the heavy-handed tactics used by the police as protests against police brutality, particularly against black people, have swept the country.

The four officers involved in the arrest were not questioned about the incident until last week and have not been charged with any crimes. “We don’t understand why they still haven’t been suspended,” said Sofia Chouviat, Mr. Chouviat’s daughter.

Context: Earlier this month, France’s interior minister said chokeholds would be banned and that officers would no longer be allowed to press on a suspect’s neck. But the French police have pushed back, and officers will be allowed to use the technique in the field until September.

Case study: In the postwar era, Germany overhauled policing to confront in detail the shameful legacy of policing under the Nazis, and to prevent it from happening again. The country’s experience might offer insight into how to redesign institutions. But clashes between the police and young men in Stuttgart on Saturday point to long-simmering tensions and criticism, with immigrants saying they are racially profiled.

Also: Eton College, one of Britain’s most storied boys schools, has apologized to one of its former black students who said he was told never to return after publishing a book in 1972 detailing abuse at the school.

If you have 7 minutes, this is worth it

In West Africa, terror from both sides

Burkina Faso has fallen into chaos over the past four years, becoming a recruiting ground for international terrorist groups in West Africa. At least 2,000 people are thought to have been killed there in the past 18 months. Above, soldiers protecting refugees at a camp near Dori, in northern Burkina Faso.

Our correspondent and photographer traveled there and found that government forces are now killing about as many people as jihadists are. “The government is traumatizing people,” a herdsman and farmer said. “It’s what pushes people to sign up to the armed groups.”

Here’s what else is happening

Australia judge: A court inquiry found that Dyson Heydon, a judge who presided over the country’s highest court for a decade, had harassed at least six women. He has denied the accusations.

U.S.-China trade: Stocks on Wall Street followed global markets higher on Tuesday, after President Trump reaffirmed the trade war truce between the United States and China and investors focused on new signs of economic recovery instead.

U.S. presidential campaign: A surge in donations has helped Joe Biden cut into President Trump’s financial advantage ahead of the November vote. Mr. Biden will hold his first presidential campaign event with Barack Obama on Tuesday.

Snapshot: Art restoration experts in Spain called on Tuesday for tighter regulation of their work after a Baroque-era painting of the Virgin Mary, above, was disfigured by a furniture restorer. The Association of Conservators and Restorers said in a statement that, if the poor restoration is confirmed, “part of our heritage is disappearing by these disastrous actions.”

French literature: With her strident, pro-sex views, Virginie Despentes upsets people on the left and the right. After years of being the outsider, she is finally taking over France’s literary establishment.

What we’re reading: This Atlantic article about blackness and racism. “Imani Perry writes beautifully about the full-body grief of being a black American,” says Jenna Wortham, staff writer for The Times Magazine.

Now, a break from the news

Cook: This tomato chickpea salad is the taste of summer. If you can, savor this meal outside, which is always the best way to celebrate the beginning of tomato season.

Watch: The director Joel Schumacher, who died on Monday at age 80, will be remembered for the flash and style of “Batman Forever” and “Batman & Robin.”

Listen: While live concerts and operas are on hold, the spotlight has turned to individual artists. Here’s a look at some memorable solos.

Do: If you are fortunate enough to have a terrace, a porch or a backyard, here are a few tips on how to make the most of your outdoor space.

At Home has our full collection of ideas on what to read, cook, watch and do while staying safe at home.

And now for the Back Story on …

America’s unpredictable medical bills

Last week, Sarah Kliff, a Times reporter, noticed something strange. A medical lab in Dallas had charged as much as $2,315 apiece for coronavirus tests, even though a test typically costs $100. Sarah called the lab to ask about the price — and the lab quickly dropped it to $300.

It isn’t the first time something like this has happened. In her years of covering health care for Vox and now for The Times, Sarah has frequently reported on the arbitrary nature of medical costs, often highlighting extreme examples. After these examples receive public attention, health care providers sometimes reduce the prices.

Of course, most medical bills don’t become the subject of journalistic investigations. Which means that medical labs, drug companies, hospitals and doctors’ offices are often able to charge high prices to insurance companies and patients, without consequence.

“If you look at pretty much any other developed country — Canada, Britain, France, Germany, Singapore, the list goes on — the government does some version of rate setting,” Sarah told The Morning newsletter recently. “The United States doesn’t.” That’s one reason that the cost of health care in the U.S. is higher than in any other country.

That’s it for this briefing. See you next time.

— Isabella

Thank you Melissa Clark wrote the recipe, and Theodore Kim and Jahaan Singh provided the rest of the break from the news. You can reach the team at briefing@nytimes.com.

P.S. • We’re listening to “The Daily.” Our latest episode is about the future of the U.S. Senate. • Here’s today’s Mini Crossword puzzle, and a clue: Like roasted marshmallows (five letters). You can find all our puzzles here. • Mary Suh is returning to The New York Times as acting Op-Ed Editor, Charlotte Greensit of The Intercept is the new managing editor and associate Editorial Page editor and Talmon Smith has been promoted to staff editor.

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New Post has been published on https://usviraltrends.com/a-successful-cancer-researcher-confronts-a-new-challenge-getting-elected-to-congress-science/

A successful cancer researcher confronts a new challenge: getting elected to Congress | Science

Jason Westin, who until recently ran clinical trials testing treatments for lymphoma, hopes to claim the Democratic nomination to challenge the veteran Republican incumbent, John Culberson (TX).

Jason Westin campaign

By Jeffrey MervisFeb. 23, 2018 , 12:35 PM

Starting this month, ScienceInsider will be following the 2018 U.S. elections, which have attracted unusual interest from the scientific community. Dozens of candidates with backgrounds in science, technology, engineering, and math are seeking election to Congress, and hundreds more are running for state and local offices. We will be profiling candidates and reporting on news from the campaign trail.

This story is the first in a three-part series about three Texas candidates with scientific backgrounds who are running for the U.S. House of Representatives as Democrats. The primary is 6 March.

As a clinical oncologist at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas, Jason Westin tries to help his patients cope with their deadly disease by being both honest and upbeat with them. He’s taking the same approach as a first-time candidate for the U.S. Congress: He accepts the long odds and steep learning curve, but he can also see a path to victory.

A Democrat, Westin is hoping to unseat longtime Republican incumbent John Culberson. Democrats view the seventh district, which includes Rice University and affluent neighborhoods on Houston’s west side, as a ripe target because it went narrowly for Democrat Hillary Clinton in 2016 after previously supporting Republican presidential nominees Mitt Romney and John McCain by large margins in the 2012 and 2008 presidential contests, respectively.

But before Westin can run against Culberson in the November general election, he must beat out six other candidates for his party’s nomination. Three have raised considerably more money, a conventional metric to judge a candidate’s viability, and a fourth is banking on name recognition from having made three previous runs at Culberson. And Culberson, who chairs a spending subcommittee that sets the budgets for several federal science agencies, is not without his own considerable resources, including the backing of a national Republican Party desperate to retain his seat.

Indeed, even one of Westin’s staunch supporters is not-so-silently hoping the researcher won’t win and abandon his quest to treat—and one day cure—lymphomas. Westin would “do a fantastic job [in Congress], but he’s grossly overqualified for what goes on in Washington, [D.C.,]” says R. Eric Davis, an associate professor at MD Anderson who partners with Westin on cancer clinical trials. If Westin stays in cancer research, Davis says, “I think he could go on and become a thought leader in the field. There are so many other people who could do a good job without disrupting their careers.”

Davis, whose political views are more conservative than Westin’s, isn’t being selfish. He’s just being a scientist. Productive, early career researchers like Westin traditionally have been loath to take such a leap into politics. But Westin, a physician who says he chose cancer research because it represented the greatest unmet need, believes that he can have an even bigger impact on society by serving in Congress. And he is hoping that 2018 is the right time for him to make that switch.

A flurry of facts

“I’m a 40-year-old father of three, a cancer doctor, and an award-winning researcher from MD Anderson; I deal with facts every day in my job.” That’s how Westin introduced himself to the 400 people who showed up last month at an elementary school on a rainy Saturday for a candidates’ forum on climate change. “My first commercial describes how I will stand up to [President Donald] Trump and his attacks on science. … When I’m in Congress I’ll use facts and science to fight back for us.”

That style was much in evidence at the forum. It was well-suited to the format, in which Daniel Cohan, an associate professor of civil and environmental engineering at Rice University, posed a series of questions to the candidates on energy and environmental issues and demanded short, concise answers. And for better or worse, Westin used his responses to separate himself from the others at the table.

When asked how to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from automobiles, for example, most candidates talked about the need for more public transit and how to get people out of their cars. One even tried to blame their Republican opponent, asserting that “It’s not a technical problem, it’s a John Culberson problem.”

Not Westin. “Seventy percent of our oil goes to transportation—cars and planes. We use 15 billion barrels a day, that’s $2 billion,” he explained. And he was just getting started. “When you drive your car, 85% of the gas you put in it is wasted, and only 5% is used to move the car forward,” he continued. “We can dramatically improve fuel efficiency by making our cars lighter, including the greater use [of] carbon fiber, which is also stronger than metal. I agree we need better public transportation. But in Houston we all know public transportation isn’t available. And we’re a driving state. So, we need to use new technology to get our cars better prepared for the 21st century.”

Another question from Cohan, about increasing federal funding for climate and energy research, gave Westin a chance to display both his knowledge and his credentials. “I think this is one of the most important questions facing the country,” he began. “Are we going to be a global leader in technology, or are we going to move backwards? As a scientist, I’m uniquely qualified to discuss this.”

After mentioning the funding he’s received from the National Institutes of Health, he cited data to rebut Trump’s proposals to cut federal research spending. “For every dollar the government invests in basic research, it produces a return on investment of $8.37,” Westin asserted. “We’re actually living longer and more productive lives as a result of that research, which generates $3.2 trillion every year to drive our economy.”

Jason Westin at the March for Science in Washington, D.C., with his spouse, Shannon, and their children. 

Jason Westin campaign

Westin’s full-throated embrace of science sent the other candidates scrambling to keep up. “I’m a scientist, too, just a political scientist,” said one, to audience laughter. Another confessed, “I’m not a scientist, but I’m married to a scientist.” One candidate even called for restoring the Office of Technology Assessment, a nonpartisan arm of Congress created in 1972 to analyze scientific developments that was eliminated in 1995 after Republicans gained control of the House of Representatives.

The prospect of flipping the seventh district from Republican to Democratic control has energized the party faithful and opened their wallets. Westin, for instance, had raised $389,000 by the end of 2017, an impressive total for a political newcomer. At the same time, it’s far less than the other top-tier candidates, who average $750,000. But second place may be good enough: If nobody receives a majority of the voters cast in the primary, the two top finishers will compete in a 22 May runoff.

Westin has won the endorsement of 314 Action, a nonprofit group formed in 2016 with the goal of getting more scientists and engineers elected to local, state, and national offices. The organization says its support is based on its assessment of a candidate’s viability, judged mainly by the professionalism of the campaign and the size of its war chest.

The group’s endorsement “is a way to verify my credentials,” Westin says. Such a stamp of approval can help him raise more money, he adds—a necessary evil for a candidate to be taken seriously. “It’s critical for me to do adequate fundraising to get my message out to voters,” he says. “There are so many things happening in the world these days, it’s hard to get their attention. So, fundraising is a key part of the campaign.”

Treating the body politic

Westin grew up in Florida and received both his undergraduate and medical degrees from the University of Florida in Gainsville. He did his residency at the University of North Carolina (UNC) in Chapel Hill. He tacked a year onto his residency so he could be in step with his wife’s career as an obstetrician-gynecologist; during that time he helped create a department of hospital medicine at UNC. He started a clinical fellowship at MD Anderson in 2008 and joined the faculty in 2011.

Westin launched his campaign last spring, and by the fall he had handed over management of his clinical trials—most recently testing the efficacy of a combination of three drugs used to treat large B-cell lymphoma—to colleagues. He’s also reduced his clinical hours to 1 day a week, leaving him 6 days a week to campaign. The schedule allows him to continue to practice medicine without running afoul of rules governing political activity by state employees.

The science vote

Follow our rolling coverage of 2018’s science candidates

“So, I still work at MD Anderson, and I’m not on leave,” he explains. “If I had taken leave and continued to get paid, it would effectively mean that the state of Texas was paying me to run for Congress.”

When he’s in the clinic, Westin says the needs of his patients come first. Even so, many want to talk about his campaign, and he says sometimes the patient-doctor relationship overrides their party affiliation. “I’ve had several patients tell me, ‘You’ll be the first Democrat I’ll be supporting in a couple of decades.’”

Westin believes that his medical training will make him a more effective legislator. “Doctors don’t have the luxury of endlessly debating something,” he says. “When a patient comes to see you, you have to analyze the available facts, even if it’s not complete, come to a conclusion and explain it to them, and then act. And that’s something that I think would serve our political system well, in having more people who are trying to get things done.”

The Republican members of Congress who are doctors also possess those skills, Westin acknowledges. And he’s surprisingly generous is explaining how, given similar backgrounds and training, they can take stances that he strongly opposes, such as repealing the Affordable Care Act or dismissing the role of humans in climate change.

“I don’t think we want a Congress where everybody thinks the same way and every vote is unanimous,” he says. “That’s not healthy for our democracy. So I think having doctors with different backgrounds and perspectives is healthy.”

A life-long Democrat, Westin says he’s too busy at work to discuss politics with colleagues, but he suspects that the 35 to 40 members of the center’s aggressive lymphoma team hold a range of political views. That’s certainly the case for Davis, who came to MD Anderson in 2009 and began his collaboration with Westin 2 years later. “When I was young I was a Republican,” says Davis, who grew up in South Carolina and worked as a pathologist before making a midcareer move into bench science. “Then I became an anti-Democrat. And now I’m an anti-Republican.”

Westin has said repeatedly that he plans to return to MD Anderson if his bid for Congress is unsuccessful. But Davis isn’t so sure.

“So if he doesn’t win,” Davis speculates, “I think he’ll ask himself, ‘Why didn’t I win?’ And if he thinks that it just takes time to gain recognition, and that maybe next time more people will know him, then who knows. He has so much going for him—he’s photogenic, he’s got a family, he’s at MD Anderson, [and] he’s got people like me who praise him to the hilt.”

[alienation2016-blog]

New Post has been published on Alienation

New Post has been published on https://alienation.biz/economy-locks-out-employees-sides-said-to-be-far-apart/

Economy Locks Out Employees - Sides Said To Be Far Apart

On Sunday, July 3, the Economy voted to lockout its Employees, barring them from getting right of entry to jobs, income and tens of millions of adoring lovers. The long-expected lockout places 2012 and beyond in jeopardy and is derived because the NFL and NBA are looking to quit their own paintings stoppages that began in March and June respectively.

“We’re just not profitable anymore,” said the Economy. “Something had to supply.”

Despite a three-hour meeting Saturday — the perimeters couldn’t close the substantial gulf between their positions.

“The Economy is digging in,” one Employee said. “They made it clean to anyone that they may no longer budge. I do not assume we are closer; in fact, it worries me that we are no longer nearer. We have a big philosophical divide.”

According to experts, the Economy has been in a downward spiral since early 2008, no matter a tacky advertising marketing campaign called “Bail Out” that changed into supposed to reinvigorate customer self-belief and jump-start all of the markets.

“Thankfully, I become planning on this lockout taking place and stored up a few hundred greenbacks in my financial savings account. I assume I’ll be okay,” Employee Earl Wilson said, “But I understand a lot of other Employees won’t be. I’ve constantly were given the ones ‘Buying Gold TODAY’ endorsement offers on the aspect of the street to fall again on.”

Despite the outpouring of anger and frustration from Employees, the Economy sees matters differently. “We had a wonderful year in terms of the appreciation of purchasers for our work. It just wasn’t a profitable one for the Economy, and it wasn’t one that the various smaller cities especially loved,” the Economy stated. “The aim here has been to make our entire marketplace worthwhile and to have a thriving environment once more wherein beer flows like wine.”

In 2010, the Gross National Product of the USA turned into envisioned at $14.66 trillion, a parent the Economy says just is not cutting it anymore.

“The trouble is that there may be any such gap in phrases of the numbers, in which they may be and where we’re, and we simply can not discover any way to bridge that gap,” Wilson stated. “Hopefully I’ll get a meals coma on the 4th of July and no longer wake up until this shit is over.”

Wilson stated the Employees made a “moderate” new monetary inspiration, however it wasn’t enough to keep the two facets on the bargaining table.

“We’re going to get up for what we must do, irrespective of how long it’s going to take,” the Economy informed The Associated Press. “No depend on how long the lockout’s going to take, we are going to arise when it suits us.”

The state of affairs seemed headed in the direction of this path from the begin of negotiations. The Economy said it misplaced billions each yr considering 2005. Despite frequent meetings this month, the perimeters just failed to make a lot of progress.

The Economy desires to lessen Employee pay and wasn’t moved by using the Employees’ provide to drop it 10% simply so they may keep their jobs. The minimum salary in the United States is about at $7.Seventy-five.

“LeBron turned into a right. We should return to our miserable lives every day besides. But now without jobs, there is not even a motive to get out of bed,” said Wilson. “I’ll probably just play a lot of FarmVille and eat Ramen Noodles.”

Some professionals are expecting the lockout could increase some distance into December 2012, at which factor the two sides may additionally experience a “Come to Jesus” second throughout the imminent apocalypse. Despite this, Employees remain optimistic.

“We’ll simply retain to ask our fans to stay with us and remain patient with us. As Employees, we need to work. That’s who we’re; we’re people,” former accountant and Employee spokesman Chris Karney said. “Right now we’re confronted with coping with the enterprise factor of our lives. We’re going to do it the same manner we clock in. We’re going to paintings tough. We’re going to be centered. We’re going to be committed to getting the consequences that we want.”

  The Reputation Economy Review

  In order to compete within the international economic system, you need to set up an online presence and in this example a recognition. The Reputation Economy needs to be maintained and is related by using visibility subsequently growing opportunity. Having a maintained on line presence creates a reputation and in flip develops trust. Your online emblem and presence will become increasingly powerful and convey high-quality effects.

The Reputation Economy is becoming greater obvious. Microsoft released a survey wherein they determined 80% of HR specialists use on line popularity information as a part of their hiring method, at the side of that 70% had rejected a job candidate due to what that they had determined online. This leads me to accept as true with that we are living in a Reputation Economy. What human beings say about you and the web presence you create will determine your fulfillment or failure on this economic system.

What Is The Reputation Economy

The Reputation Economy is an environment in which brands are created and constructed and how they are perceived online, handing over on the promise they promote and put it on the market. The on line marketplace is where merchandise and people can be located, is rated and commented on therefore constructing a popularity. Positive brands can deliver and create new opportunities and negative manufacturers create a much less essential recognition.

How To Build a Reputation Online

Establish your recognition and if it is sturdy then people will need to work with you and help you construct your brand. You are responsible for guarding and dealing with your recognition with the attitude that it’s miles very critical and sacred to you. So there are a few keys thoughts to consider when building your reputation.

* Become regarded and authentic for one thing. Being everything to every body will bring about failure as peoples attention spans decrease in recent times. Become a professional in one specific area of interest and overcome it if you want to stand out from the crowd. Becoming a pass-to professional in your area for a selected skill or topic will stick in peoples minds, they may don’t forget.

*Build your product earlier than you promote it by means of creating online blogs and social networking profiles. By organizing your web sites and profile first you have got an area in which human beings can locate you, interact and be a part of your mailing list. Marketing your emblem with out a product will bring about the loss of capability potentialities.

*Turn possibilities into tough results and make a presence online. Potential possibilities certainly want to recognize about your logo and could do their studies. People need to recognize what you are capable of and what you have to offer. So having an every day on line presence to establish the Reputation Economy. Leveraging the strength of the net is strong, as an example writing an article and uploading a video on an everyday basis.

Actively contribute to the web market every day to ensure high exposure to your commercial enterprise and logo. The velocity in which the Reputation Economy is increasing is forcing us to be accessible to the rest of the opposition.