#form 11 factory act

[trivediandassociates]

Why Should You Adhere To Compliance Regulations

We are witnessing an increase in industrial activity with the introduction of modernization. During and after the last decade of the 19th century, there has been an increase in the factories across the globe in the developed and developing countries. Furthermore, employee safety and statutory compliance have become significant in the factories.

What Is the Need for Shop and Establishment Compliance?

Initially, with several processes being performed in the industries, governments across the globe have identified the need for stringent measures in place. Furthermore, it helps in ensuring the welfare and safety of the workers. Additionally, it gave rise to the need for formulating policies and principles which are legally essential in the workspace and factories.

One such regulation is the Gujarat Factory Act 1948. It is a legal necessity which was passed with an aim of strengthening the position of the workforce in any factory. Moreover, with the increase in factories and evolution of the production technology all over the world, it has become important for the government and employers to ensure the safety of the employees. Also, in India, the Factory act 1948 is a major regulatory act related to labour which enforces the shop and establishment compliance. Thus, it ensures a healthy and safe working environment for the employees.

Objectives of the Factories Act, 1948

The major focus of the Gujarat Factory act 1948 is on the regulation of health conditions, working condition, leave eligibility, and safety of the workers. Also, the act covers many special provisions related to young persons, factory employees, and women. The major objectives which focus on the welfare and employee safety via statutory compliance are as follows:

Workplace Safety

The act demands to ensuring the employee’s safety via appropriate fencing of the machinery. Young individuals are not allowed to work in confined locations and dangerous machinery. There should be maintenance holes with proper size which offer enough space for workers to escape during an emergency.

Employees’ Welfare

For ensuring the convenience of the employees, the act needs the factories to offer suitable and proper facilities for drying, washing and storing clothes along with maintenance of these provisions. First-aid kits, space for resting, lunch rooms, restrooms, and crèches are also mandatory.

Read the full blog here: https://trivediassociates.co.in/why-should-you-adhere-to-compliance-regulations/

[regretevator-headcanonss]

hm.. Enough showing our headcanons.. (Only once) Now show US your HEADCANONS!!!!!

My regurgitator headcanons some sad some random

Mannequin Mark

• Hyperfixated on wood and will not hesitate to yap about wood to the point your ears bleed

• Woodtism

• Got the hyperfixation a while after getting the woodworking job

• Hates Glevil

• Silly

• Gets sent memes from ifunny by Jimmy and laughs because he also somewhat finds them funny and just so Jimmy won't feel bad. Also ocaisonally references some of them

• Has made some BAD wood puns. Very bad puns..

• Self harms with one of his carving knives.

• Attempted before.

• Suicidal.

• BE TRANSGENDER!!

Wallter

• Objectum and posic

• Suffered from Mark's wood yapping (OH GOD WHEN WILL THIS MAN SHUT UP ABOUT WOOD???)

• Drinks grey stuff when he misses Mark

• 30 - 56 or smth (oldass man /silly)

• Does not want to go to a therapist

Lampert

• AuDHD

• Torn between his two friends (OH GOD WHEN WILL THESE TWO STOP ARGUING)

• Not their child!!! ^^

• Dreams about a pure clean land with no ounce of germs in it. Though when Folly was still invading people's dreams she would come in and spread germs on which would basically give Lampert a panic attack (sorta canon but whatever I'm still labeling this as headcanon)

Jimmy

• AuDHD

• Sucks at understanding social cues but can understand them sometimes when its more in his face or smth

• Contradictory to the previous headcanon, He's also street smart ish.

• Probably some form of chronically online in a young middle aged dad way

• Has a few repressed memories

• Skates a bit (based off the soap shoe thing)

• Decent skating skills

• Silly

•Thinks he's cool and epik

• Shows Mark memes from ifunny because he thinks they're funny and cool and would get a bit sad if Mannequin Mark said they weren't that funny

• Tries to laugh at some of Mark's bad wood puns (he doesn't actually find them funny he just doesn't want Mannequin Mark to go into a deep depression again)

• Tried to be supportive and comfort Mark during the divorce despite misunderstanding the topic a bit and saying some things that were a bit inappropriate for the tone. Still managed to make him feel better!

• Has pica and eats wood which is technically cannibalism and also sometimes gnaws on Mark's arm (<- adopted headcanon. I think you know who i stole this one from)

• Stims by biting his arm

Glevil

• Homophobic /hj /j

• Internalized homophobia and homophobic prejudice (either interchangeably or at the same time. Depends how i wanna depict em)

• Drinks tree sap

• Rude

• Hates Mark's guts and thinks Jimmy is stupid and useless (hey!! That's rude 😡)

• Evil but not very gleeful!! Oooooo!!!!!

• The glitchy face is a factory defect

• Controlling and manipulative (oooh!! Spooky!!!!!!!!)

• Hates non-mannequins and the ones that left the hivemind

• Alcoholic (<- adopted headcanon)

• Their voice is their charisma ig idfk

• Wants to and will cannibalize someone

Boots

• Boots/Bootsself and They/She/He/Any

• Flexes their height and Boots ALOT.

• Would probably have boots' worldview shattered if they saw someone taller than them

• Kinda self centered

• Has beef with the other mannequins ocaisonally.

• Wine aunt

• Gay. Gay as hell

• Would step on someone. Not in a kinky way

Kai

• He/They

• Dry but secretly the silliest guy ever

• Has counted how many times Glevil has killed someone with chalk

• Would've acted just like Manequinn :3 if it weren't for the fact he occasionally witnessed probably the most fucked up shit in their life and stuff

• Born to be a yapper but forced to listen to Glevil

• Boring!!

Timmy

• Ignorance is bliss.

• Can sharpen his lollipop into a spear

• Doesn't realize some of the shit he witnesses is fucked up and thinks strangling people is normal

• 5-10 years old or smth

• Loves his lollipop!!

• Happened to be manufactured smaller than the others.

Manequinn :3

• They/Them

• Poob but if you made them a mannequin and turned their annoyingness up to 11

• Screw it. This one has ADHD too and i say so

• Born a yapper.

• Full name: Manequinn Quinn :3 bla catty Mane Mannequin

• GEEK!!

• Likely a weeb and a MHA fan

• FURRY!!!

• would type :3 or a variation of it at the end of every sentence (like 3: if they are sad)

• Silly

• would have a jar.

• And a figurine.

• Insane in a way

• Would be a wattpad user..

All of the mannequins in general

• Can range from non-sentient, sapient and sentient but usually non-sentient. (mostly due to the cult-hivemind thing yadayada)

• The ones in glevil's room are depressed as fuck

• Bleed tree sap

• At some point weren't all mostly part of a hivemind. Glevil just fucked up shit a little bit (BOO!!!! TOMATO TOMATO!!!)

• The reason some mannequins have funny faces is because the workers at the factory use markers and draw silly goofy faces instead of the usual face craved out on them. Though Glevil's face wasn't a result of the workers goofing around. It was more of a defect

• The company agreed to throw their regular and defected mannequins into the wood chipper to help the Regretevator staff. Some mannequins who get spotted moving infront of people get sent to the crusher. However Mannequin Mark is an exception.

Gnarpy

• Struggles with love and trust similarly to Folly: Being hurt so many times they don't want to get too close to someone so they don't get hurt again (Trust issues 🤑🤑)

• Gifted child ahh mf

• Raised to be this way

• Committed multiple war crimes

• Won multiple wars!! (and may have killed a few species to extinction)

• Distracts xemself from guilt and trauma by using a gun and killing people

Also I'm coming out. I'm cherriezkin lol and yes i did terrorize hat one headcanon blog

[coochiequeens]

The some country that tuned a blind eye to while the nuns who ran the Madgelian Laundries buried babies in unmarked graves are now turning a blind eye to babies being created in war zones while their birth mothers are being exploited

Ireland’s new surrogacy law is legalising the sale of children

The human rights watchdog says our new health act allows for the trafficking of women and babies, but the health minister is ignoring its warning

Brenda Power Sunday September 22 2024

Despite the war, Ukraine’s baby factories are still flourishing. One of the biggest global players in the commercial surrogacy business is the Swiss-registered BioTexCom, which controls 70 per cent of the Ukrainian market and a quarter of the global business. Commercial surrogacy is estimated to have pumped €1.5 billion into the Ukrainian economy since 2018 alone, and the international market for surrogate babies, with an estimated value of €12.5 billion in 2022, has been growing at a rate of 25 per cent a year.

About half of Ukraine’s estimated 2,500 annual surrogate pregnancies are carried out through BioTexCom and, in the first 11 months of the war, the company reported that about 600 couples had travelled to the country to use its services. At approximately €50,000 per surrogacy, that means BioTexCom took in about €30 million in that period alone. A Kyiv clinic reported last year that the war hadn’t stopped Irish couples travelling for surrogacy services, and customers from Germany, Britain and Italy have also ensured that business remains brisk in these baby factories.

Under the new Health (Assisted Human Reproduction) Act 2024, which passed all stages in the Oireachtas in May and was signed into law in July, Ireland is the first EU country to legalise commercial surrogacy. That’s not me saying this, by the way. That’s the view of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (IHREC), in its report on human trafficking published last week.

The commission is “concerned” that section 8 of the act, which covers international surrogacy, effectively extends the Irish legislation “to a practice not permitted in any other EU state, in an area marred with increasing human trafficking”. It also fears that this new Irish law “may thwart other countries’ efforts to protect their own citizens from trafficking and reproductive exploitation”. We are, in other words, about to become legally complicit in the trafficking of women for the purposes of providing babies to Irish couples.

The commission has written twice to Stephen Donnelly, the health minister, pointing out that the law does not fulfil the state’s obligations under EU law to prevent the trafficking of women for exploitative surrogacy. At the date of drafting its report, the commission said, no response had been received.

The exploitation of vulnerable women for surrogacy, the commission says, is “one of the most concerning, novel and emerging forms of trafficking”. Yet we have enacted a law that legalises what the UN special rapporteur on human rights has called “the sale of children”.

The new law creates a “double standard”, according to the commission, whereby domestic, “altruistic” surrogacy is tightly regulated but the international market will be subject to “light touch” regulation. There will be no way to ensure that other states will comply with the requirements of the act, for example that the surrogate mother is paid only “reasonable expenses” and is allowed a 21-day period to withdraw her consent to the arrangement.

This will certainly put Ukrainian law at odds with the new Irish position, since one Ukrainian clinic boasts on its 2024 page: “Legal requirements are not strict. Ukraine surrogacy law is clear that the gestational carrier has no parental rights over the child and she has no ability to keep the child.” This, in theory, will make Ukrainian surrogacy deals illegal.

And the idea that the foreign surrogate mother and the surrogacy agencies should receive only “reasonable expenses” is dismissed as disingenuous nonsense by the commission: “It is unlikely that a woman would undertake a pregnancy on behalf of a stranger from another country without being offered a significant incentive. It is a fiction to suggest otherwise, but that appears to be the basis on which the legislation is to operate.”

The “reasonable expenses” provision might, the commission warns, encourage Irish couples to seek surrogacy in poor and underdeveloped countries where surrogacy is permissible, including Kenya, Malaysia and Nigeria, and where they can get away with paying buttons to the surrogate mother on the basis of comparative economic value. And that would amount to a commercial advantage, making the surrogacy illegal — not that the new law will be able to do anything to prevent it.

That Ukrainian clinic (“We build families with love”) also offers “good genetic testing facilities and gender selection, just in case wishful parents want high success rates”. Here’s how the commission addresses this delicately phrased service: “While there is no large-scale data, surrogate mothers have reported undergoing forced abortions of foetuses unwanted by clients … There are also consistent reports from India, Nepal, Thailand and now Ukraine of client parents abandoning unwanted children, particularly those with disabilities.”

Just recently, says the commission, eight people were arrested at the Mediterranean Fertility Institute in Greece, which had advertised its services and its “excellent surrogate support programme” on the Growing Families website. Vulnerable women had been lured from Albania and Georgia on false pretences and “forced to undergo hormonal treatment, egg extraction and insemination for surrogacy”. Or, to put it another way, they were abducted and impregnated against their will so that wealthy western couples could buy their babies.

And that, in a nutshell, is what our human rights watchdog has been trying to warn the minister for health about; this is what it is telling him will be the consequence of his new law on surrogacy. And he has been ignoring the warnings and refusing to respond to the correspondence. For some reason, this chilling chapter in the IHREC report was also ignored in media coverage of its launch last week. We are about to legalise commercial surrogacy, in a market where women are being trafficked and raped to maintain a global business worth in excess of €20 billion annually. You may well support that measure, but you should understand it first.

Transparency is the best weapon

Gardai were called to a brawl this month outside a supermarket in west Dublin. Within hours, social media sites were buzzing with claims that the protagonist was an immigrant male, armed with a knife attacking schoolchildren — pictures purporting to be the violent attacker also appeared online. Later in the week, gardai issued a statement denying that the incident involved an adult male or a foreign national — all the participants were school students and Irish nationals, and the incident was contained within the school. Not that any of the online agitators believed a word of it and for that, arguably, the gardai have only themselves to blame.

Last week, gardai applied for reporting restrictions preventing the identification of a man accused of attempting to abduct a five-year-old boy during a party at a Dublin apartment building. Because of “the current climate in the country”, a garda told the court, and “the sensitive nature of the case”, it was preferable that the accused should not be identified. The judge at that hearing agreed, citing the “social media-fuelled climate we live in”.

How to tell the country that the accused was an immigrant, then, without telling the country that the accused was an immigrant, notionally putting every non-national in the dock and guaranteeing heightened interest in the case. When a number of media organisations quite properly challenged this decision, another judge partially lifted the restriction to name the individual but not his address. The obligation to dispense justice in public is a pillar of democracy, and is also a crucial element of the social contract; the public should also be able to trust that the prosecutions of both immigrants and nationals are being reported on as far as possible.

Social media is already awash with unfounded claims that the traditional media, gardai and the courts are conspiring to conceal the number of immigrants and asylum seekers before the courts. But at a time when transparency and reason are the best weapons against extremist agitation, unnecessarily constraining court reporting restrictions can only serve to alarm even the most moderate observers

[nesiacha]

Fernand and Helene Iveton a couple in the Algerian revolution the beginning of the End (part III)

In the previous post, we discovered the impact of Henri Maillot's death on Fernand Iveton. Together with a group including Félix Colozzi, Mohamed Hachelaf, Abdelkader and Jacqueline Guerroudj, Georges Accampora, and Mohamed Bennaceur, also known as Tewfik, Yahia Briki, they formed the Commando of Greater Algiers. They were supported by chemists like Daniel Timsit and Taleb Abderrahmane, a maquisard who came down from the maquis to assist the FLN in Algiers. Their operations included sabotaging wagons at the port and setting fire to international cork factories. One day, Fernand Iveton was assigned the mission to eliminate Gerard Etienne, a member of the colonialist organization Main Rouge, an ancestor of the notorious OAS. Fernand agreed, but the operation failed, and Mohamed Hachelaf took over the task.

To better understand the following events, it is important to contextualize Algiers in 1956. Executions of FLN militants by guillotine were in full swing, starting with the Algerian revolutionaries Ahmed Zabana and Abdelkader Ferradj, with many others following. These were mock trials under a military tribunal, where even the condemned were denied execution by firing squad—a practice viewed as an insult, which even the staunchly pro-colonial executioner of Algiers admitted should logically have been a firing squad given the military tribunal setting. However, many FLN militants, as well as innocent Algerians unrelated to the FLN, were executed by guillotine. This colonial "justice" was a farce, the extent of which would soon become apparent.

The bombing on Rue de Thèbes in August 1956 was a turning point. Two ORAF members, with police complicity, planted a bomb just before the Algerians' curfew to maximize casualties. The bomb exploded at 11:50 PM, killing over 80 people and seriously injuring 14. Many families in the Casbah were left homeless and without assistance. Everyone knew the culprits, but the incident was met with general indifference. Only a few lines were written about the tragedy, and the investigation falsely blamed Algerians for the attack. However, the act was claimed by a leaflet signed by the "Committee of Forty," which declared that for every European killed, a block of the Casbah would explode. Among the perpetrators was sub-prefect Achiary, known for his role in the May 8, 1945 massacre of Algerians.

The Algerians in Algiers were outraged and sought revenge. The FLN calmed them, promising similar retaliatory actions. This latest attack on Algerian civilians erased the last scruples most Algerian nationalists had about bombing locations frequented by European civilians. Violence escalated to a new level, with the FLN planting multiple bombs, including in cafes. This marked the beginning of what is known as the Battle of Algiers, although some historians like Gilbert Meynier prefer the term "Repression of Algiers" for this episode. The explanations for this part of history are vast and would require multiple posts.

Most PCA members integrated into the FLN disagreed with this approach. They supported targeting ultra-colonialists who already killed and generals involved in crimes but opposed killing innocent European civilians. Fernand Iveton naturally shared this view. He confided this in his wife Hélène, without giving her operation details for her safety and that of the network. He condemned the indiscriminate violence against European civilians, including children,impoverished civils , and believed it would lead to a dead end.

Nevertheless, Fernand was committed to the revolution. He decided to sabotage the gas plant where he worked using a bomb, ensuring no one would be injured. Taleb Abderrahmane made two bombs, Jacqueline Guerroudj transported them, and gave one to Fernand, who set it to go off late in the evening to avoid casualties. After this action, he planned to join the maquis ( The rule of the FLN was that to become a maquisard, one had to be wanted). However, the plant foreman, Oriol, suspicious of Fernand due to his CGT delegate activities, saw him enter a room with a beach bag and leave empty-handed. He alerted the police, who found the bomb. Fernand was arrested, marking the beginning of a nightmare for him and his loved ones.

Fernand was insulted by the police. Paul Teitgen, secretary-general of the Algiers prefecture, had forbidden the use of torture on Fernand Iveton, but his orders were ignored. A police commissioner assured his officers they would be covered for whatever they did. Fernand was brutally tortured, both physically and psychologically. He held on for his wife, Henri, his comrades, and others, needing to last at least 24 (or 48) hours to protect the network and evacuate everyone he knew. He was also threatened with harm to his wife.

The police demanded the location of the second bomb and his accomplices. When Fernand felt he might break, he cleverly claimed a blonde woman had given him the bombs (Jacqueline Guerroudj was brunette), misleading the police into suspecting Raymonde Peschard, a well-known PCA militant. They mistakenly believed she was behind the Milk Bar bombing (actually carried out by Zohra Drif). Raymonde Peschard, whose alias was Taous, evaded arrest and joined the ALN before being killed by the French army in the maquis on November 26, 1957.

When Fernand felt he could no longer hold out, he named Félix Colozzi and Mohamed Hachelaf, believing they had escaped. Mohamed Hachelaf's wife was arrested, but Félix Colozzi was not evacuated in time due to suspicious movements near his home. Both Fernand and Félix were tortured horribly. Helene, following Fernand's instructions, destroyed his hidden papers when the police arrived at their home. She delayed them by pretending to sleep and arguing through the window, buying time.I think her experience of hiding resistance fighters during the occupation of France by Nazi Germany must have helped her to deal with these situation . Ultimately, she let them in after ensuring any evidence was destroyed. The police arrested her as well.

Helene faced police attempts to turn her against Fernand. They falsely claimed he was unfaithful, but she retorted that it was fashionable to be cheated on and the police commissioner’s wife was probably cheating on him too. When asked about her knowledge of her husband's militancy, she lied, claiming ignorance and stating her love for him. The commissioner grew angry, but Helene remained calm. She was put in a cell next to prostitutes who cheered her defiance against a policeman insulting her husband. She earned the nickname "the tigress."

Fernand, meanwhile, was taunted by soldiers who showed him newspapers branding him a bloodthirsty criminal. Fernand mislead the police about an FLN hideout, manage to escape but was recaptured and beaten again.

The police released Hélène. She made sure not to acknowledge the police officers and took a taxi. The driver, named Farouk, noticed that she was sad. She confided in him, explaining that she could not bear the thought of her husband being tortured. This likely brought back painful memories of her uncle being tortured and killed by a Nazi officer during World War II in Poland, as mentioned in the first part. When Farouk learned that she was Fernand Iveton's wife, he was completely surprised. While Iveton was seen as a brigand and a traitor by the colonial authorities, he was becoming a hero to the Algerian population. When Hélène tried to pay for the taxi, the driver refused, saying that the wives of fighters do not pay.

The French authorities, including Robert Lacoste, celebrated thos. Soustelle falsely claimed Fernand wanted to blow up the entire city. Lacoste demanded Fernand's execution, a move meant to discredit the Algerian movement and paint it as communist-led to reduce American support.

It is important to understand that during the UN meetings, France was frequently called out for its conduct in Algeria and faced increasing international criticism from many countries such as Tunisia, Egypt, and others. The USSR remained neutral on this issue until it aligned with Nasser, but the FLN was able to count on significant diplomatic support from China as well as from the United States. In New York, M’Hamed Yazid and Hocine Ait Ahmed, later replaced by Abdelkader Chanderli, maintained contacts through the UN with the Americans.

An anecdote: in 1957, Senator Kennedy, although he was speaking in a personal capacity and not on behalf of the American government, stated that it was necessary to "accelerate the movement towards independence in Algerian policy." But now, an communist named Fernand Iveton was caught in the act of sabotage in the name of Algeria’s independence. This was an opportunity to try to discredit the Algerian movement and suggest that this revolution was primarily the work of communists, perhaps even under Moscow's influence, and that consequently, the Americans should stop supporting them. This was a desperate and foolish strategy by the French government, but Iveton paid the high price fot these. French newspapers like Le Monde gleefully branded him a brigand. Not to mention the colonial newspapers.

The French Communist Party abandoned him. Helene sought Gaston Amblard’s help, but the PCF forbade it, calling Fernand’s actions a "provocation" ( words of Leon Feix). The lawyer Gisèle Halimi explained in her book Le lait de l'oranger that she was outraged and ready to defend him, and she sent him a note. He sincerely thanked her but said that as a communist, he could only accept help from a communist lawyer. . Ultimately, Albert Smajda, a third-year communist trainee lawyer, defended Fernand, assisted by Charles Lainné of Secours Catholique a very good lawyer who defend the equality between algerians and Pieds Noirs . Both knew Fernand should not be executed in theory, but the charged atmosphere made anything possible. Fernand fought for clemency, refusing to be demoralized and the two braves and engaged lawyers will fight for save Fernand Iveton life.

Helene prepared clean clothes for Fernand for his trial, insisting they be delivered in person. Initially refused, the prison director, moved by her determination, assured that Fernand would receive them. On her way out, she noticed a policeman following her and told him to get out. Fernand and Helene, committed to each other and their cause, prepared for a new battle for save his life.

[sasorikigai]

((Can I just say that it's not hard to imagine at some point after the whole thing with the Cyber Lin Kuei factory in 11, Hanzo eventually just finds Kuai's arms around him? Like...that level of loss just hits you eventually, and I have a hard time imagining him not ultimately comforting him. Not just bc Hanzo clearly does care about him, but also because he knows on this raw level that he's in a position to give Kuai something that he himself had so desperately needed back then.))

Random Inbox Shenanigans || anonymous || always accepting!

In relation to this post (x)

Had the other MK kombatants (at least the ones that knew about Hanzo's tragic story) empathized and cared about the state of Hanzo's being, I truly believe the horrendous outcome of MKX could have been prevented. Still, in the end, it was Hanzo's own responsibility to control his emotions and not act to impulsively, disregarding the dreadful and dismal consequences of his actions (killing the Revenants for good, Shinnok roaming about with his nihilistic darkness, risking other Earthrealm warriors dying, etc.), but it was that helpless loss of everything he held dear in his heart and soul that caused him to act irrationally.

Grandmaster Hasashi in MK11 is still coping with grief and loss, and he has grown a lot in terms of his character as he developed more patience, intelligence, and self-sacrifice. Since bereavement being the most intense form of grief and mourning, Hanzo is extremely familiar of the waves of intense and very difficult emotions, ranging from profound sadness, emptiness, and despair to shock, numbness, guilt, or regret. Also, it isn’t obviously limited to emotional responses, either. Grief at the death of a loved one can also trigger physical reactions, including weight and appetite changes, difficulty sleeping, aches and pains, and an impaired immune system leading to illness and other health problems.

He's experienced every one of those symptoms, and even when Hanzo doesn't necessarily sympathize with spoken words, he realizes how devastating and acute the excruciating pain is when he comforts Kuai Liang. The only way to deal with grief and loss is to GRIEVE, and Hanzo knows for a fact that Kuai will have to find a way to come to terms with his loss, and that way is to actively face the pain and many intense and unexpected emotions.

At that moment in time in the Cyber Lin Kuei quarry, they had a mission to complete, and they both could not let anything get in their way of preventing from stopping further cyberization - the kidnapping of the Lin Kuei warriors and possibly of the others, if they were to be left alone - so they didn't let their focus dwindle away, but I too, can imagine that they would have had a deep, intimate conversation; reflecting on their unique context and meaning.

[purplelegacymusic]

In an alternate timeline: Dream Factory

by Purple Legacy Music

Foreword

Dream Factory is one of Prince’s best known unreleased projects, a fan-favorite that has earned itself the status of a timeless classic over the past decades. It has been heavily bootlegged, and often tried to be reconstructed by fans that aimed to replicate a certain sequence as close as possible to what has been leaked, and to what is known about them. It is also considered one of Prince’s greatest myths, with some questioning that it has ever been an actual conceived album, but rather a constantly evolving work-in-progress which acted as a playground to assemble the accumulated material without any defined direction. The existence of the project has been also denied by members of The Revolution, which once noted that too much intention is being interpreted into the known configurations. Prince’s sound engineer from that time, Susan Rogers, also described that the songs had been recorded independently from each other, without a bigger picture in mind to form an album. However, it is clear that the assembled configurations curate the material in a way that makes for a stylistically cohesive album (especially the June 1986 configuration), with most of the songs featuring major input by The Revolution. The actual status of Dream Factory at the moment it has been moved on from is still and will probably also remain unknown, as only Prince himself knew of his true intentions with the material. What is certain, is that it did not reach the stage of submission to Warner Bros., and was therefore not planned for release yet. Unlike Dream Factory, the two following unreleased albums from that time, Camille and Crystal Ball, were both submitted, with Camille even receiving a catalog number and being slated for release.

Though Dream Factory can most likely be only considered a work-in-progress, and not the basis for an actual album, it is clearly the foundation of what would eventually become Sign O’ The Times, at least in its latest iteration. The material that has been recorded was intended to feature the closest collaboration between Prince and The Revolution, with the band initially contributing even more than to the previous Parade album.

The making of

Prince fully embarked on his recording-spree in March 1986 when he started to produce in his new Galpin Blvd home studio, tracking “The Ballad Of Dorothy Parker”, “Power Fantastic”, “And How”, “A Place In Heaven”, “Movie Star”, “Witness 4 The Prosecution”, “And That Says What?” (recorded at the Washington Avenue Warehouse), “Crystal Ball”, “Starfish And Coffee”, “Big Tall Wall” and “Visions” from mid-March to mid-April. The recorded material was sequenced for the first time in late-April with 11 tracks:

Prince would continue to record more songs in May, which led to another compilation which has been sequenced to make up an expanded 2LP configuration, compiled in June featuring 19 tracks:

This 19-track configuration has been also entirely mastered, most likely for Prince to have something that he could always come back to listen to as if it was a finished record, to maybe inspire him to find a creative direction for the next album.

When Prince started to play one-off shows with a new and expanded Revolution line-up from April throughout July (with the last show on August 3), tensions between Prince and the original Revolution members started to grow, and as a result, when Prince continued to record new songs after completing the second configuration from his work-in-progress in June, more solo recordings where added that eventually replaced several collaborations with The Revolution, resulting in a third compilation of the material which has been completed in July containing 18 tracks. Overall, 10 were Prince solo-affairs, with 8 tracks eventually ending up to be released on Sign O’ The Times later on:

Two days later, Prince slightly altered the sequence, which resulted in the fourth and final configuration of the work-in-progress compilation:

Sonically, both configurations from July are the most diverse ones, with the darker sound that can be found on Sign O’ The Times being more present than on the two previous configurations. The April and June configurations have a more playful and brighter sound however, which makes the album feel more cohesive overall, giving its own style that distinguishes it from what would eventually become the Sign O’ The Times album. It is notable, that this constantly evolving work-in-progress went from a continuation and further expansion of the collaboration between Prince and The Revolution, to a transition to Prince’s return as a solo artist, also moving from a brighter and more joyful sound to a darker tonality that was further emphasized on with Sign O’ The Times.

After tensions between Prince and the original Revolution members peaked at the end of the Parade Tour in early-September, Prince broke up The Revolution a month later on October 7, and discarded most of the recorded material for the moment. He moved on to record for a new solo project in October, which became the infamous unreleased album Camille, compiled in early-November. Camille then eventually morphed into the 3LP crossover project titled Crystal Ball, which combined it with the leftover solo tracks from the Dream Factory work-in-progress. This triple album was then submitted to Warner Bros. and later paired down to become Sign O’ The Times.

The vision

Our alternate version of Dream Factory imagines the work-in-progress becoming a cohesive and fully conceived album, which is mostly based on the April and June compilations from 1986. It emphasizes on the material that features contributions from The Revolution to maintain the same characteristics, while trying to further develop a creative direction into it. Most tracks are directly sourced from the Sign O’ The Times Super Deluxe Edition, with a large part of the rest taken from 1998’s Crystal Ball collection. “Power Fantastic” is taken from The Hits/The B-Sides, while the intro from “Dream Factory” has been lifted from a bootleg. All songs have been carefully retouched to give the album a cohesive sound.

The idea behind our reimagined versions of Dream Factory, Crystal Ball, and Sign O’ The Times was to create versions of them that could have theoretically co-existed, creating an alternate timeline in which all projects from 1986 would have found their release next to each other, while also separating the material from that era into 3 albums with each featuring a different project: The Revolution, Camille, and Prince’s solo recordings.

The alternate timeline

After completing the last sequence of his work-in-progress with the working title Dream Factory in July 1986, Prince continued to record new material independently from it until embarking on the Parade Tour in August. With tensions between him and the original members of The Revolution growing, Prince cancelled his plans for a possible release of the Dream Factory project, right after returning from the Parade Tour in early September. By the time he had returned, tapes from the last iteration of Dream Factory were leaked and bootlegs of them widely circulating, which eventually drew the attention and interest of Warner Bros’ executives to the project. After directly reaching out to Prince to clarify the status of the album and receive further information, the label was shocked by his decision to discard the material as they considered it to be a potential commercial success, but even more so about the dawning breakup of The Revolution. Warner Bros. immediately went into negotiations and tried to convince him to submit and release the album despite his fallout with The Revolution, to make use of the broad publicity that an announcement of the band’s breakup and a last album together would have. While Prince remained reluctant to Warner’s proposal, the label continued to pursue a release and continued to negotiate for an agreement which would ensure that Prince’s next project could follow-up Dream Factory less than half-a-year later, alongside a substantial financial bonus. Prince was in the midst of one of his most productive times in which he constantly created, so the possibility of gaining the freedom to release his following project in close succession was the reason why he eventually agreed to submit an overworked version of the album. He took the opportunity to clear the vault and give the recordings a proper home, as chances were high that he would not come back to them for future projects.

At the end of September, Prince finished an almost entirely new version of Dream Factory, which replaced 12 tracks from the latest configuration that was sequenced in July with 6 tracks from previous configurations, and 5 new tracks that have not been included on any other sequence before (4 being outtakes from the initial sessions, and one being recorded after the work-in-progress sessions), making up a 18-track double LP:

Though he didn’t intend to release a double album and include all of the tracks on the final configuration, Prince pulled together as much material as possible, to then narrow the album down and find its core that he could further refine and develop. Though including now more tracks that feature contributions from The Revolution, and even entire band performances, many of those that featured lead vocals or were solo performances by either Wendy, Lisa, or both, have been replaced with Prince’s original vocal versions, (“Wonderful Day”, “Eggplant”, “A Place In Heaven”) or were entirely removed (“Visions”, “Nevaeh Ni Ecalp A”, “Colors”), which could be understood as a clear reaction to the band’s fallout. “Dream Factory” and “Sexual Suicide” where replaced with updated mixes, with the first of both also being an extended version compared to the one included on previous configurations. Prince played around with giving the album a mirroring structure, with both records repeating the format of 5 songs on the first side, 4 songs on the flip side, and a full-band instrumental appearing at the end of the first side from each LP. Additionally, Side A and C have a roughly similar running time, as well as Side B and D. The instrumentals were meant to replace the solo interludes “Visions” and “Colors” by Wendy and Lisa, while Prince removed most of his solo tracks that were included on the previous July configuration to save them for future projects, instead of including them on an album he was convinced to finish, rather than working on it because of his own artistic motivation.

Although the sequencing has been entirely finished with new segues, crossfades, overdubs, and more, the first configuration was then further worked on and edited down to a single LP:

The new single LP configuration removed 6 tracks: “Big Tall Wall”, “Eggplant”, “Everybody Want What They Don’t Got”, “A Place In Heaven”, “Love And Sex (1986 Song)”, and “Last Heart”. “And That Says What?” and “It Ain’t Over ‘Til The Fat Lady Sings” were edited to almost the same length and simply retitled “Interlude”, both being placed as the 4th track on each side to maintain a certain format within the album, as established on the previous configuration. The final 12-track configuration was then submitted to Warner Bros. and prepared for release, with the artwork featuring photos from Jeff Katz which were taken from the Parade photo sessions.

Prince broke up The Revolution on October 7, and informed the band that a last album which features recordings with their input is being prepared for release in November. While Brownmark and Dr. Fink were both invited to stay and continue to work with Prince, only Fink accepted and went on to play in Prince’s band until December 1990.

Dream Factory was publicly announced together with the breakup of Prince and The Revolution on October 10, and saw its release on November 5 in the US and a few days later across the rest of the world, all while Prince was already recording material for a new album that was to feature him in disguise as a new alter-ego named “Camille”. As part of the agreement between Warner Bros. and Prince, the album did not produce any commercially released singles. Instead, 4 promotional singles have been sent out to radio stations and DJ’s, with the airplay promotion being limited to the end of the year only. The release of Dream Factory itself was also limited, with the label agreeing on Prince’s condition to not manufacture future repressings of the album on any format without his consent.

Though it’s spare and strictly limited promotion, the album sold extremely fast and was certified multi-platinum by RIAA two months after its release, selling over 3,000,000 copies in the US. Warner Bros’ massive marketing campaign, which announced the bands breakup together with the release of a last album, proved just as effective as the label had predicted, and was the cornerstone for the album’s commercial success and its status as a fan-favorite.

______________________________________________________________

Listen to our alternate version of the unreleased Dream Factory now on Soundcloud:

Prince and The Revolution · Dream Factory | 1986 · rearranged and edited by Purple Legacy Music

[tempest-toss]

Little Mister Blurb batch #2

11. Ms. Odd It is absolutely impossible to get even with Ms. Odd. Probably taking the cake for the most weird idea, Ms. Odd is peculiar in the fact of her fascination with odd numbers. She has an odd number of jewelry pieces, an odd number of stripes on her socks, an odd number of collections with an odd amount collected, and even a third eye and arm (although she usually hides them for the sake of whoever she’s assigned to.

12. Mr. Patient Twin brother to Mr. Patience, he’s well known as a wild card. Seen constantly in his straitjacket with oversized sleeves, with spiral eyes and occasionally acting like a dog, he uses his rather bizarre mannerisms and appearance to catch people off guard so he can eat them. The only people that can calm him down to a state where he can communicate clearly and eloquently is Three, Mr. Patience, and his fathers. Despite Dr. Wondertainement wanted to change his design, Mr. Patient has been adamant that he never lose his prized jacket.

13. Mr. Patience Twin brother to Mr. Patient. Dressed in clothes similar to that of a psych ward worker, he was made to help those experiencing emotional duress. His anomalous quirk of emitting a calming feeling helps those he meets to recover, or at least help with the path of recovery. Unfortunately, he hasn’t seen many patients as of late, since his brother is in need of being watched over constantly.

14. Little Mr. Dancer Tap? Check. Tango? Check. Boogie? Bee’s Knees? Popular movie moves? Little Mr. Dancer knows them all! Created to teach the uncoordinated how to put a little groove in their step, he was as fast as his rising fame. Tragedy struck however, in a rare form of chance, when a stagelight came down and crushed him, causing him to be pulled from public use, mainly due to the rainbow blood.

15. Ms. Dream In this anomalous world, nightmares are common and frequent. Sometimes you need a little nudge to get a good nights sleep. Ms. Dream is going to be the one to help you with that. Often found daydreaming, Ms. Dream can emit a mist that when inhaled while sleeping causes the person to enter a calm or happy dreamscape. She might not be the best for fighting or defending, but that wasn’t what she was made for. She was made to help the distressed of the world, and she wouldn’t have it any other way.

16. Ms. Smile When told that sadness was overpowering the fun in the world, Dr. Wondertainment knew it must be dealt with at once, and created Ms. Smile. All things considered, Ms. Smile is rather plain to the eyes. Average clothes, blonde hair, fair complexion. What sets her apart from others is that when in proximity to her you may find yourself feeling…happier. Memories from the past of good times pops into your head, and you find yourself realizing that things are gonna be alright.

17. Mx. Guide One of the first gender-neutral Little Misters, Mx. Guide is the friendliest of the Little Misters, and one you should ally yourself with if things go south. Based on a workplace character made to remind people to wear hardhats, Mx. Guide now wanders the factory pointing people in the right direction, seemingly able to know where you wish to go just by looking at you. This was confirmed to not be exclusive to the Factory after some lab tests at Site 32. Compliment their glasses, they try really hard to make them shine.

18. Ms. Twist Some workers wonder if Ms. Twisted was a mistake, and they have to be reminded constantly that no, her signature twist in her body is not an accident. Using her bodily flexibility, Ms. Twist one of the more versatile and flexible Little Misters to exist, although she doesn’t view herself as such, instead taking the ignorant workers’ opinions to heart.

19. Mr. Twisted   Ever heard of the Crooked Man, and are you afraid of him? If so, you might want to avoid Mr. Twisted. Standing at such an abnormal height, Mr. Twisted’s spine had to curve downwards, making him look like a walking candy cane, except his eyes are obscured by messy hair, and his smile looks a bit too sharp. Dr. Wondertainment never told a soul why he was made in the first place.

20. Ms. Knight  Created for the popular fantasy kit, Ms. Knight has chivalry and honor etched into her. She acts as a guardian figure and walking tutorial that only occasionally complains about how stuffy the armor is. Skilled with a sword and striking even though her bangs get in her face, Ms. Knight is one of the strongest defenders when it comes to the Little Misters, especially since she can fortify her body to make it more resistant to any and all attacks.

[brookstonalmanac]

Events 11.1 (after 1950)

1950 – Puerto Rican nationalists Griselio Torresola and Oscar Collazo attempt to assassinate US President Harry S. Truman at Blair House. 1951 – Operation Buster–Jangle: Six thousand five hundred United States Army soldiers are exposed to 'Desert Rock' atomic explosions for training purposes in Nevada. Participation is not voluntary. 1952 – Nuclear weapons testing: The United States successfully detonates Ivy Mike, the first thermonuclear device, at the Eniwetok atoll. The explosion had a yield of ten megatons TNT equivalent. 1954 – The Front de Libération Nationale fires the first shots of the Algerian War of Independence. 1955 – The establishment of a Military Assistance Advisory Group in South Vietnam marks the beginning of American involvement in the conflict. 1955 – The bombing of United Air Lines Flight 629 occurs near Longmont, Colorado, killing all 39 passengers and five crew members aboard the Douglas DC-6B airliner. 1956 – The Indian states Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, and Mysore are formally created under the States Reorganisation Act; Kanyakumari district is joined to Tamil Nadu from Kerala. Delhi was established as a union territory. 1956 – Hungarian Revolution: Imre Nagy announces Hungary's neutrality and withdrawal from the Warsaw Pact. Soviet troops begin to re-enter Hungary, contrary to assurances by the Soviet government. János Kádár and Ferenc Münnich secretly defect to the Soviets. 1956 – The Springhill mining disaster in Springhill, Nova Scotia kills 39 miners; 88 are rescued. 1957 – The Mackinac Bridge, the world's longest suspension bridge between anchorages at the time, opens to traffic connecting Michigan's upper and lower peninsulas. 1963 – The Arecibo Observatory in Arecibo, Puerto Rico, with the largest radio telescope ever constructed, officially opens. 1963 – The 1963 South Vietnamese coup begins. 1968 – The Motion Picture Association of America's film rating system is officially introduced, originating with the ratings G, M, R, and X. 1970 – Club Cinq-Sept fire in Saint-Laurent-du-Pont, France kills 146 young people. 1973 – Watergate scandal: Leon Jaworski is appointed as the new Watergate Special Prosecutor. 1973 – The Indian state of Mysore is renamed as Karnataka to represent all the regions within Karunadu. 1976 – Burundian president Michel Micombero is deposed in a bloodless military coup d'état by deputy Jean-Baptiste Bagaza. 1979 – In Bolivia, Colonel Alberto Natusch executes a bloody coup d'état against the constitutional government of Wálter Guevara. 1979 – Griselda Álvarez becomes the first female governor of a state of Mexico. 1981 – Antigua and Barbuda gains independence from the United Kingdom. 1982 – Honda becomes the first Asian automobile company to produce cars in the United States with the opening of its factory in Marysville, Ohio; a Honda Accord is the first car produced there. 1984 – After the assassination of Indira Gandhi, Prime Minister of India on 31 October 1984, by two of her Sikh bodyguards, anti-Sikh riots erupt. 1987 – British Rail Class 43 (HST) hits the record speed of 238 km/h for rail vehicles with on-board fuel to generate electricity for traction motors. 1991 – President of the Chechen Republic Dzhokhar Dudayev declares sovereignty of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria from the Russian Federation. 1993 – The Maastricht Treaty takes effect, formally establishing the European Union. 2000 – Chhattisgarh officially becomes the 26th state of India, formed from sixteen districts of eastern Madhya Pradesh. 2000 – Serbia and Montenegro joins the United Nations. 2001 – Turkey, Australia, and Canada agree to commit troops to the invasion of Afghanistan. 2009 – An Ilyushin Il-76 crashes near the Mir mine after takeoff from Mirny Airport in Yakutia, killing all 11 aboard. 2011 – Mario Draghi succeeds Jean-Claude Trichet and becomes the third president of the European Central Bank. 2012 – A fuel tank truck crashes and explodes in the Saudi Arabian capital Riyadh, killing 26 people and injuring 135.

[head-post]

Ireland’s new surrogacy law legalises trafficking of Ukrainian children

A human rights organisation says a new health law allows trafficking in women and babies, but the health minister ignores its warning, The Sunday Times reports.

Despite the war, Ukraine’s baby factories are still thriving. One of the world’s biggest players in commercial surrogacy is the Swiss-registered company BioTexCom, which controls 70 per cent of the Ukrainian market and a quarter of the global business. It is estimated that commercial surrogacy has injected €1.5 billion into the Ukrainian economy since 2018 alone, while the international surrogacy market, estimated to be worth €12.5 billion in 2022, is growing at 25 per cent a year.

About half of the roughly 2,500 annual surrogate pregnancies in Ukraine are carried out through BioTexCom, and in the first 11 months of the war, the company said about 600 couples travelled to the country to use its services. With the cost of a single surrogacy costing around €50,000, this means that BioTexCom has received around €30 million in this period alone. Last year, a clinic in Kiev reported that the war had not stopped Irish couples coming for surrogacy services, with clients from Germany, the UK and Italy also providing a boost to business at these baby factories.

Under the new Health (Assisted Human Reproduction) Act 2024, which passed all stages in Parliament in May and was signed into law in July, Ireland became the first EU country to legalise commercial surrogacy, the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (IHREC) said in its report on human trafficking published last week.

Accomplices in women trafficking

The Commission is “concerned” that Section 8 of the Act, which covers international surrogacy, effectively extends Irish law “to cover a practice not authorised in any other EU state, in an area marred by growing human trafficking.” It also fears that the new Irish law “could hamper the efforts of other countries to protect their citizens from trafficking and reproductive exploitation.” In other words, Europeans would become legally complicit in the trafficking of women to provide children for Irish couples.

The Commission has twice written to Stephen Donnelly, the Minister for Health, pointing out that the law fails to fulfil the state’s obligations under EU law to prevent the trafficking of women for the purpose of surrogacy exploitation. At the time of writing, the commission said, no response had been received.

The exploitation of vulnerable women for the purpose of surrogacy is, according to the commission, “one of the most worrying, new and emerging forms of trafficking in human beings.” Yet we have passed a law legalising what the UN special rapporteur on human rights has called “child trafficking.”

Double standards

According to the commission, the new law creates a “double standard” whereby surrogacy in the domestic, “altruistic” market will be heavily regulated while the international market will be “lightly regulated.” There is no guarantee that other states will comply with the requirements of the law, such as that the surrogate is only paid “reasonable expenses” and given a 21-day period to withdraw her consent to the agreement.

This would certainly put Ukrainian law at odds with the new Irish position, as one Ukrainian clinic boasted on its 2024 page, “The legal requirements are not strict. The Ukrainian law on surrogacy clearly states that the gestational carrier has no parental rights to the child and is unable to keep the child.” In theory, this makes Ukrainian surrogacy deals illegal.

And the idea that a foreign surrogate and surrogacy agencies should only receive “reasonable expenses” is dismissed by the commission as disingenuous nonsense: “It is unlikely that a woman would take on a pregnancy on behalf of a stranger from another country without receiving substantial incentives for doing so. To suggest otherwise is fiction, but that seems to be the basis on which the legislation will operate.”

The “reasonable costs” provision could, the commission warns, encourage Irish couples to seek surrogacy in poor and underdeveloped countries where surrogacy is permitted, including Kenya, Malaysia and Nigeria, and where they can get away with paying a surrogate on the basis of comparative economic value. And this would amount to commercial gain, making surrogacy illegal – not that the new law can do anything to prevent this.

Forced abortions

The Ukrainian clinic (“We Build Families with Love”) also offers “good opportunities for genetic testing and sex selection, in case willing parents want a high success rate.” Here’s how the commission feels about this sensitively worded service: “Despite the lack of large-scale data, surrogate mothers report forced abortions of fetuses unwanted by clients …. There are also reports from India, Nepal, Thailand, and now Ukraine of client parents abandoning unwanted children, especially those with disabilities.”

Most recently, the commission notes, eight people were arrested at the Mediterranean Fertility Institute in Greece, which advertised its services and “excellent surrogate support programme” on the Growing Families website. Vulnerable women were lured from Albania and Georgia under false pretences and “forced to undergo hormone treatment, egg extraction and insemination for surrogacy.” Or, to put it another way, they were kidnapped and impregnated against their will so that wealthy Western couples could buy their children.

This, in a nutshell, is what the human rights organisation tried to warn the Health Minister about; this is what it believes his new surrogacy law will lead to. And he ignores the warnings and refuses to respond to correspondence. For some reason, this chilling chapter of the IHREC report was also ignored in the media coverage of its launch last week. The human rights organisation is about to legalise commercial surrogacy in a market where women are sold and raped to support a global business worth more than €20 billion a year.

Transparency is the best weapon

This month, police were called to a fight outside a supermarket in west Dublin. Within hours, social media was abuzz with claims that the protagonist was an immigrant man armed with a knife and attacking schoolchildren – photos allegedly showing the attacker also appeared online. Later in the week, police issued a statement denying that the incident involved an adult male or a foreign national – all those involved were schoolchildren and Irish citizens, and the incident took place within the confines of the school. None of the online campaigners believed a word of it, and the Gardai have perhaps only themselves to blame.

Last week the Gardai filed an application for restrictions preventing the identification of a man accused of attempting to kidnap a five-year-old boy during a party at a Dublin apartment block. Because of the “current climate in the country,” a Gardaí told the court, and the “sensitive nature of the case” it was preferable that the accused not be identified. The judge at this hearing agreed, citing “the climate we live in, fuelled by social media.”

How, then, to tell the country that the defendant is an immigrant and yet not tell the country that the defendant is an immigrant, conditionally putting every non-citizen in the dock and guaranteeing increased interest in the case. When a number of media organisations quite rightly challenged the decision, another judge partially lifted the restriction, allowing a person’s name but not their address. The obligation to publicly dispense justice is a bedrock of democracy as well as an essential element of the social contract; the public must be assured that prosecutions of both immigrants and nationals are covered to the fullest extent possible.

Social media is already full of unsubstantiated claims that the traditional media, gardaí and courts have conspired to hide the number of immigrants and asylum seekers being processed by the courts. But at a time when transparency and reason are the best weapons against extremist agitation, unnecessary restrictions on court coverage can only serve to alarm even the most moderate observers.

As is evident from numerous publications, the lives and health of Ukrainian citizens are threatened not only by the war, but also by the lack of protection before the law even in their own state. However, even after managing to leave the war zone, Ukrainian refugees face enormous problems in the European Union.

Ukrainian refugee children left without parental or custodial care were reported to be often victims of human traffickers. Ukrainian refugees also often lose their children after arriving in the EU, they are removed by the guardianship authorities, separating siblings and breaking up entire families.

The problem of safety and protection of rights of Ukrainian refugee children is very urgent. The media reported that 430 children were taken away from Ukrainian families in European countries.

The EU authorities have also started to introduce additional demands for Ukrainian refugees with children. Ukrainian parents whose children will not attend Polish educational institutions may be fined 100 zlotys in Poland.

Read more HERE

[the-hem]

"Twin Sources." From the Savitri Upanishad. The Exploration of the Mysteries of the Vivifier.

Judaism and this Upanishad both state that intelligence and sentience are two things that happen together.

Numbers 20:7–11:

The Lord said to Moses, 'Take the staff, and you and your brother Aaron gather the assembly together. Speak to that rock before their eyes and it will pour out its water... Then Moses raised his arm and struck the rock twice with his staff.

The name Moses means "water of the intellect." Without Moses, the Rescuer and Aaron the "center of cheer" our heads are nothing but rocks, or rocky riverbeds. But if we tap twice, we get the two things we need to protect ourselves from the elements and each other: technology and empathy, intelligence and emotional regulation. One without the other is no good.

Look at what is happening all around the world as men and women who are smart act without control over their basic emotions: bombs are falling everywhere, more are being made in factories. Fields are abandoned, cities are being abandoned, people are allowing psychopaths to enter their governments who promise to make things worse, and this they shall do if we do not wake up.

3-6. (Again) Air alone is Savitar, ether is Savitri. Where there is air there is ether (and vice versa) – they are twin sources, forming a pair. Sacrifice alone is Savitar and metres are Savitri – where there is sacrifice there are metres (and vice versa). Thunder is Savitar and lightning is Savitri; where there is lightning (and vice versa). These two are twin sources.

The Upanishad says we need the mind and we need the Holy Spirit, who it calls Saivtri, the Quickener. It says we need to perform sacrifices (to repent of excesses) and to sing hymns, (to act like saints), we need thunder, (wisdom) and lightning, (understanding) in order to be fully alive.

Both the Torah and the Upanishad say without the intellect, we cannot be happy, without happiness, what point is there to life?

[ear-worthy]

The Art Of Kindness Podcast Featured On Connecticut News 12 TV

Celebrating Random Acts Of Kindness Week February 11 to 17

 Did you know that we celebrate Random Acts of Kindness Week (RAK Week) from February 11 to 17, 2024? This special week provides us all with an opportunity not only to acknowledge, but also to reflect on, the incredible acts of kindness that impact our lives.

In preparation for RAK Week, the local News 12 TV station in Southwestern Connecticut ran a TV story about The Art of Kindness podcast, which is produced in Norwalk and resonates with people around the world In every episode of the podcast, host Robert Peterpaul elicits tales from Broadway people about how they sprinkle kindness throughout their world. Peterpaul always asks each guest, "What does kindness mean to you?" He also asks guests how they react to people praising them.

Robert Peterpaul is one of those rare hosts who can be so engaging that, as a listener, you say, "I could listen to him for the entire episode."

Peterpaul could probably carry a one-man show on Broadway. I'd call it, "Peterpaul on Kindness." After only one episode, it's obvious that host Robert Peterpaul was born to be a performer, and he lights the podcast stage with his effervescent hosting skills.

Here's a text excerpt from the TV report, and you can watch it HERE.

"Random Acts of Kindness Week starts this Sunday, so it's the perfect time to tune in to a local kindness podcast produced in Norwalk that is gaining global popularity. Every week, Robert Peterpaul shares kindness with the world with his "Art of Kindness" podcast.

'In the middle of the pandemic, I woke up, and I was like the art of kindness, it would be a great way to put some positive news out there and sort of combat all the other stuff,' said Peterpaul.

After two years, he says his podcast, recorded at Factory Underground in Norwalk, is now in the top 3% in the world.

And he's had some pretty big guests. 'Our 100th episode, we recorded right here at Factory Underground with the one and only Carol Burnett,' said Peterpaul.

Peterpaul says one of the inspirations for his podcast is his brother, Thomas, who had cancer. Thomas died when he was 11 on Sept. 11 at 9:11 p.m.

'I look at the clock every day at 9:11 a.m. or p.m. in some form and 11's kind of our lucky number now because he was a really special kid,' said Peterpaul. 

Peterpaul says he went to Washington and eventually formed a nonprofit to honor his brother that helps kids with cancer. Peterpaul says if he reaches even one person through his podcast, it can make all the difference. 'Ultimately, I really hope it inspires people to choose love over fear in any moment of their day,' said Peterpaul. The Art of Kindness comes out on Mondays. You can find it anywhere you listen to podcasts or here on YouTube." _________________________________________________________

So, News 12 Connecticut is correct. Stop watching the hate on Fox News. Put down your grievances. And reach out to others. Be kind. It's a life hack that could catch on.

If you need help with kindness, listen to The Art of Kindness. 

Let host Robert Peterpaul be your guide to good will and acceptance.   He'll teach you the three Cs of kindness -- compassion, concern, and care.

[sapphirelords]

Glacial Wars

Glacial Wars, more commonly referred to in game as GW, is a game mode in Mobile Royale which serves as a simulated form of another war event, Fort Wars.

Here, guilds get to battle each other without any long lasting damage to troops and any loss of resources.

Players remain in the Glacial Island for 2 hours and 55 minutes. Also, both the time slot, and who the opposing guild will be— are randomly selected by the game.

This makes the whole game experience more equal across the board regardless of a player's time zone. This means that either the guilds will experience an intense MMORTS battle when both guilds are active in the given time slot, or— only only one guild shows up resulting in a very boring gameplay harvest game of sorts instead (but this will definitely result in the guild earning more points and Glacial Coins sooooo)

Again, it depends! One guild might get lucky today, but not the next time... you just never know!

Also, there are 5 forts— Glacial Fort, Glacial Hospital, Glacial War Room, Eclipsa Port, Victor's Barracks— and 4 Mystic Sanctums (Lockdown, Firerain, Ambush, Disrupt, Mob) that guilds can fight over about, apart from the Crystal which you can harvest from! Each building fort/sanctum has its own particular military boost that applies to the whole guild once the guild secures it.

* Pictured above is the Glacial War Room (L) and the Glacial Hospital (R)

Rewards-wise, both winning and losing GW guarantees a sufficient earning of Glacial Coins which players can use for exchange in the Glacial Shop where rare items such as Specialist Badges available, players can also continue working on unlocking the hero Mizrug, his hero skin Island Warrior, and both 14-day, and a permanent version of the castle skin, The Arctic.

* Pictured above is Mizrug (L) and Island Warrior (R) with the Glacial Fort acting as backdrop; The Glacial Fort serves as the model for the castle skin, The Arctic.

2020-05-30 Still familiarizing... 2020-06-23 We might have lost... but I ranked third in the guild? 2020-08-01 My first sanctum... and it's Lockdown Sanctum! 2020-08-26 Getting a hang of this game! 2020-10-21 My first fort... Eclipsa! 2020-11-20 A learning experience

2021-01-16 An easy win! 2021-02-08 No battle info (Plentiful Treasures) 2021-04-13 My name is on the list! 2021-05-12 The grind 2021-05-20 Trying to be more on the offensive this time... 2021-07-27 Harvest Queen 2021-11-05 Glacial War Room 2021-12-18 No battle info (Christmas City)

* Pictured above is the Glacial Fort (L) and a Mystic Sanctum (R)

2022-01-27 No battle info (Pirate Haven) 2022-05-24 Horror-ween Night and the Disrupt Sanctum 2022-06-02 Totem Tribe and the Mob Sanctum 2022-06-24 When luck is on your side 2022-09-15 When you're all glammed up but nobody came 2022-10-06 No battle info (Tengu Castle) 2022-12-07 No battle info (Infernal Realm)

* Of victory and defeat!

2023-03-23 No battle info (Steampunk Automation) 2023-04-13 The grind and the Fireworks Factory 2023-06-14 No battle info (Futuristic Megapolis) 2023-10-19 Eclipsa and the Blade Sanctum 2023-11-08 Glacial Wars, indeed 2023-12-21 Victor's Barracks and The Arctic 2024-04-04 We lost but at least I got to have titles for a bit?

PS. I only use castle skins during GW. And while I do not always blog about the last GW, I always blog about the castle skin I used. Therefore, not being mentioned above— meaning there were no castle skin pictures during GW itself— does not necessarily mean I did not participate in the GW! For completeness, here is the castle skin master list.

PPS. Go back to the main Mobile Royale post here.

[wolint]

FRESH MANNA

IDOLATRY

Exodus 20:3-6

Idolatry is the worship of idols, images, or anything that is not God, the worship of false gods and the excessive attachment to anything with more respect or love bordering on adoration, including self.

God commands us not to offer our love, adoration and worship to anyone or anything besides Him, we are forbidden to be idolaters in verse 4.

We shouldn’t have any other gods before God. Is there any god that has proven his power and godhead as God does daily, beginning with delivering the Israelis from the Egyptians, dividing the Red Sea, bringing water out of the rock, quails into the desert, manna from heaven to feed them, and the pillar of cloud to direct, enlighten, and shield them?

Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or likeness, the likeness of a beast, the likeness of any winged fowl, the likeness of a fish and the likeness of anything that creeps. As the word signifies, an idol can be hewn, carved, or graven, of any kind of image, either of wood, stone, or metal, on which the axe, the chisel, or the graving tool has been used.

Christians are patterned after the Lord and are to walk, act, and speak as He does. Deuteronomy 6:14, says we should not seek after false gods. But we do, we’ve made our careers, fashion, jobs and even families (children or spouses) into idols we seek after and worship.

Most people are more acquainted with their self-made idols than they are with the Most High God. We accord power to set up idols that can’t help us in any way, whilst disregarding the one who is constantly seeking a relationship with us.

The ancient kingdoms were mostly impure and idolatrous people, just like the world right now, chasing after religion, fads, and cultures they think will help them attain paradise. According to Acts 4:14, salvation is only in and through Christ.

Isaiah 44:6-23 outlines the folly of idolatry and describes a graven image. The Bible helps us understand that idolatry extends beyond the worship of images and false gods. It is a matter of the heart, associated with pride, self-centeredness, greed, and gluttony, according to Philippians 3:19, and love for material possessions according to Matthew 6:24.

Anything or anybody that takes the place of God, even seemingly good things can become idols.

It’s a disservice to God to idolize anything or anybody, this may incur God's wrath, on us and the idol. God will not be eclipsed by anything from self, security, approval, work, wealth, relationships, and anything that takes His place of God on our lives, for He Loves us passionately.

There is no god besides God, it’s, therefore, foolish to trust in other deities who cannot save as stated in Isaiah 43:11; 44:6.

Anything or anyone can become an idol in our lives because our hearts are idol factories, we are continually tempted to make temporal things into ultimate things, and so must guard against idolatry in our lives.

The Lord commands us not to craft images of anything in heaven or earth for worship because the Lord is a jealous God according to Exodus 34:14. The Lord has no physical form and cannot be contained in one.

PRAYER: Lord, help me to put first and above all things and everyone always and to never allow anything or anyone to take your place in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Shalom

WOMEN OF LIGHT INT. PRAYER MIN.

[native-academia]

𝕣𝕖𝕤𝕖𝕒𝕣𝕔𝕙 𝕡𝕣𝕠𝕛𝕖𝕔𝕥: 𝕓𝕦𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕦 𝕠𝕗 𝕚𝕟𝕕𝕚𝕒𝕟 𝕒𝕗𝕗𝕒𝕚𝕣𝕤

When the factory fur trade of North America was abolished in 1822, the US Government was left searching for a way to maintain control in Indian territories. John C. Calhoun, then Secretary of War, created the “Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA)” on March 11, 1824. He did so without authorization from Congress, which is against the general practice although not expressly forbidden by the Constitution. John Calhoun would go on to become the Vice President of the United States the following year. 

1825 was an interesting year in US history, representing the end of the Era of Good Feelings that followed the War of 1812. The presidential election would split the previous first party system into the Democrat and Republican system we now know today. The country was taking its first steps to limit the expansion of slavery into its newly aquired territories. As Jacksonian Democracy extended the privilege of voting to most white men aged 21 or older, removing the previous requirement to own land, racist and colonial mentalities spread in the form of “manifest destiny”. The US needed to remove Indian peoples from their homelands and they needed a way to do it. 

The Bureau of Indian Affairs would go on to forcibly remove native peoples from their nations under the direction of Senator and then Secretary of State, John C. Calhoun. In the late 1800’s, after succeeding in removing many tribal nations from their homelands, the Bureau of Indian Affairs created the Residential Schooling system to assimilate Indian children into American culture. Missionaries had already established the practice, but the Bureau of Indian affairs built their schools specifically off-reservation and incorporated “students” from a variety of different tribes to aid in their goal of assimilation. Their model was the infamous Carlisle Indian Industrial School in Pennsylvania.

The 1960’s and 1970’s saw a rise in activism for and among American Indians. The Bureau faced a number of displays of public opposition by Indian people and those who supported them, like the 1972 Occupation of BIA Headquarters. Today, the Bureau of Indian Affairs is responsible for quite a few different things, all concerning the affairs of American Indian people on Tribal lands.

The Bureau as a whole is responsible for the federal recognition of tribes, most recently the Little Shell Tribe of Montana. The Office of Field Operations is responsible for regional operations, working with tribal governments on the management of natural resources, agriculture, fish and wildlife, and parks. The Office of Justice Services operates several programs and also provides funding for law enforcement, tribal courts, and detention facilities on federal lands. Their jurisdiction is surprisingly expansive, holding authority over all crimes committed on reservations and all federal crimes, as well as all crimes committed within “dependent Indian communities” or on trust lands. It is also the responsibility of the OJS to enforce tribal criminal codes and assist tribes in maintaining their courts and justice systems. They also operate the Indian Police Academy, where agents are trained to work specifically in Indian Country. The Office of Trust Services is responsible for overseeing land and resources that are recognized as tribal but owned in trust by the US federal government. Finally, the Office of Indian Services comprises a wide range of different programs, including social services and child welfare, transportation infrastructure, awarding federal funds to tribes, and providing resources to tribal governments. It is generally in their mission statement and enumerated responsibilities to uphold tribal sovereignty under the Indian Self Determination and Education Assistance Act.

Sources: x.x.x.

[iwritebutshouldi]

The Boy Savior - prologue

(First of all: so I'm absolutely in love with everything that is Arcane and I've become obssessed with this series. I needed to start writing something in connection with it and since Ekko is my favorite, here's an Ekko x Reader fic! Hope yall like it! Ps.: I don't hate Silco! I love him!! He's the best dilf but I needed to make him the villain-villain here t-t Psps: English is my second language, I'm so terribly sorry in advance for the weird grammatical mistakes!)

Summary: When your family dies in a shimmer factory accident you lose everything. All you want is getting your revenge, but then you meet him... The Boy Savior.

Happening during the last two acts of Arcane at first (probably advancing further as I have plans with this story)

Ekko x Reader

Content Warning: Mentions of grief, lost will to live

Link to Chapter 1 , Link to Chapter 2, Link to Chapter 3, Link to Chapter 4, Link to Chapter 5, Link to Chapter 6, Link to Chapter 7, Link to Chapter 8, Link to Chapter 9, Link to Chapter 10, Link to Chapter 11

Prologue

You were watching in horror as they destroyed all the shimmer. Your only chance for a redemption you had been longing for so much. They threw the little vials to the ground and kicked down the crates containing them. The small glasses broke instantly when they touched the concrete and the purple liquid all poured out, forming shining puddles under their feet.

In a way it looked beautiful. The color of the drug perfectly complemented the dirty, greenish air of Zaun all around you and you couldn't take your eyes off the sight from behind the huge wooden crate in the corner of the premise, that had become your shelter.

You remembered the last time you saw your family leaving your home. They were all tired - your mother, father and brother - but jolly as usual, despite all the hardness in life they had to go through.

You couldn't work with them in the shimmer factory - they didn't let you. Your dad kept saying that you were weak for a place like that and your mom often liked to remind you how it could only take a small accident and your "talent" would get publicity. Which your family had always tried to avoid at any cost.

Unfair. Especially if you thought about how your brother had always dreamed of learning and getting to Piltover one day to show them that knowledge and talent are not a privilege granted only to those living in the higher cities. That there are worthy and great people in Zaun as well. It's unfair... He had much greater dreams than you...

Instead, you were the one who had to stay home every single day and watch them leave. You did your job around your home - cleaned, repaired the worn-down things that kept broking and always tried to make some dinner for them once they return in the evenings. Things had always been like this. Until one day, when you just waited and waited by the table, but the front door never opened.

If you had ever insisted on working with them... Maybe if you were with them, then you could have helped them and they wouldn't be dead now. Or you would have exploded with them and the whole factory among the hundreds of others... and now all your problems would be gone...

You felt a single drop of tear pour down your face, leaving a burning hot trail on your cheeks as you watched the group of hoverboarding gang destroy your last handhold to your life. You only realized that you had been frozen when the last crate met its fate as well.

You heard that the right amount of shimmer could make you strong. Much stronger than an average human being and that was exactly what you needed. You planned on injecting yourself with the fluid and end the only person responsible for all the misery in your life - Silco...

You had imagined yourself ripping the man to pieces a thousand times on your way to the shimmer warehouse and just when your plan could have come along, they arrived. And they ruined everything!

You felt your chest burn under the weight of hatred towards Silco, Zaun and this gang - even Piltover - as your body finally came to life. When they dropped the torch to even burn every single drop of your shimmer you jumped out from behind the crate with a rage so huge, you had never imagined was possible to feel.

"What have you done?!" you screamed as you raised the metal pipe you had been holding onto since you sneaked inside the fence around the warehouse, and aimed for the one you suspected to be their leader. You caught him - along with every member of his crew by surprise - and he barely managed to dodge your attack. But when you turned back and raised your weapon a second time, he instantly grabbed the end of your pipe and swung you back to where you came from with the momentum.

You grunted as you fell, hitting your elbows and knees but you didn't care. You couldn't even feel the pain strucking your limbs - the adrenaline made sure you were working at your peek.

You turned back to face him jumping to your feet and dashing towards his figure as you yelled again: "What have you done!" All the members of his group gathered around you, forming a circle. The burning shimmer had given them the scariest dancing silhouettes as they watched your pointless fight. The way they stood around you, combined with the orange and crimson color of the burning background reminded you of a sect watching a scapegoat meet its end and the lump in your throat grew bigger.

The leader just pushed you back without even exerting himself and you fell again, this time onto your bottom. You dropped your weapon on the impact and cold the sound of metal hitting the concrete by your side echoed through your ears as you sat there, your tears flowing unstoppably down your face. He just checked a pocket watch in his right and signaled something to one of his men. You felt your chest deflate when you looked around yourself, seeing that every single drop of the shimmer had been eaten by the flames...

What was the point of even trying anymore.

"You destroyed everything..." you cried, as looked into the masked face of the man through your hot tears. You saw how the others around you turned their backs on you already, starting to leave but you decided to stay there... to burn with all your hopes and plans...

But then - you didn't notice the man, he had been probably standing behind your back during your pathetic little show - you felt the biggest hit on your head and you felt yourself fall towards the ground, your head dragging your whole body with itself. Just before your vision blacked, you saw the leader start towards you and you knew you were doomed.

But maybe it was right like this, you thought and the darkness swallowed you. Even though you couldn't avenge your family you felt soothing peace for the first time in a while as the darkness swallowed your consciusness...