#also because how the mental health sector just generally seems to be

[haldenlith]

In my tired and somewhat irritated haze, I feel the need to vent, and it's about my frustrations trying to do the whole "seeking help" thing.

About a week ago, I got ghosted by my psychiatrist when I had a telehealth appointment (they're not strictly online only, they just do most appointments online). This is after they've been all "you should be more active, it'll make you happier" and "hey get all these tests done so we can make sure your issues aren't xyz" and putting me on medication and everything. After I've raised the question a few times if we're going down the right path because anxiety meds don't seem to work on me.

It just really pissed me off. I miss an appointment and I get charged $50-100. She misses an appointment and it's apparently whatever?

I've dropped her, needless to say, but that means I am again on the hunt, for the third or fourth time, and I'm honestly just... exhausted. I was tired when I started, I'm fucking exhausted from trying now. Exhausted and frustrated, because also it feels like it takes an act of a god to get anyone to listen to me on the note of "hey, maybe this isn't just depression/anxiety? Maybe I have ADHD or something?"

Like I don't know, man. After hitting almost double-digits of medications tried and nothing working, I'm inclined to believe the wrong thing might be getting treated.

It's my best guess, anyway.

But I'm almost inclined to just... give up trying to do anything about it, and go "this is my life I guess 🤷‍♂️", and just... deal with it.

[letters-of-libertas]

I'm bi and yeah your note on women not having solidarity seems sadly true. Apart from not dating men would there be anything you would suggest to improve ones life apart from stating away from those women if possible?

I love this question because this is how to start thinking: being practical.

What it takes to "improve ones life" is subjective so with that said firstly define what a better life(style) for yourself away from moids would look like. Temporarily mentally remove xy terrorist existence. What would your habits/routine be? What would you work towards & pour your energy into? What would you want to be? What would you center your life around? Take your time with these questions or anymore that come up. Have a general idea then be more specific and start breaking your life down into sectors/sections/areas, then look at where you want to be in those areas and work towards it.

For example; I divide my life into 6-7 aspects:

Physical Strength - Not just about muscle but knowing how to fight, where to hit and when to fight. Being stronger makes it easier to defend yourself in altercations (especially with other women). Some mfs will try you & you cant always rely on others coming to your rescue. Also work on building stamina to help endurance, and keeping as healthy as possible.

Emotional Strength - If you cant control your emotions they will control you. In a world of chaos being emotionally strong will let you cut through the noise and focus on what truly matters. Building emotional strength is not easy but it's worth it. Being able to rise above immediate reactions and pace yourself will allow you to assess situations more rationally & make more beneficial choices.

Finances - Get your bag up. Having money to gain resources is imperative to quality of life. I dont care what anyone says having a certain amount of money in life WILL make you happier as you're able to meet your needs better. Having more money/resources also makes it easier to support other women should you choose to do so, it also allows you to be more influential and have more control over your life. However, dont become a slave to getting money tho because that's how you get scammed.

Network - The type of people you hang around can make or break who you are as a person. Aim to connect with likeminded women who will encourage & inspire you as you go on this journey. Hang around people that value & will be honest with you while giving you grace. Not all women you engage with have to be single & childfree but beware the moid crazy ones because they will bring danger to you in their quest for maIe validation. Life isn't perfect but you cant go wrong having the right people around you, valuable relationships are hard to find but it goes a long way even if it's just online. However, no company > bad company.

Spirituality/Guide - Having something bigger than yourself to guide you through the chaos in this world can offer guidance/purpose that keeps you grounded & focused. For many people generally this is religion/god. Not everyone needs or ascribes to religion/spirituality though, but at least consider sets of morals/beliefs to follow. However even that isn't for everyone. So if you feel better off without spirituality or a 'higher' guide at least be clear on it & your reasons why (for yourself).

Hobbies & Interests - As turbulent as the world is, find things to enjoy amidst the chaos. Constant work, doom, and gloom will not change anything you will only hurt yourself. Take time to indulge in things that make you happy to recharge & relax. Engage in hobbies that serve you, share your passion with other women & hear theirs out too. It goes a long way in terms of mental health.

Security - It takes privilege to decide to not get married or have children as a woman & live it out. Everyone's situation is different so what I'll generally suggest is to constantly look into how you can protect yourself, have backup methods, and stay in the loop of xy predation. Dont drown in it but moids are predators & being completely blind to them is being blind to danger. Elaborated on point 10 here.

Sounds like a lot? Great, it'll keep you busy because this isn't a vacation or destination but a lifestyle. And to be honest, some of y'all can do with the busyness as it'll let you focus on what actually matters. This not to say to overwhelm yourself in things for the sake of it but to prioritise your energy on effective things for your life. As you focus on building you'll find that you have less energy to care about insignificant stuff or stuff out of your control anyways. For example, Instead of getting wound up about user somerandomadjectivefem stirring discourse calling you an extremist or whining about how impossible it is for her & other women to live without romantic love n' whatnot (or even women irl pulling this crap), you either ignore or quickly shut down the conversation & swiftly move on.

Everything I've mentioned are just examples, you may feel differently do whatever you feel best applies. Also remember to enjoy the process along the way as you are living through it afterall :3

Long story short: Work on building resources & other aspects of your life up for yourself.

[mrmrswales]

Exclusive: the ‘profoundly powerful’ moments that shaped Duchess of Cambridge’s children’s charity work by Camilla Tominey

It all started with secret visits the public never got to see. Newly married, and with the world’s press chronicling her every move – down to the details of her designer dresses – the Duchess of Cambridge resolved to go "below radar".

Acting as Prince William’s "plus one", rather than a fully fledged solo royal in those early days, the newest addition to the Royal family knew that she wanted to find a cause she could champion as impactfully as Diana, the Princess of Wales’s landmine campaign; it was simply a question of where to find it.

Having already announced her first patronage of Action on Addiction, a charity working with people with drug and alcohol problems, Hope House, a women-only rehabilitation centre in Clapham, south London, seemed as good a place as any to start.

It was October 2011 when the then 29-year-old Duchess paid the first of several, incognito visits in a bid to find out what had sent its clients on a downward spiral of self-destruction.

According to Rebecca Priestley, who accompanied the Duchess on the visit and would go on to spend five years as her private secretary, it played a pivotal role in her decision to put childhood at the heart of her philanthropic endeavours.

Speaking on the record for the first time, Mrs Priestley, who is now an executive coach, recalled:  "I remember going up to Anglesey, where they were living after the wedding, to have a conversation with the Duchess about her royal life."

At that point, she had the philanthropic world at her feet. She could have done anything she wanted in the charitable arena. Typically, she had put a lot of thought into it already. Addiction was an issue she was instinctively thinking about – but she was also genuinely interested in understanding what support was there and what role that played in the bigger picture of mainstream societal issues."

With the Duke having flown to the Falklands for a six–week tour of duty with his RAF search and rescue squadron, Mrs Priestley put a programme together to support the Duchess’s desire to "listen and learn"."A lot of it was behind the scenes, just talking to people and hearing where it was that they needed more help.  The one thing that united all of the women at Hope House was that the derailing had started so early on. They could trace the problems in their adult lives back to childhood."

A subsequent private visit in February 2012 to Clouds House, a treatment centre in East Knoyle in Wiltshire, served as further confirmation that the early years should be a key area of focus. But it was during a later meeting with female inmates at a detox unit at Send Prison in Woking when the penny well and truly dropped.

"It was a profoundly powerful moment,” recalled Mrs Priestley. "You go in there with this preconceived idea that these women have done things wrong, that it was their fault. Then one woman started speaking to the Duchess about her earliest memories of seeing needles on the floor of her home."

She had always thought addiction was a misunderstood issue, but after this, she became concerned that there was a pre-destiny about those affected – an inevitability about it. These women were born into it and there was very little chance of escape."

The experience set in train a sequence of events that will next week culminate in the Duchess, 39, stepping up her ambition in driving awareness and action on the impact that early childhood can have on society at large.

She will launch a new initiative through the couple’s Royal Foundation to further explore the science around early childhood, raise awareness of the issue and foster collaboration and partnerships across relevant groups.

According to Lord Hague, who became chairman of the Royal Foundation last September, the "ambitious" new project will be equal in stature to William’s £50 million Earthshot Prize, launched last year with Sir David Attenborough to find workable solutions to climate change and environmental problems.

"The Duchess truly believes this is one of the great issues of our time," said the former Tory leader. "This is the central plank of her work in the way conservation issues are for the Duke. It’s a hugely significant moment."

While politicians are often in a rush to make a difference during the comparatively short time they have in office, royals are there for life, which perhaps explains why Kate has taken 10 years to get to this point.Having been instrumental in launching the Heads Together campaign with William and Prince Harry in 2016, designed at tackling the stigma and changing the conversation on mental health, it was not until 2018 that she convened a steering group of experts to look at how cross-sector collaboration could bring about lasting change.

In January, she delivered a landmark speech after her Five Big Questions on the Under Fives survey garnered over 500,000 responses.

"People often ask why I care so passionately about the early years," the mother-of-three said.

"Many mistakenly believe that my interest stems from having children of my own. While of course I care hugely about their start in life, this ultimately sells the issue short. If we only expect people to take an interest in the early years when they have children, we are not only too late for them, we are underestimating the huge role others can play in shaping our most formative years, too."

Pointing out that the social cost of late intervention has been estimated to be over £17 billion a year, she added: "The early years are therefore not simply just about how we raise our children. They are in fact about how we raise the next generation of adults. They are about the society we will become."

According to Eamon McCrory, Professor of Developmental Neuroscience and Psychopathology at University College London, the Duchess "has a vision of how she can help transform how we as a society view and invest in the early years for the benefit of society".

Describing her interest in "the role the brain shapes our early experiences and how that sets us on a path to adult life", he explained: "When you look at very young babies and infants, on the surface they don’t appear to be engaging in complex emotions so there's a tendency to underestimate the millions of synapses that are being formed every minute. But science is telling us we have to look under the bonnet.

"There’s no question that for the Duchess, this is a lifetime piece of work. The last five years laid the foundations, now we are entering a more proactive phase.” Described by one source as “thoughtful, professional and determined to do a good job,” there is a sense that Kate has never been in it for the early wins, but the long haul.

As one well-placed insider put it: "She took the job very seriously right from the very beginning. She continues to want to get it right and do her very best - for the institution, for William and the importance of the work she’s doing.

"She doesn't just want to rock up for a picture opportunity, which is why she used to get quite frustrated with all the early focus on what she was wearing. She really cares about this stuff."

Another source said she was "much more fun" than people give her credit for, pointing out how she has grown in confidence having found a cause that she is not only passionate about - but also well informed.

As Lord Hague put it: "She’s been reading the books and had trustees reading the books. People assume her interest in the early years is because she has children – actually it comes from all the adults she’s met." The other key influence has been Kate’s own idyllic childhood.

Brought up in leafy Bucklebury in West Berkshire by her entrepreneur parents Michael and Carole Middleton, pictured below with the royal family, the Duchess has never made any secret of how fortunate she has been to be brought up in a loving and supportive family.

"She always recognised that she benefited from such a great start in life," added Mrs Priestley.

"That’s why sport and the outdoors has always been a key theme for her. She was always asking how those sorts of experiences could be made accessible to others."

For Dame Benny Refson, president of the children’s mental health charity Place2Be, where the Duchess has been patron since 2013, Kate’s grounded upbringing has proved an asset.

“The Duchess listens and people feel heard and valued. It’s nothing to do with privilege. The groups she meets in challenging areas in London don't look at what she's wearing. What makes a difference is that an important person has shown a genuine interest in them. She can relate without passing judgement, which is so important."

Having started out as a reticent public speaker, the Duchess has finally found her voice – and next week she will have a lot more to say.

[obviouslygenuinely]

Free Resources For Writers & Creators

This is a quick post of free resources that may help fandom creators (or creators in general). I’m sure many of these have been shared before. However, it doesn’t hurt to spread the word. A few quick points:

As a professional writer, I think this post will cater mostly towards writers.

I’m also a freelance photographer, so digital photography/editing/art sources are included, too.

I chose not to use any affiliate links in my post. I don’t want to profit from this, and I’m not sure that’s allowed on Tumblr anyways. 

If I’ve listed a resource I haven’t used myself, I’ve made sure to state it. 

Masterlists and/or huge resource compilations are marked with asterisks.

Alright, here we go! I hope you all find this post helpful. Happy writing/creating! 

Research

All of these are free resources for research. I use most of them for my writing jobs because they are extremely credible. These are great for making accurate references in your fics/creations. 

1. ***Research Resources For Writers***

Writer’s Write has an enormous database of research resources for writers. They are divided into 20+ categories such as:

careers

historical research

crimes and forensics

religion

Each category contains 10+ resources like websites, articles, tips, databases, and so much more. It’s the most comprehensive and organized free research tool I use.

2. PubMed

My go-to source for citing medical studies. You’ll find 30 million citations related to numerous physical and mental health issues. 

3. BioMed Central

I don’t use this website as often, but I keep it in my bookmarks. It’s similar to PubMed - great for discovering current and former medical research. 

4. Drugs.com

If you need to name a medication and/or refer to medication side effects, Drugs.com is a straightforward resource. It’s easy to navigate and understand. 

It also has a tool that lists potential medication interactions. This is really useful for accurate descriptions of med combinations. 

5. Merck Manuals Consumer Version

Merck Manuals started out in 1899 as a medical reference guide for professionals. This consumer version is really comprehensive and updated regularly. It includes definitions, studies, and more. 

6. FindLaw

If you’re writing about legal topics, FindLaw is useful for learning about laws/procedures in reader-friendly language. Categories include:

accidents/injuries

criminal law

family law (divorce, custody, etc.)

Keep in mind that laws vary based on location! You’ll often find additional links to state-related laws within articles. I do recommend double-checking state/location-based legal resources for accuracy. 

7. APA Dictionary of Psychology

This psychology dictionary is provided by the American Psychological Association. It covers 90+ areas of psychology and 25,000+ terms/definitions. 

You’ll also find links to additional psychology databases, resources, and so on. The website is updated frequently to provide updated information.

8. U.S. Bureau Of Labor Statistics

If you’re writing about a character’s job/career in the United States, this is a great source for accuracy. For any job sector, you’ll find details about

education requirements

positions in the sector

average salary for positions

what the positions entail 

I imagine there are alternatives for other countries, too! 

9. Investopedia Financial Term Dictionary

My area of expertise is personal finance; all of my writing published under my name is in this niche. I still refer to Investopedia’s dictionary for help. It’s excellent for understanding/explaining financial terms in a way that your reader can understand. 

10. MedTerms Medical Dictionary

This is the medical version of Investopedia’s dictionary. I use this source less frequently, but I find that it’s accurate and helpful. There are many similar references online if you search for “medical glossaries” or “medical dictionaries”. 

11. Domain Authority Checker

I’m not sure if this one is too helpful for fic writers, but it’s one of my most used tools. Domain authority “a search engine ranking score developed by Moz that predicts how likely a website is to rank on search engine result pages (SERPs)”.

The Wikipedia page for domain authority (DA) explains it clearly and simply. To sum it up, websites with good DA scores are considered reliable and accurate. If I cite sources in my work. I always link to sources with good DA scores. 

Writing/Editing

This section is the most thorough one. All of these are completely free tools for writing and editing any type of content. I currently use or have used all of these at some point in my career. 

1. ***List Of Free And Open-Source Software Packages***

This Wikipedia page applies to multiple categories in my post. It’s a masterpost of free and open-source software for anything and everything. Software is divided up into categories and sub-categories. Some relevant examples include:

media

networking/Internet

image editing

file management

There are hundreds of free software links on the page, so you’ll need to do a bit of browsing. Start with the categories above to find software geared towards writers/creators. 

2. OpenOffice

This is a free alternative to Microsoft Office. I’ve used it for nine years and love it. OpenOffice software includes free applications for:

text documents

spreadsheets

presentations

drawing

templates

There are many more tools with OpenOffice that I haven’t used. If you write offline, I cannot recommend it enough. Tutorials are readily available online, and the software is pretty user-friendly. 

3. Evernote

I briefly used Evernote and found that it’s very user-friendly and helpful. Most of my colleagues use Evernote and recommend it for taking notes/staying organized.

(I’m personally not a fan of note-taking software or apps. My method is messy text documents with bullet point lists.)

4. Google Drive

This might seem like an obvious one, but Google Drive/Docs is my writing haven. It has the tools included with Microsoft Office and OpenOffice and then some. It’s great for collaborative writing/sharing documents, too. 

5. Grammarly

I use the Premium (paid) version of Grammarly, but I also used the free version for years. It’s helpful for detecting simple spelling, style, and grammatical errors. 

There are numerous ways to use it - desktop, copy/paste documents, and so on. I’m not a huge fan of how well it works with Google Docs, but they’re improving it/it’s moved out of beta mode. 

If you’re interested in the paid version - which I highly recommend -  wait to buy until a holiday pops up. They offer a major discount on the software for almost every holiday/special occasion. 

6. Plagiarism Detector

This website is handy for scanning for plagiarism. You can scan your own work to ensure uniqueness, too. My clients are big fans of this tool. 

(I no longer use this resource; I use a paid tool called Copyscape Premium. The low cost has a big return on investment for me.) 

7. TitleCase

The name says it all. It’s free and simple! I’ll be honest - I’m terrible with proper title case. You’d think after a decade of writing I’d nail it. However, I use this tool pretty often. 

8. Hemingway Editor

Hemingway Editor is an online and desktop editor. It’s excellent for scanning your writing to check for:

readability (a grade-level score is listed)

adverb usage

passive voice usage

complex phrase usage

estimated reading time

This tool is color-coded to make editing easy. For example, adverbs are highlighted in blue. I don’t use this as often as I used to, but it was essential for my early writing career. 

9. Polish My Writing

This tool is very straightforward. You paste your writing into the text box. Spelling errors, grammar suggestions, and style suggestions are highlighted in red, blue, and green. 

It’s great for double-checking your work alongside Grammarly or Hemingway. When using free editors, I recommend using at least two for higher accuracy. 

10. OneLook Reverse Dictionary And Thesaurus 

I’m going to use the definition directly from the website:

“This tool lets you describe a concept and get back a list of words and phrases related to that concept. Your description can be anything at all: a single word, a few words, or even a whole sentence. Type in your description and hit Enter (or select a word that shows up in the autocomplete preview) to see the related words.” 

To put it simply, you can use the reverse dictionary/thesaurus to find those words/thoughts that are on the tip of your tongue. Use the tool to:

find a word based on the word’s definition (i.e. search for “inability to feel pain”)

find synonyms and related concepts 

generate a list of category-specific words (i.e. search for “cat breeds”)

answer basic questions (i.e. search for “what is the capital of France?”)

The results can be hit or miss, but I usually find the information I’m looking for. It’s a solid resource any writer regardless of genre. 

11. Word Frequency Counter +  Phrase Frequency Counter

I cannot emphasize how much I love these tools. Repetition is the bane of a writer’s existence; it’s simply inevitable at times. 

These two tools count the number of times you use a single word or phrase in a text document. Just copy/paste your document, hit submit, and you’re all set! 

For the phrase frequency counter, you can scan for two-word to ten-word phrases. 

12. Thesaurus.com

This is another tool that might seem painfully obvious. Combined with the word frequency counter, it’s such an essential resource for me. 

It’s especially useful if you’re writing about the same topic multiple times (i.e. love, getting drunk, sex, etc.). I always use this combo of tools to ensure uniqueness. 

13. Lists Of Colors

Are you stumped when trying to come up with unique shades of blue? Is describing your character’s hair or skin color difficult? This Wikipedia page has you covered. It contains:

lists of colors (alphabetically)

lists of colors by shade

lists of Crayola crayon colors

lists of color palettes

I typically use this resource for product descriptions, but I also used it for creative writing many times. It’s a lifesaver for all things color-related.

Free Photos/Images

Tons of creators need free photos/images for numerous reasons. All of these sources provide 100% free photos, illustrations, etc. that have a Creative Commons Zero (CC0) license. This means there’s no copyright whatsoever on them. 

You can edit the images however you’d like, too. All of the images in my post are from the first source listed below. I made them black and white and added text.

(A lot of these sites have donate buttons for contributors. Donating a dollar here and there goes a long way!)

1. Unsplash

Unsplash is my personal favorite for high-resolution photos. It’s easy to navigate and has over 2,000,000 free images. Downloading an image is a one-click process, and you don’t need to create an account. 

2. Pixabay

Pixabay is my go-to site for illustrations and vector graphics (they have photos, too). There are 1.9 million free images to choose from. You don’t need an account to download images, but I recommend creating one. It’s free and with an account:

you don’t have to complete a CAPTCHA every time you download an image

you can access higher-quality/larger/etc. versions of images

I often use graphics from Pixabay to create overlays and masks for mixed media art pieces.

3. PxHere

I’ve never used PxHere, but one of my writing clients recommends it. It seems very similar to Pixabay, and the interface is user-friendly.

4. Pexels

In my limited experience, Pexels seems to focus on “artsy” stock images/content. I found great high-quality images the few times I’ve used it. 

5. Burst by Shopify

I haven’t used Burst, but it’s another free image site that a writing client recommended to me. It seems a little limited compared to the other sites, but it never hurts to add it to your toolbox!

Digital Art/Photo Editing/Etc.

This section seems brief, but the tools listed are pretty comprehensive and diverse. They are geared towards many creative needs/projects like:

Creating manips of people/etc.

Adding text to images.

Creating collages.

Digital illustration.

Advanced photo editing. 

There’s something for everyone. In my experience, finding your favorites among these will take some trial and error. 

1. Pixlr X and Pixlr E (app available)

Pixlr X and Pixlr E are both versatile free editing tools. Pixlr X is ideal for less experienced creators. Pixlr E is comparable to Adobe PhotoShop. 

I’ve used both software formats for personal and professional art projects.

The Pixlr app is handy for making collages, adding filters/overlays, adding text, and so on. I’ve used it for creating fanfiction collages and similar projects. It’s super easy to use. 

2. Remove Background by Pixlr

This is one of the easiest/fastest tools I’ve found for removing backgrounds from images. It’s perfect for creators who make manips using photos of people. 

It takes literal seconds to use. The tool automatically removes the background. If you spot any mistakes, you can refine the results with brush/erase tools. Then you download the cutout and you’re all set! 

Unfortunately, this feature isn’t available on the Pixlr app. There are a lot of smartphone apps for removing photo backgrounds.

3. GIMP

If you need a full-fledged Photoshop alternative, GIMP is excellent software.  It’s not an online tool like most I’ve suggested; you’ll need to download it to your computer. 

There’s quite a learning curve for it, unless you’re familiar with Photoshop already. Fortunately, the free video/text GIMP tutorials online are endless. I no longer use/need GIMP, but it’s a personal favorite of mine.

4. Paint.NET

Admittedly, I haven’t used Paint.NET, but my art/photography colleagues commonly mention it. It’s comparable to Photoshop and GIMP. It’s a web-based tool, and a quick Google search returns several tutorials for it. 

5. Photopea

This is more or less a Photoshop clone, but it’s free and web-based. If you watch Photoshop tutorials, you can usually follow the same steps in PhotoPea. 

I’ve only used it a few times; I have Photoshop so I don’t need it. Still, it’s very impressive - especially for a free tool.

6. PicsArt (app available)

PicsArt is a photo editing website and app; the app is much easier to use in my opinion. It’s a “fun” editing tool for photo manips, collages, and fan art in general. A lot of users post their art in the app, and I’ve noticed tons of cool fandom edits. 

Some of the features are Premium (AKA cost money), but I don’t think they’re worth the extra cost. PicsArt also has a digital drawing app. I haven’t personally used it but it may be worth checking out! 

7. Adobe Photoshop Express (app available)

(I’ll preface this by saying I have an Adobe subscription, so I have access to the “locked” features. I’ve used the free versions, but my memory of it is a bit hazy.)

Photoshop Express is a free web-based tool and smartphone app. The app is very user-friendly and can be used for detailed editing, adding filters, adding text, and so on. 

I’m less familiar with the browser version; I only use it for the cutout tool when I’m feeling lazy. It seems to be a good fit for quick edits - filters, cropping, and so on. 

8. Make PNG Transparent by Online PNG Tools

This tool is awesome for removing solid colored backgrounds. I use it to create graphics for mixed media art pieces. Here’s how it works:

upload an image

type the color your want to remove (name or hex code)

type the percentage of similar color tones you want to match (for example, 25% will remove your chosen color plus similar warm/cool tones)

the removed color is replaced with transparent pixels

If you want to make a JPG transparent, start with the website’s JPG to PNG Converter. There are a ton of useful free tools offered, but I haven’t tried out most of the others. 

Wrap Up

That’s all I’ve got for now! If I think of additional free tools, I’ll add them to this post. Feel free to reblog with your own recommendations or message me if you’d like me to add anything.

I hope my fellow creatives find these too

[harrystylesleftkneecap]

This is just a ton of basic info I compiled. Some you may find from other people, if I used some of your information, let me know and I’ll edit the post for credit!

BASIC ASTROLOGY 🐉

Zodiac signs- environments that planets occupy which affect how they express themselves.

Six components that go into the zodiac signs

1. Element- air, fire, earth, water.

2. Modalities- cardinal, fixed, mutable.

3. Image- figure or symbol associated with the sign. (The constellation! Aries is a ram, they act ram like. Taurus is the bull, they act more bull like.)

4. Sign expression- how they carry, talk or express themselves. Feral( Leo and last half of Sagittarius) bestial (Aires and first half of Sagittarius) humane (Gemini, Virgo, libra, Aquarius) domestic (Capricorn and taurus) mute ( cancer, Scorpio, Pisces)

5. Polarity- masculine or feminine. Active of passive. Yin or yang. Masculine (passive) - fire and air signs. Feminine (active)- earth and water signs.

6. Planetary ruler- the planet that is said to rule the signs. (Mars rules Aries, Taurus is Venus)

Planetary rulers

SIGNS DO NOT RULE THINGS. PLANETS RULE SIGNS. The qualities of these planets are more influential when planets are positioned Therin. Being ruled by a planet means the planets energy has a powerful influence on personalities.

Mars ♂- Aries and Scorpio. Masculine. Action and progression. Go forth and conquer. Firey and intense.

Venus ♀- Taurus and libra. Feminine and fluid. Refinement and grace. Love for beauty, finer things. The senses.

Mercury ☿- Gemini and Virgo. Good communicators. Communication planet. If your sign falls here, you are a good communicator.

Sun ☉- (Leo) your ego. How you carry yourself.

Moon ☾ - cancer

Jupiter ♃- Sagittarius and Pisces

Saturn ♄- Capricorn and Aquarius

I am a (sun sign) with the soul of a (moon sign) wearing the mask of a (rising)

☀️Sun sign- (represents your mother) most commonly associated with astrology. (The one you already know) deepest part of you! What season the sun was in when you were born. Essence of who you are. Most important. Doesn’t represent your emotions, or how you love. You may not feel like you relate to this. But you have other more dominant signs in your birth chart. A big part of you, but definitely not all of you.

⬆️Rising- (the sign that was rising over the horizon at your time of birth) what people first meet. This would be how people view you at a party. What you seem like on the surface.

🌙Moon- (represents your father) emotional side. Where the moon was placed during your time of birth. How you process your emotions.

Mercury- usually the same as sun. Planet of communication. Whatever sign this is is indicative of how you communicate with others.

Venus- how you love or build relationships. Beauty and material items. Whatever signs you have here dictates these aspects of your life. Don’t use sun for compatibility, use Venus!

Mars- anger, aggression and motivation.

Jupiter Saturn Uranus and Neptune are generational planets. Which means they take years to move out of signs. You probably have the same signs in these houses as your friends. This means these planets aren’t so much about the sign but the houses they are in.

Jupiter placement- where you will see the most good luck and expansion in your life.

Saturn placement- restrictions. Luck with finances and inheritance.

Uranus- uniqueness and differences. Weirdness and quirkiness. Where in your life you will see the most uniqueness.

Neptune- blurriness, fogginess, confusion.

Pluto- placement of this house will deforming what areas of your life are most intense. Might even be obsessed with the power struggle associated with that house.

The 12 houses

Whatever sign/ planet you have in each house determines your issues and prosperity’s in each area of your life.

1. Appearance, outward personality. The House of the Ascendant, it’s on the left side of your chart. The sign, or signs, in this House as well as the planets tell you about the self and your appearance. Leadership, new initiatives, fresh starts and beginnings are also covered by this house. (Ruled by Aries)

2. Money, possessions, values and skills. This house is related to your material environment, like taste, smells, sound, touch, sight but it also rules income, money, and self-esteem. (Ruled by Taurus)

3. Mental activity, learning, siblings, communication. The third house rules all forms of communication - talking, thinking, social medias. It’s also related to siblings, your neighborhood, libraries, schools, teachers and community affairs. (Ruled by Gemini)

4. Home, parents, roots, inner security. This house sits at the bottom of the chart and is known to be the House of the Foundations, because it rules your home, privacy, parents and your relationship with them (especially with your mother), children and your predisposition to have some. (Ruled by Cancer)

5. Romance, children, fun, creativity. The fifth house governs self-expression, drama, creativity, color, attention, romance, fun and play. You can find great insight about your love life in this house! (Ruled by Leo)

6. Work, health, service and self improvement. Taking a look at this house you will know more about your personal organization, schedules, routines, fitness, diet and exercise. Here you will also discover if you will be selfless, a friend that fights for their loved ones. (Ruled by Virgo)

7. Marriage and partnerships. The seventh house is the sector of relationships and other people. It governs all partnerships, both business and personal, and relationship-associated matters, like contracts, marriage, and business deals. (Ruled by Libra)

8. Sex, death, letting go, regenerations, other people’s money and sharing. This house is found on the right, and is probably the most mysterious as it rules birth, death, sex, transformation, energies, and bonding at the deepest level. Let’s remember that the 8th sign, Scorpio, is ruled by both Mars and Pluto so of course this house is as intriguing as the sign is. The eighth house also rules other people’s property and money. (Ruled by Scorpio)

9. Higher education, philosophy, publishing, religion, travel and law.  The ninth house is related to the higher mind, expansion, international and long-distance travel, foreign languages, inspiration, optimism, universities and higher education, luck, risk, adventure, gambling, religion, philosophy, morals and ethics. EDs are also pointed out here. (Ruled by Sagittarius)

10. Career, status, reputation, vocational purpose, power. The House of Midheaven, the tenth house is at the top of the chart and it covers traditions, public image, fame, honors, achievements, boundaries, discipline, authority and fathers, as Saturn represents The Father. It also shows which would be the best career path for you. (Ruled by Capricorn)

11. Friends, groups, goals, aspirations. The eleventh house rules friendships, society, technology, video and electronic media, networking, social justice, rebellion, and humanitarian causes. It also rules originality, eccentricity, sudden events, surprises, invention, astronomy, science and futuristic views. (Ruled by Aquarius)

12. Solitude, institutions, self sabotage and transcendence. The chart ends with the twelfth house, which (obviously) rules endings. This house covers the final stages of a project, the afterlife, old age, and surrender. It’s also associated with separation from society, institutions, hospitals, jails and secret enemies. However, it rules imagination, creativity and arts in general, and the subconscious mind. (Ruled by Pisces).

Not all houses will be rules by planets. They can be empty, this is okay!

MODALITIES

Cardinal | Fixed| Mutable

These derive from the seasons. Cardinal signs begin seasons, pass them on to the fixed signs which maintain the season, mutable signs are a mix of both seasons. (Aries begins spring, when the sun moves into Taurus its “spring at its peak”. And when sun moves into Gemini spring mixes with summer.)

🧨Cardinal- (Aries, cancer, libra, Capricorn)

Starting things. Self motivated. Ambitious, driven. But these signs don’t always follow through and finish. Historically referred to as “moveable” Forward moving. They don’t always finish, they’re always looking for the next thing. They’ll jump from focus to focus without following through. Easily led to new things. Initiator but not the leader.

Aries is a fire sign, so it expresses cardinal qualities in a fiery way. Cancer is cardinal but is a water sign, so this shows in emotions. (Moody) libra is cardinal but is an air sign, so cardinal is exhibited in social connections. Capricorn is cardinal but also earth, so this is seen in their practical grounded matters.

🏔Fixed- (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, Aquarius)

Stands ones ground. Consolidate.

Slower, stubborn, rigid. Set in their ways. Loyal, dependable. Always do their job. Not wild cards. Taurus is earth, so fixity is seen as stubborn, likes its comfort zone. In the tangible realm. Leo’s fixed nature comes through the fire element . This is where you see leadership qualities, and “look at me” qualities. Seen as a beacon. Also in a territorial nature. Scorpios fixed nature comes through water. This is where the stereotype of secretiveness. They like to contain and keep emotions behind a wall. They like to hold onto their emotions. Aquarius’ fixed sign comes through air. They love to exist in the idea realm, but once they find an idea they maintain it in a fixed way.

🧶Mutable- (Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, Pisces)

Adaptable and flexible. Can fill whatever need is there. Can be seen as flaky. Gemini is air so mutability is seen in exchange of ideas and communication. Virgo expressed mutable characteristics through the earth element. So it is seen in much more tangible and practice ways. They can reorganize and restructure well. Sagittarius expresses mutability through fire. Adaptability and flexibility of mutable, and energy and passion through fire. They are often known to be down for anything, pick up and head out the door. Pisces shows mutability though water. So it is typically shown in emotions or feelings. This can lead to Pisces being viewed as “wishy washy” or not knowing what they’re feeling. They try to adapt to everyone else’s feelings (mutability) but because of the constant movement of water they don’t really know what they’re feeling on their own.

The 4 qualities

Heat | coldness | moisture | dryness |

These qualities come together in pairs to produce the elements.

Heat + dryness= 🔥

Coldness + moisture= 💦

Coldness + dryness= 🍃

Heat + moisture= 🌬

☄️Heat: active and expansive. Energizing, outward, movement, extroverted. When you heat things, molecules literally move faster.

❄️Coldness:passive and condensing. Inward, contemplated, introverted. Slowness, stillness, reflective. When water gets cold, it freezes into ice.

🌊Moisture: connecting, bringing things together. Flexibility. Wet sand can be clumped together. Moisture brings grains of sand together to be one pile. Community sense. Big big connection. Compassion. Understanding. Empathy, sensitivity. Sees the likeness.

🏜Dryness: everything moisture is not. Spermatic and resistant. Dryness wants to separate things. Categorizing, distinctive. Sees the differences. Organization and orderliness .

The elements

🍃earth - Taurus Virgo Capricorn

Grounded, down to earth, stubborn, slow to change. Practical, stable,materialistic.

(Dry) practical, resistant, socially isolated, reserved, homebodies. Structured, rule based. Separative, rigid and resistant.

(Coldness) slow paced, methodical, restraint. Passive. Introverted. Reflective.

Dry+coldness= calmness and stubborn. What earth signs are most well known for.

💦water cancer Scorpio Pisces .

Sensitive, emotional, moody.

(Coldness) introversion, passivity,

quiet, keeps to themselves. Water takes shape of whatever container it’s in. IE the coldness, settling. Connective. Can take sand and make it mud because of its connective qualities.

(Moisture) seeking to connect, feeling based connection. Flexible. Feeling. Understanding.

Coldness + moisture = emotional, empathetic and sensitive. What water signs are most well known for.

🌬air Gemini libra Aquarius

Communicative, sociable, idealistic

(Moisture) connection, brings things together. Always moving and touching everything. Connective

(Heat) active, explorative, seeking experience.

Moisture + heat = social qualities. What air signs are most well known for.

🔥 fire - Aires Leo Sag.

Energetic, enthusiastic, impulsive

(Heat) Passionate, driven, energized, extroverted.

(Dry) separative and resistant.

heat+ dryness= driven and competitive. Fire signs are most known for

The signs

1. Aries (RAM, 🔥March 21- april 19) Cardinal(spark!)♈️ 0-7 babies: very chill, have a great aura. Seem perfect. Hard to get close to. One you get to know them, can’t rationalize or control them. Sometimes are rational unless very angry. Attract a lot of people. Tend to shear if not satisfied. Don’t mess with them! Very bad at concealing feelings. Masculine energy. If they get riled up they can cool down. Don’t hold grudges. Go go go. Come into a room like Kool aide man. Sparks light quick and go out fast. Will set your house on fire if mad. Vital, aggressive, confident, outgoing.

2. Taurus 🍃(garden)( fixed April 20- may 20)♉️ preteens 7-14: brings stability. Lifelong friends. Loyal, no second guessing there motives or intentions. Helpful. Can be lazy. Finds the easy way to do something, but get it done! Can’t see their faults or when they’re wrong. Like the finer things in life. Pleasure! Very sensual. Kind. Don’t get angry often but when pissed off it gets bad. Feminine. Workaholics. Chamomile tea. Very calming. Not the sharpest. Stubborn but soft. Bond with a great one they’ll have your back.

3. Gemini 🌬(mutable, May 21-June 20) ♊️teenagers 14-21:open minded, very cool. Can be loners. Low key. Can be attention seeking. Very fake and two faced. Quick temper. Several personalities. Love able. Goofy. More to meets the eye. Not ditzy even though they come off that way. Talk a lot of game. Social butterfly. Dicey emotional security. Don’t know where to direct it. Great friends bad lovers.obsessed with how people view them. (Kanye west, trump.)

4. Cancer ♋️ 💦 cardinal(spark! June 21-July22)21-28, young adults: emotional and sappy. Can be snobby, think they’re better than u. Insecure. Often put up a front. Manipulative! Moody! Hard to get out of the house. Sort of introverted but not shy. Home bodies. When they’re out they’re a good time if things go their way. Talkative and friendly. Hard to feel awkward with them. Can be very I touch with feelings or manipulative. Moody. Take anger out on other people. They can fake cry! Can be a cute crab or mean crab.

5. Leo ♌️ 🔥( fixed, July 23- August 22): literally they are the sun. They’re fixed obviously. annoying. Thinks the world revolves around them. Very attention seeking. Outgoing, shallow. Some depth. Very smart. Super motivated and driven. Get shit done. Don’t mess with their drive. Great work ethic. Entertaining, life of the party. Great story tellers. A lot of friends. Don’t often build real connections. Want people to like them. SO MANY FRIENDS. Popular but not many genuine friends. Make sure they’re not forgettable. Literally love beings Leo’s. Great in bed.take you to a party and then leave you to be the center of attention.

6. Virgo ♍️ 🍃 (mutable,(clay) August 23- September 22) : cool, overanalyzes.over thinking. Fun, funny, life of the party. Creative. More to meets the eye. Attractive, charming, flirty! Come off as hollow but have a lot of depth. Very smart. Don’t miss a thing. Always know your next move. They watch! Scatterbrained. Sneaky! Open minded, take interests in your ingests. Everything has to be done a certain way. Kinda controlling. Can let themselves be the clay. Don’t cross them. Virgin in denial. Peoples people.

7. Libra ♎️ 🌬 cardinal( spark!) September 23-October22) : open minded, spiritual, chill. Nothing bothers or worry’s them. Very relaxed. Funny, good humor. Avoid conflict, rarely have drama. Very open. If they cheat they’ll tell you. Easy flowing convos. Great conversationalists. Enjoy intellectual. Can be cold. Steel hand in the velvet glove. Act like they know when they don’t. People pleasing. Power bottom. Can see all the gray. Playful whimsical energy.

8. Scorpio ♏️ 💦 (fixed. Fixed water= Ice. October 23- November 21) : trouble lmao! Eye contact. Bad ass aura. They cannot be messed with. Don’t do it. Fun, overly loving. Can be suffocating. Talkative. Build walls. Hard to break them down sometimes. Can be magnetic. Mysterious. Intellectual brooding. Sexy kind. Very black and white. Hardest people the change. Hate you or love you. Great in bed. Sensitive, and emotional. Sensitive but weaponize it.wouldn’t stab you in the back but would stab you in the front. Make their opinions known.

9. Sagittarius ♐️ 🔥 (mutable (changing fire, plasma. Space dust?November 22- December 21) : possessive, super chill. Jealousy!!! Crazy! Stick up for you! Defend you. Low key sad. Come across as bubbly and happy. Messed up in the head. Good at deceiving. Good at coming across a certain way. Desire to be liked. Expect things but don’t vocalize them. Usually resent things on the inside. Can control temper but once it pops off it POPS OFF. Will do anything for you if they love you enough. VERY FUNNY. Open minded. Will talk about whatever whenever. Impulsive. Often too much. Adventurous. Move partners, jobs etc. keep it moving. Don’t give a shit. There is no limit. Dance on moonlight. Everyone loves a good sag. Shit space glitter. Impatient.

10. Capricorn ♑️ December 22-January19. 🍃 cardinal(spark) mountain : hard worker, good savers. Aggressive but nice. Good at getting what they want. Seem like they want the best for you but won’t go out of their way. Friendly and mature. Can be awkward. Can have good convos. Can be silly. When in love they’re totally different. Good lovers. Very corny and cheesy. They don’t open up easily. Stubborn. Late bloomers.intense focus. Pessimistic. Wants to be so many different things. Sadness. Dark humor.

11. Aquarius ♒️ 🌬 (fixed, January 20- February 18) : over thinker. Like virgos. Weird. Emotionally distant. Heartless. Don’t know what they want. Great friends. Quirky. CREATIVE. Intuitive. Can’t lie to them brutally honest, blunt, tell it how it is. Voice opinions often. Selfish. Hypocritical. Attractive. Introverted extroverts. Strive for paradise. Uprising. Idea of change. See things from a bigger perspective. Not into mainstream things. Think they know you better than you know yourself. VERY MANIPULATIVE. Alien wearing a human mask? Awkward but controlling.

12. Pisces ♓️ 💦 mutable (ocean) February 19- March 20) : emotional. Caring and considerate. 2 sided. Manipulative but sweet. Really funny. Everyone loves a Pisces. Loves me personalities. Intuitive. Very open minded. Can’t help but fall in love. Don’t want to see you fail. When in a bad place they can become the devil. They hate you but they love you. Always come crawling back. At deaths door. All the zodiacs compiled. “You’re not listening to me” savior complexes. Mindfuck. Wisdom. No surface level conversations. Complexities lead to complications. Hard to deal with a moody one.

[real-talk-ph]

Philippine Educational Incompetence and its Effects on Students

In this world of uncertainty, students may question the true purpose of education. With this implemented ‘new normal’, we continue to experience the ambiguity of the Department of Education (DepEd), forgetting their true mission and ignoring their responsibility to properly guide students toward the future that awaits them. We belong to the majority of the students under the burden of an incompetent educational system, prioritizing quantity over quality learning. 

They say that we’re all on the same boat, when in fact, a lot of students sank and had no choice but to quit school due to the educational system, making it harder for students to adapt and catch up with all the tasks required for each subject. All points considered, why are students saying that the system is incompetent? Despite the COVID-19 pandemic causing education through the new normal, has Philippine education been incompetent ever since? Or is this mediocrity a byproduct of the pandemic and the pandemic only?

What is Education? The word is derived from Latin words educare, educere, and educatum. Education is a social institution through which society’s children are taught basic academic knowledge, learning skills, and cultural norms. It is a system which aims to synthesize the skills of individuals to maximize their learning development and optimize their knowledge (Dhaker, 2016). The ‘new normal’ is a term known to many that refers to the general term of the present situation of the world—the COVID-19 pandemic—an unusual, unprecedented, and unexpected turn of events. This has caused a surge of online learning and distanced modular learning for most if not all schools around the world (Dictionary.com, 2021). Lastly, incompetence is known as the inability to be competent; the inability to be excellent or satisfactory. It is a term utilized to describe the overall measures taken by the Philippine government throughout the new normal (Merriam-Webster.com, 2021).

As stated by Professor James Drever, education is a process in which and by which knowledge, character, and behavior of the young are shaped and molded. School includes the whole machinery of education from Kindergarten to College. A child's education begins as he enrolls in school and concludes when he graduates from college. Furthermore, the pandemic has been a global wake-up call to change our paradigms and the way we perceive the world. The new normal enforces alternative approaches to working and learning that have been both beneficial and disadvantageous to both teachers and students. 

In light of this, education can be defined as an integral component to the utmost growth of an individual as well as the maximum development of society. Just like how we try to find solutions to our own problems, the Department of Education (DepEd) and the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) have also been implementing operations and immediate actions that aim to mitigate the closure amidst COVID-19. At the height of the pandemic, educational institutions decided on remote learning as an alternative solution to this new normal. However, students are becoming deprived of their rights to receive quality education, especially with the country's state at the moment, causing a two-year hiatus on face-to-face classes and propagating the burden of self-learning. 

Students under the Philippine educational system are clearly not learning due to the fact that in lieu of increasing rates of students getting higher grades, the rates of depression among teens skyrocketed. This is due to the large number of tasks given to compensate for delayed learning—most of which are assigned to be finished before each Friday of the week. Contrary to common belief that students work better under pressure, studies show opposing results. The current at-home learning system that supposedly gives students flexibility inadvertently pressures them into finishing the tasks given, while managing their personal and social lives, most significantly, their mental health. In fact, nearly 1 in 10 young adults (8.9%) in the Philippines experience moderate to severe depressive symptoms (Puyat et. al, 2021).

CHED is the Philippines’ educational nucleus that controls the permitted school activities and regulations to be conducted by all schools nationwide. During the past year, CHED has dealt with a monstrosity of complaints and opinions from parents, teachers, and students questioning their appointed measures to alleviate the risks of providing poor education. Teachers have had to adapt to a great extent out of the typical classroom setting, transferring their skills to both online and printed modalities to cater the needs of students. Students are molded to be self-reliant, a step outside of the common role of teachers being the one to guide students completely; students are becoming their own second-teachers. With the need for guidance, parents are involved in learners’ activities—especially elementary students who are accustomed to teachers providing a larger package of guidance.

Students are pointing out the incompetence of DepEd’s educational system even more as the previous school year exposed the strict compliance of rules and regulations implemented by DepEd and CHED. The blended approach, a combination of synchronous and asynchronous teaching and learning modality, are the options considered by most of the basic education institutions. Students were told that both synchronous and asynchronous classes would be conducted, making it challenging for those with unstable internet connection and for those who are less privileged to acquire the gadgets and instruments required for better if not quality learning. Moreover, the modules and other learning materials handed out are not capable of providing a complete overview of the information from the references used, and are often incapable of gratifying the students’ requirement of substantial data.

In addition, the most dominant flaw of the present system is their negligence of the importance of the diversity of students’ capabilities. Not focusing on each of the students’ level of intelligence wastes the potential of producing quality students out of quality education. Showering students with loaded schedules because it seems to be the solution isn’t exactly the proper way to dispense supreme education for Filipinos. Only when a fish learns he is not good at climbing but good at swimming can that fish be content; only when a system learns they are inept and must focus on what teachers and students deserve, can the students and teachers be pleased with the system. 

Thus, for the students of the Philippines to be provided with brilliant education, the system itself must acknowledge that a greater number of subjects and tasks is not the operation to produce a quotient of skilled students. Especially amidst the new normal, DepEd and CHED must investigate the cause of students saying that the system is incompetent. The two primary school-related sectors of the government must understand their own mediocre implementations and curate an appropriate apparatus of learning fit for all students that is not an anti-poor program. The effects of such ineffective learning would be alleviated if the departments placed themselves in the shoes and cries of the students. Then and only then can Filipinos say that education truly is quality over quantity, not just for the present, but for the future that is reliant on the youth.

Reference List:

Dictionary definition

Rahul Dhaker, Education meaning, 2016: 

https://www.slideshare.net/rdhaker2011/education-meaning

Dictionary.com, New normal Definition & Meaning, 2021

https://www.dictionary.com/browse/new-normal

Merriam-Webster.com, Incompetence Definition, 2021

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/incompetence

J. Puyat, M.C. Conaco, J. Natividad, and M. Banal, Depressive symptoms among young adults in the Philippines: Results from a nationwide cross-sectional survey, 2021

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666915320300731

Bridge between the hook and the thesis statement

R.F. Ancheta, H.B. Ancheta, The new normal in education: A challenge to the private basic education institutions in the Philippines, 2020

https://scholar.google.com.ph/scholar?q=THE+NEW+NORMAL+IN+EDUCATION:+A+CHALLENGE+TO+THE+PRIVATE+BASIC+EDUCATION+INSTITUTIONS+IN+THE+PHILIPPINES%3F&hl=en&as_sdt=0&as_vis=1&oi=scholart

J.A. Pacheco, The “new normal” in education, 2020

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11125-020-09521-x 

[penname-artist]

September

This journal may seem to come out of thin air, because I left much less warnings of this announcement than I had when I went away in April this year. But, it was not without good reasons. But it’s a long story, so I ask that you read this with patience and understanding.

I had toyed with the idea of taking another month or so ‘break’ from posting my content, since I seemed to regain so much footing last time, but I wasn’t really sure what the cause for disappearance would be now, other than just because I feel it’s necessary to. See, April did have an underlying reason, especially extending past my physical vacation time. There were some traumatic events that occured in my personal life - which long time watchers may know bits and pieces about still - that I was still very...tender, walking back into. Anniversaries and particular dates in the year have always been very touchy spots for me, not just in that they were anniversaries, but also that they were reminders of a further once-was time that I’ve still yet to fully cross over the healer’s bridge from. I also had events in an even more personal sector of my life in June, but I didn’t take any break for that (and I probably should have, looking back, for at least a week or so).

But I’m going to be taking another posting and general activity hiatus from my accounts, my “brand”, for the month of September. Well, September-ish. I’m not sure how long this hiatus will actually be, since I won’t know until I take it how badly I’ll have needed it. But I feel that right now, I’m still trying to find my footing, with new mental health resources, and repotting my social roots somewhere away from the World of Cars and Planes fandom, which, while I still love dearly...I need a little break from.

And this is the hardest part I need to bring to the surface, which is a part of why I am taking this hiatus. I recently - about a month or so ago - stepped down from my ownership position within The Proppies Discord server. I left it altogether, actually, in a very abrupt way. I will say this much, there are...conversations that I was a part of, behind closed doors, that I did not feel were right, and people in whom I have nothing left to say to because of their repeated actions. But, I won't add fuel to dying flames.

Thus, my worsening mental health, and concerns surrounding my personal connections to all of these people, are what caused my eventual loss of faith in that server altogether. I am sad to see it go, but I’ve honest to goodness lost my heart in it. I am sorry I could not have stepped in more in some situations, because there are people I feel I do owe up to for their indirect harm. But that is something I have no choice but to leave where it is, because it’s no longer my concern nor my responsibility to speak for this group. I am not associated with it any longer, and all my works that are Planes-relative from here won’t be associated either.

Which leads me to the next thing I need to address. My branding, and my personification. As of late, I feel that I’ve been...hiding. As though the mask in which I hold up for a few art accounts is just that - a mask. Which, while it may seem harmless on the outside, is damaging to the psyche underneath, especially when you don’t have a firm grasp on who you are as an individual, before your public face. What I am doing, the biggest and most important reason that I am taking this break now, is to hopefully find that missing link within myself, so that I have the energy and I have the strength to continue to be the person I want to be, and the person that people need me to be. What was once anger and spite is already shedding away to...new growth. Life. The return of someone I thought I lost in spring of 2020, though not any other individual.

I’m finding myself again, slowly but surely. And I’m rebuilding myself again in a new way. A kinder way. A way I want to be, where I’m healthy enough to sit with my friends in the middle of the night and tell them “I’m here for you even in this great storm”. Because that’s the kind of person I needed too. And as long as I live, I will work to be a person whose character is the same, inside and outside, who’s words and actions line up when they’re put to the test. I strive to be someone real.

When I return, I plan to do a lot of things, but namely, I will be creating a second, smaller Planes server. I won't speak much more of it because I am still heavily debating putting my foot back in the stirrup and getting back in the saddle again. The bottom line is, I want a place again, a place for Plane people to be...well, Plane people. I won’t be around as much as I had been The Proppies, but I do feel it will be a safe place for myself and some good friends who are all equal fans of the Planes films. We have been needing a place, and this will hopefully do just fine as that humble little circle.

I plan to release this server when I return in October.

Stay tuned.

-Pen

[theschizoidblog]

Schizoids at work – tips for schizoids and their employers

Blog 5: 22/09/2020

When it comes to Schizoid Personality Disorder, I find there’s so little info online on how to deal with it. While not all schizoids are comfortable holding jobs, many love to work for the income it provides, which in turn gives them the opportunity to have their own little haven without starving. (Ah, the joys of capitalism!) Some even really enjoy the challenge their job provides. Others suffer through jobs that aren’t a good match for them.

In this blog I want to give tips to employers about how to deal with schizoid employees, and to the schizoid employees themselves - don’t worry, you’re an asset!

(Also a quick note: covert schizoids are the ones you’re most likely to encounter on the workfloor, overt schizoids usually have it a little harder with fitting in.) (I can’t speak from experience there since I fall in the covert category.)

Now, the chance that an employee will tell you they’re schizoid, is minimal. First off, many don’t seek out therapy and thus don’t even know they are schizoid. (I didn’t know until I was 36.) Second, those that know they’re schizoid, will often feel like they can’t trust you with something as personal. Third, in some cultures it’s a big taboo to talk about mental health, especially if you have something that is labeled a ‘disorder’, and thus they will not tell you because they fear you would just fire them.

But in the rare occasion that your employee opens up to you about schizoid personality disorder, at least now you have this bit of advice from a schizoid who’s been employed in two countries (Belgium and the Netherlands), in a few different sectors and who has been in situations where the employer did not know, and is currently in one where the employer does know.

To the employer

First off, don’t be terrified or apprehensive if an employee tells you they are schizoid. Schizoids are better rooted in reality than most people and don’t suffer from delusions or paranoia like certain other personality disorders. They’re often quiet observers, analytical, witty… if they dare to open up in your company!

While it’s called a disorder, it doesn’t necessarily require medication or a great deal of therapy – it’s a state of being. If someone tells you they’re a schizoid, what they are saying is that company can drain them, that they are immune to most forms of peer pressure, that they don’t mind not talking to people.

Keep in mind that Schizoid Personality Disorder can be accompanied by depression, PTSD, anxiety and other comorbidities. While a schizoid seems emotionless most of the time, when your schizoid is suddenly crying at work, it’s possible you triggered some PTSD and that’s why they’re unable to perform well. But a schizoid without any comorbidities should, in theory, give you less trouble than any other employee.

You might think “humans are social beings”, but the same can’t be said for schizoids. We operate in a world where most people around us are just different from us, and accommodating to their social needs can exhaust us. (And in my experience that part gets worse with age.) We’re not very social beings. We get energy from being alone.

Consider us the ultimate introvert, while most managers and CEO’s I’ve met are on the other side of the spectrum, massive extraverts. To explain that bit: Did you find the lockdown horrible? Did you find it draining to talk to your employees online instead of at the coffee machine? Well, for a schizoid it’s often the other way around. Talking to colleagues through chat online is easier, more fun and less draining than talking to them at the coffee machine, and while you get energy from those conversations in the lunch room, they drain the schizoid person. We’re wired a little differently, so keep that in mind.

As an employer, you want to get the most out of your working relationship with anyone in your company. For schizoids, like other employees, you can just ask them what they feel or think, but in some cases schizoids will try to avoid conflict, and thus just say what you want to hear or not appear analytical at all. If they don’t trust you, I wish you the best of luck in getting them to open up. (You’ll need it.)

Especially young schizoids have not yet learned from experience to open up and might not indicate when things aren’t working out for them when they see it’s working out for their other colleagues. While immune to peer pressure (they might not eat the birthday cake everyone is having when they dislike it, or conform to the same clothing standard of the rest of the company when it’s not a strict rule), they will avoid conflict and thus they might not be fully upfront if the new work islands are ruining their concentration or when you place them among the loudest colleagues in the group and they just suffer quietly between them.

So in general, ask them whatever you like and be open and honest, and with any luck the schizoid will be self-critical, open and honest in return to you.

Ideal jobs for schizoids would be jobs they can do alone, like being a night guard, administrative jobs they can do from home, or jobs with animals or in nature. But that doesn’t mean that that’s all they’re good for. Plenty of schizoids work in retail, customer support, elderly homes, healthcare, IT, or are teachers, lawyers, even psychologists themselves! Having Schizoid Personality Disorder should never be an excuse to fire someone from a job, because it’s not a reason as long as the schizoid is doing their job well.

Practically

Feedback moments

Schizoids have their walls up very high, nearlly all the time. During feedback moments, that’s true as well. Give your feedback, but don’t expect to see shock, anger, sadness, relief or happiness on the face of the schizoid. They might not respond differently to your praise or criticism than if you were to recite the alphabet to them. Ask them what they will do about the issue and they’ll probably come up with a solution themselves or give you the acknowledgement that you wanted to hear that they understand the problem now.

Whatever you do, don’t get harder and meaner in your feedback because you see no response. Someone once did that to me and it triggered PTSD that I’ve been coping with for 15 years now. I did not realize why my employer was so mean to me, but now I realize that I must have sat there like a zombie, hardly acknowledging his feedback with any visual cues, and he felt a need to “drive it home” to the point where my body is now convinced I’m being sent to a war zone when my employer says it’s time for my yearly evaluation.

Control/manage

Schizoids don’t enjoy other people controlling everything they do. I’ve worked in helpdesk situations and do great in situations where I’m not given specific scripts to stick to. It makes for a better customer experience too and I get the job done and I get it done well. By forcing scripts on schizoids (but probably on plenty of regular folks too), you’re destroying motivation and only making the job harder. Let the schizoid do their job and use their magnificent brain, they’ll figure it out. Be there as a person they can come to for help. Tell them they can always ask for help or advice, and they’ll ask it if they need it, but don’t try to be too authoritarian, it usually doesn’t stick well with the schizoid and they’ll just learn to dodge you instead.

Flexibility in shifts

One of the biggest advantages of having a schizoid employee is that they might be willing to work Sundays or Saturdays or evenings or nights while others prefer to spend that time with family or going to the bar. I volunteered to work on Sundays and evenings because if I work on Sundays, I don’t have to go to carnival get-togethers with the family (huzzah!), and evenings because then I don’t have to work with all my colleagues together at once, but I just have one other colleague around and it’s quiet and I can listen to music.

I’m also the go-to-person for my colleagues when they have an evening shift they need to switch in case of emergency. I don’t mind switching from morning to evening. (I’m also an evening person so my efficiency will be better if I work late shifts compared to when I work early shifts.)

So while a schizoid person might not enjoy being in large groups, don’t say they’re not team players! They will gladly help out the company when they can, as long as they’re not being taken advantage of.

Dinners/parties/celebrations/team buildings

Every company has reason to celebrate at times and sometimes you want to thank your employees for their hard work with a nice party or event. A schizoid might not like every type of party or teambuilding though. I’ve been to a few I really enjoyed, but others where I was like “can I just work instead?” We did a very intimate speeddating teambuilding with our closest colleagues which I really enjoyed (wait, what, a schizoid enjoying a speeddating sort of thing? – I liked it because it wasn’t small talk but really witty questions that you could discuss with colleagues.), but there are sometimes also parties where the entire company is there and that are just too many people whose name I don’t know and whom I don’t fully trust, with music I don’t like and lots of drunk people, so I’ll rather bail out of those. Basically, my tip would be: definitely extend the invitation for the event, but if they say “no”, that’s that and don’t take it personal. (Also, they once didn’t ask me to go to a party because they know I never go anyways, and then I was a little sad they hadn’t asked me. I’d still like to say no and feel included. ;-))

Privacy

Most employees like to know a lot about the private life of their employers. Schizoids might not share a great deal. They like to keep work and private life separate, but let’s be real here: there’s often not a great deal going on either. Asking “What did you do in the weekend?” might result in a slightly annoyed schizoid. They probably didn’t do anything you’re interested in hearing. They probably had food. Watched shows or played games. Slept. A lot. And that’s what they might do for the next 51 weekends of the year as well. Don’t invite yourself over uninvited either, I never open the door unless I know someone’s coming. It’s not even something personal, it’s just that home is sacred and I wouldn’t even open the door to my elderly grandmother.

Someone else said that intrusion upon privacy is even something they consider offensive, so best not to do it!

But, if you’re patient, you will get to know your schizoid employee better. We just open up slower than most, so don’t pressure it, we’ll tell you what we want to tell you when the time is right.

Carpooling

I think carpooling is great for nature but from a personal point of view I hate it. Some companies are big on carpooling, sometimes to events. One schizoid told me she drove 6 hours to go to a company event because she didn’t want to take a flight and sit next to a talkative colleague. That’s how much we prefer to be alone when travelling sometimes. For some schizoids it’s the only time they have alone. At home they might not live alone, at work they’re never alone, and thus that time in the car is sacred to them, the only moment they can recharge a bit and be alone with their mind. (I have the same with lunch break, I usually take my lunch alone, just to recharge a bit. It’s nothing personal, I just need the me-time.)

Ambition

When asking a schizoid where he or she sees themselves in a few years, they might offer a blank answer. Schizoids don’t have a great deal of ambition. They will rarely say they see themselves as a manager or anything of the sort, instead they’ll express they’ll be good employees with a good knowledge of all systems and such. Don’t expect your schizoid to be ambitious – they might be perfectly happy with an entrance-level job.

Please do not mistake this as a sign they have no interest in the company or in their own career with the company. They just can’t imagine a lot of things changing very fast in their career path.

Mediators and Listeners

Schizoids are great mediators and listeners. If you have a problem, tell them the problem and wait for their pearls of wisdom. They’ve been observing society for their entire lives, even if they’re not very social people, they understand society better than most. They’re also very good listeners and will earn a lot of trust from their fellow colleagues that way if they open themselves up to them. Just be mindful at the same time that you’re not expecting them to do a specific job AND sit them down next to people that love to talk, because those people will love to take advantage of the fact they’re great listeners and get their own egg out of their system. Not a lot of work will get done then.

Bonding with colleagues

If you want a schizoid to bond with colleagues, it’s not really going to happen if they work 9 to 5 with 10 other colleagues in the same room. They’ll become part of the wallpaper. If you want them to bond, then let them work with other colleagues in 1-1 situations where it’s just the schizoid and the other colleague. For me, that’s during my late shifts and weekend shifts that I’m usually alone with one other colleague, and that way they get to know you in a non-intrusive way. For me it always works better that way then if I spent a regular 9 to 5 job among a large group of people.

  Open Office

One of the hypes that I really dislike on the work floor are all the “islands” and “open workspaces” they have now. Everyone is stuck in the same room, often very close to one another, and it’s often loud (even when everyone is trying to be quiet) and distracting. A manager is like “but I want people to play off of one another!”, but to a schizoid it just means they can’t think properly and they lose track of what they’re doing and they need to listen to conversations from other colleagues about their kids that are going through college or the soccer match of their youngest. I once worked somewhere where not only half my colleagues were constantly on the phone, but the others were not allowed ear plugs to listen to music because the team lead wanted folks to listen and talk to one another. Needless to say, in a room of IT’ers that decision was not appreciated. IT’ers in generals are very introverted, at least allow them ear plugs to listen to music if they’re in a loud environment, you can’t afford to have them fuck up because they can’t focus. (Not to mention that now with covid a lot of open offices are like ‘oh, maybe we should not have had everyone in one big area, maybe we should have at least kept a few smaller offices with walls in between them….’)

Meetings

 If you are having weekly meetings with your team, let me just tell you now, so your schizoid doesn’t need to tell you: your meetings are boring as hell and repetitive. It’s more efficient to have brief meetings when new things are happening or problems need fixing. Weekly meetings where you go over the same agenda each week aren’t really necessary, the neurotypicals are just abusing the fact they don’t have to work for an hour. :-P I felt like someone needed to say it, even if it’s not even a schizoid thing to remark. Sorry, managers. Monthly meetings are more than enough in most workplaces. 

To the schizoid

Whether or not it’s wise to tell an employer that you have SPD depends on many things. I notice that culturally there are big differences. In Belgium and the Netherlands I feel like there’s a very open attitude among millennials regarding mental health. When I told my employer I was going to a therapist because I wanted to explain my anger outbursts and PTSD and I wanted to learn how to control them better, I got nothing but praise about how brave I was to take the first step and to talk about it so openly and to trust them with the news.

It took quite some time before I had the schizoid diagnosis, and after processing it myself, I also told the same team lead about what they’d found and what it meant. She’s a big extravert so it was rather funny comparing and explaining it to her, but she was intrigued and also confirmed that even if I am a schizoid, I’m still a teamplayer and my strengths are the weaknesses of others (and the other way around.)

When working in a team, there’s room for everyone and schizoids aren’t toxic people or anything of the sort. We can be barometers to sense the mood in a room and whether something is wrong in a team. 

With all of us working from home with covid, my lead has also seen proof in my numbers that I perform better when alone at home than when I’m at the office in an open space. She’s also thinking of, when covid ends, letting me work from home several days a week and no longer having me come into the office four days a week. (On Sunday I always worked from home anyways.) Maybe when covid is over I’ll just be asked to come over one or two days a week.

Personally I think there are more advantages than disadvantages for companies that hire us.

However, it really depends on the company. Ten years ago, I’ve worked in a company where I saw people go if they had diagnosis of ADHD or other much milder things, where they were laid off and told to pack their stuff. Not necessarily the moment they opened up, but they never remained for longer than a year after that. Some companies do not welcome diversity or folks that decide to have such an open dialogue with their employers. 

In my opinion, if you’re a schizoid and babyboomers are in charge, I don’t think it wise to open up. They do not like diversity or just folks that ask attention for their own mental health in the same way millennials do. They don’t see it as an advantage but as a disability to their own company. They don’t want folks to ask any work from them, they like it as a one-way street. They don’t want folks with labels. And some labels are more harmful than others. Personally I don’t think schizoid is a harmful label, as long as your employer does not confuse it with schizophrenic. And some employers will think a label, for the sake of having one, is already a bad thing.

How people look at personality disorders also depends on the country you are from. Belgium and the Netherlands are rather open (- especially the Netherlands). In the Netherlands they often say: “Alles is bespreekbaar”, which means that you can talk about anything, without judgement. If you admit something weird or extravert, you’re sooner called ‘brave’ than ‘weird’. Or you’re called both, affectionately.

Political climate at your job/in your country is also a means to predict how well it will be received when you admit to having a disorder. The more to the left, the less folks will make a fuss, the more to the right, the more they’ll think it better to exclude those that are different.

If you decide to never tell your employer, that’s perfectly fine. If you are happy in your job, why would you? If you are not in therapy or anything of the sort, there’s very little reason to tell them.

I’m very open about my current treatment as well, and now that I’m in EMDR treatment it’s possible I’ll have days of emotional turmoil and thus lessened productivity. I warned them in advance so that if it happened, they’d know about it. With my PTSD attacks increasing, we also agreed that I could just tell them “having an attack” or something of the sort, and then they’d know what I was doing to self-care and that I’d be back asap. (But it helps not having to explain everything from the start in that very moment, since that’s counterproductive.)

Or as we say in Dutch “goede afspraken maken goede vrienden” – meaning that good agreements make good friends. We got agreements on what to do in certain unexpected situations so that if a PTSD attack happens, they know exactly what to expect from me with just a word.

I realize such a good relationship with superiors at work is rare - I’ve had a lot of jobs before I landed this one and some were straight-out toxic. I would not recommend opening up in an environment where folks will use it as a means to pick on you. Luckily not all workplaces are like that, and I hope you find such a place! 

Conclusion

Schizoids are hard workers that just want to make some money so they can support themselves. They might not be very social at work but they can make up for it by being a team player who doesn’t mind taking over unwanted shifts. They thrive when working at home, alone and don’t need constant supervision. They can be insightful and are good observers, and they are peacekeepers within the group. You won’t catch them having fights with colleagues. Since they read the mood in a room very well, if your schizoid is closing off completely or looking ill at ease, that’s probably a sign that the mood on your work floor isn’t great. There could be some toxic people out there that are preventing the schizoid from opening up at all and those same people could be ruining the mood for others as well. (Or worse: a toxic leadership style is also possible.)

If you have further tips or questions, my inbox is always open! I’m certain there are many more tips to give, and not every tip will be effective for every schizoid. (I suppose this is more for the covert schizoid, like myself, as opposed to tips for helping the overt schizoids.) None the less I hope it’s helpful and that if you have a schizoid employee, you now know there’s no reason to panic!

[wellesleyunderground]

Wellesley in Politics: Interview with Marion Johnson ‘09 (@mariontjohnson), Candidate for Durham City Council

Interview by Cleo Hereford ‘09

Wellesley Underground loves seeing our sibs involved in the political process at all levels but particularly the local, municipal level where substantial change can be affected. In North Carolina, one of our sibs has joined the race for Durham City Council in Ward 1. A 2009 Wellesley graduate, Marion Johnson also received a degree in Public Policy from Duke University in 2014. After time spent in Washington, DC, Johnson returned to North Carolina, where she grew up, and currently works for Frontline Solutions, a black-owned consulting firm that “serves the philanthropic and nonprofit sectors.” 

We caught up with Marion to find out more about her run for City Council. 

Thanks for chatting with WU, Marion! You grew up in North Carolina, and you’re now running for Durham City Council. Why run for the City Council and why this year?

Thanks so much for having me! I’m a big fan of y’all. I’ve worked on a few Durham City Council campaigns, and running for office has been something I’ve been strongly considering doing for several years. I planned to take 2020 off from all political work so that I could really think through whether now was the time. Obviously, 2020 did not turn out to be a relaxing year at all! But it did become a very clarifying year. Durham was already facing a housing crisis and an economic crisis, and when COVID-19 hit, it just magnified those crises for our most vulnerable neighbors. So that clarified for me that we need as many leaders as possible who are committed to making progressive choices for Durham, to make this city as accessible, affordable, and livable as possible. And now was the right time. 

Tell us a little bit about Durham and what you love most about the city.

Durham is hands down my favorite place I’ve ever lived. I came here to get my masters’ degree in public policy, and fell in love with this city that has the strongest commitment to community organizing and local advocacy I have ever seen. Durham is just as passionate about social justice as it is about food, so I’ve definitely found my people. 

After attending Wellesley and then living in Washington, DC, you returned home to North Carolina. How did your time away change your perspective on your home state?

I didn’t expect to miss North Carolina so much! My plan when I went to college was to move to Washington and get involved in federal or international policy. I had that typical adolescent need to get out and do something prestigious. But actually working at the federal level taught me how slowly that work typically moves. Things move so much faster at the local level, and you see the tangible impact on people’s day-to-day lives so clearly. So I think my priorities shifting from prestige to purpose made me see North Carolina differently, and moving to Durham specifically sealed the deal for me. 

The general theme of your campaign’s platform seems to be ‘justice:’ housing justice, environmental justice, accessibility justice among others. Why is that specifically the focus of your campaign? 

People have been talking for a long time about the difference between equality and equity. I think we as a society are (or at least need to be) at the point where we stop talking about that distinction because it isn’t moving us forward anymore. We need to be talking about justice, and about liberation. So justice feels like the right grounding for the moment and movement we’re in. 

Under Social Justice, you call for a commitment from the City Council to be “explicitly anti-racist, not just non-racist.” We’ve heard a lot about this distinction particularly in the last year. In terms of municipal governance, how can city governments be more intentionally anti-racist especially in a city like Durham where about 40% of residents are Black?

To me, anti-racism is about actively dismantling the status quo, which upholds white-centered power structures; and building new structures and systems that center communities of color. In a city like Durham, Black people are disproportionately hurt by a status quo that keeps displacing, criminalizing, and ignoring long-standing communities. So we have to explicitly commit to redressing harm, and not hide behind race-neutral language. We need to focus the kind of attention that typically goes to white communities, especially wealthy ones, on our communities. Even things as seemingly mundane as sidewalk repair or lead paint removal should prioritize majority Black and brown neighborhoods. 

Speaking of the last year, it’s been eventful to say the least. First, how are you and second, what did you come away with after 2020 in thinking about things like advocacy and service (Non Ministrari sed Ministrare)?

Thanks for asking! Overall, I’m doing well. The pandemic really magnified my existing mental health issues - I have anxiety, depression, and OCD, and all of my typical coping mechanisms got shattered by the quarantine. I lost a Wellesley sister to COVID-19. My dad, who lives in Nigeria, contracted it as well. I haven’t hugged my mother, who also lives in Nigeria, since 2019. But I also have the privilege of full-time employment, at a job that values our mental health. I have the privilege of a happy marriage to a woman who doesn’t make me feel unsafe in my own home. I was able to quarantine at home without significant disruption to my life, and I have health insurance. So I feel more responsible than ever to fight for a world where more people have the kind of baseline stability that I do, frankly. That world is not just possible, it’s critical. Because people are dying for the lack of it. 

Lastly, at WU we’re all for fighting the good fight but we’re also big proponents of self-care (and napping) so we also have to ask how are you caring for yourself these days? 

I have really doubled down on being a plant lady. I have so many houseplants now, and also have an ever-growing garden in our backyard. Tending to plants and growing food is very restorative. I also play The Sims 4, which is where I create the world I want to see in real life. My Sims world has numerous unions, assertive green policies, and well-designed (not to brag) affordable housing. So when I need to blow off steam, I’m likely heading to my garden or my Sims. 

____

For more information on Marion’s campaign, check out her website: https://www.mariontjohnson.com/

[technology745]

The Only Guide for Technology

The Of Technology

From Internet of Behaviours to Hyperautomation, right here are some of the top innovation patterns for 2021 everybody must obtain ready for currently. The pandemic has actually turned 2020 into a tough year for both society and companies around the globe, that were already underway.

Hyperautomation Hyperautomation describes the procedure of how companies automate anything that can be automated in a company, utilizing devices like Equipment Knowing, AI, as well as robotics, among others. Artificial Knowledge Expert System (AI )is undoubtedly among the largest technology fads for the moment. This device can in many means: anticipating what clients will buy, adding facial recognition to company security, applying voice assistants, making usage of independent lorries and also robotics, and the checklist takes place. Within the context we are undergoing nowadays, AI will additionally, as well as make wise decisions regarding when and where to disperse resources. Robotics and also lorry automation The year

2021 is likewise anticipated to be one with fast growth and demand for robotics, specifically in the medical care market, to connect with members of society who are one of the most at risk to infection. They are expected to offer brand-new channels of interaction and also cleaning as well as safety solutions for firms requiring maintenance. Because method, cybersecurity mesh supplies companies with, enabling the security boundary to be defined around a person's identity or point. In various other words, any individual can get access to any digital possession in a safe way, no matter where the information is situated. The Cloud Although this fad began way prior to the pandemic, Covid-19's effect on worldwide companies has absolutely increased it. Many thanks to Cloud solutions, companies of varied sectors can As the Covid pandemic takes place, increasingly more business count on the Cloud to p Regarding this, Statista

anticipates that as 2021 obtains underway, the public Cloud services market is expected to go beyond 362. 3 billion UNITED STATE dollars by 2022. WFH modern technology This may be the technology pattern that will certainly be at the top of the podium throughout 2021., and it seems this pattern is expected to continue to grow in the years to come. A study exposed by Gartner shows that 90%of HR leaders will certainly permit workers to function remotely even after the Covid-19 injection is available.

Devices like, and other communication systems have become necessary for numerous ventures, facilitating remote working across the globe. These devices have assisted distributed groups maintain track of the tasks they are servicing, along with All these brand-new devices as well as technologies that have actually become a result of remote functioning have actually also aided business, along with boost partnership among members. However, taking into consideration that staff members functioning from home have to use their networks and that these may not be as secure as those provided by the office, companies may need to look to 3rd parties like Cloud services to guarantee those networks are risk-free and also the data is safeguarded. The years 2020 and also 2021 have differed from any kind of in the past. COVID might have transformed our lives upside down, however it might

not maintain organizations or specialists at a grinding halt. Organizations rolled on, customarily, individuals kept functioning, albeit from another location and also most operations still unravelled smoothly. As well as for all this, we have just modern technology to give thanks to. However what regarding C-Suite execs? Studies show that despite the fact that numerous companies are thinking about moving 80% of procedures to the cloud within a decade, CEOs are not so sure. As couple of as 3 out of 10 CEOs feel great about cloud movement. The prime factor for this is naturally data protection of customers. They will have all security functions, packed with data file encryptionand also data source monitoring to keep your data risk-free. If CEOs are still not comfortable, they can still go for an alternative that will certainly enable for movement of operations yet won't require information to be saved in the cloud. With the cloud, Lift and also Change does the job for you! You can merely migrate your entire system to the cloud and do away with your tradition framework. You can change you organization by investing in technology. Legacy infrastructure seriously limits development and market agility, as well as yet, Chief executive officers need to persevere since that framework is all they can trust for smooth procedure. Yet what happens if they can efficiently migrate to the cloud? After that there will certainly be no end to innovation as well as agility. Consumer Information Platforms, Advertising for anybody and everybody is a thing of the past. And Also Client Information System has actually proved that by being one of the largest technology fads for 2021. In 2021 data rules advertising totally, with 93 %of advertising and marketing supervisors concurring that using consumer data for advertising and marketing makes sure to give promising outcomes. Currently utilizing this comprehensive database of details, the advertising group can produce consumer accounts and also generate methods to woo the consumer. What are the benefits of utilizing a dedicated customer data system? When the advertising group recognizes the client completely, they can draft customized methods for each and every, which provides a far better chance to rapidly rack up a sale. Choice 2: Ask the customers for their information. No data extracted from the web can be as authentic as the one the consumer himself will supply you with. Not just sales however a CDP can additionally be a vital aspect in better customer retention. With more information regarding the client, the entire team can be conscious of customer assumptions from them whether in regards to service or merely website UI. Before CDPs entered into usage, complete integrations needed to be carried out on consumer data to produce a central data source, which used up both time and workforce. The entire procedure of utilizing information for advertising and marketing has ended up being a lot more reliable with the usage of CDPs. Work From Home, As opposed to a modern technology trend, job from residence has ended up being a lifestyle for us currently. But in the post-pandemic globe, Chief executive officers need to find to terms with the reality that such circumstances may occur time as well as once again as well as we have the innovation to handle them efficiently. Naturally, running a firm with no in person interaction could be challenging, yet there are ways to ensure individuals are collaborating with genuineness and stability. If needed, offer your employees with a VPN to ensure your information is safe and also the web rate is excellent. This will certainly make certain all digital meetings and also presentations run without a glitch. Your next-gen staff members are constantly all set to adjust any type of kind

of innovation patterns as well as tools you throw at them, however what about the older labor force? It is not possible or fair to toss them in the lurch in the middle of the pandemic. However does this mean there will be no UI? Of program not. Based upon a Net of Things principle, brainless technology primarily describes a personalized front-end. When we log into Amazon.com, all millions of customers see the exact same interface, there is no modification. But with headless tech, there is no telling what we will certainly see when we open the application. Modification possibilities will certainly be unlimited. Every client can have their extremely own UI.Cross-platform adaptation will not need any added job! Enables seamless combinations, This is the new kid in town when it concerns modern technology trends in organization however this is the age of personalized customer experience so it is only a matter of time before firms select this up, toss in some hardcore R&D and take it to new heights. These customized suites have an all-in-one system that has software concerning all essential HR functions like pay-roll as well as advantages administration, soft ability administration, onboarding, and also collaboration. Among the prime tasks of the HR department is to care for employee troubles, the most important of which is the worker's mental health and wellness. Courtesy of AI, we have located a means out of this. The employer need just go into a couple of requirements as well as the robot will merely wade its method with your pile of applications and draw out the very best of the whole lot. After that it depends on our seasoned Human Resources experts to cherry-pick thebest for the position! These 5 innovations are still in their inceptive stages as well as are not yet routine features for all companies. This is where Radixweb can aid you with important experience as well as understandings, gathered over years of experience in assisting organizations as well as their technology demands with electronic change services. So to connect to us to review even more modern technology fads in company, provide us a telephone call or drop an e-mail!.?.!!. Because of the devastating hit of the pandemic from the yearand database monitoring to keep your data safe. In 2021 data guidelines advertising totally, with 93 %of advertising supervisors concurring that making use of consumer information for advertising is certain to offer appealing outcomes.

[anexplanationofunfortunateevents]

BUT HIS [SON’S] [IRRELEVANT AND PROBABLY FAKE] EMAILS!

In a world where people were trying to do their jobs, this story would not make sense to anyone, now or ever. But because we live in the dumbest fucking timeline, you need to know the shape of the Trump cartel’s latest disinformation campaign against the American democratic process.

Former Vice President Biden is being attacked through his family, which means that his family’s story is the vital context here. Back in the ‘70s, when he was Senator-Elect Biden, his family was in a terrible car crash. His first wife and their young daughter were killed. His sons Beau and Hunter survived, though Hunter suffered a traumatic head injury. The boys went about 80% Parent Trap to convince their dad to marry his current wife Jill, and both grew up and went to law school. Beau became the attorney general of Delaware before dying of cancer in 2015. Hunter went on to a lucrative career in the private sector despite an intermittent struggle with substance abuse, which is a common aftereffect of psychological trauma and brain injuries.

Republicans generally believe that being a Yale Law grad with a wealthy father and a history of substance abuse qualifies someone for the Supreme Court, but for some deeply principled and intellectually honest reason, they have decided that Hunter Biden’s employment in the field of transportation and energy can only be a sign of spectacular corruption. So nefarious and sinister was the Biden family’s treachery that they managed to destroy every iota of evidence before multiple investigations by Senate Republicans could find any of it!

Obviously this little tabloid narrative was derailed when Trump went and got his dumb ass impeached over it. But it’s the middle of October, Trump’s down ten points in the polls, and he made the mistake of replacing the wildly unethical FBI director who threw the last election for him with a guy who at least knows to act professional, so he’s looking for a Hail Mary pass. In the wackiest of coincidences, some random Trumper had what he says might be Hunter Biden’s various hard drives, one of which apparently contained a backup of his most sensitive videos and text messages, in his computer repair shop. Of course this man did the only sensible thing and, uh, copied every file in the drives one at a time before bringing it to Trump’s TV lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, and then the FBI. Giuliani, who was a former federal prosecutor before becoming the former mayor of New York City and current new bestie of Random Tech Store Guy, handled this situation with the assistance of someone who has a mere “50/50 chance” of being a Russian agent. (Poor old Rudy does appear to have limited communication skills beyond his personal safe space of a noun, a verb, and 9/11.) It’s unclear to me whether Giuliani or Tech Store Guy was the one who shared the hard drives with Steve Bannon, the white supremacist propagandist and former Trump campaign manager who is currently under indictment for fraud.

As with a lot of Trump trash, it’s impossible to describe without sounding like you’re exaggerating for comedic effect, but the stakes are too high for any of it to be funny. 

Over the weekend, a right wing tabloid published what it said were emails from one of Hunter’s laptops. (Reporters at that particular tabloid do not believe the story.) The emails don’t show any wrongdoing by the vice president and seem fake for a lot of reasons – but never mind, the bullshit laundering worked well enough to get some supposed actual reporter to harass Vice President Biden about it, and then a bunch of other supposed actual reporters to collapse into their fainting couches when Biden responded with appropriate impatience.

That apparently didn’t have the hoped-for effect. The next day, what appeared to be a series of highly emotional text exchanges between the vice president and his son appeared. There was nothing even vaguely scandalous in these, to a point where it’s not immediately obvious why anyone would bother publishing them. My best guess is that it’s meant to throw Biden off his stride by trying to hurt and humiliate his son, though it may also be an attempt to soften the ground for an even more theatrical reveal.

A lot of Very Serious Politics-Knowers have deluded themselves that the But Her Emails debacle of 2016 was the legitimate kernel of a story that was “blown out of proportion.” But Her Emails was about people a) having some degree of misogyny, conscious or unconscious, which led to a bias against Clinton and b) wanting to tell other people and/or themselves that it wasn’t because she was a woman. They understand that the But Her Emails-ing was a) enormously consequential and b) incredibly dumb. They don’t want to think too hard about that tension, because if they did, they’d have to take responsibility for how the dumb thing became so consequential.

Meanwhile, Trump campaign insiders know better than the rest of us how much they cheated in 2016, but they’re still people and therefore susceptible to the cognitive bias that they got what they wanted because they earned it somehow. The closest thing they had to an above-board strategy was yelling “emails!!” a lot, so they expect yelling “emails!!” to be successful again. They’re just desperately throwing pasta to see what sticks – but Joe Biden is a man, so they’re throwing it at the theory of relativity instead of the refrigerator door.

There are differences between 2020 and 2016 which are significantly less depressing. Trump’s co-conspirators are resorting to ridiculous methods because so many of the key players who made the 2016 operation work are actually facing punishment for some of their crimes. Paul Manafort is under house arrest. Wikileaks guy Julian Assange is in jail.  Social media companies, especially Twitter, were prepared to slam the brakes. Some mainstream reporters have refused to learn their lesson from 2016, but others were prepared to be critical. And, I cannot emphasize this last one enough, voters are more prepared for it. So Team Trump isn’t as good at doing the crimes as they were four years ago, even if they were as good at it they wouldn’t be able to use traditional and social media as effectively as they did last time, and even if they could adjust to that they’d have a harder time manipulating us. Maybe it got frustrating and boring for you to hear and talk about the 2016 attack for years on end, but the whole point of that was that we needed to be ready for exactly this scenario. So far, it seems to be working better than I would have hoped.

Obviously, this is infuriating. All else aside, putting this enormous, invasive pressure on a private citizen’s mental health and substance abuse problems is abusive and gross and genuinely dangerous. I don’t give a shit who his dad is, it’s fucking evil. We need to be ready to remember everybody involved in pushing this story – not just the con artists behind it, but the “mainstream” reporters who validated it in their behavior toward the Biden campaign or who spread what were (allegedly) entirely personal text messages of no news value.

But first, we need to win next month. On that front, I want to reiterate what I said when they first started cooking up this story late last year: it’s actually encouraging that they’re resorting to something like this, because it means they’re flailing. They haven’t been able to make FBI Director Wray abuse his power in the way former Director Comey did, despite the fact that the only real tool they had to manipulate Comey four years ago was taunting and pressure from conservative media. They don’t have a cutout like Wikileaks to launder the documents for them. Most importantly, they’re trying to influence voters’ opinions of Biden because they think voters’ behavior still matters. The only thing Trump knows in life is how to get away with a scam. If they thought they had it “rigged” they would be trying to act normal, because spending the three weeks before a heist reminding your marks of what fucking criminals you are doesn’t help you get away with it.

One last thing: this is a less obvious reason why it’s important to vote as early as you can. All these other increasingly desperate stunts depend on the ability to overwhelm everyone all at once, without enough time for them to be debunked or brought back into proportion. The more early votes are in the bank, the less effective their next stink bomb can be, and if it can’t be effective, there are a lot of people around Trump who would rather save their own asses from prison than help him throw it.

[loveblackculture]

The sixth house handles our routines and daily work life. This is an important house to look at when dealing with medical astrology since this is the house that rules over your health. It is also how you go about planning, detailing, being orderly and precise. Are you scattered or organized? This house placement will tell you more about that. It also relates to small animals.

By looking at your sixth house cusp sign, you can gain insight on the attitude you express in this sector of life.

ARIES ♈️

Early worm gets the bird! You’re an early starter and you like to have a lot going on in one day. Be sure to get physical exercise so you do not experience headaches. You don’t thrive on a set in stone routine but you rather plan your day as it happens. You’ll want to set your own routine and are quite happy that way. You can also be a go-getter in your workplace.

TAURUS ♉️

You need stability in your routine. You can care less for spontaneous tasks like your neighbor sign Aries and you’re more practical than flighty neighbor sign Gemini. Your coworkers appreciate your reliability and you’re focused and well-mannered in your workplace. You may benefit from Pilates.

GEMINI ♊️

You get bored easily with your daily routine so it’s important that you introduce something new into your schedule quite often. Unfortunately, it can be difficult to stay on track and keep a schedule due to having multiple things going on at once. You can be scattered when it comes to organizing your day and learning about time-blocking will benefit you. Taking walks can help you get back on track and stay focused.

CANCER ♋️

Your nurturing and caretaking abilities put you in a good position for becoming a health worker. You need a stable routine that feels comforting and safe. Anything too crazy or scattered can have you easily overwhelmed. You may benefit from yoga as it allows you to connect to your emotions and release.

LEO ♌️

Coworkers might find you to be a bit bossy since you’ll take over the daily tasks and do them in your own way. You need to feel in charge and independent so you might benefit in a workplace that allows you to have a flexible schedule. You can benefit from weight lifting as it will make you feel strong and powerful and help you build your self-confidence.

VIRGO ♍️

Everything needs to be in order and in place. You’re very particular and even nitpicky about how the day goes. You may benefit from list making on tasks and chores to tackle. You tend to be a workaholic and possibly a hypochondriac. Your health is important to you and exercises such as yoga can help you to relax.

LIBRA ♎️

Coworkers generally appreciate your fair and balanced business approach. You’re friendly, outgoing nature makes it easy for them to get along with you. You like to co-operate and need harmony in your daily routine to feel your best. You can do well with Pilates or Zumba.

SCORPIO ♏️

You can be obsessive when it comes to your workplace and quite compulsive. Your daily life is always met with some type of intensity which can cause your coworkers to steer clear or try to know more about you. You’re mysterious and quite nature is intriguing to those who don’t know you. You would benefit from martial arts or power yoga.

SAGITTARIUS ♐️

Just as your opposite sign Gemini, you are scattered in your routine. You don’t like schedules or follow them at all. You set your day as it comes. One moment you’re enthusiastic about taking on chores and the next you rather do something more exciting. Turning on your favorite songs might help you stay on top of tasks and chores. You could benefit from daily jogs and exercise.

CAPRICORN ♑️

You’re well organized in your daily routine and appreciate schedules. You manage your time well and always seem to get everything done when it needs to be. However, your coworkers might find you to be a bit bossy at times since you want everything to go accordingly on your time. Jogging could prove beneficial to your mental health.

AQUARIUS ♒️

Your daily life is unpredictable and needs to be full of excitement. It can be unsettling for those who don’t do well in fast-paced environments. Your plans are always changing and you can experience many disruptions in your day because of it. You can help calm this energy by visiting your local gym often to workout and interact with others.

PISCES ♓️

You’re very different from your opposing sign Virgo. You are disorganized and can find it difficult to stay focused and concentrate on daily tasks and chores. If you do not take care of yourself, you may experience ill-health. It’s important that you practice mindfulness and may benefit from yoga. Your coworkers can be easily frustrated with you at work due to your need of drifting off and not seeming to be present.

🌙✨🌙✨🌙✨🌙✨🌙

PLANETS IN THE SIXTH HOUSE

The signs in astrology show the attitude we take on the house sector but the planets in astrology show how we act on that attitude. The planets in any house reveal the energy we play out in the different areas of our lives. It’s important to note that the aspects made between planets will also play a role on this energy too.

If the energy is repressed, we find that through the challenging aspects (squares, oppositions, and sometimes conjunctions). If the energy thrives, we find that through the harmonious aspects (trines, sextiles, and sometimes conjunctions). It’s also important to note that the malefic planets (Mars and Saturn) will bring struggles to the house and the benefic planets (Venus and Jupiter) will bring abundance.

SUN

The sixth house Sun really lets you shine in your career. The attention is always on you whether it is positive or negative. You’re a person of action and have amazing organizational skills. You may partake in a career that helps you gain the positive reinforcement by being a service to others. This would include doctors, social workers, or even first-responder. You enjoy helping others and will actively search for ways to do so. However, you should be careful that you do not spend all your energy in your work place or the mundane tasks at hand. You can easily be drained and your health will require immediate attention when this happen. Time management that allows you to not stress out so easily and take care of your health are vital for your wellbeing.

MOON

The moon in the sixth house shows you’re more intellectual when dealing with matters of the heart. You approach your emotions from your intellect rather than approaching them emotionally. You health and routine is an important aspect of your life and you may need to constantly reassess your priorities in life. Others people health also comes into focus here and you may be overly concerned in helping others live healthily, particularly a woman who is close to you. Medical studies fascinate you and you may be a healer, doctor, or nurse.

MERCURY

You’re the person who has to always be doing something, every single day. Your daily routine is very busy but you need this stimulation or else you can be mentally frustrated. You may take an interest in learning about reiki healings, anatomy, the correlation between mental state and physical state, or botany. Being of service to others is something you enjoy and helps you to grow mentally.

VENUS

Your values are placed on living a healthy life. You may be the type of person who is always determined to better themselves. It builds your self-esteem more than others when you’re working towards a goal. Your work relationships tend to be peaceful and you get along with your co-workers most of the time. Others appreciate your logic when it comes to solving problems. You weigh out each side before making a decision. You may find yourself interested in setting routines and sticking with them, it will probably improve your mood. Health over mind, body, and spirit is just the way you do things.

MARS

There can be so much mental frustration if you do not get daily exercise. More than others, your body begs for for daily exercise. You can experience digestive problems and serious headaches if you’re not living your life healthy. You must be careful to not be careless with what goes into your body. Your always looking for something productive to do in your daily schedule. The workplace is tense and you may not always get along with co-workers. This is due to the fact that you’re highly independent. You would not make it very far sitting at a 9-5 desk job. You need something that requires movement and excitement.

JUPITER

You have a positive attitude towards your workplace and health. Your daily routine is met by your own personal beliefs and you will only do what you feel like doing. You can be a great health worker because you feel a sense of responsibility towards helping others, especially when it comes to their health! You’ll have extremely high standards and most of these standards fall on your own sense of self. You don’t believe that luck just happens, you believe you must work for it, and work hard! If you want success, you have to be the one to go after it. You’re not the one to sit back and let it happen because you simply believe it will never come. You take a strict approach to your daily life and work area which inspires others.

SATURN

You need a workplace that is structure and disciplined. You thrive under routine and feel a sense of stability with it. This is also the house of health and Saturn here shows that you may have issues with your health early in life. You need find a health routine that is beneficial to you so you do not slip through the cracks. Saturn here makes you good at organizing and planning. You’re very detailed and approach every direction in your workplace with caution. Too much can sometimes be a bad thing though. You’re the person to keep adding more and more to your plate, no matter how full it gets! This creates a lot of mental stress for you and you can soon feel down about the reality of life if you don’t let yourself relax.

URANUS

Routine? What is routine? You rather your schedule come as it is and not expect to rely on an organized schedule or list to tell you what to do. You’ll enjoy fast paced work areas and may take an interest in unusual jobs. Due to this being the house of health, you may experience rapid changes when it comes to your health. This also is a placement that shows a lot of anxiety. Take care of yourself.

NEPTUNE

Simple day to day chores may seem like a drag to you. It can be hard to stay focused and get mundane tasks done. You rather be off daydreaming! There may be a strong calling to be a spiritual worker or teacher. You have the ability to be of service to others in a spiritual sense. You’re very in-tune with your daily surroundings and absorb the energy others to the point of feeling mentally drained. You prefer to work on projects and tasks alone.

PLUTO

You have a strong personality when it comes to your workplace. Others find you focused, detailed, and observant. Your daily routine and everyday tasks are always going through a transformation. You’re always trying to find ways to tear down bad habits and rebuild good ones. This may put your health at the risk of dramatic changes as well. Studying the relationship between mind and body would be beneficial for you.

Read… https://www.cosmicoccult.com/the-sixth-house-in-astrology/

[lastsonlost]

NO SHIT SHERLOCK!

What fucking took you so long!

The story: ALSO- spoiler warning

Midway through a screening of Joker this weekend at a Chicago theater, I leaned over to a friend seated next to me and whispered: “Is this the same movie that everyone has been talking about?”

I asked because what I was witnessing on-screen bore little resemblance to the ode to angry, young, white, “incel” men that I had heard so much about in media coverage of Joker leading up to its release. Instead, we got a fairly straightforward condemnation of American austerity: how it leaves the vulnerable to suffer without the resources they need, and the horrific consequences for the rest of society that can result.

This message is so blunt that even I, a Marxist and philistine, found its message a bit too clobbering. How mainstream commentators have missed it and drawn the exact opposite conclusion is baffling.

Arthur Fleck, the protagonist and eventual Joker, is a poor, young, white, mentally ill man who works as a clown and seems to enjoy it. In the film’s opening scene, he is beaten up by a rowdy group of teenagers, some of whom appear to be teens of color..

Watching this opening, I thought, here it is: in the very first scene, teenagers running wild on the streets of New York City, a classic rightwing trope in American cinema depicting a society (and its racialized underclass, in particular) that is out of control. We’ll soon be told it needs to be reined in by some old-fashioned law and order and cracking of skulls.

Yet in the locker room of the clown agency, when a coworker calls the teens “animals” and “savages”, Arthur explicitly rejects dehumanizing the teens. “They’re just kids,” he responds. Bruises visible on his body – a body for which Joaquin Phoenix lost 52 pounds ahead of filming, with a disturbingly protruding spine and ribs, that is physically ravaged by the austerity-racked society Arthur lives in, wasting away in front of our eyes – he defends his assailants and rejects his coworker’s racist epithets.

Since critics depicted this as a film for the far right, whose overtly racist views are well-known, I expected the depictions of characters of color to be bigoted. But interestingly, almost all of the violence he eventually metes out as he sinks deeper and deeper into a full breakdown – save for the movie’s final scene, at which point Joker’s nihilistic brutality has fully blossomed, now wanton and indiscriminate – is against white men, many of them wealthy.

A passing interaction with a neighbor, a single black mother who lives on his floor, leads to a disturbing and delusional romantic obsession with her . This culminates in a tense scene in which – on the verge of a full breakdown and after we realize the previous scenes of the two of them on a date and sitting at the hospital bedside of Arthur’s mother were completely imagined by him – he walks into her open apartment.

The viewer expects an act of violence against her, perhaps even a horrific scene of sexual assault, by the lonely man who wants the beautiful woman but can’t have her. In other words, the ultimate incel revenge fantasy. Instead, startled, she asks him to leave. He does.

Likewise, in a scene whose political message was so blunt that it could have appeared in a mid-century Stalinist propaganda film, his social worker and counselor – another black woman – with whom he has a tense but clearly significant relationship, is forced to tell him that due to recent budget cuts, their office will be shutting down. Arthur asks her where he’s going to get his medication; she has no answer for him.

“They don’t give a shit about people like you, Arthur,” she tells him, referring to those who cut the budget. “And they don’t give a shit about people like me either.”

The black, female public-sector worker is telling the white, male public-service user that their interests are intertwined against the wealthy billionaire class and their political lackeys who are slashing public services. Across racial and gender boundaries, the two have a common class enemy.

You can’t get much less subtle, or much more diametrically opposed to the right’s worldview, than this.

It is those budget cuts that drive Arthur deeper into madness. Similar attempted cuts likely drove sanitation workers to strike, resulting in the piled-up garbage constantly visible on Gotham’s streets. These are clear allusions to New York City’s 1975 fiscal crisis and the austerity it produced, which soon spread to the rest of the country.

Elites’ condescending responses to the widespread suffering make things worse. Billionaire Thomas Wayne condemns Arthur’s murder of his three employees (representing young, arrogant, rich Wall Street types) on the subway by calling the average person seething in the streets “clowns”. Don’t they know that he wants to help them, the ultra-rich mayoral candidate asks. He is irritated he even has to explain this. His comments merely stoke the already burning fires of resentment, with Wayne’s obliviousness at their misery rubbing salt in the wounds of average Gotham residents and driving them to the streets to protest Wayne and elites like him in clown masks.

And, of course, when Arthur sneaks into a high-class theatre and confronts Wayne about what Arthur has been led to believe by his ailing mother – that Wayne, her former employer, is Arthur’s father – the genteel billionaire, dressed in a full tuxedo, literally punches Arthur in the face. Again, political subtlety is not this film’s stock and trade. How could reviewers miss this?

What Arthur – and scores of others like him in Gotham and our own society – needs is a fully-funded Medicare for All or NHS-style health system that includes robust mental health services that provide him with the counseling services and medication that can save him (and others around him) from his unceasingly “negative thoughts” and violent impulses.

He needs public programs that can provide a warm, encouraging environment for his creative impulses, allowing him to perform standup comedy or perform as a clown without becoming a laughingstock on national television or getting canned by an uncaring boss. He needs wages for his care work for his infirm mother or a robust elder care system that can respectfully take her under its care. He needs high-quality housing he can afford.

Arthur has more than his share of problems, but a few of them would have been solved, or at least adequately and humanely managed, in a society whose budgets were oriented more towards people like him than Wayne. But he does not live in that society, and neither do we. Instead of public services and dignity, he gets that most American of consolation prizes: a gun, and the sense of respect that, while ultimately hollow, has long eluded him.

Joker’s ending is bleak and one whose general thrust we knew going into the film: in addition to the three Wall Street types, an old mother, a coworker, a talkshow host and a billionaire couple have been murdered in cold blood; rioters in clown masks are running wild in the streets, cheering Joker on the hood of a cop car. In the final scene, Arthur is again speaking to a social worker, but now in handcuffs in an asylum. But it’s too late to reach him, because he’s no longer Arthur – he’s the Joker, and the Joker has no qualms about killing her, too.

Rosa Luxemburg once famously framed the choice for our future as that of socialism or barbarism. Joker is a portrait of a society that has chosen barbarism. No one wants to see violence erupt in such a situation, but we shouldn’t be surprised when it does.

In the real world, we aren’t yet at that breaking point. And unlike Gotham, we have alternate paths on offer – represented best by the Vermont senator Bernie Sanders, whose presidential campaign speaks to that roiling anger but channels it into humane and egalitarian directions. If we don’t take it, and that anger continues to find a home in reactionary outlets, the barbarities we see in Joker might start looking horrifyingly familiar.

[risingsouls]

Recruited: Chapter 2

[I didn’t edit again because I’m a lazy bitch, but here you go! It’s a lot shorter and I KINDA imagine many of Vegeta’s will be because this IS more about Nabooru. But it’s also about both of them and I LOVE writing pre-Z stuff so. Here you go.]

Vegeta

Beneath Frieza, Zarbon was at the top of Vegeta’s to-murder list, tied with Dodoria. But he would be sure to murder both of Frieza’s most trusted lackeys first and make him watch as he humiliated the smug generals. Slowly. In ways not even Hell could let them forget.

“Who do you think that girl with Zarbon was? Weird that he would be stuck with the task of toting a lowly new recruit around.”

“Who knows. Maybe the pretty boy pissed Frieza off and that was his punishment. Serves him right.” Vegeta heard Nappa hum and could see the large Saiyan folding his arms over his chest despite his position in front of his two cohorts. “Her power level was nothing to sneeze at. Neither were her ti--”

“Yes, she’s even stronger than you are, Nappa,” Vegeta chimed in before the conversation could veer off in the direction he sensed it going. He didn’t have the patience for their horny drivel on a normal day, and simply seeing Zarbon had lowered his tolerance. Thus, he refused to listen to them prattle on about this new recruit’s figure and whatever lewd fantasies they had already dreamed up about her. “If you’re not careful, perhaps I’ll have her replace you.”

“What? Come on, you don’t mean that!” 

“Perhaps I do.” A smirk curled the prince’s lips. “She’s stronger than you and much easier on the eyes. What do you think, Raditz?”

“I would say it’s a pretty sound strategy. Good chance she’s smarter, too.”

Nappa huffed. “If Frieza murders the two of you in this meeting, I won’t miss you.”

“Speaking of that, what do you think he wants with all three of us?” Radtiz asked. “He usually only calls for you.”

An unfortunate truth and the reasoning for the change of the tyrant’s usual habits escaped him. Even when the matter at hand involved all three Saiyans--a new job he felt the need to assign in person, to scold them for a mission he deemed botched by them, or to simply torment the Saiyan prince for his own entertainment--he only requested Vegeta’s presence, likely due to his station as the undisputed leader of their trio and would-be monarch that ruled them if he still had a domain and people to rule over. Perhaps he had finally decided to do away with the rest of their race by putting the three of them out of their misery after all.

Then again, Frieza had quite the penchant for torture of both the physical and mental variety. Death would be too merciful.

“I guess this time he wanted more of an audience for whatever hell he’s planned for me than just Dodoria and Zarbon.” He turned a corner, the other two Saiyans following him down the final stretch of hallway leading toward the base’s central hub. “With Zarbon busy, he’s down a lackey for the moment. Perhaps he wanted the room to feel fuller.”

“Too bad we’re not as prone to kissing his ass,” Nappa mumbled, his boisterous tone quieted as they approached the door. The three may not suck up to Frieza as to near the same degree as the emperor’s closest confidants, but they weren’t stupid enough to incur his wrath for even a minimal insult such as that. It pained them to live with such fear, to tiptoe around anyone like a trio of children. The prince likely more so than the other two with his royal blood, his top tier power level that still paled in comparison to Frieza and even his lap dogs. Treading on thin ice constantly wore on his psyche, his pride. But his ire for the tyrant and pure spite drove him to survive and kill him. For the years of torment and Vegeta’s suspicion of his role in his people’s demise.

He would take back all that was promised to him.

The double doors slid open and admitted the Saiyans into the heart of the base where they found Frieza with his back to them, finishing off a conversation with the captain of another base somewhere in the cosmos. The screen in front of him blinked to darkness again. “It’s never simple, is it Dodoria? It seems we’ll have to make a little visit to sector eight soon after all.” He turned to face them and the three bowed. “Ah, perfect timing. I just lost the patience for waiting around too long.”

"Of course, my lord." Vegeta rose from his bow, hoping the strain in his jaw loosened before he met Frieza face to face. "We hurried straight here when we received your transmission."

Dodoria snorted, but Frieza ignored him. "Obedient as always. I've trained you well. But I'll cut right to the chase." His crimson gaze shifted from Vegeta to his left. "I have need of your large nanny, prince."

It took a massive amount of control to keep the surprise from his face, but a glance at Nappa revealed he hadn't been near as successful, the giant blinking with a tensed jaw. Confusion was better than fear, though the three of them no doubt felt some degree of it. Nappa for his own life, Vegeta for the potential loss of his most loyal underling. Though dumb and weak compared to him, the oaf had proven himself more than useful over the years.

"I mean no disrespect, sire, but what would you have me do?" Nappa asked. Vegeta felt a rush of a breeze as the former General dipped into another bow.

"Training." The Acrosian emperor folded his arms behind his back. "I have an...interesting new recruit. A very capable fighter, but new to utilizing ki. As you know, I prefer my soldiers have more than a basic handle on their energy and using it. A few weak blasts won't cut it in the force, and I see potential in her power level if given some proper training in ki utilization specifically. I want useful soldiers, not dead weight."

Vegeta's dark brows lowered in skepticism, but before he could request further explanation of why he needed Nappa for such a task, Frieza continued on, proving his impatience and readiness to move on with whatever heinous plans he had for sector eight. "A combination of the reports concerning her and her people along with my own observations revealed they are not unlike you Saiyans in their lust for combat. A little less bloodthirsty, perhaps, but quick learners and more than happy to jump into any fight presented to them. This particular soldier embodies this to the Nth degree. I'm sure even your monkey brains have figured out my train of thought: with such similarities, what better teacher for her than a Saiyan of which I have three more than willing to assist with it? I chose your giant for his experience in the field since, if I recall, he had a hand in your training, yes?"

“That is correct.” A minimal one, but Vegeta couldn’t deny Nappa’s involvement in his early combat training. The basics of physical and ki-based combat Nappa taught the prince himself. Until the young Saiyan realized his own strength and it became a hazard to the advisor’s health. He had never been known for pulling his punches no matter the opponent, and with a formidable power level at birth, it wasn’t long before he could subdue Nappa in minutes. When a spar nearly cost him his life, Nappa decided besetting Saibamen on him would prove more effective, coaching from the sidelines rather than serving as the royal punching bag. Vegeta attributed much of his learning to his own natural prowess, however. A self-taught prodigy for the greater portion of his training and growth.

“Perfect. I know it will break your heart to be down one cohort, but I’m sure you and the other will manage for...let’s say a month. I believe that is more than enough time for her to adjust and reach the required levels. If not,” he chuckled and shared a smirk with Dodoria, “I suppose that will be the end of this little experiment.”

Of course this was all just some stupid pet project of his. A waste of time, likely, that would only serve to rob him of Nappa for much too long. Vegeta held his tongue and bowed his head again. “Very good, my lord.”

“Since I likely will not be here to assess her myself, I will expect daily reports on her progress starting tomorrow,” he told Nappa. “You two will continue your jobs as scheduled. I’m sure you can handle that a man down.”

“Yes, sire.” Nappa and Raditz mumbled their own affirmation in unison with the prince and took Frieza turning his back to them as their dismissal. They each bowed once more and Vegeta turned on his heel to lead them back into the hallway. 

Not until they reached the barracks sector and piled into the elevator did anyone dare speak, Raditz the first to express his thoughts on the matter: “You lucky bastard. You’re basically getting a vacation with a view.”

Vegeta rolled his eyes and pressed the button for the third floor with a huff. “Is that all you two think about? You don’t even know if that woman is the one he’ll be training.”

“Not all of us are content ignoring our needs like you,” Raditz retorted, folding his arms. “Besides, there’s a good chance it's her. She’s obviously new, didn’t even have armor yet.”

“Almost a shame she’ll have to change out of that outfit she was wearing,” mused Nappa, rubbing his chin. “Shit, even if it’s not her, having a woman around will be a nice change of pace in this place.”

Vegeta shot him a glare as they stepped off the elevator. “Your job is to train her, not bed her, Nappa.” He halted in front of his own door and typed in the four-digit code that offered him admission. He was keen on spending the few hours they had left before the final meal of the day without his cohorts. He had tired of them and their new strain of conversation for the moment. “Don’t do anything stupid that’s going to get you killed. You’ll be teaching her how to do it, after all.”

The prince entered his room, not caring for his subordinate’s reply as he closed the door behind him with the press of a button. He crossed his room to his bed and flopped down on it, arms folded tightly over his chest and a glare aimed at the ceiling. While the meeting with Frieza could have played out in far less favorable ways, it did nothing for his mood. He and Radtiz could handle the clutch of jobs assigned to them over the next month without issue, the possessive side of him balked at the idea of Nappa being anywhere but where he wanted him. What was the bastard up to with all this? Even if she was just a new recruit in need of additional training, there were thousands of other soldiers that could implement her training. His explanation be damned, Frieza hardly ever concerned himself with compatibility, so what was his angle? Was it just his own paranoia where the emperor was concerned frazzling him, or was there merit to his suspicions?

Vegeta groaned and flipped over onto his side, tearing his scouter off his face and resisting the urge to throw it against the wall. Patience was a virtue in short supply for him, but he had little other choice but to wait it all out. If luck favored him, though it rarely ever did, he would wash his hands of this mess entirely within a month.

[astroismypassion]

hi! i just saw you were having difficulties with your messages, so i am totally okay with going through the ask box! I was born on May 14, 1997 at 6:36pm (18:36) in Pascagoula, Mississippi, USA. Thank you, again, for your time!! :)

Thank you for answering me! <3

Hi!

Thank you for buying me this delicious hot beverage. I drank black coffee with rice milk while writing your interpretation. I hope you will enjoy reading it as much as I did writing! And I was listening to Michael Kiwanuka - One More Night while writing. ;)

Your dominant planets are: 1. Venus, 2. Sun and 3. Moon. Your dominant signs are: 1. Aquarius, 2. Taurus and 3. Gemini. Your main mode is Fixed. You are Air dominant.

FAMILY, SIBLINGS, EARLY LIFE

If you have any siblings, they are Capricorn, Aquarius and Pisces. You might have not liked the traditional schooling system, because you found it too rigid. You have Aquarius IC. You had an unconventional upbringing. You have Aquarius and Pisces in the 4th house. This means someone in your family might have had an escapistic problem (drug/alcohol issue, emotional problem, depression or even overslept). A parental figure might have had a religious upbringing, background. There were many superstitions in your family growing up. Or you believed some untraditional, “strange” things. You might have had an escape in your life, be it music or just your room or somewhere where you felt safe and comfortable. You liked to play in your own world. You daydreamt often. You might have escaped into art, fashion, creating your own fantasy or reality. You also have Jupiter in the 4th house. You might have moved around often or changed residence, even school. You might have many siblings or you have an extended family. You could have relatives or other family members living abroad or they have different religious, cultural backgrounds or even different social status. You have Sun square Moon. Your parents might have not agreed on your parenting style. They were not in sync. They might have been two very different figures. Your mother and your father had very different personality traits and character. You have Mercury square Neptune. You might often have deja vu moments. Or you find it hard to really remember whether a thing happened or that it has never happened. You might lose focus easily and just wonder away in your thoughts. You might have been really good in literature, languages or certain abstract topics and drawing, creative writing. But maybe not so much in sciences, such as math. You might have found it harder to comprehend it. You have Mercury square Uranus. This indicates an astrologer’s mind. You might be really good at astrology! You have unique ideas and visionary thoughts. Some might think you are not being serious. You can have a foot in the mouth syndrome and say something too quickly, before really thinking it through. You might often surprise people. You have Taurus Sun in the 7th house. Your father seemed to have had a passive role in your upbringing. He might have not performed all his parental duties. He was probably a bit lazy as well, but people liked him. He is quite stubborn and opinionated. He is proud of his relationships with others, be it business, platonic or romantic. You have Leo Moon in the 10th house. Your mother is well respected and maybe even well known. Or she works in administration, politics or public sector. She might have been the main breadwinner in your family. She is proud, generous, ambitious, hard working, strong, reliable, responsible and caring.

PARTNERSHIPS AND FRIENDSHIPS

You have Aries, Capricorn, Pisces, Libra, Virgo or Scorpio friends. In your romantic relationships you attract Capricorn, Aries, Pisces, Taurus, Leo, Gemini and Cancer, even Libra is possible. You have Virgo mars in the 11th house. This shows how you approach your crush, how you act and how you take action. You like hard working people, who are social and have loyal friend groups. You might like platonic friendships more than romantic partnerships. You like cleanliness, organization and order. You might often clean yourself, your room, environment or somehow constantly beautify it. Self care means a lot to you. Either way you value mental connections over anything. You need compatibility in the mind. You need to be attracted to someone intellectual first. But you also notice their physical appearance, in terms whether they are healthy, clean and nice, elegantly put together. You have Gemini Venus in the 7th house. You are quite a flirt. You like flirting, word play and a bit of mind games. You like people that grow with you. You might like the idea of a date, where you learn something together or learn a skill together. Or perhaps taking a cooking class together. You like puzzles, quizzes and questionnaires. You like to “sample” many people. You have a fear of commitment and settling down. You desire it, but fear it at the same time. You have Venus trine Uranus. You might be attracted to odd, unique, quirky people that stand out. You have Venus trine Neptune. This means you idealize others or put them on the pedestal often. Others might do that to you as well. You might put people under pressure “to perform” to your ideal love fairytale. You have Venus opposite Pluto. Beware of this placement! You might attract quite a few obsessive people. Or people seem to stalk you even years after you’ve broken up. You might be quite possessive of your friends and loved one. You can be even a bit jealous or envious over them.

CAREER, PROFESSIONAL LIFE, PUBLIC IMAGE

You have Virgo North Node in the 11th house. This might indicate that you may lead a bit of a “loner” life. But you need it, since you get easily overwhelmed and need plenty of alone time to recharge. In this lifetime you are asked to organise, establish a routine, live more in the present moment and be of service to others. You might have to learn how to help your friends, community, society in general. You’ll learn humility as well. You will need to take care of your health, yourself in your day-to-day life and how to have a daily routine. But you’ll probably find this easier after 30. You might benefit greatly from owning a pet. You could be an excellent advisor, counsellor or consultant. You might have a knack for social media, marketing, publishing and communication fields. Even journalism, publishing, news anchoring, writing. You could work in non government fields. Or you could be an activist for a cause at least at some point in your life. You might like to own the newest gadgets and modern electronics in your home as well. But also spiritual items, even tarot cards and all the items from your travels. You have Taurus Mercury in the 6th house. You like to stimulate your mind daily. You might often think about your health, pets, if you have any, food and drink, material possessions and items, your friends, even your daily routine, how to organize yourself better. You could think about your daily tasks, your day-to-day life, duties, responsibilities. You are extremely detail oriented and you have a keen eye! You observe EVERYTHING. Facial expressions, gestures, small birthmarks. You notice how someone is dressed, how they speak and present themselves.

ADDITIONAL OBSERVATIONS

You have Libra Chiron in the 12th house. There is a certain wound or a past hurt in regards to your one on one relationships, be it platonic, romantic or business. You might have been hurt, disappointed or rejected in the past. You didn’t have an example of a healthy relationship, so you might sometimes think relationships all together aren’t for you. You might have experienced your parents' separation or divorce or their relationships have affected your views on them. You might make a mistake aggression for love at times. Or passion and lust for love. You have Gemini Juno in the 8th house. This indicates your ideal partner, your ideal soulmate. It can be a friend or a lover. They would have to be versatile, always keeping you on your toes, changing and able to keep up with your transformations as well. But also loyal, secure and that you share a deep bonded trust with them. You have Pisces Ceres in the 4th house. This presents how you wish to be nurtured and how you often nurtured others. You give your unconditional love and support and be like a family to others. You provide a safe space for them. You may need artistic escape or an artistic outlet for your emotions and that you can cope with reality so you like to daydream and pursue artistic endeavours. It’s crucial for your mental and emotional wellness. You have Virgo Lilith in the 10th house. You are very helpful, but you expect the help in return when you need it. You might be quite possessive of people’s belongings and what they have. You are quite persuasive and can easily get what you desire. You can show more of the “negative” Virgo traits in the area of the 10th house, such as being over critical, nagging and complaining.You have Aquarius Part of Fortune in the 4th house. This is where you find natural luck and good fortune. You might find it when you make peace with your unconventional upbringing, family background and history. When you learn how to detach from your family members and still have friendly relationships with them.

CHART RULER

You have Pluto as your chart ruler. The chart ruler of the 1st house is in the 1st house. This means you’re in charge of your own destiny in this lifetime. You might be very self reliant. And you’ll have plenty of personal experiences to back you up when you’re sharing your knowledge with others. You could just use you as an example. Your personality, ego, characters, traist, self esteem, self worth might develop through your personal experiences, interactions with others. Here’s an additional video on this topic by an excellent fellow astrologer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1HnMdFJeXR0

HOUSE RULERS

The ruler of the 1st house is in the 1st house. You express yourself through the way you look. You express yourself through clothing and makeup. The image you project affects your ability to navigate through life. The ruler of the 2nd house is in the 4th house. You impose your personal values on your family members. Personal money goes to family. You are possessive of family members. Your values manifest in family life. You are concerned with the financial security of your family. The ruler of the 3rd house is in the 5th house. Daily conversation revolves around children, hobbies, creativity, theater or the arts. Your communication style is creative and entertaining. Experiences of early education affect your ability to be creative. You have a child-like and playful communication style. The ruler of the 4th house is in the 3rd house. Home is a place to have lively conversations. Cultural upbringing has a strong bearing on your thoughts. Feeling included or rejected by your family influences your day to day interactions.  Home is a place where people come and go. You bring your private inner self with you when you write, keep a journal or blog. The ruler of the 5th house is in the 3rd house. You communicate in a playful and lighthearted way. Romance and fun express themselves through a love of reading and writing. Fun is found through gossiping. Relaxation comes through conversation and writing. The ruler of the 6th house is in the 11th house. You specialize in working with large groups of people. Your working environment is social. You work with friends on a daily basis. The ruler of the 7th house is in the 7th house. The partner needs to be willing negotiate and cooperate with you. Marriage partners are business partners, business partners are marriage partners. You want to be with someone who is cooperative. You want a partner who is a good negotiator. The ruler of the 8th house is in the 6th house. You have obsessive or intense everyday habits. You use your capacity for research and investigation in health and fitness fields. Work is emotionally turbulent. You have complex emotions surrounding health and diet. The ruler of the 9th house is in the 10th house. You expand your horizons through your choice of vocation. Traveling helps you become more widely known. You find meaning through your choice of vocation. You travel because it makes you seem important. Journalism builds your reputation. Your education level builds your reputation. You apply your wisdom to gaining status and social standing. You receive awards and recognition for your academic achievements. The ruler of the 10th house is in the 7th house. Partners should have the same ambitions and goals in mind. You gain recognition and social status through your partner. Ideally the partners should have equal status and equal standing. Partners should have balanced careers. The ruler of the 11th house is in the 6th house. You meet like-minded people through your interest in diet and exercise. The groups you join involve a certain amount of specialization. You bring your interest in social causes to your work environment. You want to reform attitudes to diet, health and exercise. You like working with friends. You have long term goals and wishes relating to diet and exercise. The ruler of the 12th house is in the 7th house. Your partner desires to escape from reality as much as you do. You lose your boundaries when it comes to significant relationships. Your grief and sorrow affect your relationships. The desire to escape reality affects your ability to maintain a serious relationship.