Personal thoughts – Current events through a historical lens

(Un)Compassionate Release

During the 1970’s and 1980’s, crime rates in America skyrocketed. In response, governments at the state and Federal level took actions to combat this rise in crime at the tail end of this crime pandemic in the early and mid 1990’s. Most famously, California enacted the 3 strikes law. Essentially, it said that any person who committed 3 felonies would be locked for life as they were considered career criminals/persistent offenders. It was around this time that Hillary Clinton famously spoke of “super predators.”

Of course, the average citizen would not be in favor of so-called ‘super predators’ to be loose lurking on the streets. On the surface, it looked good and appealed to citizens who wanted safer cities. 30 years later, the faults of 3 strikes are becoming evident.

Most of those who were locked up were young men. Young men in their late teens and early 20’s are naturally more inclined to the sort of life that operates on the wrong side of the law. As one ages and gains maturity, the less likely one is to commit crimes; especially violent crimes. Instead of being sentenced and released on an individual basis, three strikes laws applied a one size fits all approach to crimes. There was no nuance towards the sentencing of individuals and it showed. Judges’ hands were tied by arbitrary sentencing guide lines which robbed judges of their ability to approach each case before them on a unique basis.

One man, Curtis Wilkerson, was locked up for 25 years because his 3rd strike involved stealing a pair of socks valued at $2.50 during the mid 1990’s. His previous offenses had been him serving as a lookout guy during robbery in the early 1980’s. His sock offense, occuews almost 15 years after his original run ins with the law, and he was sentenced to 25 years in prison.

As reported in The Rolling Stone magazine on March 17th, 2013

“Have you heard the one about the guy who got life for stealing a slice of pizza? Or the guy who went away forever for lifting a pair of baby shoes? Or the one who got 50 to life for helping himself to five children’s videotapes from Kmart? How about the guy who got life for possessing 0.14 grams of meth? That last offender was a criminal mastermind by Three Strikes standards, as many others have been sentenced to life for holding even smaller amounts of drugs, including one poor sap who got the max for 0.09 grams of black-tar heroin.”

Curtis was arrested at 33 years old and sentenced to 25 to life. His first chance at parole would not come until he was 58 years old, for a pair of socks. It’s an absurd situation.

However, governments have come to realize the mistakes that accompanied the 3 strikes approach. As prisoners age, their chances of recidivism drops but the cost of housing them increases as their health deteriorates. The deterioration of one’s health is a natural occurrence as one ages but being kept in prison certainly isn’t conducive to good health.

In part because of The Great Recession and budget cuts, but also because of a public backlash against mass incineration, efforts have been made to reduce the prison population in order to reduce costs by releasing these aging felons back into the general population.

At face value, it seems like the compassionate thing to do. However, delve a bit deeper and it becomes apparent that these individuals are being shafted by the system yet again. After being locked up for decades, they are being thrown back to the streets to a totally changed environment. These men are finding themselves suddenly free after decades behind bars.

After that long behind bars, some will have become institutionalized. Essentially, they have spent so much time in prison that they are dependent on the structure it provides and no longer able to operate on their own. That is not to say all are institutionalized or that the mentality of institutionalization can’t be overcome but it is definitely an issue. They lack the skills to operate in the world today and would likely find themselves with menial low paying jobs if they can land jobs and, with their deteriorating health, does not hold for good long term employment prospects.

Furthermore, humans are by nature, social animals. After being locked up for so long, the friends and acquaintances that these offenders had before they went in for long bids have atrophied. Relationships and friendships require meeting, breaking bread and other actions to maintain the relationships. After being locked up for decades, those who are ‘compassionately’ released are entering back into a society with likely few or even no friends left, no skills, no prospects and for most, at best family members who they can turn to who have also aged. The next generation of the family is alien to them since those on the inside have been missing from every important milestone in the next generations life.

This is far from a compassionate release. It is, if anything, an uncompassionate release. These people, having not worked in decades except in prison where they receive cents an hour, can’t draw a pension or social security. They are being thrown back into society where they will be a burden. The Government has a responsibility to these people. Having locked them up during their prime working years, it goes without saying that the government has some responsibility for their well being in the years remaining to them.

The Absurdity: Part 2

Last time I wrote about the daily minutiae of my life in Korea, I was primarily concerned with taxis and bananas. I want to update you on those two issues which have driven me bananas for so long along with a couple of new issues which as an outsider on the margins of Korean society, drive me bananas.

First of all, I must thank E-Mart for starting to sell two bananas at a time for 990 won. It beats the single bananas at Starbucks for 1,500 and is much better than having to buy 10 bananas at once knowing I will throw half of them out. I would like to think my hard hitting article caused this recent development but I don’t think I can take credit for that.

However, I wish the geniuses at E-mart would stop wrapping the bananas in plastic bags. I understand the desire to protect the bananas but I just wish there was some natural skin that could protect bananas in lieu of the plastic? If only there was a tough natural skin that covered bananas which was biodegradable and wouldn’t pollute the oceans.

On the taxi front, I recently tried to grab a taxi home from Itaewon to HBC. The taxi driver initially welcomed me as my friend had a suitcase, but as soon as HBC was mentioned, he told us to get out. I politely refused and referenced the law which doesn’t allow him to refuse service.

We proceeded to the police station, where the police, admitted that he was breaking the law but insisted I get out so he could go sit and wait along the main road of Itaewon for a long haul ride as my destination was to close.

Last time I suggested arming elderly people with smartphones in order to ticket the numerous illegally parked cars in HBC. Thankfully this issue has largely been eliminated due to increased parking enforcement but I would like to see the Itaewon Police patrolling the main road along which Itaewon taxis park.

Too often taxis just sit along the main road of Itaewon refusing service to customers causing congestion and slower service from those taxi drivers who are willing to pick up and drop off customers anywhere. If they refuse to take customers, they should not be allowed to sit idly by on the mainroad of Itaewon.

The newest issue I found myself thinking about arose as I make plans to leave Korea; namely the issue of my E-2 VISA. Thank god The Korea Times doesn’t pay me or else I might be in violation of the E-2 which only permits me to teach conversational English. I may be mistaken but as I understand, I can’t pursue business or other money making opportunities.

Many expats, such as myself have ended up loving our time in Korea and stayed long behind our initial expectation of a year or two. However, E-2 Visas preclude myself from pursuing other money making opportunities in my spare time. If Korea is truly serious about improving its economy and making it more dynamic, then a natural step would be to unleash the creative energies of its expat population instead of limiting opportunities.

As long as E-2 visa holders are able to fulfill their main job duties, then they should be free to pursue other ventures. Many people who would consider staying in Korea decide to leave because of the limited opportunities imposed by the E-2 Visa. If they can turn their hobby into a business, then why limit them?

This should be allowed, especially to those who have lived in Korea for an extended period of time. Instead, many foreigners refuse to start a registered business or operate in a gray area, robbing the Korean government of tax revenue.

My other gripe with the E-2 visa is its limitations to ‘conversational english.’ I recently finished my masters in TESL and many times in class, discussions would veer back to the absurdity of this stipulation. I don’t remember a single professor who was not horrified by this. Korean kids are being done a disservice by being limited to conversational english.

Although the ‘conversational english’ seems pretty broad with a certain amount of leeway, it isn’t necessarily a limb I would care to venture out on as I really do enjoy living in Korea. Kids need to have more than the ability for playground communication, or conversational English. What is also needed is academic English; specifically

“the genre of English used in the world of research, study, teaching and universities” or as another put it ‘Academic English refers to words and practice that are not necessarily common or frequently encountered in informal conversation and circumstances.”

Granted, such concerns don’t arise for younger children as the focus is building a strong foundation to build on in the future. However, for older students, I find myself hampered by the limitations of ‘conversational english.’ Their minds are ready to be debating, writing, creating arguments and academic terms which fall beyond the pale of ‘conversational english.’

After living in Korea for nine years, bananas, taxis and the E-2 VISA have been driving me bananas. I just had to get all of this off my chest. However, my experiences with Korea aren’t strictly negative as there are many things about this country which I love and are the reasons I have stayed in Korea for as long as I have.

One thing which struck me very early in my stay in Korea was the periodic cleaning up of trash on school grounds and neighboring areas. I think it is great as this fosters a sense of community and responsibility amongst the children for their neighborhoods. It also gives them the ability to empathize with janitors and other people on the lower stratum of society who must clean up daily. Having to pick up the trash and litter generated by other students I would imagine quickly turns littering into an action which will bring about peer pressure to prevent.

I can’t help but compare the action of Korean kids with my experience in the American school system. I would be periodically punished with having to walk around school picking up trash but it was never a school wide effort. The act of picking up trash was used as a punishment instead of as a moment to teach empathy and responsibility.

Furthermore, you have people like the White House Advisor, Stephen Miller who would intentionally create a mess in High School and leave his trash for others to clean up. Instead of empathizing with people who have lower status jobs, he justified his actions as being necessary to create jobs and work for the janitors at his high school. He is truly a little shit with no empathy or understanding of those outside of his bubble of privilege. For that, I do admire what Korea is teaching their youths. I wish America would imitate some aspects of the many wonderful things I have seen in Korea.

Reformation 2.0

America has traditionally been a very religious country. In recent time however, the religiosity of Americans has been declining. The last twenty years has seen a drop in Church attendance and only 50% of Americans now belong to a Mosque, Temple or Church according to a 2018 Gallup poll. Despite this decrease in regular attendance, 77% of American still identify with some religion but are not affiliated with or attending specific houses of worship.

On the other end, Clergymen are graying as the calling to serve religious orders has not been heeded by the younger generations in American society when compared to those who came before. Being a Priest or Pastor is simply becoming less and less attractive as a career option. This is especially true of Catholics. This article will initially deal with an issue facing The Catholic Church before turning towards an issue which affect all religions across the board.

These two issues, declining attendance and a graying of religious figures pose a threat to Religious institutions within America. As American’s attend religious services more sparingly, the risk becomes that Shepherds will not have a flock to tend or there will be a flock but not enough shepherds to cater to their spiritual needs.

Americans are increasingly having no religious preference and this is reflected in the declining rate of Americans who regularly attend religious services. This points to the declining importance and influence of religious institutions in America.

In short, Americans are becoming less religious, attending religious services less regularly, increasingly less affiliated with Houses of Worship and all this translates into an decreasing relevance in modern society. In order to stay pertinent in society, there is a need for a reformation of religious institutions to make them more relevant to today’s society. The two are not completely incompatible but they can be at odds.

Before I delve into some of the issues confronting Churches today, I think it’s necessary to look at issues through a historical lens. Christianity is one of the defining features upon which Western Civilization was built. However, as Western Society advanced and the importance of science increased, there was a corresponding decline in the relevance of the Church.

The Catholic Church forbids its priests and other clergy from marrying. This is a Church tradition, not actual Dogma, which precludes priests from having a spouse. The First Pope, Peter, was married while it remains disputed what the relationship between Mary Magdalene and Jesus was.

Historically, there was no issue with Priests marrying. The Eastern Orthodox Church allows its clergy members to marry while the Roman Catholic Church denies its clergy this opportunity. The split between the two occurred in 1054. It is time for this to change in order for the Catholic Church to stay relevant in society.

One of the historical reasons for the forced abstinence of Priests was the poverty of The Church. Europe was a very poor area, it’s priests were not supported by the Pope in Rome but rather by the tithings of local villagers. The poverty meant that there was a push against Priests having wives and the accompanying kids as this would simply increase the burden placed on locals. It was also feared that a Priest might be inclined to leave property to his children.

This ban on marriage only arose around the 1000’s so it’s quite evident that this was not a teaching of Jesus but something which arose much later. Recently, the Catholic Church allowed for Priests to marry in remote areas of the Amazon because of the dearth of priests in the area.

The celibacy of Priests meet it often attracted gay men. Gay men, confused about their sexuality, were drawn to the Church as many believed that they would find guidance from God. One survey amongst priests found “While there’s a glut of homoerotic writings from priests going back to the Middle Ages, obtaining an accurate count is tough. But most surveys (which, due to the sensitivity of the subject, admiittedly suffer from limited samples and other design issues) find between 15 percent and 50 percent of U.S. priests are gay, which is much greater than the 3.8 percent of people who identify as LGBTQ in the general population.”

Likewise, the Catholic Church also attracted its fair share of pedophiles as the Priests were in a position of authority and had a great opportunity to groom altar boys for their own devious desires. It goes without saying that this is not a blanket assessment of all priests but to dismiss it out of hand is an attempt to squelch a needed conversation.

With the legalization of Gay Marriage, the stigma which has long plagued them is coming to an end. Society is moving towards the acceptance of gays and The Church needs to move along with the mainstream of society. If Gay men want to serve as priests with their husbands or men in traditional unions want to serve, The Catholic Church should welcome them or enjoy it’s continual slide into irrelevance.

By allowing for Priests to marry, it will open the doors to a number of people who might otherwise consider joining the priesthood but decline because of their sexual desires. Afterall, celibacy does not come naturally to the human species nor is it reflected in the original teachings of Jesus nor in the sexual conduct of celibate priests. The Roman Catholic Church is slowly dying; either it will continue to do so or change and evolve. This need to evolve to stay in touch with the times is applicable to all religious institutions

In today’s society, the younger generation is increasingly focused on social justice issues and the development of more equitable societies. This harkens back to the earliest teachings of Jesus which churches of all denominations need to adapt to this new focus. This is especially important because older Americans are the ones who are more likely to regularly attend Church. As they die off, younger Americans are not replacing them in the Pews because they find that the Church is not relevant to their lives.

Churches should not measure their success by the contributions collected, how packed services are or other traditional parameters but instead return to their root work, helping the disadvantaged, poor, sick and those at the margins of society. This should be the yardstick by which Churches are judged.

As the world changes, Churches need to change with it in order to stay relevant. The Catholic Church has survived since the Fall of the Roman Empire by constantly evolving. As society evolves at an ever quickening pace, it becomes paramount for The Church to adapt itself to new realities.

Although young people are increasingly secular and atheist in outlook, their values are coming to promote social justice and equality which are the underlying teachings of Jesus. Churches should work in tandem with like minded young people, even if they aren’t religiously inclined because of the good which can arise from servicing marginalized communities. Doing good might just be enough to put fresh butts in the pews.

Soured:

https://slate.com/human-interest/2017/04/how-the-catholic-priesthood-became-a-haven-for-many-gay-men.html

The Impossible Task

Alex Gratzek June 3, 2020

Looking around America today, you see a nation in disarray. You see an inept governmental response to Covid. When I was in jail, all my Chinese cellmates were to a degree nationalistic and would proclaim China numba 1. When it came to Covid, they were happy to see America as number 1 in regards to Covid.

You got Covid spreading across America leading to a quarantine, a loss of work accompanied by hard economic times, then you throw on the continual killing of black men by Police and you have the recipe for the protests we see. I see the catalyst as the killing of George Floyd but the underlying kindling had been accumulating for decades.

After the 1967/1968 riots, a government report recommended pursuing socio-economic reforms, basically to give everyone a larger stake in society but these recommendations were half heartedly pursued before being left bereft of funding. One initiative which remains is the Head Start Program. This was covered in the New York Times on June 2, 2020.

The current protests are just the continuation of realizing the impossible task as laid out by The Founding Fathers, the creation of a more perfect union. When the constitution was created, it was evident that the underlying issue would be slavery and in order to create the Union, slavery was infamously compromised over in order to bridge the chasm between the free Northern States and the slave owning Southern States.

The contradiction between The Constitution proclaiming we hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal and the 3/5 ‘s compromise were stark and unbridgeable. Maybe it was their genius, or maybe it was simply all they could do, but the founding fathers seemingly left a loophole with the pursuit of a more perfect union.

The original sin of America will stain our nation’s history forever like Stalins Gulags, the rape of Nanking by the Japanese, the Holocaust in Germany but the difference is those were seemingly one time events while ours is a continuing presence. The issue of America’s creation has always been how to achieve the ideal which in practical terms remains so elusive. The creation of a free equal society where justice and opportunity are blind while racism and bigotry is exiled.

Looking around the world, many of our allies are just disappointed as evidenced by the struggling of Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau to articulate his thoughts on what’s going on in the United States. Allied leaders of the G-7 are reluctant to attend Trump’s meeting in DC while the Chinese are having a field day mocking the USA for its treatment of protesters. They flipped the tables on the US which had been criticizing China for the same actions aimed at protesters in Hong Kong who are seeking increased democracy.

The wounds stemming from slavery, lingering institutional racism, lack of economic opportunities and other woes plaguing our country are eagerly being exploited by Russia, China and used by less dictatorships and authoritarian leaders around the world to justify their actions. China and Russia know that sitting dominating the Western Hemisphere, America is in an unassailable position rendering it invulnerable to conventional invasion. Knowing this, they seek to attack the one place they can, the soft underbelly of American society, its societal cohesion, by exploiting its internal divisions in order to weaken us in order to have a free hand to pursue their own devious machinations, see Hong Kong.

After all, Russian influence in the 2016 election was disproportionately aimed at African-Americans in order to dampen enthusiasm for voting and create a lower turn out. It’s a card they have been playing since the Cold War but this time the resources Russia devoted to interfering in America’s 2016 election are paying off handsomely.

America has a whole series of underlying issues it needs to address. The creation of a more perfect union is an impossible task but that doesn’t mean we should give up in despair. Ever so slowly things are changing in America and after seeing the ugliness emanating from the White House, most American’s agree Trump’s vision of a more perfect union is a dystopian future of hell on Earth.

I hope American can hold on until November to get this bloated babbling bastard out of the White House. Only then will America begin to repair the damage done by President Trump and continue on it’s Sisyphean task of creating a more perfect Union. I hope one day America will achieve it’s elusive dream but for now, I just hope American can hold it together.

Death knell of Trump’s Re-election

In late May, America surpassed the 100,000 mark of confirmed Corona cases. Over 30 million Americans have found themselves out of work as a result of the pandemic and the stock market has remained relatively buoyant all things considered. This is of paramount importance to President Trump as the economy and the stock market were to serve as the winning issue for his re-election campaign.

Despite all the issues confronting the nation, President Trump has remained extremely popular with his base and with the fanataical support of his base, the possibility of squeaking out an electoral college victory remains.

However, whatever chances he has for re-election will be going to the wind in the near future as the reality of Corona sets in. His base has decried the threat posed by Corona as being overly hyped up or even dismissed it as a democratic hoax to undermine the President’s re-election campaign. Simply put, the full effects of it have yet to be felt in rural America.

In Medieval Times, The Bubonic Plague spread from the steppes of Asia westwards. The plague was carried by fleas on rats which spread to countries along the Mediterranean Seaboard via merchant vessels. After reaching port cities, the plague was spread inland by the rats.

In modern times, viruses and plagues aren’t spread by merchant vessels anymore but instead by international travelers. The virus naturally entered America through large cities such as New York and Los Angeles. From there, the Corona Virus is spreading outwards.

The nature of America’s citizens will help spread the virus. America is a very individualistic country, distrust of the government is a quintessential American trait and cars are ubiquitous. All of these components, when coupled with the low rate of testing in America, likely means the virus will incubate and explode again in hot spots around the country.

Social distancing guidelines, mask wearing and quarantining were all encouraged and as a result Corona cases in New York have been falling. However, the lifting of restrictions before the virus was fully contained means it will spread throughout the rest of the country leading to Corona breakouts hitting parts of the nation that are more inclined to support President Trump.

Trump country is characterized by being rural areas. This should provide a natural defense against the transmission of the Corona virus due to the low population densities but the disregard of basic precautions will help to undermine this benefit.

Trump country, as I noted, have been dismissive of the CoronaVirus. Social distancing is frowned upon, wearing masks has been met with ridicule, and other basic precautions have been dismissed as the response to Corona has turned into a flashpoint in the cultural wars.

When further outbreaks occur, the rural areas which support Trump will be among the hardest hit. Their disregard for basic precautions means it will spread fast and when the reality sets in, it will be too late. Rural hospitals have been shutting down in recent years due to budgetary concerns and those hospitals which remain do not have the specialization and resources of their brethren located in population dense areas.

The thing with Corona is that it is an open ended crises which will dominate the news and our reality for the indefinite future. The Mueller investigation and Trump’s Impeachment were both affairs which ultimately had an ending. This is not the case with Corona. The ‘hoax’ that is Corona will be exposed as a reality, the economy will take further hits as the country opens up per-maturely and the inept government response will be put on full display. It is not something which can be outlasted, ignored or simply blustered over as has been Trump’s modus operandi.

Initially, when it was affecting Blue States, it was ‘the other’ who was being affected but red states will increasingly be affected. Over Memorial Day weekend, there was video of a massive pool party in Arkansas with nobody wearing masks. That is the exact behavior which will spread the virus among the innards of America, AKA Trump Country. As Trump’s election campaign begins in earnest, his and his supporters’ denial of Corona will cause it to spread like wildfire once he starts holding his massive re-election rallies in which basic prevention behaviors are ignored.

As the virus spreads, deaths will increase and the reality of CoronaVirus will hit home. Older voters, traditionally a strong bastion of support for Trump, will die at higher rates. The ineptness of the government response will be shown and I suspect this will lead to a lack of enthusiasm amongst Trump’s base at a minimum or an outright defection to the democrats.

Trump’s low approval rating, the inept government response along with the realization that the CoronaVirus is no hoax is going to lead to a walloping come November 2020. As a betting man, I am actually putting my money where my mouth is.

Why the caged bird sings

I always wondered why the caged bird sings.

In Songpa, I had time to ponder this. The caged bird don’t get to hear chirps from his friends for the random cup of coffee or beer session.

The caged bird don’t get to see the world or the sun cept through the bars of it’s cage and through the distant window.

All day nothing to do but sleep. At night, a blanket thrown over the cage means lights out. More sleep.

The caged bird don’t get to pick the seeds it eats, it don’t get to exercise it’s wings or strut its stuff. All it can do is sing. The two things nobody can take from it, it’s mind and by extension it’s voice.

It’s feathers may be plucked, it’s wings clipped, its talons cut, much like me: my hair shaved, my hands gaffled, my freedom to move curtailed.

Instead of losing my mind, I used my mind for it remains free, my voice may be unheard but my written words booming.

Now I know why the caged bird sings, it’s the same reason Simon B writes, putting that pen to paper. It’s all he can do.

Tribute

Tribute is a term associated with a supplicant-master type of situation. To my mind comes ancient China and its surrounding tributary kingdoms. The vassal kings would send tribute to China but in return would receive gifts of far more value. All in all its not a terrible proposition for the weaker party. The reason I write of tribute today is because its underutilized in society. If paying tribute is properly used, the dividends far outweigh the costs as was the case with ancient China.

In Korea, foreigners are viewed with some suspicions as Korea is a homogenous closed society. A lot of emphasis is placed on connections, bloodlines and relationships. Initially this cost me some difficulty as the people in authority at a club I would visit viewed me wearily.

Now, what I speak of is my little area of Itaewon, specifically UN club. My friend Damien wanted to get in for free but he wasn’t allowed. He asked me how I managed to get in free every week and I said tribute. He scoffed at this notion as being beneath him. Long story short, I could go in and out at will and occasionally get free drinks while Damien was stuck paying 10,000 won and no free drinks if he decided to go in.

Now how did I manage to get in free to this club all the time? I will call it tribute. When I first came to Korea, I fell in love with public drinking at convenient stores. As was often my style early on in my Korean adventure, I was sitting outside of UN club drinking. I refused to pay to get in as by nature I am not a club guy and I just needed to wait until my friends came out.

I ended up talking to the security guard Patrick, and realized he was divorced and had a son. I told him I would be going to the states and I would pick up a toy for his son. Initially, he probably assumed that it was just drunk talk but sure enough when I returned, I brought his son a remote controlled car. After that I was let into the club for free and it’s been that way since 2012.

Since that initially tribute, my ‘tribute’ to Patrick the security guard took many forms. I would bring him food, buy gum/tea etc for him up at the nearby store, help him check IDs, and on rare occasions get the police for him. What is my input? Very minimal because I cook anyways, and I am usually drinking nearby the club entrance anyway. What is my return? Free entry to the club which normally amounts to 10,000 won, the occasional free drinks, getting to meet girls entering the club due to my association with the club and the backing of the security personnel if any hypothetical situation were to occur. All in all, not a bad return. Even after he left the club, he introduced me to his replacement and spoke highly of me. His replacement continues to let me in for free while I continue to do acts of ‘tribute’ for him.

Those are mainly financial gains. On the other hand, I can say I have made a genuine friend. As he changed jobs, he asked for my facebook account and in all sincerity asked me to stay in touch. He told me in confidence once that he didn’t trust foreigners but that he trusted me and considered me a friend.

My point is, invest in relationships and it pays off. I call it ‘tribute’ as it is in a sense tribute or maybe bartering is a better word. In the long run, I have saved hundreds of dollars in club entrance fees and drinks by fulfilling a few simple tasks, helping and bringing the occasional dinner along. However, Damien refused to go that route and was stuck paying 10,000 each weekend.