Category Archives: Personal Empowerment

Wallet Guardian is a new tool designed by GBC.ai to enhance Web3 security. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is destined to play a role in leveraging the power of blockchain technology to organize, manage and develop advanced features of digital assets in the future. Blockchain as a mechanism for storage and sharing data paired with AIs ability to harness this data makes Blockchain and AI a technical marriage worth exploring. As crypto adoption increases so too do the risks of data handling and mismanagement.

Our personal data is more accessible than ever before. Storing data on-chain is a popular way to keep records and as newer users set up their wallets for the first time the Wallet Guardian can be a critical role when interacting with digital assets. AI can be trained to predict the authenticity of data, and the patterns of transactions and identify any potential hacks that may lead to decreased protection for the end-user.

Bridges are all the rage in the world of crypto these days with more and more users interacting with dApps across a wide range of blockchain protocols. There are two types of bridges: trusted bridges and trustless bridges. As we move towards a more decentralized future there will be more attention given to trustless bridges that use smart contracts and algorithms that do not require a centralized party for transactions. This increased interest and usage of bridges is testing the levels of security offered across all blockchains. So how can we improve or guarantee that the data we are sending between bridges is more safely protected?

Risks associated with bridges The largest hacks in crypto have originated from bridges. As it is a new technology, it is vulnerable and susceptible to infiltration from bad actors. As the technology develops over time so too will the security features. In the meantime, users must remain vigilant and understand individual risks when using bridges to engage with cryptocurrencies.

GBC.AI has announced Wallet Guardian, a brand new Web3 security product that incorporates artificial intelligence into blockchain technology allowing for improved security features and optimization of distributed ledger technology. GBC.AI wants blockchains to become dynamic and, more importantly, become self-aware. This is accomplished by detecting protocol issues and ensuring that vulnerabilities are pre-actively dealt with before they become problems, keeping blockchains efficient and safe.

To date, audit and monitoring services for Web3 environments have been the preserve of those willing (and able) to pay high fees, commented Pavel Entin, CEO at GBC.AI. This runs counter to the individual-empowerment and inclusivity ideals that drive a lot of blockchain innovation as users are still missing the tools that help them research and protect their wallets. There is growing transparency and awareness about how our data is collected and used when visiting Web2 sites. Ironically, this is one area where Web3 environments have started to fall behind.

Protection and active intelligence in the form of Wallet Guardian will help put all this right and bring the power of AI to bear on the task. We want to use this tool to bring power back into the hands of users to take charge of the permissions they have granted, identify risks before they cause issues, and understand what information they have revealed, ultimately ensuring they do not compromise their wallets. Were excited to launch this Wallet Guardian to add to our suite of products designed to harness the power of AI and the blockchain, added Entin.

Designed to protect digital asset users against the growing number of threats to their wallets, Wallet Guardian combines cutting-edge AI and blockchain technology to offer three tools: X-ray, Real-Time Protection Protection, and Bridge Guardian, which can be rapidly deployed on top of wallet and browser environments to offer unrivaled visibility, protection and control.

The first tool launched within Wallet Guardian is X-ray. Before a user approves any smart contract interactions within their wallet, Wallet Guardians X-ray feature will display a list of all the permissions and disclosures being requested by the new smart contract transaction. The tool will also allow users to browse and review all the outstanding permissions that their wallet has granted to other smart contracts. This also allows them to opt out of any of these old permissions and mitigate potential risks, ultimately providing users with greater oversight and control over their various smart contracts.

Wallet Guardians technology is based on enterprise-grade innovations by GBC.AI. This new consumer-centric product is part of GBC.AIs mission to be a leader in AI-empowered blockchain technology.

Excerpt from:

Using Artificial Intelligence to enhance the protection of your digital assets - Block Telegraph

In June 2020, Alyssa May Gold NYC-based actress of the stage and screen and founder of the theater and film production company Pocket Universe shared her insights and excitement about her return to Broadway (where she made her debut in 2011, in the Tony-nominated revival of Tom Stoppards Arcadia) with Paula Vogels How I Learned to Drive. Delayed by the pandemic closure of theaters in the midst of rehearsals, the long-awaited Broadway premiere of the 1997 play, for which Vogel won the 1998 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, has finally opened to critical acclaim for a limited engagement at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre with Manhattan Theatre Club.

When last we spoke about it, Gold described the play as an emotionally epic, cathartic, and, ultimately, hopeful story that deals with resilience in the face of trauma. Inspired to tell her own true story by the 1955 novel Lolita (by Russian-American author Vladimir Nabokov), Vogels non-chronological experiential memory play recounts, from a womans personal perspective, the trauma of sexual abuse of the adolescent girl Lil Bit by her Uncle Peck, who repeatedly molests her from the ages of eleven to seventeen, while teaching her how to drive. In the new Broadway revival, Gold turns in a stellar performance in the featured role of the Teenage Greek Chorus, appearing as a commentator, the girls grandmother, and her eleven-year-old self.

Alyssa made some time in her busy eight-performances-per-week schedule to discuss the show and her part in it again with me, from her current situation of being back on stage before a live audience following the lengthy hiatus.

How does it feel to be open on Broadway after the two-year pandemic postponement?

Alyssa:It feels so right; thats the best way to describe it. After the shutdown, it began to surface in me how important the recovery of theater and this play are and doing it now aligns with what I already thought it could be; it feels profound, in addition to being cathartic. It also feels like were righting a theatrical wrong. This play was never on Broadway, and were putting it where it should have been all along.

Do you have any different perceptions now of the characters you portray than you did in your original rehearsals in 2020?

I think of it more as the unified role of the Teenage Greek Chorus, not as partsindividually. Were these pieces of Lil Bit, of what she remembers and feels, and thatsnot an accident. Theres real generational trauma passed down through the women and a connection between them, so it feels like a linear track.

How challenging is it to playtwosuch antithetical figures of such different ages and generations?

The most challenging part of playing Lil Bits grandma was getting into the ideology ofa woman whose ideas are so different from mine, but in the end, I realized its all comingfrom the desire to try to protect the people you love, in the way you can.

For the challenge of aging up and down, I had my own grandmother in my head. How didshe sit? How did she move through space? I felt a responsibility to both of thesecharacters, to honor the women of all generations. I wanted to tap into the truth of whatthey believed, through their own energy and perspectives.

Whats the most important takeaway from the show for present-day viewers, in light of the growing awareness of sexual abuse since it premiered in 1997?

I think its two-fold. First, seeing how abuse thrives on empowerment and positivereinforcement, and seeing in intricate detail how someone can be manipulated andexploited. Its a response to the all-too-prevalent question, Why didnt you just leave?Uncle Peck is the only one who made her feel seen and thats how abusers function, byfilling in the vulnerabilities with love and support.

The second important message is that whatever has happened to you, whatever you haveexperienced and endured, you get to move forward. The job of theater is to exercise ourempathy and to show our options. This play offers the option of driving forward, to keep going. Its about forward motion, so I hope people see a path forward, no matter whattheyve been through.

What has been the most affecting or affirming reaction youve received from the audience, the press, or the team?

The most affirming is the one weve gotten for every single performance we can feelthe audiences attention and energy as if were giving water to people in a desert:catharsis, options, energy; taking a deep breath for the first time. It doesnt stop; its thepower of theater and of this meaningful, intentionally crafted play. People are saying thatit was harrowing, but they feel relief. It takes you in and brings you out, feeling full ofhope and empowerment. And what could be better to offer people?

Many thanks, Alyssa, for your time and your thoughtful comments. Great to catch up with you, and congratulations on an outstanding performance!

Running Time: Approximately 95 minutes, without intermission.

How I Learned to Drive plays through Sunday, May 29, 2022, atthe Manhattan Theatre Club, performing at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre, 261 West 47thStreet, NYC.For tickets (priced at $79-299), go online. Everyone must show proof of COVID-19 vaccination to enter the building and must wear a mask at all times when inside.

Original post:

Catching up with Alyssa May Gold of 'How I Learned to Drive' on the show's long-awaited Broadway debut - DC Metro Theater Arts

Empowerment Technology or E-Tech is one of the subject in senior high school. This subject discuss the ICT (Information and Communication Technology) that we can use for specific task such as powerpoint presentation, mail merging in MS word, cloud computing and creation of personal blogs.

How important Empowerment Technology?

There are three importance of Empowerment Technology and these arefor communication, to make our lives easier and to help our country for its modernization plans.

1. COMMUNICATION

Empowerment Technology is important for it is used as a source of communication. As years passed, lots of gadgets and other devices have improved its uses. Before, a cellular phone is only used for texting, calling and playing simple games. Now, due to technology convergence or the way technology changes or evolves its system, a cellular phone is not just used for texting, calling and playing simple games. It is now used for communicating people from other places by the use of the internet and applications or softwares such as facebook, messenger, twitter, viber, kakao talk and etc that is consistently been used by mostly everyone of us. Without these applications or softwares, we cannot communicate every day with the people who are far from us. Since Empowerment Technology is well-known among everyone of us, communication with other people who are far from us will never be a problem anymore. Friendships that has been broken by distance has now been rebuilt through the use of Empowerment Technology.

2. MAKE OUR LIVES EASIER

Empowerment Technology is important since it makes our individual lives easier in different aspects such as for school matters, office or work matters and for our individual matters. Before, blackboards and whiteboards are one of the tools used in teaching students. Now, there are already LCD Projectors that is being used by many institutions or schools nowadays. By the help of Empowerment Technology, teachers made their lives easier through the use of these projectors and the students as well made their lives easier in acquiring knowledge. E-Tech is not just useful for the school matters, but it is also useful in an office or work matters and for personal matters as well. For example, when you are ought to make a presentation. Since, technology has evolved, we already has these presentation softwares such as Microsoft presentation, Prezi, Lotus Freelance Graphics and etc. Without these presentation softwares, we will all still be stuck onto those visual aid presentation. Empowerment Technology doesnt just conserve time, but it can make our lives easier.

3. HELP OUR COUNTRY MODERNIZATION PLANS

Empowerment Technology is important for it also helping our country for its modernization plans. We are now living in a world where everyone is upgrading its systems. It is called modernization. Empowerment technologies can help in modernization because it can strengthen our plans to be competitive with other countries by building up some new technologies for the betterment of our nation. Philippines has a potential onto being competitive with other countries such as Finland, Japan, and United States that its success toward the field of technology is far beyond what everyone expected.

Empowerment Technology is important, for without E-Tech, it will hinder our future success in the field of technology.

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What is Empowerment Technology? Empowerment Technology

Philippa Noilea-Tani_Wavemaker

Being selected into the 2022 Marketing Academy cohort served as a timely reminder for Wavemaker Chief Investment Officer,Philippa Noilea-Tani, of the power of choosing how to respond to a situation, a lesson first gleaned in the wake of a personal tragedy.

Were often told we are in control of our own destiny. I dont believe that wholeheartedly, but I do believe we are in control of our own choices.

Ive just spent a week at The Marketing Academy Australia boot camp, after being selected to be a 2022 scholar. Parts of what I learnt at this first boot camp acted as a very timely reminder that what happens in life is not always within our control, but how we choose to respond to a situation is. What we say, what we do, how we behave and how we treat others, is our choice and our responsibility.

Acknowledging I alone am responsible for my own choices is something I learned a long time ago, after an extremely tough time in my life.

I lost my Dad to depression and anxiety when I was 18 years old. Two years after he passed, I wrote a letter to myself, which is quite deeply personal and to this day, is not something Ive shared beyond my closest friends and family.

Its a letter about my grief, navigating a way forward after two very challenging years, and the hope I found along the way.

I wrote the letter to myself as a reminder I always have a choice. Please know, this letter was never about my Dads choice. My Dads mental illness deeply influenced the control he had over his own choices. Depression and anxiety are debilitating diseases and my heart will forever be broken at the thought of his anguish during this time. Mental illness has had a profound impact on my life and has very much shaped the woman I am today. I will never take my own mental health for granted, nor will I ever shy away from acknowledging how crippling mental illness can be for another.

What The Marketing Academy leadership programme reminded me, is this is not just about how I choose to navigate grief. Its about how I choose to interact with others and how I choose to behave as a friend, a mum, an employee, colleague, and leader. What I choose to do when my four-year-old has a meltdown at the shops. What I choose to say to my mum when I dont agree with her point of view. How I choose to respond to a difficult work email, how I choose to celebrate and appreciate my colleagues, how I choose to shape my career, how I choose to prioritise my time, what compromises I am willing or not willing to make, how I choose to show up as a leader. Those are my choices.

Too often I catch myself making excuses for what I say or dont say and justifying inaction and indecision. Ive heard the serenity prayer many times, but have not lived by it:God, grant me Serenity to accept the things I cannot change, Courage to change the things I can, and Wisdom to know the difference.

Choice is power, and I feel empowered by this reflection. I am extremely grateful to The Marketing Academy for what has been a very timely lesson and reminder for me.

As I look forward after a thought-provoking week at my first boot camp with The Marketing Academy, I choose:

In shining a light on my own reflection, I hope to empower and inspire others. To encourage you to recognise that while you cant control what life throws your way, you can control how you respond. What you say, what you do, how you show up and how you treat others, is your choice and your responsibility.

My letter to myself, 2006Today I went to the beach and stood on the sidewalk. Many times over the past two years, I have made it as far as the sand and become lost in my thoughts, but to reach the water has always been too painful and hard. Today was different.I made my way down to the sand and sat on a concrete slab. I watched children run around with their parents and surfers ride the waves. This time, instead of turning and walking away, I closed my eyes. I dug my feet in the sand and realised the sand was the last thing my Dad would have felt under his feet. The sound of the waves crashing was the last thing he heard. I smelt the fresh sea and the salty air and reminded myself this was his last scent. I opened my eyes and for the first time in two years, I saw the beauty of the beach, not a place where my Dad passed away.Far away the waves looked huge, but gradually they settled until they no longer seemed to crash instead they flowed toward me gently and washed away the impurities on the golden sand. I was able to focus on the tiny ripples the water made as it moved between each rock. I chose to let for the first time since he died, the ocean flow over my feet. I let it wash away the pain, the fear, the hurt, the guilt, the sadness, the anger, and the grief until all that was left was a feeling of love, of possibility, of meaning. A feeling of comfort and, most importantly, a feeling of hope.I looked around and saw life. Life in the children playing, life in the dogs running, people smiling, couples kissing If a person is no longer here in a physical sense, they exist within what we experience throughout our lives. They become the wind on our face, the sun that shines, the tears we cry, the stars and the moon that light up the night. They are there when we laugh, when we cry, when we are scared and when we are worried. They are there.

Standing on the beach, I realised I had two choices. I could shy away from my strongest emotions, or I could choose to love and to experience each day as it comes. Life is not always easy, and there are many lessons to learn. We can choose to look back, or we can choose to look forward. Life is choosing to spend time with friends, life is sharing special moments with family. Life is travelling the world and learning to forgive the people that sometimes drive us crazy. Life is dancing like no one is watching and smiling for no reason. Life is watching the sunset and even staying up all night long enough to see the sun rise. Life is spotting a shooting star and dreaming of possibilities. Life can also be a rainy day. Life is when you run out of petrol on the day youre running late. Life is getting lost or getting stuck in a storm. Life is a busy day at work or a blackout at night, but no matter where life takes me, I will always have a choice.I choose to take Dad with me and share with him whats in my heart, my good days, my bad days, my experiences, and the emotions I feel. And from this day forward, I choose to RUN into the water every time I see the beach and remember that Im worth experiencing everything life can offer.

Philippa Noilea-Tani is Chief Investment Officer of Wavemaker Australia & New Zealand.

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Reflecting on choice, empowerment and hope - AdNews

SONIPAT: The Jindal School of Psychology and Counselling (JSPC) utilises both in-class (theory) and experiential (hands-on) learning to ensure all students gain a comprehensive education in the psychological sciences. To that end, students are required to complete five internships during the three-year B.A. (Hons.) programme.

Till date the school has established formal collaborations with nearly 40 highly prominent national and international organisations, including Sangath, Salam Balak Trust, India Dialogue, Iswar Sankalp, Brain Behaviour Research Foundation of India, Max Hospital, BALM, Protsahan India Foundation, Hope Trust, Pause & Play, Youth for Mental Health, Socially Souled, Swechha, Dream a Dream, Emo Matrix, Information Sharing Analysis Centre, Augmenta Health, Daffodils, People Against Rapes in India (PARI), Trisha: Mental Health Initiative, Silver Lining, The Alternative Story and the Navjyoti India Foundation.

JSPC ensures students can choose from diverse internship experiences, catering to core psychology disciplines --such as clinical, counselling, biological, cognitive, developmental and social psychology--as well as multi-disciplinary subjects such as industrial or organisational, health psychology, narrative studies, cyberpsychology, gender psychology, forensic psychology, community psychology, educational psychology, environmental psychology, among others.

Derick Lindquist, Dean of the school, has said: "Students gain real-world experience by completing our rigorous and diverse internship and outreach programmes. The goal is to empower students with a durable foundation in psychology and its diverse disciplines, preparing them for careers in research, counselling, education, healthcare, the criminal justice system, community work, the corporate world, and all manner of psychology-oriented occupations in the private and public sectors in India and around the world."

Reflecting upon her internship experience, JSPC student Ria Abraham said: "Internships provide experiential learning and great exposure and allow us (students from O.P. Jindal Global University) to stand out among our peers from other universities. You can also land job opportunities."

After her recent winter-break internship, another JSPC student Avni Goel said: "I never knew that conducting a therapy session is more than just talking to the client. Overall, the JSPC internship programme was helpful, and I liked being a part of this experience."

The Founding Vice-Chancellor of O.P. Jindal Global University, C. Raj Kumar said, "JSPC is extending its international outreach in terms of student, faculty, school and institutional collaborations. In its very first year, JSPC has already confirmed or is in ongoing negotiations with numerous international institutes regarding both semester abroad and dual-degree opportunities. These universities traverse the globe, including the UK, Canada, the USA, Australia, Russia, Europe, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Malaysia. Moreover, JSPC is involved in faculty-level research collaborations with several foreign institutes--focused on research projects, publications, talks, seminars, and workshops--to broaden the perspective and horizon for its students. International collaborations contribute to the holistic development of the students by enabling cross-cultural perspectives into academics and research."

With more than 60 student volunteers, the JSPC Community Outreach Programme seeks to create a positive psychosocial change within the local communities. Working with select faculty members, students examine issues such as stress, anxiety, depression, mental well-being, civic engagement, health promotion, personal empowerment, awareness change, and problem solving or prevention.

It has developed a liaison with the Centre for Wellness and Counselling Services located on the campus of O.P. Jindal Global University (JGU) and is working to build various awareness campaigns for the JGU campus community.

It is also responsible for training student volunteers in fostering professionalism, cultural competency and the demonstration of proper respect and responsibility while working with the local community. The goal is to offer assistance and knowledge to those in need and also collect and analyse data to determine the best methods for future assistance.

The JSPC, inaugurated in 2020, offers a B.A. (Honours) degree in Psychology, designed to ensure students receive a robust interdisciplinary education in psychological theory, experimentation and practice.

Jindal School of Psychology students gain diverse experience with leading organisations

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Jindal School of Psychology students gain diverse experience with leading organisations - Punjab News Express

NORWALK, CT The Norwalk Art Space will host a new exhibition highlighting the work of its inaugural group of resident artists: Francisco Mandujano, Lorena Sferlazza, Remy Sosa and Emily Teall.

According to a news release provided by the Art Space, an opening reception will be held on May 5

from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. and will include performances by The Norwalk Art Space Student JazzEnsemble, as well as students who participated in TNAS Teen Talent Night.

The Norwalk Art Space (TNAS) opened its doors last June, in the midst of the ongoing coronavirus crisis, providing a source of hope for its students, its artists and the community. Mandujano, Sferlazza, Sosa and Teall began their one-year term as TNAS' first resident artists on April 1, 2021.

As they navigated through their first year, they were integral in launching The Norwalk Art Space's educational program and bringing to life the vision of its founder, Alexandra Korry. The evolving personal journey of each resident artist has been evident as they filled the gallery and studios with their unique artwork.

Through the TNAS after-school art program, they provided guidance and confidence to over 90 students from Norwalk and surrounding areas. This exhibition celebrates their accomplishments and highlights their growth as "world builders," painters, mixed-media collage artists, "naturalists" and teachers during The Norwalk Art Space's inaugural year.

"These four resident artists taught completely separate subjects and mediums, but the common thread was always the exploration of self, and the power in finding one's own visual language," Duvian Montoya, artistic and educational director of The Norwalk Art Space, said in a news release.

Mandujano's creative avatars and worlds of fantasy have inspired kids from ages 1 to 91. Known to his 11,000 plus Youtube fans as Franky D. Crafter, his artwork is based on his desire to facilitate and deepen games of Dungeons and Dragons, empowering participants to broaden their imaginations, and giving his students the opportunity to explore self-empowerment and self-preservation through the creation of fantastical characters, according to the Art Space.

Sferlazza's work has already been exhibited in major galleries around the region, and she continues to excel as educational manager for The Aldrich Museum of Contemporary Art. Her mastery of mediums is evident in her paintings; she has evolved from brick walls and barriers to figures and life, showing tremendous growth, courage and self-reflection during her residency, according to the Art Space.

"I can't emphasize enough what a gift The Norwalk Art Space has been in my life this past year," Sferlazza said in a news release. "It's been a tough season for many, and this place has given me hope. I grew up in Norwalk, though no place like this one existed at the time. Now as an adult back in the area, I'm so grateful for the honest community that's been developed here. It's been a privilege and an honor to collaborate in teaching and creating here."

Sosa's emotionally charged work immediately draws viewers in because it feels raw, personal, and authentic. Her fearlessness in her exploratory process allows her to pour her emotions into artwork that demands attention. She tapped into this same type of deep expression with her students, allowing them to get lost in the process and learn how to use the creative process to scream out loud, according to the Art Space.

Teall's work, including her Tulip Bulb in the Sculpture Garden and her ever-evolving semi-organic sculpture in the front stairwell, is influenced by the natural cycle of renewal. It brightly announces the promise of things to come while simultaneously hinting at the unpredictable twisting of nature untamed, according to the Art Space.

"My residency at the Norwalk Art Space transformed my artistic outlook, reinvigorated my passion for the arts, and provided access to an invaluable community," Teall said in a news release. "Teaching local students and keeping with Alexandra Davern-Korry's human rights vision is immensely motivational and exciting; collaborating with students pushes my own work further. The greatest asset of The Norwalk Art Space is the powerful community it provides."

Concurrent with the main exhibition, beautiful artwork created by TNAS students during the spring 2022 semester will be highlighted on the walls of the Art Space Cafe. Students have been an integral part of the "Inaugural Journey" and the mission of The Norwalk Art Space is built around them.

Also integral to The Norwalk Art Space are the trusted volunteers who have assisted with over 90 public events since its opening in June 2021. An exhibition of volunteers' artwork will be displayed in the Student Lounge Gallery.

As part of the "Inaugural Journey" exhibition, The Norwalk Art Space will host an artist talk on May 15 from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. Moderated by David Green of The Cultural Alliance of Fairfield County, the talk will feature Mandujano, Sferlazza, Sosa and Teall, as well as TNAS Educational Co-Directors Darcy Hicks and Duvian Montoya.

See also: Norwalk Art Space Officially Opens To The Public

An art-making workshop entitled "Envision a World" will be offered May 21 from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. Come celebrate COMMUNITY and the first full year of TNAS in this art-making workshop for all ages.

Join Mandujano, Sosa, Teall and Sferlazza to create 2D and 3D collage art that inspires us to reframe our vision of community. Make new friends, talk about local impact, and experiment with different art-making processes. Perfect for all ages and abilities, registration required.

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Norwalk Art Space Announces New Exhibition Opening In May - Patch

We're delighted to present an extract from None of this is Serious, the debut novel by Catherine Prasifka, published by Canongate.

Dublin student life is ending for Sophie and her friends. They've got everything figured out, and Sophie feels left behind as they all start to go their separate ways. Shes overshadowed by her best friend Grace. Shes been in love with Finn for as long as shes known him. And shes about to meet Rory, whos suddenly available to her online.At a party, what was already unstable completely falls apart and Sophie finds herself obsessively scrolling social media, waiting for something (anything) to happen.

The taxi splashes water over the pavement as it pulls up to the house. I pay the driver and get out, pulling my coat against my skin, and duck for cover under a tree by the gate. I check the time on my phone and scroll through the group chat. No one has said anything since Grace messaged:

Can someone pick up some extra paper cups?

The house looks warm. Its bay windows flood light onto the grass. There are deep grooves in the gravel driveway, channelling water to a puddle at the gate, which I jump over. The house is one of the older ones on the street; Grace's parents bought it during the boom. I cant imagine the fortune they spent. A fortune theyre still paying off, Grace tells me sometimes, after a few glasses of wine.

As I approach the door I shake these thoughts out of my head as if they are cobwebs clinging to my hair. I take a deep breath, smile, and knock. A beat thumps through the walls of the house, and I wonder if anyone will hear me outside. I open the group chat again.

hey

can someone let me in

Dan replies:

Hangg on

Graces om theway

*on the way

I refresh Twitter as I wait and check my lipstick in the camera of my phone.

After a minute, Grace opens the door, a drink in her hand. Noise from the party pours out. I dont recognise the song. Multicoloured balloons roam free-range on the floor. People are dancing in the kitchen beyond the hall, some of them well. It all washes over me.

'Soph! Im glad youre finally here! Grace spills a few drops of Prosecco as she hugs me, and they splash down my leg. She looks effortlessly glamorous, something I know she puts an incredible amount of effort into. Shes simultaneously chic and casual, and it makes me feel both overdone and underdressed. I smile at her and hug her back.

God, you look like a drowned rat, come in come in come in, I didnt even notice this rain starting. She pushes me through the door. Need a drink?

I wave my bag. Ive picked up the second cheapest bottle of wine from the off-licence before heading over. Well, thats all right then, but there are G&Ts in the kitchen if you want any. I cut up some limes as well. In the big bowl better get to them fast, Dans already dared several people to eat the entire thing, and some of us are drunk enough to start trying.

I nod and someone calls her name from the kitchen. She tells me I can dump my stuff wherever and that shell see me in there. She skips down the hallway. Instead of shoes, shes wearing fuzzy slippers.

Other people are chatting in the hall. They dont notice me coming in or taking off my jacket, even though I give them ample opportunity to. I watch myself in the mirror as I slide it off, feeling as though Im slipping off my skin and revealing myself to be entirely formless beneath.

I open the door to the study and leave my bag in the corner, after taking my bottle of wine out. Its quiet inside, and I take a moment to look at myself in the darkened mirror. When I try out a smile, I see that lipstick is smudged onto my teeth. I straighten out my damp hair, contemplate my shoes before kicking them off, and return to the hall.

I squeeze past the crowd, nodding to the people that I know or recognise. Some of them nod back. Finn is amongst them, but hes deeply engaged in conversation with a girl I dont know and he doesnt see me. He keeps laughing and touching her shoulder. I can see the bubble of personal space around her pop every time he does it. I bite the side of my cheek.

I find the others sitting at the dining-room table, and I join them. Dan says, Nice hair, and I shake off rain droplets at him in response. A stray balloon brushes against my leg, and I pick it up and hold it in my lap.

Theyre playing a drinking game of quick-fire questions, where the only way to avoid answering is to respond with a question directed at someone else. The game appeals to me in the same way that a cliff edge does.

I take a gulp of wine straight from the bottle and angle my face so Im visible from the hallway. I picture the scene from the outside and imagine I look like a regular girl having a good time, and it fills me with delight.

Steph clinks her glass against my bottle and takes a big swig. I feel small, like a puzzle piece clicking into place. I dont want them to leave me behind for their shiny new adult lives. Nearly everyone is emigrating somewhere: London, New York, Sydney. Part of me wants to go with them; it would be nice to abandon my past life for a state of constant present. I watch the game and encourage the feeling with my tepid wine.

Lucy, who do you like better: Mike or Ross?

Dan, who do you like better: Mike or Ross?

Ouch. Steph, who was your first kiss?

Sophie, whats really going on with you and Finn?

The question startles me. I wasnt expecting them to direct anything my way.

Steph wiggles her eyebrows at me. Too slow, drink.

My mind is blank as I answer. Absolutely nothing. I hold the wine in my mouth for a moment before I swallow it. Its bitter. The image of the regular girl departs, but I dont look away from the game. It feels like everyones looking at me, and no one is.

If you say so, but I think you should drink again, Dan teases me. He always teases me; its part of how he shows affection.

I raise my bottle in cheers. I suppose to them it seems like nothings happened. Im not conscious of the words I say to get them to move on, but eventually they work.

The game continues buzzing, but Ive lost interest. I take my wine through to the kitchen table and look at all the snacks that are laid out. I watch one of Graces friends pick up a handful of popcorn and eat without thinking about it. Shes so skinny, too. I sip my wine and walk away from the table, my thighs brushing against each other as I go. I feel as if Im made of butter, just congealed lumps stuffed into an outfit thats too small for me. I look at myself in the mirror across the room. Maybe all anyone can see when they look at me is butter.

I flit between social bubbles, each one with a slightly different rhythm. The girls I know from school are the same as always, each personality moving against the others in a well-practised dance. They welcome me into their group, but I have nothing to say to them. Niamh asks me, What are you up to now? as though weve not spoken in months, and I remember that we havent. I wonder at what point I became an outsider and if its their fault or mine. They dont try to convince me to stay when I stand up and mumble an excuse; they are too engrossed in each others lives.

The debaters Grace knows from college are exchanging proper nouns at a speed that makes me dizzy. Sentences lose their meaning. Theres someone arguing for free speech, and someone else explaining the difference between that and actively platforming someone. I hear the phrase the marketplace of ideas. One of them tries to engage me in conversation, I think to help bolster his point, but I havent been paying attention.

Im watching the party as if behind glass, each person totally estranged from me. Im repeating ordinary party questions in my head over and over again. Hi, what are you up to now? Hiya, oh yeah, Im fine. How were finals? Its giving me a headache. Every time I try to force words out of my mouth, the timing feels off and I choke. No one notices except for me.

As Im making my way to the bathroom, Grace appears, grabs my hand and pulls me inside. I feel as though Im being pulled through syrup. Im glad I found you. The bathroom is a huge white marble and faux-concrete thing. Theres a claw-footed bath against one wall, and the opposite wall is lined entirely in mirrors. Im not sure Grace understands that I actually have to pee.

Thats fine, I wont look. She sits herself down by the sink, resting her head against the porcelain. F**k, Im drunk. Not in a f**ked-up way, in a good way, I think.

Im not sure there is a good way, but thats never stopped us before.

Look, she says, I need to tell you something. I just heard it, and I dont want you to be upset or anything, and I didnt invite her, by the way, it just happened, but I thought I definitely had to be the one to tell you. But finish peeing first, please.

My insides go cold and squirm inside me. I already know what shes going to say. I can only be confronted with so many Instagram stories and rescheduled hangouts before it slaps me in the face. I flush the toilet, wash my hands and sit down next to her. I run my fingertips over the grooves between the floor tiles.

Okay, so, I only heard this third-hand, so maybe its not true but, you know, it might be. Anyway, that girl here with Finn? Apparently, theyre dating.

I nod slowly and look her in the eyes to prove Im unmoved by this information. The girls face is familiar; Ive seen her pop up as a suggested friend more than once. Youre not upset? Because you know hes a pr**k, right? Hes a stupid pr**k, and I wouldnt have invited him if I thought I could get away with it, but you know how these things are its more trouble not to.

I see my reflection in the mirror stare back at me as I say the appropriate words aloud, and I watch my face make the appropriate emotions. Its hardly ever worth being honest with Grace; shell just twist my words until she finds the meaning shes looking for. Its never important what I say.

Grace says, Yeah, but he messages you all the time, hes not fair. You actually just cant trust men.

Last night, Finn messaged me asking what time I was thinking of arriving, so he wouldnt be the first one here. We stayed up late chatting about poetry and his parents. He didnt mention anything about bringing this girl. I look at the messages on my phone now as Grace talks, and they take on new meanings. I was foolish to think they meant he wanted to spend time with me.

Okay, if you say so, but you shouldnt put up with it. I wouldnt put up with it if I were you. You need to say something to him, honestly.

Grace is always telling me to say whats on my mind because she can as good as read it anyway. Im a science experiment to her, something to be figured out and dissected. She reads thoughts Im not even sure Im having. Someone knocks on the door and yells at us to get out.

Shut up, its my house! Grace yells back through the door, but we stand up anyway and she gives me a hug. Well, let me know if you need anything, and I mean anything.

I leave the bathroom and go to the kitchen. I drink two full glasses of water, standing at the sink by myself. Through the window, Finn smiles as someone takes a photo of him. I refresh my feed until he posts it, scrolling past photos of peoples dissertations and images of some war crime taking place somewhere in the world. When I see Finns face, I stop for just a moment and use my thumbs to zoom in. Hes captioned it boys night out, even though thats obviously not what this is. I put my phone away without liking the photo and grab the bowl of crisps Grace left out on the counter. Theyre not my favourite flavour, but I eat them anyway. The bowl shakes in my hand. I wipe the dust from my fingers on my jeans.

I pour myself another glass of wine, drink half of it, then bring the bowl outside with me and start chatting to the smokers. The second-hand smoke makes me dizzy. Steph offers me part of her cigarette, and I take it. I breathe in the smoke, and I want so badly to die. I hold the thought for a moment, letting it fill me, and then I exhale. It evaporates into the night.

Finn grabs a few crisps from the bowl and smiles at me graciously, then goes back to talking to the others. He holds his cigarette in his hand as he gesticulates, and I think Im the only one who notices that he barely touches it. I watch it burn down to his fingers, the smoke emphasising whatever point hes making. I asked him about it once, when I was too drunk, and he told me that sometimes he just forgets. I remember breathing in that moment and tasting the smoke.

Grace is beside me, and I hear her whisper, Pr**k. I take another crisp and let it go soggy in my mouth before chewing it.

You cant just lean into normative feminism, you have to subvert it first, Steph is adamant. You cant just go along with the whims of the hegemonic capitalist patriarchy and call it empowerment.

But the only way we get empowerment is through the system, well never actually break it down otherwise.

What system? How are you going to break it down? Theres no self-destruct button.

All Im saying is get empowerment where you can, right? Lifes hard enough otherwise.

All right then, so wearing make-up is empowering, is it?

Could be. Some people do find it empowering.

Yeah, right. And by the way, what does empowerment mean? I dont feel f**king empowered every time I use a f**king tampon. Graces voice is loud beside me.

You know full well what it means.

Yeah, but its just a concept, its not like voting rights or the ability to afford food. Who cares? Fine, well, maybe youd rather we were all disempowered? Thats socialism, right?

The discussion is making my head hurt. Ive lost track of whos saying what. I want to contribute, but the words are clunky on my tongue. I sip my wine and eat a crisp every time someone looks at me. The boys know to be silent, and its like I can hear them performatively listening. I want Steph to give me another cigarette.

Someone says, Why do you girls always have to make these things so political? You can feel however you want about your tampons, right?

Oh, sorry. Grace is cold. Id forgotten that politics only exists when its about women, otherwise its all just "normal", is it? Its only political when you disagree?

I hear the smoker back down. Grace continues on a monologue Ive heard so many times before that I barely register it.

Finn pulls at my sleeve and asks if we can go and chat somewhere. I nod mechanically. My mouth is dry, so I stop along the way to refill my wine glass.

We sit on the love seat in the corner of Graces sitting room. Its cold inside, so I pull the blanket on the armrest over me. Without words, Finn grabs it too and gets under it with me. He pulls my legs over his lap.

I drink some of my wine, and he tells me that his parents are arguing again, and he doesnt know who he can talk to about it. I hear myself say things like oh and ah and Im so sorry. He doesnt seem to be listening to me as he speaks. I wonder if hes told anyone else this, and if I should feel guilty that it pleases me he probably hasnt.

He rests his head between my breasts and I stroke his hair. I think about leaning down and kissing him, and I drink more wine. He can probably feel my heart beating under his head, if it isnt obscured by a layer of fat. I hum gently as I listen to him talk. I could easily drift off to sleep. My hand is resting just below his chin, and he bends his head to kiss it.

Grace enters the room and asks me to help her clear up. It takes a moment for me to understand whats happening. Finn moves and releases me. I follow Grace into the kitchen, and she shakes her head at me. When I look over my shoulder, Finn is looking at his phone as though nothings happened, and perhaps it hasnt.

What, and I mean what, was that about? I dont know what Grace means, but she pours me a glass of water and makes me sit and drink it. To make me feel better, she has one too. Thank God that girl already left. Ill kill him, she says, to herself more than me. We sit together in silence, nursing our water. Grace holds my hand when she notices a tear rolling down my face. Things are going to change now, and change for the better, dont worry, Grace says to me, but I find it hard to believe her. Things are ending, and yet I still feel the same. Ill always feel this way.

Look, Soph, a shooting star. Make a wish! She points through the window, up to the night sky.

I look up and see a streak of light. I wish I wasnt alone. The thought comes to me unbidden; its a secret between just me and the star. As if Ive anchored it, the star refuses to leave me. It traces a long purple scar that disappears over the horizon. Someone yells, Holy shit! from outside, and the deck is lit up by everyones phones.

We go outside and look up at the sky. Where before there was only light pollution, now theres a hairline fracture spanning as far as I can see in either direction. Its lit from within by a violet glow that seeps across the night sky.

I keep blinking, as though it will vanish as quickly as it arrived, but the light only grows stronger, outcompeting whatever stars have the audacity to still shine. My mind spirals through various explanations fireworks, coordinated LEDs on drones, an overzealous night club but the eerie purple light feels too alien to be man-made.

Im struck by the fear that this thing will consume us. Its like the jaws of a great beast, threatening to open and swallow the world whole. For as long as I can remember, Ive been told the Earth is dying, that we had to reduce, reuse, recycle. But I never expected it to happen so suddenly. Theres too much to take in all at once. I overbalance and fall backwards onto the deck, catching myself with the heels of my palms. I look at everyone around me, and in the purple light theyre all strangers.

Someone pulls me to my feet. My phone looks cracked, but when I click it on I realise its just the reflection of the sky in the screen. I cant tell if its my imagination, or if the light is really pulsing. A phone goes off, and then another. No one is speaking, all I can hear are message tones and countless people typing.

I feel seasick; the only thing keeping me centred is my phone in my hand, which is alive with notifications. Someone vomits into one of the bushes.

My feed is full of photos, so many that they dont all load at once. One by one, my phone presents me with different areas of the world lit up purple, blurred from how hastily the users took the photos. Most of them are too grainy to make out, but I find a gif someones posted of the star shooting across the sky. I watch it on repeat, each time feeling like something inside me is tearing apart.

Politicians and celebrities are beginning to tweet about it. Theyre urging calm, but they dont know whats happening. A few of the posts look a little bit too prepared, and people are already speculating about why. I show the gif to Grace and she looks at me with wide eyes. Neither of us can say anything. She goes upstairs to wake her parents, and the party evaporates like so much smoke on the wind.

None of this is Serious by Catherine Prasifka is published by Canongate.

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None of this is Serious by Catherine Prasifka - read an extract - RTE.ie

The group We Are One performed a Bharatanatyam dance act on wheelchairs in Visakhapatnam as a tribute to frontline COVID workers. They talk about their journey so far

The group We Are One performed a Bharatanatyam dance act on wheelchairs in Visakhapatnam as a tribute to frontline COVID workers. They talk about their journey so far

The Bharatanatyam dancers struck elegant poses, maneuvered classic steps while slowly and steadily switching to a mudra. The flow was common to the dance form; except that thedancers were differently-abled. Six boys on wheelchairs and three girls who were hearing-impaired left the audience spellbound with a 30-minute show that was a tribute to frontline COVID workers in Visakhapatnam. The performance was by Delhi-based group We Are One (WAO) and a part of the recently-concluded Vysakhi Nrithyotsav, the 13th All India Dance Festival organised by Nataraj Music and Dance Academy.

"For us, the wheelchair is a symbol of empowerment. People think of it as a mode of transport for the differently-abled. But we want to show the world that this is our strength and showcase Indian dance forms like Bharatanatyam with a message of inclusivity," says Husnain, founder of WAO and a differently-abled artiste.

All through the performance, Husnain and his team reminded the audience that wheels can replace legs and the only thing they resented was being pitied upon. Their moves were perfected by Husnain and the team's choreographer Gulshan Kumar.

Delhi-based We Are One, a group of differently-abled dancers, performing Bharatnatyam at the recently-concluded Vysakhi Nrithyotsav organised by Nataraj Music and Dance Academy in Visakhapatnam.| Photo Credit: K Bhaskar Rao

A differently-abled dancer, Husnain faced several challenges to battle stereotypes for choosing dance as a profession and using a wheelchair. Working as a freelance dancer for many years, Husnain used to perform in functions in educational institutions. "But we never got the respect and recognition that we deserve," he says. In 2013, he started a dance school called Life's Success. But two years later, due to a crisis in his personal life, he had to close it.

Instead of getting bogged down by the challenges, Husnain channelised his passion to create an inclusive environment with WAO in 2016 for other differently-abled persons. There are abundantly talented people in India whose potential is undiscovered; simply because they do not conform to the traditional expectation of what an artiste should look like due to their disability, says Husnain. The group today has members from six years to 65 years of age, all differently-abled, who are being trained in dance and other aspects of dance production.

Founded with a team of six differently-abled persons; today the troupe has grown substantially and now has close to 95 performers. The groups choreographerGulshan also made it to the Guinness Book of World Records for performing the most number of manual stunts in a minute on a wheelchair. Specialising in Bharatanatyam, the WAO troupe is now undergoing training in the Lucknow gharana of Kathak.

Delhi-based We Are One, a group of differently-abled dancers, performing Bharatnatyam at the recently-concluded Vysakhi Nrithyotsav organised by Nataraj Music and Dance Academy in Visakhapatnam.| Photo Credit: K Bhaskar Rao

"Performing on a wheelchair for the past 15 years has made me realise that the view of the world is beautiful even from a wheelchair. Dance is a liberating expression for me and my wheelchair has become my asset. My motto is to work towards providing dignity, inclusion and equality for differently-abled dancers," says Husnain.

Any society will progress only when people with and without disabilities join hands together. For that we ensure that in every performance of ours, there is one dancer without disability. That is our way of passing the message of inclusivity," he adds.

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Dance is a symbol of empowerment for this Delhi-based differently-abled Bharatnatyam dance troupe - The Hindu

Special to the PRESS

Audiences sometimes go to the theatre for deep thoughts, tragic pathos, or social commentary, and sometimes fun and laughter. Gods of Comedy by Ken Ludwig is a play that delivers the latter.

Tuesday and Wednesday, April 18 and 19, 2022, El Paseo Arts brings this comedic confection to the stage at the South Padre Island Convention Center. Its a great way to celebrate spring and kick off the summer with laughter, magic, and adventure according to the foundation.

The plot of Gods of Comedy takes audiences on a romp through academia, Greek Mythology, and personal empowerment.

Daphne and Ralph are young classics professors who have just made a discovery thats sure to turn them into academic superstars.

But something goes disastrously wrong, and Daphne cries out in a panic, Save me, gods of ancient Greece!and the gods actually appear! Except the gods who appear are Dionysus, god of wine, revelry and theatre, and Thalia, the muse of comedy.

Their assignment from Zeus: give Daphne an adventure and a happy ending. The Ivy League will never be the same as a pair of screwball deities encounters the carnal complexity of college coeds, campus capers, and conspicuous consumption.

The talented cast includes Danny Dollar in the dual roles of Aristride, a Greek peddler who sells souvenirs to tourists and Aleksi, the janitor who caused some of the mayhem. Andrea Wright is Daphne, the workaholic college, classics professor who discovers romance.

Ayssa Limon plays Dean Tricket, and Pete Smith is Ralph, the new classics professors who has discovered a long lost play by the Greek tragedian, Euripides and who finds the play is lost again. Alexa Ocean Ray makes her El Paseo Arts debut as Zoe/Brooklyn, a beautiful movie star.

Dalton Swink plays the raucous Dionysus, the Greek god of wine, revelry and theatre; and Erika Hughston is his partner Thalia, the muse of comedy. Finally, Ares, the Greed god of war is played by Chuck Hofmeister.

Want the entire story? Pick up a copy of the Port Isabel-South Padre PRESS, or subscribe to our e-Edition by clickingHERE!

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'Gods of Comedy' hits the stage Port Isabel-South Padre Press - Port isabel south padre

By Tenzin Lekdhen

On March 29, during the recently concluded 17th Tibetan Parliament in Exile (TPiE)s budget session, female MPs stood up to male MPs who criticised what they saw as a futility of investments in the Womens Empowerment Program and raised their disconcertments on the governments budget allotment to Gender Equality by mentioning reservation of seats for female Chithues (MP) and the importance of Tibets collective cause trumping individuals right to basic humanity.

The heated exchange on the debate of gender equality and equity that took place in the parliament is a common sight in democratic states and institutions, and is indicative of a healthy democracy. Tenzin Tseten, Womens Empowerment Programs project officer, recognising the importance of discussions surrounding these issues told Phayul that [she] welcomes the discussions and the differential views that came up, and views it as a sign of a healthy democratic process. Gender equality is a fundamental right and a core value of a democratic society. Dialogues and conversation around these topics are vital for its realisation.

But what doesnt seem healthy in a democracy is when lawmakers turn a blind eye against survivors of sexual assaults, rape and domestic abuses who are largely female, and claim our society is egalitarian, thus renouncing the need for gender equality. In a 2019 survey titled Sexual Abuse Against Students, conducted in Tibetan schools by Drokmo, a Dharmashala based NGO working on gender equality, found that 151 out of 401 (38%) respondents had faced sexual violence. 51% of the 151 respondents were female and 23% were male.

The report also uncovered that out of 95 respondents, 22 % faced molestation, 7 % admitted to being raped, 7% said that they were denied the right to use protection or contraceptives, 6% admitted to being sexually harassed, 4% faced unwanted sexual advances, 3 % said that they faced sexual abuse, 2 % said that they had to undergo forced abortion, 1 % was forced into prostitution.

But according to Geshe Lobsang Phende, Chithue from Gelug sect, against the sapient advice of the The Four Immeasurables these individual issues (referring to gender equality) cast a shadow over the larger collective struggle for Tibet. He said, People seem to be forgetting the Tibet issue. Our struggle is for the rights and freedom of the Tibetan people, not for cunning individuals wishes. Drokmos survey regarding sexual assaults were carried out in Tibetan schools where the students are Tibetan, whose rights and freedom were infringed by perpetrators.

The Genesis

The bickering began with Chithue Dawa Phunkyis remarks on Gender Equality and Women Empowerment, which functioned as a preface to his main concern: reservation seats for females in the parliament. In his prefacing remarks, he tells an anecdote, In our society, men tend to smoke more than females. Hence, when it is commented, out of concern and assuming that women are generally more well mannered, that the number of women who smoke is increasing, the response one often gets is, that is our right. Gender Equality. By narrating this specific anecdote in the context of Womens Empowerment and Gender Equality, he reduces, rather consciously, a pressing and important issue down to cigarette smoking an unanimously bad habit and sets the groundwork for whats yet to come of his criticism. But not before a euphemistic support for women who makes half the population and a profession of concern about the misuse of Women Empowerment and Gender equality, referencing the anecdotes he told.

Continuing, Chithue Dawa Phunkyi gets to his main concern, the reservation of seats for female Chitue candidates. He rhetorically established that our society is egalitarian and questioned the idea of reservation seats allotted for Women, asking, is it thong chung insult or khe phan advantage for the women?. He then calls for a revision of the exile Charter saying, if women are equal and capable, if we can clear this, I think it will be beneficial.

His speech is structured in a way that portrays two contradictory remarks on Gender Equality. A structure that George Orwell recognised as political language in his book Politics and the English Language. Wherein, he argues, that political language is used to defend the indefensible through what consists largely of euphemism, question-begging and sheer cloudy vagueness.

Dawa Phunkyi, by employing these political rhetorics, manages to achieve two things. One, he is able to paint himself as a caring individual who is concerned about young women smoking cigarettes. Second, he manages to reduce the complex issues of women empowerment and gender equality down to the act of smoking. The juxtaposition of the two renders his professed concern and himself as good and the other, a collective issue of equality and empowerment, as bad by likening and lessening it to an obnoxious young woman smoking a cigarette that talks back to elders.

He tried to portray two negatives which was smoking and speaking rudely; a behaviour which could be exhibited by either gender but used it to misrepresent and misinform the public on issues concerning gender equality, Tenzin Pelyoun, cofounder of Drokmo, told Phayul.

She adds, Narrating an incident of personal conduct and using that as a basis for discrediting an entire movement is a disservice to the cause of gender equality. As a representative of the public, he has a responsibility to make informed comments and not base his judgements on his own biases and limited data. Tenzin Pelyoun was one of the two women who wrote the aforementioned report titled Sexual Abuse Against Students.

Dawa Phunkyis attempt to portray the diaspora as an egalitarian society was in order to ask for the revision of reserved seats for women because he was cognizant of the fact that reserved seats are usually allotted for marginalised communities within the larger populace. But one community, that is revered and respected, that is not marginalised and has hegemony over the shared religious beliefs are the religious institutions. Yet the religious sects still have 10 seats reserved, which, in the history of Tibetan Parliament in Exile, have failed to elect even one female MP. But Chithue Dawa Phunkyi chose the seats reserved for women as his target, to prove his allegiance to the all-powerful hegemony that lives in the all pervading ether.

More Criticisms

As said earlier by another colleague, Chitue Khenpo Kada said, there is a current trend in our society wherein in the name of gender equality, women feel the need to do whatever men do. I do not recognise this as gender equality. I can say on this stage that women cant do whatever men do. Hence, I do not endorse these workshops on gender equality.

Kada Ngedup Sonam, Chithue from the Sakya sect, denounced a notion of Gender Equality that is different from the one that the Womens Empowerment Program upholds (WED works to ensure that women and men participate in and benefit equally, and to address gender stereotypes, social attitudes, and sexual violence in our community.) But Kadas connotation of gender equality dwells on an equality of biological capabilities rather than the political equality that the charter grants to all individuals as equals under the law. Needless to say, biologically, there are things one sex can do that the other cant. Such misunderstanding of gender equality and the importance of womens empowerment are often addressed in WEDs gender sensitization workshops.

Chithue Youdon Aukatsang, right before the speaker would interrupt her, asked her colleagues to be careful of the opinions they raise in the sessions since they carry a certain weight.

MP Lobsang Phenday, for whom the speaker interjected Aukatsang, said there seems to be a collective lack of awareness about the Tibet issue. But when it comes to gender equality and youth empowerment, there are some Machevallian individuals. Our struggle is for the rights and freedom of the Tibetan people and not for sly individuals wishes. Here, Chithue Phenday seems to have forgotten that the domestically abused mother seeking help, the young woman finding it hard to pay for law school to study human rights law, and the girl who was groped at the club are all Tibetan. Phenday, who has a Lharampa degree, misses the point that struggles can be overlapping and seems to establish that the collective cause be placed before individuals rights to basic humanity. Such misplacement of importance risks alienating the people it asks to participate and seeks to emancipate.

In the Buddhist teaching of The Four Immeasurables, one of the lines read, May [all living beings] be free of suffering and the cause of suffering. But if one employs the logic that Geshe Lharampa used, this prayer should be redundant since all beings in the six realms ultimately seek enlightenment. Struggles and movements can overlap and many are overlapping, but to disregard movements based on their scale and magnitude, in a democracy, is to ignore the iceberg to never reach the promised land.

If a community is to develop and reach its potential, all its members need to move forward together, Tseten, WEDs project officer, told Phayul. Women and Gender issues are cross-cutting and are related to all aspects of development.

Standing Up for Your Rights

Aukatsang would take the mic again to finish her statement against the criticisms of the three male Chitues whom the speaker for some reason did not interject, only to be sat down again and followed by Dawa Phunkyi to clear that his statement was in no way an insult to women. Aukatsang taking the mic again accused the speaker of being partial against views that he does not agree with and asked the speaker to be just in his orchestration of the parliament. Aukatsang was sat down and interjected three times whilst none of the three male Chithues who criticised Womens Empowerment Program and expressed their views on gender equality were interrupted. Aukatsang would get the chance to finish her speech uninterrupted but only after MP Dorjee Tseten addressed the speaker to be impartial in his allocation of speaking time.

Finally getting to voice her opinion without interruptions, Aukatsang said, we cannot judge [womens behaviour] by the standards of our traditions and culture alone. We have to move along with the times. She also asked Sikyong Penpa Tsering whether the Womens Empowerment Program was listed solely per the requirements for the funds provided by the United States. Sikyong in the earlier session said that such programs were required by the USAID. He followed it by a chain of vague remarks about the large number of posters denouncing domestic abuse and sexual assaults around CTAs compound.

The Domino Falls

Chithue Tenzin Choezin, who took the stage after Youdon Aukatsang, seemed shocked by the unusual magnitude of resistance against the budget that totals to 55 lakhs. The 55 lakhs proposed and granted makes up around 2.6% of the budget related to administrative expenses and 0.2% of the total budget which is estimated at 2.5 Billion INR. The shock, disappointment, and sadness evident from her expression comes not from being the latest Chithue, nor from being the youngest, but rather from experience. Taking a deep breath, gathering herself, she reads out a statement from the UNs Human Rights Council, All human beings are born equal with dignity and rights. But whether everyone is treated as such in our community is doubtful.

I have worked with at-risk young people and women who have been abused. There is a reason that many of these cases are hard to come out. One such example is the very things said in the parliament. Which makes it hard to talk about such things in the public sphere. Drokmos research found that only6% of survivors told the authorities after they were assaulted it was the least selected option. School authorities and institutions often tend to keep the matters inside and not take appropriate actions against sexual perpetrators.

Chithue Namgyal Dolkar commended the work of the Womens Empowerment Desk and highlighted that gender equality is not restricted to women. That gender based violence and stereotypes are faced by both the sexes. She said, gender equality does not ask for more equality. I request my colleagues to attend these workshops that WED organises. She further asked the CTA to recognise sexual abuses and assaults as the crime that they are and to stand in solidarity with victims.

Chithue Phenday, taking the mic, doubled down on his earlier point and insisted that the parliament in exile is for Tibetans inside and outside Tibet, and not for the exile Tibetans. What he implies is that the Tibet Issue should be the ultimate priority and other injustices are trivial if they do not contribute to the collective struggle. What he fails to understand is that the struggle for Tibet and the injustices faced by individuals in their daily lives are not mutually exclusive. But they are rather cross-cutting as WEDs Tseten said. For a woman who has to constantly worry every evening about her abusive drunk husband coming home, it is hard to think of the larger struggle. For a young women forced into sex work, it is hard to imagine about the collective struggle of the community who oustedand shamed her. Trivialising injustices because they arent related to the collective struggle only succeeds in alienating the people who are an integral part of the larger movement. Ms. Tseten on the importance of intersectionality said, programs on Women empowerment and gender equality are crucial for the development of the community and it needs the participation of all stakeholders of the community to work together to make the change happen.

Geshe Phenday in his criticisms, however, did make a valid point about the failure of women and women empowerment organisations to recognise and protest against China when a Tibetan woman was burned alive by her Chinese spouse live on social media. This important point could have been used to call for a collective approach to our struggle against Chinas colonisation, but he succumbs to the temptation of deploying it for and against the hill he stood on. This gullible temptation is not restricted to the reactionaries, but also plagues the intersectionalist feminist movement. The moral landscape has a terrain that has multiple peaks. For one to die on one hill and the other on another, only solitude awaits, not solidarity.

The Tibetan struggle against China and Womens Empowerment are not mutually exclusive but rather profoundly layered. It is only by understanding both that we can respect the rights of the individuals and at the same time strengthen our fight against colonialism. To fight for Tibets freedom is also to fight for the individual rights of Tibetans. The two facets are one. The one is the fight against injustice.

The author is a recipient of the Pestalozzi Scholarship. He studied Mathematics and Physics before changing his course to Philosophy. He currently interns at Phayul.

Original post:

Opinion: Women's Empowerment is a touchy topic, even in the Parliament - Phayul