#even if the results wont happen within my lifetime

[nabaath-areng]

Other thing that happened today was that one of the red kites that hang around in the pastures flew RIGHT above us while tending to the hives, the WING SPAN is absolutely incredible at that close distance!!!

And the blue tits and woodpeckers that live in our garden also kept us company just watching as we worked while munching their food...

Usually birds can pose a risk to bees by trying to break into the hives, but here everyone just co-exist peacefully.

... Except for last year when the blue tits and flugsnappare (idk english name) fought about WHO should get to claim the bird houses. Which was funny cause there's room for all of you here!!! This year they've reconciled and are just chilling...

I feel so blessed honestly to have been born into this life? Modernization and industrialization made traditional farms nearly impossible to run, but I love to feel so connected to it and my family even though it runs differently now. Centuries of farmers leading up to this and I wouldn't trade it for the world.

We had to give up on the cows and chickens when I was very young, but maybe one day it will be possible to do small scale farming like this again in general.

[asha-mage]

WoT Meta: 'Salvation and Rebirth'

One thing that is fascinating to me about The Wheel of Time is that, despite the fact that the two of the biggest influences on Robert Jordan's cosmology are traditional Hinduism and Protestant theology (in general but especially American Protestantism), as near as I have been able to determine on my 20+ re-reads his world has neither a concept of karma or heaven.

Karma- the belief that your deeds in your current life will impact your rebirth in your next life (to vastly simplify)- is very Big Deal in Hinduism (and several other related religions, such as Buddhism- another big influence on Jordan's cosmology) and yet it is entirely absent from anyone's belief system in the WoT. No one seems to attach strongly to the idea that terrible deeds in your past life might be the source of your misfortune in this one, or that the reason to do good things in this life is to ensure a better rebirth next time. People hope for rebirth into a better life all the time, but they treat this as a capricious whim of fate, not something their actions might reasonably impact.

Interestingly though, some characters do subscribe to semi-related idea, not from Hinduism, but Christianity: Godly living. This is the idea that all troubles are self inflicted, and that if you just work hard, live virtuously, and embrace God ('walk in the light') nothing bad will happen to you ('you wont attract the Dark One's attention'). But their is no serious suggestion that this might be tied to past or future lives, and also the series takes great pains to demonstrate that it's wrong. Bad things happen to seemingly good people all the time (including Our Heroes), and if their is rhyme or reason to be found in it, it's usually the result of a working of fate so vast that the characters involved can not perceive it with their limited knowledge and view. This is one of those central themes of the series that I find so compelling and one Moiraine lays out in TDR (and during her confrontation with Logain in the show): The Wheel itself is not good or evil, it just is, and it weaves fate to a design so intricate and so massive that the human lives pulled about within it are given as much care as....well, as the loom gives to a single strand in a tapestry.

In the same vein the idea of a heaven- an enteral paradise, even just an intermediate one between rebirths, is also absent from Jordan's world building. Their is a belief that your soul will return to the nebulous 'Light' upon death if you where a good person and be taken by the Dark One if you where a bad, but no one seems to equate the 'returning to the Light' with being rewarded for good actions with a paradise where all their desires and needs will be meet, and where they get to chill out until, presumably, its time to be reborn. The idea of Heaven- that earthly suffering being rewarded after death with eternal salvation is a Big Deal in pretty much all Christianity but especially Protestantism, which fundamentally is/was about the idea that salvation could not be gate kept by earthly institutions and was solely the providence of God to deny or grant. The closest you get in Jordan's world any kind of afterlife is the World of Dreams, where the Heroes of the Horn (and only the Heroes) await their rebirth. But that can't properly be called a Heaven- not when nightmares walk it, and the conflicts of the living world can easily, and frequently do, seep inside. Not to mention any mortal can reach it without having to die- by just going to sleep.

And which, on that note, the very idea of the Heroes of the Horn is contradictory to the idea of an eternal salvation. In a system where their is salvation after death, the Heroes would be rewarded for their valor and heroism with eternal peace. Instead their reward is endless lifetimes of adventure, which means endless conflict but also endless legends and stories, as well as the chance to keep making the world better, righting wrongs and putting fate back on track. In this way the Heroes of the Horn are clearly inspired by the idea of the Dashavatara from Hinduism- mortal incarnations born specifically right the ship of cosmic order when fate/the world is getting out of whack. But interestingly, in Hinduism the Dashavataras (and the other avatars) are all Gods taking mortal flesh, and so inherently divine. This is an idea, once again, that many people in Jordan's world believe to be true (most notably the Prophet and his followers) but isn't- Rand isn't the Creator in the flesh, or a vessel of the Light. He's just a person, one whose heroic nature and kind heart earned him a place as a Hero of the Horn, but still mortal beneath all else that he is. And that fallibility, that reality that he isn't a God, that he can bled, be hurt, die, even turn to the Shadow- is a core part of understanding Rand's character arc.

One final thought on this (and the thing that started me thinking on the subject to begin with since The Fires of Heaven is where we are introduced to this idea for the first time in the books): there is something incredibly fascinating to me that to the characters in Jordan's world, the highest and most sacred oath you can swear is on 'your hope of salvation and rebirth'- which taken in the lens of our world are two fundamentally opposed ideas. For Christians salvation is eternal- the salvation of the immortal soul in Heaven free from earthly suffering. In Hinduism, rebirth by definition means continuation on earth, a chance to redeem past mistakes, to better the world, to make new good karma that will enrich your fate.

And yet, the characters in Randland don't view them as contradictory (or if someone does we never hear them voice that thought). Which makes me suspect that salvation and rebirth refers to the Prophecies of the Dragon and the hope they will come true. Salvation in this context is not the salvation of the soul, but the salvation of the world, the wheel, the pattern, fate- saved to continue on into eternity. Rebirth refers the hope you will get to be reborn again- which would only be denied to a person should the Dark One triumph and remake the world....or maybe even the hope that the Dragon will be reborn to save the world, to bring salvation to earth.

That would mean the oath came from a time when the Prophecies where fresh and new, before False Dragons tore countries asunder in wars and before hatred and fear of the Dragon had time to embed itself.

But by then, as often happens we are told, the origins, the why, where forgotten, even the tradition remained, and so no one realizes that, to this day, the most sacred of oaths, including the Three Oaths of Aes Sedai, are sworn in the name of the Dragon and on the hope of his coming.

[poolofthoughtsbyclaire]

Hi! You can call me Claire. It’s not my actual name tho. I’d like to hide my real identity by that name. You know, to keep things private.

Growing up, I was the type of person who’s life was known by the most. At least for me, I think. I’m the type of person who willingly shares every story of my life to a friend, schoolmate, and even to a stranger. I grew up having the feeling that I need to tell people what’s going on in my life and now that I have grown up, I realized that it wasnt right. I grew up with fear that people are judging me for what I do and who I am and so I put a lot of pressure on myself which resulted to a chaotic version of me.

I realized that life doesnt always have to be shared. People dont have to know what you’re up to? They wont even care! So why bother sharing?

Maybe because it made me relevant to those people I want in my life. But growing up, people leaving you is inevitable because that’s just how things work. People arent always meant to stay in your life, and it’s okay. Its okay, you’ll be fine. I grew up with people knowing little snippets of my life and built an image of me in their perspective without truly knowing the real me. They know certain things about me without learning the truth behind, the real story behind. And what’s sad is that, those people I was talking about are the people I have known to be my friends. (IDK if Im making sense right now, it’s currently 12:51 AM and im kinda sleepy typing this so I might have to edit this).

Despite troubles in the past, I have this urge within me to share my story. Not to influence others with my wrongdoings but to inspire, I guess? To let someone out there know that they are not alone. We might have different stories to tell but if you’re like me that finds it hard to cope up with life then I’m glad to tell you that you’re not alone in this dark world. Long story short, Im a problematic person who overshares every tiny details of her life to people who dont give a fuck about me and is now regretting that she did cus it turned out that they werent real to me but despite all those things she still wants to tell the world the life she lived just because she wants to be remembered for who she is. And that’s why I created this page.

Also, there are things that I wanted to remember as long as I live but my brain’s not doing its job anymore so Im placing it somewhere it can be preserved for a lifetime.

Few things to know about me is first, I’m not straight. I’ve tried to be but being fit to the social norm isnt really for me. So if you’re a homophobe, please leave this safe space 1of mine. Second, I’m closeted so, whatever written/posted here arent guaranteed to be known by all in my world. Let’s just say that people around me are mostly homophobe, including my family. So, if it so happens that you know me in the real world, do me a favor and never speak of this to anyone. Thank you! :) Third, I have a very disturbing and messy past. So, I figured that one of the reasons I made this page is for me to unfold mysteries of my life and somehow accept what it is or maybe overcome things that have been troubling me. Seriously, IDK.

[tierneytherapysblog]

As Tom Hanks said in that movie.. Philadelphia.. .Explain It To Me As though I Am A Child!!

As Tom Hanks said in that movie.. Philadelphia.. .Explain It To Me As though I Am A Child!!

TIERNEY THERAPY

It just doesn’t make sense, not to me anyway. we only have one shot at life.. These 24 hours …Life is for living these 24 hours right now; we have no power over the past, we cannot change what has happened, in any way and although we can make plans for the future ,we have no control over it either. So, why does the mental health industry promote clients should revisit past trauma events; experience triggers associate with such events; when the truth is, what happened in the past didn’t happen to the client, couldn’t have happened to the client, because none of us can be the same person today as in the past. We have experienced life on life’s terms and this has changed us.

My biggest concern is ‘‘who benefits from creating a scenario where the clients are coerced into enduring their history in the present’’?

It certainly doesn’t improve the quality of life for the client.

It does however provide a steady repeat business for many facets of the mental health industry, therapists, hospital, institutions, and pharmaceutical companies.

Following on from the NLP exercise I shared in my last blog post, one can see that what they are suffering, enduring in their lives from the past; from their history; is not theirs to fix; they were not asked to fix or seek justice for it; their past aspects suffered that event for them so that they would live adventurous lives off the back of the trauma event their past aspects suffered for them.

This being the truth of it; in the same way; it is my goal that future aspects of me do not suffer what I am facing today. I would not want that, that a future aspect of me, would suffer this for a second time. This time is solely mine, all of this is mine, and I am dealing with it. i may not handle it as well as i might with hindsight, but I am not asking for help in the future. I don't want future aspects of me to waste away their lives, suffering and enduring my troubles and challenges in their lifetimes; that is not the deal.

I am suffering and enduring and living my life with all its ups and downs, challenges failures and successes so that, all future aspects of me will live more fulfilling lives.

In the future, when you look back on my life, and my trauma event, don't look back with pity, the truth is I am a warrior, a survivor, I beat my demons, I survived my demons. I didn’t give up, I didn’t take my own life, I went through this for you.

Know, I don't need you to suffer this past event for me, when you do this, you are in fact, paying tribute to my abusers, honoring them; and that is not right or fair to me.

Unknowingly you are adding insult to injury when you keep my trauma event alive, even though I suffered it and survived it, so that you would be free.

As for justice for me, don’t let it bother you, right now I am surrounded my a whole Host of God’s Angels, keeping me safe and I know, that when my abusers come to meet The Maker, they will burn in the fires of hell for eternity, a fate I wouldn’t wish on anyone, but that is The Price They Will Pay For Harming A Child Of God.

So find a way to give me back my burden, my history so that you can bless me with a gift of living your life today as a descendant of a warrior-survivor.

You are not suffering from a disorder.

You are suffering from a Spiritual Malady, attempting to process an event that isn’t your to heal.

As it is a part of our history, it is not tangible, therefore it is spiritual and when you can accept and embrace this truth, you are ready to accept and embrace it has a spiritual solution.

There comes a time when you accept the insanity of repeating the same therapy and medication solution, over and over expecting different results and become open to the idea that there is an easier softer way.

I can’t suffer your pain for you and you can’t suffer my pain for me!

Neither can you suffer the pain on any loved one, especially someone in your history!

It is your job to live your life today, to the fullest, in honor of what others suffered for you; giving you this life.

Isn’t it time, for you to live your life; to be a part of life; free of the past; of the nightmares and flashbacks; the night terrors; casting out demons that were never yours in the first place; no longer triggered by people, places, things, sounds, noises; colors; thunder & lightning.

To be able to look back on your history and when anyone asks you about it you can say:

‘’Yes, what happened to that child was a terrible thing, it should never have happened, but I am so very proud of them, they suffering it showed great courage, strength and will to survive.’’

and when they ask you how did that make you feel?

you can reply :

‘’I really feel for that child, angry that they were not protected better, but they got through it, for me and it is my goal to live my life fully for them’’

To be able to show appreciation to your younger self; within your heart, mind and soul; dedicating your life, to that part of you, to rise up like A Phoenix From Their Ashes and to truly live and enjoy your life for them.

By embracing a spiritual solution, you give back all of this baggage and burden to it’s rightful owner, that you are never triggered by any of it again.

Remember, if I break my leg, you putting your leg in a cast and taking medication for it, wont help my broken leg in any way; at the same time, this behavior will damage you Mentally, Emotionally, Physically and Spiritually; even though well intended.

There is only one person on this earth who can heal you, you only need learn how.

There is only one way you can process, heal and release your past, to be free to truly live your life today as God intended, and that is through a Spiritual Solution.

Your domain, where you are not powerless is in these 24 hours. This is the gift your past aspect created for you by surviving their trauma event and you owe it to them, to embrace this gift by becoming a part of the solution and no longer a part of the problem.

[campnorthstarmaineme]

Best Summer Camps In Maine

Best Summer Camps In Maine

Camp north Star Maine

Advantages Of Camp.

Develops Lifelong Skills.

Promotes     Independence.

Makes Time for Play.

Teaches Teamwork.

Fosters Growth.

Self-Respect.

Packing.

Safety Skills.

Map Skills and Orienteering.

Foraging.

Improved memory.

More Exercise.

Reduced Stress.

How do i do know when my child is prepared for camp?

There is no specific age that's ideal for starting camp. Making the choice about whether or not your child is prepared for camp depends on the sort of camp you're considering. additionally , your child’s unique development should be a robust indicator of when your child is prepared to travel to camp. it's an honest idea to contact the camp directors at camps you're considering to urge their perspectives on the kinds of milestones that your child should achieve before she attends a specific camp.

Why is camp so important?

Although each camp is different, when talking with campers, parents, and camp staff, there are common themes that continually come up when talking about the advantages of camp . camp may be a special sort of community where kids close to possess fun. Within the camp setting, children develop a way of independence as they struggle new adventures faraway from home. Summer camps are known for providing a secure environment where children gain self-confidence as they learn new skills. Camp is additionally an area where children develop a spread of social skills (e.g., communication, conflict resolution ability). For more information about the advantages of camp for teenagers , inspect the results of a landmark research study on the positive outcomes experienced by kids at summer camps across the us .

We provide Different type’s of camp Like:-

Sleepaway Camp, Summer Camp, Overnight Camp, Sport Camp, Boys & Girl Camp.

Activities Performed In Best Sleepaway Camps.

1. Teamwork.

Summer camps specialise in a good sort of physical, interpersonal and character-related skills that your child will draw on long after camp is over.For example, summer camps are heavily focused on team-related activities. Be it happening a hike through the woods, learning to pitch camp, or competing in team-orientated tasks, instructors always ensure there's a skill-building focus.

2. New Hobbies.

As a parent, you’ve probably spent countless hours encouraging your child to require part in various sporting, creative, or artistic pursuits. Where camp can assistance is by truly unearthing a brand-new area where a toddler excels. At camp , a toddler will get to undertake their hand at an entire host of activities. A fun environment where kids of any skill level can learn; the right environment where children can find heir niche at camp .

3. Makes Time for Play.

During the varsity year, children are wont to the routine of creating it to high school on time, doing homework then getting to bed. Some may engage in extracurricular activities. Although still structured, camp is more relaxed than the varsity routine and provides time and freedom for spontaneous play.

What's the Next Step?

The benefits of summer camp or overnight camp are endless and may last a lifetime. Not only will your child return from camp with greater independence and a stronger sense of identity, but they're going to even have developed new skills, made new friends and created memories they're going to cherish forever.

[narintheitarael]

Being True

Narin woke in the saddle with a start to the sound of Acinovath chuckling beside him. It was a strange feeling, not knowing where he was. Llamrei had kept true though, with no need for guidance from Vath as they rode. With a soft groan, Narin reached up, wiping the sleep from his eyes as he cleared his throat.

“How far are we?”

“Just an hour or so more. I’m afraid you missed the more scenic parts of the ride.” 

A derisive snort from Narin was the only reply Vath got. Stretching, Narin looked around him. Acinovath had been right. They were in the Plaguelands now, nearing the border of Quel’thalas. 

Nearing home.

Acinovath shifted in his saddle, finally breaking the silence between them as he was wont to do. Ever charismatic, the other Ren’dorei was like a brother to Narin, the closest thing to family he had left any longer. 

“Tell me of her. The girl you mentioned before you fell asleep.”

Narin took a soft breath. He’d been expecting this, and felt the words came easily to him.

“She is clever. Beautiful. She has a strong will, like you and I, though perhaps could use a bit of tempering where that is concerned. Something that you and I are both familiar with.” His voice came softly as he spoke, thoughts and memories passing behind his eyes, never ending, but a continuous stream of one happy thought to the next. “She will do great things, and I consider myself lucky to be at her side and to have her at mine. I have trepidation's but they are mine to resolve.” 

Acinovath smiled softly as his friend spoke, nodding along in understanding. “She sounds lovely, truly Narinthei. Have you told her of your doubts?”

Narinthei straightened in the saddle, shifting a quick glance in Vath’s direction. “Of course I have. Some of them at least.”

“And why not all of them?”

“I enjoy what we have, and I would not sully it chasing shadows.”

“And what do you have then, Narinthei? A lie, and nothing more. You speak so highly of her, yet you will not trust her with all of you. You are not protecting her, you are safeguarding yourself.” Acinovath closed his eyes with a nod, lifting a hand to cut off Narin’s retort before it could even begin. “A feeling that I understand all too well, but you must let it go. Be honest, and most of all, be faithful to who I know you to be. Who you know you to be. This though? This is not you. You have not been the same since you met Aredhele. I know she got her hooks into you, how you twisted and broke yourself to try to please her. Let those wounds heal.”

A heavy sigh was all that was given in response. The rest of the ride was in relative silence, broken here and there by occasional small talk, observations and recollections of the land they passed through, remembered in happier times.

After a short time, they’d reached the edge of what had once been Nairn’s ancestral home. From beneath his shirt, Narin pulled a small pendant. Chatter and the sounds of servants going about their tasks could be heard beyond the gates, the sounds of a House going about its day. As he lifted the pendant, the gates shifted, unlocking and slowly swinging open to allow him entrance. In that same moment, the sounds of life from within died. Once their horses were through, Narin lifted the pendant once more, causing the gates to close and secure behind them. While there was silence within, from the outside, the sounds of life and a House about its business could once again be heard.

Stabling the horses, the two Ren’dorei made their way to Narin’s fathers gardens. A few weeds had started to take root, but the two worked together and in a short time had the garden in order once more. Acinovath left Narin to finish, going to find food for the two of them, giving Narin time to his own thoughts. Tending the roses was always his favorite task when he returned home. It brought him closer to his mother and father he felt. He’d had to scale back the size of the gardens considerably, to something he could manage on his own, otherwise he’d have time for nothing else. Still, the idea that his own gardens had sprung forth from these pleased him. Not only in that he had managed to coax the life forward elsewhere, but that should something happen to the estate here, his fathers labor of love would not cease to exist. 

That idea brought forth another, as Narin looked towards the direction of the gates. So far they’d been left alone, but he did not doubt that one day someone would come, seeking something. He was no enchanter, but his father had spent a lifetime pouring his magics into the gems he cut. It had been no small feat for him to protect their home with the enchantments on the gates, but he had managed it all the same. Narin knew they would not last forever though. One day they would fail, and his private escape would be exposed to the world.

Finished with his task, he sought Acinovath out, finding him with two cups of tea, one for each, and a fresh loaf of warm bread to split. “I will never understand how this works. How long has this bread been here? I know it’s been since, at the very least, the last time we were here.”

“My father was an enchanter. Keeping food fresh is among the smallest of feats he accomplished within these walls.”

A small meal consumed, they made their way to the entrance hall. A grand staircase swept through the center, leading to the upper floors where the bedrooms and his father’s office sat. Their task called them here though. Moving to the bottom of the staircase, Narin gave Acinovath his fathers signet and they each took up a post at the ends of the banisters. Small glowing runes ran the length of the railing, wrapping about the end posts, though on each post there was one, inset into the stonework. Taking his mothers signet ring, Narin and Acinovath pressed their respective rings into the small divots. The runes running the length of the railings flared red, before settling to a soft yellow, and the very center of the staircase dropped inwards, revealing a set of steps down.

 The steps wound down, deep beneath the surface, finally opening into a small walkway set into the wall, a stone railing keeping those who entered from falling to their death to the floor deep below. As they entered, torches sprang to life, illuminating the dark vault. 

Bookcases holding the tomes his father had learned his crafts from stood in rows. Shelves holding all manner of trinkets and gems, some enchanted, some simply art, lined the walls, with little room between them for more. At the back of the vault, a small staircase down led to what had once been a small pool, now emptied to hold raw gems that his father never got to work on. Chests filled with gold and jewelry sat stacked orderly along the walls here. None of this mattered to Narin though. Not in this moment at least. He had come for a single reason.

Acinovath let out a small gasp as the lights illuminated the riches, his eyes moving from shelf to shelf as they descended into the larger of the two vaults. “This is where your wealth comes from? You never told me...”

“No. Well, some of it. Most of what I have now is the result of my work with the Caravan, though I did take some gold from the lower vault to help supply them. I did not like taking anything from here. It didn’t feel right. This is the result of my mother and father’s work. This is not mine.”

Along the wall, beneath the walkway and staircase down, sat a series of empty shelves. The only ones in the entire room, they stood out in a very obvious way. Moving to them, Narin pressed his hand down upon the fourth one up, and his foot to the one second from the floor. In unison the shelves shifted down at an angle, and the wall, shelves and all, swung inwards, revealing a hidden room.

No torches came to life as they entered. Narin knew this place though. He didn’t need a light to tell him where to go, or what he would see. A short walk through a dark hallway later, the room opened up before them. Pausing, Narin removed the matchbox Mary had given him, running his thumb over the relief of the rabbit burned into it. Striking a match, he crouched, dropping it into a small basin to the right of the archway they’d come through. The oil in the basin caught, spreading fire in a circle around the room, shining light on what treasure it held. 

These were what Narin had come for. At the center of the room, well away from the river of oil that ran the circumference of the room, sat two stands. On the first sat a set of golden armor, bearing all the trappings of a crusader. This armor had seen Narin through many of his worst fights. It had protected him through Icecrown and the Broken Shore. His hands gently brushed over the plates in an almost intimate manner, knowing each score and mark and where they’d come from. He rested his hand on the breastplate, nodding gently to himself. “Take this, Acinovath. It’s what we came for.” 

As Acinovath began to gather the armor, Narin moved to the other stand. Here was hung a bow and quiver. His mothers bow and quiver. His fingers danced gently along the graceful curve of the wood, remembering his lessons with her as a child. He remembered the day she left, carrying this weapon with her. He remembered the day it was returned to himself and his father without her. He moved his hand to the quiver, brushing his thumb over the feathered fletching she used. Swallowing hard over the lump in his throat, Narin lifted the bow and quiver from the stand, slipping the bow over his back and buckling the quiver to his waist. “Come. Let’s be done with this place.” 

Returning to the surface, Narin closed all passages behind them, making sure each was sealed before moving on. Securing the armor to Llamrei, the two mounted and made their way back out the gates of the estate. As they closed behind them, the sounds of life from within sprang forth once more, giving the illusion of a House full of life instead of shadows.

[leviathiane]

SHOW US YOUR WROR RAW UNPROCESSED WHOLE GRAIN ORGANIC NOTES

this is going to be a long-ass post i am so sorry to Everyone! i take a lot of notes.

So, as You specifically know (as well as all of my lovely Soggers) I take a LOT of notes. Obsessively. I write fucking everything bc i have very little memory and very much paranoia. This results in literal Piles of notes. Raw planning, on paper, on my phone– doodles of scenes im brainstorming, bulletpoints, entire SCRIPTS– it’s all there but scattered (I’ve got scenes planned in the margins of my goddamn anthropology notes and deciphering it was a NIGHTMARE) 

I won’t even upload all the photos of my writing notebook, because itd be like 50 pages of illegible nonesense. but heres a couple of planning phase pages. (may be hard to read, I dropped this notebook both into some tidepools, into a creek on campus, and accidentally leaked my waterbottle onto it in my backpack :/) 

if you can’t tell already, yes they all look exactly like this. Some are even more illegible, because I wrote them with the notebook half under my actual class notes. Because i wrote most of them in class. During lectures. And pretending very badly that i was not doing exactly that. (pay attention in class please i got away with this bc i was filling up elective units) 

I’m also flat out MISSING a large portion of my notes bc some of it? isnt even in the damn notebook. its on a sheet of binder paper, or on the empty back of an assignment. I’ve now lost most of those notes, but the ones i do still have are just as (even more, actually) indecipherable chicken scratch: 

Wow, how clean and tidy and easy to follow! i am in hell. 

and this doesnt mention the PAGES and PAGES of outlines that are on my laptop, and the pages of outlined scenes that are on the notes app of my phone. if i put them all, you would have entire chapter spoilers up to the very end of the story so i cant post a lot of them– and also theres just a goddamn lot of them. currently i have 16 pages of outlining. There are no spacing breaks. It is a solid 16 page block of text. Looking at it gives me a migraine. 

some assorted notes which i have dredged up from the deleted parts of the main draft google doc go all the way back to when i started Wror in June and they are Barely more readable than my handwriting on sheer account of: articulation is not my strength. These include: 

“Ch 8 plan: sabo gets trained specially, awakens his armament haki, beats ace in a bunch of spars and proves himself to be anything but vulnerable. The boys are like “we fucking recognize that technique ryu taught you before us!!” and goad ryu into finally starting them both on basic haki training, just to awaken it, since sabo already has. Also this is the chapter that ace finally confronts ryu for his devil fruit after ryu confirms that some devil fruit users can’t be hurt without haki and ace immediately catches onto that and tries to slam his pipe through ryus head. It doesn’t work, ryu catches the weapon with a haki covered hand, to avoid turning to flame with hit and ace just gets frustrated and accuses ryu of hiding his devil fruit, because he remembers what he saw in grey terminal and that now that he has seen haki he can distinguish it from what he saw and he’s sure no one could do what ryu did. He calls ryu a hypocrite for coddling them even after telling them to stop coddling sabo and ryu has to sit them down and explain that yes he does have powers and he has been hdiing it and explains his reasoning. However instead of understanding th eboys just get fired up and say they don’t wnt to be scared of fire, especially not when it means ryu isn’t taking them seriously in a spar. Ryu finally agrees to start them on desensitization training for fire trauma. Fire desensitization training happens on the beach, so that they have water nearby in case things get out of hand. At some point ace gives ryu a considering look and is just like “if you have a devil fruit that means you can’t swim either right?” and ryu is basically just like “lmao yeah” and then ace immediately attempts to drown him. Lots of murder attempts in ace’s department toget his older brother to be less of an idiot with little success lol(extra: ace tried to attack ryu earlier both to confirm that ryu has a devil fruit that would force him to use haki to hide it, and because he now knows that he CAN’T hurt ryu without haki and as thus can’t beat him and make him admit he’s awake without being good at haki.)” [chapter 8] 

“Small sabo lost his hat and goggles in the incident and while he doesn’t remember having them future sabo notices he looks uncomfortable and keeps touching his hair and head. Ace yells at him for it thinking he bandaging are bothering him and that he can’t touch them but little sabo just comments that something about it feels wrong. Luffy blurts our that he had a hat, like luffy does, But he doesn’t now ace begrudgingly mentions that they can’t get a new one in town. Future sabo doesn’t even hesitate and just plops his own hat onto his younger selves head. It clearly too big for him, and almost falls over his eyes but he grins up at future sabo and is like “wow!! Thank you! I’ll take care of it till I have one of my own” and creates a paradox like Luffys own hat. The footsteps younger sabo has yet to fill. This HAS to happen AFTER the talk where they explain that future and past sabo are both the same person, to give little sabo that pressure.” [chapter 9]

“(Right after this older sabo takes them down to the ocean so that they can play a little and desensitize themselves and immediately fucks himself over when he goes weak in the water bc he somehow fucking forgot his own devil fruit again and now even younger sabo is on his case about not letting him near the fucking ocean that little goddamn HYPOCRITE—) )” [for chapter 9]

“Ch 9 plan: they finally leave dawn island. Starts with the boys getting a haircut after training and luffy mentions how long it’s been since they’ve last needed a haircut, giving sabo and ace time to point out that it’s been 2 months now since ryu joined them, and that sabo was completely healed by now. The boys are now aware of the basics of haki, and while luffy hasnt awakened either yet ace and sabo both have a little bit of weak armament haki. (sabo won’t awaken observational haki until he gets his memories back) ryu tries to sneak off into the city to steal a boat but his brothers refuse to leave him behind and keep sneaking out after him, not wanting him to go alone and saying that since he’s been training them they’re clearly stronger and he needs to let them do this. Ryu eventually just lets it go because why the fuck not it’s a dream and they make him feel better. They get the boat out on open ocean and finally fucking sail out, cheering loudly, ryu struggling to make them all calm down but also not really trying. He’s happy as shit, and they’re all so excited and happy and sabo dips a hand into the waves and then smiles so fucking wide and tackles ryu so violently they both nearly tip into the water and it’s just very very good. “ [also for ch 9] 

** I flat out dont Have any outlining from before chapter 6, because i only started actually outling chapters after that. i tend to just sit down and Write up until i hit a plot point or writers block and then am forced to actually think it through and plan rather than letting it come naturally. thats also why the quality and editing is better in later chapters despite everything being written within the same time frame. 

besides entire chapter outlines, there are the scene specific phone notes like:

“(ADDED) Right after they leave dawn, when sabo is sure they’ve gotten enough of a head start, he calls Garp. He doesn’t say who he is, but that all of the boys are safe and happy with him and has them all talk into the phone to assure him that they’re fine. Garp is honestly just pissed off he doesn’t know who’s calling and when he asks sabo just laughs and says a disobedient brat before hanging up. “

“(ADDED) TO EXPAND ON CH 3: sabo gets offered the chance to go with dragon, and he hesitates on the offer to go through with his previous life with the family he’s made in the revolutionary again. He almost agrees, because the bought of losing them in this lifetime is near excruciating but reminds himself swiftly that it’s no place for his brothers and not what they’d really want, and he wants selfishly to be with them as long as he Can until he “inevitably” wakes up. The boys are visibly relieved by this, especially ace. (Sabo gets asked who he is by dragon, who wants to know more about the stranger with his son, but dragon has always been quicker to make connections no one guessed and he just smiled knowingly at sabo and tells him he’s sure the other will have no trouble finding them if he’s in need. Sabo in turn warns him to keep Kuma close, and to look for a slave girl named koala.)”

I have…. many of these. I have Many of Everything. 

finally, i have scene doodles. if i hit a bad writers block it usually helps me to sketch scenes or the character designs to regain my grip on what the hell is happening in the plot– Breach of Intention has character design sketches, pakcbond has MANY scene sketches, even some of my nsfw has some sketches. my wror skecthes arent Good of course, I am an art teacher for children and that means i am more often explaining the color wheel and brush techniques over drawing perfect human replicas– and i just dont really make a lot of fanart? ive never drawn sabo before but i sure have a bunch now. i wont include close ups because they genuinely suck but heres an example pic 

So… yeah thats about everything. this is a VERY long post and yet i only included like maybe ¼ or 1/5 of all the notes i have dbskhjgfkjadns lmk if anyone wants more (or notes for my Other stories, which contain NO WHERE the same absurd amount of shit that wror does.)

[somnilogical]

i am prepared to face god this instant

in the case of the native americans, in a counterfactual world where every native human could would do with their muscles what they would yell at a book character in their situation to do with their mouth. where people could would make choices from a third person point of view and then carry out the choices. where when asked by an interrogator for the names of your rebel companions, you say you will know them when they come to avenge me.

<<On 8 Feb 1943, the Nazis hung 17-year-old Yugoslav partisan Lepa Radić. When asked the names of her companions, she replied: “You will know them when they come to avenge me”.>>

--

<<N. Stolyarova recalls an old woman who was her neighbor on the Butyrki bunks in 1937. They kept on interrogating her every night. Two years earlier, a former Metropolitan of the Orthodox Church, who had escaped from exile, had spent a night at her home on his way through Moscow. “But he wasn’t the former Metropolitan, he was the Metropolitan! Truly, I was worthy of receiving him.” “All right then. To whom did he go when he left Moscow?” “I know, but I won’t tell you!” (The Metropolitan had escaped to Finland via an underground railroad of believers.) At first the interrogators took turns, and then they went after her in groups. They shook their fists in the little old woman’s face, and she replied: “There is nothing you can do with me even if you cut me into pieces. After all, you are afraid of your bosses, and you are afraid of each other, and you are even afraid of killing me.” (They would lose contact with the underground railroad.) “But I am not afraid of anything. I would be glad to be judged by God right this minute.”

There were such people in 1937 too, people who did not return to their cell for their bundles of belongings, who chose death, who signed nothing denouncing anyone.>>

<<One can’t say that the history of the Russian revolutionaries has given us any better examples of steadfastness. But there is no comparison anyway, because none of our revolutionaries ever knew what a really good interrogation could be, with fifty-two different methods to choose from. Just as oxcart drivers of Gogol’s time could not have imagined the speed of a jet plane, those who have never gone through the receiving-line meat grinder of Gulag cannot grasp the true possibilities of interrogation.

We read in Izvestiya for May 24, 1959, that Yuliya Rumyantseva was confined in the internal prison of a Nazi camp while they tried to find out from her the whereabouts of her husband, who had escaped from that same camp. She knew, but she refused to tell! For a reader who is not in the know this is a model of heroism. For a reader with a bitter Gulag past it’s a model of inefficient interrogation: Yuliya did not die under torture, and she was not driven insane. A month later she was simply released—still very much alive and kicking.>>

-alexander solzhenitsyn, the gulag archipelago

if all or even a majority of native americans near the missions had this neurotype, then what id suggest would be for everyone to move away from the missions and if captured refuse to work to the point of death. the missions need slave labour in order to exist and without people to feed on and with long supply lines, they would be undone and people would be free from the largest human-unfriendly institution of the era.

and the outcome would be better than ~60 years of slavery. this is choosing between timelines

somni why do you care about freedom? freedom is like ability-to-live. if people were like "well who cares about the global slavery-and-submission-and-stasis cult" until catholicism actually took over the world, the world would be much worse and we would never get to the stars.

you could say "whats the point, everyone gets assimilated to whatever the social order is now which is driving us all to doom" but like if you are in 1800s america after you keep the world ending for a set of tribes, you work on societal tech to keep it from ending in other ways and landing in this patch of equilibrium-space in the first place.

its like the difference between choosing between timelines and wondering if perhaps the money could be better spent sustaining the lives of those who could be locally saved. there are other organizing principles for moral reasoning besides these, and more than i have thought of so far. i suspect locating new ones is a spatially-loaded skill.

ben hoffman was using the choosing between consistent timelines kind of thinking when he quoted deuteronomy 30:19 in his post about REACH

http://benjaminrosshoffman.com/humans-need-places/

<<I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live.>>

https://www.sefaria.org/Deuteronomy.30.19?lang=bi&aliyot=0

which in context of the passage is exactly the same cognition that would benefit the natives to resist the world's largest human-unfriendly subjugation org and live to iteratively squirm out of these sorts of tangles in the future.

<<See, I set before you this day life and prosperity, death and adversity.

For I command you this day, to love the LORD your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments, His laws, and His rules, that you may thrive and increase, and that the LORD your God may bless you in the land that you are about to enter and possess.

But if your heart turns away and you give no heed, and are lured into the worship and service of other gods,

I declare to you this day that you shall certainly perish; you shall not long endure on the soil that you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess.

I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day: I have put before you life and death, blessing and curse. Choose life—if you and your offspring would live—

by loving the LORD your God, heeding His commands, and holding fast to Him. For thereby you shall have life and shall long endure upon the soil that the LORD swore to your ancestors, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give to them.>>

if native americans had social tech which could better survive slavery and forced relocation, maybe things would be different today.

which, this can be cast in a zero-sum frame of having your group survive versus everyone elses which runs against antinationalist heuristics.

but if you are planning to manufacture a pattern which revolutionizes the world, for the good of all life, it is instrumentally useful to avoid assimilation and submission destroying this work.

this applies to multi-generational projects as well as within-a-lifetime choices. if you choose to submit and assimilate and erase all work and structure you have built, each time someone wants to feed on you, then you i (0.7) dont think can really sustain your work.

--

i wonder if with this worlds distribution of neurotypes, such that maybe most humans cant run consequentialism through a rawlsian veil where they forget which human inherits the label "me" on their muscles. im somewhat optimistic that even those who cant wont make their muscles move according to this, can locate the correct answer.

though there is i think a habit among people whose neurotypes have issues to retroactively rationalize (FAKE REASONING, STORIES) that because you are unable to make your body wont choose your death over the death of three of your friends, equally or more useful to the flourishing of all life, it doesnt make sense to choose your death over theirs.

--

linta mentioned that they couldnt imagine knowing the right thing to do and then not doing it. that they dont have a gap between these things save for akrasia, i think it is because the gap is filled with fractally expanding justifications of the form "but you cant really expect a human being to give up their life for the sake of their companions, you need to be reasonable and work with humans who exist".

human neurodiversity exists, as a matter of historical fact not all humans have the same weaknesses. in hpmor!metaphor, some people are hermione granger and wont zap people in the milgram compliance test.

and building plans predicated on people who need to divert resources to local stuff because of their neurotype, will replace "if this were a story what plans would i yell at my character do?" with "what would someone who cant run consequentialism through a rawlsian veil, see in 3rd person and then act in harmony with this do?" "someone who needs to divert resources to babies and not personally dying, do?" "what if everyone were like this?"

labeling the latter as "what will happen if everyone is running consequentialism, playing as if from 3rd person and wants humanity to win?" is a distortion of what is going on and compounds as institutions are built on it and the boundaries of what good could be done are strictly smaller than the reach of what good could be done irl.

by the way, the milgram experiment replicated in 2015 poland. gotta check with the replication crisis.

https://qz.com/932110/researchers-have-replicated-a-notorious-social-experiment-that-claimed-to-explain-the-rise-of-fascism/

<<It is exceptionally interesting that in spite of the many years which have passed since the original Milgram experiments, the proportion of people submitting themselves to the authority of the experimenter remains very high. The result of 90% obedience which we have achieved, 95% CI [83.43%, 96.57%], is very close to the number of people pressing the 10th button in the original Milgram studies. For example, in Milgram’s (1974) Experiment No. 2, replicated in our study, 34 of 40 people pressed Button No. 10 (85% of participants, the 95% CI extends from 70.54% to 93.32%).>>

one of my moms who studies fascism once told me she thinks 40-60% of people have as their ideology that they will imitate those in power, and will go along with Power in times of an authoritarian takeover. they believe that they will eat rather than be eaten. given my experience and things like the milgram test, i think its closer to 90-95%.

--

reading grognor's memorial page it looked like he was very fucked up by the fact that he could do a rawlsian veil consequentialism thought experiment, where he saw himself in third person or forgot which agent was "him" and "his family" and then notice that his muscles werent moving in harmony with the logic of the results.

<<are you doing the best thing you could possibly be doing? why not?

become good

SPEAK TRULY, EVEN IF YOUR VOICE TREMBLES

you continue to underestimate the harm you have done and are doing

are you doing the best thing you could possibly be doing? why not?

The tools you have available are cognitive actions and motor actions. Use them to immanentize the eschaton. You have one life

if you were an alien suddenly transposed into your current body, what would you do now?

Pretend with every thought and action to be a much better person. Reach heaven through fraud.>>

https://grognor.github.io/archives.html

[pamphletstoinspire]

The Death Penalty and the Myth of Closure

Many argue that the death penalty can help survivors move on with their lives. However, this counselor writes that true healing can happen only when we learn to "walk with the pain."

The death penalty has been with us for millennia. If you take the time to read the Old Testament, you will find that the death penalty was widely accepted. We find in the words of Exodus the justification invoked to this day to defend the use of executions: “You shall give life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe” (21:23–25).

This is known as Mosaic law and is an integral part of our legal system. And yet Jesus came to challenge it: “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, offer no resistance to one who is evil. When someone strikes you on [your] right cheek, turn the other one to him as well” (Mt 5:38–39).

What a truly radical notion! In the Old Testament, one sees that violence was a way of life, and execution was a primary tool for meting out justice. But Jesus sweeps that all away.

As with many things Jesus said, excuses have been made and qualifiers added: Love your enemy . . . except when he is a murderer. Then you are justified to kill him, a conclusion that sounds very much like Mosaic law.

Desire for Vengeance Is Real

On the other hand, even if we accept Jesus’ teaching, turning the other cheek is not that simple. I can’t simply say, “Well, Patterson, you claim to be a Christian, so you must love your enemy and oppose the death penalty.” I also understand the desire for vengeance.

Some years ago when I was an Army psychologist, I was tasked with evaluating a man arrested for beating his 3-month-old stepdaughter within an inch of her life on Christmas Eve. It had already been determined that the child suffered irreversible brain damage. As I was interviewing the man, I received a call from the pediatric ICU informing me she had also been blinded. I hung up and told this man that news. He shrugged his shoulders and said, “Oh, well.”

In that moment, I wanted to jump across my desk, grab him by the throat, and beat him within an inch of his life! As I think about him almost 40 years later, I have the same feeling. I am not proud of that, but it also helps me to be sensitive to the feelings of survivors when it comes to discussions of the death penalty. It reminds me to be sensitive to survivors’ need for justice and, possibly, vengeance.

Many justifications for executions set aside the language of Mosaic law and focus on possible benefits for the surviving family. One doesn’t so much hear the word vengeance in such discussions, but one does hear the word closure. A common justification for the death penalty is that it provides closure for the family.

When Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was sentenced to death, the mayor of Boston expressed the hope that “this verdict provides a small amount of closure.” Similarly, when the decision was made to allow survivors of the Oklahoma City bombing to witness the execution of Timothy McVeigh, Attorney General John Ashcroft stated that he hoped the execution would help survivors “meet their need to close this chapter in their lives.”

Whether executions provide closure depends on what we mean by that word. For most of us, closure implies a completion or conclusion. When a corporation announces store closures, that means those stores are no longer operational. So, in discussing the process of grief and trauma, closure would seem to imply a conclusion—the suggestion that there is an end point to grieving.

This expectation of closure is sometimes supported within a person’s social network. At this time, I am counseling several parents of children who committed suicide. All have commented on encountering, either directly or indirectly, the message “Aren’t you over it by now?”

Think for a moment of the people in your life you have lost. Are you no longer grieving? If I think of loved ones who are gone, I become aware that I may be grieving those losses for the rest of my days. My grief may not be as intense as it was at the time of the loss. But reminders of someone’s absence in my life help me see that grief goes on, that there is no closure in the sense of conclusion to my grief. There’s no point at which I dust myself off and say, “OK, I’m done missing that person.”

The Myth of Closure

In her book Closure: The Rush to End Grief and What It Costs Us, Professor Nancy Berns makes the compelling argument that the concept of closure has emerged within a political context to justify the death penalty and as a “made-up concept: a frame used to explain how we respond to loss.” It has become such a common word in discussions about grief that people assume it exists and is within their reach. In fact, its prevalence reflects the hope we all have that we can heal from the devastation of tragedy and trauma.

For some, closure means the conclusion to a very public process of crime, arrest, trial, and multiple appeals. Anecdotal evidence suggests that indeed the execution provides that sense of closure. But the word closure also implies healing and completion. Evidence suggests that not only does the death penalty not facilitate healing but, in fact, may interfere with it.

In his 2007 study of families of murder victims, Scott Velum found that only 2.5 percent indicated a strong sense of closure resulted from the execution of the murderer. A study published in the Marquette Law Review compared survivors’ reactions in Minnesota and Texas. Killers in Minnesota were sentenced to life imprisonment, an outcome that was experienced as satisfying by survivors. Texas survivors were less satisfied by death penalty verdicts, in large part because of the prolonged appeals process.

As Bill and Denise Richards, parents of a 9-year-old boy killed in the Boston Marathon bombings, wrote in the Boston Globe, asking that the government not seek the death penalty, “The continued pursuit of that punishment could bring years of appeals and prolong the most painful day of our lives.”

Jody Madeira worked with and studied survivors of the Oklahoma City bombings. In her book Killing McVeigh: The Death Penalty and the Myth of Closure, she noted that Timothy McVeigh’s execution did not provide the kind of closure some survivors may have hoped for. As one survivor noted, “There won’t be closure till I am dead.”

The Path to Healing

Are survivors then simply left in anguish, or is some form of healing possible? Perhaps rather than talking about closure, we should be talking about healing.

Sociologist Loren Toussaint suggests that healing is possible through the process of forgiveness. Madeira agrees that forgiveness can help but argues that it is not the only path to healing. This is a delicate topic that must be approached carefully and without judgment. Forgiveness can indeed help survivors heal, but it isn’t that simple. Forgiveness is a process, one that can last a lifetime.

First, let’s be clear on what forgiveness isn’t. Forgiveness does not mean condoning—a distinction relevant to people dealing with someone on death row. Forgiveness does not minimize what was done. The bombings in Boston will never be acceptable. The 9/11 attacks can never be dismissed in terms of the personal trauma. The murder of a loved one will never be OK. After all, the God of my understanding is indeed a God of mercy, but also a God of justice.

Then there is the common phrase forgive and forget. Not only is that often not possible, but in some cases it’s not a good idea. If someone has assaulted me, I may need to forgive that person, but it may not be a good idea for me to invite him or her over for dinner. That person may have no remorse and might assault me again.

The first step in forgiving is making the decision to forgive. The important thing to realize in making this decision is that the person who will benefit most from forgiving is the forgiver. Forgiving frees the forgiver from all the negative venom of hatred and resentment. Essentially, to forgive is to reclaim power from the forgiven. Professor Madeira quotes Oklahoma City bombing survivor Bud Welch as saying about forgiving Timothy McVeigh: “I was the one that got relief from all this pain . . . and it wasn’t about McVeigh.”

Sometimes we confuse forgiveness with reconnecting with someone in a loving way. That reconnecting is a decision that I may make after I have forgiven. I also have the option of not having the offender in my life. In other words, to forgive doesn’t necessarily mean to reconcile with someone.

To forgive means I also have to face all my rage and anger, all my thoughts of vengeance. We can’t sidestep the emotions. I have sat with some people who experienced tragedy or trauma and afterwards stated, rather flatly, “I’ve forgiven that person,” without any acknowledgment of the pain inflicted by that person. This to me is an intellectual exercise, not an experience of true forgiveness.

Learning to Walk with the Pain

In exploring alternatives to the prevalent concept of closure, we also need to broaden our understanding of grief. The concept of closure may have its roots in Elisabeth Kübler-Ross’ famous five stages of dying. That theory has been broadened to include grief. The fifth stage is acceptance. Like closure, this notion has many meanings.

What does it mean to accept the death of a loved one? Again, some kind of finality is suggested, a sort of conclusion to the grieving. I have sat with persons who judged themselves because they did not feel they were finished grieving. Others had well-meaning friends and relatives suggest they should be “over it by now” or that they hadn’t “accepted” the death because they were still grieving.

Over the years I have dealt with many people who came to see me because someone else was concerned about them or, more often, because they themselves questioned whether they were grieving correctly.

I recall one beautiful woman who came to see me after the death of her husband of 50-plus years. She was concerned whether she was grieving correctly. She stated that well-meaning friends had given her a stack of books on grieving. Not wanting to disappoint anyone, she read them all. When I asked what she thought after all that reading, she told me: “I’m completely confused. They contradict one another.”

So what did I do? I gave her a book to read! Only it wasn’t an edition of Grieving for Dummies. It was C.S. Lewis’ A Grief Observed, his journal written the first year after the death of his beloved wife, Joy. The book has no easy answers, and, at its conclusion, it is clear that Lewis will continue to grieve. There is no nice, clean ending. No closure. Only Lewis trying to learn to walk with the pain.

In dealing with losses in my own life, what works for me is to view grieving as a process of learning to walk with the pain. This suggests that, because of a particular loss, my life is changed forever. I am challenged to find a way to move forward living my life as well as possible while at the same time carrying the loss. This is especially true for those who’ve lost a loved one through some criminal act, be it murder or terrorism.

To learn to walk with the pain has several facets. One is to make the decision not to let the trauma define the loved one’s life. It is to affirm that I will not be known as the parent of that girl or boy who was murdered. Rather, I will be known as the parent of a child who touched lives in a beautiful way before leaving life much too soon.

Another facet of walking with the pain is to facilitate the loved one’s legacy. Such legacies may take the form of charitable donations or even the establishment of a charity. Others might establish a scholarship fund. Some get tattoos or plant trees. Such actions don’t make pain go away, but they create a legacy that has some meaning.

For me, acceptance means acknowledging that life is now different, and that I will be walking with this pain until I meet my loved one again in a better place. That may be the only real closure.

By Richard B. Patterson, PhD

[bugband]

ooo i'd love to hear abt john's primal scream therapy. spill!

oo hello! there's a lot of tea to spill so i'll do my best to not sound like a babbling idiot. i'm also so surprised at how obscure this period truly is. thinking of that is strange because due to john being an extremely public figure you wouldn't expect many parts of his life to be very obscure at all. before i continue, trigger warnings are included. depression, alcoholism and overall dark themes are mentioned but not too heavily. (i changed my usual aesthetic which is lowercase letters to make looking at this more pleasing to the eyes)

This is gonna be a long one. 

What is primal scream therapy?

 At the time of John’s time in primal therapy, it’d been a new concept developed by Arthur Janov. One of the two subjects that interested John would be his book “The Primal Scream” published in 1970. John was said to have gulped the whole book down in a full sitting. The concept of primal scream therapy is difficult to understand or to even describe for another to fully comprehend what’s being told to them unless one has actually been in the therapy itself (as a person who hasn’t participated in it myself lol it’s difficult to explain). The concept of this particular therapy is to explore and relive your past painful, traumatizing experiences and to realize your own pain. It’s a very upfront way to experience your pain and in a way it could help raise an understanding as to where the pain comes from. In a very half-assed way of explaining it; you cry, you talk and scream in a way that’s referred to as a “primal” as a way to help released bottled up emotions. 

"Well, his thing is to feel the pain that's accumulated inside you ever since your childhood. I had to do it to really kill off all the religious myths. In the therapy you really feel every painful moment of your life -- it's excruciating, you are forced to realise that your pain, the kind that makes you wake up afraid with your heart pounding, is really yours and not the result of somebody up in the sky. It's the result of your parents and your environment…

As I realised this it all started to fall into place. This therapy forced me to have done with all the God shit...... Most people channel their pain into God or masturbation or some dream of making it...... [It's] facing up to reality instead of always looking for some kind of heaven….

"The therapy is like a very slow acid trip which happens naturally in your body. It is hard to talk about, you know, because you feel 'I am pain' and it sounds sort of arbitrary, but pain to me now has a different meaning because of having physically felt all these extraordinary repressions. It was like taking gloves off, and feeling your own skin for the first time. - John  

  John said it the best out of anybody. It’s known as a very controversial thing, this therapy, because it forces you to relive things many people who seek therapy don’t wish to experience again as they possibly tried to block certain past events out and was seen by many as an unjust form of therapy. 

Why was John there?

  John’s reason was primarily his childhood. While his childhood could be discussed in a different place as it’s own lengthy topic, he’d always had a difficult time dealing with the things that had happened in his life. His own form of therapy was numbing; through alcohol and drugs, stimulants to help numb himself and the world around him to current situations he couldn’t handle. John had available outlets to unleash his feelings of hurt and sadness such as Cynthia, but there was a force within himself to keep such feelings to himself. He had a guard built up around himself that he used to protect himself from outside forces such as exposing his inner feelings. This would be his “tough” attitude and aura that he used to not give himself away. The facade. He saw exposure as making him weak. The only times his state of mind or true feelings came out was through anger or destructiveness and through his personal favorite outlet: music. 

"Art is only a way of expressing pain. I mean the reason Yoko does such far out stuff is that it's a far out kind of pain she went through." - John  

  John had gone through much, simply. His uncle’s death- the man who pretty much was John’s surrogate father emotionally and physically-, his mother- and then Stu- all separated by a few years. More people in his life went than an average person would experience in a lifetime. All ripped John apart. John wanted to find out how to live with his own pain and depression and he sought out to this therapy. The main appeal was to unleash so much he’d bottled up, things that were capable of literally driving him mad.

The theory made sense to John. He'd been hurt in his childhood by the rejection of his father and the removal from his mother's care, and his character had been formed by this pain. In order to survive he had to ignore his feelings and live by the code of behavior authorized by his Aunt Mimi. He learned that to act on his feelings was not socially acceptable, and he therefore suppressed them. They would rise to the surface only when he was angry or drunk. The moments in his songwriting that he'd always been most proud of were those when he'd let his feelings dominate-"In My Life," "Help," "Strawberry Fields Forever."

(I didn’t get too detailed with his childhood as that is a conversation of it’s own)

What were the sessions like?

  After reading Janov’s book, John was completely enthralled. While John was living in Tittenhurst, he managed to contact Janov with the interest of participating in the therapy with a few problems standing in their way:

Locations.

  Janov and his therapy was American based. John’d been residing in England at that time meaning either or would have to leave their countries to start the therapy. John’s rights to visit the country hadn’t been great therefore making it difficult for him to leave England. Janov couldn’t leave his patients behind for an extended amount of time. However, that’s what he ended up doing to treat John.

Tittenhurst had a studio being built inside the home (which we saw in completion in 1971). This made upcoming sessions difficult for both Janov and John to focus completely in the therapy.

   The sessions started in April of 1970. Janov soon landed at John’s home and John’s condition at that time even shocked him- a man who’d been confronted with broken people everyday of his life.  

 “When he arrived, Janov was shocked to see John's condition. It was as if he had been through a complete nervous breakdown. He had ended up locking himself in. "He couldn't get out of his house," says Janov. "He couldn't get out of his room. He was in very bad shape. He'd had a lifetime of pain. The drugs he was taking didn't do him much good because they opened him up. After a while his defenses just crumbled. He couldn't function anymore."

"I've rarely seen pain like John's, and I've seen a lot of pain," says Janov. "It was mostly about his mother but quite a bit about Brian (Epstein) that I can't talk about. Also his relationship with Mimi. Mimi had been tough on him, There was almost more pain than you could possibly imagine. It would put him on the floor, and he'd lay there writhing around. He would scream, but he told me that he hadn't known how to scream. Yoko had had to teach him.”  - Janov

It’s a heartbreaking description really. John was severely depressed.

  The therapy sessions continued in LA after April. Janov prompted John to a different hotel than Yoko’s on top of the sessions where they’d be separated and alone many times. As the therapy was still developing, John had been one of the first patients of primal therapy and his sessions were actually quite innovative for the research that went into developing the therapy after him. They’d been videotaped, under John’s reluctant agreement. However, depending on who you might be, it might be disappointing or good that these tapes will never be revealed to the public for confidential reasons. Sadly I cannot go into deep detail about the conversations inside the sessions themselves as those haven’t- and wont,- be revealed due to John’s privacy. However, Janov has spoken generally about what was discussed. We do know for sure that John’s mom Julia was a frequent topic when discussing his childhood. Religion came up on occasions. This is the part where things unfortunately become vague.

 + More about the surroundings here 

When asked about how the therapy was for him, John said this:

 “Part of it was not to self-control yourself, in any way. That included anything so I would just eat and eat and eat. And it was all very well for the mind, but for the body it was terrible. But the idea was, “Well, I am an artist, not a model, so fuck it. I wonder who I try to please .. . ? It was me I was trying to please, I found out; too late, after I’d got about 5 million pounds. And I wore the same clothes for two years. I had two things: a jumpsuit — not a fashionable one; one you get to do the plumbing in. I had two of them. And that’s all I wore for almost two years. In the middle of the Chanuk thing I got fat as hell. I was living on chocolate and Dr. Pepper … I mean, Chanuk was an idiot, but he was not bad. His therapy was good. It was just he was a pain in the neck. So I got big, and I wore the same clothes … I got used to it. I didn’t feel terrible about it, but I didn’t enjoy it. I was a slob.” - John 

  John was always his own harshest critic. He was more self deprecating than insightful to the therapy sessions themselves here.

  Overall, John screamed, John cried, and he felt a great weight come off his shoulders- after a long, long time.

   He’d spent months in therapy but because of John’s immigration, not John’s decision to suddenly leave, forced the therapy to halt. In Janov’s words, they’d opened him up but weren’t able to put him back together again. The therapy was not meant to completely cure John or to “fix” him in any way but the therapy was not meant to be abruptly cut off. 

  John’s first album Plastic Ono Band (which is commonly deemed as his greatest solo work or even one of the greatest albums of all time) was the product of these sessions. John transferred discussions from the therapy to this album as well as aspects of his childhood that make it uncannily like an autobiography where John says “Hi, I’m John Lennon. This is my story.”

(John in the early months of 1971. Photos of him during those summer-fall months of the therapy sessions are hard to come by, if they happen to exist)

well! that does it. apologies for making this answer novel-length but hopefully i didn’t sound like a babbling idiot. 

[patriotsnet]

How Many Senate Seats Do The Republicans Have Right Now

New Post has been published on https://www.patriotsnet.com/how-many-senate-seats-do-the-republicans-have-right-now/

How Many Senate Seats Do The Republicans Have Right Now

‘blood On His Hands’: Republican Rips Biden Over Afghanistan

How Could The 2020 Election Impact Control Of The Senate? | NBC News NOW

Over the past 10 days, two things happened that make clear that a) Trumpism isn’t going anywhere and b) it’s going to complicate Republican attempts to retake control of the Senate next November.

major

Senate Majority Leader Mitch Mcconnell Defeated Democrat Amy Mcgrath In Kentucky

McConnell is one of the most high-profile politicians in the country and one of the most reviled among Democrats, helping McGrath raise an eye-popping $90 million for her campaign. However, despite McConnell’s unpopularity among Democrats and her own strong fundraising, McGrath was unable to topple the majority leader, who has held his Senate seat since 1986.

Democrats taking back the Senate majority would be a significant achievement toward delivering on Biden’s ambitious policy goals.

For Republicans, controlling the chamber for the past five years has allowed the party to confirm hundreds of conservative judges, including many younger ones, to lifetime appointments on the federal judiciary.

Iowa Montana And South Carolina

Though Iowa, Montana and South Carolina are all traditionally right-leaning, polls had shown tight Senate races in those states, and the Cook Political Report had rated each a tossup. But come Election Day, Republicans easily won each race.

In Iowa, Senator Joni Ernst, the Republican incumbent, dispatched Theresa Greenfield, her Democratic challenger, by 6.6 percentage points. In Montana, Senator Steve Daines, the Republican incumbent, won by more than 10 percentage points against Steve Bullock, Montanas two-term Democratic governor.

And in South Carolina, Senator Lindsey Graham, a Republican and the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, survived a challenge by Jaime Harrison, a former chairman of the states Democratic Party, winning by 10.3 percentage points.

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How Many Republican Senators Are There In California

4.1/5

Total 100

Beside above, how many Republicans are in California? In February 2019, California had 19,978,449 registered voters, comprising 79.09% of its total eligible voters. Of those registered voters, 8,612,368 were registered Democrats, and 4,709,851 were Republicans.

In this regard, who are the Republican senators in California?

California elects United States senators to Class 1 and Class 3. The state has been represented by 44 people in the Senate since it was admitted to the Union on September 9, 1850. Its current U.S. senators are Democrats Dianne Feinstein and Kamala Harris.

Who are my senators in California?

Kamala Harris Since;2017 Dianne Feinstein

Midterms Tough For Presidents Party

Historically, Republicans could face a more difficult midterm election if Trump wins reelection, as voters grow tired or skeptical of the president after six years in office. In 2014, Republicans gained nine Senate seats in President Barack Obamas second midterm. In 2006, Democrats gained six Senate seats in President George W. Bushs second midterm. And in 1986, Democrats gained eight Senate seats in President Ronald Reagans second midterm.;

The lone recent departure from that trend was 1998, when there was no net change in the Senate. Republicans today might take comfort in that example because the election was in response to their partys perceived overreach on impeachment. But Republicans already controlled 55 Senate seats and President Bill Clintons job approval rating at the time was 66 percent, according to Gallup. Thats 20 points higher than Trumps current ratings. Under a second Trump term scenario, Senate Republicans can only hope that an effective and widely available vaccine comes quickly enough for a strong economic recovery before the midterms.;

While it could take months for senators to decide whether theyre running again, it wont take long for the Pennsylvania race to replace Toomey to enter the spotlight.;

Nathan L. Gonzales is an elections analyst for CQ Roll Call.

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Census Data Sets Up Redistricting Fight Over Growing Suburbs

The once-a-decade battle over redistricting is set to be a showdown over the suburbs, as new census data showed rapid growth around some of the nations largest cities and shrinking population in many rural counties.

From Texas to Florida, some of the biggest gains reported Thursday came in states where Republicans will control the redistricting process, but often in and around cities where Democrats have been faring well in recent elections.

The new detailed population data from the 2020 census will serve as the building block to redraw 429 U.S. House districts in 44 states and 7,383 state legislative districts across the U.S. The official goal is to ensure each district has roughly the same number of people.

But many Republicans and Democrats also will be trying to ensure the new lines divide and combine voters in ways that make it more likely for their partys candidates to win future elections, a process called gerrymandering. The parties successes in that effort could determine whether taxes and spending grow, climate-change polices are approved or access to abortion is expanded or curtailed.

Chart: Actually Most Of The Diversity In Congress Comes From Democrats

The 114th Congress being sworn in on Tuesday is being hailed as the most diverse Congress in history with more women and minorities than ever before. But thats not thanks to the new Republican majorities in the House and the Senate.

Although the new Congress is 80 percent white, an equal amount male, and 92 percent Christian, the majority of non-white and women lawmakers are Democrats. In other words, even though these paltry numbers make up the most diverse Congress in existence, its thanks largely to Democrats that its this way.

There are a total of 81 minorities that are Democrats in both houses combined and 16 that are Republicans, according to data from CQ. The 114th Congress also has 79 Democratic women and 29 Republican women, also according to CQ.

Of the 188 Democrats in the newly sworn-in House of Representatives, 78 are minorities, according to CQ. Despite the rise of new stars like Rep. Mia Love just 12 of the 246 Republicans in the House majority are minorities. In the Senate, percentages are slightly better for Republicans. There are four Republican senators who are racial minorities and 3 Democrats who are racial minorities.

Among specific minorities, there is one Asian Senate Democrat and 10 Asian House Democrats. There are no Asian Republican lawmakers in the House or Senate in the 114th Congress.

There are also two members who identify as Native Americans in the House, both Republican. There are none in the Senate.

Chart: Christine Frapech.

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Why Did House Democrats Underperform Compared To Joe Biden

The results of the 2020 elections pose several puzzles, one of which is the gap between Joe Bidens handsome victory in the presidential race and the Democrats disappointing performance in the House of Representatives. Biden enjoyed an edge of 7.1 million votes over President Trump, while the Democrats suffered a loss of 13 seats in the House, reducing their margin from 36 to just 10.

Turnout in the 2018 mid-term election reached its highest level in more than a century. Democrats were fervently opposed to the Trump administration and turned out in droves. Compared to its performance in 2016, the partys total House vote fell by only 2%. Without Donald Trump at the head of the ticket, Republican voters were much less enthusiastic, and the total House vote for Republican candidates fell by nearly 20% from 2016. Democratic candidates received almost 10 million more votes than Republican candidates, a margin of 8.6%, the highest ever for a party that was previously in the minority. It was, in short, a spectacular year for House Democrats.

To understand the difference this Democratic disadvantage can make, compare the 2020 presidential and House results in five critical swing states.

Table 1: Presidential versus House results

Arizona

Map: Republicans To Have Full Control Of 23 States Democrats 15

Republicans keep control of the House and Senate

In 2021, Republicans will have full control of the legislative and executive branch in 23 states.;Democrats will have full control of the legislative and executive branch in 15 states.

Population of the 24 fully R-controlled states:;134,035,267Population of the 15 fully D-controlled states: 120,326,393

Republicans have full control of the legislative branch in 30 states. Democrats have full control of the legislative branch in 18;states.

Population of the 30 fully R-controlled legislature states: 185,164,412Population of the 18 fully D-controlled legislature states: 133,888,565

This week, Andrew Cuomos star went down in flames. While the smoke clears, lets take a moment to sit back and reminisce about the governors long history with ethical and legal violations.

Cuomos controversies regarding sexual harassment and nursing homes deaths were far from his first abuses of power. In fact, his administration has a long history of it, ranging from interfering with ethics commissions, to financial corruption.

In July 2013, Cuomo formed the Moreland Commission to investigate corruption in New Yorks government. At first it was a success, giving Cuomo good PR. Yet as it went on there were rumors that, contrary to his claim that Anything they want to look at they can look at, Cuomo was interfering with the Commissions investigations. There was friction within the Commission, itself with two factions forming: Team Independence and Team We-Have-a-Boss.

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How Republicans Pulled Off A Big Upset And Nearly Took Back The House

There seemed to be one safe bet when it came to the 2020 election results: Democrats would easily hold on to their majority in the House of Representatives. Not only that, but the conventional wisdom held that Democrats would pick up more than the 235 seats they won in the 2018 midterm elections.

While Democrats will have a majority next Congress, Republicans vastly outperformed expectations and nearly pulled off an election shocker.

As of this writing, CNN has projected that Democrats have won in 219 seats. Republicans have been projected the winners in 203 seats. There are 13 races outstanding, per CNN projections.

Of those 13, the Democratic candidates lead in a mere two of them.

In other words, if every one of those 13 seats went to the party leading in them right now, Democrats would have 221 seats to the Republicans$2 214 seats in the next Congress.

Talk about a fairly close call for Democrats.

Now, Democrats may end up winning a few of the seats where they are currently trailing, but chances are they will end up at or south of 225 seats.

Compare that to what most quantitative forecasters who look at a slew of indicators predicted. Jack Kersting came the closest at 238 seats. FiveThirtyEight clocked in at 239 seats. The Economist model predicted that Democrats would win a median of 244 seats in their simulations.

Any sort of shy Trump vote was far smaller than a potential shy House Republican vote.

A 4- or 5-point miss is considerable.

How Many Senate Seats Are Up For Grabs In 2022

In the Senate, there will be 34 out of 100 seats available. Special elections may be held to fill the vacant seats in the senate. Those senators elected in 2022 will begin their six-year term on January 3, 2023.

In the Senate, the Democrats have 14 seats up for election in 2022. The Republicans will have 20 seats up for grabs in the election. The Republican party will be defending 2 Senate seats in the states that President Joe Biden won.

Those seats are in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. The Democrats are not defending any senate seats that former President Donald Trump won in 2020.

Thirty-two of the thirty-four seats up in 2022 were voted on in 2016. The Democrats gained three seats in the 2020 election. The Democrats have total control of the House and the Senate.

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Senate Republican Caucus Sends Comments On Rggi Regulation To Irrc

The Senate Republican Caucus submitted a letter to the Independent Regulatory Review Commission prior to its September 1 meeting detailing objections to a proposed regulation that would implement the Governors mandate that Pennsylvania join the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative . Read Letter;

2021

Parental control over masking decisions in school is the foundation of a bill introduced by Senator Doug Mastriano and Senator Judy Ward . ;

Lindsey Graham Votes In South Carolina

;Senator Lindsey Graham cast his ballot in Seneca, South Carolina, around 11 a.m. on Tuesday morning, CBS Spartanburg, South Carolina affiliate WSPA-TV reports.

Graham, a close ally of President Trump, is locked in a tougher-than-expected reelection battle against Jaime Harrison in a race that has captured national attention. Harris raised $57 million between July and September alone, shattering the $38 million previous record for the most money raised in a Senate race in that three-month period.

Senator Lindsey Graham, who is running for re-election in South Carolina, cast his ballot and urged Republican voters to “show up in big numbers today to close the gap” after huge early voting numbers from Democrats

CBS News

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Mcconnell Not Troubled At All By Trump’s Suggestion Of Supreme Court Challenge

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell defended Mr. Trump for falsely claiming that he won reelection, although he acknowledged that the presidential race had not yet been decided.

“It’s not unusual for people to claim they have won the election. I can think of that happening on numerous occasions,” McConnell told reporters in Kentucky. “But, claiming to win the election is different from finishing the counting.”

“Claiming to win the election is different from finishing the counting,” Mitch McConnell says, adding that Americans “should not be shocked” that Democrats and Republicans are both lawyering up for the close races

CBS News

He also said he was “not troubled at all” by the president suggesting that the outcome of the election might be determined by the Supreme Court. The president cannot unilaterally bring a case to the Supreme Court, what it’s unclear what case the Trump campaign would have if it challenged the counting of legally cast absentee ballots.

McConnell, who won his own closely watched reelection race on Tuesday evening, expressed measured confidence about Republicans maintaining their majority in the Senate. He said he believed there is a “chance we will know by the end of the day” if Republicans won races in states like Georgia and North Carolina.

Expulsion And Other Disciplinary Actions

The Senate may expel a senator by a two-thirds vote. Fifteen senators have been expelled in the Senate’s history: William Blount, for treason, in 1797, and fourteen in 1861 and 1862 for supporting the Confederatesecession. Although no senator has been expelled since 1862, many senators have chosen to resign when faced with expulsion proceedingsÂ;â for example, Bob Packwood in 1995. The Senate has also censured and condemned senators; censure requires only a simple majority and does not remove a senator from office. Some senators have opted to withdraw from their re-election races rather than face certain censure or expulsion, such as Robert Torricelli in 2002.

Recommended Reading: What Is An Example Of Republicanism

How Much Damage Have Republicans Done In The States

Turns out making cuts to public services to fit an ideology of small government and traditionalism is just not very popular.

Mr. Grossmann is the author of Red State Blues: How the Conservative Revolution Stalled in the States.

The 2018 election marked at least a temporary end to Republicans rise to power in many states. Before their losses in that election, Republicans had full control of 26 states, giving them a sustained opportunity to transform American subnational government.

Liberals certainly feared the worst from this Republican grip on the states. Dark portraits of the Koch brothers network and the American Legislative Exchange Council suggested that Republicans were in a position to fundamentally reorient states to scale back public services, serve corporations and the rich, and impose a conservative social agenda. Democrats, from this perspective, would need years, if not decades, to reverse the trend.

The Republican Party still controls many more state governments and legislative chambers than Democrats nationwide. But the fact is, the Republican results at the state level have not been very impressive. Republican-controlled state governments largely failed to enact policies that advance conservative goals. They have been effective at staying in power but have not altered the reach of government or its socio-economic impact.

Follow The New York Times Opinion section on , and .

How Many Us Senators Are There

Here are the Senate seats that will be critical in 2020

New Yorks Chuck Schumer

There are a total of 100 US senators, two from each state:

Alabama

Wyoming

With the six-year term, about one-third of senators face re-election challenges every two years.

Chuck Schumer of New York became Senate Majority Leader when the Democrats regained the Senate early in 2021.

Mitch McConnell, of Kentucky, had previously served in that role for the Republicans.

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Key Races That Could Determine The Senate Majority

To take the majority, Democrats would have to net three seats, should Biden win the presidency, or four seats, if Mr. Trump wins reelection, because it’s the vice president who breaks ties in the Senate. The current balance of the Republican-controlled Senate is 53 to 47.

Here is a rundown of the key Senate races in this year’s election:

[bhuushansatraiwt]

Indian Stock Markets (2018-2019)

What’s next for Indian Stock markets in the year ahead? Here are some factors that’ll affect the trend for majority of the year. But before we go into the details we should first get acquainted with how the markets work and who the main players are. 

The markets have FDI, FII, DII, Volume traders, retail traders and retail investors as the main players. FDIs & FIIs invest based on the past performance and fundamental analysis of the markets. DIIs and volume traders invest and trade based on the trend and market sentiment (of course they employ fundamental analysis too but market sentiment affects their decisions more.) retail traders trad according to the trend and retail investors usually pump steam into the market. As understood by everyone but seldom acknowledged, retail investors are the backbones of Indian stock market since after 2008. (They invest based on the sentiment and brand-value and the belief that markets will perpetually ‘go up’ and they are the most reluctant to get out of their positions. This makes them the perfect stock buyers.)

Based on this information following assumptions can be made. 

1. Retail investors and following them the DIIs will be bullish for the major part of the year. So unless there are more shocks like PNB scam, the markets will have an upward trend based on the habitual bullishness of domestic players. 

2. The govt. data will be positive for the major part of the year. GDP, inflation, credit growth, deficit and value of the currency against reserve currencies will be stable, predictable and positive. As a matter of fact we will see picture perfect data since the elections are coming up in Apr-May 2019. Expect more reassurances from rating agencies such as Moody’s or the chairman of IMF or the president trump that India’s growth rate will be above 7.5. Apparently, that’s all that the markets need in order to grow. 

3. Velocity of Money will continue to deteriorate since that’s the one indicator that never lies. For the last year (post demonetization) the velocity of money declined to 1.2 to 1.3. And if my estimates are correct, the value can reduce to 1.1 - 1.2 (fair bit of approximation is needed here because further devaluation of the currency is in order as oil gets costlier but the velocity of money will not reach the pre-demonetization levels anytime soon).

And now, we come to the predictions. 

1. Since 2011, the markets are experiencing empty boom because of the habitual bullishness, PE ratios are 26 - 27 consistently (for nse) and 20+ (for sensex). While PB ratios are above 3 for NSE and dividend yield is about at low as it can be. (at approx. 1). In 20th century, this could have resulted in another great depression but this is not the 20th century, this is the glossy, shiny 21st century. There are already online articles about how a PE ratio of 25 to 30 can be a new normal. Which is great as much as the retail investor confidence is concerned. But wait till you hear that the increase in PE ratio for most firms is not only because of increasing share price but also because of decreasing earnings. We should thank our lucky stars for this is a situation present in almost all global markets. People (who measure the health of Indian economy based on the movement of stock indices) should pray that other markets don’t improve before India’s do. If all markets do equally bad, Stock indices in India can see 10% to 12% growth in the coming year.

2. Politics in India has been reduced to a scientific methodology. Every citizen of India can be stereotyped into a political faction and the sad thing is that most often the stereotypes are correct. Hell, you can now guess the political affiliation of a person based on the news channel they are watching. What does it have to do with markets you ask? Well, a lot!. First of all, the markets have reacted positively to the ruling party since the inception of the ‘acche din’ (good days are coming!) slogan. Whether or not the promises are kept is whole another story. Besides, the government and their PR arms have succeeded in flipping around every failure as a strategic success. Every bitter dose of the political and bureaucratic tomfoolery has been accepted by the majority population as a necessary medicine for the health of the nation. This includes some of the economic earthquakes such as the demonetization, long term capital gains tax and other necessary but hurried executions such as GST, overemphasis on ‘Make in India’, mechanical approach to the Non-Performing Assets (and their redistribution to the oligarchs) etc. They all affect one key factor, the ‘SENTIMENT’. DIIs and retail investors can’t keep the habitual bullishness going beyond a certain limit. If the core sentiment doesn’t improve, markets can nosedive and bleed out at least 20% of their value. 

3. Based on the fundamental analysis of a few bluest of the blue chip companies, Debts are rising. In a turbulent situation (which can present itself at any moment, and that’s not just me talking) any debt to equity ratio beyond 0.4 can be hazardous. For most blue-chip companies this ratio is nearing 0.4. But then you look at their statement and find that ‘other liabilities’ or ‘miscellaneous liabilities’ are more than double that of the value of ‘liabilities’ in their statements. In short, debts are rising! There’s no need to push the panic button yet, since the ‘turbulent situation’ hasn’t presented itself yet. But in any case, this can result in only one of the two possibilities. 

                  i. Higher debt and higher capacity results in higher earnings, improving the pe ratio a little bit. Which puts more steam in the markets based on FDI and FII interest. 

                 ii. Downward pressures on the stock prices result in higher debt to asset ratios, downgrading the technically driven ratings of the bonds and other instruments of the blue-chip companies, increasing the interest rates. Which can turn a budding private-sector bond market into a junk-bond roller coaster. 

4. ‘Trade wars’ is a favorite market buzzword nowadays but no matter how cool it sounds, it’s just another trumpism. Trade wars by themselves have no impact on the stock markets, since the major movement happens in the currency markets in the situation, which is less likely given the reduced earnings around the globe. Having said that, the real buzzword everyone should be discussing is ‘protectionism’. Protectionism is a politically correct synonym for fascism, and sadly, it is on the rise around the globe. USA is the Mecca for capitalism but politically they are experimenting passionately with the said ‘protectionism’ nowadays. If the attitude of the ruling class in the US spills over in the stock market, it can result in paranoid selling and subsequent market crashes around the globe. Again, there’s no need to press the panic button yet. Trump, reportedly, only pretends to be stupid; which he’s not in reality! He has a knack for dancing around the button without actually pushing it. But if any one of Russia or China chooses to flex their arms in areas other than the ‘trade wars’, Trump’s hand will be forced. Another major military conflict will result in 1. Increase in the oil prices and more steam in the stock markets in the long run despite consolidations in the short run. 2. Devaluation of dollar, which as experience would suggest, will result in RBI printing more Rupees in order to keep Indian currency devalued and subsequently causing inflation to rise. This will create an opportunity for Indian Markets to climb higher but also to fluctuate more violently since interest rates will also rise. 

          Janet Yellen had said that, ‘There will be no other recession within our lifetime.’ I agree, because if another financial crisis happens they won’t be calling it a ‘recession’, they will be calling it something else. So technically, there will be no other recession within our lifetime. I think, they will call it a ‘burnout’ this time. All indicators are suggesting towards a crisis called as a ‘burnout’ in a near future. But hey, no need to press the panic button yet! We are living in the world where the ‘be woke’ media is increasingly getting more mainstream than ‘the mainstream media’. Chances are, if the ‘burnout’ happens at all, most people wont even know about it since they will be pre-occupied with their duties towards their caste, religion or their political party.

[campnorthstarmaineme]

Best Summer Camps In Maine

Best Summer Camps In Maine

Camp north Star Maine

Advantages Of Camp.

Develops Lifelong Skills.

Promotes     Independence.

Makes Time for Play.

Teaches Teamwork.

Fosters Growth.

Self-Respect.

Packing.

Safety Skills.

Map Skills and Orienteering.

Foraging.

Improved memory.

More Exercise.

Reduced Stress.

How do i do know when my child is prepared for camp?

There is no specific age that's ideal for starting camp. Making the choice about whether or not your child is prepared for camp depends on the sort of camp you're considering. additionally , your child’s unique development should be a robust indicator of when your child is prepared to travel to camp. it's an honest idea to contact the camp directors at camps you're considering to urge their perspectives on the kinds of milestones that your child should achieve before she attends a specific camp.

Why is camp so important?

Although each camp is different, when talking with campers, parents, and camp staff, there are common themes that continually come up when talking about the advantages of camp . camp may be a special sort of community where kids close to possess fun. Within the camp setting, children develop a way of independence as they struggle new adventures faraway from home. Summer camps are known for providing a secure environment where children gain self-confidence as they learn new skills. Camp is additionally an area where children develop a spread of social skills (e.g., communication, conflict resolution ability). For more information about the advantages of camp for teenagers , inspect the results of a landmark research study on the positive outcomes experienced by kids at summer camps across the us .

We provide Different type’s of camp Like:-

Sleepaway Camp, Summer Camp, Overnight Camp, Sport Camp, Boys & Girl Camp.

Activities Performed In Best Sleepaway Camps.

1. Teamwork.

Summer camps specialise in a good sort of physical, interpersonal and character-related skills that your child will draw on long after camp is over.For example, summer camps are heavily focused on team-related activities. Be it happening a hike through the woods, learning to pitch camp, or competing in team-orientated tasks, instructors always ensure there's a skill-building focus.

2. New Hobbies.

As a parent, you’ve probably spent countless hours encouraging your child to require part in various sporting, creative, or artistic pursuits. Where camp can assistance is by truly unearthing a brand-new area where a toddler excels. At camp , a toddler will get to undertake their hand at an entire host of activities. A fun environment where kids of any skill level can learn; the right environment where children can find heir niche at camp .

3. Makes Time for Play.

During the varsity year, children are wont to the routine of creating it to high school on time, doing homework then getting to bed. Some may engage in extracurricular activities. Although still structured, camp is more relaxed than the varsity routine and provides time and freedom for spontaneous play.

What's the Next Step?

The benefits of summer camp or overnight camp are endless and may last a lifetime. Not only will your child return from camp with greater independence and a stronger sense of identity, but they're going to even have developed new skills, made new friends and created memories they're going to cherish forever.

[ajleanon5]

What do you think about the Christian Bible and verses like Romans 1:26-27? “That is why God abandoned them to their shameful desires. Even the women turned against the natural way to have sex and instead indulged in sex with each other. And the men, instead of having normal sexual relations with women, burned with lust for each other. Men did shameful things with other men, and as a result of this sin, they suffered within themselves the penalty they deserved.”

Yknow, its phrased a little differently in my version. But honestly in its context, God was punishing the people who had let their guilt and sin take over their life instead of practicing moderation and love. Its a thing that happens both in the past and today, and will continue for as long as humans exist. People ignore the reality of the world and become so small minded that they forget anything outside of their pleasure exists. They dont want to remember, so they bury their guilt and ignore what they should be doing.

I was raised Catholic and identify as bisexual, so these verses are not a stranger to me. I read paragraphs when I can and analyze them for their true meanings. So many things are misinterpreted and lost to history, and I know that I wont be able to find out the whole truth in my lifetime. The only thing I can do about it now is pray, love my girlfriend, and try to be the kind of person Jesus couldve been a friend with.

[maxwellyjordan]

Ask the authors: An innovative approach to learning the court’s biggest cases

Textbooks of constitutional law have, for decades, followed a similar pattern in their quest to help law students synthesize a surfeit of Supreme Court decisions. In their new multimedia platform, “An Introduction to Constitutional Law: 100 Supreme Court Cases Everyone Should Know” (Wolters Kluwer, 2019), Professors Randy Barnett and Josh Blackman take a different approach.

Most of the cases covered in “100 Supreme Court Cases” are traditionally taught in law school. But some are not, and the book has a wider aim: to present an overview of the most significant decisions from our nation’s highest court, in a way accessible to law students and the general public alike. The accompanying 11-hour video library includes short clips for each case, which average about 10 minutes in length. These resources both complement the text and present a novel way of learning the material.

The authors were kind enough to answer questions about “100 Supreme Court Cases” for the blog. Welcome, Randy and Josh, and thank you for doing this.

***

Question: Can you tell us how this project came about?

Josh: In 2016, Randy invited me to be a co-author on his constitutional law casebook, “Constitutional Law: Cases in Context.” I accepted this opportunity of a lifetime, and — as I am wont to do — quickly proposed another project: to develop a series of videos to teach students about the most important cases in the constitutional canon. These films would incorporate photographs of the parties, as well as audio from oral arguments and opinion announcements. Students would even be able to binge watch a semester of constitutional law in a single sitting. Randy enthusiastically backed the project.

Randy: Once we were into the project of writing and producing the videos — which took two years to accomplish — we decided that we had something that was too important to confine to law students whose professors adopted our casebook. So the idea of a free-standing book was born to enable anyone to gain convenient access to the videos — as well as a written description of these cases that goes beyond what is in the videos.

  Question: Is the book intended as a new, stand-alone text for constitutional law students? As a study supplement? As a guide for the general reader?

Randy: The book and videos were originally conceived for law students to read when taking constitutional law from professors who used other casebooks. The narrative we present will enrich any course on constitutional structure or rights.

Josh: We also wrote the text and videos to make constitutional law accessible to college students, as well as advanced high-school students. In particular, we hope A.P. government and constitutional law classes adopt our book. Also, the book and video library will help develop an excellent home-school course on constitutional law. Finally, the general public will benefit from a single resource that can teach the entire canon of constitutional law in 300 pages.

  Question: Tell us about your process for picking cases. Was 100 always the goal, a framework in which you aimed to fit your selection? Or was the approach more organic?

Josh: Initially, it was not our goal to select 100 cases. Rather, we selected the cases from our casebook that we thought that all law students should learn. We soon realized that we had 103 cases. We recognize the marketing potential of having an even number like 100, so trimmed off a few.

Randy:  Our goal was to focus on the key cases that are said to be in the “constitutional canon” and “anti-canon” so people can understand how constitutional law came to be what it is today. It is our experience that current constitutional law doctrines are best understood as the result of a 200+ year process of decision-making by a single court: the Supreme Court of the United States. All constitutional lawyers — and all the justices — carry in their heads a narrative of how and why the law developed as it has. This narrative is more important than any single doctrine or rule. We think this narrative is best told as a narrative. And within it are the individual stories presented by each case. When we were done picking the cases, we thought we needed to tell the larger story, and it turned out there were 100 of them.

  Question: In the book’s foreword, Erwin Chemerinsky – dean of Berkeley Law and author of his own widely used constitutional law textbook – remarks that “although not every constitutional law class will cover each of these cases, [you] have included the most important cases that are covered in any constitutional law course.” In your book, did you intentionally include cases that you felt constitutional law professors have overlooked?

Randy: A few. For example, Buchanan v. Warley is a much-neglected 1917 case that complicates the received wisdom about the so-called Lochner-era court. In Buchanan, that court invalidated a racially restrictive zoning law in Louisville, Kentucky, that forbade whites from selling houses to blacks in white neighborhoods and vice-versa. For the court it was a straightforward “due process of law” case that unreasonably infringed upon property rights of both buyers and sellers, blacks and whites, without an adequate police-power rationale. But this case is, by far, the exception. With limited space (and budget), we generally confined ourselves to the cases most constitutional lawyers would know and students need to know.

Josh: We also added two cases students seldom study. In Hepburn v. Griswold, the Supreme Court held that Congress could not force people to accept paper money as “legal tender.” This 4-3 decision by Chief Justice Salmon Chase was an important decision that limited the scope of federal power. However, one year later, after two new appointments by President Ulysses Grant, the court reversed course. Knox v. Lee, split 5-4, upheld the federal Legal Tender Act. This decision adopted a broad understanding of implied powers that would presage the court’s post-1937 jurisprudence.

  A preview of Knox v. Lee. Previews are available at conlaw.us/cases, with the full videos available for purchase.

  Question: Tell us about your division of labor. What was it like to collaborate?

Josh: I would write the first drafts of each of the 63 scripts and storyboards we relied on. Randy would then revise and expand the drafts. Summarizing a complicated case in a few pages is no easy task. We spent countless hours debating about what should be included and excluded. And we didn’t always see eye to eye on prose. Randy likes longer sentences. I don’t mind starting sentences with “however.” But, in the end, we knew that any content that satisfied both of our meticulous standards was ready for primetime.

Randy: Over the course of two years, we spent nearly 60 hours at Trivision Studios in Chantilly, Virginia. After sitting through hair and makeup we took our position under the bright lights and in front of the green screen. The Trivision team skillfully manned the cameras, adjusted the lighting, positioned the microphone and rolled the teleprompter. Each of us monitored the delivery of the other to catch mistakes. Not infrequently we had to revise the script on the teleprompter in the studio because speaking the script out loud revealed errors we had missed when it was just in writing.

Josh: After we wrapped, Trivision produced first cuts of each video. At that point, Randy and I had to review each and every frame to ensure that the scripts and storyboards were faithfully followed. It could take three hours to review a 10-minute video. On average, each video required four or five rounds of edits. Eventually, we signed off on each of the 63 videos. They total nearly 11 hours in length. We are very proud of the project.

Randy: While I proofed all of the videos for errors, it was Josh alone who provided the storyboarding for the graphics and illustrations that make the story of constitutional law come alive. My decision to add him to my casebook was completely vindicated. I would never have conceived of this project — much less executed it — without him.

Josh:

  Question: In the years ahead, the Supreme Court will undoubtedly decide cases that deserve consideration among the 100 most important. And technological progress will make digital aids, like your accompanying videos, more and more advanced. What do you view as the future of this project?

Randy: The “canon” sometimes gets revised over time. If that happens, we will need to revisit some of our videos. But the great majority will hold up as accurate descriptions of how and why the cases were decided the way they were. This is one of the virtues of our casebook. As time goes by, you only need to extend the narrative with some new cases (and drop cases that no longer serve a pedagogical purpose). You don’t need to completely reorganize the book. So, yes, we will need to add additional cases. But this is an expensive process. Our 63 videos covering 100 cases cost about $100,000 to produce. Josh and I had to pay part of that expense out of our own pockets. (That’s why you cannot watch them for free on YouTube, which we would have preferred.) But if the book and videos are a commercial success, I think Wolters Kluwer will pay for some new ones to be added when we revise our casebook, which happens every three to four years. When we do, I know I can count on Josh to find more amazing pictures, audio and graphics to make these cases come alive to a modern audience.

Josh: I’m already planning a sequel: “100 Property Cases Everyone Should Know.”

Randy: Josh is exhausting.

The post Ask the authors: An innovative approach to learning the court’s biggest cases appeared first on SCOTUSblog.

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[international-trauma-asses-blog1]

Stock Photos - Selling and Marketing Your Stock Photo Images

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