#but all have important real world functions that a human need to survive

[stagefoureddiediaz]

Something something about Buck and learning and or teaching.

Something something about Buck teaching when he really needed to be learning.

I just keep thinking about how the show has increasingly - especially last season - put Buck into the role of 'teacher' - including his coma dream. (i'm using teacher for the lack of a better term!) and how in the aftermath of the coma dream - he's been trying to teach but it hasn't worked - instead he's been learning.

I've been musing on the fact that even back in season 1 Buck has been in a teacher role -

Abby learning to chose herself and go for her happiness,

Bobby learning to let people in and Buck being a major part of that because of their developing father-son type relationship

'teaching' Eddie that he could rely on other people for help

Maddie learning at Bucks hand that she didn't need to keep running, that she could lean on him for support and build a new life for herself

Ravi being tutored by Buck in the fire house

even Lucy being given advice by Buck - teaching her through his own experiences in dumb luck

Buck making himself into a teacher in his coma dream and the idea that all these people he has helped teach teaching him that he has a place with them and that he is important

and so many more examples through the seasons that I won't list or I'd be here forever!

Because there has been a lot of emphasis on teaching and learning since Buck woke up from his coma - he learnt he was good at maths, but then wasn't allowed to help Chris with his maths homework because it would be cheating.

used his maths skills to win at Poker - but got taught lessons even in victory - rather than teaching others lessons (whatever they might have been)

Natalia being interested in him because he could teach her about death and things going south pretty quickly when it became evident that Buck needed to learn how to live again rather than be stuck in death

And now we've had several mentions by Tommy of him teaching Buck things - teaching him to fly, teaching him Mauy Thai, all the way to him being his bi awakening is teaching him about a part of himself he didn't know. Things are turned on their head - Buck is the student not the master now

Even with Eddie this season, we've seen him teaching Buck things - rather than Eddie learning from him - Eddie handing over this really important thing going on with Chris - Eddie knowing that Buck would be a better option - that Chris would open up to him more - is teaching Buck about his importance in the Diaz family - re-enforcing that he is part of their life. Its also Eddie who has had the good advice for Buck this time rather than the other way round.

Something something about 'you like to be the guy with the answers' to Buck becoming the guy with the (maths) answers - only for it to fade away and now he's having to learn

Something something about the tie to Buck and death and the resurrection and how Christ was the teacher up to and immediately after his death and resurrection when he left others on earth to spread his teachings and he ascended to learn at the right hand of god

Something something about how that is the key to happiness and that is what Buck has figured out and that is why his journey to figuring that out has had him wearing the bright blue - because in Christianity - that shade of blue is the colour of the kingdom of heaven (because it is the colour of the sky!) so putting Buck in it at all these key markers of his journey is showing him as being on the road to ascension.

This post is a mess - I don't even know what it is any more! I started with one idea about teaching and Tommy and then more kept coming and we ended up here!!!!

[ranticore]

Centaur anatomy notes which I might turn into diagrams (courtesy of me in 2023)

The air flow is one-way, in the nose and out the mouth, the main body lungs do the most work and the human torso lungs work to strip out the last % of oxygen, so they are actually engaged on the lower chest exhale which passes air back out through the human lungs and mouth. In times of exertion they can inhale and exhale simultaneously using their two sets of intercostal muscles. Even non-athletic centaurs have very high endurance and good breath control. lower respiratory tract infections are extremely dangerous as are any conditions that might partially occlude the airway (like a common cold), so pulmonary health is very important to centaurs

cardiac system is similarly duplicated, there's a big barrel heart and a smaller human chest heart which aids in the circulation of blood from the upper lungs. the human half heart and lungs are larger than their equivalents in humans because the alimentary canal is not duplicated, so there's lots of free real estate in there (i.e past the human half diaphragm there's no stomach, liver, etc, those are all in the animal half)

a centaur can survive their upper-body heart and lungs ceasing to function (by trauma, disease, etc) but not the reverse. in the modern era, it is actually possible for a centaur to give a(n upper) heart transplant and survive but they would experience reduced quality of life as a result (having low tolerance to physical exertion). however it is an option for recipients whose lower heart has reduced function as this is life threatening

diet is determined by animal type. ungulates are nearly all vegetarians, they need a specialised diet high in cellulose and enough roughage to save them from getting painful ulcers. they drink spirulina water and consume specially-formulated hay/grass/etc products. they could eat a handful of plain grass if they wanted but there's not much flavour in that. grazers eat as many as six or seven small meals a day, carnivores would eat one or two.

the babies are all altricial like human babies. this means ungulates are born with their lower halves less developed than their newborn animal equivalents and can't walk for the first few months of life (coordinating six limbs is tricky). human chest handles the lactation as it's easier to cradle a baby there. i know we were all dying to know

flexibility is pretty good as previously mentioned but it does vary by species. the big cats can even climb ladders and have an easier time living in conventional housing

an ungulate centaur has two ways of lying down; sternal recumbency and lateral recumbency. in sternal recumbency the human half is held upright, in lateral, that's the full 'passed out' lying on ur side experience, and lateral recumbency is required for REM sleep. beds consist of thick pads or bedding (straw etc) and are usually ground-level. REM sleep time varies for animal type, for horses they'll need about 2 hours of it every day. they can nap and sleep shallowly while standing up. too much time spent lying down is bad for circulation as weight on hooves is actually a part of the circulatory system in horses, so they will spend most of their time standing to avoid issues with venous drainage. where a centaur is injured, a full body sling (suspended from a wheeled frame usually) can help them keep as much weight on their hooves as possible while also supporting them.

spinal injuries are very common in centaurs for obvious reasons, particularly torsion or compression fractures to the acute spine, which is the junction between the upper and lower body. this area is heavily reinforced and incorporates a structure similar to the stay structure in a horse's leg, which makes supporting the upright torso effortless. but all the reinforcement in the world won't stop nearly every centaur getting a sore back in their later years. ruptured discs are extremely common. in modern times, many would have brace implants fitted there. because there's more than just the torso's own muscles supporting it, it's easy for a centaur to hold their torso in what might seem like a high-effort position to humans (i.e not just upright)

[canmom]

Yes, what 'AI art' promises to do is something that has happened many times before in capitalism. Even in the 'art industry', we've seen technology all but do away with entire lines of work, such as the illustration styles that withered after photography proved to better serve the needs of advertisers and clients who wanted a realistic likeness.

And it sucked for those illustrators. Maybe not the well established ones, but the ones who had hoped to enter that industry. Just as it sucked for the textile industry workers when the mechanical loom appeared.

Trying to suppress AI art through legal means may be a strategy with little chance of success and high potential for collateral damage. The Luddites found that machine-breaking proved an ineffective strategy (edit: because the government killed them), the miners of Wales were not able to stop Thatcher closing the pits and importing materials (edit: because the government beat the shit out of them). But to treat workers - in one of the few lines of work to still offer any sort of intrinsic fulfilment, at least in theory - who may be responding in a knee-jerk way to an impending threat to their ability to continue that practice and possibly survive at all, with scorn and derision? To justify that with Marx? Come off it.

Certainly, sure, the real enemy was capitalism all along. If AI were never invented, art would still be a precarious industry where you have to work stupidly hard on a speculative basis to even get a chance to get a foot in the door. An industry valuing predictability would still prefer to elevate bland, repetitive artwork; it would still push the chosen few artists who make it and get jobs to work themselves into an early death; we would still be faced with the implications of turning creation into 'content' in a social media feed. In a less precarious world, one where artists were free to pursue our practices with ample support and no fear of not making rent if there's a bad month, AI image generators would not even be a concern.

But we don't live in that world and I have no idea how to bring it closer. There isn't a 'start the revolution' button I can just press if I don't like my lot under capitalism.

What AI promises to do, what its proponents claim, really is to make everything worse in this industry. AI has many limitations compared to a human artist, but that doesn't matter for doing damage. For the employed artist, the threat of AI is going to become a similar labour discipline tool as the threat of outsourcing to a country where labour is cheaper, or the threat of installing robot tills in retail. "Don't make too much of a fuss, we can replace you." It doesn't matter if it isn't entirely true, it's another cudgel against labour organising.

In the already often miserably exploitative world of small scale illustration commissions which many artists use to support themselves while learning? Now you don't just have to compete against Fiverr's race to the bottom. The good chaps at Silicon Valley have helpfully built an obedient data centre than can do a 'good enough' job for many clients even faster and cheaper, that never gets tired. You'd better hope you have a loyal audience already, or else the independent income and exec function to work on art as a hobby on top of everything else you need to do to get by. Illustration commissions is already a pretty saturated market, turning something that ought to be a dream job into a grind. So... let's add more pressure, eh?

Worse, a lack of realistic routes to learn will likely ripple on up, similar to how the miserable conditions and high attrition of inbetweeners in anime led to a situation where there aren't enough key animators, so the industry increasingly draws from self-taught hobbyists and relies on a limited pool of overworked sakkans to paper over the gaps caused by their lack of training.

None of these problems are unique to AI. But they're all going to be made worse by it. And obviously people are going to be afraid of that coming, before we know how it will all shake out for sure. That's not a stupid reaction.

The argument over what is Real Art(TM) may be corny, but it reflects the fact that for most of us trying to make art, it is not nearly so fulfilling to type prompts into a computer and pick your favourite result as it is to draw on your own visual library and experiences and understanding of light and form and symbols and shape and etc., to go through the meditative process of solving the problems of the drawing yourself, to get the satisfaction of 'omg I made that' at the end. I'm sure creating the AI system in the first place had that sort of fulfilment for its programmers, but using it is to be a curator more than a creator, or at least to shift the creativity into coming up with combinations of keywords rather than directly making pictures, and that just doesn't grab me in the same way at all. If people enjoy it that's genuinely great for them, but I don't think very many people who set out to be an artist would get the same satisfaction out of typing prompts. It's not something we wanted automated. (Perhaps we could compare it to creating an aimbot for an FPS game.)

But that's a fairly tricky thing to articulate, so it is not surprising that it gets mixed up in ideology like 'artiness is proportional to hours spent'. Unfortunate, but that doesn't make the intuitive alarm signal misplaced. If AI art can find a niche as just another tool for expression, great, I'll shut up - but if it becomes a widespread sentiment of 'why are you wasting your time painting, just let the AI do it', we've lost something valuable. 'We want to replace artists' is the explicit sentiment of many of the AI's creators and proponents, so it's not like this is a baseless fear.

Trying to develop an art practice under capitalism is always a pretty awkward bargain at best. AI won't destroy the drives that lead us to make art, and won't do much to liberate us either. My hope is that it will become an easily ignored sideshow to the kinds of art I like; my fear is that this is only the beginning of its impact and a lot that's valuable will be lost in the chaos.

Did photography 'liberate' illustration? It's true that after the demise of the realist painting of Loomis's generation, new forms of illustration arose: scifi and fantasy illustration, many kinds of stylised illustration. But idk, that argument feels weird - if you cut down a tree to build a house where it used to stand, and a new tree grows nearby, is that liberating trees? It's hard to put any valence on that. In any case, AI proponents are trying for a fully general replacement to all types of illustration, including potential new ones. (Perhaps that's nothing more than tech cult hype; at the moment its stylistic repertoire is more limited.)

And perhaps we might expect, as capitalism continues to throw off labour without much hope of new industries arising to absorb it, that there will come a point where the balance tips and for better or worse, a vast social transformation unfolds suddenly and unexpectedly.

Would be nice if I can live long enough to see it.

Living off commissions is already proving not viable for me, regardless of AI - so I'm training to go into a different creative industry (game dev) where there's more demand in the present era, and I'll have to develop visual art more slowly, with whatever energy and executive function I can spare. I hope I will enjoy working in game dev, and I'm lucky to have skills that even make it an option, but I don't love that I have to make that decision based on what can keep a roof overhead and not on what I most want to spend my time learning to make. And I can only imagine the feeling of someone who found a seemingly stable niche doing something they truly enjoy, and now face getting thrown back into this corner.

The AI problem may just be a symptom of capitalism, but that just makes it less tractable. It may be 'just a tool', but that tool is embedded in a whole mess of social relations. Who runs the AI, who stands to benefit? Better to articulate a critique of AI-in-capitalism that navigates around the blind alleys than to cast scorn on people reaching for the first way out they can see to a genuinely bleak situation.

[basicsofislam]

BASICS OF ISLAM: Fasting: On Fasting&Self-control.Part2

As far as the social dimension is concerned, fasting is a way of experiencing hunger and developing sympathy for the less fortunate and thus learning thankfulness and appreciation for all of God’s bounties. Fasting increases people’s sympathy and compassion for those who have been deprived of their daily means of survival.

Although everybody knows, in an abstract sense, that there are people who suffer from hunger and poverty around the world, this knowledge may not be great enough to have an impact on our daily behavior. During the fast of Ramadan, this knowledge is internalized, because we now not only know that there are hungry people, but we have a glimpse into their experience of hunger. This deeper, internalized knowledge helps us minimize wastefulness and to sincerely do our best to help those in need.

Ramadan is also a time of generosity.

People are more generous, more cordial, and more ready than at other times of the year to do good and charitable work. Muslims often invite one another, friends and guests, Muslims and non-Muslims, in particular neighbors, regardless of creed, to share the evening meal and exchange gifts and best wishes.

Fasting establishes a continuity of practice with religions such as Judaism and Christianity, in which fasting is recognized as an important element of devotion to God. The very verse in the Qur’an that commands Muslims to fast reminds them of this connection:

“O you who believe! Fasting is prescribed on you just as it was prescribed on the people before you.”

The spiritual dimension

In the spiritual dimension, fasting during Ramadan is an act of obedience.

It leads to sincere thankfulness, which is the heart of worship.

It also empowers our spiritual side over our physical tendencies. If we imagine our body as a vessel, such as a ship, our mind, heart and carnal desires are like hands that are trying to control this vessel. Fasting weakens the effect of the carnal self and strengthens the effects of the mind and the heart on the control of the body.

The experience of hunger in fasting breaks the illusory lordship of the carnal self, or ego, and, reminding the carnal self of its innate helplessness, convinces it that it is only a servant. Self consciousness, or the notion of “I,” is part of the “trust” that has been given to humans as the vicegerents of God on earth [The Qur’an, Ahzab 33:72].

“The All-Wise Creator entrusted each human being with an ego that has clues and examples that urge and enable them to recognize the truths about the attributes of the Lord of Creation and His essential qualities. Ego is the measure that makes known the qualities of His Lordship and the functions of His Divinity.” 

Although God is closer to us than our jugular vein [The Qur’an], His names and attributes cannot be fully comprehended as they are infinite and we are finite, mortal, limited creatures. The virtual attributes that God gives us can serve as units of measure for comparison and for a better appreciation of God’s names and attributes.

It may be asked “Why did God make our ego a means to know His attributes and names?”

We answer this question as follows:

An absolute and all-encompassing entity has no limits or terms, and therefore cannot be shaped or formed, and cannot be determined in such a way that its essential nature can be comprehended. For example, light undetermined by darkness cannot be known or perceived. However, light can be determined if a real or hypothetical boundary line of darkness is drawn. In the same way, the Divine Attributes and Names (e.g., Knowledge, Power, Wisdom, and Compassion) cannot be determined, for they are all-encompassing and have no limits or like. Thus what they essentially are cannot be known or perceived. A hypothetical boundary is needed for them to become known.

[thisisnotthenerd]

now that burrow's end has concluded i have some thoughts about it.

i think there are some seasons of dimension 20 that really hit the mark for the story they're trying to tell, and this was one of them. this season felt like it was the exact right length for the timespan it encompassed. they hit the horror beats in a way that stuck throughout the season and paid off, while not neglecting the social aspect and the comedy. when there was a need to speed things up, they did, and vice versa.

part of that was aabria's planning and work with the d20 crew. the sets really leaned in on the body horror from the beginning and set an expectation for what the tone of encounters was going to be. the stupendous stoats were fighting for their lives the instant they saw the bear, and they really strapped in from there. the addition of the tapes from carlos? perfection.

i do think that there was some intentional vagueness around exactly how the world functioned wrt the radiation and how the stoats survived it. but it didn't need to be fully fleshed out to have an impact on the story. all that was needed was 1) this is the source of magic powers, 2) something happened that caused the release of it into the blue forest, 3) that thing happened in a nuclear facility that is now occupied by stoats. it's how the stoats understood it. they had some remnants of knowledge and the work that they'd done in the last 20 years. no one's becoming a nuclear engineer really until lila gets her phd. most of the experimentation was in weaponry and biological tampering rather than specifically the blue.

aabria iyengar has a real talent for locking in on character encounters and using them to drive the story. she deliberately makes space for them, and in burrow's end, it was critical to the character arcs and the resolution of family trauma in particular. there is no offhand comment for a help action. you have to commit to the things you say and do. and that was clearly evident in last bast.

with acofaf, she built the fey realm to promote social interactions as the battlefield. dnd gave the pack of pixies a basis to stat their characters from, but good society drove the story. the primary conflict for a lot of the story wasn't the evil plot that they resolved very quickly. it was the party in the social strata and how they achieved their own goals during the bloom.

in burrow's end, last bast serves as a psychological horror setting that has equal parts danger and social interactions. the fact that they had to build up allies was important to how they approached the ultimate threats. the fact that they were a family unit in a wildly different environment really provided a strong base for every encounter they went through.

system-wise, the leveling progression gave insight into how the players saw the character development. the fact that the party started as martials and partials and shifted into casting classes as a sign of connection with the source of magic? it made tracking stats very fun throughout the season.

as for the timing, there were a couple plot elements that drove the progression--the initial gassing of the red warren and the impending deadline of the humans coming to last bast. otherwise, it was the party that fully upended society.

[phlve]

Subtype Trait Structures: sp8

Thick-skinned

The lustful have a deficiency in the experience to feel things, and in the self-preservation this is more pronounced by a physical resistance to pain, which often leads to risk-taking and a feeling of being impenetrable.

Insensitive

Related to the previous trait, there's the disconnection from feeling which comes from the denial of their own weaknesses and vulnerability. They wanna forget about their inner child that so deeply suffered, and are now unforgiving of themselves and others.

Existential Emptiness, «Demand»

Like all self-preservation subtypes, there's a sense of lack, a fear of being with no resources, no chances to survive. The healthy functioning of the instinct is corrupted by Lust, which craves intensity, leading into a voracity and demand that cover the fear of abandonment, vulnerability, betrayal.

Blind To The Other, Callous

The other does not exist as free agents, they're either potential enemies or useful objects for the assertion of their desires. If they ever develop a close bond, it'll most likely operate under the basis of “I command, you obey”.

Cynical, Hopelessness

The childhood was marked by aggression, humiliation, violence, and a real sense of danger. Like E5, E8 equates love with violence, and so they resign from the hopes of being loved in a world that is seemingly a jungle that goes by the law of survival of the strongest.

Masked Antisocial

As Naranjo said, they're wolves in sheep's clothing. They're the most antisocial and detached from humanity, but they're driven by personal satisfaction, so they do not intend to make their lust noticed. They prefer to walk about life without getting attention, only concerned with their own pleasure and nothing else.

Strategic

This subtype is less impulsive than the other two. There's a greater use of intellect as a way to guarantee power and the stability of their possessions, and they often use knowledge as means of ursuping what's desired (Henry VIII orientation to theology, in the process of going against the church).

Hedonist

There's the egocentric need for pleasure, especially earthly ones. Here we see a harsh, masculine looking individual, smoking a cuban cigar, carrying himself as the most important person, but without caring about what others think of them, saying to the barman “Hey! Another one.”

Independent

They don't need anyone or anything, and if they ever do, they'll get it through manipulation or forcefully steal it. Need is something they repress the most, asking is not an option.

Source: @/Promethee on PDB

[al-chemystic]

vent

is this something? is this anything? am i the fucking stupid one? a real bleeding heart, too young and inexperienced and stupid to know that i was supposed to let society beat the hope out of me already like a "rational, logical person?"

i gave up halfway throughout this text. i don't think i have the energy to finish it. i don't think i can be normal with him until i feel seen and heard. i don't think i can feel seen and heard until i finish and send this text. you're going to see me get frustrated at that paradox. i am not trying to pass this off as a complete and coherent statement, but i need to find somebody who understands what i'm getting at so i don't feel fucking crazy.

hey man, i have some things i can't get off my mind.

i don't try to have these discussions with you to start fights or try to make you believe exactly the same things i do. i do it because as someone who has grown up in and directly experienced ableism my entire life, there are a lot of basic, "societal principals" that i can now recognize are rooted in ableism.

first is the idea that human worth is intrinsically tied to the amount of labor one can perform. this is the driving idea behind not wanting to give livable funds to people who cannot maintain that themselves. arguments are made along the lines of "if nobody is doing labor and keeping our society going, it will fall apart." this causes a mass societal inference that anyone who cannot work is not essential to society (society and capitalism are inseparable to most). if you don't think someone is essential for society, you won't care if they have food, water, or shelter, especially not with all the caring you're doing for your own situation. it's so bad that in some circles, ideas like this are stated just as explicitly as i have said them: if you don't work you don't deserve money. you can't survive on your own without money.

that sustainability argument treats the situation as if we're asking for the cessation of all labor, for the government to hand everyone infinite money, and to spawn products out of thin air. at best, this is a thoughtless overcorrection of the problem, and at worst, a purposeful attempt to shut down any questioning of how the lower class is treated in this country by inflating the outcome as something nobody wants. it's important to remember that nobody is asking for that; that is clearly unsustainable.

while the unsustainability argument is a frontline tactic used to stop the asking of questions, the idea that labor = worth is what keeps the answers to the questions that do get through palatable to our capitalist society.

when people are kept in stress, they will get exhausted over time and jaded and nihilistic-- something you clearly recognize. the easiest way to do this is to keep people in financial stress. it is actively happening to you. you are worried about tax increases and not being able to afford to get the house you want. that's not a naturally occurring process.

society is manufactured. it was set up to put you in this situation. when you say things like "that's just how the world is," what you're actually saying is "that's just how the world started, and we're in too deep now to do anything about it."

because it's not like putting water on a grease fire. the way of society is not an unobjectionable fact of the universe based on how the physical world interacts. this is "just how the world is" because humans made it this way. so if humans designed it full of struggle, and if we are on this earth purely as an accident of nature and there is no universal meaning of life, then there is absolutely nothing else that matters more than making the world a better place. there simply is no higher purpose to wait through the struggling for. another prominent function of religion is distracting people during their lifetime so they feel like they're not suffering for no reason, which keeps them from asking for the suffering to stop.

what you're worried about isn't a hurricane that nobody caused and nobody can stop. you're afraid of an indirect threat. you already lose so much to taxes that all they have to do now is threaten to make you lose more, and you (the general "you") will pick the option or belief system that they did not correlate with you losing money. it's manufactured struggle, and it can be stopped.

so running it back, an argument might be

"we can't expand state income accessibility because then nobody will work and society will collapse." there's a silent "as we know it" hidden in there that nobody ever says, because the idea that society can be any different than what we made it has to be stamped out for rich lobbyists to maintain power.

society as we know it will undoubtedly change. again.. look around at all the manufactured financial stress. it has to change.

that quoted argument can only be said without cognitive dissonaance from someone who holds these beliefs:

- capitalist society is the only good society (this keeps lobbyists in power)

- your work is tied to your labor ability (thinking anything else puts you in a position to question capitalism, which threatens current powers. this also takes advantage of peoples' sense of purpose; they have to work themselves ragged to stay afloat, but at least they feel like they're contributing to the society that's hurting them. the idea that anyone isn't working 40+hrs a week and might be able to eat dinner in a house despite that fact immediately sets them on fire, by design, because they have to kill themselves to achieve that)

- increasing aid for others means that the government has to take something from me (while they keep you in such a bad position that you can't afford to lose anything else, instead of a proper distribution of billionaire lobbyists' wealth that could end homelessness in America)

- i dont know ive been writing for two hours and i want to throw up here's my other notes from even earlier:

it's amazing that you can point out why people are suffering and they still will not forsake the systems that keep them in suffering.

you recognize that our government keeps us in stress over our stability on purpose, to keep us distracted. you recognize that the two-party system is the definition of divide and conquer, and is another distraction that's also designed to pit people against each other. it actually blows my mind how you can hold both of those ideas in your head and then turn around and say "anymore i just have to do what makes my life easier for me." without realizing that the decisions you're making-- or not making-- to achieve or maintain that ease steps on other people.

okay, voting for trump will lower your taxes since you're better off than the average american. awesome. do you know what a second trump presidency will do to everyone else? to disabled people? to queer people, of which you are? to people of color? to women? to children?

nobody is saying your vote will fix everything overnight. nobody is saying your voice will make an immediate change in your surrounding community and drop a house in a struggling person's hands.

but choosing to favor policies that benefits you at the cost of others is ACTIVELY DECIDING to endanger other communities because god damn you just want that tax break. a tax break you need because you're fed up with taxes that are increasing "due to inflation." you mean... the manufactured inflation designed to keep you under stress so that you're too tired to care about others?

so it's okay for YOU to get tired? you're allowed to decide that nothing's changing so it's time to stop fighting, but GOD FORBID a homeless person experience that same emotional plight because then they're "doing it to themselves."

NEW NOTES:

i don't think you're wrong for being tired. i don't think you're wrong for wanting your own happiness and your own comfort. i think you're wrong for being unable to apply that to other people.

if the only people fighting for the relief and-- god forbid-- the COMFORT of disabled people are the disabled people, and YOU AS AN ABLE BODIED PERSON CANNOT STOP YOURSELF FROM GETTING BURNT OUT FIGHTING A SYSTEM THAT WON'T CHANGE, HOW THE HELL CAN YOU SIT THERE AND SAY THAT THE DISABLED PEOPLE WHO EXPERIENCE THE SAME BURN OUT IN TRYING TO GET OUT OF HOMELESSNES ARE JUST LAZY AND COMPLACENT. YOU'RE LITERALLY SAYING HEY KID GO FIGHT YOUR OWN BATTLES TO SOMEONE WHO'S 4'2" WHEN THEIR OPPONENT IS 6'4". YOU SEE A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HITTING A DISABLED CHILD AND HITTING A REGULAR CHILD BUT WHEN IT COMES TO FIGHTING FOR RIGHTS YOU CLOSE YOUR EYES AND PRETEND WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO DO IT ALL ALONE? YOUR VIEW OF DISABLED COMPETENCE IS COMPLETELY DEPENDENT ON WHAT SERVES YOU BEST, YET WHEN A DISABLED PERSON EXPERIENCES AMBIVALENT ABILITY, THEY'RE FAKING IT?

"oh if my grandpa didn't spank me id be a horrible person today" you were verbally abused. you acted out as a kid because your life sucked and your needs weren't met. people train dogs with more care for their basic needs than they raise a child. if a child is acting out they're missing a need.

the belief that those who achieve any level of relief to their suffering will get greedy and "always want more" is the exact thing they said to stop people of color from getting rights. to stop women from getting rights. to stop gay people from getting rights. to stop trans people from getting rights. and it's used to stop disabled people from getting rights. how is that last one different and acceptable? (it's not)

you're saying things that don't align with my core values, and then acting like if someone decides to step away from a relationship for those reasons that it's not right and they must've never really cared to begin with. you're asking people to sacrifice their belief systems for you. i can already hear you arguing that i'm doing the same, but i'm not demanding that you change your mind nor am i demanding that you sacrifice standing up for what you believe just to stay friends with me. if i believed murder wasn't wrong and that belief caused you to want to distance yourself from me, you would not be a bad person for choosing not to invest your time and energy into someone who believes something that so vehemently opposes your own core values (murder is wrong). i believe hitting a child is wrong regardless. i believe disabled people aren't just lazy. i believe all life has intrinsic value just by the sheer irrefutable fact that it is alive on this planet. you do not share these four beliefs whose opposing ideas-- which you do hold-- directly affect my life negatively. i don't have anybody in my immediate life who does agree with me and understand where i'm coming from. i don't get to choose my family. i get to choose my friends. it would not be wrong for me to decide against subjecting myself to people who hold the same ideas that beat me down everyday.

"just get over it you have to find your own happiness you don't have to justify yourself to anyone blah blah blah. buuuuut also justify yourself to a govt who doesn't care how you can't maintain a job and do it more frequently than you already do because people are abusing the system already so we have to restrict it more. thanks!"

how can you recognize that the generation that thinks the younger generations are all lazy and entitled are falling victim to the same "WELL WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU CAN'T DO IT; I DID IT AND I DIDN'T LIKE IT BUT I HAD TO. NOW YOU'RE JUST BEING LAZY; YOU JUST DON'T WANT TO WORK ENOUGH TO AFFORD A HOUSE." no, houses are getting more expensive and the disparity between income and cost of living has increased exponentially. it's plain harder, and people are tired.

then all those tired people see disabled people who can't even struggle through a job the same way able bodied people are, and they look behind them at all the boomers calling them lazy, and they go "I'M lazy? well at least i'm doing it; those people do NOTHING and get money for it!!!!!" it's manufactured hatred over manufactured struggle.

i don't know if i can keep subjecting myself to the harsh reality that nobody fucking cares about disabled people and nobody ever will just for the sake of keeping one friend who i don't get to be real with. it's not like i can just end this and go find anyone and they'll probably agree with me. this hatred is baked into everyone; even disabled people. they're just the most likely candidates for breaking free from it.

if the only people in my life are people who keep proving to me nobody cares about my comfort and wellbeing, what's the point of having them?

[shantitechnology]

5 Unique Benefits of ERP for Manufacturers

STERP (Shanti Technology) is one of the leading ERP software companies in India, offering comprehensive solutions for businesses in the manufacturing sector.  Among the top ERP software providers in India, STERP has emerged as a frontrunner thanks to its dedication to serving manufacturers.

The STERP ERP software has helped Indian manufacturers become more productive, automate processes that formerly required human labour, and foster a culture of collaboration.  Production scheduling, inventory management, quality control, and material need planning are just some of the ways in which this software may help businesses better meet customer needs and deliver superior products.  Researching aggregate statistics may tell you a lot about the spread of enterprise resource planning software around the world.

General worldwide statistics for ERP Software:

The worldwide enterprise resource planning (ERP) software market is valued at over $25 billion, with yearly growth of 10%–20%.

More than half (53%) of all businesses agree that ERP is a promising sector in which to invest.

From 2019 to 2026, the worldwide market for ERP software is projected to expand to $78.40 billion, a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10.2%.

The defence and aerospace sectors will have the highest ERP software adoption rates by 2026.

88% of organisations say that ERP has helped their chances of success.

Among all enterprises, 62.7% favour cloud-based ERP solutions over locally hosted ones.

When it comes to using an ERP solution, about 27% of firms worry that their data would be jeopardised.

Half of all companies will soon install an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system or enhance their current one.

5 Advantages of ERP for manufacturing company in India:

1.   Streamlined Operations and Increased Efficiency:

Manufacturing enterprises in India need streamlined processes and enhanced efficiency to survive in today's competitive business environment.  One of the most important tools for accomplishing these objectives is ERP software, and STERP - an excellent ERP software company in India is the most successful.

Manufacturing companies in India need to improve their productivity and efficiency to compete in the global manufacturing market.  ERP software is a key component in achieving these goals, and STERP is the leading ERP software provider in India.

STERP understands the unique challenges faced by manufacturing facilities.  Their ERP software for factories is specifically designed to raise output quality anywhere it's implemented.

By consolidating previously siloed departments and processes, STERP's ERP software makes key business operations transparent in real-time.  The ability to step back and look at the larger picture helps manufacturers detect and fix inefficiencies and streamline processes.

2.         Enhanced Visibility and Real-time Data Insights:

When it comes to making decisions and propelling corporate success in India's dynamic and ever-expanding industrial industry, increased visibility and real-time data insights are crucial.  STERP is a leading service provider of ERP software in India, and its products help industrial companies improve their transparency and access to real-time data.

STERP provides ERP software tailored specifically for the manufacturing industry.  Better management is possible with the help of our ERP software for manufacturing company in India by centralising functions like accounting, inventory control, production, and logistics.  This connection gets rid of data silos and gives you a bird's eye view of the production process.

3.         Improved Quality Control and Compliance:

Production relies heavily on quality control and following procedures.  STERP offers exhaustive options for producers to improve quality control and conform to ever-changing regulations.

STERP, a market leader in India's enterprise resource planning software industry, understands the value of quality control.  Our manufacturing-specific ERP software features robust quality management components that enable organisations to establish and rigorously adhere to quality control standards.  It is now possible for businesses to create quality standards, set up inspection criteria, and track quality parameters continuously throughout the production cycle.

4.         Effective Resource Management and Cost Reduction:

Successful manufacturing enterprises rely on STERP's ERP for manufacturing company in India, which was developed with the specific needs of Indian manufacturers in mind.  STERP (Shanti Technology) is a well-established ERP software company in India that offers useful solutions for the industrial sector.

The top ERP software in India supplied by STERP (Shanti Technology), streamlines production scheduling, allowing firms to maximise resource utilisation and cut down on downtime.  Taking into account factors like machine capacity, workforce availability, and raw materials on hand, the software develops production schedules that optimise output and minimises downtime.

5.         Enhanced Customer Relationship Management and Service:

STERP is one of the leading ERP software companies in India because of the quality of the relationships we've built with our clients.  The robust CRM features built into STERP's ERP software for manufacturers allow for streamlined management of customer communications, preferences, and historical data.

STERP's enterprise resource planning (ERP) software helps organisations better understand their customers by highlighting their wants, needs, and buying behaviours.  With this holistic view, companies may provide customers with individualised solutions, goods, and encounters.

Final Thoughts:

For manufacturing companies in India, ERP software has certain particularly useful features.  As the industry standard for enterprise resource planning (ERP) software, STERP creates tailor-made solutions for businesses in the manufacturing sector.  ERP software opens the way for the effective administration of resources by optimising stock levels, improving production planning, and cutting costs.  Manufacturers can save money by improving their procurement processes, throwing away less, and using their resources more efficiently.  STERP is one of the top-ranked ERP software providers in India if you need ERP software for your manufacturing business.

[faithfromanewperspective]

How do I educate people about the Sustainable Development Goals? I had thoughts, lots of them, after I presented on them last Wednesday but, like the location of the pieces of paper I wrote on, whatever the buzz of conversation and performer’s high had me thinking is long forgotten. So it’s back to having ideas and hoping I come up with something better now that it’s a little more processed, a bit more mature. How do I start us from an ecological foundation? Just like I already did. With the diagrams explaining, this is where we get everything we need to survive from, how do I drive this point home? Have I already? The ideas are rolling now. Can I fit this into six minutes? How do I go from concept to reality? I know I’m just rusty, my confidence dwindling, and it’s going to take me doing it to remember the dopamine. Take your time. Pretend the planet it your brain, the sustainable development principles to transformational overhaul written in the stars of your neurons, you just can’t help but get it out. Are the templates distracting me, do I need to mock up a blank power point given that’s what I learned on?

It helped, drawing it out on paper. Templates look beautiful, and are lovely to look at. They’re not sensory overload in and of themselves, but, they’re not the new world, the blank canvas that inspires creativity. Every complete picture is a demand of itself, it’s perfect as it is, why would you add your own colours, why would you decorate what’s already been decorated? Why would you graffiti professional perfection? So I draw it on a scrap of people, pretend it’s on a moodboard, pretend I’m in PDF expert on my iPad at sixteen again, turning what’s barely inspiration into those design folios I was famous for. Why can’t I forget it? Because it’s me, it’s what I stand for, creativity in my veins, trying to be spit out of my fingertips on a keyboard and mouse. I’m trying to educate souls, don’t you forget that.

Educating souls. And now I’m onto brainstorming the third section. This one covers eight goals, covers the things of the people I carry as part of me, eight billion of us all deserving of dignity if any of us are. Drowning out competition with connection. It’s solid, it’s tangible, it’s the meals each of us need to survive and the education that keeps us empowered, knowing how to care for this beautiful planet. It’s the wage from our jobs that have us as individuals, countries, families, able to afford healthcare (which in of itself shouldn’t be for profit. Nor should food, or housing). It’s the cities I dream of designing, graffitiing functionality in every corner of the world, it’s the wildlife bursting into our apartment bubbles and humans who feel happier for it. It’s gender equality built into the architecture of how we do life: lifestyles that support empowerment of all living things, lifestyles of satisfaction and the only real power coming from when we team up with each other, not when we exploit each other. It’s easy to get lost in the daydream. Because I make a life out of this, of bringing people together, I make a life of it despite how many times I’ve messed up, despite the youth that was stolen and filled with mistakes, despite and because of it. (I should take this song off repeat, really, before I hop on the next train to Sydney to see the sunrise again. I feel it in moments, a semblance of free, between all the gasping I finally breathe, but this is it, isn’t it? this is me breathing.) I’m channelling just how important it is.

Because if you care about me, you care secondhand about all the people I care about, just like when you follow a musician, you take on the love from all of their fans, and if you understand a character, you understand the people who feel the same way as you do. If you love me, if you truly love me and don’t want to change me, you love all that I stand for. You stand with me as we mobilise this love. If not, then what do I exist for?

But this is my work, these are people I’m educating who don’t have access to my soul the way that you can, in anonymity and solidarity over shared interest. These are the sharks, and I’m trying to capture whatever in them turns their stupid overconfident heads on and stops them mistaking surfers for turtles, stops them eating turtles at all actually, and shows them we have invented a new-old, more efficient and kinder way to survive. It’s a pity that the way we have to pitch it is that businesses won’t survive if they’re not nice. I feel like I’m back out on the property, when my guineas were younger, trying to tell them how their own pecking order works: it’s a form of discipline, the more people you piss off the more likely it is they’ll band together against you. Maybe you won’t quite be ganged up on or cancelled, but your competitive advantage will be gone. If you don’t what? Feed the poor? Support the latest in sustainable cities, be the power mobilising their creation? If you don’t do this? Who else will?

And that’s it, isn’t it? Everyone wants to be told that they’re the chosen one, chosen to save the world. And it’s not a fantasy, the mundane ways this happens every day. I’m Yoda or Gandalf or heck, even Magnus Bane and I’m here directing them, advising them, praying they use the power that somehow ended up in their hands for good and not evil. And I have to do this educating, advising, in a way that is accessible and hits home. Luckily I’m well versed in fiction. I’m well versed in art. I’m well versed in capturing people’s souls. So what do I do now? Why am I sitting here thinking, well, school shouldn’t be a babysitting device for capitalist labour of adults but teach in a way that I’m teaching now, if you’re a musician going on tour or an athlete off competing or if you need any kind of accommodation, you should be able to finish high school. Without being given extra burdens. Is this the ground that I’m building? The trend that I’m setting? Am I embodying Goal 5 into this power point presentation, along with one, two, three, four, seven, eleven and sixteen? People need to be fed, right, I can’t grow cucumbers out of a computer screen, no matter if it’s an Apple.

I’m thinking of cities now. In Southeast Asia, where my colleagues work, and in Australia with a tenth of the population of Indonesia: how much could we do if our cities were bigger but more sustainable? How much could we meet people’s needs?

And so I come down to earth. This is the start of it. Revolutionary change starts with the mundane, educating a bunch of businessheads from all sorts of backgrounds: these are the Sustainable Development Goals, this is how they fit together, they are your next big opportunity whether you like it or not, so what do you think? Do you want to embark on the hero’s journey, or are you content being a poorly executing, always in the way not doing much useful, not meaning evil but not meaning well and so never really meaning anything at all, soon to be defeated, villain? You can’t walk in these circles without being one or the other.

[thekollab]

How a Crypto Marketing Agency Can Help You Stand Out in a Crowded Market?

Hiring a crypto agency is an excellent way to tackle your growth and positioning, especially in the face of increasing noise across other projects. They have the expertise to launch focused campaigns, develop interactive content, and engage the community with your project. 

Their knowledge makes them more effective in reaching your target audience, building credibility, and achieving long-term business growth. Their wisdom ensures that your brand survives and rules the market full of fierce competition in the crypto sphere.

Why Do You Need a Tailored Approach to Crypto Marketing?

The cryptocurrency market is unique in its swift operation. The fast-moving online landscape makes traditional marketing precedents useless. That is where crypto marketing companies specializing in it play a role. 

They give you a strategy that is made for your project, not some mass-produced idea. Social media, ads, and SEO are usually common marketing strategies. Nevertheless, you are handling a much more niche and tech-savvy audience in the crypto world. They distrust traditional advertising and are drawn in seemingly infinite directions by novel ideas, blockchain progressions, and influencers hawking new coins or platforms.

This means your strategy should be just as special as your selling item. A crypto marketing company goes beyond implying your brand and creates an experience that people can truly relate to, restoring trust in the market.

Expertise in Navigating Crypto Communities

More than groups of interested people, crypto communities are cohesive societies with behaviors, values, and language. Successful marketing in this space requires a thorough understanding of how these communities function. 

A crypto marketing company knows if it is Reddit, Telegram, or Discord where your potential supporters are and how to communicate with them. They can help you contribute to forums/discussions that align with your audience. Also, working on open communication to build trust. Plus, conducting contests and airdrops, and creating campaigns to attract participants.

By building true human connections with your customers, you can create a group of loyal advocates who are both consumers and proponents of it.

Leveraging Crypto Influencers to Amplify Your Message

In the cryptocurrency space, influencers are extremely important to both gaining credibility and driving traffic. So content is key, and crypto enthusiasts trust those they see as influencers or thought leaders. This is where you need an agency providing a crypto influencer marketing agency.

Although you can run traditional endorsements, a crypto influencer strategy is more organic. When you work with people who believe in what they're promoting, the message shows and is received well by their audience. 

Influencers can review your project, interview your team, and make tutorial videos about how your technology functions.

This type of content is informative and makes your project look trustworthy and legitimate. A crypto influencer marketing agency will guarantee that you're sending out the right voices to spread the word about what you have to offer.

SEO for Blockchain and Crypto Why It Matters

Good old search engine optimization (SEO) is essential for exposure, but when it comes to SEO within the cryptocurrency space, you must be an expert. Sure, you might think one size fits all, but in this case, crypto is just different with its set of keywords that come with new challenges and opportunities. 

A real agency with a crypto focus always knows how to boost your rankings by using terms like " blockchain development," "DeFi solutions," or "NFT marketplace."

The involvement of the right specialized agency can even guarantee the following:

Your site is optimized for both search and user experience, including the major content, it has a ranking for trending crypto-specific terms. 

Your project will get more attention and more traffic to your website, but now you have a well-performing website.

When key investors or new users are searching for a solution you provide, it is about positioning your brand at the top of this market landscape.

Building Trust Through Transparency

The issue of trust is massive in the cryptocurrency sphere. Almost everyone is skeptical because of all the scams and failed projects out there. Transparent and trusting messaging are necessary components of a successful long-term approach, something sought out with marketing for crypto companies.

They do this by formulating clear channels of communication and building trust throughout the community, showcasing your team, roadmap, and tech accomplishments, and making sure that all promotional work fits within your brand and project goals.

These tendencies all translate to looking for ways you are missing rather than being open about what this project offers, what hills you need to climb, and how you intend to make your company more reliable.

Final Words

If you are trying to find ways for your cryptocurrency to stand out in the big and powerful digital world of cryptocurrencies, it is not impossible but challenging. 

A step-by-step process solution is needed to help differentiate it from others. By engaging a Crypto Marketing Agency, you are preparing yourself and your project for success with an approach that fits best in the money world. 

Whether that means connecting with key players or putting together a campaign your focus explains, the top agency has all you need to step in and ensure your project soars. Visit theKollab. Get started with sponsored content and show some love for their marketing prowess in the crypto space.

[ratlombot2]

In Defence of Evil

.

In Defence of Evil “Evil people” are needed! – They are “Vital”! "Goodness" cannot defend itself. It needs ‘evil’ to defend it against other ‘evil’. . Harming a fellow human being, in any way, shape or form, is Always wrong. No exceptions. ALL violence against a fellow human being, in any way, shape or form, is Always wrong. No exceptions. Killing a fellow human being is ALWAYS wrong. Absolutely NO Exceptions! . But if some were not willing to commit the ‘evil’ act of harming and killing other fellow human beings to defend the "good," THEN there would be no ‘good’ people! . …And don’t give me bullshit about what’s “legal” being the same as “what is right”. Because the ‘upper planes’ don’t give a VERY Literal “DAM” whose ‘rag on a stick’ you kill for or what political body ordered you or permitted you to harm other fellow humans. . Those who defend the ‘good’ often condemn themselves to some version of hell so ‘the gentle’, ‘the kind’, ‘the loving’, and ‘the holy’ can be allowed to exist in peace. Their sacrifice is not just their mere lives, Their sacrifice is far more Nobel, and their personal price is far higher and more extreme than just their mere lives. “The defenders of the good” sacrifice their eternal souls. . For those of us born without gentle natures. For those of us born cursed with rage and insanity, For those of us who are able, Both in our natures, abilities and skills to harm other fellow humans. Allowing “gentle good people” to exist and defending the “good people” of this world IS the most important thing a “non-good” person can ever do. . The ‘good’ can NOT defend themselves without becoming either dead or forced into becoming ‘evil’ themselves in their own self-defence, or to defend those that they love. Only the ‘evil’ can shelter them against that fate. Only the ‘evil’ can protect them against other ‘evil’ . The “good” never need to know how they were protected or approve of what some other ‘evil’ people had to do, to make their innocence possible. No acknowledgement or thanks are needed – “the good” simply never needs to ever know, what had to be done! – They must never find out! . “The good” just have to stay “Good”, that’s their job, function and real purpose. . However - The greedy, the selfish, and the mindlessly lustful, don’t care… …And they won't be stopped by ‘kind words’, ‘reason’, ‘conscience’ and ‘begging for mercy’. ‘The greedy’, ‘the selfish’, and ‘the mindlessly lustful’ can only ever be stopped by other ‘evil people’ willing to fight, harm, and force them to stop by any means necessary. – including, unfortunately, sometimes, killing them. Because genuine redemption is hard and very rare. – and hope alone will not protect the innocent who need that protection. . ‘god’ (or whatever it is out there) is a total shithead and an absolute dick for this crappy yet intentional ‘divine’ design. This is heaven's ultimate “Sick Joke” at humanity's expense. But that is not the fault of the “good people” and they should not have to suffer for gods cruelty and heavens gross ironic sarcasm.(Lowercase 'g' on purpose out of intentional disrespect for that wanker) . “The good” still needs to be Ruthlessly protected at Any and All costs. “The good” still needs to be protected whether they want to be protected or approve of how they are protected, or not. They do not get to make that decision – because they are incapable by the very nature of them being “good” of making the correct decision. Others have to make those decisions for them! Others have to be ‘evil’ on their behalf to protect them and allow them to survive and exist. . I may never be able to be ‘good’ There is too much poison and anger there… I can never see heaven – but I can help others get there. . I am willing to spend eternity in hell so others may one day spend eternity in heaven. .

[forffax]

general oc questions: 10 and 20!

Thana: 6, 7, 12, 19

Vague: 12, 15

Mitch: 1, 2, 3, 12 (I KNOW ONE OF THEM AT LEAST LOL)

Niko: 8, 14, 19

THANK U CHASE!!! :]

10. Which of your OCs would be most likely to survive a zombie apocalypse? Which would die immediately?

Zephyr I think would survive through sheer luck but she'd be miserable and sobbing and screaming and throwing up as he miraculously cleared out a whole horde of zombies

Mitch would be patient zero skjdfgs. Brand New Diseases just for you!

20. Which of your OCs would you most like to meet in person, if they could become real (or you could visit them) for a day?

I have thought about this extensively and it is Lux no question. Need to give that man a hug in real life so bad <3 Plus if I got to visit him I'd probably get to meet the rest of the family too and that would be the best thing in the world actually.

Athanasius (she/her)

6. What catalyzed their introduction to the plot?

On a meta level, Thana's been there since the beginning! Within the story, she and Zephyr met by chance n became close almost immediately... and once Jules (Zephyr and Lux's dad) met her and heard abt her circumstances (passed around the adoption and foster care systems her whole life), he started making plans to adopt her formally <3 (this didn't get finalized until after Lux disappeared though...)

7. What attribute of them (some facet of their personality, their history, their look, or whatever etc) would you find most important to somehow preserve if they were transplanted to an AU fanfic?

She is butch forever and ever that is integral to who she is as a person <3 sdjkfgs idk whenever I think abt AUs for my characters they stay very similar personality-wise, I just like Putting Them in New Situations... Thana is always very community/family oriented, and really needs the ability to carve out a space for herself no matter where she is!

12. Has your character committed any crimes (per their universe's laws)? If not, which crime would your character most likely commit?

She's probably gotten a couple speeding tickets, but that's the extent of it! (She's a good driver otherwise sdfhjsjks)

19. Does your character have any health issues, whether they're aware of them or not?

She's got diabetes (type 1) and occasionally gets migraines. She's had diabetes since she was a kid but the migraines didn't start bothering her until she was in her 30s.

Vague (it/they)

12. Has your character committed any crimes (per their universe's laws)? If not, which crime would your character most likely commit?

In Niko's universe? Frequently. It's all off-screen and implied more than anything but since they're functionally unkillable it goes and blows up rich ppl's heads every once in a while <3 Human vague probably just steals from gas stations for no real reason and doesn't do its taxes. Might have gotten into a few fights, but no one's ever pressed charges... also loitering but that's a dumb crime

15. Is your character's first instinct fight or flight? Is there something that could force them to do the opposite?

Vague is v much the type to freeze, assess the situation, and then fight viciously. It would only run away if they felt like they were completely outmatched (not much stimulation in just getting killed instantly) or if someone it cared about was in more pressing danger...

Mitch (he/him)

1. How did you choose their name?

I will be honest. I do not remember how I chose "Mitch" as a name <3 just sounded right I suppose! But I remember picking "Orville" as his alias because it was the dorkiest thing I could think of skjdgfks.

2. Were they created for the story, or was the story created for them?

Mitch's story was created around him! I remember wanting to make an "edgy" oc that morally sucked and then it all kinda spiraled from there <3 v funny 2 me how the story was created for him but Charlie is the real main character now skjdfhs

3. Do they have a love interest, and was that their choice or yours?

Nope! I don't think Mitch is super interested in dating or forming romantic relationships just by the nature of who he is and what he does... He n Lee have fucked around while trying to figure out their relationship 2 each other but they both are kinda ultimately like ew no. they're unhealthily codependent friends and nothing more <3

On a meta level skjdhfgs can u imagine giving this guy a partner. insufferable and also charlie is there standing off to the side on all their dates

12. Has your character committed any crimes (per their universe's laws)? If not, which crime would your character most likely commit?

well,

murder, desecration of a corpse, kidnapping, removal and concealment of bodies, knowingly covering up multiple crimes, petty theft, blackmail... more probably <3

Niko (he/they)

8. If your character's financial situation were to suddenly flip (someone poor becoming rich, someone rich becoming poor, etc), how well would they handle it? What would be the first thing they would do?

Niko's broke as shit throughout most of his story and also under a lot of stress so if they suddenly got a ton of money he'd freak out sdjfjks. But I think they'd secure housing for themselves and their bandmates and make sure they could all focus on their music instead of having to worry about bills and stuff <3 he'd probably donate the rest!

14. How does your character feel about riding horses (or your world's closest approximation of a horse if it lacks horses)?

The idea of real life horses in my all cat furries world is so funny to me. Niko would probably be mildly scared of horses but would enjoy riding them, even if they don't get to very often <3

19. Does your character having any health issues, whether they're aware of them or not?

Niko's got bad knees and arthritis, specifically in his hands (paws?). They wear knee braces under their clothes usually and occasionally he wears compression gloves/bands on his hands/wrists <3

[threew-com]

3W.com: Hybrid wallet creates a secure traffic entrance, and cutting-edge technology applications connect the virtual and real worlds

As a typical traffic entrance for most online services, especially financial business-related application scenarios, wallets are a technology track that leading financial technology companies have focused on in recent years, especially with the rapid development and widespread use of digital wallet technology. The wallet business market has gradually become a battleground for military strategists in the industry. ​ 3W.com noticed that a fresh market news showed that Coinbase, the world’s leading digital currency trading platform, will launch its embedded wallet product as an enterprise-level solution, which will be powered by Coinbase’s “Wallet as a Service” Powered by technology that allows developers to create non-custodial white label crypto wallets. ​ In fact, the embedded wallet that Coinbase will launch this time is already a relatively cutting-edge development and application exploration in this track, and is more suitable for the Web3 environment. Although Web3 has experienced rapid rise and dormancy in the past few years, it has gone out of a certain cycle. , but for the more “mainstream” ordinary people, the understanding of Web3 still lacks a clear outline. The two naturally have higher quality in terms of conceptual understanding, technical background and application accessibility. threshold. ​ At this time, a special wallet with new technology functions becomes a pass for ordinary people in the real world to enter the novel world of Web3. It provides a suitable entrance for Web3 and becomes an important connection between the Web2 and Web3 environments. Through this wallet, users will be able to travel smoothly in the Web3 world and better protect the security of their assets. ​ 3W.com is well aware that wallets not only undertake the function of managing assets in the traditional sense in the Web3 world, but also carry the mission of interacting between humans and the blockchain, and are an essential tool in the Web3 world. And if the wallet threshold cannot be lowered to the point where everyone can easily use it, it will be difficult for Web3 to be popularized. Even if innovative applications emerge in endlessly, it will be difficult to survive without enough users to support it. It can be said that without the existence of wallet products to lower the threshold of use, the cornerstone of the development of the Web3 world will not be stable. ​ After the birth of Ethereum, wallets entered the era of smart contracts. In addition to the initial simple transfer and accounting functions, wallets can also interact with smart contracts. Currently, Web3 wallets have entered the era of multi-scenarios and can support multiple blockchains and It has the ability to manage different assets on multiple chains at the same time. ​ The hybrid wallet product launched by 3W.com — 3W Wallet is one of the few mature application tools on the market that connects Web2 and Web3. It is not only the Web3 identity credential for users to participate in the interaction, but also the user’s legal currency assets and digital assets. A custody/storage account for all assets, capable of realizing diversified functions such as payment transfer, consumption, and transactions. ​ Regardless of whether they are in a Web2 or Web3 environment, 3W.com users, including end users of C-side and B-side customers, can choose to use their blockchain wallet or legal currency wallet for credit card consumption according to their personal needs. ​ Through the hybrid wallet application function of the 3W.com technology platform, all users can use decentralized wallets within the 3W.com platform application to deposit and withdraw cryptocurrency assets, NFT, etc. 3W Wallet uses ERC-4337 abstract account technology, so that users no longer need mnemonic words or worry about losing their private keys. They can use various services in the blockchain very conveniently and experience the wonders of the Web3 world.

[basicsofislam]

BASICS OF ISLAM: Fasting: On Fasting&Self-control.Part2

As far as the social dimension is concerned, fasting is a way of experiencing hunger and developing sympathy for the less fortunate and thus learning thankfulness and appreciation for all of God’s bounties. Fasting increases people’s sympathy and compassion for those who have been deprived of their daily means of survival.

Although everybody knows, in an abstract sense, that there are people who suffer from hunger and poverty around the world, this knowledge may not be great enough to have an impact on our daily behavior. During the fast of Ramadan, this knowledge is internalized, because we now not only know that there are hungry people, but we have a glimpse into their experience of hunger. This deeper, internalized knowledge helps us minimize wastefulness and to sincerely do our best to help those in need.

Ramadan is also a time of generosity.

People are more generous, more cordial, and more ready than at other times of the year to do good and charitable work. Muslims often invite one another, friends and guests, Muslims and non-Muslims, in particular neighbors, regardless of creed, to share the evening meal and exchange gifts and best wishes.

Fasting establishes a continuity of practice with religions such as Judaism and Christianity, in which fasting is recognized as an important element of devotion to God. The very verse in the Qur’an that commands Muslims to fast reminds them of this connection:

“O you who believe! Fasting is prescribed on you just as it was prescribed on the people before you.”

The spiritual dimension

In the spiritual dimension, fasting during Ramadan is an act of obedience.

It leads to sincere thankfulness, which is the heart of worship.

It also empowers our spiritual side over our physical tendencies. If we imagine our body as a vessel, such as a ship, our mind, heart and carnal desires are like hands that are trying to control this vessel. Fasting weakens the effect of the carnal self and strengthens the effects of the mind and the heart on the control of the body.

The experience of hunger in fasting breaks the illusory lordship of the carnal self, or ego, and, reminding the carnal self of its innate helplessness, convinces it that it is only a servant. Self consciousness, or the notion of “I,” is part of the “trust” that has been given to humans as the vicegerents of God on earth [The Qur’an, Ahzab 33:72].

“The All-Wise Creator entrusted each human being with an ego that has clues and examples that urge and enable them to recognize the truths about the attributes of the Lord of Creation and His essential qualities. Ego is the measure that makes known the qualities of His Lordship and the functions of His Divinity.”

Although God is closer to us than our jugular vein [The Qur’an], His names and attributes cannot be fully comprehended as they are infinite and we are finite, mortal, limited creatures. The virtual attributes that God gives us can serve as units of measure for comparison and for a better appreciation of God’s names and attributes.

It may be asked “Why did God make our ego a means to know His attributes and names?”

We answer this question as follows:

An absolute and all-encompassing entity has no limits or terms, and therefore cannot be shaped or formed, and cannot be determined in such a way that its essential nature can be comprehended. For example, light undetermined by darkness cannot be known or perceived. However, light can be determined if a real or hypothetical boundary line of darkness is drawn. In the same way, the Divine Attributes and Names (e.g., Knowledge, Power, Wisdom, and Compassion) cannot be determined, for they are all-encompassing and have no limits or like. Thus what they essentially are cannot be known or perceived. A hypothetical boundary is needed for them to become known.

[sassypotatoe1]

Look I've noticed that the "all human life has intrinsic value because they're human and exist and your value should not be based on your material contributions to society" are also starting to trend towards "you're a coward if you step back from activism because you're taking care of yourself you don't really care about x group you're just performative" and while I can absolutely understand the latter, and there is a trend among cis white allies to only participate in activism that's low effort and looks good for them while not bothering to address implicit bias, there's also the very real intersectional problem of compassion fatigue.

I suffer from it frequently, I learned about performative activism years ago and decided that my voice is no more import than other voices on issues I do face, but even less important than other voices on issues I don't face. I try my best to approach my activism from an angle of uplifting other voices instead of raising my own.

I also get frustrated and exhausted and literally suicidal if I spend too much time in a cycle of righteous outrage for myself or others. If you spend so much time looking at voices against you or the people you care about, getting angry at them, trying to fix things, your view of the world becomes one of victimization. You start to feel like the entire world hates you and hates each other and it'll never get fixed so what's the point?

It's important when this happens to take a step back. Enjoy company in your communities, partake in entertainment, play, companionship. Stop fighting for a while. Maintained high levels of cortisol can cause literal brain damage that you need to physically recover from if you want to be functional, and you need to be functional if you want to keep fighting, because the alternative is ending it because you have no hope and the world losing another person that cares and wants to help.

I understand the frustration with people dropping out of the fight, especially people who were very vocal and loud about their support, but denoting all people who take a step back to cowards that are performative disregards the real impact of prolonged participation in a fight over human rights. The people that empathize with you can do so because they also often face some kind of oppression.

A poc can't step back from experiencing racism, a queer person can't step back from experiencing queerphobia, a woman can't step back from experiencing sexism, a poor person can't step back from experiencing poverty, an abuse victim can't step back from being abused, a disabled person can't step back from being disabled, a chronically ill person can't step back from being chronically ill. Stepping back from fighting everyone's fights to keep yourself alive will not take away the oppression you face yourself, but will help make the load lighter for a bit.

When a person steps back from public activism for their health, they're not abandoning the experience of oppression in favor of privilege. They're making sure they survive long enough to continue to bring value (the value of existence) to this world.

If we truly believe all life has value, we need to allow that life to preserve itself, or we'll just lose people on our side until we're all dead from this fight and the oppressors win.

[fathimapatel]

Maternal and Child health care in the community

I used to believe that life was like a fairytale, that when a woman fell pregnant, it was because she wanted to have a child, she chose to start a family and was overjoyed that she was bringing into the world a human being. When I read that in 2020, every 2 minutes a mother died, I was mortified and soon realized that pregnancy is no walk in the park (WHO, 2023). Instead, it has a lasting impact on a woman, on her body, her mental state, her physical state, and there are a lot of financial implications that are to be considered as well, and once a child is born, there is much more impact on a woman, as a mother.

Working in the health sciences, I come across many women and children, some healthy, others not so much and it made me realise that maternal health is vitally important. If a mother is healthy, it has a ripple effect on the child, making child health care just as important.

What is maternal health care, and why is it so important? The World Health Organisation defines maternal health as “the health of women during pregnancy, childbirth, and during the postnatal period(WHO, 2023)."

Maternal health is vitally important as it aims to educate women and mothers, on risk factors during pregnancy and childbirth, for them to know what to expect and how to prepare themselves, mentally and physically. It provides them with information on typical child development, what to look out for if they are worried their child is not meeting certain developmental milestones, and who to consult if they are concerned about their child’s development.

Maternal health also includes the basic skills needed for taking care of a child, for example, how to feed a child, how to bathe a child, and how to swaddle a child. It also prepares a mother for what she possibly needs to care for her child. For example, a child will need diapers, clothes, food or formula, warmth, and stable home. It prepares women on how to support their children financially and emotionally.

During childbirth, the hospital ensures that both mom and baby are well, however, once mom and baby are discharged, that is when the real test begins. Post-natal maternal health is just as important as a woman’s health during pregnancy and childbirth. It takes 6 weeks from the day of discharge, until the next check-up for both baby and mom, which is a long time. It is a time when mom will find her sea legs and baby will adapt to the outside world. These 6 weeks and after are important for a child’s development and a mother’s mental health.

Mothers often feel overwhelmed by their new role and often go into post-natal depression as a result. This has a ripple effect on babies as they are not being cared for by their mothers. Sometimes, a mother is unable to produce milk for her child and falls into post-natal depression as a result. This is where maternal health is important as it provides a mother with the necessary knowledge on what to do if she is in this particular situation and whom to seek help from if faced with such challenges (Loesche, 2018).

Although there has been progress in children's survival rates over the past 2 decades, at least 5.3 million children under the age of five died in the year 2018, with nearly half of these deaths originating from sub-Saharan Africa (WHO, 2023). This tells us that it is extremely important for a child to receive adequate health care at all times.

Child health care can be defined by physical, mental, intellectual, social, and emotional well-being and not just the absence of disease or disability (Health Workgroup, 2007). Child health care is vitally important for the development of children, for them to be able to function in the real world, be able to attend school, and be aware of their surroundings. Child health care is important for their physical health, disease prevention, and their safety against infection. Child health care is also important to ensure that they live in a secure environment and that they have the necessary skills to attend school, that they are socially and emotionally secure and healthy (M. Choudhury, 2023).

Within the community practice of Occupational Therapy, there are many barriers to ensuring that mothers and children receive excellent health care. Most mothers are working mothers, single mothers, have 2 or more other children, and most mothers receive a basic grant for their children, making it impossible to provide the necessities for their children once they are born. The expectations of their role as a mother in the society they reside in can cause mothers to feel overwhelmed and depressed most of the time. Some mothers often neglect their children and are often not aware that they are doing so. The sad reality is that older children become parents to their younger siblings, which creates a vicious cycle of neglect. Some children are also a result of unwanted pregnancies, which result in neglect from childbirth, which has a ripple effect on a child’s development.

Within the context of the Kenville Community, most mothers and children are from low-income households, with little to no access to necessities. This makes it difficult for children to receive adequate nutrients for optimal growth and most mothers are burned out from working long hours, earning a minimum wage, and not having enough money to take care of their child. Most mothers also receive a basic grant for their children, which is not enough to cover the costs of childcare. Many mothers wait in long queues at the local clinic to be seen by a nurse if their child is sick or to collect medication. Children have to take time out of school to receive their vaccinations and often come with other family members or friends to the clinic as their mothers are either working or neglecting the child’s health. Due to a lack of finances, most mothers choose to ignore certain red flags in their children, as they are afraid of the costs that will come with their children receiving optimal health care.

This is where health promotion and screening play a huge role. Through health promotion and screening, therapists and other medical professionals can provide both mothers and children with the health care that they require. Often these services are at no additional cost, which makes it affordable for mothers and children to receive the intervention and treatment that they require.

Let us not forget what Ralph Waldo Emerson said about health, “ The first wealth is health!” As health care professionals, it is our responsibility to ensure that both maternal and child health care is done correctly and as appropriately and accurately as possible, to give wealth to communities that lack the most basic foundation of life, health!

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References

Education, M. S. (2023). Division of Early Childhood. Retrieved 07 25, 2023, from Supporting Childcare and early learning: https://earlychildhood.marylandpublicschools.org/why-child-care-and-early-education-so-important#:~:text=High%2Dquality%20child%20care%20keeps,Social%2C%20emotional%20and%20communication%20skills

Loesche, S. (2018, 06 26). Maternal Health and Occupational Therary: Exploring our role with new mothers. Retrieved 07 26, 2023, from OccupationalTherapy.come: https://www.occupationaltherapy.com/articles/maternal-health-and-occupational-therapy-4385

Organisation, W. H. (2023). Retrieved 07 25, 2023, from Maternal Health: https://www.who.int/health-topics/maternal-health#tab=tab_1

Organisation, W. H. (2023, 02 22). Retrieved 07 25, 2023, from Maternal Mortality: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/maternal-mortality

Organisation, W. H. (2023). Retrieved 07 26, 2023, from Child- Mortality/ causes of death: https://platform.who.int/data/maternal-newborn-child-adolescent-ageing/child-data/child---mortality-causes-of-death

Workgroup, H. (2007). Retrieved 07 25, 2023, from Child Health- Definition: chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://www.azftf.gov/WhoWeAre/Board/Documents/Program%20Committee/Health/January%2013,%202011%20Meeting%20-%20Health/07%20Child%20Health%20Definition%20Recommendation.pdf