Year: 2012

Daily Dingleberry 04-26-12 Amazing Grace?

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They seh dont speak ill of the dead but rass dis di tek di cake! Look…I understand ok? Even gangbangers have people who think they are great. You can almost always find someone who will swear that he is sweet, charming, fun, caring….even it is only his momma. But we have to tell di truth and shame di devil man!

I respect all human beings even if they are the most evil monsters you can fathom. It doesn’t mean I have to like them or not face facts. Sometimes, the only good thing about a person is what he teaches you NOT TO BE. Let’s stop dis shit about making these gang bangers into martyrs. They are behind much misery in many people’s lives. They are cruel inconsiderate bastards who would sell their mothers to the highest bidders. So, why is it that WOMEN seem to be the ones defending these guys? These men aren’t loyal. They use you. They leave you with babies they won’t support or can’t be good role models for. Are you so shallow that you are blinded by a beer and some chicken? IS that the requirement to be considered a “good” man nowadays? RASS Then I am ten times that man huh? cause I could buy you a whole case a beer and all the chicken da di shop! Can I be KING now?

It is a sad state of affairs when we sell ourselves so cheap. And we are. Have you thought of the message we are sending our children???? Don’t drugs. Go to school. Go to church. BUT you si Mr. So and So? Check out ih new ride! Wow! UGH

Grow up people. Have some integrity. Uno eat uno pride wid da fry chicken?

Do you want this to be your family portrait?

Legitimized in Belizean Society by: Aria Lightfoot

/ Twocanview LLC / 13 Comments

Lets forget about the notorious gangsters for a moment and lets examine society’s culpability in all this.  In the early 90s I moved from Belmopan to Belize City to attend St. John’s College Sixth Form and for a “country” girl like myself Belize City society was a remarkably different society than Belmopan.  My mom’s side of the family is from Belize City. I was born in Belize City and visited Belize City often for shopping purposes and social events such as ballets and concerts but I have never truly lived in Belize City until 1991.

The differences I can see are that Belmopan Society values order, structure, homes, education and social mobility and is very much still British in culture. Extremely orderly and boring as many describe it.  Belize City culture seems to value status, name affiliation, name brands such as clothes, shoes, cars etc. The society seems to  be very capitalistic and more reflective of an American type culture.

The gangs have existed pretty much since that movie “Colors” if I recall. In fact if you do a search on the history of the “Crips” gang in Los Angeles, it credits two Belizeans as founding members. Trying to pretend this problem has not existed for decades is bordering on the ridiculous. I remember the Itza and Tunan years.  In those days, murders were not as rampant and open as they are today. However, murders did exist and with the same ruthless and brutal nature.

I had a very good friend that was in love with the notoriety of the drug dealing gang members.  She carried on a secret relationship with Tunan and while I never personally met him, she gave tales of their escapades and every so often she disappeared when he was rumored to be in Belmopan. I remember back then Tunan drove a white car with some blue or green lights glowing under it and he was quite the flashy character. People who knew him loved him and those who hated him, eventually killed him.

When he died, I can recall my friend creating a scrapbook with newspaper clipping of his death.  She did not want to attend his funeral because she knew that she would get lost in the sea of women mourning his death, so she asked several of us to go view the funeral with her , which turned out to be quite a spectacle.

I remember Tunan funeral went through several streets of Belize City (not the normal funeral route) as music of  Boys to Men played on repeat. I remember all his street urchins walking behind his coffin pouring champagne on his coffin , dressed up and obviously well cared for by their boss. Behind all that was the sea of mourning women my friend predicted would be there. When the coffin reached the Church, to my amazement, the most prominent attorneys and politicians of Belize were in attendance.  I personally found the entire display ridiculous. Here you have a notorious drug dealer dead, after undoubtedly bringing miseries to the lives of many and after his ill gotten gain, being legitimized by our society.  I trust in Belmopan, he would not have been elevated to any legitimate social level and I guarantee that high level people would not be in attendance.

In the latter 90s and early 2000s I worked in the Prosecution Branch and I remember Pinky Tillett in a case we did when he was but a kid involved in a drug trafficking charge with other individuals. I remember the seriousness of the charge and this kid  facing the court and the fact that he looked already hardened at this very young age.  My friend Natalia and I would sit after court and try to talk to these young men about making better choices and choosing better paths. It was futile but we tried.

When I listen to the news of the death and mayhem befalling Belize, I can say that I am familiar with many of the names because they were all part of the revolving door of criminals that would take up most of our time in the Magistrate Court.  I specifically remember Arthur Young  because he was treated with kid’s glove.  He had a rap sheet so long, that the court would keep a copy with the Clerk of Court so they did not have the task of reprinting it every time he came up to court. I recall also he did not show up for many cases and instead of revoking bail, magistrates would call his infamous girlfriend, one of many women who signed bail on his behalf.

I also remember looking through hundreds of pictures of murdered victims and the common denominator was young black men.  Nameless but young , black and dead.  I believe in the past couple decades, the victims lost to gun violence must be over a thousand by now.

Fast Forward to 2012, and here we have another menace of society that was allowed to operate practically undeterred. Arthur Young  reputation was that he was a ruthless killer with a charming personality. I am sure no one has mentioned it, but he was a very good looking guy. He reminds me of the Rosado cousins back in the day, extremely handsome, light eyes young men with a thirst for murder and who became un-convictable because juries could not believe that these men were the criminals they truly were. One Rosado was shot dead during a robbery attempt and I am not sure what happened to the next.

So Arthur Young is another handsome, well-connected individual with a thirst for death and so many people are now jumping to his defense with stories that he was “such a cool guy” or that “I grew up with him and we were friends”.  To my shock, I read a prominent youth advocate claiming he was “painted wrong by our society” and it made me realize that we in Belize have legitimized the underworld drug dealing personalities.  If the person is able to elevate himself, regardless of the brutality of his nature, he has become an acceptable, almost revered character.  Forget that he would shoot you down dead in the middle of the street if you stood in the way of his next victim and forget he is a mass murderer. The fact that you drank beer, slept with, grew up with, partied with, smoked with, gave daps to, make you think that he is less than a monster and now the anger turns to the people in the society fighting to maintain your peace and fighting the war daily. We have some screwed up values Belizeans and unless you start treating these individuals like the parasitic, scum of the Earth they truly are, you are in effect legitimizing their existence. With that said, I question how can anyone be part of the whine crew demanding changes?  When our society is turned upside down by all the murder and mayhem, remember, you prefer to hang out and socialize with such individuals.  In fact it explains to me exactly why fighting corruption will take generations. How can we change our society when so many of us don’t even know what corruption is and what is inappropriate behavior?

Daily Dingleberry 04-25-12 The Great Equalizer

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No Escape

In life, they were mortal enemies. In death, they lay side by side for such is the great equalizing force of DEATH.

There is much controversy surrounding the deaths of rival gang leaders Pinky and Arthur Young…Some are vehemently unsympathetic while others seem to be almost trying to turn them in to martyrs.

What are the lessons we should be learning? Are they being lost in all the anti-government/anti-police sentiment?

Let’s remember something: when you choose the lifestyle, you choose the consequences. It is sad. People will die. There will be violence. People will mourn.

My brother’s best friend who grew up like a brother in our household, was a drug dealer. He crossed the wrong people and he was beaten and then set on fire…he left behind a young son who I have never seen again. I assume he and his mother are in hiding. I was so angry with him for doing this to himself, his family, our family and it was right before my wedding….HORRIBLE….that was not even the end of the story…other people died, went to jail, were deported…lives were destroyed and families were torn apart.

I know first hand, the life of drugs and gangs. When they have met what seems to be an inevitable end, we, who are left behind, have to deal with the pain and sorrow, threats and fear of retaliation.

I can only hope that the youth who are watching and learning, see that in the end, there is only one end.

Daily Dingleberry 04-23-12 The sky is what?

/ Twocanview LLC / 1 Comment

Seems like all the hooplah over the weekend about gang retaliation was just in people’s heads. ANd what is this bullshit with not having news coverage on the weekend???? Or police releases? That needs to change…I mean seriously, the weekend is when we need the most coverage!!!!!! WTF? ANyway…the numbers were nutz…as high as a reported 16 dead but it turns out that it might only be one confirmed so far…

 

Waiting to hear…just everybody else…

Daily Dingleberry 04-20-12 420 Bitches! Legalize It!!!!!!

/ Twocanview LLC / 7 Comments

Legalize It

So…research shows that there are many benefits to using marijuana for medicinal purposes and that it can be quite the aid to people suffering the side effects of cancer treatment. There are already a few states in the US that allow for the cultivation and distribution of medicinal marijuana…WHAT ARE WE WAITING FOR? I say: corner the market man! Do you know how much resources are wasted trying to chase marijuana farmers, the mules and then the poor user who is caught with an ounce? To what end?

 

I am emphatically against legalization of narcotics so don’t bother rebutting with: it is a gateway drug blahsiblah. I am also against minors engaging in recreational use so don’t come to me with that either. Don’t come to me with the idea of contributing to moral decay either: Belize is pretty immoral already and plenty of damage is done with alcohol which is legal.

I am simply saying that we treat it like an industry with funding, regulations and TAXATION. When you control this already booming industry, you eliminate a certain level of corruption, violence and even dependence. There will be a certain level of accountability which is not achievable as the current situation stands.

I sincerely believe that the idea bears consideration. Most North and Central American countries are examining it…there just might be something to it.

 

Budding international Belizean artist Rebecca Stirm!

/ Twocanview LLC

Who is Rebecca Stirm?

 Born and raised in Belize, self taught clothing designer, Rebecca Stirm, began sewing her own clothing at the age of 11. “My parents were very supportive, they saw potential in me and managed to get me Brother sewing machine on sale at ‘Courts’. Since I had been sewing by hand for a long time, I was eager to learn to use the machine. I cut apart old clothes to see how they were made, and cut and re-shaped old patterns to make them my size. I basically learnt to make patterns and sew them together through trial and error while sewing for myself as a preteen.”

Sketching designs and sewing were merely a hobby for her until 2009, when she was encouraged by a close friend to hold her first fashion show. In early 2010, she was given the opportunity to show a few dresses in a charity fashion show (Help for Haiti). Inspired by seeing her pieces on the runway for the first time, Rebecca created her first collection of day dresses and cocktail dresses – paying for the fabric and trimmings by working Friday nights playing the acoustic guitar and singing at Perkup Coffee house. Close friends and family pulled in to help Rebecca plan, advertise, and execute her first show. The “August Fashion Show” was a success- and she received her first orders for dresses from her collection.

“After the show, I got my first orders for dresses- it was huge incentive for me- Since now it was more than a hobby, I thought ‘hey, this could be a job’.”

Building on that experience, Rebecca continued on to design a second collection, showing it at her second show (The Sunny Season Fashion Show, May 2011), before re-locating to Vancouver in June for a semester in fashion design and marketing at the Art Institute of Vancouver. Shortly after returning home to Belize, she was accepted to compete in Mission Catwalk (Caribbean designer reality TV show) – against 19 other Caribbean designers – for a chance to “Rule the Catwalk.” The show is currently airing on TVJ and Televisionjamaica.com.

 contact info:

 rebeccastirm@gmail.com

501-620-0104

www.facebook.com/RebeccaStirm

portfolioRS

Daily Dingleberry 04-18-12 In Light of the Dark

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Suicide is not a typical behavioural choice. Human beings have a strong sense self preservation. This is why people find it hard to accept when someone chooses this way of dealing with challenges. A common reaction is to blame the victim. Some act disgusted, calling them weak… crazy…stupid…selfish…misguided…sinner. Others laugh and make fun, snickering and belittling with jokes and sarcasm, and still others, just dismiss it, preferring the deluded false security of denial.

I want to understand all these reactions. And I do, usually. But there comes a time when such ignorance and insensitivity becomes unforgivable. The time is when you have been told differently and appealed to with knowledge and scientific research and still, you persist in perpetuating this type of destructive attitude.

Can we just agree that all behaviour is on a continuum? “Normal” is quite encompassing. Very few behaviours are actually abnormal. No one chooses to be mentally ill. Unfortunately, our bodies and minds are susceptible to breaking down, and like any physical ailment, we must treat our mental ailments. Left unattended, they become unmanageable and debilitating.

Would you leave a sore to fester? Would you let a broken limb heal badly, crippling you for life? Would you not take your insulin? your blood pressure pills?

It’s really simple. We are ruled by chemicals. When there is too much or too little, our brains don’t function well. Our perceptions become warped causing us to make harmful decisions. So, we take medication to correct the imbalance and we seek therapy to re-learn to think and regulate our emotions so that we can make more productive decisions and engage in more effective behaviour. This works for most everyone except for those suffering with the more serious and persistent mentally ill, eg, personality disorders and psychosis.

Like everything else. Get educated. Have some patience and show some humanity. You will need someone to show you just that one day.

Engage. Educate. Encourage. Empower.

Invisible in plain sight by: Aria Lightfoot

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“A nation’s greatness is measured by how it treats its weakest members.” Mahatma Ghandi

Homelessness is defined in the US laws as a person who lacks a fixed, regular and adequate night time residence; or a temporary night time residence that is a privately or publicly supervised shelter; or any night time residence used as a temporary living accommodation; or a person using an institution providing temporary  residence awaiting institutionalization;  or a person who sleeps in facilities public or private not intended for those purposes.  The places the homeless normally sleeps are the street, cars, buses, trains, public building, parks, bridges, abandoned buildings or substandard buildings battling natural elements, predators and disease.   Homelessness impact the lives of adults and children equally; causes dyfunctional environments for children, increase crime rates,  increase illness and it is a human rights crisis.

There are many reasons cited for homelessness according to the National Coalition for the homeless. It includes, foreclosure, poverty, no work opportunities, no public assistance, lack of housing, declining health, domestic violence, substance abuse and mental illness.

Belize City has a major homeless problem. It is a problem that occurs in plain sight  and for many years, a problem that recurs without any permanent solutions.  Some charities exists that provide temporary relief to the homeless, provide meals, limited spaces to sleep and clothing. However with a growing world recession, increases in oil prices, declining opportunities, Belize city, where the problems seem most prevalent, has turned into a city of blight and degradation.

As a Christian nation we are failing to follow the teachings of the Bible that mentions poverty many more times than it mentions homosexuality. It seems that Jesus, Leviticus, Luke, Mathew, Isaiah, Proverbs were crystal clear and adamant on the duty of the Christian to help the poor. Remember that story Jesus told about ignoring him when you ignore a fellow man in need? All the Biblical teachings tell us to act with kindness towards the poor and actively solve their plight.  Additionally, Belize is a signatory to the Declaration of Human Rights for the UN, we are bounded as a society to treat our fellow man with dignity and worth.  Finally, just being a fellow member of the human race we ought to extend a hand, and help solve issues for our fellow human beings, especially in their lowest , most vulnerable and seemingly helpless moments of their lives.

With that said, I must admit that I too am guilty of not adhering to the Bible, human rights convention or fellow humanity arm of extension lecture above.  I recognize my past inability to empathize with the homeless even though the problem is palpable. I have donated money to the homeless effort,  given clothes or otherwise performed the very basic duties, however, I have been rather oblivious to the everyday conditions of the homeless; I have tacitly accepted their condition as a part of societal problem, not my problem approach and maybe cast a judgmental excuse, thinking homelessness is a self made condition.

My first experience with the homeless was through my teacher Mrs. Galvez (Fonseca) at St. John’s College Sixth Form.  We had a group project to interview members of the homeless and present our findings to the class.  It was not the violent Belize City of today and we felt comfortable interviewing homeless people at night to delve into their condition. Many had families,  but also seemed to suffer from mental illness or other conditions such as drug abuse.  One member of our group interviewed a family member who expressed helplessness because of their inability to cure the situation of their loved one. We completed an effective presentation and after the project was over, went back to our normal lives.  I continued along my day avoiding contact or exposure to the homeless. It was not my problem and I did not want to see it.

Just around Christmas time each year  though ,with highlights of  Mary and Joseph seeking an Inn to sleep at night, as she suffers in labour with  Baby Jesus and after being turned away in her most fragile condition,  she is eventually  made to deliver and sleep in a barn with animals. The story must subconsciously affect our sense of duty to provide temporary food and clothes and shelter for the homeless. The goodwill becomes alive with drives and collections that ultimately solves nothing. Once the season is over, we go back to our normal lives, having done our regimented and less involved duty as a Christian or humanitarian with a sense of accomplishment and a boost  in our sense of empowerment knowing that our condition is not as bad after all.

Recently the mayor of Belize City made a revolutionary suggestion and even welcomed ideas to address the homeless situation in Belize City. The idea is revolutionary because I don’t think anyone was thinking about the homeless. Certainly not me. I forgot they even existed, even though they exist in plain sight.  This seems to be the first real attempt by any public official to take on the issues of homelessness. No quicker than the idea was expressed, out of the woodworks jump the “why we should not do it, why it can’t work and why I won’t support it” people,  even though they offer absolutely no alternative solutions of their own.  The argument is that people’s civil rights will be violated and it will become a crime to be homeless. Well technically, homelessness is a crime in Belize and  is not addressed as a plight of the poor in our laws but rather a nuisance.  It it is defined in our laws, exactly how we treat homelessness, as a nuisance we prefer not to see.

I don’t know if many Belizeans are aware that Belize City continues to be rated poorly by tourists. I have had friends who have visited on cruises and were shocked at our level of poverty in Belize City.  Hearing it offends my every being, but many times that is how we are when confronted with the truth. When we become actively blind to poverty and homelessness and have subjectively focused on the good,  an innate guilt exists when someone else points out what we fail to see.  We have allowed our fellow citizens to deteriorate to a level where their lives are treated with less regard than an animal.

My hope is that the dilemma of homelessness will be carried out with as much humanitarian effort as possible. My hope is that we will be able to rehabilitate the homeless into functioning and productive members of society. My hope is that we can can put politics aside and support real solutions. We continue to profess our love for Belize, well loving Belize includes the people who make up the  country of Belize.  We need to uplift our city and become vigilant , active,  solution-seeking,  members ensuring poverty does not become a demeaning human rights crisis.  We are a small nation of very intelligent, caring, capable and resourceful people. We are our own heroes.