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tabloidtoc · 4 years ago

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National Examiner, April 19

You can buy a copy of this issue for your very own at my eBay store: https://www.ebay.com/str/bradentonbooks

Cover: Tony Bennett's brave last days

Page 2: Stars with Mad Skills -- they became fast experts for plum roles -- Daniel Day-Lewis, Timothee Chalamet, Natalie Portman, Ryan Gosling, Jamie Foxx

Page 3: Adrien Brody, Margot Robbie, Bryan Cranston, Shia LaBeouf, Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert Downey Jr., Tom Cruise

Page 4: Susan Sarandon's roles and costumes

Page 7: Be Prepared for the Worst -- know these lifesaving tips before a crisis happens

Page 8: Lonely Stefanie Powers never wants to date because she still has gotten over lover William Holden's sudden death, even though it'll be 40 years ago this November -- the former star of '80s TV classic Hart to Hart, who's now 78, considers Holden the one true love of her life, even though she's been married twice to others and had a long-term relationship after the Hollywood legend's tragic death and she can't imagine being with anyone else at this stage in her life when Bill's memory is so sacred in her mind and his death still haunts her to this day, and it will only get worse as the anniversary approaches -- Holden, then 63, died at home in Santa Monica on November 12, 1981, of massive bleeding after falling and striking his head on a piece of furniture while heavily intoxicated -- it rips her apart to this day thinking how he must have suffered all alone in his apartment, bleeding to death -- the pair had a decade-long, passionate affair that lasted until his demise, which led her to carry on their mutual passion for wildlife conservation and Stefanie founded the William Holden Wildlife Foundation and is still the director -- she's tried being in other relationships, but it's been more about companionship than anything else and she doesn't have the motivation to date when the best man has already come and gone

Page 9: Vax Hacks -- avoid scammers who prey on fears of COVID-19

Page 10: His first day on the job as an honorary cop, Jeremiah met the other guys in blue and was the proud guest of honor at a special swearing-in ceremony just for him, and he's only five years old

Page 11: Important minerals for your body -- why you need zinc and potassium and how to get them

Page 12: Rude Awakening -- stars who don't mind their manners -- Alec Baldwin, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Christian Bale, Rachael Ray

Page 13: Sean Penn, Ashton Kutcher, Robert Pattinson, Russell Crowe, Cameron Diaz, Bruce Willis

Page 14: Dear Tony -- America's Top Psychic Healer Tony Leggett -- useful lessons learned from the pandemic

Page 15: Get well soon wishes go out to Chevy Chase, who just came out of the hospital after a five-week stay for heart issues -- in 2018, the star was diagnosed with alcohol cardiomyopathy, a weakening of the heart muscle caused by excessive drinking; he had dealt with his drinking back in 2016, when he entered the Hazelden Clinic to receive treatment for alcoholism

Page 16: Even though the century mark looms just around the corner, Betty White still radiates joy -- calling herself the luckiest broad on two feet, the 99-year-old Hollywood legend shares her advice for living a long and peaceful life -- she says her life is divided absolutely in half: half animals and half show business and you can't ask for better than two things you love the most

Page 18: When a California man won $145,000 on Wheel of Fortune, it turned out to be good fortune for a lot of people as he donated his entire winnings to the charity Uplift Family Services and Los Angeles Regional Food Bank, whose services support thousands of families

Page 19: These seniors are literally beating the coronavirus -- with 99 percent of them vaccinated, the 700 elderly residents of the Westminster-Canterbury on the Chesapeake Bay senior living community in Virginia Beach held a party and they had a lot to celebrate

Page 20: Cover Story -- Tony Bennett is facing his brave last days as he battles Alzheimer's disease at the age of 94 -- the singer was diagnosed in 2016, but kept the terrible illness secret until recently and has not yet experienced common Alzheimer's symptoms like episodes of terror, rage or depression but the disease has progressed -- for now, wife Susan Crow and the oldest of Tony's four kids, 67-year-old Danny from his first marriage, are caring for him while he lives in the couple's New York City apartment

Page 22: Recycle your baubles, bangles and beads -- bored with your beaded necklaces? Blase abut those old bangles? If your costume jewelry collection no longer inspires, there are many brilliant ways to give it new life or earn you some cash

Page 24: The internet's newest fitness star is 102-year-old Julia Fulkerson, who had a ball participating in her great-grandson Brody's virtual gym class

Page 25: Young Darius Brown has a mission in life: to make shelter dogs look as spiffy as he can so they'll get adopted and to do that, he provides the canines with slews of adorable bowties that he sews himself -- five years ago, when Darius was eight, his sister Dazhai taught him to sew and the passion was good for him because he'd been diagnosed with speech and fine-motor skills that the craft improved over time -- he says he saw how happy the people at the shelter were to get the bowties and how much the dogs liked them, and he decided to make more and he came up with a goal to give bowties to an animal shelter in every state -- so far, he's sewn a whopping 600 of the canine accessories himself, and helped dozens of pooches find forever homes and he especially likes to focus his attention on older animals and pets with disabilities, since they're the toughest to find homes for and the shelter directors say Darius' efforts have made a huge difference in the life of hundreds of pups

Page 26: Summer Horoscope 2021

Page 28: It's not just for the birds -- tips for watching our fine feathered friends

Page 32: Reverse Gear -- walking backward is good for you -- here's something new to try the next time you go out for a walk: do it backward -- it may sound silly, but health experts say there are mental and physical benefits to the practice, but go slowly at first to avoid injuries

* If you're always putting the needs of others before your own, you could be at risk for compassion fatigue, a condition that can physically and mentally drain you of time and energy -- compassion fatigue is a state of emotional overwhelm that is constant and persistent, once in this state of emotional exhaustion, it becomes difficult to empathize with those they help and essentially, it's empathy burnout

Page 34: Grandads Before 50! No rocking chairs for these grandpas -- take a look at these celebs who had their grandchildren before their first gray hair -- Jim Carrey, James Brolin, Donny Osmond, Mick Jagger, Pierce Brosnan, Charlie Sheen

Page 40: The Element of Earth -- earth is the second of the four elements: fire, earth, air and water

Page 42: 10 Things You Didn't Know About Drew Barrymore

Page 44: Eyes on the Stars -- Dakota Johnson and her parents Melanie Griffith and Don Johnson (picture), Kristen Stewart as Princess Diana in the film Spencer (picture), Tina Turner admits she instantly fell for husband Erwin Bach in 1986 when they first met at an airport in Germany, Bindi Irwin gave birth to daughter Grace Warrior Irwin Powell, Michael Douglas is still going strong after 5 decades as an actor and loves what he does for a living, George Segal passed away due to complications from bypass surgery, Jessica Walter died in her sleep

Page 45: Eddie Murphy is inducted into NAACP Image Awards Hall of Fame (picture), Diana Ross performs at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in California (picture), Mario Lopez helps christen the tables at Mohegan Sun Casino in Las Vegas (picture), Ann-Margret and Julianne Hough attend the Family Film Awards where the redhead received a lifetime achievement award (picture), James Middleton who is the brother of Duchess Kate says he and fiancee Alizee Thevenet are done with city living, Justin Bieber's mom didn't like his newest tattoo saying Don't you have enough yet?, Zac Efron was spotted flying to Sydney with Aussie girlfriend Vanessa Valladares, Taraji P. Henson asked fans for prayers for her pet pooch that was suffering from post-surgery complications but he unfortunately died

Page 46: A lottery winner in Tennessee was feeling like a million bucks, until he realized he'd lost his precious ticket but he didn't give up: he retraced his steps until he found the ticket again

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doomedandstoned · 6 years ago

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Closer To The End (part III)

I contend that human beings are not suited for the world we've fashioned for ourselves. Cases of anxiety and depression are practically ubiquitous, and suicide in all age groups is once again on the rise. Some will suffer mental afflictions that last years -- perhaps even for a lifetime. This is the third and final part of my story.

~By Billy Goate~

Cover art by Ruso Tsig additional art by Karl Briullov

I'm so tired of hearing that I'm wrong Everyone laughs at me, why me? I'm so tired of being pushed around I feel like I've been betrayed

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We take each other's love, forget to give back Isn't it a pity, how we break each other's hearts I know we're only human and not to blame But who the hell are you to cause so much pain Why...

MEDICATION

My parents have been anti-establishment for as long as I can remember. In the climate of the 1980s, the institutions of the day were being called seriously into question. One of them was the authoritarian nature of public education (there's a reason why Pink Floyd's "Another Brick in the Wall" resonated so strongly with people). It's no surprise that my family got caught up in the first wave of the homeschooling movement. Other areas of modern life began to be called into question, as well, taking the family down a dark, windy road that led into conspiracy culture, extreme libertarianism, and religious dogmatism.

This distrust of the "experts" put us at odds with the medical establishment, too. "Doctors only know how to do two things," mom would often proclaim loudly in one of her famous rants, "cut you open or prescribe you pills." Natural medicine held the keys to recovery from all ills, be it cancer or the common cold. "All those chemicals aren’t good for your body," she insisted. "God put everything we need for healing in the ground." I’m not here to knock naturopathy (I was an ardent follower of this way of life for years) nor my mother for her convictions, but there are some things that can’t be cured by Saint John's Wort and herbal tea -- major depression being one of them.

At one point, my anxiety, melancholy, and a generalized feeling of social isolation reached such a heightened state I turned to hypnotism, enamored by an obscure radio program hosted by Roy Masters and his Foundation for Human Understanding. I was too young to understand the significance of most of the bullshit he was spewing, but it was the comprehensive approach to life that appealed to me. I wanted answers -- all of them. About the only thing I got out of it, though, was learning how to make my own arm go numb through self-hypnosis.

Later, I'd get caught up in a movement of Biblical counseling that rejected psychiatry altogether. "Christ has given us all things we need for life and godliness," says the holy writ, ergo we need none other than Jesus to cure our mental ills. Furthermore, the thesis said, since "God has not given us a spirit of fear" it must mean that the root of depression and anxiety is ultimately sin against God. The answer? Confess your sins and walk by faith, not by sight. In short, pray the sadness away. All of this had limited effectiveness in coping with the claustrophobic cloud of melancholy that was constantly with me.

Cough & Windhand: Reflection of the Negative by Windhand

The stigma of psychiatry and modern medicine kept me from treating my depression for damn near a decade. Somewhere in my late twenties, after a prolonged and particularly dark depressive spell, I decided to talk to my medical doctor about antidepressants. He started me on the industry standard, the well-known and well-marketed Prozac, which became a household name in the '90s. I took the first dose at bedtime and when I woke up, I was seriously hating the daylight. Feeling extraordinarily fatigued, all I wanted to do was sleep. I called in a rare sick day from work. The next day I was feeling groggy, but well enough to return. Giving it the good ol' college try, I took Prozac for several weeks as directed, but the side-effects just weren't worth it for me. That’s when I was referred to my first psychiatrist.

It was a weird feeling sitting in the waiting room for my appointment. I felt like I’d joined the ranks of the fragile, broken, and confused, perhaps even the insane. It was hard for me to see myself sharing anything in common with the others that shared the tiny lobby. The psychiatrist who greeted me looked like a regular chucklehead -- you know, one of those sidekicks from a sitcom that's not coming to me now. (It just came to me: Glen from the Tom Green Show.) A paunchy man in his 30s with wavy dirty blonde hair parted to the side donning wire-rimmed glasses, the shrink pulled out a notebook and started asking me about my background, while he busily took notes. Turned out, the man was very methodical in his approach. Over the course of the year, we cycled through all kinds of drugs -- Paxil, Effexor, Wellbutrin, Lexapro, Zoloft, and a lot of other names I'm not remembering, before finally settling on Cymbalta.

Certainly, this was something I didn't want to share with my coworkers, much less mom and dad. The first time I told my brother I was taking antidepressants, he was outraged. “You don’t need that stuff in your body. You don’t need pills to feel good.” I don’t know what it is about antidepressant medication that offends people so badly, but some people feel it is their personal mission in life to get you off of them. Why all the evangelical fervor? Are they secretly afraid they are "nuts," too? It’s not like I’m trying to get everyone else to take my medication, but suddenly these people, well-meaning or not, are trying to get you off of your meds.

I’ve seen YouTube videos from a guy claiming that God has cured him of his bipolar disorder and he flushed all his pills down the toilet (bad idea, by the way). Then a month later, he comes back online crying uncontrollably, talking about how he feels like God is testing him and asking viewers to pray to stop Satan’s onslaught. Moral of the story: It's dangerous to let people's religious opinions and untested hunches drive the agenda for our mental health.

I'm very reluctant these days to talk to anyone about my depression, because of all the rush to judgement involved. Ironically, it's this breakdown of community that I believe is at the heart of much of our mental health issues as a society. Look at the comments on any confessional video addressing burnout, depression, or anxiety and you'll find everyone is suddenly an expert who knows so well the precise and perfect solution to your problems. Well-meaning or not, it's incredibly annoying and I'd rather not have trouble with it. Hell, it took me two years to finish this article.

Depressed people are often viewed with the same cynical dismissiveness ascribed to angsty hormonal teens. "It's just a phase, you'll get through it," you're told with the reassuring wave of a hand. Besides, they remind you, "Happiness is a choice!" Because they are feeling chipper today, they have little patience for you dampening their mood. Others call you edgy when you say the pressures of life are so great that you feel like just turning off the lights on all of it. Still others will view you as selfish for leaving the family reunion early (or not wanting to participate in holidays at all). When you spend the whole weekend in bed sleeping, they'll accuse you of being indulgent, not realizing sleep gives you a respite from the hurt, guilt, and regret of painful memories or the misery of an unstable home life. Or the well-meaning "It Gets Better!" It doesn't always get better as life moves on.

Then there are those who try to talk you off your meds, entirely (cue: the ridiculously overwrought Facebook posts). We've all been privy to those conversations that strike a conspiratorial tone about how it was really the pharmaceutical companies that led to Chris Cornell's death. "You should just get off the stuff," they argue -- be it from noble intentions or just pride from clinging to an opinion they've stubbornly invested in.

Then there are those who are convinced that since Jesus (or Buddha, Allah Oprah, Jordan Peterson or juicing) gave them an escape from their depression, certainly it is the universal cure for all that ails you. Understand that I was a committed Christian for decades. I know what it is like to feel spiritually serene and I value many of the things the church gave me as a young adult, namely the fellowship, tolerance, and love. I know the feeling of peace that comes from believing in someone who reigns over the chaos and cares about your every need -- an ultimate being who will make sense of the nonsense one day.

I don't wish to diminish anyone's faith or diminish your personal experiences. The fact is, however, that major depression is as much a physical illness as cancer is. Certainly, there are transitional feelings of unhappiness, emptiness, and despair that come from facing situations that seem out of one's control -- the nightmare roommate, being laid off from a job, losing a loved one. It's also true that in most cases, this sadness can be overcome by a new perspective, trying better strategies, or simply allowing the passage of time to do its healing work. Depression can be impacted by one's beliefs, but there is a kind of depression that exists independently of one's perspective on life.

SUICIDAL TENDENCIES

Apart from this series of articles (which took me a good two years to publish), I've stopped sharing my depression with other people. It's annoying, because most people don't know how to listen and empathize. They want to jump in with a solution that, if implemented by nightfall, just might make a difference by daybreak. It's just more hassle than it's worth. Over time, I've gone from being someone with an intense need to belong, to not caring what people think about me at all. I'll often go out of my way to avoid anything deeper than transactional relationships. Once a social butterfly, you'll find me quite the hermit these days. As a consequence, while I was once open to sharing my feelings of loneliness and despair, I rarely mention them any more on social media and practically never to my IRL friends. I would be the last person to call a suicide hotline, by the way. Judge me if you wish, but I'm just being honest. If you want to know what is going on in the head of a severely depressed person with suicidal ideation, here's a least one brain you can peer into.

There's a general consensus that suicide is a selfish decision, even a cowardly act. This was a casual opinion of my own for years, as well. Not until suicide touches someone in your life -- or when you enter its despondent realm yourself -- does the ridiculousness of that notion becomes apparent. Understand that for a person to commit suicide, they have to overcome the brain's own strong predilection for self-preservation. It's not so easy to take the step of ending your life. Something has gone terribly wrong with the brain's ability to convincingly cry, "STOP!" for that to happen.

In my worst bout of depression, following the demise of long-term relationship, I reached the point where every waking moment was sheer misery. Some call this anhedonia -- the inability to feel pleasure. Normally, when we are feeling blue, we seek out something to stimulate our pleasure receptors. That's why ice cream, chocolate, and Reese's Peanut Butter Cups are popular go-tos for the bummed out. For me, it's always been music and movies. On this particular week, though, I had somehow lost the capacity to find any joy whatsoever in the usual pastimes. Anything that attempted to pacify my mood met with my contempt. The only thing I could do to escape the agony of just being alive and conscious was to sleep...and sleep I did. At first 8 hours a night, up from my usual 7. Then it advanced to 9, 10, 11, 12 hours. When dawn came, a wave of misery washed over my mind again.

Once, I woke up feeling so despondent that I knew with absolute clarity that I could end my life. Today, I could actually do it. Immediately upon this realization, I wept bitterly. I've not cried like that before or since. If anything, I've become more stoic about the idea of suicide. Don't get me wrong, my internal sense of self-preservation is still quite strong. The problem is that in moments of severe depression, that instinct is dampened. You'll do just about anything just to get rid of the feeling of misery making it unbearable to be awake.

DOOM AWAKENING

One of the most important developments in treating my depression, besides medication and therapy, was the discovery of doom. There's an old expression that misery loves company. I don't know about you, but when I listen to music it's not generally to cheer me up. No, I want my tunes to have a certain level of commiseration with what I'm feeling and going through at the time. When I discovered (quite by accident) Saint Vitus, I knew I'd found my soul food. I can't fully explain that eureka moment when Dave Chandler belted out that first downtuned note on the guitars on "Born Too Late" or when Wino joined with plaintive lyrics for "I Bleed Black." This resonated with me powerfully. It brought chills. This was medicine for my weary head, a kind of mental morphine to dull the pain. I'd come to the Roseland Theater for Down and left with Saint Vitus.

As a funny aside, my roommate (who accompanied me to the show) and I rehashed the bands of the night, giving our two cents on this or that. One thing he said still makes me smile a little inside. "What did you think of Saint Vitus?" I asked. "I don't think they're the kind of band that will withstand the test of time," he remarked. "Well," I rejoined, "they have been playing now for over 30 years and were the co-headliners on a national tour, so their sound must be resonating with a good number of people." Sure, it wasn't for everyone, but on that night my doom had come.

Every song on 'Born Too Late' (1986) so perfectly captures the malaise of the deeply wounded soul, not just in lyrics but in the whole vibe. There's a thick, smoky haze permeating the record and it reminds me a lot of what it feels like after you've poured out your heart until you've got no more tears left to cry. Come on, don't pretend you're so macho that normal human emotions elude you. It's hard to put doom into words, but I'll try: on the one hand you feel emotionally exhausted because you've emptied out all those pent up feelings of loss, fear, regret, and frustration, on the other hand there's a feeling of "reset" and it often makes things much clearer to sort through. For me, when I've exhausted all my emotional resources, I'm left with a feeling of blithe acceptance. A sense of being dealt a set of cards by the impartial hand of fate. That's the kind of vibe that Saint Vitus captures perfectly for me on this record.

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I spent entire weekends on those long, wonderful rabbit trails of discovery. "Dying Inside" led me to Trouble's "The Tempter" with its oh-so-tragic central riff. Lyrically, the songs I was running across could not have been more apropos.

Pentagram, The Skull, and Candlemass were not lingering far behind. Then came the more recent monoliths of doom: Electric Wizard, Windhand, High on Fire, Burning Witch, Khanate, Pilgrim, Serpentine Path, Usnea, Demon Lung, Ancient VVisdom, Dopelord, and the NOLA sludge scene, along with lesser known but equally as powerful acts like Undersmile, Shepherd's Crook, Reptile Master, Purple Hill Witch, Witchthroat Serpent, March Funèbre, Beldam, Hooded Priest, Regress, and 71TONMAN (listen to the Spotify playlist).

Doom metal spoke to me with a sharp realism that I connected with immediately. When you have no strength left to get angry at the world, you switch your listening habits from Car Bomb to Cough. You can say, I suppose, that doom was my salvation. It kept me hanging on a little while longer. The salve of those slow, low riffs gave me a strange feeling of consolation. "We know life sucks, too. Welcome to reality." It's like being awakened to the Matrix, but feeling there's not a damned thing you can do to change any of it. Your fate is sealed. It's an honesty that is both refreshing and freeing, I suppose, though one does wish to reclaim the notion of hope.

Believe it or not, even after writing all of this, optimism is my default mode. When I'm feeling well, and even when my depression is at low levels, the needle always leans towards inspiration, creativity, even a mischievous sense of humor and an aw, shucks smile that people tend to notice. I don't want to be depressed. The problem is that severe depression can make you feel, illusion or not, like you're paralyzed from doing anything about it.

As I've experienced more and more cuts and scrapes of life, I've become increasingly numb to it all, like the massive build-up of scar tissue. Things that upset me easily in the past might still hurt, but I've come to expect them, so they have the impact of a dull table knife. Perhaps I'm becoming a nihilist, despite my optimistic tendencies. It's hard not to be. Don't worry about me, though. If anything, I want to stick around to see what's going to happen next. It's the inborn curiosity we all have inside of us -- the same thing that I imagine kept Stephen Hawking going for decades after being wrecked by a disease that cruelly mangled his body into its famously misshapen form, stealing away his most basic expressive freedoms -- save for the power of his eyes and the thoughts behind them.

I've also made a deliberate attempt to pursue treatment (both psychiatric and psychological care) for my depression, which I urge you to do if you are likewise laboring under its crushing weight. The perspective of time, coupled with a remedy for mind and body can have a significant impact on your perspective, if not your life circumstances.

THE WINDY ROAD AHEAD

Learn from your mistakes, don't dwell on them. Repeated affirmations like this one may seem trite, but they are ultimately true. You can be free from the chains of guilt and move forward, as one performer puts it, "from strength to strength."

Don't kill yourself (literally or metaphorically) for someone else or for someone else's decisions. It may bum you out that a roomie decided to take your money and run or that you were rebuffed by a long-time crush or made jobless through corporate-wide cuts. You don't own that, they do.

Walks

Get off the couch, move that bod. Something as simple as a walk down the block or a drive out of town can do wonders for your perspective. As a homeschool teen living under the strict rule of a radical fundamentalist household in rural East Texas, my one salvation were those long walks in the open field -- especially when my parents started having loud, intense fights related to my mom's own mental health. I sorted through so many of life's problems (most of which seemed much larger then than they do now) through those solitary, hour-long strolls.

I really miss that where I live now, in a more congested neighborhood, so I have to find other ways of getting away from it all (getting up and out a half-hour before the other walkers, for instance, helps). Even if I don't want to rustle myself awake and move around to do as simple a task as taking out the trash, sometimes the feeling...let me revise that...quite often the feeling follows after the decision has been made and the body is in motion.

Projects

Another piece of advice I have for coping with depression is to channel your frustrations in projects. When I'm depressed, I throw myself into my work. Hell, Doomed & Stoned started because I needed a project to pour myself into. My counselor asked me once, "If you woke up tomorrow without depression, what would be different about your world?"

She encouraged me to start with the things that were in my immediate vicinity. "Well, there wouldn't be mail strewn all over the floor. My dirty clothes would be in the hamper, my clean clothes folded and put away. I'd take the time to cook myself a meal, instead of running out the door eating a quick bite out of some package."

Good, let's make a list and start there. Do at least one of the things on your list between now and the time we meet again next week.

Talks

Despite my isolationist ways, I begrudgingly admit that talking often helps, too. Though I'm an introvert and am horrified at the idea of sharing my feelings with others, I've reached points in my depression where I was compelled to tell others about it. It's as natural to do that as to cry out when your body is experiencing jolting pain. I'm one of those verbal processors that tends to sort through my problems by talking to someone else. Often, pride or shame or lack of trust gets in the way of sharing with our family and friends, so at the very least the much talked about Suicide Prevention Hotline could actually help you gain perspective on your situation.

Journals

If you don't talk, at least journal. Again, I'm not a journaler and this is the first time in almost three decades that I've written about anything related to my depression. Role play with me. You're a scientist studying the human psyche. How would you describe those feelings you call depression? When I was first asked to describe it to a counselor, I found myself at a loss for words. She helped me with prompts:

Can you tell me what it feels like?

"I walk around feeling like a dark, thick raincloud is hovering all around me all the time."

Do you feel it in a part of your body?

"Well, yeah, I guess. The head. And the chest. It feels like there's pressure building from all around me, like my head is going to explode. My heart feels like it's going to leap out of my chest."

What's happening around you when these feelings arise?

I'd then go on to detail some recent happenings. She'd press me further to describe the kinds of thoughts racing through my head in these situations. All of this was really helpful in getting me to define this nebulous, gray malaise that was following me everywhere I went.

I don't keep a journal, per se. Something about it feels needlessly egotistical, a vain attempt to reinforce the illusion in our YouTube fame crazy world that my life is worth discovering and remembering at some point in the distant future. And yet, writing down one's thoughts can be another effective way of untangling that anxious ball of feelings that keeps me from thinking rationally about the depression I'm feeling.

Today is my birthday, but I couldn't care less. It's not about getting old. I stopped caring about that 10 years ago. It's something about celebration, specifically when the attention is on me. I can't adequately describe how contemptuous I find it. My last birthday was spent alone in an empty house and a bottle of Scotch, catching up with past seasons of Game of Thrones. I was so glad it was over and the happy birthday wishes stopped. There's nothing special about this day for me.

At some point, my family stopped celebrating birthdays and holidays. I'm not sure when it happened or why. Certainly not for religious reasons, more probably for financial ones. I grew up in a family that barely scraped by, so birthdays seemed a luxury we couldn't afford. Now, it just feels indulgent. More than that, it feels sad. It reminds me of all the disappointments, hurts, and failures of the past year. It's not as though it's all bad, of course. If nothing else my birthday gives the illusion that a chapter has turned, with new possibilities for the future. I also have to come to terms with how many people out there actually seem to care about me, maybe even love me.

And later that day, I forced myself to go to a show I was quite enthused about, but didn't factor in depression being the party pooper.

I can't account for what it is that comes over me. There are people here that genuinely like me, who probably even want to get to know me better, but I push them away. Not so much directly, but indirectly, by excusing myself to use the restroom and then changing my mind midway and just leaving the venue -- without even the courtesy of a "goodbye" to friends or a "great show" to the bands. I feel awful about it afterwards, but in that moment it's like a flood of emotional pain washes over me and it feels like I'm carrying an anchor chained around my neck. I feel the great urge to find my way to unlit corners. To look busy and preoccupied. Would it hurt me to say hello? To smile? Perhaps not, but right now my psyche is tingling like some kind of Spidey Sense telling me, "Get out of here! Just get your shit and leave...NOW."

As dour and hopeless as that may feel, just the act of writing it down afforded me a release, which incidentally I did not feel until the writing was all said and done.

Hope, a new beginning Time, time to start living Just like just before we died

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Hurt, falling through fingers Trust, trust in the feeling There's something left inside There's no going back to the place we started from.

ONE MORE THING

For those of you who are wondering what you can do for a friend, family member, coworker or just someone you know casually from shows you both frequent, I couldn't say it better than one of my longtime fellow travelers in doom, who offered up this advice:

"While it's all very well and fucking dandy that there are so many people telling those who are struggling to reach out to them, I don't think people are quite understanding just how mental illness works sometimes. People quite often don't reach out, because those that are suffering from mental illness, at times, feel like they are a burden by unloading their shit onto someone else, despite the invitation to do so. It's generally the same concept that leads on to suicide.

I obviously can't speak for everyone, but I can speak for myself when I say the last thing I want to do is reach out to anyone because I feel like I am a burden and everyone would be better off without me -- and that is ultimately why I don't reach out. The point that I'm trying to get at is if you see someone struggling YOU reach the fuck out. If you don't see someone who used to be around, YOU reach the fuck out. Think about it. It's not that hard."

Well said and completely on the mark. At the same time, if you're feeling alone and uncared for, you may look at people’s lack of inquiry as more confirmation that you are worthless trash. You may interpret a busy person's slight as utter rejection. Don't worry about what others may or may not think of you. You need to take care of you, for you. The future is fickle. Your fortunes can change on a dime, so why base your self-worth and your decision about whether to live or die by how you feel right now? Ride it out, seek out help, get a game plan in play.

I say this as someone who knows how hard it can be to get mental health. I was double insured -- through my employer and the Veterans Administration -- and I couldn't get a god damned psychiatric appointment to reevaluate and adjust my meds. I called all over town trying to get in with someone. "Sorry, we're not accepting new patients" was the universal refrain. The VA would just be too many month's wait, I told myself, based upon how long it has taken me in the past to get a conventional medical appointment. In desperation, I called up my primary care doctor who asked if I was suicidal. For the first time in my life, I knew with full certainty the answer was yes. The more miserable I felt, the more I contemplated dying. If I did it, it would be something quick and sudden, I would daydream in my most despondent moment. "You need to check yourself into the hospital now," she told me adamantly. I did exactly that. I walked into the ER and told them I was suicidal. They led me to a room, had me take off all my clothes, and put on a hospital gown. I stayed in a padded room waiting for a social worker to see me. It was a desperate move, but it did pay off in getting me fast-tracked to see a psychiatrist.

One thing I learned about medication from my new psychiatrist (because he was very caring, very careful, and hence very effective at his job) is that everyone’s brain chemistry is uniquely different. There can be other issues impacting mood, too, such as thyroid, environmental stressors, sleep problems, vitamin deficiencies, and so on. Again, it’s often hard to see whether the cart is leading the horse or the horse is leading the cart, in terms of the mind-body connection. Long story short, this doctor adjusted my meds to near perfection to get me through the rare summer-long depression I was experiencing.

Just a few months later, he got hired away to work for the County and I was left back in the same boat once again. I got a great referral, but didn't realize until bills came in I couldn't pay that the doctor was out of my insurance network. Believe me, many people prefer to go without care entirely than to go into debt and I was one of them (truthfully, I still am). I went another year until I couldn't take it anymore and this time in my desperation reached back out to the VA. Surprisingly, they saw me within a week and prioritized my suicidal depression. I'm now in a good spot as a result, but it was a long, windy, uncertain road getting here. I know it's hard to find help. Sometimes you don't know what's available to you until you knock a little louder and get people's attention.

The older I get, it seems the more stubborn I am, particularly when it comes to reaching out and asking for help. Perhaps I've always been that way and am only now realizing it's become a liability. After taking off three weeks during the holidays to catch up with the many projects that were piling up around me, I realized that my depression was sometimes stronger than my will to power through and do my best work. I would find myself sitting at the computer for hours trying to get started with a story, trying to edit audio for a podcast, trying to prepare a team member's submission for publication, and every time I would find myself coming up against something painful, perhaps similar to the long recognized creative crimp known as writer's block. I describe it as an inhibitor chip in my brain that sends pain signals to my psyche whenever I contemplate moving forward.

Of course, rationally, I know it's all just a matter of the will, right? That's what those who aren't experiencing depression will tell you, at least. They don't want to go to the gym, but they make the choice to do it anyway, so why can't you just "man up" and do what needs to be done? Well, those aren't so much the messages other people give me, as they are my own conscience. The guilt itself from a day coming and going without results adds its own layer of complication to my mood. Thankfully, I have a wonderful counselor who understands and is helping me to tackle this with cognitive strategies. This, coupled with sensible medical treatment, has at least helped me to find "even flow" again.

Finally, you're going to have some bad days where you may even want to be productive, but your body feels like it's in revolt. As a creative person who loves to pour myself into as many projects as I can when I'm feeling good, it can be extraordinarily frustrating to not even feel the will to check email, open a letter, or listen to a stitch of music. Most days, I'm trying to work in concert with my body's natural rhythms. I'm more of a morning person and get my best work done between 8AM and 11AM. Anything after that is going to be hit or miss with diminishing returns. With that in mind, I have to hold back from starting new projects before the ones already on my plate are finished, because when I'm feeling good, I think I can take on the world.

This is all a part of me rediscovering what it's like to feel balanced, bright, and in love with life. It can be frustrating to have that feeling back, only to watch it wither away as the week progresses. Since I have very high expectations of myself, it's natural for me to heap guilt upon guilt for all the missed opportunities, but beating myself up only compounds the problem (it took me a long time to really get this about myself, too). Every day is a struggle, but I've decided I'm staying in the fight for the long haul.

In short: Be patient with yourself. Be fair with yourself. Be good to yourself. Remember, this too shall pass.

"Someday you're going to die, just like some day I'm going to die. But until then, you fight like hell to stay alive, you get that?!"

-- William Holden, The Earthling (1980)

#Closer To The End #Depression #Suicide #Doom #Metal #Saint Vitus #Trouble #Alice in Chains #Windhand #Doomed & Stoned

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mjchoi · 4 years ago

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biography

1994: born

2007: started ms

2010: started hs

2013: started uni

2014: eirini

I. Introitus

a. Requiem aeternam

cold water drips down my skin. the rain is seeping into my hair, plastering it onto my forehead and curling the uneven strands at the base of my neck. it rolls behind my ears before dissolving into streams that flow down my back. my clothes are drenched, and water drips from the edges of their folds.

heaven’s tears are falling on me, but i have yet to feel blessed.

II. Kyrie

while his mother passed away before he could remember the sensation of her embrace, juyoung was attended to with the utmost care by his grandparents. not much of his mother was mentioned for reasons he suspected were sensitive, and despite his curiosity, he did his best to avoid the subject. he was attentive from a young age, but rather than using his skill to his advantage and satisfy his curiosity, he became a considerate child who was keenly aware of his grandparents’ ailments and expectations. they wanted him to be happy, and as he wanted to offer them the same, he followed their footsteps in becoming a devout catholic and grew attached to religion as he matured.

at school, he well liked for his considerate and easygoing personality. friends were easily made while schoolwork was diligently completed, and juyoung, although no where near the smartest or most popular, was content with his social circle and academic performance. he additionally grew involved in competitive swimming after catching the eye of his coach as a young child racing a friend at the community pool, and after continuing with the sport for over a decade, he was eventually recognized as his high school team’s varsity swim captain and labeled as one of the best swimmers in the nation’s youth league.

III. Sequentia

a. Dies irae

if his considerate behavior was acted out of obligation towards his parents, any form of consideration towards his sister was instinctive. two years older than him, hwayoung acted as the doting mother juyoung never had, and in return, he did his best to love and please his sister. nothing was able to come near to blemishing his perception of his sister; to him, she was flawless, beautiful, and mature. she was a bastion of security and warmth—

a hearth of love with arms ready to shield him from all worries and concerns threatening to displace his bliss.

b. Tuba mirum

yet his efforts to return her love were insufficient. after a late night of studying, juyoung returned home to find her few belongings gone and her bed empty. her phone was unreachable and untraceable; he sought out help from the police, but searches were met with dead ends. juyoung’s next months were spent in absolute grief; it was as though she had vanished with no warning, and by the time a year had passed, a dull ache settled in his heart: the chances she had met her end were higher than that of having survived. he was in denial that she would have ran away or departed for another country; afterall, there was no reason for hwayoung to be unwanted at home.

c. Rex tremendae

just months after hwayoung’s departure, his grandfather passed away from lung cancer, and his grandmother’s dementia suddenly worsened, requiring her to move into a care facility. the emotional toll on juyoung was debilitating, and though burnout threatened to undermine all that he had worked towards in his athletics and academics, he found strength through his religion and used every spare moment to pray.

d. Recordare

his recovery was slow and tedious but was undisputably aided by his return to swimming. his love for the sport was nearly an addiction, and though he was alarmed by how disorienting his desire to return to a watery environment was, he dismissed it; it was as though the water could cleanse the anguish plaguing his mind, and he did not want to question what was possibly giving him a reason to enjoy living again.

e. Confutatis

optimism returned to juyoung when he was accepted into his desired university to study engineering. moving into a new environment helped him develop a new, productive mindset, and while he remained as outgoing and popular as he ever was, his optimism, in comparison to before, was drastically sombered from the maturity he had been forced to adopt. nonetheless, he enjoyed his courses; he worked hard to learn as much as he could and was proactive in finding outlets for stress and worry through the new students he was able to meet.

f. Lacrymosa

reality seemed to shatter during one fateful evening spent by the poolside. the earlier day had felt odd and unnervingly worrisome- but for an unexplainable reason. as a result, he had retreated to the university’s swimming pool to distract himself later that evening, but he was greeted with a blood-chilling surprise: a hungry basilisk cozily inhabiting the water. immobilized by terror from what he was seeing, juyoung was saved from a near death encounter with the monster when haneul lee, demigod of zeus, appeared and defeated the monster.

then on, juyoung was recruited to eirini- a separate realm for demigods such as himself. he was dismayed by his lineage and the reality of the mythology he had always considered false. this meant that everything he had ever believed in— specifically, his Catholic religion— had been a lie. his shock was amplified by his reunion with hwayoung, and though juyoung was immediately ready to forgive his sister for the grief that her departure had inflicted upon him, his new reality was crushing and devastating.

torn between the comfort of lies and the unbelievable truth, juyoung, although found, felt more lost than ever.

IV. Offertorium

a. Domine Jesu

his first efforts to socialize were immediately abandoned. with God now a lie and his sister treating him with sudden aloofness, juyoung felt incredibly alone. water no longer seemed like a refuge for relaxation now that he knew the identity of his father, and as a result, he spent several days in intentional isolation to regather his mind.

it took nearly a week for his confidence to be regathered, but as he began to ease himself into eirini’s social environment, his relaxed and friendly disposition quickly returned. friendships were easily developed, and through activities such as hiking, training, and sparring, he found himself comfortably interacting with the other demigods.

b. Hostias

however, his true return to normalcy occurred when he and his sister managed to reconcile with each other. honest confessions were exchanged, and it was with her help that he managed to come to terms with his father’s true identity. then on out, juyoung actively returned to water— now with an explanation for his affinity and the curiosity to explore his abilities.

V. Agnus Dei

in the years to come, juyoung quickly improved his skills as fighter. swimming contributed to prior familiarity with physical rigor, and as he continued to grow his stamina and enhance his agility, he was granted several opportunities to partake in missions to defeat beasts from the underworld. with experience, he developed a preference for twin siccae, which provided him with the flexibility he needed to match his fighting technique. in contrast, his command over his powers remained weaker; despite being a powerful swimmer, he lacked the same control that hwayoung had with her abilities.

tw: death

this discrepancy soon manifested itself as his greatest weakness— as well as the revelation of his greatest fear: sacrifice.

it was in 2017. he and several other demigods assigned on a mission, but as they were being chased by several giants, a shower of boulders bombarded them, crushing a teammate’s legs and pinning her against the shore of a powerful rapid. juyoung was supposed to do something; he was the only demigod present with command over water, but he was helpless. the water refused to listen to his commands, and from his position in the woods, he was unable to swim to her rescue. the mission resulted in a failure and a death that juyoung continues to blame himself for.

VI. Communio

a. Lux aeterna

following the incident, juyoung has grown extremely cautious in any activity involving the risk of death. given his six years of experience at the camp, he has been occasisonally offered leadership opportunities, but he approaches them hesitantly. if anything, he prefers neither the role of a leader nor the spotlight; rather, he prefers to be a guide or an advisor— specifically, the watchful eye that looks out for missed details or potential harm. he is extremely careful with accepting important responsibilities and often makes these decisions alone. though he prefers to solve conflicts on an individual and private level, he can be extremely stubborn or difficult in any negotiation.

his personality generally remains easygoing, amiable, and occasionally playful or flirty. he is easy to approach and willing to sustain conversations. he is not one to judge or deride; his coaching style is that of patience and encouragement.

b. Cum sanctis tuis

while extroverted by nature, juyoung refrains from sharing many personal details.

stay tuned for self-paras for more.

#* — mj: about

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payprosalaska · 5 years ago

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Workplace Burnout Now an ‘Occupational Phenomenon’

Workplace burnout is something employers have heard much about in recent years, with surveys and research reporting time and again that it has become nearly epidemic.

Now the World Health Organization (WHO) has identified workplace burnout as an “occupational phenomenon” that may deserve medical attention.

While not classified as a disease or a medical condition, workplace burnout is nonetheless a well-defined syndrome now, according to WHO.

“Burnout is a syndrome conceptualized as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed,” WHO said. Burnout has three characteristics, the WHO said: feelings of depleted energy or exhaustion, increased mental distance from one’s job or negativity or cynicism about one’s job, and reduced professional efficacy.

About a decade ago, WHO identified burnout as a problem but didn’t define it as a syndrome that could be diagnosed and treated, according to Sherry Benton, founder of TAO Connect, a St. Petersburg, Fla.-based mental health counseling company. “What’s different is that it now defines burnout as a syndrome only related to work, not to school or [concerns] at home.”

Are Today’s Workers More Burned Out Than Generations Ago?

Today’s laws are designed to guarantee many workers minimum wages, safe conditions, breaks, certain types of leave, overtime pay, and protection from harassment and discrimination.

Why then would today’s worker suffer so from burnout that WHO only recently recognized burnout as a workplace phenomenon?

There are a few schools of thought.

One is that workers of previous generations also experienced burnout, but while politicians may have taken note, medical professionals were slower to do so.

“In the early Industrial Revolution, people’s lives really were pretty miserable,” Benton said. She noted that before the advent of unions, strikes, child labor laws, minimum-wage laws and mandatory safe working conditions, workers often got sick or died because of the long hours, six-day workweeks, and unsanitary or unsafe conditions at work. Many worked outside during all seasons, exposed to rain, snow, and extreme heat and cold.

“During the era when Teddy Roosevelt was president and we had the movement toward unionization and limiting people’s work hours, that was really a sociopolitical response to burnout’s being pervasive in our industrialized world.”

Another theory for why WHO has issued recent guidance on burnout is that many current employees can’t appreciate the results of their work. The farmer of a century ago may have worked longer hours, toiled harder physically and had little time off, but he could see the fruits of his labor in a healthy harvest. A computer programmer, however, may work long hours behind a computer screen but see no connection between her work and her company’s mission.

“This is an interesting paradox,” said Courtney Bigony, director of people science at 15Five, which helps companies identify and avoid employee burnout. “Today, we have great benefits—unlimited time off, dry cleaning on site, onsite yoga. But job satisfaction is so low. People don’t feel valued, and they’re not happy.”

Feeling Powerless

Steve O’Brian is vice president of marketing for Shiftboard, a Seattle-based company that sells employee scheduling software. His research indicates that burnout could be the product of feeling powerless to balance work with life. Seventy-seven percent of the hourly workers polled in one of his surveys reported work/life balance as being important to job satisfaction.

“A lot of [burnout] derives from workers feeling a lack of control or influence over their time,” he said. “This is likely truer with hourly workers than nonhourly workers. The research highlights that for hourly employees, scheduling [that allows for work/life balance] has been underestimated as a leading cause of job satisfaction, retention, productivity and wellness.”

[SHRM members-only toolkit: Developing and Sustaining Employee Engagement]

Do Managers Know How to Help?

Bigony, O’Brian and Benton warn that these symptoms might signal burnout:

*Unusually low energy or fatigue. *Reduced performance or productivity. *Uncharacteristic impatience or shortness with others. *Faltering relationships with colleagues. *Sudden micromanaging. *Increased absenteeism.

Yet how many managers, after recognizing signs of burnout, offer to reduce an employee’s workload, give the employee more time off, or try to find that burned-out worker a position better suited to him or her?

“That doesn’t often happen,” Benton acknowledged. Shared Responsibility

Part of the responsibility for addressing burnout falls on managers, Bigony said.

“Ask yourself, ‘Are people in the right roles? Do they know what work makes them happy?’ If I had to pick the biggest adjustment for [alleviating] burnout, it would be helping people understand what they do best and putting them in roles where they can use their strengths.”

And part of the responsibility falls on employees to learn what type of work motivates them so they can avoid burnout.

“The employee should come up with a proposal, too,” Bigony said, “[one that] would be good for both the employee and the organization.”

Benton describes a psychologist who worked for her for many years and “saw client after client for years, but her love was really meditation and positive psychology approaches to well-being.

“She told me she was getting fried doing the same thing all day, every day, so we changed her schedule” to reduce her client load, Benton said. “She created a course at the university on mindful meditation and alternative approaches to wellness. It was a tremendous success.”

One way to keep tabs on employee burnout is to conduct regular employee engagement surveys—not just annually, but perhaps once a quarter or even once a month.

“It’s important not to do these surveys once or twice a year, because that can be too late,” Bigony said. “Even if these surveys are anonymous, you can see if a manager has a team of disengaged workers … and you can address that.”

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cynthiadshaw · 4 years ago

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Community Member Spotlight: Lori Vann | International Authority on the Treatment of Non-Suicidal Self-Injury

Today we’re excited to introduce you to Lori Vann.

Counselor, Coach, Author, International Media Guest & Speaker are the various job titles that describe Lori Vann, a Licensed Professional Counselor Supervisor with over 20 years of clinical experience who is passionate about training mental health professionals and the community on the international epidemic of Non-Suicidal Self-Injury. Having authored 4 books on the topic and trained thousands of professionals, she is regarded as an authority on the behavior. She is also passionate about guiding small businesses, especially private practices, on finding their niche, improving customer service & employee morale, and avoiding marketing pitfalls.

Lori is also a Voyage Content Partner. Content Partners help Voyage in so many ways from spreading the word about the work that we do, sponsoring our mission and collaborating with us on content like this. Check out our conversation with Lori below.

Being an entrepreneur is difficult, what are some of the lessons that you have learned since you started your business in 2001?

There are so many lessons that I have learned through trial-and-error; graduate school does not address running a private practice and often does not even address some real-world ethical issues that emerge when helping those in crisis. For specific lessons, I have learned to ask more questions, research, & listen to my gut regarding any pitch that I get. In addition, I am better able to recognize a pitch and am not afraid to say no to it. Another lesson is the importance of delegation; I am still fine-tuning this lesson as I try to find more tasks that I can let go of and provide my staff the opportunity for how to do it.

I was blessed to have a parent who was an entrepreneur who could guide me along the way, but within the last three years I must credit my business coaches with taking my business to new levels.

During this time, more awareness has been brought to mental health. What are some key takeaways for our society regarding mental health post-Covid?

Mental health impacts your physical health and vice versa; you cannot separate them, they are one in the same. It is my hope that by being forced into isolation that we come out of this being more appreciative of the times when we are having in-person contact with friends, family, peers, our community, etc. We need to be more emotionally & psychologically present, and that means putting down the technology. Maybe we will all be so sick of tech because that has been our main source of communication that we will seek more in-person, undistracted interactions. The great irony is that at no other time have we been able to be so connected through various means but at the same time, we are more emotionally isolated, detached, and lonely. That is a a mental health issue. Putting down our technology to really be present is definitely a positive step towards mental and physical health. And since so many people are experiencing stress, anxiety, grief, loneliness, and depression, perhaps for the first time, they are realizing that there is a need for mental health services and there is no shame to seeking some assistance along this new path that we all find ourselves on.

As an essential worker, you have been busier than ever. How do you avoid burnout?

In twenty years of practice, I do not ever remember a July or August as busy as these have been. It is a blessing to serve those in need, but I also am keenly aware of my physical & emotional limits. I have transitioned parts of my business to free up more time to see counseling clients because that is where the need is right now and have been delegating some admin work to my interns. For self-care, I am a firm believer in physical activity and limiting junk food. I also surround myself with people who support my goals & profession and avoid those who are negative or create drama. My BS/drama/time-sucker meter stays active and I can pretty quickly recognize those people or situations that could detract from my quality of life.

You have said that you were traveling almost on a monthly basis for the last 2 years as a professional speaker and consultant. What shifts have you made in your speaking and consulting business since COVID started to limit travel?

One of the first things that changed was that a keynote address that I was giving in Dallas was moved to an online event. I also moved all of my events online; on September 18, I will be conducting my first 3 1/2 hour event on self-injury. There is definitely a benefit to going online because now I have indiviuals from all over the U.S. who are able to attend my events where before they would either miss it or need to fly out to California, Vegas, Hawaii, or some other locale. Finally, I also decided to work on some of the backend pieces of that business by redesigning the website (it should be finished by the end of September) and reaching out to new contacts at school districts, colleges, and treatment centers regarding the Self-Injury Prevention & Prevention Program that is a valuable resource for their students or clients.

Your passion is Non-Suicidal Self-injury. Given the 20 years of research and treating clients, what are your goals for your work?

In the ideal world, it would be decreasing the number of incidents of NSSI to below 10% within the next decade and reduce the stigma associated with the behavior. In the more immediate future, it is continuing to grow the online support groups for teen girls, women, and the caregivers of those who self-harm so that individuals desiring that level of support have access to it from all over the U.S. and Canada. Within the next three years, I would like to finish my 5th, and final, book on NSSI and have the two perfectionism books completed. It is a plan to continue to train school districts and colleges, but to expand it into new states. Finally, a goal would be to have at least one treatment center in each state that I have trained on my successful self-injury program to refer clients to so that no matter where they live, there will be a qualified resource nearby.

Finally, please let us know how our readers can connect with you and learn more.

Instagram & Twitter @LoriVannLPCS www.VannAssociates.com www.LoriVann.com [email protected] FB https://www.facebook.com/LoriVannMALPCS/?notif_id=1597978097984310&notif_t=page_fan Vann & Associates: Coaching, Counseling, Consulting @LoriVannMALPCS

The post Community Member Spotlight: Lori Vann | International Authority on the Treatment of Non-Suicidal Self-Injury appeared first on Voyage Dallas Magazine | Dallas City Guide.

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flipfundingstuff · 5 years ago

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Small Business Ownership: Expectations vs. Reality

Starting a small business can seem both exciting and dangerous. The flexibility, autonomy, and reward for striking out on your own can be appealing, but the financial risk and operational challenges can also feel incredibly overwhelming.

Still, millions of people throughout the US start small businesses every year. In fact, 543,000 new businesses launch every month.

While you should be excited to start and run your small business, it’s also important to understand the realities of your position. Consider the myths and realities of small business ownership below that cover everything from funding and marketing to entrepreneurial burnout.

Shark Tank vs. Traditional Funding Options

When most people think about business funding, they envision Shark Tank pitches resulting in equity financing from venture capitalists. In 2018, more than 18,000 startups were funded by investors, with over $254 billion spent supporting these businesses.

While venture capital is great, the reality is most entrepreneurs do not have angel investors willing to risk significant money on their small business ideas. Those who do get VC funding are locked into partnerships with those investors, as well as the added stress and responsibilities that come with it.

Keep in mind that your small business may need funding at any time, so understanding what resources are available will help you make the best financial decision for your situation.

For example, many small business owners who have operated for decades were left out in the cold after the first wave of PPP funding and had to pivot to other financing options to avoid closing their doors. Financing isn’t just important for getting your business off the ground—it can come into play down the line, too.

Here are a few of the most popular funding options small business owners have, along with their pros and cons.

Investors

While you may not be able to get venture capital as a small business, you can seek funding from your network. Consider reaching out to family, friends, colleagues, and other people in your community to invest in your business.

Seeking investors is one of the most popular ways to raise capital for your small business, but it comes with strings attached.

Some investors want to be hands-on or request frequent updates, which can be more oversight than you want. You also risk straining relationships when you borrow money, especially if your business isn’t successful. The added stress and work of taking investment funding can lessen the appeal.

Bootstrapping

An alternative to seeking out investment funds is bootstrapping your business. Bootstrapping is simply funding your business using whatever means you already have without seeking outside sources.

Bootstrapping is one of the most secure ways to scale your business because you’re not overleveraging your company. If you don’t have the money or resources to justify an investment, you simply wait until you do. This minimalistic approach ensures that your business remains self-sufficient—and if it doesn’t, you’re only out what you put in.

Many entrepreneurs will bootstrap their businesses for as long as they can, taking money from their savings to get it off the ground. Eventually, however, it may reach a point where they need additional resources beyond their savings or the company’s reserves.

Small Business Loans and Business Lines of Credit

If you don’t have the funds to start and run your small business, there are other options for funding: securing a small business loan or business line of credit.

For example, a small business loan can give you a low-interest loan up to $2,000,000 over 5 years, and a business line of credit can reach $500,000 with a 2-year maturity.

Both of these funding options provide financing quickly without having the headache of an investor or the limitations of bootstrapping. As long as you’re diligent and strategic with your loan repayment, taking a small business loan is an excellent option for most entrepreneurs.

Interestingly, some financial experts consider taking out a small business loan a form of bootstrapping because the owner takes on the financial risk rather than seeking equity partners. As a result, it can be more rewarding to build your business using a small business loan because you retain full control over your business.

Business Idea vs. Execution

We’ve all been there: it’s Friday night, you and your friends are out for dinner, and after a few drinks, someone says, “I have this amazing business idea.” Then, they go into this spiel about some revolutionary product that would change the world. What happens next? Nothing.

Most people can think of a good business idea, but few people are willing to put in the work executing that idea. If you’re considering turning your idea into reality, a great place to start is developing an execution strategy, also known as a business plan.

Your business plan will include big-picture information like your mission statement, branding, target audience, and market research. It can also include details like the expected cost of materials, planned profit margins, and goals for expansion.

Consider your business plan the strategic roadmap that guides your decision-making. While not completely necessary, business plans can have huge implications for the success of your small business, especially when it comes to financing.

All business plans should be unique to the organization, but they do tend to cover similar topics and themes. You might start with an intrinsic analysis of your organization and principles. Consider what pillars guide your company and how that sets you apart from your competition.

Then, you could look at your operations and how you intend to generate revenue. Finally, you might conduct consumer research to shape the market viability and your branding strategy.

The good news is that you can start a business plan before you ever seek funding or begin launching your business. Once you have the resources needed, your business plan will help you decide what to focus on and how to drive your business forward.

Getting Rich vs. Becoming Profitable

Most entrepreneurs don’t start a business to become poor; they do so to make money—hopefully, a lot of it. While you may have a great idea and solid business plan, you need to also develop accounting and financial acumen to make smart decisions that are focused on profitability.

Without being able to balance your books, how do you know if you can afford to hire a new employee? How will you determine whether you profited off that 2-for-1 promotion?

Great business owners understand that the best way to grow their wealth is to focus on their finances. They don’t waste money or overspend—they focus on maximizing their revenue. These skills and the insight needed to make these decisions are often rooted in accounting principles.

Accounting plays a part in almost every aspect of your business. It can reveal your best-and-worst-selling products. It shows unnecessary expenses that can be cut.

While accounting and finances might not be your expertise, you need to develop an eye for numbers, even if you outsource to a bookkeeper or accountant. External help with your finances can streamline the process, but nobody knows your business like you do.

You—not the accountant—make the business decisions, so it’s important to understand the meaning and context surrounding the data.

However, you can still work with an accountant to guide your business decisions and help with taxes. A recent survey found that 23% of business owners contact an accountant for help once or twice each year and during tax time. Consider using an accountant as needed to review your books, make sure everything is balanced, offer advice, and assist with your taxes.

Going Viral vs. Branding

Social media and the internet as a whole have changed the way people think about marketing. A lot of entrepreneurs believe they can blow their brand up overnight by creating a viral video or running an ad on Facebook.

Unfortunately, the process of brand development is much slower and more methodical.

Building a business from the ground up is a marketing challenge. You need to drive brand awareness and new customers while continuing to innovate and offer great customer service. You must use consumer feedback and market trends to adapt and refocus your brand messaging and initiatives. Turning your small business into a brand is time-consuming and ever-changing.

To make matters worse, there’s a seemingly endless number of places your customers frequent. You must develop a footprint offline and online across various platforms and channels.

Small business owners need to realize that they cannot simply “go viral”—you need to create a strategic and measured approach to marketing your brand.

Below are a few marketing realities that you need to know when promoting your small business.

You will have to balance paid advertising with free marketing. Anyone can set up a Facebook page or Instagram account to promote their brand, but these marketing channels have their limits. Look for other ways to get your business noticed through mass media (TV and newspaper ads), sponsorships, and cross-promotion partnerships with other brands.

“Free” marketing outlets have costs. Managing a social media account takes time, which can eat into your productivity for the day. You may need to pay a staff member or contract out social media services to keep your channels active. Even the content you share, from the funny memes to high-res photos, takes time to create and edit.

Some channels will perform better than others—even ones you don’t expect. Marketing requires a keen eye for data and analytics. As a business owner, you need to see which channels drive the best results for your business, which is where you need to invest your marketing dollars.

Startup Life vs. Employee Rights and Company Culture

We’ve all heard the stories and seen Hollywood’s representation of what it’s like working for and starting a new business. You operate out of a garage or conduct business calls between ping pong games. You work unpaid overtime to hit the deadlines and sacrifice everything for the cause. After all, it’s the “startup life.”

While launching a business does often lead to odd and unique circumstances, the reality is that as the business owner, you have legal and ethical requirements. Not to mention, you are the leader of the company and have a responsibility to your team to build a culture that extends well beyond Friday Happy Hours and icebreakers.

You may be a small business owner with just 1 or 2 staff members, but that doesn’t mean you are exempt from anti-discrimination laws and other employee protections. Following the hiring guidelines set by the state and federal government, along with other business best practices, can prevent legal recourse or the development of a toxic work environment.

The United States Department of Labor has extensive guides for hiring fairly and understanding Equal Opportunity laws. The website is regularly updated with news and information for business owners.

You should develop an employee handbook even if you only have a few team members. This guide will put rules in writing that you can reference if you have a problem. Your handbook will only become more valuable as your business grows.

You don’t have to hire someone as a favor. Bringing on a cousin, out-of-work friend, spouse, or anyone else you know can put your company at risk. If these people aren’t qualified, then they could drain your resources. Plus, working with friends and family is often a recipe for broken relationships. It is OK to create boundaries that separate your business hiring practices from your personal life.

Run your small business like a corporation. Check the references of the employees you want to hire and ask them to submit to drug testing. Know which questions you legally can and can’t ask in an interview. As a business owner, you set the tone for how your business is run. If you take a casual approach to hiring and training, then your employees may follow your example with unprofessional work.

With only a few employees on staff, you need everyone to pull their weight. Hiring the right team members can take work off your plate and help your business thrive. When you do find great talent, you want to keep them. Developing a great company culture can help you mitigate employee turnover.

Expected vs. Realistic Timelines

All the planning in the world cannot give you the foresight to predict with any certainty the time it’ll take you to launch and scale your business. While you might expect to break even in 6 months, it could take a year. Even though you anticipate finishing a project by January, it could bleed into March.

Don’t worry if your timeline isn’t perfect. There are a lot of factors affecting your business that are out of your control. Many small business owners learned this lesson firsthand during the coronavirus. You’d be hard-pressed to find a small business owner who built global pandemic contingencies into their business plans.

The reality of running a business—small or large—is that timelines fluctuate. Try to do your best to accommodate uncertainties by designing buffers into your timelines or setting clear and realistic expectations with customers.

Additionally, be flexible with your timeline for turning a profit. As a rule of thumb, it takes most small businesses 2–3 years to turn a profit.

Flexibility is one of the top traits that entrepreneurs can have, especially with timelines. If you can handle delays and other changes to your timeline while keeping your finances balanced, then your business (and your mental health) will be stronger in the long run.

No Days Off vs. Burnout

Society likes to picture overworked entrepreneurs giving up family vacations, skipping weddings, and missing major life milestones of their kids in the name of success.

Indeed, when you hear that you won’t turn a profit for 3 years and have a million-dollar loan to pay off, the idea of taking a vacation seems like a waste of time and energy. However, this time off is essential to having a successful small business and avoiding burnout.

You are running a marathon. Your small business needs to be open for several years and become a pillar in your community. If you aren’t taking time for yourself, then you risk burning out and watching everything you built crash around you.

According to a study by Michael Freeman, founders are 50% more likely to have a mental health condition. This problem can easily be caused or worsened by the stress of running a business. Entrepreneurs are twice as likely to suffer from depression than the general public and 3 times as likely to suffer from substance abuse.

Instead of casting off your vacation time so you can focus on the business, embrace your time off. Dedicate at least 1 day a week for disconnecting from work to spend with your friends and family. Then, challenge yourself to take at least 3 vacations per year: 1 for yourself, 1 for your significant other, and 1 for your family as a whole.

These breaks will help you prevent burnout, keep you recharged and motivated, and prepare you to make sound business decisions when you return to work.

Becoming a small business owner is exciting and challenging. Your eagerness to jump in and create something amazing can drive you to make your dream a reality. However, it takes skills, knowledge, and expertise to keep these dreams alive.

Consider your expectations for running a small business and challenge them with the realities that others have faced. With the right mindset, you can overcome whatever curveballs are headed your way.

The post Small Business Ownership: Expectations vs. Reality appeared first on Lendio.

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chestnutpost · 6 years ago

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Self-Care For Women Is More Work Than Buying Products

This post was originally published on this site

What Women Want Now is a program by HuffPost and her sister sites dedicated to creating content about the issues and stories that matter most to women. Read more here. Join the conversation with #WhatWomenWantNow.

I think about self-care more than the average person. I’ve been a wellness writer and editor for more than half a decade, and in that time I’ve published probably hundreds of stories on managing burnout, stress, self-esteem and anxiety. I can recite data on mental health more easily than I can recall my mom’s cellphone number. I’ve tried my best to help people live better, happier lives. However, I’ve also noticed ― as a journalist in this space and as a consumer in general ― how oversimplified self-care guidance really is.

Self-care isn’t some new concept (although Americans have Googled the term more in the last three years than ever before). Hell, it was discussed long before I was even born ― first medically, and then, during the civil rights movement, more politically. But the concept of self-care has shifted toward the notion that improving our well-being is only a product away. Take one look at Goop, with its suggestion that adding moon dust to your morning smoothie can help boost “your spirit.”

That’s not nearly adequate to help us survive in the world today.

A bubble bath may help my muscles relax but isn’t going to wash away the dirtiness I feel after a man brazenly gazes at my breasts on the subway. A face mask may remove my blackheads but it isn’t going to extract the shame I carry over my student loan debt. Going for a jog may take my mind off my to-do list for a little while but it isn’t going to help me outrun the emotional labor I have waiting for me at home.

Self-care shouldn’t be reduced to a fleeting activity or dispensable product. It shouldn’t even just be considered a wellness phenomenon. For women, it’s a difficult but necessary act that helps us survive in a world with work demands, family pressures, duties at home, rampant incidents of sexual harassment, a relentless news cycle, financial worries and more. Inner reflection takes time and energy ― resources we’re already lacking. Self-care is hard work.

This is rarely acknowledged. There’s something missing when we talk about self-care, both in the media and on our own. So I asked several women what they find problematic with our collective discussion about the concept ― and what taking care of yourself actually means to them. Below is their advice. Consider it a real guide to real self-care (no purchases necessary).

Self-care is… ‘not attending some extravagant spa day with the girls, but rather being able to identify when I need to slow down and perhaps cancel that spa day.’

Katie McCartney

Katie McCartney had practiced what she thought was self-care for years, sometimes turning to articles on how to have a better life. But the Michigan resident said she had a terrible sense of self-worth, often not extending herself compassion or respect.

That finally shifted about two years ago, when she decided to go to therapy and learned the way she was treating herself undid anything she did for her well-being.

“For me, it was a learning experience that took a brutally honest self-assessment leading to awareness, which led to motivation for change,” McCartney, 33, said. “It is often falsely assumed that as women we should know these things, but in truth … there is a tremendous need in this country for a reassessment of what it takes to take good care of ourselves.”

“It is often falsely assumed that as women we should know these things, but in truth … there is a tremendous need in this country for a reassessment of what it takes to take good care of ourselves.”

– Katie McCartney

That means ignoring alluring ads and articles promising a better mentality could come from an expensive product or day out.

“In my opinion, self-care is not attending some extravagant spa day with the girls, but rather being able to identify when I need to slow down and perhaps cancel that spa day,” she said.

McCartney also said an hour of mindfulness meditation and getting adequate sleep each night is critical for her.

“I’ve never needed these skills more than I have currently with global morale seemingly hitting an all-time low,” she said.

McCartney said she hopes women ― especially those with a public platform ― continue to discuss what self-care habits work for them as a way to normalize the subject. She pointed to the discourse around women in politics and how they publicly talk about what eases their stress.

“I don’t want to see our president make fun of Elizabeth Warren for being herself and putting out a video where we see her genuinely happy at home with her husband,” McCartney said. “I want Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to be validated by the media for being able to recognize that she needed a break.”

“Life is hard,” she added. “It is high time we drop the glittery facade and accept that, while happiness very much is a choice, it is dependent on our individual understanding of ourselves.”

Self-care is… ‘based on age, demographics and lifestyle.’

S. Angelique Mingo

S. Angelique Mingo is tired of reading the same narrative.

“I find mainstream media doesn’t speak to women of color about self-care,” said Mingo, a 40-year-old from New Jersey. “Self-care is a broader conversation based on age, demographics and lifestyle. … Our stressors are different and we are constantly burning the candle at both ends like, ‘You can do it all, #BlackGirlMagic.’ So finding ways to take care of ourselves when we’re usually taking care and putting others before us doesn’t feel very realistic.”

“Our stressors are different and we are constantly burning the candle at both ends like, ‘You can do it all, #BlackGirlMagic.’”

– S. Angelique Mingo

It wasn’t until about a year and a half ago that Mingo realized she was burning out. She said she had adopted unhealthy habits due to a busy schedule, which included working on new projects as the creative director at a lifestyle and communications agency as well as serving as a part-time caretaker for her grandmother.

“My mom had been nagging me to take care of myself for a long, long time. … She sat me down for a frank conversation where she said, ‘Where is my daughter? I no longer recognize you,’” Mingo said. “That evening, I looked at myself in the mirror and did not recognize myself either. It was at that moment I had to re-elevate how I was treating myself and do something about it.”

Mingo started by examining her relationship with food.

“I was always eating on-the-go, having something delivered or dining out,” she said. “When I looked at myself in the mirror, I could physically see the problems with living that way.”

She began cooking more regularly, which became a self-care ritual she can no longer live without.

“I spoil myself by indulging in my flavor cravings or trying a new recipe I see on my social media feed,” Mingo said. “It is my time to pay attention to what type of fuel I am giving my body to nourish my insides and satisfy my tastebuds.”

Mingo hopes there’s more diverse public information on what it means to take care of yourself, including advice on “how to squeeze in self-care as parents, caregivers, entrepreneurs and as we age in our retirement years.”

“More importantly, [we need] a more inclusive conversation so black and brown people no longer feel like the media does not speak to them,” she said.

Self-care is… ‘about mitigating what harm cannot be avoided.’

Stella Sacco

For Stella Sacco, self-care is a taxing act that requires being aware of ugliness ― both in personal habits and in society.

“It’s being cognizant of feelings or behavior that harm you in some way ― overwork, self-hate, conflict avoidance, etc.,” said Sacco, a 33-year-old American now living in Denmark. “Of course, in everyday life, some degree of harm is unavoidable. I will always be tired after a week of work, for example. Self-care is about mitigating what harm cannot be avoided. As a trans woman, I recognize that I will never be free of the psychic harm that transphobia causes. I cannot avoid it, so through self-care, I have to try to mitigate it.”

“As a trans woman, I recognize that I will never be free of the psychic harm that transphobia causes. I cannot avoid it, so through self-care, I have to try to mitigate it.”

– Stella Sacco

She does this by tapping into a supportive community and reframing damaging thoughts when they pop up.

“If transphobia has made my dysphoria particularly bad one day and I start zeroing in on things that are ‘masculine’ about my appearance, I recontextualize it [by reminding myself] almost anything I could hate about my body, a cis woman somewhere is feeling too,” Sacco said. “If I see the government using its power to diminish and frighten me, I recontextualize it [by thinking about how] black folks have been dealing with these kinds of monstrous laws for centuries. … History tells us there is power in solidarity, so finding it and taking it seriously is my self-care.”

Sacco said the concept of self-care “has been co-opted and marketed mostly to well-off white women” and she detests the idea that it implies avoidance ― especially when that can be more harmful in the long run.

“I hate that it tends to be portrayed as just doing whatever you feel like doing,” she said. “Part of self-care is understanding your own patterns of behavior and trying not to do things that will feed into negative patterns.”

“For example, opting not to wash the sink full of dishes today might feel like self-care when you’ve had a long week and feel like you need a break. But will those dishes sitting there contribute to you feeling bad tomorrow?” she said. “Sometimes, self-care means doing the dishes.”

Self-care is… ‘typically more difficult and less glamorous than treating yourself.’

Emily Bilek

Emily Bilek is on a mission to have her patients ― and herself ― view self-care as something greater than the “treat yo’ self” mentality on social media.

Bilek, a clinical assistant professor at the University of Michigan’s Depression Center, said the Instagram version of self-care and what it actually means to take care of yourself are two very different things.

“Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with treating yourself, and it has an important place in the priorities I set for my own time and money. However, conflating self-care and ‘treating yourself’ is misguided and potentially harmful,” Bilek, 34, said. “When self-care becomes a competitive and performative ritual on social media, it defeats its purpose.”

“When self-care becomes a competitive and performative ritual on social media, it defeats its purpose.”

– Emily Bilek

Bilek, who is also responsible for helping others come up with strategies to protect their mental health, personally chooses self-care in the form of enforcing healthy lifestyle habits. (And then breaking or adjusting as necessary.)

“Good self-care is typically more difficult and less glamorous than treating yourself,” she said. “It means doing things like having good sleep hygiene, getting a little more exercise, staying hydrated, taking medication as prescribed, eating at regular intervals, creating healthy boundaries and taking a break from social media.”

Ultimately, Bilek has to remind herself and the people she treats that self-care is hard work that’s only going to be rewarding in the end. No clever status, flattering photo filter or hashtag is going to enhance it.

“Self-care isn’t glamorous. It’s the everyday work you do for yourself to make you a little bit happier and healthy,” she said. “If I had a self-care Instagram account, it probably wouldn’t be very popular ― there are only so many creative ways to take pictures of a water bottle or broccoli ― but self-care isn’t for other people, it’s just for you.”

The post Self-Care For Women Is More Work Than Buying Products appeared first on The Chestnut Post.

from The Chestnut Post https://thechestnutpost.com/news/self-care-for-women-is-more-work-than-buying-products/

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jasonheart1 · 7 years ago

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Security troops at Wyoming nuclear base took LSD

WASHINGTON (AP) — One airman said he felt paranoia. Another marveled at the vibrant colors. A third admitted, "I absolutely just loved altering my mind."

Meet service members entrusted with guarding nuclear missiles that are among the most powerful in America's arsenal. Air Force records obtained by The Associated Press show they bought, distributed and used the hallucinogen LSD and other mind-altering illegal drugs as part of a ring that operated undetected for months on a highly secure military base in Wyoming. After investigators closed in, one airman deserted to Mexico.

"Although this sounds like something from a movie, it isn't," said Capt. Charles Grimsley, the lead prosecutor of one of several courts martial.

A slipup on social media by one airman enabled investigators to crack the drug ring at F.E. Warren Air Force Base in March 2016, details of which are reported here for the first time. Fourteen airmen were disciplined. Six of them were convicted in courts martial of LSD use or distribution or both.

None of the airmen was accused of using drugs on duty. Yet it's another blow to the reputation of the Air Force's nuclear missile corps, which is capable of unleashing hell in the form of Minuteman 3 intercontinental ballistic missiles, or ICBMs. The corps has struggled at times with misbehavior, mismanagement and low morale.

Although seen by some as a backwater of the U.S. military, the missile force has returned to the spotlight as President Donald Trump has called for strengthening U.S. nuclear firepower and exchanged threats last year with North Korea. The administration's nuclear strategy calls for hundreds of billions of dollars in new spending in coming decades.

The service members accused of involvement in the LSD ring were from the 90th Missile Wing, which operates one-third of the 400 Minuteman 3 missiles that stand "on alert" 24/7 in underground silos scattered across the northern Great Plains.

Documents obtained by the AP over the past two years through the Freedom of Information Act tell a sordid tale of off-duty use of LSD, cocaine and other drugs in 2015 and 2016 by airmen who were supposed to be held to strict behavioral standards because of their role in securing the weapons.

"It's another black eye for the Air Force — for the ICBM force in particular," says Stephen Schwartz, an independent consultant and nuclear expert.

In response to AP inquiries, an Air Force spokesman, Lt. Col. Uriah L. Orland, said the drug activity took place during off-duty hours. "There are multiple checks to ensure airmen who report for duty are not under the influence of alcohol or drugs and are able to execute the mission safely, securely and effectively," he said.

Airman 1st Class Tommy N. Ashworth was among those who used LSD supplied by colleagues with connections to civilian drug dealers.

"I felt paranoia, panic" for hours after taking a hit of acid, Ashworth said under oath at his court martial. He confessed to using LSD three times while off duty. The first time, in the summer of 2015, shook him up. "I didn't know if I was going to die that night or not," he said as a witness at another airman's drug trial. Recalling another episode with LSD, he said it felt "almost as if I was going to have like a heart attack or a heat stroke."

Airman Basic Kyle S. Morrison acknowledged at his court martial that under the influence of LSD he could not have responded if recalled to duty in a nuclear security emergency.

In prosecuting the cases at F.E. Warren, the Air Force asserted that LSD users can experience "profound effects" from even small amounts. It said common psychological effects include "paranoia, fear and panic, unwanted and overwhelming feelings, unwanted life-changing spiritual experiences, and flashbacks."

It's unclear how long before being on duty any of the airmen had taken LSD, which stands for lysergic acid diethylamide. The drug became popularized as "acid" in the 1960s, and views since then have been widely split on its mental health risks. Although illegal in the U.S., it had been showing up so infrequently in drug tests across the military that in December 2006 the Pentagon eliminated LSD screening from standard drug-testing procedures. An internal Pentagon memo at the time said that over the previous three years only four positive specimens had been identified in 2.1 million specimens screened for LSD.

Yet Air Force investigators found those implicated in the F.E. Warren drug ring used LSD on base and off, at least twice at outdoor gatherings. Some also snorted cocaine and used ecstasy. Civilians joined them in the LSD use, including some who had recently left Air Force service, according to two officials with knowledge of the investigation. The Air Force declined to discuss this.

Airman 1st Class Nickolos A. Harris, said to be the leader of the drug ring, testified that he had no trouble getting LSD and other drugs from civilian sources. He pleaded guilty to using and distributing LSD and using ecstasy, cocaine and marijuana.

He acknowledged using LSD eight times and distributing LSD multiple times to fellow airmen at parties in Denver and other locations from spring 2015 to early 2016.

"I absolutely just loved altering my mind," he told the military judge, blaming his decisions to use hallucinogens and other drugs on his addictive personality.

Other airmen testified that it was easy to obtain LSD in a liquid form spread on small tabs of perforated white paper. Airmen ingested at least one tab by placing it on their tongue. In one episode summarized by a military judge at Harris' court martial, he and other airmen watched YouTube videos and "then went longboarding on the streets of Denver while high on LSD."

Harris was sentenced to 12 months in jail and other penalties, but under a pretrial agreement he avoided a punitive discharge. The lead prosecutor in that case, Air Force Capt. C. Rhodes Berry, had argued Harris should be locked up for 42 months, including nine months for the "aggravating circumstance" of undercutting public trust by using hallucinogens and other drugs on a nuclear weapons base.

"I cannot think of anything more aggravating than being the ringleader of a drug ring on F.E. Warren Air Force Base," Berry said at the courts martial.

In all, the AP obtained transcripts of seven courts martial proceedings, plus related documents. They provide vivid descriptions of LSD trips.

"I'm dying!" one airman is quoted as exclaiming, followed by "When is this going to end?" during a "bad trip" on LSD in February 2016 at Curt Gowdy State Park, about 20 miles (32 kilometers) west of Cheyenne, where F.E. Warren is located. A portion of that episode was video-recorded by one member of the group; a transcript of the audio was included in court records.

Others said they enjoyed the drug.

"Minutes felt like hours, colors seemed more vibrant and clear," Morrison testified. "In general, I felt more alive." He said he had used LSD in high school, which could have disqualified him from Air Force service; he said that his recruiter told him he should lie about it and that lying about prior drug use was "normal" in the Air Force.

At his court martial, Morrison acknowledged distributing LSD on the missile base in February 2016. A month later, when summoned for questioning by the Air Force Office of Special Investigations, Morrison confessed and became an informant for the agency, an arrangement the Air Force said yielded legally admissible evidence against 10 other airmen. Under a pretrial agreement, he agreed to testify against other airmen and avoided a punitive discharge. He was sentenced to five months' confinement, 15 days of hard labor and loss of $5,200 in pay.

Most of the airmen involved were members of two related security units at F.E. Warren — the 790th Missile Security Forces Squadron and the 90th Security Forces Squadron. Together, they are responsible for the security and defense of the nuclear weapons there as well as the missile complex.

By coincidence, the No. 2 Pentagon official at the time, Robert Work, visited F.E. Warren one month before the drug investigation became public. Accompanied by an AP reporter, he watched as airmen of the 790th Missile Security Forces Squadron — whose members at the time included Harris, the accused leader of the drug ring — demonstrated how they would force their way into and regain control of a captured missile silo.

Work, the deputy defense secretary, was there to assess progress in fixing problems in the ICBM force identified by then-Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, who ordered an investigation after the AP reported on personnel, resource, training and leadership problems in 2013-14. Those problems included the firing of the general in charge of the entire ICBM force for inappropriate behavior the Air Force said was linked to alcohol abuse. A month later the AP revealed that an unpublished study prepared for the Air Force found "burnout" among nuclear missile launch officers and evidence of broader behavioral problems, including sexual assaults and domestic violence. Air Force officials say the force has since rebounded.

In an interview, Work said he was not aware during his visit that anything was amiss. Nor was he briefed later on the investigation. He said he wouldn't have expected to be briefed unless the Air Force found that LSD or other illegal drugs were a "systemic problem" for the nuclear force, beyond the security forces group at F.E. Warren.

Work said he had never heard of LSD use anywhere in the nuclear workforce.

For the inexperienced members of the drug ring, Harris, the ringleader, had set out several "rules" for LSD use at a gathering of several airmen in a Cheyenne apartment in late 2015 that was recorded on video. Rule No. 1: "No social media at all." He added: "No bad trips. Everybody's happy right now. Let's keep it that way."

But social media proved their undoing. In March 2016, one member posted a Snapchat video of himself smoking marijuana, setting Air Force investigators on their trail.

As the investigators closed in, one of the accused, Airman 1st Class Devin R. Hagarty, grabbed a backpack and cash, text-messaged his mother that he loved her, turned off his cellphone and fled to Mexico. "I started panicking," he told a military judge after giving himself up and being charged with desertion.

The Air Force said Hagarty was the first convicted deserter from an ICBM base since January 2013. In court, he admitted using LSD four times in 2015-16 and distributing it once, and he said he had deserted with the intention of never returning. He also admitted to using cocaine, ecstasy and marijuana multiple times. He was sentenced to 13 months in a military jail.

In all, disciplinary action was taken against 14 airmen. In addition, two accused airmen were acquitted at courts martial, and three other suspects were not charged.

from Local News https://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/local-news/security-troops-on-us-nuclear-missile-base-in-wyoming-took-lsd

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neptunecreek · 7 years ago

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Your Nonprofit’s Culture: By Design or by Default?

Note from Beth: In my book, The Happy Healthy Nonprofit: Strategies for Impact without Burnout, we discuss how to create a culture of wellbeing to encourage self-care. Jay Wilkinson, CEO of Firespring, shares some thoughts on building the right culture of for your nonprofit. I’ll be doing a free webinar hosted by Firespring on avoiding burnout on Feb. 14th. You can register here.

Guest Post: Your Nonprofit’s Culture: By Design or by Default? by Jay Wilkinson, Firespring CEO

When people hear the term “company culture,” they typically think “workplace perks”—those two are often confused or used interchangeably. At Firespring, we’ve created a fun environment with a pool table and shuffleboard in a space called the Firepit, free beer and soda in the break room and a huge slide in the middle of the building. It’s all pretty cool, to be honest. But those perks have nothing to do with our culture.

An organization’s culture is about people. It’s not about things or toys or cool stuff; it’s about people aligned with one another and focused on making an impact with shared goals and values.

Did you know that, according to the latest research, 70% of U.S. workers say they’re not engaged at work? 70%. When most people change jobs, it’s not to make more money—only 12% of employees cite financial reasons for job changes. According to Office Vibe, 75% of people voluntarily leaving jobs don’t quit their jobs; they quit their bosses.

We also know 70% of Millennials say they would take less money for an interesting job that is fun—so clearly, work is about more than just taking home a paycheck, especially for the youngest generation in the workforce. What does this mean for you? There’s value in creating an engaging, interesting and dynamic culture in your organization. It doesn’t have to cost you a fortune, but it does require strategy, thought and design. Great cultures do not happen by default.

At Firespring, we’ve built a vibrant culture that attracts top talent and passionate employees and have been able to sustain it for decades now. I won’t say it was easy or that it happened it overnight, but I will tell you, it wasn’t complicated. It took some soul searching, important discussions and time, but it basically involved these three steps:

1. We defined our values.

Many of us think we’ve already done this, but we haven’t been successful if our values don’t inspire us. Walt Disney once said, “Once your values are clear, decisions are easy.” In my experience, this is very true.

What I typically see in both for-profits and nonprofits alike are the same values, listed the same way. “We’re innovative. We’re team players. We strive for excellence. We have integrity. We are passionate.” You know what? Those are not values; they’re virtues. They’re all great, but they’re a little overused. In order for a value to stand out and be memorable, we need to state it in a way that resonates and allows people to live it out in a practical sense. At Firespring, we defined three specific values:

1. We bring it. Every day. 2. We have each other’s back. 3. We give a shit.

Excuse my language on the third one, but when we expressed it that way, people really rallied around it. They got it. You’d be amazed at how our team members have embraced these values because they make sense, they resonate and people can identify how to tangibly live them out. Which brings me to the second step.

2. We hire to our values.

Once you know your values, you can bring people on board who readily embrace them. At Firespring, we hire first for culture fit and second for skill set. In other words, we care way more about how they fit into our company than how skilled they are. Why? Because you can’t change people after you’ve hired them. You can train them, educate them, help them develop skills—but you can’t fundamentally change them.

3. We live our values.

This step comes down to one simple thing: repetition. Repetition is key to infusing your values into the fabric of your organization. At Firespring, we have a daily meeting we refer to as our Firestarter. For 11 minutes, at 11:11, we recap what’s happening in each department and recognize team members who live our values. “I want to give a shout-out to Julie who had my back the other day when I needed help with a client. She dropped everything and came to my rescue.” This is the type of thing you’d hear, every single day—people giving props to their coworkers for living our values in a tangible way.

Aligning with our “we give a shit” value, giving back to our community is a non-negotiable at Firespring. We require each team member to spend a portion of their work hours each month volunteering at a nonprofit. Last year, we collectively logged nearly 15,000 hours of volunteer time. This is a tangible way we live out our third value, and it’s (again) repetitive. We constantly look for opportunities to care more and give back; volunteering is never a one-and-done deal. It’s part of our fabric.

But enough about us. Let’s talk about you. You want to create a healthy, dynamic and attractive culture in your nonprofit, or you wouldn’t still be reading this. So where do you begin? I would suggest the following steps to get you on a path to the right culture for your organization.

1. Have a clear mission and vision. Your mission is like the soil you use to plant your garden—it’s your foundation. If you have soil that’s rocky and inconsistent, your efforts are going to be tenuous at best. If you don’t build your culture around a mission that’s inspiring and consistent, it will be hard to achieve unity in action. Before you worry about your organization’s culture, first be clear about your mission, if you’re not already.

2. Cultivate shared values. As I mentioned, your values dictate everyday action. “In our organization, a good person acts like [fill in the blank] and knows the importance of [fill in the blank].” Your job is to fill in those blanks and then make sure every person in your organization knows the answers. What is work/life balance? How long are people expected to be in the office? What’s your “working while on vacation” policy? Having difficult conversations and putting everything on the table is the healthiest thing an organization can do; that’s how you cultivate shared values. Once everyone is aligned, your values are like the sun and water for your garden (or culture)—they help it grow. If they’re not defined, your culture will never take root.

3. Put your people first. People always come first, period. Before policies and procedures. When we put people first, top talent comes out of the woodwork and flocks to our organization because they know they’ll be valued and treated with respect. Some questions to ask yourself about how your nonprofit treats people:

How do we hire and fire people? If we have to let someone go, how do we embrace our values during that process?

What behaviors do we reward? Are we giving people the opportunity to make mistakes without feeling bad? Do we admonish them or do we say, “Thank you for trying something new. Maybe next time we can try this, this or this.”

Do we operate in silos? Or do we encourage open collaboration?

Do we nurture personal growth? Or do we unknowingly quash people’s aspirations and dreams outside the workplace?

Here’s the bottom line: Most people in the U.S. spend more time at work than they do anywhere else. Why wouldn’t we want to create an environment and culture that feeds people with energy rather than sucking the life out of them? There are too many people who go to work every day thinking, “Man, I’d rather be anywhere else but here.”

It’s so important to create the type of culture that gets people excited about their jobs—that’s when you’ll see your organization take off and thrive. Just remember: Creating a dynamic culture is not a one-night stand; it’s an evolving process that requires consistent attention, care and evaluation. In the end, your efforts will be worth it. You’ll not only have improved the lives of your team members, but you’ll have furthered your positive impact on the world and advanced the cause you so passionately champion. That, after all, is what we’re here for.

Jay is the founder and CEO of Firespring—a company that provides beautiful websites and essential tools to nonprofit organizations.

from Beth’s Blog http://ift.tt/2GbClH8

#Beth’s Blog

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pastorhogg · 7 years ago

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Survey: Being a Pastor’s Wife Is Good for Faith, Bad for Friendship

Today’s generation of pastors’ wives fill a different role than the dressed-up, casserole-toting caricature that came before them, but they still feel the pressures of being married to ministry.

About 1 in 4 Protestant pastors’ spouses in the United States works a full-time job outside the church, while about 1 in 5 holds a paid position at church alongside their spouse, according to a LifeWay Research survey released Tuesday.

Younger spouses expressed more frustration than older ones over how their position impacts their friendships and finances. About 7 out of 10 pastors’ spouses say they have few people to confide in, LifeWay researchers found. More than half don’t feel enough emotional connection to others, or worry about being betrayed by people at church.

“Over the decades of my ministry, the role of women married to pastors, as well as of women in general, has radically evolved,” wrote Kay Warren, who advised LifeWay on its questionnaire, in the preface to her book on being a pastor’s wife, Sacred Privilege, which came out in May (excerpted here).

“From behind-the-scenes, mostly-in-the-home pastors’ wives of my mother’s generation to women copastoring or serving as the senior pastor—as well as everything in between—the role of the pastor’s wife has not remained static.”

Warren, wife of Saddleback Church pastor Rick Warren, dismissed old advice on tuna casserole preparation or demure fashion as laughable compared to the real-world stressors experienced on this side of ministry.

Younger wives (96% of respondents were female) indicated more challenges in building relationships, facing church conflict, and dealing with the feeling of “living in a fishbowl,” according to LifeWay.

Image: LifeWay Research

Joanna Breault wrote for CT Women about the inevitable distance between pastors’ wives and the rest of the congregation:

When pastors’ wives walk up, the conversation goes quiet. Our remarks are often met with flattering-but-awkward deference. Our relationships still have a degree of distance. It is the pastor’s wife effect.

Sometimes these chasms are self-inflicted, the result of having been hurt in the past and keeping ourselves safely aloof. Sometimes they are the result of an unhealthy church culture that puts our husbands and families on pedestals. But sometimes they are the result of congregants not making peace with the fact that their pastor’s wife is just a regular person.

“It is definitely a challenge. In the role of being the burden-bearer, you wonder if there’s anyone to bear your burdens,” said Dorena Williamson, whose husband leads Strong Tower Bible Church in Nashville.

Like Williamson and Breault, more than half of the pastors’ spouses polled by LifeWay had experienced church conflicts such as personal attacks (51%) or resistance to their spouse’s leadership (72%).

Image: LifeWay Research

A third of Protestant pastors’ spouses are under the age of 45 and most have kids at home, both factors that lead them to be more sensitive to gossip and betrayal as church life inevitably spills over into family life.

Overall, pastors’ spouses see their family’s ministry involvement as a good thing; 90 percent say it has had a positive effect, according to LifeWay. More than half commit to regular family time at least once a week to avoid burnout and rest together.

While some spouses suffer anxiety, depression, and resentment tied to the pressures of being married to a pastor, most report being generally happy and satisfied with their lives. They view themselves as happier than their peers (74%) and see their work as valuable to the ministry (88%).

The vast majority (85%) of pastors’ spouses agree that their church “takes good care of us,” though well over half (61%) say one paycheck is not enough. About two-thirds worry about retirement in particular.

More pastors’ spouses now work outside the home or church; 53 percent are employed part-time or full-time, mostly in the private sector.

Regardless of whether they work at the church or not, pastors’ spouses say they too feel a call to ministry, which helps them see value in their role. About a quarter say they share a calling with their spouse, and half say they have a different calling. And 9 percent have a seminary degree of their own.

LifeWay’s Survey of American Pastors’ Spouses, sponsored by the North American Mission Board (NAMB), Houston’s First Baptist Church, and Houston physician Dr. Richard Dockins, was conducted this summer, using a random sample from a mailing list of all US Protestant churches. Researches weighted the 722 respondents by denominational group to reflect the population and report a 95 percent confidence level.

See how LifeWay’s results compare with a 1981 Leadership Journal survey of pastors’ wives.

from News and Reporting http://ift.tt/2f2MzRk via IFTTT

#IFTTT #Feedly

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firedupreadytogousa-blog · 8 years ago

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Day 14 (2/1): Trump Said There Would Be A Shake-up in Washington… He Wasn’t Expecting It to Come From #TheResistance

Featuring: - The Resistance Report- Avoid Resistance Burnout Be Strategic- Upcoming Meetings/Actions-

It’s been almost 2 weeks since the inauguration and most of us have been protesting, calling, writing, emailing, and shaming our elected (and, in the case of #PresidentBannon, unelected) officials in the government like our lives depend on it… and they certainly do. Yet it seems like every time we turn on the TV, more and more demoralizing shit goes down which leaves us wondering… is this even working? In the long term will this have any affect? And the answer so far is YES and YES!

This Report Is Dedicated to my Brothers and Sisters of the Resistance Movement. Their Amazing Resolve and Selflessness Inspires Me To Keep Fighting Every Day.

- RESISTANCE REPORT- WE’RE STARTING TO SHAKE UP WASHINGTON

The large scale protests are working and we are something #PresidentBannon and co didn’t plan for! And there are some pretty tangible FACTS of how #TheResistance movement is having an impact:

- Trump’s visit to Harley Davidson was canceled because they were afraid we would show up. They were probably wise to do so because we would have been there!

- We’ve woken up the Democratic party, to an extent, and given them the confidence on the Federal and State level to show some gumption and take on Tyranny!

State Democrats are pledging to fight Trump’s Immigration #MuslimBan EO. And Republicans Joined in as well! That’s right, Republicans! If you have a minute this week give them a call, tell them you are a democrat and you support them opposing the ban! We will need them to win.

The Senate Dems boycotted 2 votes of Trump’s Cabinet yesterday and Today they boycotted Scott Pruitt’s EPA confirmation hearing. The Republicans may have so shadily changed the rules to vote them on anyway, but the Dems digging their heels in is a good sign for the #resistance.

However, it’s not all peachy on the Dem side. These senators are still voting through Trump’s Cabinet picks. If these are your senators it’s time to pay them a visit at their offices, jam the phone lines and fax machines, and tell them to get with the program. NYC seems to have gotten Schumer on the right track by holding “What The F$#k Chuck” rallies and protests outside his house and office weekly. Let’s get these others into the fold!

- New York City Yemeni-run grocery stores will shut down from 12pm-8pm tomorrow in protest of the immigration #MuslimBan.

- Federal hiring freeze is reversed for VA (Veteran Affairs).

- Courts order Partial stay of the immigration ban for those with valid visas.

- Green card holders can get back in country… for now. Bannon still wants this in the ban.

- Uber pledges $3M and immigration lawyers for its drivers after #DeleteUber trends on Twitter.

- Obamacare (Affordable Care Act) enrollment ads are still aired despite order to cancel.

- The ACLU raised $24M over the weekend (normally 3-4Mil/year). So we can consider spreading the love now.

- HHS, EPA, USDA gag order is still in place, but EPA contracts and grants were released

- EPA climate data is no longer scrubbed from the whitehouse.gov website.

- More people of different career/religious/economic/race backgrounds are considering running for political office than ever before.

- MOST importantly, since we live in a participatory democracy, the people are engaged.

THIS IS WORKING! These Mass Protests are amazing, and the show of force that we’ve been able to display nationwide is insanely important when combatting #alternativefacts about: public approval, amplifying our voices, and passing this presidency off as polotics as usual! Continue to fight for what is right out of LOVE for our fellow citizens, LOVE for our neighbors, LOVE for humanity, and LOVE for our country.

-AVOID RESISTANCE BURNOUT: BE STRATEGIC & GO DEEPER ON KEY ISSUES!

For many of us, this is the first time we have EVER participated in activism at this level. Which is great, but, how do we make sure our efforts are actually going to bring about change? This is the million-dollar question groups all over the country are working on. Luckily we don’t have to re-invent the wheel because there are minority activists, LGBTQ activists, environmental activists, etc. who have been doing this for DECADES, and luckily they are on our side.

One thing I’m quickly discovering is that participating solely in events at the Macro level can A) start to fatigue you very quickly and B) bring about some small wins that give us instant gratification, but still fail to address the root cause of the problem (i.e. ACLU was granted a stay for the immigration ban, but it only prevented people with Green Cards from being deported. There will be a larger and longer fight that is needed to get the full ban amended). Local Level/ Grassroots Activist Groups affect policy change long term and allow for you to keep up the energy to fight over the next 4 years.

So how can you prevent Burnout?

1) Prioritize

I know FOMO is real, but you cannot go to every protest, every rally, every meeting, etc. (OMG I sound like my mother). So it’s important to pick and choose what you can make it to, while still maintaining your personal responsibilities and obligations. There are literally Resistance related activities planned every day for the month of February in NYC (full list at end of post). If you couldn’t drop everything and go to JFK or Battery Park, that’s ok! You can make another one that will be equally important.

2) Join A Local Activist Group

These activist groups are full of experts who know exactly how to mobilize, organize, and connect with surrounding working groups to make a lasting impact. Some groups are set up where they are tackling multiple issues, and some are more strategic focusing on a singular issue (like healthcare, immigration, etc.). Up to you to choose which one suits you best.

Groups can also help keep you apprised of other actions that are going on that you can participate in as well as connect you to other resisters who are taking part so that you don’t have to go at it alone. They also have resources to tap into if you want to take a particular action and need some help. Most importantly, this is a great way to help stay grounded and focused on the mission, and find support from people who are as outraged as you are that want to do something about it.

So how do you find a group? Go to Move-on.org and sign up for notifications or TheIndivisibleGuide.org. I used the indivisible guide to find the group I’m in called Rise & Resist NYC.

3) Choose 1 Issue to Go Deeper On

Just like with your protest itch, you fight the urge to try and fight every single issue the Trump administration is rapid firing our way! It is impossible. That being said, it is important to focus your energy on the topics you feel most compassionate about while being confident in knowing others are doing the same for the other important issues. Remember we’re all a team and we can divide and conquer.

My Rise & Resist NYC group contains several different working groups designed to tackle specific issues. I joined the “2018 Midterm Elections” action group focusing on New York State Congress! Our goal is to make sure we flip every red district possible in New York, and turn all the “light” blue districts dark blue. If this is something you are passionate about, consider joining Rise & Resist NYC. OR, if you’d rather work on the Federal Level with the national midterm elections, consider joining United Thru Action, as they are working on this right now

4) Work at Wearing Down Your Representatives

One of the big reasons we’re seeing a shift in the democratic party is because we make it a point to hound our Senators every week. We go to their offices, their homes, and public events they attend to remind them of what we (their constituents) think is best for us, that they work for us, and that we will not go away. From a strategy standpoint this is key! This is how the tea party singlehandedly help win the republicans the House and then the Senate this last year.

So consider joining a rally at your Republican or Democratic Senator’s office. Moveon.org organizes one every Tuesday for #ResistTrumpTuesdays, find out when the next one is by signing up for alerts here. In person visits are the most powerful, but calls are also effective. And if they turn off the phones, you can try writing a letter or faxing them, yes you heard that right, fax them. Find your Senator’s Contact INFO HERE and FAX numbers HERE. When you write or call, state your name and zip code and then question them on their voting records, which you can find here, and let them know if you are disappointed and how it affects you personally.

Also consider rallying at one of your Federal or State Congressman/woman’s next town hall meeting to speak up and discuss issues. This is an angel’s living database of all upcoming Town hall meetings for all Congressmen/women. People with Republican Reps or Senators, it is crucial that you join groups doing this so you can remind the Republicans this is NOT Politics as usual, so stop acting like it. Attend when you can. I guarantee you will not be alone.

5) Every Little Bit Counts: Donations Will Continue to be BIGLY. This is a 4 Year Fight:

The same logic applies to donations! Again, you cannot donate all your money to every cause, that would be extremely unwise, especially with this administration because you would be poor and they would just kick you to the curb. So consider funding local grassroots movements who are fighting tactically at the local level on your behalf. Some NYC Groups to Consider:

- DRUM (Desis Rising Up & Moving)

- CAIR (Counsel on American-Islamic Relations)

- IRC (International Rescue Committee)

-ACTIONS- AS A CONSTIUENT YOU HOLD ALL THE POWER!

ACTIONS FOR TODAY & TOMORROW AM (INSANELY IMPORTANT THINGS GOING ON THIS WEEK)! CALL, FAX, GO TO SENATOR’S OFFICES! Find you Senator’s Contact INFO HERE. Find a local protest event HERE. Find FAX numbers HERE.

CRUCIAL UPCOMING CABINET VOTES

1) Jeff ‘too racist to be an Alabama Fed Judge’ Sessions committee vote is TUESDAY 1/31 at 10AM! ANYONE Dem or Republican who votes yes for this guy deserves to be on your SHIT LIST FOR LIFE. Never forget who thought this was ok. ASK FOR A DELAY! HE wrote some of the language in the Muslim Ban!

2) Betsy ‘Guns should be in Schools to fight Grizzlies’ Devos- Department of Education. WE ONLY NEED 1 MORE REPUBLICAN TO FLIP TO GUARANTEE SHE DOESN’T GO THROUGH. She is unfit to serve.

3) Andrew Puzder- Department of Labor: Hates the Department of Labor, yet wants to run it… to DESTROY IT.

4) Rick Perry- Department of Energy: Vowed he wanted to get rid of it, was nominated for it, had no idea what it did, acknowledges he’ll have a learning curve, but still wants it… hmmmm this position involved looking after our Nukes… hmmm. *Palm to face*

UPCOMING DEMONSTRATIONS & TRAININGS- Join Events in Links

NYC- Cick Here for a Full LIST of NYC events and Trainings. There is literally something every day because NYC is awesome!

Washington DC

1/29 (SUN) 10am: Oppose Betsy DeVos! Columbus Circle, Washington DC

4/15 (SAT): Tax Day Rally to demand Trump turn over his Taxes. Everywhere. Link will show you where your local march is

4/29 (SUN): People’s Climate March

5/6 (SAT) 10am-5pm: The Immigrant’s March on Washington

6/11 (SUN) 10am-6pm: National Pride March

Podcasts To Follow: (Actively Stay Informed)

POD Save America (Formerly Keeping it 1600)

POD Save the World

Robert Reich Resistance Report Facebook Videos (He posts everyday on his Facebook page so follow it!)

Dan Rather’s new Media Page “News And Guts”

"Never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never—in nothing, great or small, large or petty—never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense"--Winston Churchill.

#resist #resistrumptuesdays #theresistance #stoppresidentbannon #presidentbannon #staywoke

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