#restorative or punitive truths maybe...

[majorbaby]

girl help i am in a mystery genre spiral, returning to my roots as a world’s greatest detective blogger

[imaginariaextraordinaire]

Considering how #MeToo in South Korea has been a conversation about the way institutions and systems have failed survivors of sexual assault, bold move of The Devil Judge to make the case in the live court show to be one of sexual harassment.

Writer Moon Yeo-Seok packs a LOT into the storytelling in this episode. First of all, Yo-Han doesn't want this case to be on the live show, but he's effectively forced to take it on. It becomes clear that the judicial system has no interest in upholding women's rights, but is more than willing to use the topic to engage in power play. Yo-Han is being made to preside over this case of sexual harassment because his enemies hope to put him in a weak and defensive spot.

The case is this: A leading male actor is accused of sexual harassment by other actors and technicians. He's a serial offender. We're shown how he uses his position as a senior to threaten, intimidate and harass women who are lower than him in the professional hierarchy.

I thought it was quite interesting that the show chose to make the harasser an actor. It feels like a pointed statement about the industry's internal sexism. However, it's also worth noting that the reason the public prosecutor picks this case is not because he thinks he can win the case because there is evidence backing the allegations. The reason he's confident of winning is because he has other dirt on the actor.

When the actor is being questioned by the prosecutor, the prosecutor says he has evidence of the actor's deviant sexual preferences. We're not told what exactly these preferences are, but the threat of this information coming out is enough to convince the actor to admit to the sexual harassment charge. Sexual harassment is the lesser evil — because society has accepted and normalised it.

So the prosecution's case (as well the actor's admission) are both mired in deceit and falsehood. Which tells us that even if the allegations are true, it isn't enough to report sexual harassment and getting justice for victims/ survivors has little to do with the truth of an allegation.

What The Devil Judge shows us is that cases of sexual harassment are weapons and in this case, the target isn't the actor, but Yo-Han. In an effort to make Yo-Han deliver an inhumane sentence, the prosecutor says that since the actor has admitted to sexual harassment, he should be castrated. The argument is that castration will ensure there are no more victims, but the actual intention is to force Yo-Han's hand. In a previous episode, Yo-Han had brought flogging as punishment out of the medieval ages into the present; the prosecution suggests he's taking a leaf out of the same book with castration.

In an effort to argue against castration, the actor's lawyer says that the punishment is too severe especially since South Korea is a country with a low crime rate. The other judge — a woman — points out that the reality of those who live in secure bubbles of privilege is not the same as the lived reality of the poor. She reminds him (and the audience) that statistics and official narratives don't necessarily reflect the lived reality and institutions like the judiciary are supposed to look out for the underprivileged and marginalised.

Which is a point well worth making, but it's ironic that all these excellent explorations into the normalising of violence, the role of institutions and the concept of justice itself send the issue of sexual harassment to the sidelines.

Even when we return to the subject of the case, the focus is on the actor and the question is what would be justice for him. What he's done and his victims recede into the background. There's no discussion of restorative justice or reparations. Instead, all that anyone seems to care about is the dick, both literally and figuratively.

Ultimately, Yo-Han arrives at a solution that is punitive enough to satisfy the unforgiving public without seeming barbaric. He outsources to America. Yo-Han's solution is to ship the abusive actor off to a prison in Texas. Yes, the Lone Star State of the United States of America.

We're also told that the person who found this Texan prison and negotiated the prisoner-exchange deal is not Yo-Han but his niece, the wheelchair-bound teenager who is studying computer engineering in Stanford (she's a distance-education student). The whole complicated process shows how institutions fail women in South Korea. For anything close to justice, the guilty abuser has to be shipped to another country — in South Korea, he'd get away with bribing people and securing parole — and it's quite obvious that this is an exceptional situation for which credit is due to not to government institutions, but one individual woman's intelligence, resourcefulness and privilege.

The segment where Yo-Han delivers his verdict would have been hilarious and a really clever bit of satire if it didn't include a video in which American prisoners say they're waiting for their Korean inmate. The implication is that the Americans are going to sodomise the crap out of him, which is not just demonising homosexuality, but it also shows that to The Devil Judge, justice means continuing the cycle of abuse by reducing the abuser to a victim. Needless to say, the guy who makes our Korean abuser shudder in horror is a leering Black man, neatly combining racism and homophobia in a single shot. It's disgusting, unnecessary and completely lacking even a hint of nuance.

Episode 5 ends with Yo-Han handcuffed to a chair and Soon-Ah forcibly kissing him. It comes quick on the heels of the trial, which suggests the show is trying to make the point that women can sexually harass men too — a tired, hackneyed and idiotic argument because it ignores the tiny detail that our existing socio-cultural structures empower men and disempower women. But let's set aside sociology and cultural studies and just stick to what's happening in the plot of The Devil Judge.

In an earlier episode, when the housekeeper was telling Ga-On about Yo-Han, she'd mentioned there was a maid who fell in love with Yo-Han and that Yo-Han had made her jump off the second floor. It seems Soon-Ah might be that maid (or maybe she's related to that maid?) and that she's nursed an obsessive crush on Yo-Han.

Ergo, present-day Yo-Han being kidnapped and handcuffed to a chair. All for Soon-Ah's pleasure, thank you very much. To really bring that point home, Soon-Ah calls Yo-Han "young master" and then plants a very un-chaste kiss on his person.

Is this kiss supposed to be hot? I've no idea. What is definitely unambiguous is that the kiss is not consensual. Yo-Han is clearly not feeling it and the lack of response isn't bothering Soon-Ah in the slightest.

In earlier episodes, Soon-Ah has been the protector — like when she punishes the foundation's director for groping the server — so it's particularly disappointing that the writer chose to make Soon-Ah an abuser in order to establish her villain identity. I really liked the idea that Soon-Ah is the actual power behind the all-powerful Social Responsibility Foundation. The reveal was reminiscent of the reveal in Vincenzo, except in The Devil Judge, this charade felt far more credible and convincing. For Soon-Ah, a young woman in a patriarchal, male-dominated and conservative society, an old man as a figurehead would mean doors opening easier and other men taking her company seriously. The facade of the old man as the director and Soon-Ah being ignored by most people showed that seedy, sleazy men trust other seedy, sleazy men.

I was quite looking forward to this scheming, ambitious woman going up against Yo-Han, but the end of episode 5 has reduced Soon-Ah to a misogynist stereotype. I'm hoping that the next episode will add some nuance/ dimension to Soon-Ah, but as of episode 5, she's the incel's wet dream. And that is disappointing af.

[srwestvikwrites]

Annus Mirabilis

A short story

Mama is preparing mushrooms for the egg drop soup. So many types of edible fungi in the world, though these days she can only find the basic white kind. So many inedible, too. The kind that poison, or take root in stagnant flesh and foliage, breaking down matter until it is nothing, and becomes something again, a new thing altogether refracting everything that came before it. Endless, in that wonderful little cycle of existence.

Mama has a lot of questions about existence. It is why she studies what she studies, and why in the last weeks she started praying again. She prays every morning, noon, and night, where before her prayer mat was gathering dust, a relic of a childhood she did and didn’t want to distance herself from. She has come to realise, over the years, some truths. You cannot study nature and marvel at its vastness, and know how small you are, without understanding the laws. Natural laws. Social laws. Lawlessness. Among the strictures and anthems and themes, she has learned that there are two kinds of gods people pray to.

The forgiving yet punitive sort are abundant. They amass the most followers because they extend the most hope. Your sins forgiven. Your place after death affirmed. Just follow this checklist of morals and tasks, variable to the hands and hearts of men. Do good by the letter and not the spirit of the gospel and it is enough to see the gates of paradise, they say.

Then there are the ones who live as people do - as interfering, as involved in their own heads, as desirous of their own intentions. They can gift - if they want. And they can hurt - if they want. And you can favour them, and be in their favour, or insult them, and be in their fury. You can become their lover. You can dedicate your blood to them. 

And the people that don’t pray to any god? They look at the blank white-grey slate of the clouded sky, and they know rain is coming.

Mama puts on Tangled for Baby-child, the little one not so little anymore, swaddling herself in her childhood blanket now too small for her, the flower embroidery pulled, the fabric pilled. Baby-child watches intently, watches the princess in her tower, and Mama knows she is taking note of things to do as she listens to the bright cheery goldenrod singing. She smiles fondly. No doubt tomorrow, she will have to excuse herself from a meeting because there will be a painting going up on the wall behind her, or the strings of grandfather’s guitar will be twanged by an unpracticed hand that knows not what an heirloom is. She smiles fondly because it makes the weight of wonders easier to bear. Baby-child doesn’t say prayers yet. Not in the same way as Mama, anyway. She understands them differently, too. To her they are the same as talking to a friend. They are the manifestation of desperation in the face of a spiralling loss of control. 

For if humankind does not have absolute control, then it is in the hands of nature, and the easiest way to plead its mercy is with the prayers memorised from childhood.

Mama is who she is, she is Mama. She is also Dr. Not the kind of use in a time of wonders. She’s the kind that asks questions of the planetary bodies and the waves of sound and fury and the singularity at the centre of everything. She’s on her way into that singularity, she can feel it. 

She tries to read a King James Bible, a text she has never read before even though she knows this God is also technically her God. She has the time to do it these days. Exodus becomes her favourite book. She runs her fingers over the scritta paper, so thin and fine, so soft, and the hallowed words that cover it. She thinks of whether they will look back on this later, and speak the words true, replacing lamb’s blood with Clorox - we stayed in our homes, and the plague did not enter.

_____________________________________________________

Mama gives the soup to Baby-child, mushrooms and all. Mama is more Mama now than ever. Everything boils down to keeping herself and Baby-child alive, and her doctorate cannot do much of that, except perhaps put money on the table.

Money, money, money. She can feel it coming like a freight train. She can feel the steady approach of the day money will not be enough for what it buys. She has a sudden feeling the electricity is going to go out. Slowly, everything is going to go out. Every life, every light. The lights have gone out before, a hundred years ago. It’s only a matter of time. 

Today Mama puts on a superhero movie for Baby-child. It’s easier to spend money on streaming when you know it can take your mind away from the inevitable unknowns. “When the Earth starts to settle, God throws a stone at it,” says the villain, a big bad man made self-replicating progeny. He is made of metal. But Mama thinks, the real villains have no names, except that which we willingly give them, and no body, except that which we unwillingly give them. They do not need names. They are like unto God. I am, they say, tearing through matter like mycelia to set down their roots and siphon off nutrients. I am.

How small humankind is, truly, in the face of these wonders, for they are the true gods. But are they punitive, when in days before they were forgiving? Are they something to be bargained with, where you can sacrifice a little other life for the benefit of your own? Or are they just something that is? 

For what, in the end, is a wonder? It is raising the dead and parting the seas and restoring sight to the blind. It is a plague of locusts and the slaughter of the firstborn. 

Who is to say that nature is wrong, that destruction is a travesty - when really, it is just change? The mushrooms know that to be the fact that it is. After all, whose planet is this anyway? Whose universe? Who are we to say what is and isn’t just according to the barely understood laws that govern us? 

Mama takes a deep breath. She had never thought about the air in her lungs this much. A little, when she passed smokers. A little, when old trucks belched exhaust and she was reminded of the cost of efficiency. But even when the air is clean again, it can kill you.

Did you know that oxygen is slowly killing you? one of her peers had said once, in the second year of her studies. Entropy, she had thought. Everyone knew the laws of thermodynamics. Entropy. And oxygen, it is like the sea, or drums of oil. It sustains us, and then it claims us.

This is a hostile world, Mama thinks, tucking Baby-child in, her poor little eyes exhausted from staring at screens, screens, screens. Hostile to life. It’s a miracle we’ve lived this long. Isn’t it? Baby-child will wear glasses before the year is out, she thinks. Mama already does, so she doesn’t mind switching on the TV again.

“I think that sometimes people try to die to feel alive,” she says on the phone, calling that old classmate, eyes on the prize, the protestors, the numbers and the news, the blue glare screaming into her, so quietly. It is all so quiet. You cannot rage when you are bedridden. You cannot scream when you are locked inside. She thinks of her work, Dr Mama, of what she has studied of how the universe will end. No Ragnarok, no seven-headed monsters in the sea. Chaos, but not the violent kind. It will fall as all empires do. Not with a crash, but with plaintive whimpers and death rattles.

Everything falls in silence.

She has a drink, though she shouldn’t, but in an hour she is not drunk anymore. She tries to touch herself, but it only reminds her how empty she is, how guilty before God for far worse things, for it reminds her of her true shame and she does not want to touch that, not ever. So she has another drink, but doesn’t dare gorge on the snacks she craves though her gut rumbles, because Baby-child will want them in the morning. She has a sudden feeling that she’ll never be full again. No, more than that - never satisfied. No matter what she consumes, with her mouth, or her ears, or her eyes, she shall never be sated, her thirst unslaked. She wonders how long this can go on. Devouring herself until there is nothing left to devour. Letting the outside in to kill her quickly, because it is better - better to open your veins to gods, better to leave your firstborn outside for the Angel, better to breathe until the inevitable collapse. 

She thinks she has an answer to one of her many questions, then, as she heats up the last of the egg drop soup. She’ll wake up early to make more. 

She thinks that this is what is behind it all, this fear of being unfulfilled and left behind, this grave misunderstanding of how it all works - equal and opposite reactions, push and pull, growth and rot. That unwillingness to comprehend, to accept, is so human. Maybe even more than human. Maybe it is the reason why living cannot go on forever, not for anything on earth. 

Except, perhaps, the fungi. 

© Sarah Rachel Westvik, 2020 

[sosation]

To My Colleagues: (An unsent letter to High School teachers during a pandemic)

April 2021

To my colleagues,

In regards to the current state of affairs with our student population, their grades and their mental health, I think there are a few things we should consider when it comes to putting in their final grade for the year:

1.This year has been hard for everyone.

The fact that we are going through a global pandemic is no fault of our students. They are doing the best they can, just like the rest of us- some better than others. If you looked at Mrs. B****'s email regarding the testimonies of students and families and what they have been dealing with you will understand that deaths in the family, loss of employment for the primary earner and the need to take in or take care of extended family members are very common things our students are dealing with. As a result many, many of our students are babysitting all day or primary caregiving for their grandparents and/or have had to pick up menial jobs to help the family make ends meet. Others are out on their own working full time and paying rent--and somehow, thankfully, still trying to stay in school. Obviously, this contributes to increased anxiety and depression. Many of our students have either attempted suicide or were/are hospitalized due to suicidal ideations. Anyone who has ever had to deal with strife at home knows that family comes first, even over education. I know all of you are aware of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Food, water, shelter, and sleep are all on the bottom tier -- the most important-- followed by personal security, employment, health, and resources on the next tier. So, from a lot of our students’ perspectives, our class just isn’t the most important thing in their lives right now-- nor should it be. “Love and Belonging” is the third tier. How can we tell our students that they are loved and that they belong more than by showing them grace and passing them?

2. Understand your power and your role in the system and in your students' lives.

We have the power and the ability to affect the course of these students’ lives with the decisions we make in regards to passing or failing. Research shows that failing students, and students who were held back, are more likely to drop out. There is no evidence that shows punitive grading-- punishing students with grades as a means to motivate them-- works. On the contrary, it makes students feel like they can’t cut it and increases the chances of them dropping out. Failing your students in no way helps anyone. It can ruin the lives of students because they may never graduate due to perceived ineptitude. Our community is the one that suffers when students drop out. They have a hard time finding a job and getting into higher education and can end up homeless. Youth homelessness is on the rise and us failing students will only contribute to that statistic. So we have the power to show grace-- and provide an opportunity for someone that could uplift them in the future, or show malice or disregard and punish a student when they are having to choose between their family, their well-being, or their education and not choosing the latter.

If we choose to fail our students due to perceived apathy, or because they “aren’t putting in the effort,” or as a way to get back at them for “getting away with doing nothing,” then we are not just choosing to be petty, we are choosing to allow that student to potentially have a harder life because of it. We have that power. Does anyone deserve to have their future jeopardized because of a petty teacher? We must ask ourselves “Does public education exist to ruin lives?” No. Then why do that with it-- even if the system allows it?

The other path that we can choose to take is to care for our students--the ones who we are hired to care for-- and provide them with opportunities that could enrich their lives and, more importantly, provide things like second or third chances. Just about everyone has a story about someone who showed them unmerited grace and how it changed their life. We have the opportunity to provide that story for our students. Or we can put them on the path of a very different story, one that isn’t as positive and one that maybe ends in the street. That is the choice we have to make.

3. Remember that “learning” and “education” are two different things. Emphasize the former over the latter.

Grades do not reflect learning. We all inherently know this. And when you go back to the mid-late 1800’s to see why they were created in the first place you find that it is not even what they were designed to measure.

When we make students do a bunch of mindless busy work in order to put a number in the gradebook they are not learning anything other than that they need to do X to get a 100. They are taught to work for the grade, not to learn. We should be incentivizing them to actually learn, not just “do this specific order of operations because you need the grade.” When we auction off grades to students: “Please if anyone turns in the assignment- even though it was due 3 weeks ago-- I’ll still give you a 90,” what we are teaching them is that grades are meaningless. How do we deal with this? Be honest with ourselves and your students about what grades actually mean and reflect and don’t fool ourselves into thinking that they reflect some objective truth about a students ability. They don’t and they never did. When we accept this, it becomes clear how arbitrary the 69-70 pass/fail distinction really is.

4. The world is not a meritocracy.

Life is unfair. We say it all the time and it is true. So why, then, do we treat our students' grades as some sort of fair arbiter. “It’s not fair to the other students if I pass so-and-so...” implies that grades are inherently fair, which we have already established they are not. Every teacher grades vastly differently and an A in English at one school may not be an A at another. Additionally, students learn at wildly varying rates. Some 9th graders read at a 12th grade level and some read at a 5th grade level, and this goes for every student in every grade. We all know this. This is why we are supposed to differentiate our assignments, because of this inherent inequality in human abilities. If every teacher appropriately differentiated the difficulty of our assignments to the correct subset of appropriately capable students, then every student would pass. However, rather than doing this, most of us put the responsibility off on the students.

The real world is not fair, so we shouldn’t pretend that grades are. When we come to realize this, we realize that it simply comes down to one thing: our decision--our power in this situation. Traditionally, we have put the responsibility off on the students and in doing so, abdicated our own in the process. Realize that actually we are responsible for the students' outcomes after high-school. We have the power to decide whether they pass or fail--which will have long term impacts on their future. We can tell ourselves it is their responsibility but we are the ones who sign off on the grade verifications, not them. We ultimately decide their fate. So if we tell ourselves, “they did this to themselves” then we are lying to ourselves. We, alone, have the choice. I urge you to choose wisely, for their sake.

So to recap, our students are dealing with unimaginable situations and stress. You have a role in this system and a role in your students lives, which role will you emphasize? Grades do not equal learning. Use taxpayer money wisely and lastly, life isn’t fair and neither is grading- so let’s not pretend that it is. With all these in mind and the understanding that we have the ultimate power in this situation, I hope we can all see that the lives and the futures of our students depend on US and the decisions WE make. Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,

Anthony Sosa

****** High School

U.S. History

*201

M.Ed. Curriculum and Instruction

B.A. History

"The past is never dead. It's not even past." - William Faulkner

P.S.

If any of the things I’ve said or the perspectives I have presented are new to you, or if you would like to know more about any of these things I do have reading recommendations:

Mrs. B***** Doc of Testimonies:

**********

Books:

Ungrading: Why Rating Students Undermines Learning (and What to Do Instead) By Susan D Blum (Teaching and Learning in Higher Education) Paperback – December 1, 2020

https://www.amazon.com/Ungrading-Students-Undermines-Learning-Education/dp/1949199827

Hacking Assessment: 10 Ways To Go Gradeless In a Traditional Grades School by Starr Sackstein by «Dr. Doug Green

https://www.drdouggreen.com/2016/hacking-assessment-10-ways-to-go-gradeless-in-a-traditional-grades-school-by-starr-sackstein/

Grades and Grading Practices (Obstacles to Improving Education and to Helping - At-Risk Students) Charles H. Hargis (2003)

--contact me if you would like a copy of the PDF

Articles:

Liberating Grades/Liberatory Assessment by SJ Miller

http://www.sjmiller.info/uploads/8/8/5/4/88548862/lib_grades.pdf

Competitive Grading Sabotages Good Teaching BY JOHN D. KRUMBOLTZ AND CHRISTINE J. YEH

http://cultureofpeace.ernestojunsantos.com/uploads/6/4/8/7/6487837/competitive_grading_sabotages_good_teaching.pdf

The Relations of Learning and Grade Orientations to Academic Performance Hall P. Beck, Sherry Rorrer-Woody, and Linda G. Pierce

https://libres.uncg.edu/ir/asu/f/Beck_Hall_1991_The_Relations_of_Learning.pdf

Human Restoration Project Resources:

https://www.humanrestorationproject.org/research?categories=ungrading

[panharmonium]

hi! :)

short answer: nah, i don’t

long answer: i actually don't think there's any point in the movies or TCW where it's stated that the Jedi Order has banned "romantic relationships and marriage and all that."

more (too much, my apologies) under the cut:

does that mean i think the Order was out there encouraging its members to fall in love all over the place?  nah.  and yeah, i agree that "the jedi don't encourage romantic relationships/marriage" is the more reasonable inference to make.  but i also think it's important to note that we've never actually gotten any piece of canon containing enough info about the Jedi way of life to really say we know anything at all about the Order's proscriptions/history/philosophy.

our perception of what the Jedi Order does/does not allow is built on assumptions. the ubiquity of these assumptions makes it very easy to forget that when it comes to the movies and TCW, we have almost zero information about what the Jedi Order actually encompasses, never mind their stance on romance/marriage.  for example, when we watched TPM, there was no mention at all about marriage/romance/etc being "banned," which led to a fascinating (and, retrospectively, bizarre-feeling) phenomenon where official-ish (EU) material created between TPM and AotC included plot points like Ki Adi Mundi or Thracia Cho Leem being married and/or having kids.  

then Attack of the Clones came out, and everybody started reevaluating their assumptions (by making new ones, ironically enough) - because in AotC, what we actually hear about Jedi philosophy re: relationships is really only three exchanges:

Anakin: I'd much rather dream about Padme.  Just being around her again is... intoxicating.

Obi-Wan: Be mindful of your thoughts, Anakin.  They betray you. You've made a commitment to the Jedi order, a commitment not easily broken.

which...doesn't really tell us anything about the Order's stance on romance at all. obi-wan, in this moment, can tell that anakin is so completely caught up in thinking about/desiring/grasping for padme that it's disrupting his focus, displacing what is supposed to be a commitment to service, thoughts of the bigger picture.  anakin is, for the moment, overwhelmed with personal desire, rather than the appropriate Jedi impulse towards selfless devotion to others. this is not explicitly a “relationships will break your commitment to the Jedi Order” conversation; it's a “capitulating to personal, individual desires is not in line with the philosophy we choose to serve.”

Padme: Must be difficult, having sworn your life to the Jedi...not being able to visit the places you like or do the things you like.

Anakin: Or be with the people that I love.

Padme: Are you allowed to love?  I thought that was forbidden for a Jedi.

Anakin: Attachment is forbidden.  Possession is forbidden. Compassion, which I would define as unconditional love, is central to a Jedi's life.  So, you might say that we are encouraged to love.

i've written about this one before, but again, this conversation, as well as yoda's admonition to anakin about loss in RotS, are as explicit as Jedi philosophy ever gets, in canon.  that's it.  those two conversations are as deep as it ever goes. everything else is just conjecture.

this scene makes the important distinction, though - love is not the same thing as attachment or possession.  pretty much everybody likes to take jedi philosophy in the direction of 'romantic love/marriage etc is forbidden,' but canonically, at least, it's just as possible that the philosophy is actually ‘these types of relationships are not technically forbidden, but it is very difficult to engage in them without succumbing to the desire to possess another, to attach ourselves to something that is not actually ours to cling to, to greedily cling to the things we love and so relegate our service of the Force's will to a secondary priority, and so therefore such relationships are not encouraged/common/etc.'

it's more complicated than a romance ban, essentially, is what i'm saying.  you have to get down to the heart of what a Jedi strives for, which has nothing to do with surface things like "i have a kid/i'm going to get married/i have a significant other" and everything to do with where your inner self is oriented in relation to these relationships/your priorities/your place in the Force/your chosen path of service to the Light.

Anakin: Put the ship down!

Obi-Wan: Anakin!  Don't let your personal feelings get in the way! Follow that speeder!

Anakin: Lower the ship!

Obi-Wan: I can't take Dooku alone!  I need you! If we catch him, we can end this war right now!  We have a job to do!

Anakin: I don't care! Put the ship down!

Obi-Wan: You will be expelled from the Jedi order!

Anakin: I can't leave her!

Obi-Wan: Come to your senses!  What do you think Padme would do were she in your position?

Anakin: ...she would do her duty.

again, this has nothing to do with a ban on romantic relationships; it's about anakin placing personal desires above the whole good.  the jedi order wouldn't expel anakin because he’s experienced romantic feelings for someone, but they certainly would question his suitability to walk this path if he casts aside his responsibilities to the greater good in order to fill his own personal wants.

and that's it for Attack of the Clones.  

in RotS, we get even less.

Anakin: I won't let this [dream] become real.

Padme: This baby will change our lives.  I doubt the queen will continue to allow me to serve in the senate.  If the Council discovers you're the father, you'll be expelled -

well, maybe!  for lying about this stuff for years?  definitely a possibility.  this is padme talking, though, and for all that i appreciate her, it's worth noting that she doesn't actually have much inside access to understanding the inner workings of the Jedi Order on more than a basic level.  and this isn't a basic issue.  it's also worth noting that anakin has never once tried to discuss his problem with obi-wan or get help, despite obi-wan giving him openings to do so (see TCW for that), so even anakin can't accurately say that the consequences would be so dire.  he doesn't truly know.

i like this excerpt from Rogue Planet (partway into the linked post) as an example of Jedi disciplinary proceedings (i'm aware that as this isn't part of the films, it's not Canon, but i'm not arguing that it's the truth; just that it's as likely a scenario as any other, given what little we actually know about the Jedi in practice).  The focus is not punitive, but exploratory, and restorative - what is the root of the transgression?  what is out of balance?  what inner understandings must be adjusted, and what, situationally, can be changed, to make things better?

a process like that, embarked upon in good faith, would be less likely to result in "expulsion" and more likely to result in the mutual realization or acknowledgement that the jedi path isn't where anakin skywalker belongs. fulfillment, for him, lies elsewhere, and that's okay - there are many ways to serve and do good.  the jedi order isn't the only option for someone who wants to be a hero.

Yoda: The fear of loss is a path to the dark side.

Anakin: I won't let these visions come true, Master Yoda.

Yoda: Death is a natural part of life.  Rejoice for those around you who transform into the Force.  Mourn them, do not.  Miss them, do not. Attachment leads to jealousy.  The shadow of greed that is.

Yoda: What must I do, Master Yoda?

Anakin: Train yourself to let go of everything you fear to lose.

again, nothing about marriage/romance/etc.  the stumbling block is attachment - which doesn't mean love.  it means inappropriate clinging to other beings, who belong to the Force and are not ours to possess; to possible futures, which are not ours to control; to relationships, which enrich our lives but should not steer us into selfish waters.

and..........that's it.  that's all we get about the Jedi Order and romance in the movies.  TCW gives us two other conversations, which i can certainly include, but generally i consider the movies as Canon, and TCW as lying somewhere outside that (yes, i'm aware that this is not the official position.  i grew up on comic books and my interest in slapping canon/not-canon labels on stuff according to any criteria but my own personal preferences is null.  blame batman.)

but anyway, TCW:

Anakin: You didn't stay to help her?

Obi-Wan: That would have been...problematic.  My duty as a Jedi demanded I be elsewhere.

Anakin: Demanded?  But it's obvious you had feelings for her.  Surely that would affect your decision.

Obi-Wan: Oh, it did.  But I live by the Jedi code.

Anakin: Of course.  As Master Yoda says, "A Jedi must not form attachments."

not much more to add here that i haven't said above.  this is, again, not about surface level things like romance and marriage - it's about the deeper underpinnings of behavior, an examination of internal motives, a voluntary commitment to a way of life that prioritizes service to others over personal pursuits.

Obi-Wan: Master Yoda feels that your judgments concerning Rush Clovis are clouded.

Anakin: I believe he can't be trusted.

Obi-Wan: Yes, but there is more, isn't there? I sense a deep anger in you by my simply saying his name.

Anakin: He almost got Senator Amidala killed, and I would have been responsible.

Obi-Wan: The Senator has risked her life many times.  She's quite capable of taking care of herself.

Anakin: They had a relationship once.  I simply feel she is vulnerable to her emotions.

Obi-Wan: She is, or you?

Anakin: What are you implying?

Obi-Wan: Anakin, I understand to a degree what is going on.  You've met Satine.  You know I once harbored feelings for her.  It's not that we're not allowed to have these feelings.  It's natural.

Anakin: Senator Amidala and I are simply friends.

Obi-Wan: And friends you must remain.  As a Jedi, it is essential you make the right choice, Anakin, for the Order.

again - obi-wan flat out says "it's not that we're not allowed to have these feelings; it's natural."  the real problem isn't anakin's romantic feelings, it's his "clouded judgement," it's anakin being ruled by his emotions, overruled by them; it's him beating clovis to within an inch of his life and trashing padme's apartment; it's anakin, ruled by attachment/jealousy/greed, saying stuff to padme like, "as your husband, i demand that you tell the chancellor you are stepping down [from your job, from the duties of a career to which you've devoted your whole life]." that's the problem.

obi-wan says that “as a jedi” it’s essential that anakin make the right choice. but anakin doesn’t have to be a jedi, if he finds that his true path is taking him elsewhere.  that point has been addressed with him (in the expanded universe, at least) several times, at least twice directly by obi-wan (and again, yes, it’s not in the films, so i’m not going to argue that it’s Truth, but if we’re going to make assumptions about what the Jedi allow/don’t allow based on no explicit canon evidence, i feel comfortable making a few inferences using expanded universe material *shrugs*.)

so, in response to the question "do i think it’s wrong for the order to ban marriage etc" - the answer is first that a) i don't think we have concrete, irrefutable canon evidence that they do, and b) if they did (which, yes, despite the entire above essay, i do feel it's a reasonable inference that the jedi at least discourage these kinds of attachments) i don’t think it’s wrong at all.  the jedi order is a culture, with its own history, values, and sacred philosophy.  “jedi” isn’t just a synonym for "superhero."  there are lots of ways to do good in the world and help people, but jedi culture is more that just that - it's a way of life, a way of thinking, living, and dying which extends far beyond the identity "guardian of peace and justice in the Republic."  

and this means that jedi culture is not for everybody.

plenty of real life organizations/cultures/religions require certain things of their members.  belongers, or believers, give of themselves willingly, voluntarily choosing to pursue a certain way of life or to sacrifice certain things, because those choices are in accordance with their values.  the jedi are the same, and just as entitled to their own internal structures.  the fact that one of the things a jedi might choose to eschew is engagement in romantic attachments isn't really that odd - and it isn't really a problem, given that anyone can leave the Order at will.  like i said before, there are multiple instances in the expanded universe of obi-wan or someone else reminding us of this, sometimes directly to anakin's face - the jedi are not jailors, and they aren't wandering around the universe trying to make everyone conform to their way of life, telling people who don't belong to their Order that romantic relationships are dangerous and the jedi way is the only way to be a good person/do good deeds.  the jedi are aware that their choices are their own, that they are just one of a billion different galactic belief systems, that not all good-doers in the world were meant to walk their particular path.

anakin skywalker is one of those good-doers.  he isn't truly jedi, because being jedi doesn't mean being able to use the Force and swing a sword around; it means living your life according to a certain set of values and philosophical/cultural mandates.  anakin, who ultimately does not believe and cannot accept many of those 'pillars of faith,' is a hero, certainly, but he is not a jedi.  and there's nothing wrong with that - or at least there wouldn't have been, if anakin had been able to accept this and use his new self-understanding to make slightly better decisions.  

if he'd been able to do that - if he'd accepted that where he really wanted to be was with a lover, with a child, still doing good but in his own way - then it would have been wrong, if the Order had tried to force him to stay.  but instead, anakin never asked to leave.  he couldn’t let go of the things he feared to lose, even when those things were bad for him, even when they made him unhappy.

if only he'd been able to push through that dilemma, and ask for guidance, so many things would have been different.

[thisdaynews]

FG’s Blackmail Against IPOB Backfired, Says Ohanaeze

New Post has been published on https://thebiafrastar.com/fgs-blackmail-against-ipob-backfired-says-ohanaeze/

FG’s Blackmail Against IPOB Backfired, Says Ohanaeze

Sequel to the declaration on Sunday, by the Federal Government that the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, is waging war against Nigeria, the IPOB founder, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, yesterday, reacted to the government for ‘ confirming that his group is spending big on its diplomatic offensive and the whole world can now know where the group’s money is being channeled’.

The Federal Government had raised the alarm that IPOB was using the alleged killing of Christians to wage war against Nigeria.

Spokesman of the Presidency, Mallam Garba Shehu had also accused IPOB of using perceived killing of Christians to drive a wedge between the United States, United Kingdom and Nigeria’s European allies.

But Mazi Kanu in a statement made available to newsmen by IPOB’s Media and Publicity Secretary, Emma Powerful, said that IPOB is relentlessly working to expose the Nigerian government’s atrocities perpetrated by terrorists masquerading as herdsmen.

This came as the Igbo umbrella body, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide also lampooned the Federal Government, saying that its attempt to blackmail IPOB has backfired “because the truth has emerged.”

Mazi Kanu’s statement entitled, “Now the whole world knows where IPOB money goes”, said the statement, issued by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, confirmed the elaborate planned scheme of IPOB which has already started gaining steam with some officials of the American government, including the Secretary of State, Mr Mike Pompeo to the fact that it is not mincing words with Biafra actualization. Mazi Kanu’s statement read: “Once again, Nigerian government has inadvertently confirmed that we spend big on our diplomatic offensive. We have destroyed Nigeria and by the time we are done with them, the name Nigeria will cease to exist. “Every dime the indomitable IPOB family worldwide contributes towards our liberation goes towards the dismantling of Nigeria and restoration of Biafra, I mean every dime.

“I, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu have no mansion, I have no car, I have no hotel, I have no university, I have no government contract, I don’t lie, I don’t cheat, I don’t steal, all I have is the grace of Chukwu Okike Abiama to do his will which is to restore Biafra in truth and honesty.

“The statement, issued by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, also claimed the elaborately planned scheme, which had already started gaining steam with some officials of the American government, including the Secretary of State, Mr Mike Pompeo, had been receiving monthly funding of $85,000 USD since October 2019.”

Also yesterday, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, standing in defence of IPOB, described federal government’s worry as a complete case of chasing shadows. Publicity Secretary of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Uche Achi-Okpaga in a swift reaction to Shehu Garba’s outburst told him that he was drawing attention to an allegation of persecution of Christians in Nigeria but failed to draw attention to the seemingly intractable insecurity in the country.

“Would they (FG) also say that there is no insecurity in the country? All over the country, people are posting on the spot audio and video records of senseless and targeted killings.

I think now that the ovation of the Presidency’s actions and body language have become loudest, attracting condemnations from highly pedestalled and well-meaning Nigerians, including the latest letter from Col. Abubakar Umar, the next available response, as is usual in their colour, is to heep some blame on a given quarter as the IPOB and deliberately divert attention from the issue,” Achi-Okpaga fumed.

The apex Igbo organisation regretted that whereas the President swore to protect the lives and property of Nigerians, Nigerians are killed in their homes, their farms, on the roads, by herdsmen, while travelling, by bandits or Boko Haram terrorists, as the case may be.

“Perhaps, it is also IPOB that is sponsoring all that. It is a pity that we are exerting more effort to tarnish IPOB than to do the needful by ensuring the protection citizens no matter whose ox is gored,” Achi-Okpaga said.

Adding flesh to Ohanaeze’s anger against Shehu Garba’s allegations, Media Adviser to the President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief Emeka Attama said that “The reaction of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide is that finally the hen is coming home to roost.

The whole lies against IPOB that made the Federal Government to brand it a terrorist organisation are now wearing off and the world are getting close to exposing the perfidy and unconscionable maladministration of the President Buhari’s five-year tenure.

“It’s preferred silence over the nefarious activities of the killer herdsmen that has led to the loss of more than 2,500 innocent lives of Nigerians, mostly Christians, has been crying out for justice.

Maybe, the time has come for the unmasking of who are actually the terrorists between IPOB and the herdsmen; IPOB who don’t carry weapons and don’t kill and Ak-47 and other sophiscated arms-wielding herdsmen and who upon all their crimes non has ever been prosecuted in any known court of law in the country.

“It is good that it is even the Federal Government that has given fillip to the awareness by the international community through the publication by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu.

“It is an attempt to blackmail the IPOB that has backfired, because the truth has emerged.”

In a related development, Igbo elitist group, Alaigbo Development Foundation, ADF, has said the Presidency just raising false alarm.

ADF said it is President Muhammadu Buhari’s government that promoted tension in Nigeria through several punitive and divisive policies mounted against some sections of the country.

”The Presidency is raising a false alarm against the IPOB in that regard. The PMB regime is the one that has promoted tension in Nigeria through several punitive and divisive policies mounted against some sections of the country.

“Such divisive policies have worsened the crisis in the Nigerian federation.

There have been massive killings in the Middle Belt, Southern Kaduna and the Mambilla Plateau in what looks like ethnic cleansing and genocide, allegedly using FULANI terrorists, herdsmen and the security agencies are yet to prosecute the assailants.

“IPOB is the mainstream organization fighting for the self-determination of the Biafran people against the oppressive monolithic unitary system of government imposed by the pro-islamic Caliphate government of PMB.

“The IPOB, which is purely a peaceful and unarmed pressure group was banned by the government while the murderous FULANI herdsmen ( militia) group was allowed to continue it’s killing spree all over the Middle Belt and Southern Nigeria, in what apparently has become an official policy of ethnic and religious cleansing aimed at the alleged Fulanization of Nigeria and targeted at Christians, so as to subdue and intimidate them into submission cum annihilation”, ADF said in a statement issued by its spokesman, Chief Abi Onyike.

[thechasefiles]

The Chase Files Daily Newscap 9/4/2019

Good Morning #realdreamchasers. Here is your daily news cap for Wednesday, September 5th, 2019. There is a lot to read and digest so take your time. Remember you can read full articles via Barbados Today (BT), or by purchasing a Midweek Nation Newspaper (MWN).

THE DEATH TOLL FROM HURRICANE DORIAN WILL INCREASE - Minister of National Security Marvin Dames said today after he revealed that a few children are among the dead. “I caution Bahamians everywhere that chances that we find more persons dead, those chances are real,” Dames told reporters outside Cabinet. “It’s certainly a concern for us. This was a crisis of epic proportions. We want to be responsible; we want to be caring. “As we report these things we’re taking into account the sensitivity around this…The reality of it all is, unfortunately, we will see more deaths. I can’t see any way out of it.”Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis said five people were confirmed dead in Abaco yesterday. When asked about those victims today, Dames said, “Unfortunately, what we’re getting is a few of them are children. “We’re at the beginning of this. This is a very unfortunate occurrence for us. Maybe the worst that we’ve experienced, certainly in our lifetime.” After stalling over Grand Bahama for hours yesterday and this morning, Hurricane Dorian, which remains a category 3 hurricane, is now inching northwestward as it continues its onslaught on the island. Dorian is moving at one mile-per-hour. It is expected to gradually move north of Grand Bahama Island through this evening, according to the National Hurricane Center. Dorian tore through Abaco on Sunday as a powerful category 5 storm. Residents are still feeling the effects from the storm on the island. Multiple people sustained serious injuries. At least 21 people were airlifted to New Providence. Rescue efforts continue today.(BT)

PARADISE WIPED OUT –Miles of debris from houses smashed apart by Hurricane Dorian stretched yesterday across the landscape of The Bahamas’ Great Abaco Island as the deadly storm left behind a paradise obliterated. Dorian was still punishing northern parts of The Bahamas more than a day after landfall. The hurricane – now a Category 2 storm with maximum sustained winds of 110 mph – was crawling to the northwest, where it is expected to move along the east coast of Florida and to the Carolinas later in the week. On Great Abaco, high winds remained but the rain had subsided as residents emerged to gasp at the incredible devastation. Huge piles of rubble were what remained of businesses and homes wrecked by the strongest storm to hit the islands, new aerial video shows. It’s difficult to tell whether one scene shows a neighbourhood or an industrial centre. The ruin was immense; the area turned into what looked from above like a floating landfill. Shipping containers were tossed among the rubble. Brandon Clement, who was in a helicopter, told CNN that even new homes constructed under more stringent building codes were destroyed.(MWN)

DLP FACILITATING DONATIONS FOR BAHAMAS – The Democratic Labour Party has opened its George Street Auditorium as a collection point for donations to the hurricane ravaged islands of the Bahamas. Assistant General Secretary Pedro Shepherd made this announcement today following a meeting of a grouping entitled Barbados To Bahamas. “We have decided to offer our headquarters as a collection point for the country’s emergency response facilitators. It is centrally located with adequate space and parking. Shepherd explained that the Auditorium will be open daily from 9.30a.m.-5p.m. “We have organized that as soon as the Caribbean Emergency Disaster Organisation finalizes it’s planning the items can by collected by them or we can deliver to them. We have also contacted the Salvation Army regarding receipt of items.”(MWN)

GOVT REVEALS PLANS TO TACKLE WATER PROBLEMS IN RURAL BARBADOS– After years of battling with an inadequate, or a non-existent water supply, Prime Minister Mia Mottley has promised residents of the Scotland District that relief is on its way. Speaking during the second annual Ermie Bourne lecture put on by the St Andrew constituency branch of the Barbados Labour Party (BLP) at the Alleyne School over the weekend, the Prime Minister stated, “Over the past week, we have worked with local and outside engineers [along] with the Barbados Water Authority and have the makings of what we believe to be a plan, which will be executed over the next 12 months, that we hope will bring relief to the people from the north.” Noting that this plan will initially cost the Government some $15 million, Mottley said one of the major dilemmas with Barbados’ water supply network was that too many of the pumping stations were burdened with supplying water to both higher and lower elevations on the island. “There has been a failure to review how we manage the hydraulics of a water system over a century old, and continue to believe the infrastructure we have inherited is good enough to do the things necessary to allow access to water. Simply put, you cannot continue to use reservoirs and pumping stations in highly elevated areas to supply water to both high and low elevations.” “We have agreed to fund a capital works programme dedicated to deliver water to the lower elevations in St. Joseph, St John, St Andrew, and St Lucy, such that that water being delivered from the Golden Ridge, Bowmanston and Hampden pumping stations can be used purely for the higher elevations. We will put in a new pumping house at Vineyard, St Philip so we will have to build a new reservoir at Stewart Hill, [St John] run pipe from Stewart Hill to the east coast, and we will have to equally address problems from north as well. Now, if we can supply water properly to the east coast, we can guarantee we can preserve the water at Golden Ridge, Hampden and Bowmanston for the northern elevations,” she told the audience. The Prime Minister also told constituents and many of her Cabinet colleagues that relief was coming to the residents of White Hill and others in the Scotland District, who had suffered the adverse effects of land slippage. “This Government is working assiduously not only to solve White Hill’s problems, but to work with international partners to see the restoration of roads and stabilisation of land in the Scotland District, and part of this involves you, the people in the community, planting trees wherever you can to help stabilise the land,” she added. Mottley also expressed her disappointment that people from St Andrew had to go to Speightstown, the Glebe, Six Roads or even Bridgetown to access postal services and other “civic services”, and promised long-serving Member of Parliament, George Payne, that this issue would be addressed once Government took care of more pressing matters. (BT)

LAND FOR FOOD SECURITY – The Ichirouganaim Council for the Advancement of Rastafari (ICAR) is not “in bed” with Government. This assurance has come from spokesperson Adonijah, as he sought to dispel any belief that the Rastafarian movement stands to benefit significantly from the passing of the Medicinal Marijuana Industry Bill 2019. The Bill was introduce to Parliament last Friday by Minister of Agriculture and Food Security Indar Weir, but debate was eventually postponed and the legislation sent to the Select Committee for review at the request of Opposition Leader Bishop Joseph Atherley. During his almost two-hour presentation in Parliament, Weir revealed that following several meetings with two groups representing the Rastafarian community, it was agreed that 60 acres of land would be set aside for them. Adonijah said this had led to persons assuming that members of ICAR would benefit personally. “Unfortunately there are some who choose to believe that ICAR is “in bed with Government” because of its negotiations and that there is some secret plan in which members of the organisation will benefit personally. Nothing could be further from the truth,” Adonijah insisted. He said following the change in Government last year, a meeting was held between ICAR and the Minister of Agriculture, at which it was reasoned that an amount of agricultural land would be leased to ICAR, for the purpose of food security. “At no point was it agreed that this land would be used to cultivate cannabis. An agricultural plan was submitted to the Minister,” he said. He explained that ICAR had been lobbying for the legalisation of cannabis and its uses for decades, but that action had been stepped up following the establishment of the CARICOM Committee on Marijuana (CCM). The spokesman said the previous Democratic Labour Party (DLP) administration had also been approached by ICAR, to no avail.“ICAR attempted on more than one occasion to have audience with Attorney General Adriel Brathwaite on cannabis issues. Our first letter did not receive acknowledgement of receipt for over a year and no meeting ever took place,” Adonijah pointed out. He said in the current Government’s 2018 manifesto, it committed itself to a medical marijuana industry and a referendum on decriminalization/recreational cannabis. However, he said ICAR was not in favour of any such referendum, especially since the CCM has stated that this was not the way to go. Adonijah pledged ICAR’s continued work in lobbying for the return of the cannabis plant to its natural status, with no punitive laws. “ICAR is working for legalisation but we are mature enough to know the workings of the system. The liberalisation that we are seeing in neighbouring countries took years of negotiation. It did not happen overnight. “Government has committed to a staged approach in which the medicinal bill comes first, followed by consideration of sacramental use and the promised referendum. ICAR urges those who know the goodness of cannabis to raise their voices and express themselves on the issue,” Adonijah said. (BT)

PAY DEADLINE – ABOUT 30 out of 103 retrenched workers of the Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) are calling on the state-owned entity to pay them what they are due. And they have given it a September 30 deadline to do so. Veteran journalist Peter Thorne, spokesperson for the group, said he had written CBC in February about receiving his pension through the Insurance Corporation of Barbados Ltd (ICBL), ICBL as well as the Financial Services Commission.“Since June 1, 2019, CBC has been withholding our pensions and gratuities, even though we have expressed a written desire to receive our monies, and first served notice to them on February 5, 2019. over seven months after is more than adequate notice.“Furthermore, CBC has not instructed ICBL to pay the workers their money even though the law of Barbados, namely the Occupational Pensions and Benefits Act (OPBA) 2003 CAP 350B, is clear on the matter that at age 55, once you have met the eligibility criteria of working three years or 1 000 hours at a company, you can do so whether you are a member or a deferred member,” he explained to the media in Queen’s Park, The City, yesterday.(MWN)

SETTLE ACCOUNTS – ResLife policyholders have been given just under a month to settle their payments, the company said today. The court-appointed firm, which took up the portfolio of the failed CLICO insurance giant, was scheduled to wind up the distribution of payments to policyholders on August 31, but has extended the deadline to September 27 to accommodate the remaining policyholders. “To date, ResLife has issued payments to approximately 10,000 policyholders of an estimated 17,000 entitled to settlements, “the company said in a statement. Over the next few weeks, ResLife said it would be aiming to wrap up the issuing of payments to policyholders including those who declared policies lost and policyholders who required corrections to their payments. It said: “Policyholders who have not come forward as yet to collect their payments are encouraged to do so within the extended period. ResLife would like to significantly reduce the number of unclaimed settlements before transferring the remaining claims to the Financial Services Commission.” ResLife also advised that it would also be communicating with the trustees of the group pension plans during this period. Prime Minister Mottley in her March 20 budget had announced the planned liquidation of ResLife and the wrap-up of its operations.(BT)

ONLINE FIGHT AGAINST PRIVATE SCHOOL –Providence Secondary School in St George is being accused of discrimination against a 14-year-old student who was born as a boy but identifies as a girl. Upset by the stance of the board of management of the private school, which began its new school year yesterday, the mother of the student has launched an online petition to raise national awareness to the matter and encourage members of the LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer) community to stand up for their rights.It has so far gernered more than 200 signatures, with the aim of reaching 500. And though she plans to move the child to a new school in the next few days where the child would be able to wear a uniform for a female, the mother has vowed to carry on the fight.“My daughter was forced to wear a male uniform for the entire duration of the last school year,” the Canadian mother of two, who asked not to be identified to protect the identity of her child, told the NATION. “On top of that, she was constantly referred to as a boy by some of the local teachers and she felt singled out and embarrassed.” She added they had had discussions with the previous leadership of the school, which has a roll of 80. (MWN)

EX-BOYFRIEND ACCUSED OF ASSAULT –A 27-year-old man was remanded to Dodds on two criminal charges. It is alleged that Akil Shomari Darlington, of Burke’s Road, Brittons Hill, St Michael unlawfully assaulted Rashawna Stuart, his ex-girlfriend on September 1. He is also accused of threatening the woman on the same date when he allegedly uttered the words, “I am going to kill you, your child and your father,” while in a public place. Darlington pleaded not guilty to both charges. Expressing concern over such allegations  “especially in this climate” Magistrate Graveney Bannister sent the accused to Dodds to return before the No. 2 District ‘A’ Magistrates’ Court on September 13.(BT)

UNDERWEAR SET ON FIRE –Thirteen boxers felt a woman’s fiery wrath last Saturday when she found another woman sitting in her boyfriend’s home and he refused to give an explanation. Melissa Cooke, of 1st Avenue Rockley, Christ Church had been in an intimate relationship with Kashta Browne for about a year. Recently however, they had been going through some problems as she had accused him of bringing other women into his house. On August 31 Cooke went to the house to find another woman sitting in Browne’s living room which resulted in a verbal altercation between the accused and the complainant. The other woman left during that time, Sergeant Kevin Forde said as he read the police report. Cooke subsequently left but returned and confronted Browne who ignored her and according to the prosecutor “laughed at her”. She became angry and grabbed him by his shirt and tugged resulting in both of them falling – him on top her even as she maintained a tight grip. This resulted in him grabbing a nearby plastic dumbbell [weight] and striking her which made her release him. Cooke, the police said, then went into the man’s bedroom took his boxers from a drawer, went outside and lit them on fire. She pleaded guilty in the District ‘A’ Traffic Court to assaulting him and criminal damage involving the 13 undergarments which cost $130. After hearing the facts Magistrate Graveney Bannister ordered that Cooke repay for the boxers on the criminal damage charge. She must also perform 120 hours community service on the assault charge which must be completed by January 31, 2020. She will be reprimanded and discharged once it is completed successfully. In the meantime Cooke, who was represented by attorney-at-law Mohia Ma’at, was granted $500 bail with a stern warning to stay away from Browne.(BT)

CHANGE THE COMMUNITY SERVICE LIMIT – Magistrate Graveney Bannister today gave a first-time traffic offender the maximum amount of community service and believes that the law should be amended to allow for an increase of those hours. He made the comments as he ordered Rasheed Kamalh Prescod, of 95A Valarie, Upper Collymore Rock, St Michael to perform 240 hours for exceeding the speed limit, not having two lamps showing at the rear of the vehicle he was driving, failure to produce identification, giving a false name and address to police and having no driver’s licence. Sergeant Kevin Forde said police were conducting traffic checks on August 30 when they clocked Prescod driving at 106 kilometres per hour along the Barrow section of the ABC Highway and having no rear lights around 10:15 p.m. He was pulled over and when his name and address were requested he responded, “Damian Hinkson of Pavilion Road, Bank Hall, St Michael.” He was then asked for his driver’s licence or proof of identification but said he did not have any. However, investigations revealed he had given the wrong name and address and was not the holder of a driver’s licence. “I give you the name of a man I know got licence, I being straight,” he allegedly told police when he was found out. In addressing Prescod who was represented by attorney-at-law Mohia Ma’at, the District ‘A’ Traffic Court magistrate made it clear that the accused was “doing foolishness” and hoped that that he had learned his lesson. He also pointed out that “some people” felt that because a traffic offence was not a criminal offence then “it was alright”. “This thing is so egregious that I have to give you the maximum amount of hours,” Bannister told Prescod as he imposed the sentence. “It’s a shame that we cannot give more than 240 hours. It would be better if the court was able to give up to 1,000 hours to some of these people and remove the consent aspect of the legislation where a person must consent. That way a lot more cases will get cleared up . . . a lot more people would plead guilty to criminal and other matters . . . I have said that for the past eight years,” the magistrate explained before giving Prescod a January 31 date to return before the traffic court. (BT)

WI WHITEWASHED –West Indies suffered another humiliating 2-0 series sweep when they lost the second cricket Test by 257 runs yesterday after batsman Darren Bravo retired hurt and was replaced by a concussion substitute in Jermaine Blackwood. West Indies lost their last six wickets for 65 runs in quick time to tumble to a massive defeat inside four days. Set an improbable target of 468, West Indies were dismissed for 210 in their second innings nearly half-hour before tea.Shamarh Brooks top-scored with exactly 50 while captain Jason Holder got 39 and Blackwood, 38, but India’s varied attack proved clinical in the second session to bring a swift end to the contest at Sabina Park.The defeat meant yet another clean sweep for West Indies, after they suffered a chastening 318-run defeat also inside four days in Antigua a week-and-a-half ago.Left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja (3-58) and seamer Mohammed Shami (3-65) claimed three wickets apiece while pacer Ishant Sharma picked up two for 37.With the result, Virat Kohli became the most successful India captain with 28 Test wins and praised his four-pronged attack of  Jasprit Bumrah, Sharma, Shami and Jadeja for their performances.“If we didn’t have the bowlers we have, these results wouldn’t have been possible,” Kohli said. “Our bowlers are amazing. Captaincy is just a C in front of your name. It’s the collective effort that matters.”(MWN)

SMALL MUSCLE TEAM FOR CAC – Acknowledging that team glory was no longer a priority, the Barbados Amateur Bodybuilding & Fitness Federation (BABBFF) is sending one of its smallest teams to the Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Championships. Yesterday, BABBFF president Dr Alfred Sparman announced an eight-member team for this year’s regional competition in Santo Domingo on October 12 and 13. The Barbados challenge will be spearheaded by Tyrell Forde and Nicholas Smith (men’s physique),  and Andrea Cumberbatch (bikini fitness), all of whom won their divisions in Mexico last year. At last month’s National Championships, Forde, 27, a former CARIFTA Games double silver medallist in the hurdles, captured Mr Barbados in a thrilling showdown with comeback kid Ryan Haynes, who has also been included in the team. Fans will also be hoping that Smith rediscovers the form he exhibited in Mexico. Much will also be expected from kickboxer Kirk Bovell, who was in his best shape at the nationals, placing an impressive second behind Smith. (MWN)

That’s all for today folks there are 118 days left in the year Shalom!  Follow us on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram for your daily news. #thechasefiles #dailynewscaps #bajannewscaps #newsinanutshell

[thedeadshotnetwork]

Republicans' next poisonous priority Prepare yourself for this picture. If and when Republicans pass the final version of their tax bill through Congress, in each house a joyous whoop will rise up as the presiding officer reads the results. When the cheers die down they will be replaced by laughter, amid handshakes and backslaps and maybe even a hug or two, all Republicans celebrating their glorious triumph. Before long they'll troop to the White House for a Rose Garden celebration with President Trump, their cheeks still flush with excitement, knowing they've not only fulfilled their most profound purpose but staved off the political cataclysm they so desperately feared. That's what they'll be telling themselves, anyway. But will it be true? And where will they go then? A gigantic tax cut for corporations and the wealthy has been the single greatest priority for the GOP at this moment of complete control of Washington, the one promise they absolutely positively must keep. Other failures or setbacks could be overcome, but this they shall do, no matter what. It's why they came to Washington in the first place, and they've convinced themselves that it is the one thing that can save them from what looks like an impending disaster in 2018. Fail to cut taxes, they believe, and their base will turn from them in scorn, not bothering to turn out to vote and allowing those dastardly Democrats to seize one or even both houses of Congress. If and when they succeed, they will tell the public: Behold the riches we have bestowed upon you. Is this not the greatest gift you have ever received from government? Can you not feel the job creation happening all around you? Is your faith in us not restored? To that, the public is likely to respond: Huh? Because the truth is that the tax bill is already a disappointment, even though we don't yet know its final form. Democrats have succeeded in convincing Americans that it favors the wealthy, an argument that draws strength from the fact that it's completely true. Republicans' fantastical claims about how the tax bill will pay for itself once it causes a supernova of growth are being met with skepticism. Worst of all, the bill will actually raise taxes on half of Americans by 2027 (if Republicans accept the Senate version). Which goes a long way toward explaining why it's one of the most unpopular pieces of legislation in decades, beaten out only by their failed attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act. That suggests that despite their inevitable celebration, passing this tax bill may not offer Republicans the political deliverance they seek. But that's okay, because after this is done, they'll move on to other, even more popular legislation. Like slashing the safety net. That is indeed what they're going to try to do, by the way. It will be justified by the enormous deficits their tax bill is creating (how handy!), and they already seem to have convinced President Trump that when they go after things like Medicaid, food stamps, and disability payments, it amounts to "welfare reform." That's even though actual "welfare" (now called Temporary Assistance to Needy Families) has been whittled to such a shadow of its former self that not even Republicans care much about "reforming" it. But given the legislative skill they've shown so far and the inevitable backlash, I wouldn't count on any of that passing. So what do Republicans have to offer the voting public that's actually popular? Not much. Once you get past the tax cuts, their agenda is mostly punitive and cruel, unless you're a favored industry being liberated from the crushing burden of government oversight (fear not, Wall Street, your days of oppression will soon end). They've counted on being able to answer the "What have you done for us lately?" question with the proud cry of "Tax cuts!", but if that doesn't generate applause, they'll be left without much else. Meanwhile, the next election is less than a year away. As the results this month in Virginia showed, Democrats are angry and motivated, not only by what Republicans in Congress are doing but above all by the occupant of the Oval Office, who each and every day gives the opposition more reasons to be mad. He can't help his own party much; with approval ratings in the 30s, the only Republican candidates who'd want Trump to come campaign for them are those who hail from areas so deeply red that they have no chance of losing. As thin as their list of legislative accomplishments is, Republicans will (probably) at least be able to say that they succeeded on their highest priority. But if you've done that and the public wasn't too impressed, you need something else to offer them. Right now it looks like they don't have much. November 27, 2017 at 12:37PM

[jewelry-jewellery]

Why Ted Cruz wants to open up India to Texas pecan pie

Special Contributor

WASHINGTON — West Texas pecan grower Kevin Ivey arrived on Capitol Hill this spring with the hopes of finding a lawmaker — any lawmaker — willing to shake some trees over the trade barriers stopping America’s native nut from getting a real bite of India.

He encountered mostly polite interest over what, at first crack, might sound like a nutty idea.

India, after all, last year accounted for .0004 percent of the export market for U.S. pecans. And while the pecan has deep roots in Texas — where it is the state tree and the state pie — Congress’ unforgiving loam is already filled with health care and other issues that stand much taller.

But then Ivey met Texas Sen. Ted Cruz. Not only was Cruz eager to learn why the pecan faces tariffs in India that are three times higher than those for almonds and pistachios, but he also saw the massive market potential of a country with 1.3 billion people and a growing middle class.

And just like that, a long-stunted trade tussle sprouted anew.

“He understood completely the unfairness of it,” said Ivey, a bolo tie-wearing 46-year-old whose extended family has been growing pecans near El Paso for generations.

West Texas pecan grower Kevin Ivey (left), president of the U.S. Pecan Growers Council, met last spring in Washington with Texas Sen. Ted Cruz to make the case that India needs to lower its pecan tariff.

The pecan accords are more of a food fight when compared to weightier battles over the North American Free Trade Agreement and the Trump administration’s broader worldview on trade.

But when Cruz last month rallied senators to press U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer to work with India on its 30-plus-percent tariff, he entered a world of intra-nut and inter-nut rivalries, bizarre trade rules and the complexities of an increasingly globalized market.

It’s a world, in truth, where the pecan is trying to break out of its shell.

Seeking global markets

The pecan offers more than bite-sized health benefits, but it’s best known as the star of Southern desserts. The nut has found success in China, but is still a bit international player. The industry has finally created a unified marketing and lobbying push, but the teamwork is just taking shape.

So a seemingly minor trade dispute isn’t just about breaking down what Cruz called India’s “punitive tariff regime.” Or giving the industry access to maybe the biggest economic opportunity on the globe. Or creating jobs in Texas and a dozen or so other pecan states.

It might also be about restoring the pecan to its rightful place in America’s nut hierarchy — one now dominated by the almighty almond.

“If you look strictly at the health benefits and the taste, the pecans are a better nut,” said Bob Ackerly, a South Texas pecan grower. “So here’s a group with a lower-quality nut and look what they’ve done with it.”

Pecan predicament

That the pecan is in such a predicament is something of a stunner.

The nut is rare in being native to North America. That’s why long before almonds arrived as a health food staple, and Stephen Colbert pitched pistachios on national networks, the pecan reigned supreme in American cupboards.

As recently as the 1960s, Americans ate more pecans than any other tree nut — a supply produced for generations by mom-and-pop growers in states like Texas and Georgia. (Peanuts, a popular household rival, aren’t tree nuts, but legumes.)

The coming decades, however, brought wholesale changes as American food companies began adding pecans to cereal as a nutritional booster, said James McWilliams, a Texas State University history professor and author of The Pecan: A History of America’s Native Nut.

Industry consolidation. A shift to cultivated, improved pecans over the wild variety. And still the harsh reality that the pecan business can be a tough one to crack.

Shannon Ivey is a fourth-generation pecan farmer in Tornillo, about 45 minutes southeast of El Paso.

Just ask Shannon Ivey, a West Texas grower who knows firsthand the challenges of cultivating pecan trees, which can take nearly a decade to pay off, and unpredictable weather, which can wipe out a crop in minutes.

Some 45 years ago, his father persuaded his grandfather to start transitioning a 400-acre farm of mostly cotton to pecan trees.

The project didn’t finish until 2008.

“Mother Nature always has something to say,” said Ivey, whose second cousin is Kevin Ivey.

But the pecan industry’s biggest problem has been more picayune: organization, or lack of it.

The pecan belt stretches across the southern U.S. from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Different varieties produce a cornucopia of sizes, tastes and colors. And regional pride, along with rifts between growers and shellers, has hurt efforts to get 15,000 pecan farmers under one canopy.

“It’s hard to get people together,” shrugged Kevin Ivey, president of the U.S. Pecan Growers Council, which promotes exports.

Big Almond

Compare that to Big Almond, which is grown in California by Californians who share a California ethos.

“They all go to the same schools out there. … They all live in the same San Joaquin Valley,” grumbled George Martin, a Texas sheller who owns Navarro Pecan in Corsicana. “So they have a lot in common.”

Agricultural lobbyist Bob Redding said the almond has found success — replicated by a handful of other nuts — thanks to its growers long ago agreeing to a U.S. Department of Agriculture program that dedicates a portion of their earnings to be used for research and marketing.

Pecan growers, by comparison, didn’t have their own federal marketing program until last year.

That kind of muscle has served the almond industry at home and abroad, where almonds are hailed as one of the biggest agricultural trade successes between the U.S. and India.

Martin, the sheller, recalls his bafflement when Blue Diamond Growers set its sights on India decades ago.

He figured the steep Indian tariffs faced by all nuts at that time would make it cost-prohibitive.

He even remembers asking the almond co-op’s then-boss, Walt Payne, “Why in the hell are you spending this money in India?”

The U.S. last year sent 233 million pounds of almonds to India, now that nut’s biggest export market.

“That’s when I got my education,” Martin said.

Chinese interest

The pecan industry has since received its own taste of the international scene.

Twenty years ago, the U.S. sent paltry numbers of pecans to China. Now, Hong Kong and China combine for 40 percent of the U.S. pecan export, in part because trade barriers dissolved.

The demand is so great, Chinese buyers drive around South Texas looking for pecan orchards.

In China, the nut is soaked in flavored solutions and touted for having “miraculous health benefits” beyond its nutritional value, said McWilliams, the pecan author.

“Like you will live longer, you will look younger,” he said.

American growers say they see the potential for similar pecan passion in India, where the middle class — as in China — is exploding. Pecan peddlers say India presents an industry-changing opportunity, if not for the tariff.

Indians “want to buy these nuts,” said Redding, the ag lobbyist whose portfolio is a mixed assortment of nuts. “But not with a 36 percent tariff.”

Tariff tiffs

India is known for agricultural tariffs that are “wonderfully arbitrary,” said Ron Kirk, the former Dallas mayor who served as trade ambassador under President Barack Obama. The rising superpower “uses them as bargaining chips,” he explained.

Ron Kirk, the former Dallas mayor who served as Barack Obama’s trade ambassador, said India is known for having agricultural tariffs that are "wonderfully arbitrary."

But pecan partisans are irked that almonds see a tariff closer to 10 percent, thanks to years of sustained pressure. Even the pistachio industry, which didn’t exist commercially in the U.S. until the 1970s, succeeded a few years back in winning a 10 percent tariff in India.

The tariff is even more frustrating because India doesn’t grow its own pecans.

“It doesn’t serve a function of even protecting a domestic pecan industry in India,” said Cruz, who pronounces it “pih-kahn” but won’t divulge his favorite nut.

The Republican isn’t the first in Washington to get on the case. Rep. Sanford Bishop, a Democrat from the “pēe-can” powerhouse of Georgia, has been working the issue for years. And the U.S. Trade Representative office asks India each year to lower its tree nut tariffs.

But with President Donald Trump in office, Cruz could prove an important ally.

The Texan’s time in D.C. has been known more for his presidential ambitions than something like pecan particulars. But Cruz, who later visited Kevin Ivey’s pecan farm, rattles off stats on the industry and touts the job creation that could come from bolstered trade.

He sees a lowered pecan tariff in India as a potential “win-win.”

“A win for Texans growing pecans and indeed for Americans across the country growing pecans, but also a win for India receiving more imports and more revenues,” he said.

Cruz continues to be “in conversation” with the U.S. Trade Representative office, which declined to comment. And there is added optimism because Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue is a Georgian who knows the pecan well.

But increased demand from Indian consumers could provide the ultimate boost, trade experts say.

Pecan purveyors promise that’s a matter of when, not if.

“The other nuts, they fear pecans,” said Martin, the Texas sheller. “Because we are superior to them.”

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