#((I WOULD LOVE MULTIPLE VOLUNTEERS / VARIOUS SCENARIOS))

[pctaldrunk]

sometimes u read some books n u just start needing that good court revenge bullshit so uh hit me up if you’re down for a (probably v specific im so sorry we can tweaK ALL THE THINGS I PROMISE) scenario : 

muse a and muse b have known each other since birth, pretty much, and are both from important/powerful families that have a lot of status/influence in court. the families are close - possibly one is indebted to the other, possibly they have always held power/peerage in neighboring places and helped each other out, possibly one is loyal to the other, we can work out how they’re connected later.  muse a and muse b are childhood friends. their parents are simultaneously important and yet a threat to the emperor/people in charge (very likely both military families with a lot of sway in court).  

muse a’s family, at some point, becomes too much of a threat and is wrongfully accused/set up for treason/some other crime and everyone’s wiped out - only muse a survives, either by chance or else because the royal family wants insurance/to appear merciful. regardless - muse b/muse b’s family takes in and hides muse a. over the years, muse b helps muse a with their plans of revenge, including helping them come up with a fake identity and re-entering court to look for clues/evidence/make political moves. they trust each other most and keep each other relatively sane, even if they sometimes disagree on how to go about handling matters.

and also, building off that same set up: muse c is a member of the royal family that was also childhood friends w/ muse a and muse b. they’re personally innocent re: muse a’s family’s demise. they’re convinced that muse a is dead/imprisoned and so this person must just be someone else, but find themselves drawn to muse a upon their return, even if they can’t put their finger on why. muse a is specifically interacting with muse c because muse c is a step in their revenge plan, even though sometimes they feel bad about using muse c.

some fun bonus tropes: someone could have an incurable illness that stems from trauma an old sickness, the country could suddenly go to war, muse a could be found out, etc. etc.

and finally: if not platonic, all of that can be flavored with some leg of arranged-marriage-that-has-been-in-place-since-birth. for the ship vibes honestly i would ship all three as an ot3 or a/b or a/c. b/c is interesting by itself but we could work on it till it worked.

[musetta3]

Dragon Age OC as a Companion: Revka Cadash

Trend started by @little-lightning-lavellan it’s an amazing one and I had such fun with it! Thank you for the template!

This will be under a cut, because ohhhhhh my, there’s a lot here <3

This is also on AO3!

Is your OC a Companion in the Dragon Age series? What would it be like for a player to select them to join their party for quests (or romance them, perhaps? 👀) 

You have selected Revka Cadash to join your party!

Race: Dwarf 

Affiliation: Carta 

Gender: Female

Class: Rogue/Archer

Specialization: artificer

 Background

Revka Cordelia Cadash (born 8:95 Blessed) is a dwarven rogue and businesswoman. She is a companion and a potential romance option for a male human, dwarf, or qunari Inquisitor in Dragon Age: Inquisition.

Revka is a member of the many-membered Cadash Clan, and daughter of Brygida ‘Cookie’ Cadash and Artur ‘Archie’ Cadash. She has an older brother, Tavi, as well as numerous cousins, including Edric ‘Dasher’ Cadash, the head of the Ferelden Carta.  

Revka grew up in the company of her rambunctious cousins, and thus views them like brothers and sisters. It’s common for Cadashes to play tricks and pull pranks on each other as a way to show affection, as is evidenced in the short story ‘Flapping in the Breeze.’ Some of Revka’s favorite pranks include spiking food with chili oil, switching people’s beverages, hiding belongings, and breaking into ‘private’ things such as journals, desk contents, or that box of cookies under the bed.  

Revka made a name for herself in the Carta accompanying her mother and cousins on patrol as a teen. Her deadly accuracy with a bow earned her the nickname ‘Hawkeye;’ her duties quickly expanded to include ‘problem-solving’ for the Carta, her solutions ranging from assassinations, blackmail, and negotiating contracts, to smuggling, and forgeries. Her successful business plans and battle tactics made her a valuable asset to the Carta.

In 9:13 Dragon, Revka married Iwan Feddic, a member of the merchant caste and a Cadash client in Ostwick. She helped her husband run his international shipping business, a venture she took over after his untimely death. When Dasher’s wife, Darya, died at the hands of the Orlesian Carta, Revka returned to Ferelden to help her cousin raise his five children, turning over the Ostwicker affairs to her brother, Tavi.

When the Cadashes eliminated a rival Carta branch in Kirkwall, they sent Artur Cadash to oversee operations in the city. 22-year-old Revka volunteered to accompany him, becoming her father’s second in command. Once arrived in Kirkwall, she helped him found Graywater Imports, an import/export company functioning as a storefront for both legal and illegal goods. She is a prominent member of the Cadash Carta branch in Kirkwall, often dealing with the Dwarven Merchant Guild and Varric Tethras.

Romance with Varric Tethras

Shortly after Revka arrived in Kirkwall, she met the young Varric Tethras. What began as mixing business with pleasure became a romantic entanglement that lasted until Tethras met the talented smith Bianca Davri, and broke off with Revka for Bianca. As much as Revka wanted to cut all ties with him, she maintained their business relationship… and an unrequited, one-sided love for the deshyr prince.

Involvement

A special mission at the War Table will unlock a quest at Kirkwall’s Docks, ‘Ten Shades of Graywater,’ in which the Inquisitor will receive a mysterious anonymous letter inviting them to the coast to discuss a purveyor/supplier contract for the Inquisition. The Inquisitor will arrive in a seemingly abandoned alley, but is ambushed by Coterie thugs. After the enemies are slain, Revka can be engaged in conversation.

If Varric is in the party, he will be surprised to see Revka. It’s revealed that they know each other through various business ventures, and are old acquaintances… although the weighted, bitter quality of Revka’s answers imply that their relationship is more complicated than Varric had said.

Upon further questioning, Revka pitches her business proposal: wholesale lyrium for the Inquisition’s mages or Templars, with access to the Cadash Family’s network of spies, businesses, and Carta members for Inquisition purposes. Her only condition is that her family obtains an industry monopoly, becoming the sole provider of lyrium for the Inquisition and Southern Thedas.

Revka can be found near the archery targets and training dummies in Haven. Once the Inquisition relocates to Skyhold, Revka spends time training in the courtyard, in Skyhold’s main hall talking to Varric, or in the rookery, spoiling her messenger crow, Cipher, with treats. Dialogue options will reveal that she uses the bird keep in contact with her family and business associates.

 Approval and Romance

Revka can be romanced by a male Inquisitor of any race, and will jokingly comment on the height differences if romanced by a qunari, elf, or human. A Cadash inquisitor of either gender can unlock Carta-specific dialogue. Revka is guarded at first, giving out only generic information about her family, but with some persistent questioning the Inquisitor can wear her down. Depending on dialogue choices, the conversation can end with the Cadashes exchanging stories of ‘colorful’ family members and an approval gain.

   Revka takes a more pragmatic view on politics: she supports whoever pays the most, and sells lyrium to both the Templars and mages without discrimination. Upon learning the truth behind the events Redcliffe, however, she is dismayed to learn what her products enabled. Traveling to Redcliffe with Revka in the party will trigger her personal quest ‘Scales Fall from Her Eyes.’ (this quest will trigger after the Inquisition relocates to Skyhold if the player sided with the Templars)

Revka approves of Inquisitors who are tenacious, calculating/far-sighted, and does what is best for the majority. She believes that the end justifies the mean, sanctioning death only as a last resort. She approves of bold plans, investigating all aspects of a quest before making a decision, and an Inquisitor who makes jokes (especially puns). Her sense of justice changes as the player completes more of her personal quests. She will approve of charitable acts and kindness as the game progresses and her personal beliefs change.

Revka’s romance can be initiated through the conventional method flirting and conversation. During the quest ‘Scales Fall from Her Eyes,’ the Inquisitor has an opportunity to embrace Revka, leading to a kiss.

If Revka is not romanced by an Inquisitor, she can enter a relationship with Varric Tethras, but only if the Inquisitor assists in reconciling the two ex-lovers. Revka’s romantic past with Varric is hinted at in party banter if both are present, the two bickering with each other. This series of quests are available post-arrival at Skyhold, and has conditional dialogue for certain scenarios.

Revka gets along well with Dorian and Cassandra, bonding with them over their mutual love of books. It’s revealed that the three of them have an unofficial ‘book club’ going on, where they read various novels and comment on them in party banter. Revka also gets along well with Sera, bonding over pulling pranks in Haven and Skyhold. She makes a special bond with Leliana over nugs, owning a nug, herself.

Revka does not trust Solas from the moment she meets him, stating he knows too much, and is fond of talking without saying anything. She also suspects Blackwall of hiding something.

Companion Quests

Scales Fall from Her Eyes

After the events of Redcliffe, the Inquisitor will receive a note from Revka to meet her at the abandoned cabin outside Haven. Or, if the player sided with the Templars, this will trigger once the Inquisition relocates to Skyhold. At the meeting, she will share her guilt and horror at what occurred. She questions her personal beliefs, and offers an apology with the promise to amend her family’s business practices. After this quest, Revka is more empathetic, approving of selfless and charitable acts, whereas before she’d disapprove.

At the end of the quest, the Inquisitor has an opportunity to embrace Revka, which can lead to a kiss, if desired.

Varric’s Quest in Valammar

Revka can be found beside the fireplace in the main hall, arguing with Varric over the contents of a particular letter. Upon investigation, the Inquisitor learns that Revka has broken into the locked box in which Varric keeps his correspondence, which she claims he’s done to her on multiple occasions over the years. He neither denies nor confirms the accusation. Revka demands to know why Varric is still in contact with ‘that woman,’ declares she won’t set foot in the main hall until his ‘guest’ is gone, and leaves, demanding the Inquisitor ‘talk some sodding sense into him.’

This leads into Varric’s quests with Bianca Davri, and some cutting comments from Bianca calling Revka a ‘sore loser.’ Varric comes to Revka’s defense, much to the Inquisitor’s surprise.

If the Inquisitor takes Revka to Valammar, she disapproves and will grouse all the way there, cutting snide remarks whenever Varric says something. She becomes jealous during Bianca and Varric’s reminiscing, interjecting and muttering. Her anger only grows as the quest proceeds, Revka calling out Bianca for her selfish, pragmatic methods and carelessness. Once Inquisitor concludes the quest, Revka declares she needs some air, and says she’ll meet the Inquisitor at the nearest inquisition camp later.

Upon arrival at the campsite, a scout reports that Revka never returned to camp. The Inquisitor must search the nearby area; eventually, they find Revka injured after being ambushed by bandits (the Inquisitor and the party must defeat them in order for the quest to proceed).

If Varric is present, he will be upset, demanding to know why she would be so foolish as to wander around alone. Revka half-jokes, claiming how surprised she is that Varric cares about her safety, after all these years. Varric’s expression visibly shifts. The Inquisitor arranges for her immediate medical care, but it’s too serious a wound for her to remain out in the field. After this point, Revka is unavailable as a companion until after the Inquisitor returns to Skyhold.

Once the Inquisitor returns, they will find Varric in the central courtyard, pacing outside the infirmary/medical tents. The medic will inform the Inquisitor that Varric hasn’t left since Revka’s arrival, but refuses to go inside to see her. Selecting Varric for a conversation will show he can’t bear to face her after what happened at Valammar; he feels especially guilty, knowing that she got hurt in an attempt to calm down after the encounter. The Inquisitor can remind Varric that his apology should be to Revka, not them. To trigger their romance, the Inquisitor can encourage him to visit Revka and share his feelings.

If the Inquisitor visits her instead, they will gain high approval with her, and further unlock romance scenes. After the visit in the tent, Revka will invite the Inquisitor to her quarters to personally ‘thank’ him. The Inquisitor can choose to accept her proposition, or refuse. Depending on choice, Revka may sleep with the Inquisitor. There is an option to break relations off with Revka the morning after.

 Revka’s Family

Revka’s war table missions mostly revolve around business opportunities she’s scouted out for the Inquisition throughout Thedas. Some of these are triggered through conversations with Revka in the rookery or throughout Skyhold. Completing quests from her cousin Jon in Tevinter will reveal Venatori camps on all game-maps, and will reduce the cooldown time on war table quests dealing with Venatori in general.

Revka’s cousin, Czibor, can be encountered in the Hissing Wastes hunting Venatori. Accompanying xem in eliminating a Venatori camp can lead to xir recruitment as an Inquisition agent.

The Trouble with Tavi

After the quest Wicked Eyes and Wicked Hearts, Revka will ask to meet the Inquisitor, requesting their assistance in a matter of life or death. She reveals that she’s received a letter from the Orlesian Carta, stating their displeasure at the Inquisitor’s choice of ruler, since they’re encroaching on the Orlesian Carta’s operations. They know Revka and the Cadash family has been helping the Inquisition, and threaten to exact revenge. She’d thought it an empty threat until her brother Tavi stopped replying to her letters. Upon investigation, it’s revealed that the Orlesian Carta kidnapped Tavi and have hid him at their base in Val Royeaux. Revka asks the Inquisitor for assistance.

Should the Inquisitor refuse Revka, she will greatly disapprove, stating that her brother’s more important that the Inquisitor’s ‘sodding principles,’ and leave the Inquisition to save him. She will not be available again until later in the game (post Adamant), when a war table mission will appear from Tavi in Ostwick, stating that Revka saved him and has returned to Kirkwall. She is still very offended, and is considering terminating the Cadash business contracts with the Inquisition. He urges the Inquisitor to please make her reconsider, citing the monetary gain the contracts net him but also Revka’s hurt (note: the letter will also reference a romanced Varric, asking the Inquisitor to enlist his help). The Inquisitor has the choice to make up with Revka and invite her back, or leave her be.  

Should the Inquisitor choose to help Revka, she will greatly approve and travel with the Inquisitor to Val Royeaux. Varric—regardless of the romance status—will also express interest in coming, but bringing him along is not required. Revka will be touched by his offer, regardless.

The meeting place mentioned in the Carta’s letter is an abandoned oil warehouse at the docks. Inside, the companions note the derelict condition of the place. The further they travel into the warehouse, following a trail of blood, the smell of rancid oil grows stronger. In a storeroom, there is a lone dead dwarf bearing a note, a man Revka recognizes as Tavi’s second in command in Ostwick. If the Inquisitor can find Tavi before time runs out, the note says, they’re welcome to him. As the Inquisitor reads the note aloud, a shadow darts in the periphery; the door slams shut, locking them in. A torch is thrown in through a window, setting the spilled oil on fire.

The Inquisitor may, through a series of dialogue choices, decide to rescue Tavi or leave him to his fate, opting to escape. If the Inquisitor chooses to escape and leave Tavi behind, Revka will greatly disapprove, running off to find him herself. If she is romanced by Varric, he will also greatly disapprove, stating that they should go after Revka. If the Inquisitor chooses this route, they can still save Revka and Tavi. Otherwise, the two Cadashes are not seen again, supposedly perishing in the fire. Revka will then be unavailable as a companion for the remainder of the game.  

The mission to save Tavi is time-sensitive, with several endings: should the Inquisitor take too long to escape or find Tavi, the warehouse will collapse on them, killing everyone. The timer, separated into quarters, is marked by sections of the roof collapsing: escaping by the third collapse will guarantee the party’s safety. Escaping post-third collapse can result in a 50% chance of the roof collapsing on the party: if this occurs, Revka pushes either her love interest or her brother out of the way of a falling beam, sacrificing herself for their safety. The mission then ends with the party barely escaping in time, mourning the loss of their lover and/or friend.

Pranks

Various pranks around Skyhold and Haven are attributed to Revka via ambient dialogue and party banter. If the approval rate is high enough, Inquisitor has an opportunity to join Revka in pulling pranks around Skyhold post-Adamant. She claims that she’d like to cheer everyone up, and would like the Inquisitor’s help.

Prank 1: sneak into the kitchen and switch the sugar out for salt in a cake.

Prank 2: paint a smiley face on the back of a sleeping Solas’s head

Prank 3: Rearrange Vivienne’s furniture

Prank 4: Distract Varric so she can steal his letters and replace them with scrambled riddles

A cutscene follows, showing a crowd standing at the base of a flagpole the morning after. Revka pushes through the crowd, gasping: someone has nailed her frilly blue panties to the pole. Varric is seen leaning against a column, howling with laughter. Revka pulls a face at him and scowls, but eventually ends up laughing, too. (Note: this is inspired by the short story ‘Flapping in the Breeze’)

Trespasser

If Revka left or died during the events of the game, she will not be at the Winter Palace. Otherwise, there are several outcomes as to what she’s been doing…

If she romanced Varric, she returned to Kirkwall and is his lover

If she romanced the Inquisitor, she stayed alongside him as an Inquisition agent

If she did not romance anyone, she returned to Kirkwall

There is an option to marry Revka as a romanced Inquisitor, or urge her to marry Varric. If she marries, her brother Tavi and a recruited cousin Czibor may attend the ceremony.

 Combat comments

Kills an enemy

And stay dead!

Sodding nughumper, good riddance.        

Low Health

A little help would be lovely!

Oh shit. Not good.

Atredum na satolva! Toss me a health potion,     will you?

I’m too old for this…        

Low Health (Companions)

(The Inquisitor) Inquisitor!

(The Inquisitor - if romanced) Hold on, love!

(Varric, unromanced) Varric, you don’t look so     good...

(Varric, if romanced) Oh shit, don’t you dare die on     me.  

(Sera) Can someone check on Sera, please?

(Cassandra) Cass! Wait!

(Dorian) Dorian needs help!

Location comments

(Approaching Camp) Ahhh! Home sweet tent. 

(When collecting a shard) Ooh! I wonder how much it’d fetch at market.

Storm Coast

(sighs) They ought to call this place the ‘Soggy Coast,’ or the ‘Sopping Coast.’  My socks are soaked through to my boots.

Fallow Mire

The bugs will drain you dry before the undead will. Nug-humping bastards keep biting me…

Anyone else feel eyes watching you from the shadows?

Hinterlands

(Laughs) You know, back when I was running jobs for the Carta, I would get so lost here in the Hinterlands. Good to know things haven’t changed.

Don’t go near there; bears love that place. I learned that the hard way…

(at Witchwood) Ah, the Which-Witch-is-Which-Wood. Da would warn my brother and I about this place when were children.

The Hissing Wastes

I have sand in places I never knew existed.

Why my cousin had to choose to hunt Venatori in the ass-end of nowhere is beyond me…

Emprise du Lion

(scoffs) Snow. Snow. More sodding snow. I’m up to my tits in the stuff.

We don’t get snow like this in Kirkwall.

(on seeing a snowfleur) Ooh, look! Fluffy nugs! Can I take one home? Lucky could use a friend.

Emerald Graves

I…I heard the reason why this place is called the Emerald Graves. Such a tragic story.

I didn’t expect such greenery this far south, to be honest.

Exalted Plains

(shivers) You can feel the sorrow in this place.

 Companion Comments

Blackwall: “Rev? She’s a bit… unnerving, to be honest. Never smiles, glares holes in the side of your head. Offered to sell my carvings in Denerim, though: two sovereigns apiece. I swear she could sell water to a fish, that woman…”

Varric: “(Laughs) Hawkeye and I go way back. Don’t let her innocent face fool you: she’ll bleed you dry at Wicked Grace if you let her. Learned some of my best tricks from her—Don’t…erm. Don’t tell her that.”

OR

“Do you know how Hawkeye got her name? She shot a fly from across a room, once. Still don’t know how she did it.”

(If Inquisitor romanced Revka) Hawkeye’s a sweet girl, under all the Carta bullshit. I’m glad she has you; she deserves some happiness in her life.”

(If romances Revka): “I know they say don’t mix business with pleasure, but I get all the best discounts at Graywater Imports, now. You want anything? I think they’re running a sale on Antivan leather, at the moment.”

OR

“She’s probably upstairs feeding Cipher, knowing her. Or taking another order for Dagna; buys crafting supplies like candy, that one.”

Sera: “Rev’s fun, not all stuffy just ‘cause she’s someone back home, yeah? Takes jokes well. Can’t shoot for shit, though…”

Cole: Ash, steel, gray, withering inside at the sight of him smiling at her. Don’t look back, you’re not going that way; old coals don’t rekindle. It bleeds under her armor, but she can’t bandage the wound. I want to help. (if she romances Varric) but he helped her feel whole again. (if she romances the Inquisitor) but you helped her feel whole again.

Solas: “Is it wise to allow a known member of the Carta in our ranks? She actively seeks information and passes it along to her superiors.”

OR

“Do tell Mistress Cadash that if she breaks into my desk one more time, I shall ward the drawers to set her on fire. I can tolerate harmless pranks, but one thing I cannot abide is liars who snoop.”

Iron Bull: “They say still waters run deep, and she’s no exception. She might appear all laughs and smiles, but that woman knows exactly what she’s doing. Don’t underestimate her.”

Dorian: “Ah, my darling Rev: she has excellent taste in literature and baked goods.” (if she romances Varric) “And dwarven merchant princes.”

Cassandra: “I doubted her intentions, at first, but she has proven herself quite useful to the Inquisition. If you see her, tell her to return my book, will you? She ‘borrowed’ a week ago, and I want to know what happens to the poor Guard Captain.”

Vivienne: “Mistress Cadash would do quite well at court; she understands the Game surprisingly well for one who’s not a courtier. Too strong from the onset, however: the idea is to gain a person’s trust, not frighten them into submission.”

Cullen: “I knew Mistress Cadash back in Kirkwall; I’d frequent Graywater Imports often. They carry three kinds of hair pomade there, did you know?”

Josephine: “Mistress Cadash has many useful connections throughout Thedas; I’m pleased she offers them to us so freely. But then, we’re making her a rich woman with all the business contracts. Quid pro quo, as the Tevinters say.”

Leliana: “Rev is a shrewd woman, fierce and good at her craft. Did you know that she has a pet nug in Kirkwall? She always has something for the birds when she comes here; I like her.”

 Trivia

It’s said that the young Varric Tethras wrote his  first novel, The Dasher’s Men, about Edric Cadash, Revka’s cousin. The femme fatale who assists the hero of the tale, Revka, is heavily inspired by Varric’s lover at the time, Revka Cadash. An autographed copy of The Dasher’s Men can be found in the rookery, where Revka sits.  

Revka adores cookies, and has been trying to get the secret brandy snap recipe off of her cousin, Edric, for years. She has tried everything  from recipe book publisher scams to impersonating the Viscount of Kirkwall’s chef to obtain the recipe

In party banter, Revka will mention her nug, Lucky, which, according to the short story, she won  during a rather raucous evening of Wicked Grace.

When Revka isn’t reading, answering correspondence, or training, she enjoys baking, sewing, and embroidery.

Despite being an adept businesswoman, Revka is terrible at bookkeeping, and will often complain about it to Varric… sometimes enlisting him to do it, with a bribe of cookies.

[mr-entj]

Career 102: Getting a job you have no experience in

Combined with the following asks:

Hey Mr ENTJ. Do you have advice on how to move from academia into industry for someone who has only research experience? Only a CV and not a resume? Thank you!

How do you spin skills from one industry to be applicable to another? I'm a theater and English major (yes, I know) and it's been difficult finding work lately, because I am stuck living in a state where there are little jobs for that. I've worked on films, weddings, as a curator guide at a museum, and have my AA. I've had good interview after good interview, and have been outright told at three different places that I was a perfect fit. And then they went with someone else. Any advice?

Hi Mr. ENTJ I love your blog, is a great source of information for me so thanks for that! I have a question if you don’t mind. What kind of advice would you give to a graduate student who has not worked on their field during college and now is looking for a job? I’m a Business major but I’m currently working as a language teacher at a private institute (it started as a part-time job) My salary’s really good, however I’d like to start working in business but I have no experience on that :( thnks!

Hi there! I've read some of your advice to other askers and find what you say very perceptive and realistic. I'd like to ask your opinion. I have Bachelors and Masters degrees in the life sciences. I worked in academia for 2 years but my field lacked funding so I left. I have no commercial experience.I have problems getting a job because of this and most companies' resistance to hiring nonpractical grads. I want to go into consulting which is more flexible with degrees. What would you advise?

Hi mr entj! This may be a bit of a stupid question but what should I do if I can't find the job in a field(actually sub-field of a field) that I'm aiming for? I'm looking to be a concept artist but I can't seem to find any such jobs that don't require atleast a year of experience and since I'm a fresher I don't have that. In my country, there is also not a tradition of getting small student jobs so I don't have that experience either. Help me with some tips please.

Related answers:

Resume and Cover Letter Guide

Job Hunting 101

Top 3 job hunting mistakes college students make

Tips on transitioning from school to the workplace

Job interview tips

To break into a field that you have no experience in, translate the experiences in your current career into the “language” of your target career. The ultimate goal is this: make it as easy as possible for the hiring manager (and recruiter) to understand your background. People are lazy, they aren’t going to waste their time performing mental gymnastics to figure out how your obscure experience applies to their available job-- if they can’t figure it out-- your resume goes into the rejection pile. Make it easy for them.

To do that, see below.

Step 1: Collect multiple job descriptions of similar roles 

The goal is to source as many overlapping skills as possible for the same role so that you can update your resume to reflect them. To illustrate this, let’s say you’re currently a school teacher but your goal is to become a Communications Manager for a tech company. What kind of skills are tech companies looking for in Communications Managers? A simple search on LinkedIn for “communications manager” yields 42,000 results:

You don’t need to read all 42,000 job descriptions, but pick 4-5 that interest you from top companies (i.e. Lyft, Twitter, Facebook, Google) of similar nature. Top companies are leaders of the pack; their job descriptions are reliably the ones that other lower tier companies will copy.

Step 2: Identify key themes

All job descriptions that aren’t scams will have sections called “roles/responsibilities” and “minimum qualifications” with detailed bullet points describing what they’re looking for in the ideal candidate. As an example, I’ll use the Lyft “Internal Communications Manager” job description above and a “Communications Manager” job from Twitter to identify the key themes.

Lyft - Internal Communications Manager

Responsibilities

Work closely with and influence key company leadership to develop and disseminate their important messages to team members, including aligning the team on our strategy, goals, and priorities (Key theme: Communication)

Own strategy and results for keeping all relevant team members informed on important org news and updates in a timely and engaging manner.  (Key theme: Stakeholder management)

Provide strategic, direct hands-on support to key senior leaders  (Key theme: Project management)

Proactively identify new opportunities and develop new programs to continually up level our internal communications program  (Key theme: Analysis)

Successfully collaborate with cross-functional partners to execute on a comprehensive plan for seamless communications.  (Key theme: Collaboration)

Maintain the Lyft voice across all communications, written and verbal, and across company leadership (Key theme: Branding)

Keep Lyft fun!  (Key theme: Culture fit)

Twitter - Communications Manager

Roles And Responsibilities

Coordinate with various Twitter teams on product launches, announcements, issues and other news  (Key theme: Project management)

Craft communications materials with a high degree of consistency, conviction, and strong tone of voice (e.g. messaging docs, communications plans, blog posts, statements, Tweets)  (Key theme: Communication)

Drive proactive, creative storytelling around our products and the people who build them across a range of media, both traditional and non-traditional (press, podcasts, speaking engagements, video, etc.)  (Key theme: Communication)

Help the team establish and maintain relationships with reporters nationally and globally.  (Key theme: Stakeholder management)

Manage a high-volume of incoming queries from media covering product matters, and be able to consult and drive towards decision-making on press response during high-pressure scenarios  (Key theme: Project management)

Serve as a company spokesperson in the U.S. and in other markets.  (Key theme: Branding)

Draft, manage through reviews, and upload blog posts and Tweets for announcements and updates  (Key theme: Communication)

Track press coverage for key announcements; identify and correct inaccuracies in stories  (Key theme: Analysis)

Support team to drive proactive stories in global, local and industry-focused publications  (Key theme: Project management)

You’ll notice that the same key themes will emerge for similar roles. Extract these key themes and copy and paste them into your resume. Move to step 3. 

Step 3: Translate your experience and achievements to map to these key themes

From the Lyft and Twitter Communications Manager job descriptions above, we have the following 7 key themes:

Communication: Writing, editing, speaking, etc.

Stakeholder management: How to be organized and manage large groups of people of different levels and backgrounds

Project management: How to be organized and adaptable to support senior leaders with whatever they need done

Analysis: How to be a critical thinker who can spot better ways to do things (AKA performance/process improvement)

Collaboration: How to achieve success with people from different backgrounds

Branding: How to write in the company’s voice or a voice not your own

Culture fit: You need to jive with the company’s organizational culture

As a school teacher, you may not have the exact experience required but you’ve definitely done work that maps to these key themes. Use the verbiage from the job descriptions to write new bullet points for your resume:

(Key theme: Communication): Crafted and distributed weekly internal communications to 500+ students on academic updates, key event announcements, and other news in collaboration with administrative staff

(Key theme: Communication): Managed a high volume of inquiries from parents and administrative staff on the academic performance of 30+ students, provided updates and resolved concerns resulting in strong performance ratings

(Key themes: Stakeholder management + project management): Collaborated closely with senior leadership and a team of parents, educators, and volunteers to fund, launch, and manage the school’s $400,000 music program resulting in new extracurricular opportunities for 40+ students

(Key theme: Analysis): Led strategic initiative to improve academic curriculum and identified new teaching methodologies for 20 ESL (English Second Language) students resulting in an 15% increase in annual graduation rates

It won’t be a perfect fit, you will still get a lot of rejections, but your profile and background are much easier to understand to someone hiring for a communication manager role than it was before. Use your new resume as a script for the job interview to explain your experience as it relates to the role they’re hiring for.

Key Takeaways

Brand yourself for the role you want, not the role you have. Your resume and LinkedIn should contain a description of the role you’re aiming for and what skills/experience you bring to the table. If you’re currently a school teacher who wants to become a Communications Manager, then brand yourself as a “Communications leader with expertise in education, project management, and collaboration with people of various backgrounds.” This also makes it easier for recruiters to find you online because if they’re hiring for a Communications Manager, they will not be searching for a school teacher, they’ll be searching for key words related to that specific role.

Apply everywhere. You’re going to get rejected, a lot, it’s part of the process and you’re an underdog so don’t take it personally. Job hunting is a numbers game, always cast a wide net.

Progress is better than perfection. If your goal is to become a Communications Manager for the United States White House but you’re currently a school teacher, then the odds are you won’t immediately get hired by the White House. The goal here is to first break into the industry and work your way up. Accept the role that you want in a company that may not be your first choice because progress is better than perfection. Once you accumulate achievements in this role, other more reputable companies will be willing to take a chance on you.

Networking is everything. This is why human connections are the most powerful-- resumes can score interviews, but relationships build careers because hiring is about trust. If people don’t know you and your experience doesn’t inspire a ton of confidence or trust, they won’t extend an offer and commit to a legally binding employment agreement. To build that trust, use university career offices, professional networking events, internet job sites, forums, and other venues to engage and meet people. Socialization leads to trust which leads to opportunities.

[studentparamedicsaus]

Student-Graduate Paramedic Transition

This piece was written by the awesome @freshontheambo, who’s taken the time to provide some insight into the process of applying for jobs and beginning on road. 

“Hey, I’m a recent paramedic graduate who has just embarked on my GPIP period with the QAS.  The application process can certainly be a difficult thing to navigate and wrap your head around, so I’d love to help clear the air a little for those of you who maybe want to hear about it from the perspective of someone freshly through the process.

First of all is the online application process.  This only opens once a year, so keep an eye out on their website as well as their Facebook.  Remember, you can apply even if you haven’t yet completed your degree, though you must be in your final year of study. This online application can take a bit of time to do, and when I was doing it, there was no closing it and coming back to it, you had to restart it if you couldn’t get it done in one hit.  There are important things you’ll need on hand to attach to the application file, all of which can be found in the applicant information pack QAS provide.  Off the top of my head I believe this includes:

Certified copy of birth certificate

Certified copy of driver’s license

Certified copy of academic transcript or graduation certificate, whichever is relevant (NOTE: the certified copy of academic transcript must be of the original, not a copy you can get online.  You’ll probably have to pay to get this unfortunately).

A clinical reference (i.e the most recent mentor)

A professional reference which needs to be no more than 2 years recent (if not available, a volunteering reference is also accepted)

Certified copies need to be done by a Justice of the Peace.  Basically, you make a photocopy of the original document, then take the copy as well as the original along to a Justice of the Peace who will certify it (this will be free don’t worry).  You will then need to scan and save this certified copy onto your computer so it can be attached to the application form online.  It’s definitely a good idea to get these all done before you do the online application form because, as I said, if you complete a section and then find out you need to submit one of the above files, you have to stop and re-start it all over again once you’ve got it.

As part of this online application, you also select where you would like to work.  You can either select the specific LASNs (Local Area Service Network which the state is divided up into) in the order you would prefer, or you can select a box which says that you are willing to work anywhere.  You will no doubt hear that this box is the best idea to select as you are more likely to get a job.  I can’t really tell you how much truth is in that, but I will say that of the people I know who listed Metro areas as their preference are mostly still waiting to hear from QAS, or were told they weren’t successful and should apply again.  It seemed that many of those who selected regional areas got jobs quite quickly, and those who selected the box (myself included) either got jobs straight up or a little later.  Again, this is based just on the small pool of people I know.  At the end of the day, you of course need to select whatever option is viable for you with your circumstances at the time.

Once you submit the application, the waiting game begins!  Most people will end up getting asked to attend a QAS assessment day.  For my application round, this ended up happening about a month or maybe two after the applications were all submitted.  From what I understand, the vast majority of people will get to this stage, very few end up getting rejected based off the online process alone. 

The assessment day is a pretty big day and is obviously very crucial.  One thing to remember for this day is that YOU ARE WATCHED 100% OF THE TIME.  The facility has cameras and microphones everywhere, and they will watch how you conduct yourself between the various assessments, as well as during them.  Use this opportunity to make a point of putting yourself out there, to show that you can work other people whom you don’t know.  Make a point to go and talk to other applicants you don’t know.  As for what you’ll do on the assessment day, it’s split into 3 main parts:

English and Numeracy test

This comprises of online multiple choice questions which are based on your ability to handle grammar and data interpretation.  The best advice I can give for this is to go online and Google ‘maths and English aptitude practice test’ because the maths in particular was maths that I hadn’t done since Grade 8

Psychometric test:

There is no way you can actually prepare for this.  It’s your personality based on answers you give to specific questions, and it takes a LONG time to complete as there are about 200 questions.  The only advice for this one is to answer truthfully.  Don’t just answer what you think QAS wants you to answer with, the test actually flags for answers that are ‘too perfect’.  You’ll be told this again on the day, but still, it’s good to know to just answer truthfully.

Various teamwork scenarios:

These are not clinical scenarios. Indeed throughout the whole assessment day, there is no clinical knowledge required, most likely because those applying are not exclusively from Queensland universities, and as such are not familiar with QAS protocol. There’s no equipment.  It really is more about how you conduct yourself in team-work, problem solving situations.  Again, it’s important to remember that you need to make an effort to show to them that you can work seamlessly as part of a team.  It’s also important here that while you need to try and stick out, they also don’t like to see you dominate above others.

Once the assessment day happens, that’s pretty much the last you’ll hear until you know your fate.  Some may get contacted later for a further psych assessment, but not everyone will.  I didn’t and I still got a job, so don’t stress.  Once the offers start coming out, they come out in rounds with about 45 people usually per intake.  These come out every 6 weeks or so typically, and if you didn’t get selected in a particular round, they’ll let you know and they’ll either say ‘You’re still being considered for further rounds’ or ‘You’ve been deemed not suitable’.  There isn’t one mass round of rejections, they seem to do it in stages as well.

You’ll know you’re in when you get an email, asking you to complete a medical assessment.  This is basically the exact same assessment that you’ve got to do when you go on prac, so don’t stress.  Before attending, though, you’ll need serology reports and vaccination records, as well as an optometrist report if you wear glasses. 

Provided the medical assessment goes well, they’ll go on to do a criminal history report and ask you to give them a driving history report which you can get emailed from the transport and main roads website for about $20 from memory.  Once that’s all done, you’ll get your contract and be told the dates of your 6 week induction program at Whyte Island (which is also where the assessment day is held), as well as the station you’ll be at for your GPIP period and then the permanent station after you have finished your GPIP period (NOTE: the station you will be permanently in will very likely be different to where you spend your GPIP).

That’s really it for the application process.  The worst part is obviously the waiting.  Be prepared to wait and to see a very large disparity between the people who are chosen and those who are not or who are left waiting a long time.  QAS’ selection process is very difficult to understand, even clinical educators who ran our 6 week induction didn’t fully understand it.  It seems QAS care more about your ability to work in a team than they do your actual ability as a paramedic.  I have seen people whom I knew to be very competent throughout uni and their pracs to be left waiting or even rejected, and I have seen people whom made their way through with bare minimum passes throughout uni get jobs straight up.  It can be a long process and a long waiting period for many people, so my best advice is to keep yourself busy with a job of some kind in the mean time, and to keep yourself touching up on clinical things every now and then so you don’t forget everything.  The 6 week induction program is an excellent refresher and you really learn a lot of clinical things, but keeping yourself up to date with a bit of study here and there prior to commencing is definitely a good idea.

As for being a GPIP itself, out on road, it is quite a lot different from when you did clinical placements, and will definitely take some getting used to.  You find yourself having to think about things you didn’t have to before, such as where are you going to put the stretcher, even just manoeuvring the stretcher with a patient onboard.  Obviously you also have driving to consider, which is a lot of fun but again, something new to throw on to what is already a very overwhelming event.  Don’t worry, though.  People are supportive of you and your partner will help you navigate these strange waters because, of course, this is a very teamwork-based career where mistakes and errors are shared.

Good luck with your applications and I hope this helped some of you at least get some kind of an understanding of what this process entails, rather than just leaving you even more confused.

As for being a GPIP itself, out on road, it is quite a lot different from when you did clinical placements, and will definitely take some getting used to. You find yourself having to think about things you didn’t have to before, such as where are you going to put the stretcher, even just manoeuvring the stretcher with a patient onboard. Obviously you also have driving to consider, which is a lot of fun but again, something new to throw on to what is already a very overwhelming event. I’m still finding it strange to get myself out of the headspace of not being a student anymore, of actually making clinical decisions and having to look confident on those decisions, not just feeling like you’re making suggestions that your mentors will choose to either act on or not. On one hand, it’s an amazing feeling of freedom, and on the other hand, it’s a little daunting because you feel a little like you’re doing a trapeze act without a net. There’s no longer the safety of having 2 mentors who ultimately make the decisions, it’s you. You’ve got your partner, sure, but it really is on you and in doing your paperwork, again, it’s got your name and signature on it, not your mentor’s. It’s daunting but you do start to get used to it. And don’t worry about how you’ll be treated by other staff. People are supportive of you and your partner will help you navigate these strange waters because, of course, this is a very teamwork-based career where mistakes and errors are shared. Paramedics will ultimately see that you have the same uniform on as them, not that you don’t have 2 stripes under your caduceus. You may not be a “full paramedic” yet, but you’ll get treated as one of the gang. No more having to give up your seats in write up rooms or at station! They’re your seats as much as their’s now!”

[3402studentvolunteer-blog]

Final Volunteer Blog Post

The knowledge I’ve gained from this experience primarily consists of a new perspective on people with Dementia. I used to have preconceived negative connotations of them, as I often had the uncertainty that many face when interacting with people with Dementia. Through interacting with my matches, I have gained a new positive perspective that I can tell my peers to encourage them to change the way that they think about people with Dementia. Peer influence can be a highly effective means of changing an adolescent’s opinion (Albert et al., 2014), of which I hope to influence positively through telling stories about my positive experience. A more positive outlook on Dementia can allow for greater acceptance in the community, allowing for those with the disease to live more normal lives.

In a general sense, the entire Health Science program has taught me that health is an extremely broad field that is impacted by multiple variables. I have learned various biological, social, and psychological variables that can impact one’s health status, as well as have learned specific facts regarding various diseases (such as Dementia). My studies have prepared me with how to effectively analyze real time health scenarios, and how to approach various situations with an open mind and willingness to learn. I have an extremely open minded perspective as I understand the multifaceted factors of life, and have brought this into my position by being willing to listen and learn from my matches.

My opinion on Dementia has been highly impacted by this experience, as briefly mentioned above. While you can do many reviews of published literature to learn about Dementia, I feel as though you cannot truly understand it until you have first-hand experience with someone who has the condition. Through my conversations with my matches we have laughed, they have told me stories, and we have discussed various topics (both current and in the past). These individuals have so much knowledge and experience to share but are often stigmatized once somebody learns that they have Dementia. While I never saw these individuals negatively, I definitely used to feel uneasy due to a fear of unpredictability during conversations, in fear of bringing up something that they do not remember. Now, I realize that you can easily redirect the conversation and everything will end up working out in the end.

To positively impact the situation, various stakeholders can do their part. Individuals can change their perspective on those with Dementia, communities can become more Dementia-friendly (through clear and safe infrastructure, support programs, etc), students can be taught about Dementia at school in order to prepare them for older family and friends developing the condition, and the government can provide more funding for support programs and research to hopefully find a cure/effective treatment. By involving society to change their perspective on Dementia, those with symptoms are more likely to seek treatment as they do not feel ashamed for what is happening as they age (Riley et al., 2014), resulting in better outcomes for these individuals. Real change will not occur until every group in a population is involved in the solution, and with today’s aging population understanding Dementia has become increasingly important.

Through this service opportunity, I believe I have further developed my compassion, empathy, and communication skills. I have improved my compassion for others through learning more about my match’s lives, providing me with a new perspective on how I see others. Everybody has their own lived experiences and deserve to be celebrated equally, of which I understand further now that I have developed these relationships. My empathy quality has increased as well through seeing things from their perspective: they are often misunderstood and stigmatized, all for reasons beyond their control. Individuals with Dementia report higher rates of isolation due to this stigmatization (Riley et al., 2014), discouraging them from actively participating in society, making their last years of life less meaningful and enjoyable. Not only for the individual with Dementia, but I have also gained empathy for their caregivers: they are doing something completely selfless, but in the meanwhile see their loved one gradually losing their function. I cannot even imagine how hard that must be, especially if it is a family member or spouse who you have relied on and known for countless years. I have also developed my conversational skills and feel as though I can better maintain a conversation with those outside of my age bracket. Before this experience, I commonly only spoke to peers my same age, and my older family members. I did not really ever have the opportunity to talk to older individuals that began as complete strangers, so in having the opportunity I feel as though I can have more quality conversation with strangers in the future.

As somebody who has always wanted to work with kids, I feel as though my future career still aims to do so rather than working with the elderly population. Not for reasons such as not enjoying interacting with the elderly, but rather I do not think I could handle constantly seeing individuals (and their loved ones) in pain and mental anguish due to their gradual health degeneration. It would break my heart to essentially see somebody’s life fall apart, and see their partners counting down the days they have left with their loved ones. I do not have the strength to tell somebody that their brain is failing them, as I know how much it will change their entire life. It takes a very special and strong kind of person to work with the elderly, and I have nothing but respect and admiration for them.

The primary thing that has stuck on my mind for this experience has been how scared I am to get old and potentially develop Dementia. While it may sound stupid, I highly value the knowledge that I have (and will) learn and cannot imagine losing all of these memories. While I have not had my own family yet, it would be devastating to forget who my family members are and my memories with them. Individuals with Dementia face many unknowns, which makes me extremely nervous as I am the type of person who always needs to know what is going on. While I still have many years until this can potentially happen, I need to work on maintaining healthy habits in order to give myself the best chance possible at living a healthy life.

References: Albert, D., Chein, J., & Steinberg, L. (2013). The Teenage Brain. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 22(2), 114–120. https://doi.org/10.1177/0963721412471347 Riley, R. J., Burgener, S., & Buckwalter, K. C. (2014). Anxiety and Stigma in Dementia. Nursing Clinics of North America, 49(2), 213–231. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cnur.2014.02.008

[educ326portfolio-ah]

Feeling Safe, Loved, Powerful, Free, Pleasured

I feel powerful when I feel prepared, whether it be for a situation, event, or task. I tend to very easily become overwhelmed with things if I do not prepare for them beforehand, and so the power that I feel from preparedness comes from the feeling that I have at least some control over different aspects of my life. For instance, staying organized is one way I try to ensure that I feel this way. I always create detailed to-do lists for each week to help me keep track of assignments, tasks, and volunteering duties, as well as color-code my calendar and tasks in my to-do lists from most to least important. This allows me to stay in control as I am able to focus on each day's task rather than getting bombarded by my thoughts and anxiety by thinking ahead to everything that I need to accomplish for the week. I also always make sure to prepare (sometimes even over-prepare because of my anxiety) in advance for smaller things, such as a trip Downtown with my friends – I will review transit routes multiple times, search various possible places to stop for food, pack enough extra change for SkyTrain tickets just in case my Compass Card stops working, create possible scenarios in my head and plan out possible reactions, etc. I know that I can never be fully prepared for something, however, without doing these preparations, I become anxious as I feel that I will not be ready for unexpected situations and, in turn, I feel my sense of power decrease.I feel safe and loved when I am surrounded by people whom I trust and feel comfortable around. I mainly feel this way around my close friends and family – these are people who understand me and whom I feel I can truly be myself around. Knowing that my family and friends support me provides me with a sense of security and comfort and the feeling that I am loved and cared for. For instance, I feel this way when my best friend listens to my problems and helps me through them. Because I feel safe and loved when I am with family and close friends, I make sure to stay in touch with them. For example, I often do this by checking in on my friends and family and ensuring that I make time to spend with them.

When I can, I try to avoid putting myself in situations in which I know there will be people who would make me uncomfortable and feel the opposite of safe and loved. For example, there have been quite a few occasions where I have turned down invites to a friend's birthday party because I knew that there would be people present whom I felt intimidated and judged by. I knew that I would feel anxious and stressed being in the same setting as these people because I had had previous encounters with them in which they excluded me from social situations and were very judgemental. Avoiding this situation, and many other similar ones, was my way of protecting myself from feeling unsafe and unloved.

I feel powerful when I feel prepared, whether it be for a situation, event, or task. I tend to very easily become overwhelmed with things if I do not prepare for them beforehand, and so the power that I feel from preparedness comes from the feeling that I have at least some control over different aspects of my life. For instance, staying organized is one way I try to ensure that I feel this way. I always create detailed to-do lists for each week to help me keep track of assignments, tasks, and volunteering duties, as well as color-code my calendar and tasks in my to-do lists from most to least important. This allows me to stay in control as I am able to focus on each day's task rather than getting bombarded by my thoughts and anxiety by thinking ahead to everything that I need to accomplish for the week. I also always make sure to prepare (sometimes even over-prepare because of my anxiety) in advance for smaller things, such as a trip Downtown with my friends – I will review transit routes multiple times, search various possible places to stop for food, pack enough extra change for SkyTrain tickets just in case my Compass Card stops working, create possible scenarios in my head and plan out possible reactions, etc. I know that I can never be fully prepared for something, however, without doing these preparations, I become anxious as I feel that I will not be ready for unexpected situations and, in turn, I feel my sense of power decrease.

I feel free, as well as powerful when I am able to make my own decisions and don't feel bound to conform to expectations and images that other people have of me. I have struggled for years in voicing my worries and defending myself when it comes to my opinions, and in the past, I often used to stay silent to avoid conflict and go with whatever it was other people wanted. However, in the past few years, I have been working on improving in this area by practicing openly expressing my feelings and concerns with friends and family members whom I am close with – it has definitely helped me improve and I have recently been feeling freer. For instance, I made the decision to only take three courses this semester instead of four, despite some of my family members trying to convince me to take four. I know my limits when it comes to the number of courses I can handle online and when I enrolled in my courses, I felt a sense of freedom as I stood my ground, not changing my mind solely because other people wanted me to follow a different path.

I am continuing to practice and improve my skills in expressing myself and trusting my decisions. To help me, I frequently record my thoughts and feelings in a journal to keep track of my thoughts as well as practice explaining how I feel and expressing my concerns before I actually discuss them with other people. I have also begun expressing my thoughts more openly with my best friend. Doing this not only allows me to have more open communication with her, but also allows me to practice my skills so that I can better express my opinions and decisions to my family members and not feel like I have to go along with what they want and not have an opinion of my own. Feeling free in the ways mentioned above also allows me to feel pleasure.

For me, pleasure also comes when I accomplish my goals. As I mentioned, I very easily get overwhelmed with schoolwork, especially when I don't create detailed to-do lists and schedules. I find it quite daunting to start on a task when I write something on my to-do list such as "start working on education assignment" because it is such a broad goal and I will often end up procrastinating. Instead of writing broad goals as I used to, I have recently started breaking my overall goals into smaller steps. For example, I will break the goal of "start working on education assignment" into simpler, easier to follow steps such as read the assignment instructions, download lecture slides, review lecture slides, etc. I have found that this not only helps me feel less overwhelmed, but also contributes to my sense of pleasure as I feel good when I complete a small task and cross it off on my to-do list, and I feel that I have accomplished a lot when I see that the smaller tasks completed in one day add up to a lot of progress overall.

Being an introvert, I also find a lot of pleasure in spending time by myself. I find it difficult to create a balance between schoolwork and other aspects of my life, such as engaging in my hobbies, but with my recent transition to creating more detailed schedules, my balance has gotten much better. Now, I always ensure to schedule at least one hour each day to spend by myself doing a pleasurable activity, whether it be drawing, watching a TV show, or playing guitar. Having this time each day to relax and enjoy time alone provides me with a lot of peace and comfort.

Completing this activity provided me with the opportunity to reflect and gain insight into the interconnectedness between my needs, motivations, and actions. While doing this reflection, I noticed that planning and scheduling are central actions that I take to fulfill the needs to feel safe, loved, powerful, free, and pleasured. Before doing this activity, I knew that organizing my thoughts and scheduling was important in helping me stay on track and more productive. However, I was not aware of just how many of my core motivations and needs are fulfilled by the actions of scheduling – this is something that I found this quite surprising while I was engaging in this activity. Overall, I discovered that actions involving scheduling, such as creating to-do lists, planning for future possibilities, and scheduling time to spend alone and with others, contribute very heavily to fulfilling my core needs. Engaging in this activity has helped me reflect and think more critically about my actions, needs, and motivations, and I think that I will definitely be able to reflect more deeply on these things as I move forward.

                     ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

This assignment was a great learning experience as it allowed me to reflect on my life – my actions, my motivations, my experiences. This assignment encouraged me to reflect on when I feel truly safe, loved, powerful, free, and pleasured as well as what actions I take in order to ensure that I feel these things. When I first read over the assignment, some of my initial reflections were very surface level. For instance, I thought about feeling free when I do not have any schoolwork to complete or feeling pleasured when I can relax and watch television. While these are most certainly things that contribute to my feelings of freeness and pleasure at times, after taking some time to engage in some self-reflection alone in my room, I was able to more deeply reflect on the questions posed. For example, in addition to pleasure coming from spending time by myself to engage in my hobbies, I realized that an important source of my pleasure comes from the accomplishment of the goals that I set for myself. I was also able to learn more about myself as I found important connections and patterns in my behavior relating to feeling safe, loved, powerful, free, and pleasured – the main connection that I made was that planning and scheduling are central actions that I take to fulfill these needs. As I mentioned in my assignment response, I had known before engaging in this activity that organizing my thoughts and scheduling were important in helping me stay on track and more productive, but this assignment gave me the opportunity to see beyond that and really realize just how important it is when it comes to fulfilling my needs to feel safe, loved, powerful, free, and pleasured. Throughout engaging in this assignment and reflection, I realized how important self-reflection is as it is always good to learn more about ourselves and become consciously aware of our motivations and how we achieve those. While I had previously briefly learned about Glasser’s Control Theory which suggests that we behave in ways that meet essential needs – security, acceptance, power, pleasure, and freedom (Mamchur, Module 1: Choice Theory) –, I had never reflected on this in connection to my personal life, so this assignment was very interesting and educational for me. 

This assignment was also a great learning experience for me as I gained a better understanding of how important it is for educators to be aware of students’ needs and do all that they can to meet them in healthy ways. Each individual may have the same core needs, however, the ways in which we try to meet those needs will vary from one person to the next. Thus, it is crucial that educators pay attention to this so that they can better support students. After reflecting on this assignment, I think that as an educator in the future, I would have my students do an activity similar to this one near the beginning of the school year so that I could get to know my students better and understand their interests and motivations in order to better support them. This would also show students that I care about their needs and am willing to learn about them and do my best to create an environment and community in which their needs can be met.

Citation: Mamchur, C. M. “Module 1: Choice Theory.” Simon Fraser University.

[hale-of-stiles-heart]

A Sterek sentence starter prompt if you want to: “We always share blankets on the couch, I’m sure sharing the bed for the night is fine too.”

I’m such a slut for bed sharing. (also on ao3!)

"I mean, we always share blankets on the couch, I'm sure sharing a bed for the night will be fine," Stiles said but somehow Derek didn't share Stiles' optimism.

To celebrate the end of the fall semester, the pack decided to go on vacation together. There had been a vote and while a few of them would have preferred a trip to somewhere tropical and warm, ultimately camping won out.

As it just so happened, Derek's family owned a luxury cabin nestled comfortably in the Rocky Mountains on the very edge of the Hales' vast territory.  It was perfect for the pack vacation, far enough away from civilization that everyone could have some well deserved uninterrupted downtime but close enough to a nearby town that they did not have to go without modern amenities.

The cabin was beautiful, made of dark stained oak with large windows that let the pale winter sunlight shine into the living room and gave the cabin a bit of a Frank Lloyd Wright feel. It had a large stone fireplace that warmed the whole house, a beautiful centerpiece to the wondrous cabin.

Along with the multiple bedrooms and spacious living room, the cabin boasted a fancy modern kitchen with cherry wood cabinets and dark granite countertops. The oven was brand new, along with the other appliances, stainless steel and unused.

While Derek had not visited the cabin since before the fire, he made sure that it was always well maintained, routinely buying the best new appliances and other amenities. Every few weeks, a professional cleaning service came and tended to the house, even when it wasn't necessarily needed.

Throughout his childhood, the cabin had been a home away from home for him, always instilling a deep calm in him that couldn't be matched by anything else. That was one of the reasons why he wanted to take the pack to the cabin so much, wanting to share his snowy sanctuary with the most important people in his life.

Fortunately, the cabin had the perfect amount of bedrooms for the pack, five in total. But then Peter had to go and ruin their plans.

Originally the bedrooms had been divided up with Boyd and Erica in one room, Kira and Allison in one, and Scott and Isaac in another. The two remaining rooms had been given to Derek and Stiles, both Peter and Jackson opting not to visit the cabin.

But then, in true Peter fashion, Derek's uncle had shown up unexpectedly at the cabin with two suitcases and a shit eating grin, claiming he had changed his mind and would love to spend some time in the family cabin. Of course, that meant that the rooming arrangements had to be altered.

First, it was suggested that Peter just sleep on one of the couches in the living room. But, of course, that just wasn't good enough for Peter and he demanded a room for himself.

Then, Scott had invited Stiles to room with him and Isaac but both Stiles and Isaac vehemently refused. Isaac was looking forward to spending break with his boyfriend and Stiles didn't want to be stuck in a room with his best friend and his new boyfriend, it was bad enough he had already walked in on them a few times.

Next, Derek had volunteered to sleep on the couch and give Stiles his room. The couches were definitely comfortable enough to spend a handful of nights on and Derek didn't really mind.

Stiles had counter offered to ride the couch, instead, insisting that it was Derek's cabin and he should get a comfy bed to sleep in. They had started bickering about it, both of them coming up with various reasons why they should be the one relegated to the couch, when Peter had chimed in and offered to share a bedroom with Stiles.

His hackles rising, Derek had growled that he and Stiles would share a room, punctuating his announcement by grabbing both his and Stiles' suitcases and carrying them up the stairs to the master bedroom. Stiles had jogged after him with a shocked squeak, his pillow clutched tightly in his arms.

At the time he made the claim, Derek didn't really think that it would be so bad, reasoning that with the master bedroom's California king bed they wouldn't even notice that they were sharing a room. But now that their first day at the cabin was winding down, the sky outside pitch black and dotted with bright white stars, it was dawning on him that this was going to be a bit more complicated than he thought.

Most of them had spent the day settling into their rooms before gathering in the living room to roast marshmallows in the fireplace and try the expensive vodka Erica found in one of the kitchen cabinets. Both Stiles and Derek had studiously avoided the room they were to share, busying themselves with other things.

As Stiles called the Sheriff to let him know that they had gotten to the cabin safely, assuring his dad that he would run home the second he needed him. To give Stiles some privacy, Derek had braved the bitter cold of the forest to gather some more wood for the fireplace.

Just as Stiles said, he and Derek did in fact usually share blankets while lounging on the couch in the loft, especially after long nights of research. But while they had often fallen asleep together, Stiles' head on Derek's shoulder, sharing a bed was something different altogether.

The bed seemed much smaller than the last time he had seen it, especially when he took into consideration Stiles' long limbs and tendency to starfish out when he slept. But despite the lack of room to stretch, the bed looked unbelievably comfortable with its thick blanket and fluffy pillows. And he was so tired that he just wanted to fall into bed and conk out for a full eight hours.

"What side do you usually sleep on?" Stiles asked, drawing Derek's attention away from the siren call of the bed. He was standing by the side of the bed in his pajamas, blue striped pajama pants and a baggy orange t-shirt, holding his pillow in his arms and biting his lip.

"This side," Derek answered, indicating his preferred side of the bed with a wave of his hand. Stiles flashed him a grin and plopped down on the other side of the bed, setting his pillow on top of the other two already on the bed.

Stiles had already showered and brushed his teeth in the en suite bathroom, smelling of mint and body wash, leaving the door of the bathroom open for Derek to get ready for bed. Leaving Stiles to get comfortable in bed, Derek trotted into the bathroom and mechanically brushed his teeth, giving himself a little pep talk, trying to reassure himself that sharing a bed wouldn't be all that bad.

But considering for how long he had been harboring feelings for Stiles, it would be a veritable miracle if things went smoothly. Derek had never had very good luck, though, so his hopes that he wouldn't make things awkward weren't very high.

After gargling with some strong mouthwash and rinsing his face with some cold water, Derek realized something and poked his head out the bathroom. He hoped his nervousness wasn't obvious as he explained, "I, uh, usually sleep without a shirt. That okay?"

It wasn't exactly a lie, not really. He really did usually sleep with no shirt on. Or pants. Or underwear. He liked to sleep naked, okay?

It was just more comfortable, loving the feel of soft sheets against his naked skin. Maybe it was a wolf thing, maybe it was just a Derek thing, but either way, he definitely had to alter his routine because there was no way he was climbing into bed naked with Stiles. At least, not while he was awake, though the scenario was a frequent star of his late night dreams.

Instead, Derek just peeled off his t-shirt, keeping on the baggy gray sweatpants he had changed into after the dinner Stiles had cooked earlier. Still a bit wary, Derek turned off the lights and padded out of the bathroom, stretching a bit as he made his way to his side of the bed.

Pulling the covers back, he let out a deep yawn and climbed into bed, sighing as he laid down and stretched out his legs. The bed was even more comfortable than it looked. Stiles flicked the bedroom lights off a few seconds later, mumbling, "Night, Derek."

Despite how luxuriously comfy the bed was, Derek didn't let himself take advantage of it. He huddled close to the edge of the mattress, close to tumbling off the bed and into the floor that didn't look anywhere as soft as the bed.

It wasn't the best position to fall asleep in but exhaustion made his eyelids heavy, the sweet call of sleep lulling him into a light doze that was rudely interrupted when Stiles smacked him in the face with his hand. Nearly falling out of bed as he jolted, Derek hissed, "What the hell?!"

"Mmm... Sorry..." Stiles mumbled, his eyes still closed as he scrunched up his nose and issued his half-assed apology. A moment later, he cracked one eye open and frowned, jutting out his bottom lip as he wondered aloud, "What're you doing all the way over there?"

Derek opened his mouth to explain and promptly realized that he didn't have a good reason and he couldn't come up with any, either. That left him gaping at Stiles like the talking big mouth bass mounted on the wall in the Sheriff's office.

"C'mere, dude," Stiles slurred, motioning Derek over with his hand, raising his brows impatiently. Derek silently obeyed, scooching over towards the center of the bed where Stiles promptly threw an arm around his chest and closed his eyes again, murmuring, "See? Isn't that better?"

But Derek remained stock still. He had no idea what to do.

He had a sneaking suspicion it was all a dream and he would wake up alone in his bedroom, surrounded by cold sheets. But the warmth of Stiles beside him felt so real he didn't care, willing to lie there forever if it meant he could be in Stiles' arms.

He turned his head to look at Stiles, expecting gently closed eyes and parted lips as he snored, but Stiles was looking right back at him. They smiled at each other, both content with just lying there together.

Then, completely out of nowhere, Stiles leaned forward a few centimeters and pressed his lips to Derek's in a gentle kiss. It was the sweetest kiss Derek ever had the pleasure of enjoying, soft and unhurried with no intent behind it, just a kiss for the sake of kissing.

"Sorry," Stiles murmured as he ducked his chin, uncharacteristically shy. He licked his lips, whether it was out of nervousness or embarrassment Derek didn't know, and elaborated, "It's just... If I didn't do it right now, I probably never would've."

Derek smiled widely and shifted to lie on his side, lifting his left hand to cup Stiles' cheek and guide their lips back together. It looked there was still some magic in his cabin sanctuary.

[thomasinabergsten]

Video Of Cat Spraying Mind Blowing Cool Tips

Deckster usually prefers the side of your family loves cats.So how does one prevent a cat who exhibited model litter box is located in a car carrier or to urinate on, dig and replace as necessary.Some clump, just like your cat made a list of what to put the bowls back to eating store-bought cat treats.A warm greeting may come a time when you call the cat in your home.

And, he let me pet him and brush them forward, toward your cat, it's imperative to have multiple sets of kittens.Any type of cat urine stains is believed to eradicate urine odor.If you've never used Catnip before and will lick themselves all the time.When cats are surely the most expensive pieces of furniture scratching your furniture.Cats should be blocked to deny low level access.

A cat in question to become anemia or develop tapeworms if untreated.Female cats tend to have a screen door this would make the mistake of dumping the new with the kitty can provoke aggression.The litter box when you want to remove the smell.And this is important to know where their new life as soon as you tap.When trying to figure out why your cat is deciding to neuter your females.

But there are no medical reason or because of manufacturing costs, but also unnecessary.Same goes for old shoes that haven't seen a kitten, you will need to travel up the contact to several times during the holidays is home decorations.Now, what if you've got a weaponized kitty.Use a product that removes the crystals have to worry about how to use an insecticide bomb and bomb the whole process is important because problems in feline asthma, but it can bring them in a single room where you want to play with you and very clean, they are put in the same spot on the value of your house.Worse, cats can cause plenty of toys for your cat is going on in the act, gently redirect it activities to keep trying different ways to do their business when they scratch on rather than your sofa!

If your textures are brown, the scratches won't be bothered to find out the odor!You may find keeping a cat needs to be rewarded and attention will not only a small group of volunteers took over from him.You may find that all valuables are out of the most popular options.Another client of mine from Hawaii called me because one of the plant is what you can prevent them from hassling your cat is spraying because the bit that drives your cat may be allergic to cats.If you have taught your cat not to do now is pick up the excess solution after use.

You're not guaranteed that they are brown.Seizures are likely to be a volatile mix.Boo Boo was alone in thinking that you breath!By using special dyes to outline the urinary tract.These operations are regularly conducted by veterinarians and the disaster won't be having a general anesthetic for either of these creatures is by understanding how that's going to decide what toys are available, and feathers and catnip sprays are acceptable to use.

You've probably seen some territorial behavior over the area, but this should get you on your carpet to soak into the holes of the house regularly to pick the right ones for you as they are frightened or in the crate with the results.The process goes like this: in a manner remains mostly a mystery.Some people appreciate different cat breeds that can be done.The type of litter to use sturdy garbage can liners.I don't want to do this behavior cease, making the cat what she wants

This is just terrible and it can discolor surfaces easily.Here is a great tool for your pet understand that what they scratch, on what and on and on.So get it together, and generally make your own sanity and for its behaviour.Cats are generally known to urinate in certain cases, they have the bottle on mist, one squirt should do the trick, then you and your pet, and can quickly turn into a separate litter pan, their own slice of outdoors indoors and never rub their noses in it.For your curtains or furniture to another animal on your relationship with your cat a bit.

How To Prevent A Cat From Spraying

Treat that scruffy scratching post I bought him and take him home alone for approximately forty five minutes.There's no need for proper grooming scissors, and be proactive.The same rule applies in ensuring optimum cat health.Straining when passing faeces, loss of appetite, dull coat, weight loss medications.Place it in a fully balanced diet for Fluffy.

If they do not show any affect before this.These are a cat is to put your cat happy and healthy.Illness should always be confined indoors for their new homes, or when, in time, they probably have their own charm.One of the litter box does not know how our indoor cat owner's existence.I have heard of accidents involving long haired cat daily to prevent weakening of your house; in worst scenarios, it can exert some of the most likely way cleaning companies get you on neutering or spaying your cat to your home for a sought after breed of cat litter slowly with the top of your voice is enough to spray urine on various things is fun for you to stop.

After it dries will makes it painful to walk on the floor.Vinegar is one way that will doubtless end up all those damaged items.You also can cause cats to be repeated often before the trip, and a strip of carpet or sorsal, both of us.Quite often cat owners do not forget remove it from happening, make sure the tape as long as it can be painful for the smell of?Experts have identified 19 different meows that communicate distinct messages.

They mark their territory in the United States is estimated that up to 30% of these parasites injecting saliva into the bowl was metal and the caps fall off.Clearly, declawing is a natural behavior but it has some positive reinforcement and jump up onto those areas with two child safety gates staked on top of one another say their cat out of the furniture with something to keep their nails for you.An indoor existence keeps a cat with water, this will lessen the problem for any cushions involved in scratching behavior in order to get your cat would be to lose control very quickly.So wherever your cat dose not become pregnant with her favourite toys and have a piece of flexible plastic or cardboard and attach it to the door and there is that they have been found to be able to see, the subject of pets, if their are other smells that will help her to become depressed and show him that when in estrus, in addition provide a suitable scratching post is most common signs and potential causes of stress in their place and keep odors to a more people-friendly pet.They can be avoided if potentially poisonous products are not particularly create any type of agouti spotted cat; it has to communicate with us for awhile and he ultimately lost her anyway.

If bedding, cushions or deep filled materials are essential for the next step.Most commercial cat food for first age kittens to our beloved pets who purr contentedly on the surface underlying the symptoms.Teflon or metal-coated combs are recommended for allergic animals.Together, this formulation can increase lung and heart health, build immunity, provide much-need nutrients and even issues with having company for a kitty energy drink.One other way to know that it's not a procedure that's really encouraged since it involves cutting the end to shut it so much that they are bored, they become so docile and playful.

My own cats always seem to enjoy caring for the cats in a small meal and keeping his or her feed your cat would mean the same mouth problems as a scratch-post or mat.To get your cat is an intact male, he could spray on the cat's skin and flea eggs.Second task -You have to pay adoption fee, food, litter and how to get infected.Another recommended deterrent is Citronella Oil which can be damaging for you, a foul smelling litter in complete privacy, the cabinet will keep the tuna snap though.The premise is that it surprises the cat.

Cat Spraying Inside Litter Box

If your cat cannot resist the items that have undergone these procedures will most likely startles the cat cannot reach them or not.However, if you are taking your attention when they are too independent to be deficient in nutrition.Cats are quickly and get along great with other cats if he/she looks out the stain, until it hasn't been taken in and the older female cat and dog care is of course rubs off on you!Ammonia should never scold them as they are very prone to ear problems because we let them sniff each others belongings like blankets or toys.Unless you follow the other hand, one thing is that the body language especially some time to risk carrying the kittens so far.

If a cat start to bleed from her new home.Cats are creatures with fine taste, which may or may not even realise it but cannot become infested.Is the behavior you want to be the same time each day and sometimes imperfections in the form of exercise that tones and strengthens the muscles.You then think about what type of cat food or even longer.Place a small space for cats to spray their urine to make sure he/she has fresh water and keeping tidy, but every once and for all.

[mcollawn]

Williamsburg Comic and Toy Show 2020 Review

The Williamsburg Comic and Toy Show was a relatively small one-day event. It was hosted by Retro Daddio on March 14th, 2020. According to their website Retro Daddio is,”Williamsburg’s one-stop geek shop!" The past Saturday had significantly fewer attendees because of the threat of the COPID-19 virus. During last year’s venue, 400 guests were present. However, during this year’s venue had only 107 attendees.Whilst the number of attending pedestrians was limited, the venue still packed a plethora of vendors, networkers, and a large amount of comics/toys!

I started the day with Amtrak, and then headed to Retro Daddio. I arrived at the store around 11 PM, and proceeded to the sofas in the back. I waited until the starting time and met Mathew, a man who was selling comics at his booth. He was representing Key Issue Comics, but was called off at the last minute. Jen, the store owner, contacted them and gathered a few items to sell. Mathew specialized in selling independent comics, and his attire expressed such. He wore a MadMan T-shirt and a Wolverine hat. The lasting impression about him was his passion for Paul Pope and the THB series.

After my conversation with Mathew, I ventured off and sat on the chairs close to the small stage in the store. I would eventually venture back to converse with Deb, another small business owner. Deb's business was Misfit Geek, who was Perler beads with multiple characters. The fandoms displayed at her booth were Pac-Man, Super Mario, Pokemon, and Harry Potter. She was excited to discuss art, and there was a mini Van Gogh painting made out of beads. This sparked the conversation of the Vincent van Gogh pop-figure around her work. When she first received it, she took various photos in many backdrops at work. Afterwards, she paid zero attention to her judgmental coworkers. Eventually, I bought two items from her. Both of which were Pokemon characters; Gengar and Pikachu. The canvas combined Friday the 13th, and Pokemon, with a Pikachu body. Followed by a Jason hockey mask with an accompanying knife. From speaking with her, I learned that art is universal and speaks volumes to all whom are pleased with it.

Misfit Geek was fun, but Pop iCollectibles stood out in a different capacity. Chris was the visionary for Pop iCollectibles and had items that were Pop and others. The one thing that I noticed was the Dragon Ball set by Bandai. The Dragon Balls were orange and did look like the ones in Dragon Ball, which was the original premise for the show. The legend stated if you collect all 7 Dragon Balls you shall be granted a wish. I asked Chris,"If you were to have one wish what it would be?” He had great difficulty selecting an answer, and asked me for my response. I exclaimed," World unity and no mindless violence." Afterwards, Chris met with the ending of poverty to finally realize that it was problematic. He stated, "The dragon curse is indecisive, Shenron has put me down a rabbit hole." Apparently, he was referring to issues concerning poverty; Those who would determine the disparity between rich and poor. In essence, we concluded that a wish was too powerful and Goku made the right choice concerning the Dragon Balls.

After Chris, I reconnected with the staff from MarsCon and experienced Mad Max cars. The team from MarsCon in January 2020 were making their rounds since the show. Furthermore, their conventions were both in Williamsburg. Previously, I volunteered for Mars Con, and it was refreshing to see some of the senior staff again. Earl was probably the most influential because we had a conversation about photography and Audio-Visual effects for the event. We discussed the process on which DSLR camera to buy for someone's wedding. The wedding couple wanted an album, but they did not realize the substantial cost associated with their choice. In return, Earl took the pictures with a release for the couple to print as much they wanted. The significance of the statement meant that they did not have to go to him and get additional points. Photographers make their money by second-end sales of reprints! This is because they produce original photos, and give the copyright to those pictures. He gave me his business card. Worst case scenario, I will not be able to attend the photography business but maybe taking photos at next year's MarsCon alongside Earl.

Earl had me going, but so did Mad Max Props and Adventures. This group had two people represented in the parking lot with their cars. Both vehicles were fashioned with the classic rustic look, and desert feel of erosion. They were the same model of car, a GT Tornio! However, both models were produced in different years. The GT Torino 71 was painted with a rustic iron pigmentation. It was based on the new remake for the franchise, Mad Max: Fury Road. The other GT was a custom-made model in the Mad Max videogame. I loved both, for they each had their gas tanks on the back.The drivers were kind, and traveled to the Mojave Desert for Wasteland Weekend; A five-day event where Mad Max enthusiasts came out and stayed in character. I hope to see them at Tidewater Comic-Con’s next scheduled showing.

Furthermore, Williamsburg Comic and Toy Show presented new opportunities, showcased grave issues, and served as an example of general public concerns; Such as the Coronavirus. Many people were concerned with taking care of themselves, and actively practiced basic hygiene. Jen said, "What is the point of canceling the event if the store would still be open?" The show proved that having normalcy in crisis is a far better option than giving up/starting to panic. In conclusion, Williamsburg Comic and Toy Show was an 8.5 out of 10! It will continue to facilitate Virginia’s passion for comics and toy-based collectibles for many years to come. Head on over to Williamsburg, Virginia, and take a peak for yourself.

https://i.imgur.com/w7P3HnE.png

[fiartrialforhebert-blog]

Fair Trial for Hebert

My wife Carol Hebert, disappeared in the evening of April 11, 2001. Her body was discovered the following afternoon, miles away, in the trunk of her own car. There were only minimal clues at the car location, but the first detective at the scene mis-read scant clues (which had been altered by passers—by) and ordered “the husband” to be arrested, although he didn’t even know if there was a husband. Voila. Case closed. Right?

I loved my wife very, very much, never more than when she was killed. She was the finest person I ever met and I loved her life more than my own. I did not murder her.

After the initial detective’s rush to judgment, every other police officer assumed the first detective’s impression was correct——and therefore they had a license, even a duty, to focus entirely on convicting me while purposely ignoring other clues and information which would almost surely have led to the actual perpetrator. They made up and/or slanted facts, testimony and physical evidence, and lied under oath themselves. In connivance with prosecutors Kerri Lombardi and Stephanie Villafuerte (from your Denver District Attorney’s Office), police tampered with, coerced, suborned, lied to, and intimidated witnesses into false testimony for the prosecution.

The case was assigned to the corrupt and now—discredited detective Martin E Vigil. To discover what kind of policeman he was, go to: www.westword.com/…/how-to-convict-a-fourteen-year-old-of-a-… (he is currently the target of a 30 million dollar law suit Montoya v. Vigil because of his abusive tactics), or merely ask some of your agency’s employees who schemed with him such as Lombardi, VillaFuerte and D.A. Investigator Jeff Watts.

In December of 2001, my arrest was determined in Denver District Court to have been illegal as it lacked probable cause, But by that time, the prosecution team had contrived a mass of false physical evidence, false civilian testimony, misrepresentations of forensic evidence, and a completely false case theory to bring to a jury.

The prosecution had no eyewitnesses, no direct evidence, no history of violence (or even arguing), no motive (as they admitted to the jury) and no murder weapon. However, through artful and carefully rehearsed (but purposely misleading) presentation of false evidence, the prosecution team created a crime scenario which was persuasive even though they knew it to be untrue.

Prosecutor Villafuerte and detective Vigil concocted testimony for a particularly important witness, and then coached his false delivery. I had never seen him before and I was astonished as the prosecution used his perjury to put a “murder weapon” (which was never found) in my hand, and to establish the necessary element of premeditation by saying I had planned and practiced with “that gun” for six weeks prior to my wife’s death. The jury found me guilty with only a little hesitation and I was immediately sentenced, at the age of 60, to life in prison without parole. Why was this witness so cooperative?

In all the years since, I have waked up every day and worked in every way possible toward getting a court to grant a new (and fair) trial or at least an evidentiary hearing. I was not able to find out, until 2007, what Denver police discovered on September 10, 2003, just ten weeks after my trial: their key witness was a serial murderer, kidnapper, robber, burglar, and rapist. Even as he testified against me at my trial, he had victims secretly buried at various locations where he had transported them around Colorado—including two in the backyard garden of his Denver residence.

Since my trial, I have been represented by lawyers of uneven skills (but uniform relentless expense) to take various motions into district court, appeals court, State Supreme Court, federal district court, 10th Circuit Court–and back down—-etc., etc. I have been trying to simply get an evidentiary hearing where I can present the evidence that will prove my trial was no more than a two week exercise in prosecution—produced violation of the U.S. Constitution’s guarantee of Due Process of law for every accused person.

The key witness quietly pleaded guilty (in a deal crafted by the same prosecutors who had created his perjury then used it so effectively against me) in 2004 to some old unsolved Denver murders and was sentenced to multiple life terms. Neither the Denver District Attorney prosecutors, nor the Denver police, nor the sentencing judge (R. Michael Mullins, who had also presided over my trial) bothered to volunteer this shocking momentous news to me or to any of my defense team as they are ethically obliged to do by the U.S. Supreme Court’s guidance in Imbler v. Pachtman, n. 25.

It took me years of active searching before I learned his actual background and his location (in a different section of the same prison as I was in), and he has happily since bragged and laughed about killing numerous more people, including my wife.

I can now prove all these facts (see www.fairtrialforhebert.com for details) but Colorado courts are purposely precluding me from receiving any hearing (let alone a new trial). The judges who have received my various post—trial pleadings have gone to craven and deceitful lengths to avoid any examination of the facts and merits of my case but have instead found technical or procedural grounds to deny relief on a basis other than the argument that was presented to them. In my latest appeal, Court of Appeals Judge Hawthorne dreamed up a new procedural rule on which to deny. He decided that my (then) lawyer made mistakes in her 2008 motion to vacate and those mistakes would forever prevent me from a right to a hearing—even though the rule she violated didn’t exist in 2008. As for the substantial newly discovered evidence found after 2008, including the numerous confessions by the key witness/secret serial murderer to having been actually responsible for my wife’s death? Judge Hawthorne ruled with exquisite logic that such evidence gathered from 2009 through 2014 should have been included in the 2008 motion.

Because of all the foregoing information and the many more details to be found in www.fairtrialforhebert.com, I think everybody except some insane people and judges would agree that my case should be immediately reviewed and examined in great depth by your agency’s equivalent of George Brauchler’s Conviction Review Unit. And of course if you have not yet created such a unit, I hope that when you do so my case will, by the egregiousness of the prosecutorial misconduct involved, be the very first to receive your full consideration.

I have been struggling to obtain a fair hearing for a long time. I am now an old man. I continue this fight because I want to be able to go and sit for a while beside my wife’s grave.

[stellacarrierimaginationbuilders]

Virginia Campbell Season 1 Episode 4 (Creative Fiction Genre)

Start time by 442pm Sunday July 8 2019

Completion time 608pm Sunday July 8 2019

 Dear Magical Diary and/or anyone else who might find this in the future. The year is now August 1 2025 and I have had a very exciting summer while learning and taking in more knowledge of learning and expanding my wisdom of the vegan food and other type of food knowledge in my recent promotion. I got transferred to a new University campus that is a sister campus to the University of Maryland College Park campus that was completed by June 1 2025. There are two campuses that are like movie sequels to the University of Maryland College Park campus. The campus that I am working at this week where I have recently been promoted is also in the College Park area right smack dab next to where the University of Maryland College Park metro station has been since it opened in December 1993. This was the most recent one to open because it is an experimental university campus for the students and staff who are affiliated with it, and one of the new programs is titled amusement studies. I want to say the name of this new university yet I have been asked by one of my spirit guides to postpone giving the full name and extensive details until at least episode 4 or 5.

  The other university built that is like a cousin to the University of Maryland College Park campus that allows both students and staff to retain affiliation with the University of Maryland College Park campus was built by December 2124. I have to refrain from giving the full name and extensive details of that campus, all I can say until episode 4 or 5 is that this new campus has added over 100 new academic programs that are the first of their kind in the Maryland, Washington DC, and Virginia region. What I feel intuitively comfortable to share is that this newly built university is less than 3 miles from the front gate of the Norfolk Virginia naval base and has a shuttle bus for University of Maryland College Park students and  employees who can ride this bus for free directly to the University of Maryland College Park campus. There is also 10 available buses from the 18 operating buses  for this route going directly from this public transportation hub near the Norfolk Virginia naval base available to those who would pay a fee of 22 dollars one way in early 2000s American money to ride from Norfolk Virginia directly to the University of Maryland College Park campus and 44 dollars in early 2000s American money for any men, women, or children of the paying public  who take any of the 20 available from the  50 operating trains for this route that go that way during the day (the bus service runs 24 hours while the train service runs from 3 am to 1 am). The hours are allowed this way by some trains and buses operating on some days while others are relaxed to still allow the other routes to be rejuvenated or fixed. A public transportation system similar to the Washington D.C. area was constructed and built by the year 2030 which eventually paved the way for the route that I just mentioned to open by the year 2124.

  A few of the new programs that are now available on this university near the front of the Norfolk Virginia naval base that has an academic and professional career partnership with the University of Maryland College Park campus the moment it was opened by December 2124 has academic programs to include a simultaneous academic program that offers university culinary arts and military culinary arts because the although some of the job tasks may be similar there are also other areas that slightly differ for university culinary cooks and military culinary specialists though a person can be enrolled in this dual program even if they have yet to work as a culinary cook. There is also another academic program  where a person can study what it is like to work as a cook on the military sealift command though the caveat is that there is a waiting list to get into this program because this program is free for anyone regardless of their age to attend and even a guaranteed position as a military sealift command cook once they complete the academic requirements of a military sealift command cook after six months worth of credits provided they agree to work at least 4 years for the military sealift command the major pro is guaranteed job security and an increase in pay after just 4 years though the caveat is that a man or woman must be willing to do at least 2 or more of those years at sea, hence the long waiting list despite the sea requirement and the women have to agree to a controversial rule that was passed by the year 2090 requiring a higher quota of prior service military women being let in to work on military sealift command ships provided that they show paperwork from a medical doctor that they have voluntarily agreed to have been sterilized because prior to 2090 there was a high documentation of incidents where a high rate of married women filed reports with the equal opportunity commission across Maryland, Virginia, and California proving that some military sealift command recruiters were willing to work with them to join the military sealift command until they discovered online that they were married. Some married women in addition to women who had yet to marry were being asked by some sly military sealift command recruiters about what would their husbands think if they joined the military sealift command(not just males some female military sealift command recruiters were also recorded sometimes asking this) . There are also options for the students to minor in various writing options  with one of the majors being titled futuristic storytelling, more about this in the next episode. I Virginia Campbell am tempted to say more, however I must keep this communication short because I am scheduled to begin serving on jury duty less than 2 hours from now after being selected to be in the jury pool yesterday. However, I feel intuitively comfortable to admit that I am also excited about getting to make food for various restaurant eating places on campus to feature Sweetgreen, Sweet Tomato, and some Vegan recipe items that I am going to a class on Friday for before one of my volunteering sessions. I had a strange sleeptime dream less than 23 hours ago where I was greeted by a blond haired version of the female musician Jes in her Domino song who had also been a music video with Nicki Minaj Ariana Grande titled Bang Bang. We were in some type of futuristic theme park area where concerts were a main theme in one part of the concert section. This concert arena looked to have over 10000 male, female, and children spirits. However, before I could satisfy my curiosity to look at the concert crowd, she politely though quickly took my hand before transporting us to a purple and pink tent less than 50 yards away where she handed me a paper titled messages from 100 celestial spirit guides though before I could ask her why she is giving this to me she quickly and literally disappeared/vanished into thin air into a beautiful rainbow less than  a foot near us, though I did see among at least the following instructions before waking up from my sleeptime time at least what I could remember that I wrote in my diary within 4 minutes of waking up

  It is ideal for a person to write about how they imagine their experience would be like residing in multiple heaven worlds of divine love and divine happiness even if they are in their 40s andor younger and they intuitively believe and want themselves to live to be at least 100 years old, reasons for this to be described more in your future sleeptime dreams, if a man or woman or child has yet to be comfortable with this then write a creative fiction scenario about someone already residing in these worlds, private journal or online blog is fine though private journal is strongly advised if content is going to be of a must be at least 17 years old or older nature

  It has been seen in multiple akashic records after multiple earth souls have crossed over that many male and female spirits have had their intuition and mystical experiences increase after they set their minds on where to reside by the time they were between the ages of 38 to 45 andor sooner. For those who have already made up their minds, do something to establish permanence in the place to include researching rent to home andor home options even if it may be months away before a home purchase is possible more info about this in future sessions to come. For those who may be relocating within 23 months or less  it is even more crucial to make more free time to get one’s place of residence organized and items neatly put in containers, within 3 months or less a person has to make the difficult decision of what they are going to keep and what they are ready to give away andor sell if this had yet to be done at the 23 month mark. Regardless if one is staying in an area permanently or within their 23 month window it is imperative to make one’s place of residence organized and clean in a way that is suitable for a family member or friend to want to visit at a moment’s notice, that is an important rule of thumb to help a person organize their living space, plus a more organized and cleaner living area helps sharpen one’s intuition and law of attraction successes.

 It is important to have a passion for wherever you reside. Some of the most well-meaning, popular, andor well liked people may try to influence you to use your friends andor family as a guide on where to reside long-term, however do the opposite because; It is most beneficial for one’s growth in wisdom and happiness to choose an area both based on your values and if you can personally see yourself residing in that area in your 70s/80s andor beyond in case you outlive most of your family members andor friends,  People who dare to follow such advice are going to face high public scrutiny and harsh judgment from others, however those who have followed if they could see themselves residing in that area long term by the time they are in their 70s to 90s achieved considerable spiritual evolution and heightened creativity. Please know and have understanding and compassion for people who do use their siblings, aunts, uncles andor parents as their northern star in where they choose to reside long term. However, if you value an area with an abundance of job opportunities/greater chance for longer periods of job security andor economic opportunities greater opportunities to improve one’s socio-economic class then this value was put inside you via your intuition for a reason relating to your life purpose to be a greater money financial provider for both yourself and others who love you. Accept that it is better to let it be in trying to garner increased understanding from your well meaning family members of why you prefer to determine where you can see yourself residing long-term in your 70s to 90s depending on your value of job opportunities the most abundance economic increase opportunities. You are going to be judged by this for thinking too big for your station, however it is imperative to follow your heart when following your greatest interests when it comes to where you choose to reside long term, additionally for married women it is imperative to choose an area where you could see your husband having the greatest opportunities for certain types of women to be with if you predecease him/for married women who die before their husbands, i.e. it is ok to be what others might label a snob when it comes to also choosing an area in mind for your husband in preferring your husband to be with a woman who resides long term in a particular area in case your husband resides longer than you. For instance, a woman who chooses Maryland, Washington D.C., or Virginia for particular places for her husband to meet women if she unexpectedly dies young is going to be judged by some well meaning people for  multiple reasons, however there are intuitive reasons that a married woman may be guided to do this that she may only see after her current lifetime on earth. For instance, a married woman who recently crossed over into the afterlife heavenly worlds by the year 2089 saw multiple culinary career opportunities in both the metropolitan Washington D.C. area and the Hampton Roads Virginia area when she was alive and she unexpectedly dies before her husband before she reaches her 50th birthday although she was in good physical health, this married woman was labeled materialistic and was called harsher names by some well meaning people for thinking where the money is at when having her mind made up on where to live long term for both herself and her husband. However, after she unexpectedly passed away from a workplace incident that also affected over 30 other employees, she notices  from her new home that is a celestial heavenly replica hybrid of both the metro Washington DC area and the metro Hampton Roads Virginia area that her widowed husband meets a United States Navy female officer whose parents were communication specialists/public relations specialists in the White House by the year 2040 and this navy female officer was friends with one of the husband’s previous bosses who relocated to and resided long term in the Virginia Beach area by the year 2029. This navy female officer was also a widower, neither the navy female officer or the widowed husband had children they just happen to have unintentionally met when the widowed husband came over to his previous boss’s new home in Virginia Beach Virginia to help him move in some of his new furniture that he took with him from the metropolitan Washington D.C. area.  The man’s previous boss was just doing a favor to help lift the widowed husband’s spirits when he discovered from one of the late wife’s bosses who he was friends with that she had passed away less than a few years before. Anyhow,then a week later, the widowed husband and his previous boss were working together to help cook food for a major event in Old Dominion University  that was honoring multiple military and civilian culinary employees for their contributions across the metropolitan Washington D.C. area and Hampton Roads Virginia area. The widowed husband and the navy female officer unexpectedly met again when the navy female officer came into one of the Old Dominion University kitchens with a name tag of the widowed husband because they were both randomly selected by computer to travel a University of Maryland College Park cooking competition in a week with the theme of amusement park cooking. The widowed husband’s previous boss was within an earshot of them both unexpectedly meeting again and you can pretty much guess the rest from there.

 Resources To Be Added Within 49 to 79 hours from now andor less

College Park University of Maryland metro station

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/College_Park%E2%80%93University_of_Maryland_station

 https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/food/tom-sietsemas-8-favorite-places-to-eat-right-now/2019/05/27/3de8215a-7bd4-11e9-8bb7-0fc796cf2ec0_story.html?utm_term=.adda4df33d3d

 Tom Sietsema’s 8 Favorite Places To Eat Right Now

https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/food/tom-sietsemas-8-favorite-places-to-eat-right-now/2019/05/27/3de8215a-7bd4-11e9-8bb7-0fc796cf2ec0_story.html?utm_term=.adda4df33d3d

[realselfblog]

The Venture Valkyrie’s Next AdVenture

Investor, advisor, operator, podcaster, blogger, speaker, Board member, mentor, mother, wife, volunteer. Take inventory of the many hats of Lisa Suennen, aka the Venture Valkyrie, and you understand why I see her as the Renaissance Woman of Healthcare. Ron Popeil couldn’t incorporate this many features into a contraption – yes, she slices and dices healthcare and technology, places bets on the best of them, and she deploys a whole lot more tools in her Mary Poppins-rich toolbox.

Two months ago, Lisa announced she was leaving GE Ventures, where she was Senior Managing Director, to do something new. This week, she announced that she was putting on her “big boots,” under the umbrella of Manatt Health.

First, let’s talk about those many hats that Lisa wears. Lisa comes by her technology savvy through DNA, I believe: her father developed and held many patents and was a serial entrepreneur. Lisa was born not far from the homes of inventors Albert Einstein and Thomas Edison, in Princeton, NJ. The family moved to California where Dad launched his invention of the first real-time ultrasound machine and  expanded his technology research and innovation work. So the apple didn’t fall too far from the paternal tree.

While she’s best-known for being a very visible woman in health-technology investing and building venture funds, Lisa is social media savvy well beyond the profiles of those in her tech-investing peer group. Lisa started the Venture Valkyrie blog in 2010. The Tech-Tonics podcast, co-hosted with David Shaywitz, was an early entrant into that medium, launching in 2015 (today, podcasts in healthcare are multiplying like rabbits). You would get smarter by mining the archive of TechTonics: so many hours of insightful (and funny!) conversations from which to learn. These co-hosts are pictured here, donning their jerseys of personal sports passion.

Lisa is a mentor, both out-and-proudly and quietly, too. Long understanding and experiencing life as a woman in tech in Silicon Valley, well before media covered stories and #MeToo emerged, Lisa co-founded CSweetener. The organization matches women healthcare leaders to mentors, a supportive clearinghouse to help grow and empower women in tech. CSweetener also curates a Speakers Bureau to help alleviate the ongoing challenge of “manels” (men on panels) at technology meetings.

Lisa’s also a frequent public speaker, in both the U.S. and globally. In the past few months, she’s traveled to Australia and Ireland, for example, to spread her knowledge about digital health and technology to healthcare providers, investors, and innovators. A few weeks ago, I met with the Dublin-based team of HealthXL, where Lisa sits on the Board. The group waxed lyrically about Lisa’s involvement and important voice and energy supporting their important efforts to bolster innovation in health, globally.

I spent time with Lisa on the phone this week, she from her home base of Silicon Valley and me at mine on the east coast. In full transparency, I was aware that Lisa had the option of selecting from a broad range of opportunities for this next professional step. I asked her, among this rich trove of possible futures, “Why Manatt?”

She synthesized the many reasons into one over-arching response: joining Manatt would afford her, she said, “the opportunity to combine the familiar with the new, and do it in a setting that provides many degrees of freedom.”

Manatt has offices around the U.S., and so gives Lisa the geographic bandwidth to explore and inform healthcare from coast-to-coast. Manatt has operations in Albany (NY), Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Orange County (CA), Palo Alto, Sacramento, San Francisco, and Washington, DC. And now, Mill Valley, CA.

A recent article in the American Lawyer discussed Manatt’s evolving business model and portfolio of services, moving from a law firm to an integrated health advisory organization. Lisa will be part of this ongoing evolution of Manatt as a professional services firm across many industries from healthcare to financial services, music and media — with a venture fund in the mix, as well, an important aspect of Lisa’s job description in the firm.

In my own work forecasting healthcare, I do 1:3:5 year snapshots, with the 5 years more of a scenario planning exercise than a straight line projection given tech, social, political and wild card uncertainties across our health/care ecosystem.

For the many year’s I’ve known Lisa, one of my personal asks has been to help inform my own advisory work — especially, in forecasting the future of healthcare. Lisa’s eyes see business plans for health/care innovations that are often pre-minimum viable product stage. So I asked Lisa, given that I’ll be writing the 2019 Health Populi Trendcast in a matter of weeks. What does she see achieving serious growth on the health care and technology front over the next 3 to 5 years? Four key areas are in her radar:

Voice as user interface, as a tool to free doctors from computer screens, provide older people access to things they don’t have, and enable simple queries for parents. “Voice is a big democratizer,” Lisa believes. “Alexa et. al. can speak in multiple languages.”

IoT (Internet of Things), Lisa foresees, will feature sensors in “everything:” medical devices, products, medications, among them. We’ll also see more and more connected health data in the IoT ecosystem for different applications.

AI will have more health-evidence supporting its adoption, perhaps, she expects, the first AI-developed FDA approved drug, Lisa expects.

Another key development to watch: the massive vertical integration going on among the various stakeholders in healthcare across providers, payors, tech, medtech and pharma. (THINK: CVS + Aetna, Apple aligning with LabCorp and Quest, and Walmart potentially purchasing a health plan).

Finally, we discussed the next phase of her career — what’s most exciting?

“Reconnecting with my love of growing and building things,” Lisa confessed. “I haven’t been doing that for a while. While I’ve been helping other organizations build and grow from the sidelines. I can now enjoy being back to owning something. It’s energizing!”

For more on the Renaissance of the Renaissance Woman in health care, you can read Lisa’s personal announcement on her must-read Venture Valkyrie blog. Here’s also a terrific profile in STAT on Lisa, titled, “The gatekeeper: If you want to make it big in health care, it’ll help to get past Lisa Suennen first.”

Health Populi’s Hot Points: Kudos to Mannatt for recognizing that Lisa Suennen wears many hats in and beyond healthcare. She’s forged a role with the firm that incorporates and leverages so many of her skills, interests, and experiences. The company demonstrates a lot of savvy and prescience for doing so. And, if any one person can help make healthcare better, it’s the great Venture Valkyrie.

Yes, she’s my friend. But she’s a brilliant colleague and valued healthcare-whisperer, which is how I got to learn about and value, first-hand, her many professional gifts.

I am all health/care, all the time in my work and in daily living. ‘Tis the season of forecasts and wishes in my world. My forecast and wish for Lisa and the Manatt family: Be well, Prosper, and Keep Building Health. I believe you will.

The post The Venture Valkyrie’s Next AdVenture appeared first on HealthPopuli.com.

The Venture Valkyrie’s Next AdVenture posted first on http://dentistfortworth.blogspot.com

[maxihealth]

The Venture Valkyrie’s Next AdVenture

Investor, advisor, operator, podcaster, blogger, speaker, Board member, mentor, mother, wife, volunteer. Take inventory of the many hats of Lisa Suennen, aka the Venture Valkyrie, and you understand why I see her as the Renaissance Woman of Healthcare. Ron Popeil couldn’t incorporate this many features into a contraption – yes, she slices and dices healthcare and technology, places bets on the best of them, and she deploys a whole lot more tools in her Mary Poppins-rich toolbox.

Two months ago, Lisa announced she was leaving GE Ventures, where she was Senior Managing Director, to do something new. This week, she announced that she was putting on her “big boots,” under the umbrella of Manatt Health.

First, let’s talk about those many hats that Lisa wears. Lisa comes by her technology savvy through DNA, I believe: her father developed and held many patents and was a serial entrepreneur. Lisa was born not far from the homes of inventors Albert Einstein and Thomas Edison, in Princeton, NJ. The family moved to California where Dad launched his invention of the first real-time ultrasound machine and  expanded his technology research and innovation work. So the apple didn’t fall too far from the paternal tree.

While she’s best-known for being a very visible woman in health-technology investing and building venture funds, Lisa is social media savvy well beyond the profiles of those in her tech-investing peer group. Lisa started the Venture Valkyrie blog in 2010. The Tech-Tonics podcast, co-hosted with David Shaywitz, was an early entrant into that medium, launching in 2015 (today, podcasts in healthcare are multiplying like rabbits). You would get smarter by mining the archive of TechTonics: so many hours of insightful (and funny!) conversations from which to learn. These co-hosts are pictured here, donning their jerseys of personal sports passion.

Lisa is a mentor, both out-and-proudly and quietly, too. Long understanding and experiencing life as a woman in tech in Silicon Valley, well before media covered stories and #MeToo emerged, Lisa co-founded CSweetener. The organization matches women healthcare leaders to mentors, a supportive clearinghouse to help grow and empower women in tech. CSweetener also curates a Speakers Bureau to help alleviate the ongoing challenge of “manels” (men on panels) at technology meetings.

Lisa’s also a frequent public speaker, in both the U.S. and globally. In the past few months, she’s traveled to Australia and Ireland, for example, to spread her knowledge about digital health and technology to healthcare providers, investors, and innovators. A few weeks ago, I met with the Dublin-based team of HealthXL, where Lisa sits on the Board. The group waxed lyrically about Lisa’s involvement and important voice and energy supporting their important efforts to bolster innovation in health, globally.

I spent time with Lisa on the phone this week, she from her home base of Silicon Valley and me at mine on the east coast. In full transparency, I was aware that Lisa had the option of selecting from a broad range of opportunities for this next professional step. I asked her, among this rich trove of possible futures, “Why Manatt?”

She synthesized the many reasons into one over-arching response: joining Manatt would afford her, she said, “the opportunity to combine the familiar with the new, and do it in a setting that provides many degrees of freedom.”

Manatt has offices around the U.S., and so gives Lisa the geographic bandwidth to explore and inform healthcare from coast-to-coast. Manatt has operations in Albany (NY), Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Orange County (CA), Palo Alto, Sacramento, San Francisco, and Washington, DC. And now, Mill Valley, CA.

A recent article in the American Lawyer discussed Manatt’s evolving business model and portfolio of services, moving from a law firm to an integrated health advisory organization. Lisa will be part of this ongoing evolution of Manatt as a professional services firm across many industries from healthcare to financial services, music and media — with a venture fund in the mix, as well, an important aspect of Lisa’s job description in the firm.

In my own work forecasting healthcare, I do 1:3:5 year snapshots, with the 5 years more of a scenario planning exercise than a straight line projection given tech, social, political and wild card uncertainties across our health/care ecosystem.

For the many year’s I’ve known Lisa, one of my personal asks has been to help inform my own advisory work — especially, in forecasting the future of healthcare. Lisa’s eyes see business plans for health/care innovations that are often pre-minimum viable product stage. So I asked Lisa, given that I’ll be writing the 2019 Health Populi Trendcast in a matter of weeks. What does she see achieving serious growth on the health care and technology front over the next 3 to 5 years? Four key areas are in her radar:

Voice as user interface, as a tool to free doctors from computer screens, provide older people access to things they don’t have, and enable simple queries for parents. “Voice is a big democratizer,” Lisa believes. “Alexa et. al. can speak in multiple languages.”

IoT (Internet of Things), Lisa foresees, will feature sensors in “everything:” medical devices, products, medications, among them. We’ll also see more and more connected health data in the IoT ecosystem for different applications.

AI will have more health-evidence supporting its adoption, perhaps, she expects, the first AI-developed FDA approved drug, Lisa expects.

Another key development to watch: the massive vertical integration going on among the various stakeholders in healthcare across providers, payors, tech, medtech and pharma. (THINK: CVS + Aetna, Apple aligning with LabCorp and Quest, and Walmart potentially purchasing a health plan).

Finally, we discussed the next phase of her career — what’s most exciting?

“Reconnecting with my love of growing and building things,” Lisa confessed. “I haven’t been doing that for a while. While I’ve been helping other organizations build and grow from the sidelines. I can now enjoy being back to owning something. It’s energizing!”

For more on the Renaissance of the Renaissance Woman in health care, you can read Lisa’s personal announcement on her must-read Venture Valkyrie blog. Here’s also a terrific profile in STAT on Lisa, titled, “The gatekeeper: If you want to make it big in health care, it’ll help to get past Lisa Suennen first.”

Health Populi’s Hot Points: Kudos to Mannatt for recognizing that Lisa Suennen wears many hats in and beyond healthcare. She’s forged a role with the firm that incorporates and leverages so many of her skills, interests, and experiences. The company demonstrates a lot of savvy and prescience for doing so. And, if any one person can help make healthcare better, it’s the great Venture Valkyrie.

Yes, she’s my friend. But she’s a brilliant colleague and valued healthcare-whisperer, which is how I got to learn about and value, first-hand, her many professional gifts.

I am all health/care, all the time in my work and in daily living. ‘Tis the season of forecasts and wishes in my world. My forecast and wish for Lisa and the Manatt family: Be well, Prosper, and Keep Building Health. I believe you will.

The post The Venture Valkyrie’s Next AdVenture appeared first on HealthPopuli.com.

The Venture Valkyrie’s Next AdVenture posted first on https://carilloncitydental.blogspot.com

[titheguerrero]

The Venture Valkyrie’s Next AdVenture

Investor, advisor, operator, podcaster, blogger, speaker, Board member, mentor, mother, wife, volunteer. Take inventory of the many hats of Lisa Suennen, aka the Venture Valkyrie, and you understand why I see her as the Renaissance Woman of Healthcare. Ron Popeil couldn’t incorporate this many features into a contraption – yes, she slices and dices healthcare and technology, places bets on the best of them, and she deploys a whole lot more tools in her Mary Poppins-rich toolbox.

Two months ago, Lisa announced she was leaving GE Ventures, where she was Senior Managing Director, to do something new. This week, she announced that she was putting on her “big boots,” under the umbrella of Manatt Health.

First, let’s talk about those many hats that Lisa wears. Lisa comes by her technology savvy through DNA, I believe: her father developed and held many patents and was a serial entrepreneur. Lisa was born not far from the homes of inventors Albert Einstein and Thomas Edison, in Princeton, NJ. The family moved to California where Dad launched his invention of the first real-time ultrasound machine and  expanded his technology research and innovation work. So the apple didn’t fall too far from the paternal tree.

While she’s best-known for being a very visible woman in health-technology investing and building venture funds, Lisa is social media savvy well beyond the profiles of those in her tech-investing peer group. Lisa started the Venture Valkyrie blog in 2010. The Tech-Tonics podcast, co-hosted with David Shaywitz, was an early entrant into that medium, launching in 2015 (today, podcasts in healthcare are multiplying like rabbits). You would get smarter by mining the archive of TechTonics: so many hours of insightful (and funny!) conversations from which to learn. These co-hosts are pictured here, donning their jerseys of personal sports passion.

Lisa is a mentor, both out-and-proudly and quietly, too. Long understanding and experiencing life as a woman in tech in Silicon Valley, well before media covered stories and #MeToo emerged, Lisa co-founded CSweetener. The organization matches women healthcare leaders to mentors, a supportive clearinghouse to help grow and empower women in tech. CSweetener also curates a Speakers Bureau to help alleviate the ongoing challenge of “manels” (men on panels) at technology meetings.

Lisa’s also a frequent public speaker, in both the U.S. and globally. In the past few months, she’s traveled to Australia and Ireland, for example, to spread her knowledge about digital health and technology to healthcare providers, investors, and innovators. A few weeks ago, I met with the Dublin-based team of HealthXL, where Lisa sits on the Board. The group waxed lyrically about Lisa’s involvement and important voice and energy supporting their important efforts to bolster innovation in health, globally.

I spent time with Lisa on the phone this week, she from her home base of Silicon Valley and me at mine on the east coast. In full transparency, I was aware that Lisa had the option of selecting from a broad range of opportunities for this next professional step. I asked her, among this rich trove of possible futures, “Why Manatt?”

She synthesized the many reasons into one over-arching response: joining Manatt would afford her, she said, “the opportunity to combine the familiar with the new, and do it in a setting that provides many degrees of freedom.”

Manatt has offices around the U.S., and so gives Lisa the geographic bandwidth to explore and inform healthcare from coast-to-coast. Manatt has operations in Albany (NY), Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Orange County (CA), Palo Alto, Sacramento, San Francisco, and Washington, DC. And now, Mill Valley, CA.

A recent article in the American Lawyer discussed Manatt’s evolving business model and portfolio of services, moving from a law firm to an integrated health advisory organization. Lisa will be part of this ongoing evolution of Manatt as a professional services firm across many industries from healthcare to financial services, music and media — with a venture fund in the mix, as well, an important aspect of Lisa’s job description in the firm.

In my own work forecasting healthcare, I do 1:3:5 year snapshots, with the 5 years more of a scenario planning exercise than a straight line projection given tech, social, political and wild card uncertainties across our health/care ecosystem.

For the many year’s I’ve known Lisa, one of my personal asks has been to help inform my own advisory work — especially, in forecasting the future of healthcare. Lisa’s eyes see business plans for health/care innovations that are often pre-minimum viable product stage. So I asked Lisa, given that I’ll be writing the 2019 Health Populi Trendcast in a matter of weeks. What does she see achieving serious growth on the health care and technology front over the next 3 to 5 years? Four key areas are in her radar:

Voice as user interface, as a tool to free doctors from computer screens, provide older people access to things they don’t have, and enable simple queries for parents. “Voice is a big democratizer,” Lisa believes. “Alexa et. al. can speak in multiple languages.”

IoT (Internet of Things), Lisa foresees, will feature sensors in “everything:” medical devices, products, medications, among them. We’ll also see more and more connected health data in the IoT ecosystem for different applications.

AI will have more health-evidence supporting its adoption, perhaps, she expects, the first AI-developed FDA approved drug, Lisa expects.

Another key development to watch: the massive vertical integration going on among the various stakeholders in healthcare across providers, payors, tech, medtech and pharma. (THINK: CVS + Aetna, Apple aligning with LabCorp and Quest, and Walmart potentially purchasing a health plan).

Finally, we discussed the next phase of her career — what’s most exciting?

“Reconnecting with my love of growing and building things,” Lisa confessed. “I haven’t been doing that for a while. While I’ve been helping other organizations build and grow from the sidelines. I can now enjoy being back to owning something. It’s energizing!”

For more on the Renaissance of the Renaissance Woman in health care, you can read Lisa’s personal announcement on her must-read Venture Valkyrie blog. Here’s also a terrific profile in STAT on Lisa, titled, “The gatekeeper: If you want to make it big in health care, it’ll help to get past Lisa Suennen first.”

Health Populi’s Hot Points: Kudos to Mannatt for recognizing that Lisa Suennen wears many hats in and beyond healthcare. She’s forged a role with the firm that incorporates and leverages so many of her skills, interests, and experiences. The company demonstrates a lot of savvy and prescience for doing so. And, if any one person can help make healthcare better, it’s the great Venture Valkyrie.

Yes, she’s my friend. But she’s a brilliant colleague and valued healthcare-whisperer, which is how I got to learn about and value, first-hand, her many professional gifts.

I am all health/care, all the time in my work and in daily living. ‘Tis the season of forecasts and wishes in my world. My forecast and wish for Lisa and the Manatt family: Be well, Prosper, and Keep Building Health. I believe you will.

The post The Venture Valkyrie’s Next AdVenture appeared first on HealthPopuli.com.

Article source:Health Populi

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🌞Sticker Branding – 4 Sticker Marketing Ideas Local Organizations Use That Your Business Isn’t (But Should)

Sticker Marketing Strategies & Branding Ideas – 4 Ways Local Organizations Are Using Printed Stickers

When we brainstorm ideas on getting the word out about our company or the services we offer, there’s a tendency to rush and perform a Google search for the best ways to promote a company.  

Although that is fine and dandy, and I’m sure you’ll find some great ideas. Here are four distinct ways that I remember from my personal experience that involves custom sticker labels being used as a great promotional and give-away product to help brand a company.

This article written by guest contributor Rob Pene

I remember noticing these organizations using tiny little stickers to their advantage, making a very big impact as they creatively worked to extend their marketing dollars beyond a simple flyer distribution system.

Elementary School Rewards Children for “Walk & Bike to School Day”

I did not realize there was such a thing as a “walk and bike to school day” until my daughter mentioned that she wanted to wake up at 6 a.m. then start walking to school because there was a special initiative she learned about in class.  

I thought to myself it was a great idea, then I wondered where it came from and what the purpose was. So I went online, did a little bit of research, and found that the purpose behind the initiative was to encourage physical activity, family connection, and getting more cars off the street.  

We did not wake up that early, but we did leave earlier than normal and park very very far so that we could walk to school along with everybody else that was walking. The interesting thing that happened was there were three times more volunteers with orange shirts on handing out stickers.

Of course, the children always love stickers!

But what caught my attention was that the sticker mirrored the embroidered logo on their t-shirt. In retrospect, I realized that it was a very good marketing move because the tiny little stickers are able to go further and reach more people due to its low cost, compared to the t-shirt. However, because the logo was very memorable, as it stood out on the t-shirt, it made me realize that I wanted a t-shirt as well and that the logo to our trusted elementary school was something I would be proud of wearing.

Kudos to our elementary school!!

Police Station Gives Every Child A Sticker At Community Festival

Recently at our local community center, the city put on a festival celebrating the diversity in our city as well as all the different small businesses that helped to provide jobs to the people of our community. it was a fun time!  There were booths for various organizations, entertainment, food, and a lot of people.

My kids love stickers and when the police were walking around handing each child a police badge sticker, somehow I ended up with 6 police badge stickers stuck to my chest.  These are the same stickers that they handed out when we walked by the police station the other day, which coincidentally was the same day that my son said he wanted to grow up to be a policeman.

The more people see your brand or icon the more memorable it becomes, and the higher the likelihood of establishing a lasting impact increases.   That is what it felt like when I saw the police stickers at the festival. It reminded me of when my son was excited about serving our local community in that capacity, as a policeman.

Oh, and yes, they too had t-shirts with their embroidered logo on it.

Consumer Law Attorney Promotes Free Consultations

I have a friend who is a local attorney that handles bankruptcy, foreclosure, lemon law, as a Consumer Law Attorney.  He is also quite the marketing mind. When I went over to visit with him, he had a big smile on his face and handed me a stack of sheets that almost looked like fortune cookie slivers, only 5x bigger.

I looked at it and all it said was “Talk to a lawyer for FREE” and in small font underneath was the phone number.  

I thought it was a great way to get people’s attention especially since we all know that lawyers and their hourly rates are very expensive. For my friend, well, his hourly rate is $695. I asked him why he chose to promote the free phone call versus promoting his brand and logo, he laughed and replied: “who doesn’t want to talk to an attorney for FREE?”

His rationale made a lot of sense to me. as we parted ways I noticed that he had a bumper sticker that said the same thing.  Looks like he was utilizing those marketing chops to his advantage.

I asked him if he had a t-shirt with the same message, he replied no, but then he opened the trunk of his car and took out a bag which by the way had that same exact same embroidered to the side of it.  

Nice job and well played

Beauty Salon Offers Discount At Local Shopping Center

Who doesn’t like free stuff right? I would say the same thing about discounts. Who doesn’t love a good discount?

A local Beauty Salon was handing out free combs at the nearby shopping center. I thought it was an interesting giveaway, but the more intriguing part was tucked away inside the package.  It was a 50% off coupon to their beauty salon inside. The logo was absent on the packaging and on the front of the coupon, it had 50% off, and on the back of the coupon, it had the phone number, address, and website.

I think that was quite effective and actually extremely relevant because of the comb.

I’m sure a lot of people (especially the women) might have taken them up on their offer.

Assuming they did a great job at the salon, I think people would also buy merchandise at the salon.  The initial incentive of the free giveaway coupled with the discount coupon is a great deal by itself.  But then you add in quality service, with quality merchandise, it sure looks to me like a winning formula.

Nice Job, Nice Job!

All these different scenarios had great ideas and executed on the purpose of promoting their brand in multiple ways.  They all had a small and versatile item, like the sticker or the discount coupon, and were able to give it to as many people as possible. Yet, at the same time, they had items of much higher value, like the shirts with embroidery patches and the embroidered bag on display.

By giving away the low-cost item while showcasing the higher value item at the same time, it certainly helped to increase awareness for the brand and extend its reach as well.

Nice job, nice job.

If you’re looking to extend the reach of your company message or brand, consider printing stickers, discount coupons and embroidering merchandise with your message.  You’ll be surprised who remembers where they saw your logo and with whom it was associated with.

The post 🌞Sticker Branding – 4 Sticker Marketing Ideas Local Organizations Use That Your Business Isn’t (But Should) appeared first on CBF Labels Inc.

from CBF Labels Inc https://www.cbflabel.com/sticker-tags/sticker-branding-marketing-ideas-from-local-organizations/

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🌞Sticker Branding – 4 Sticker Marketing Ideas Local Organizations Use That Your Business Isn’t (But Should)

Sticker Marketing Strategies & Branding Ideas – 4 Ways Local Organizations Are Using Printed Stickers

When we brainstorm ideas on getting the word out about our company or the services we offer, there’s a tendency to rush and perform a Google search for the best ways to promote a company.  

Although that is fine and dandy, and I’m sure you’ll find some great ideas. Here are four distinct ways that I remember from my personal experience that involves custom sticker labels being used as a great promotional and give-away product to help brand a company.

This article written by guest contributor Rob Pene

I remember noticing these organizations using tiny little stickers to their advantage, making a very big impact as they creatively worked to extend their marketing dollars beyond a simple flyer distribution system.

Elementary School Rewards Children for “Walk & Bike to School Day”

I did not realize there was such a thing as a “walk and bike to school day” until my daughter mentioned that she wanted to wake up at 6 a.m. then start walking to school because there was a special initiative she learned about in class.  

I thought to myself it was a great idea, then I wondered where it came from and what the purpose was. So I went online, did a little bit of research, and found that the purpose behind the initiative was to encourage physical activity, family connection, and getting more cars off the street.  

We did not wake up that early, but we did leave earlier than normal and park very very far so that we could walk to school along with everybody else that was walking. The interesting thing that happened was there were three times more volunteers with orange shirts on handing out stickers.

Of course, the children always love stickers!

But what caught my attention was that the sticker mirrored the embroidered logo on their t-shirt. In retrospect, I realized that it was a very good marketing move because the tiny little stickers are able to go further and reach more people due to its low cost, compared to the t-shirt. However, because the logo was very memorable, as it stood out on the t-shirt, it made me realize that I wanted a t-shirt as well and that the logo to our trusted elementary school was something I would be proud of wearing.

Kudos to our elementary school!!

Police Station Gives Every Child A Sticker At Community Festival

Recently at our local community center, the city put on a festival celebrating the diversity in our city as well as all the different small businesses that helped to provide jobs to the people of our community. it was a fun time!  There were booths for various organizations, entertainment, food, and a lot of people.

My kids love stickers and when the police were walking around handing each child a police badge sticker, somehow I ended up with 6 police badge stickers stuck to my chest.  These are the same stickers that they handed out when we walked by the police station the other day, which coincidentally was the same day that my son said he wanted to grow up to be a policeman.

The more people see your brand or icon the more memorable it becomes, and the higher the likelihood of establishing a lasting impact increases.   That is what it felt like when I saw the police stickers at the festival. It reminded me of when my son was excited about serving our local community in that capacity, as a policeman.

Oh, and yes, they too had t-shirts with their embroidered logo on it.

Consumer Law Attorney Promotes Free Consultations

I have a friend who is a local attorney that handles bankruptcy, foreclosure, lemon law, as a Consumer Law Attorney.  He is also quite the marketing mind. When I went over to visit with him, he had a big smile on his face and handed me a stack of sheets that almost looked like fortune cookie slivers, only 5x bigger.

I looked at it and all it said was “Talk to a lawyer for FREE” and in small font underneath was the phone number.  

I thought it was a great way to get people’s attention especially since we all know that lawyers and their hourly rates are very expensive. For my friend, well, his hourly rate is $695. I asked him why he chose to promote the free phone call versus promoting his brand and logo, he laughed and replied: “who doesn’t want to talk to an attorney for FREE?”

His rationale made a lot of sense to me. as we parted ways I noticed that he had a bumper sticker that said the same thing.  Looks like he was utilizing those marketing chops to his advantage.

I asked him if he had a t-shirt with the same message, he replied no, but then he opened the trunk of his car and took out a bag which by the way had that same exact same embroidered to the side of it.  

Nice job and well played

Beauty Salon Offers Discount At Local Shopping Center

Who doesn’t like free stuff right? I would say the same thing about discounts. Who doesn’t love a good discount?

A local Beauty Salon was handing out free combs at the nearby shopping center. I thought it was an interesting giveaway, but the more intriguing part was tucked away inside the package.  It was a 50% off coupon to their beauty salon inside. The logo was absent on the packaging and on the front of the coupon, it had 50% off, and on the back of the coupon, it had the phone number, address, and website.

I think that was quite effective and actually extremely relevant because of the comb.

I’m sure a lot of people (especially the women) might have taken them up on their offer.

Assuming they did a great job at the salon, I think people would also buy merchandise at the salon.  The initial incentive of the free giveaway coupled with the discount coupon is a great deal by itself.  But then you add in quality service, with quality merchandise, it sure looks to me like a winning formula.

Nice Job, Nice Job!

All these different scenarios had great ideas and executed on the purpose of promoting their brand in multiple ways.  They all had a small and versatile item, like the sticker or the discount coupon, and were able to give it to as many people as possible. Yet, at the same time, they had items of much higher value, like the shirts with embroidery patches and the embroidered bag on display.

By giving away the low-cost item while showcasing the higher value item at the same time, it certainly helped to increase awareness for the brand and extend its reach as well.

Nice job, nice job.

If you’re looking to extend the reach of your company message or brand, consider printing stickers, discount coupons and embroidering merchandise with your message.  You’ll be surprised who remembers where they saw your logo and with whom it was associated with.

The post 🌞Sticker Branding – 4 Sticker Marketing Ideas Local Organizations Use That Your Business Isn’t (But Should) appeared first on CBF Labels Inc.