#it is just a sad state of affairs in higher education

[makoheadrush]

Quietly bragging that my kid was accepted to the Berklee college of music

Quietly sobbing because it is heartbreakingly unaffordable

[thebusinessmagnate]

Universal Standard: Empowering Every Body with Women-Led Duo in D2C Retail Fashion

Have you ever come across a gorgeous dress, the perfect-looking jeans, the right colored top, the perfect design, at the right price and affordability, but unfortunately realized that it doesn’t fit you?! Ugh, the frustration and annoyance of being in a situation like that passes through your body and makes you walk out of the store in disappointment and sadness. It was just perfect and you almost had it, but alas! Many young girls, teens, young women adults, and the older generation, find it difficult to find the right size and fit by the few companies that promote a size-inclusive clothing brand. A Size 6 in one store can be sizes lower or higher in another store. One might not even have their size available! Or, they might be the perfect size, but just not the right fit at all. No wonder most women take quality time in physically trying out clothes in-store so that they are satisfied with the right size as well as the right fit. Some women even sacrifice and compromise to “fit into” the wrongly sized clothing, which can be quite unhealthy if done with self-harming intentions and actions. 

Every one of us is physically different in shape and size at different stages of our lives. Therefore, finding a clothing brand and platform that manufactures, designs, and sells clothes for all sizes while encouraging women to embrace their shape and size beautifully and graciously will surely receive positive reactions and reviews from customers. Plus-size fashion empowerment is an innovative and customer-centric strategy in the fashion retail industry that sells specifically curated and size-inclusive clothing wear, it attracts customers and creates a loyal customer base for as long as the goal is to have a customer-centric focus instilled within its pillars. Therefore the right size and fit are essential for people’s good mental and physical health as well as the impact and recognition of the brand’s mission itself. 

Therefore in this article, we will be covering the story and journey of a company established in The United States of America, that specializes in being the world’s most size-inclusive brand. Led by women duo – Alexandra Waldman and Polina Veksler, Universal Standard Fashion (US) was founded to empower women to embrace their bodies by selling premium and high-quality material, style, design, and fit. 

Visit The Business Magnate for more interesting content.

Alexandra Waldman and Polina Veksler – Co-Founders at Universal Standard:

Alexandra Waldman was the Co-Founder and Creative Director at Universal Standard (US). Founded the company in the year 2015 alongside her friend – Polina Veksler – the current Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, the trailblazing, inspiring, models,  and entrepreneurial power duo have broken barriers and come a long way since in accomplishing their goals. 

“We believe this is the right way to express sizing in the apparel industry because it actually represents the American woman as she is, and we hope that other brands consider adopting this sizing as well.” – Alexandra Waldman, Former CEO and Late Co-Founder of Universal Standards. 

Alexandra Waldman completed her formal education with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English Literature and Comparative Linguistics. After her degree and before her co-founding Universal Standard, Alexandra had job opportunities in different roles and sectors in the industry all of which covered Fashion, Arts, Entertainment, Research Publishing, and being the Managing Director and Global Head of Marketing and Public Affairs. With a set of diverse skills, talent, and experience working alongside different people, Alexandra knew her goals were leading her on a different path where beauty standards in the fashion industry and the world had to be changed, redefined, and revamped. 

“We believe in Fashion Freedom for all of US. As We Are.”

With hopes of making the world a better place to live in, Polina Veksler partnered up with Alexandra Waldman and co-founded Universal Standards. To create a fashion brand advocating women’s clothing wear that is more accessible in style, size, quality, and fit, the two co-founders set together on their path to finding the best factory in Peru that would manufacture their designs and pieces that would bring their ideas and vision to fruition. Polina Veksler completed her formal education in Accounting through a bachelor’s degree at The University of Florida, after which she went on to complete her Master’s in Accounting from the same university. Being an Investment Banking Analyst to a Senior Strategy Manager, and from Investment Director to Co-Founder of Universal Standards, Polina too has come a long way in her life’s journey until finding her shared dream and goal with Alexandra. 

Universal Standards – US:

Co-founded in the year 2015 by Alexandra Waldman and Polina Veksler, is a women-led fashion brand – Universal Standards, which has its headquarters established in Greater New York City, in the USA. Universal Standards is a DTC fashion and apparel retail brand committed to “pushing boundaries, leading with innovation, questioning established norms, being radically authentic, and banding together to build the future”. Universal Standard is the World’s Most Size-Inclusive brand, where “Style is the only Filter”. The brand is famous and recognized for its manufacturing and selling of Sizes 00-40 as “Fashion For All Of US. As We Are”.

To embrace inclusion and empower women, as well as to break down beauty standard barriers and norms, Universal Standard is here to “change everything and to unite the divided”. The fabrics and materials that are used in their clothing are made of “Premium-Quality Peruvian Cotton Luxurious Italian Wool, Sumptuous French Satin-Black Crepe, Expertly Engineered Denim, and Signature Stretch Linen”. The materials are sourced and manufactured in a Peruvian factory in Peru and the clothes are made to last. The clothes that are finally stitched are wear-tested by the brand to make sure that the perfect fit and size are engineered carefully and meticulously. 

Universal Standards being an inclusive fashion retailer has collaborated with many partners since its establishment such as Danielle Brooks in 2017, J. Crew, and Goop in 2018, and was soon named one of Fast Company’s “Most Innovative Companies”. In 2019, Rodarte and Adidas were collaborated with by the brand, and was also when their children’s book – “What Could Fashion Look Like If It Included All Of Us?” was published.

Visit More : https://thebusinessmagnate.com/universal-standard-empowering-every-body-with-women-led-duo-in-d2c-retail-fashion/

[jennymanrique]

COVID-19 Pandemic Worsens the Mental Health of Minority Children

A recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report that surveyed more than 7,000 high school students, revealed that 55.1% described suffering emotional abuse, 44.2% reported persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness and 9% attempted suicide. More young women and LGBTQ+ youth saw a rise in suicidal behavior, more Asian kids confronted racism and hate, more Black youth and Native Americans experienced hunger and economic devastation and along with Latinos, suffered mental stress due to the pandemic.

A panel of experts convened by Ethnic Media Services explained that to avert a “pandemic” of future adults with serious emotional and mental disorders, it’s important to foster a positive ethnic racial identity. They argue that civic engagement in particular, can be a mental health intervention: building opportunities for young people to speak truth to power and connect with their communities is key for their development.

Angela Vasquez, MSW, policy director for mental health at The Children’s Partnership:

“Nearly 50% of youth who are severely impaired with a major depressive episode did not receive treatment… Black and Latino children were about 14% less likely than white youth to receive treatment for their depression… Suicide is the second leading cause of death for Native youth, so nearly three and a half times higher than the national average. And high school girls across all races and ethnicities made plans to attempt suicide more than boys.”

“Over half of Latina girls are worried about a friend or family member being deported. Nearly a quarter have been harassed because of their family name, or country of origin. Since the pandemic started, Asian youth have been experiencing harassment and bullying.”

“Family separation harms children’s mental and physical health; children of undocumented parents are at risk of behavioral problems. Having parents taken away undermines family economic security. The climate of fear further restricts children, access to education, public benefits, and other services.”

“Direct and vicarious exposure to police violence, including immigration enforcement are contributors to toxic stress…There is a large growing campaign for police free schools.”

Dr. Ilan Shapiro, Pediatrician, chief medical affairs officer of Altamed federally qualified health centers, Los Angeles

“As a pediatrician, they never tell you about all the tools that you need to bring on board for a pandemic, especially on the suffering of a community that has lost so much from life complications. And it’s not just the Latino Hispanic community… We need to make sure that we create structural changes.”

“There’s something called the Internet that most of my patients don’t have… There was a year that they were at home doing nothing, eating whatever, they were feeling depressed, anxious without moving, the (pandemic) ramifications were horrible.”

“At least 50% of the patients that I take care of, were directly touched by COVID-19: they were sick, they had a family member that was close to them that actually died, or they were harmed because of the pandemic.”

“We need to translate medical terms to an actionable language that our community can actually do something with… It’s up to us to make sure that we create open conversations and resources with media with healthcare providers.”

Dr. Myo Thwin Myint, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, Tulane University School of Medicine, He serves on the American Academy of Child and Adolescent (AACAP) Training and Education Committee New Orleans, Louisiana:

“Disparity exists in terms of racial minoritized groups, as well as a gender and sexual minoritized groups. Particularly our LGBTQ and trans kids suffer disproportionately from the mental health challenges because of the unjust societal challenges. Across the country, many state legislatures are discussing passing laws that add additional stress to get appropriate care.”

“Our Surgeon General has put out a general mental health advisory and (recognized that) a crisis is happening. It was really good to see that there’s recognition from the federal government and we hope that what follows will be an investment in our youth’s mental health.”

“We should being able to go out to the youth where the challenges are happening rather than waiting in our clinic and ivory towers where we know there are systemic challenges such as transportation. We need to be thinking very creatively how we are going to be providing care.”

Sydney McKinney, PhD, Executive Director of the National Black Women’s Justice Institute based in Brooklyn:

“Addressing the mental health and wellness of black women and girls is really vital to reducing their risk of coming into contact with the juvenile legal and the criminal legal system… Among black teenage girls, suicide death rates increased from 2001 to 2017 by 182%.”

“Nearly 2 million young people are arrested by police every year. And data show that 75% of those have experienced traumatic victimization in their lifetime… Black girls account for 43% of girls who are in youth detention which is more than any other racial group.”

“The pandemic has exacerbated the mental health needs of black girls and gender expansive youth who are directly impacted by the foster care, the child welfare system and the juvenile legal system.” “Media can elevate and bring attention to mental health and wellness programs and services that are culturally affirming and gender-responsive. So much of what people know is clinical modalities, which many of the folks in our communities are reluctant to engage in for very well-founded reasons.”

Originally published here

[whiteqveendarling]

EMMA FROST is here who looks just like ABBEY LEE! SHE has found themselves facing the new world after the snap. they were are known as WHITE QUEEN and is currently THIRTY-THREE years old and can usually be found with THE X-MEN we hope they can survive this new beginning

NAME: Emma Grace Frost 

CODENAME/NICKNAMES: White Queen, Bitch 

AGE: Thirty-three 

SPECIES: Mutant 

HAIR COLOUR: Brunette; dyed blonde 

EYE COLOUR: Blue 

GENDER: Cisfemale 

SEXUALITY: Pansexual 

OCCUPATION: New Headmistress of the Massachusetts Academy, CEO of Frost International and Hellfire Club & Trading Company

 FAMILY: 

▹ WINSTON FROST: Father 

▹HAZEL FROST: Mother 

▹ADRIENNE FROST: Older sister

▹CHRISTIAN FROST: Older brother

▹CORDELIA FROST: Younger sister

▹PROFESSOR X: Ally

▹MAGNETO: Associate

POWERS & ABILITIES: 

▹ telepathy; Emma Frost possesses telepathic abilities of a similar caliber to those of Charles Xavier, over which she had an extremely refined level of skill. Frost has been cited as a "World-class telepath", "Omega Class Telepath". Additionally, she has also been referred among the five telepaths on the planet capable of perfectly and seamlessly altering a mind, has demonstrated the ability to stalemate even the most powerful of psionics, and overcome extremely powerful telepaths, through greater experience and skill. When Wolverine thought to be protected from her thanks to Level 9 Psi-Shields created by Charles Xavier, she stated she was herself Level 10. Her abilities have been stated to rival that of Charles Xavier himself, having stalemated him at every opportunity.

 ▹ diamond form; As a result of undergoing a body-wide Secondary Mutation, Frost possesses the ability to transform her body into a flexible organic diamond form. In many ways, this is similar to Colossus' organic steel form. She must transform all parts of her body, rather than selectively transforming certain areas and can remain in this form for an undetermined amount of time. If she is rendered unconscious, Frost's body will automatically transform into its normal state. This transformation also alters Frost's personality, causing her to become rather cold-hearted and to lose her empathy for others. Emma does not have access to her telepathy while in her diamond form but is immune to the psionic powers of others.

 ▹ expert technician

▹ self-defense training

▹ master astral combatant

▹ higher level education; graduated magna cum laude in psychology and business. Is a licensed psychologist with a specialist area in intimacy/relationships/sexual activity.

▹ Intelligence ~ 4, strength ~ 2, speed ~ 2/4*, durability ~ 2/5*, Energy ~ 5/1*, fighting skills ~ 3 

HEADCANONS: 

 ▹emma thinks christmas eve is the most romantic yet sad day in the world.

 ▹emma once had a nose job for cosmetic purposes and after sebastian shaw broke her nose during one of her first times in the hellfire club

▹emma speaks in a clear british accent. though she was never raised in england, after defeating telepath astrid bloom, her first ever telepathic fight, emma ended up being stuck with astrid’s british accent but actually prefers this over her american one.

▹emma sometimes shifts into diamond form if she cannot control her emotion thus shutting it down entirely.

▹emma, despite her ruthlessness, refuses to wear fur.

PERSONALITY: + charismatic + tactile + passionate - deceptive - ruthless - cunning

BIOGRAPHY: 

▹ Born into a respected but mercantile family in Boston, Emma Frost was born into a life full of luxury, having the status of being the daughter of the second most wealthiest man in Massachusetts. Bullied at school and her father pitting family members against one another, Emma had no one but her brother to turn to. One day, her telepathy kicked in and began using this to get ahead in class. Enjoying the taste of power, she pursued an illicit affair with her teacher. This went no further however as Adrienne exposed her and her father was ashamed of Emma’s dream to become a teacher. In retaliation, Emma exposed her father’s affairs and Adrienne’s secret modelling career. Impressed, Winston chose her as his heir but Emma rejected it after he tried to commit Christian to a psychiatric ward for being gay. Emma decided from there to make her own way in life.

 In Emma was homeless and eventually dated a man called Troy, a takeout cook with a taste for gambling and danger. Using her telepathy, she got him ahead in the games until he pissed off the wrong person. They agreed to stage a hostage situation to extort the money from her father. However, it quickly went south as her father refused to pay the ransom and Troy was killed. Adrienne released the kidnapping tape and forced her father to pay. Emma, fearing for her life, discovered that not only could she read minds but also control them. In a fit of rage, she forced her captors to attack each other and release her, taking the ransom money for herself.

 In college, Emma befriended her roommate Astrid Bloom who she discovered was a telepath like herself and began training with Astrid. Enjoying college life, Emma was put in an awkward situation when Astrid was also dating her former flame, her teacher from Massachusetts who her father had fired. When a date of Emma’s tried to attacked her and her former flame also tried, Emma discovered Astrid was using her telepathy to orchestrate the attacks. Emma defeated Astrid to save her former flame’s job but was disgusted with her when she discovered she was a mutant. From there, Emma became cold-hearted and decided if life wanted to be a bitch then so could she. 

Emma became a stripper for the Hellfire Club and used her powers to make men see what she wanted them to see. During this time, she was approached by Professor X and Moira McTaggert to join them but she refused. Instead, after lashing out on Sebastian Shaw, he offered her a place in the Hellfire Club as a member and a member of the Inner Circle. Emma became one of the most powerful members in the Inner Circle and took the business away from her father. They were also responsible for funding Charles and Erik on Genosha.

When many mutants were decimated during the snap, Emma believed in making the world better for mutants but came back to her old passion; that the only way to make the world better is to teach mutants to be better. Seizing power from Sebastian Shaw and essentially kicking him out, Emma distanced the club from Genosha after Erik made a mutant attack in New York. Instead, Emma opened the Massachusetts Academy, a mutant school that operated alongside Charles Xavier while she and the X-Men share a mutually beneficial but shaky alliance. 

[florenceandthemachine]

i need u to talk to me about stiles and jackson and their baby girl. i need u to talk to me about how they name her claudia and how they spoil the actual everloving shit out of her and how all the single moms at the supermarket lose their entire minds when they see jackson walking around with her strapped to his chest and how stiles absolutely cannot blame them because his man is literally the world’s biggest dilf. i need u to talk to me about happy domestic stackson thank u and goodnight.

Honestly boo, I told you I had to prepare for this and sit down at a computer and I accidentally wrote a novel. But I had to, because here’s the thing.

Nothing in Stiles and Jackson’s life has ever been easy.

Stiles would start recounting the happiest moments in his life by talking about the time he almost died in high school (he remembers it fondly). Not because he’s fond of the fact that he almost died, but because while he was lying on Deatons table, bleeding out, pixie claws still dug too deeply into his chest, Jackson kissed him for the first time. Jackson was crying, and he was crying, and Jackson was begging him to stay alive, and Stiles, honestly, could have died a happy man right then and there with Jackson kissing him.

He and Jackson get married, less than a year after Stiles graduates with his masters in mythology and Jackson finishes an associates degree in Criminal Justice. Stiles gets a part time job in a local library, and Jackson starts work as his dads newest officer, and Stiles never lets him forget how good the uniform looks on him; and, he thinks as he looks over Jackson, writhing beneath him, cuffed to the headboard, it looks even better off of him.

(The wedding is a small ceremony, with the pack and Stiles’ dad there. Stiles cries the entire time. Jackson only makes fun of him a little. When the justice of the peace asks if they’ll be hyphenating their last names, Jackson snorts and takes Stiles hand and “no, absolutely not. I’ve been waiting my entire life to be a Stilinski.” Stiles cries again. Jackson just beams at him, the asshole.

[Later that night, Lydia almost passes out when a group of rouge banshees breech their territory, screeching like… well, banshees. It happens during their wedding reception, of course, because as previously stated, nothing in Stiles and Jackson’s life has ever been easy.])

They live together. They love each other. They love the pack. They still do things like patrols, once in a while, and of course it’s during a patrol that their life flips again.

They’ve only been back in town for a week after taking some time off for their wedding anniversary when they come across a woman on the side of the road. Jackson is still in full uniform and swoops in (Stiles swoons, he can admit it) to help the very dirty, very young woman, and her very small, very loud, very much a newborn, infant. The woman is crying, talking about how she didn’t mean for this to happen, she doesn’t know what to do, and the baby is crying because it’s a baby. Stiles is out of the car right behind Jackson, jacket in arms, ready to help warm the baby up.

In hindsight, he probably should have realized something was up when the woman seemed all too eager to let Stiles take the child from her. Because in less than three seconds, when Jackson and he are both focused on the baby, the woman is gone.

Whelp.

~

Jackson takes to caring for a child immediately. While Stiles is meeting with a social worker and loading a bassinet into the Jeep, Jackson bounces her in his arms—god, she couldn’t be more than three months old—and Stiles has to stop himself from looking, worried he might start to want something he can’t have. High school Stiles would have been shocked by the sight, but older, wiser Stiles knows that Jackson is one of the most caring, warm people on the planet, just beneath a crunchy exterior. Stiles loves him for it, so much, but watching the two of them interact makes his bones ache. The social worker assures him it will be temporary. Two weeks at the most, before they’re able to find some blood relation.

Two weeks turns into three, and three turns into five, and soon Stiles has worked their routine around a child that they just call “baby” because they have no right to name it (“and besides, Jacks, it’s not like she’ll remember any of this anyway”).

Stiles is glad, though, that he’s not the first one to approach the topic of adoption. Their idiot social worker does, when five weeks turns into three months with no luck. The topic comes up, about what a match they would be, and how well they work with the baby, and Stiles rudely cuts her off by dragging Jackson into the hall, knowing that Jackson wolfing out was the least of their concerns if the conversation carried on any further down that path.

Because at the mere mention of adoption, confident, smooth Jackson almost broke Stiles hand squeezing so hard. His eyes widen minutely, his smile freezes in place, and to the untrained eye, it might seem like Jackson was just a little surprised. Stiles knows Jackson well enough to know that his husband just plunged into a hell of his own making, through stress and fears and issues that years of therapy have eased, but not entirely. Sure enough, no sooner than the door closes is Jackson leaned against the wall, clutching Stiles close to him, breathing in his scent as Stiles soothes him.

His heart is breaking as he tells Jackson it’s okay. They don’t have to adopt her. It’s just an option. And he knows he’s a terrible liar but he isn’t lying when he said he would never ask Jackson to do anything that he isn’t comfortable with.

It takes a good twenty minutes before Jackson calms down enough to pull back from the embrace, eyes red with tears and hands shaking. But it’s with the same stubborn determination that he approaches everything with—everything he really wants—even if his voice is shaking when he meets Stiles eyes.

“I want, Stiles. I… I do. With you.”

Stiles can only smile, his heart soaring, terrified but optimistic. He clears his throat to speak, but once more, Jackson beats him to the punch.

“We could name her Claudia.”

Stiles is crying again.

~

Less than a week later, as Stiles is pouring over every single parenting book he could find, Jackson makes a grand entrance into their bedroom and announces that he got Claudia to go to sleep. In the same breath, he tells Stiles that he’s transferred his entire inheritance into a college fund in her name.

Stiles drops the book he’s holding and pulls Jackson to the bed with such vigor (in the name of higher education) that he’s shocked they don’t end up waking the baby.

~

They are both passable parents, but if you ask either of them, it’s because Claudia is such a chill fucking baby. She cries when she’s hungry and that’s about it. She naps when she wants to, she chatters when she wants to, she giggles and grabs Jackson’s sideburns when he wolfs out for her amusement. She has Jackson wrapped around her finger in no time flat, and when she takes her first steps well before her first birthday, Jackson is the asshole dad in Mommy and Me class talking about how advanced his baby is. Stiles would find it really annoying, but something about watching Jackson push a shopping cart with a baby strapped to his chest makes him forget anything but love. He’s a sap.

Getting Jackson one of those baby bjorn things was the best ideas of Stiles’ entire life, because there was nothing that Stiles loved more than watching Jackson go on his early morning run, in a tank top and shorts, nasty green smoothie in hand—and a baby strapped to his chest. Stiles wasn’t sure what he loved more—getting the early morning kiss from his husband (and puckering up to smack one on his daughters head), or the deeper, sweatier, longer kiss that Jackson woke him up with after coming back from his run, which Stiles regularly fed back into, tugging Jackson into the bed without a second thought.

Jackson loved any time he could spend with his daughter, but his favorite times by far were the random days that he had off. Call him... boring, or old fashioned, or lame, or— “Jackson, shut up. There is nothing wrong with spending time with your family. We’re your family, you idiot, we love spending time with you too.” ...well, whatever the case, he loved it. Running errands on a Saturday became a family affair. 

The old ladies in the natural grocer near their home love them. Stiles take full advantage of that, kissing his husband and cooing at his baby whenever they’re nearby to score an extra free sample of free range bacon or to get the latest gossip from the retirement home. He has a few of them on Sheriff Watch, and it would honestly be sad that Stiles’ dad couldn’t eat a jelly doughnut anywhere in town without Stiles knowing about it If it weren’t so funny.

Stiles finds his natural enemies in the yoga moms, though. Or at least, he would, if Jackson wasn’t Jackson. He could honestly watch hours of these single moms trying to flirt with Jackson in the produce aisle, while Stiles is standing right next to him, only to have Jackson completely dote on their kid and completely ignore them. He only intervenes once, when a busty blond thirty something mother of three reaches forward to pinch Claudia’s cheek. Stiles smiles, reaches forward, gently pulls the woman’s wrist away, and tells her that if she ever touches his daughter again, he will break her arm.

So maybe Jackson wasn’t the only one Claudia had wrapped around her pudgy fingers.

~

Claudia’s first word is “Papa”, directed solely at Jackson, and Stiles... well, Stiles couldn’t even find it in himself to be jealous, because Jackson was staring at Claudia in shock and wonder, and Stiles is falling in love all over again with him. Jackson takes in a deep breath and smiles, letting her grab on to both of his fingers, his voice crushingly soft as he nods his head.

“Yeah, sweetheart. I’m your Papa, and you’re my baby girl. Can you say baby? Bayyy-bee?”

She giggles and smacks him in the cheek, and the moment is over, but Jackson’s smile will be burned into Stiles brain forever. 

(Two months later, Jackson is trying to get a clean onesie on a very fussy Claudia when Stiles walks in, and she goes ramrod straight in his arms, reaching for Stiles, making grabby motions and yelling “Dada! Dada!” in her adorably desperate little baby voice. Jackson feels his heart swell as Stiles jaw hits the floor, but only for a moment, before he swoops in and plucks their daughter from his arms.)

~

Things are easy with them, and honestly, Stiles should have been suspicious—because, rule of thumb, nothing is ever easy with Stiles and Jackson. Claudia is two and things are easy. Claudia is two and she falls while toddling across the kitchen. Claudia is two and Stiles is picking her up, comforting her while Jackson kisses her booboo. Claudia is two, in Stiles arms, her tears turning into laughter. Claudia is two, and she hiccups, and suddenly Claudia has golden eyes, sharp little nails, and an alarming amount of facial hair for a two year old.

Stiles and Jackson both freeze—Stiles, because in all the parenting books he has read, nothing has prepared him for the possibility of raising a werewolf baby. Jackson freezes for a slightly more dramatic reason, his own eyes burning blue in response to his daughters gold, mouth hanging open in shock. She’s not crying anymore, at least, and Stiles can count that as a win. Hell, out of the three of them, the person who is most surprised is Claudia, who is now giggling and smacking Stiles’ cheeks, clearly enjoying the hollow sound his gaping mouth makes when hit.

Stiles immediately invites everyone over, thinking it would be easier to show everyone in person. Derek will need to do some Alpha thing to cement her place in the pack, he rationalizes, pacing the living room while texting up a storm, and Jackson... Jackson is nervous for reasons he doesn’t fully know how to articulate, bouncing Claudia on his hip. He’s come a long way since he was the angry, self obsessed sixteen year old, asking for the bite, and he knows that, but there will always be a small part of him that worries Derek is on the verge of kicking him out. He’s can feel his heart picking up as he starts to sink into his own thoughts, because what if Derek—

He doesn't get a chance to follow that rabbit hole, because a tiny, disgruntled noise is all it takes from Claudia to garner Stiles entire attention, and it isn’t even a second before Stiles is up close and personal.

“I know that look. Jackson, stop thinking. This doesn’t change anything—they already love her, and they already love you. Now they just know to count her in for future training sessions and full moon parties. Breathe, baby. Claudia and I are here to stay.”

Jackson doesn’t know when his anchor expanded to include their daughter, but honestly, it probably always did.

Erica and Boyd show up first, Erica heavily pregnant with their own kid, and Scott and Kira arrive shortly after—they’ve been looking into following their lead in the adoption game, though Stiles secretly wished any adoption they go through was no where near as eventful as theirs. Derek arrives last, unintentionally making the dramatic entrance he’s known for, and he is barely in the door for a half moment before he freezes, eyes wide, looking at the baby in Jackson’s arms. 

In his surprise, he moves quickly, too quick for Jackson’s liking—Derek is an arms reach away from him and Jackson growls, his eyes flaring blue, instinctively clutching Claudia closer to his chest. Stiles swallows and grips Jackson’s hand a little tighter, gearing up for this to be A Thing, and the rest of them are equally confused, considering they are still looking at a purely human child. One that Derek has babysat for, for fucks sake. Derek, though, has a huge grin on his face, and moves much slower as he reaches to put a hand on Jackson’s shoulder, squeezing it reassuringly. 

Derek takes a knee and takes Claudia’s little pudgy hand in his own, and honestly, it would be a hilarious sight, except Derek’s eyes are burning red and Claudia wolfs out immediately, sitting shock still, mesmerized by Derek’s own eyes. It only lasts for a moment before she’s screams with joy, reaching for Derek’s sideburns, but Derek is already standing again, pulling Stiles and Jackson into a hug. The air almost crackles with electricity and even tiny, human Stiles feels something settle as the new pack bond takes form, with Derek’s arms tight around the two of them—

—the three of them, sorry, because Claudia is currently giggling like a fool from where she’s more or less suspended between the two wolves.

~

It was kind of perfect. Derek’s first beta raising the first born wolf of their new pack. If Stiles could pause that moment in time, he would have. Because raising a toddler was easy when Claudia was a relatively chill human baby. Now, though, it was like she had been saving up all her energy for the past two years—and now that her wolf was awake, it was time to let it loose.

Claudia became a terror. A terror they loved, of course, but a terror none the less because apparently “the terrible twos” were a very real thing, even for werewolves. She pushed every limit and every boundary, getting to the point where even Derek was wary about agreeing to babysit—Derek, the worlds biggest pushover when it came to babies. “No” became her favorite word at two—by three, it was “stop”—and when she was four, she had only one thing to say to a very sleep deprived, very emotional Stiles when he brought down the wrong pair of shoes for their weekly trip to see Papa for lunch.

“No, daddy, no! I want blue shoes, not green shoes! You never listen to me! I hate you! I hate you!”

Stiles was aware that he’s probably a little hysterical at that point—but when he hears that, something inside of him just breaks. He drops the shoes and just stands there and has to remind himself to breathe, and suddenly he’s crying, and somehow Claudia’s tantrum is over before it even begins. The first tear falls, and then ten seconds later his arms are full of his daughter, frantically scrambling to be close to him, apologizing profusely for being mean, her shouts turning into tears of her own.

Stiles is beyond comprehension at this point, but it feels like a switch has been flipped, as he and his daughter dissolve into tears while sitting on the kitchen floor.

At some point, Jackson comes home when he realizes he’s being stood up for lunch. They had more or less calmed down; though they were still on the kitchen floor, Stiles had fished his tablet off of the counter and was entertaining her with old pictures—of his mother, of Jackson in high school, of her as a baby. 

He had just flicked to a picture of the three of them on Claudia’s adoption day—Stiles was beaming at the camera as his dad snapped a photo, and Jackson had a look of wonder on his face, looking down at the tiny baby swaddled in Jackson’s arms. Like he was summoned by the photo itself, Jackson comes in through the side door after parking his cruiser, takes less than three seconds to assess the situation (husband and child; on floor. scents; tears and sadness. threat level; moderate.) before shucking his utility belt and his badge and scooping them both into his arms. Claudia is crying again, but softer this time, still worn out from her earlier tantrum, apologizing in between hiccups for being so mean, but nothing could prepare either of them for the tumble of words that leaves her lips as she buries her face into Jackson’s shoulder.

“You and Daddy are still gonna keep me, right?”

Jackson is heartbroken, but... not surprised. He had gone through the same thing, more times than he can count, growing up. His parents had always brushed it off with platitudes—don’t be silly, Jackson, you’re overreacting Jackson. He finally had the chance to right some of their wrongs, the seriousness in his voice reflecting 

“You got mad, and that happens sometimes. Daddy and I can get mad sometimes too. But we never stay mad at one another, and we always apologize, right sweetpea?”

He waits for Claudia to nod before he continues, aware that Stiles is staring at him too.

“Well, you already apologized to Daddy and I. You apologized because you realize you made a mistake, and it’s okay to make mistakes. You apologize because you love us, and we love you too. We love you, Claudia. And we are never, ever going to let you go.”

(Stiles and Claudia fall asleep in Jackson’s arms, and Jackson takes a selfie, sending it to the sheriff with an apology for missing his afternoon shift. He waits until the Sheriff responds, with a laughing emoji of all things [who taught him how to do that?!], before uploading it to their digital album too.)

~

When Claudia turns five, she begs for a ladybug party at the Hale House with all her “woofpack”. Honestly, Stiles was just thankful that Derek was an absolute pushover for all of the kids in the pack—between all of their original betas, there were six little rats running around at any given time, four of which were human, and Derek was a sucker for all of them.

(Boyd and Erica’s son had popped his fangs five days earlier. Claudia is ecstatic to have a new member of her woofpack. Jackson spends a lot of time playing with the baby chubby cheeks. Stiles grins and gives them a very brief warning about the terrible twos, before calling this karmic payback for the time Erica clocked him with a piece of his own Jeep, because he will never let that go.)

Stiles was just happy that it meant he didn’t have to clean up after the party, even if he did spend the entire night beforehand icing about a million ladybug cupcakes.

“It was three dozen, Stiles, and you’re the one who didn’t want to pay a baker to make them.”

“Aw, thanks babe, your devotion and respect for me really knows no bounds.”

Jackson smirks at him and Stiles smooshes a cupcake against his nose, throwing his head back in laughter as Jackson pulls back, looking incredibly offended. They’re on the second story balcony overlooking the yard, and Stiles is only half paying attention to Jackson’s protests as he hears shrieks of joy coming from the grass below. Their daughter is running through the field with a red and black cape flying behind her, eyes gold with mirth as she avoids Erica’s outstretched hand in what appears to be a very fair game of tag.

He lets his free hand sneak into Jackson’s, like it was some kind of secret—Jackson, who has no chill, pulls him close, arms going around him from behind. Stiles laughs again as he turns to his husband, basking in the warmth that pools in his chest with another happy shriek sounds from his family below.

“Hey Jacks?”

“Yeah baby?”

Nothing in Stiles and Jackson’s life has ever been easy.

“… I want another one.”

And neither of them would change a damn thing.

[theoneworld]

Post Natal Depression

Pregnancy is such a holy time. That constant feeling of a little one growing inside you, nurturing the growing one, feeling excited and confident, ready to shower all your love. Isn't that what all to-be mothers feel at the onset of pregnancy?

And then comes the grand finale day when you become a mother, celebrate motherhood, hold your baby, and are the happiest person in this world.

But what if these feelings don't occur the way people and books have been narrating?

Many of us are not aware of the fact that this mental state of being happy might not come naturally to mothers. They might not feel happy and elated the way they should after their child's birth. This is where we talk about depression; postnatal depression specifically.

Within the year after delivery, 1 in 7 women find themselves in a deep, dark abyss of depression.

Depression and Postnatal depression

Depression is not something that you would want to happen to you even if you are not pregnant. It is a state of mind that undergoes a lot of highs and lows and other associated mood swings.

Postpartum depression is a complex state of mind that involves a mix of physical, emotional, and behavioral changes in women after childbirth. It is a form of depression that occurs within 4 weeks after delivery. The condition can be measured on the length of time between delivery and onset and also on the severity of depression.

While postnatal depression is a common affair, there are several causes and changes in the mental state of a new mother.

Mothers at risk of postnatal depression

New moms often experience disturbing maternal mental health after birth. The risk factors for such a condition increases if:

You have experienced depression in the previous pregnancy or at some other time in your life.

You have a family history of depression.

You have suffered from bipolar disorderThere has been stress in your job, complications in pregnancy.

Your baby is born with special needs or health problems.

You have a strained relationship with your spouse.

There are financial problems in the family

You are undergoing an unwanted or unplanned pregnancy.

These are a few of the many factors that can lead to postnatal pregnancy. Expecting mothers should try to eliminate these risks for smooth childbirth and a happy, stress-free period post the delivery too.

What causes postnatal depression?

There are no exact causes that can specifically be called the reasons for postpartum depression, but there are a few factors that can contribute to the condition. The reasons can be physical stress or emotional discomfort or a combination of both.

Physical factors:

One of the major physical changes after childbirth involves the role of hormones. During pregnancy, your estrogen and progesterone levels are higher than usual; and they drop back to their previous state within hours of giving birth. This change is sudden and might cause depression. Other physical factors include:

Low thyroid level

Improper diet

Presence of a previous medical condition

Lack of sleep

Emotional factors:

Emotional stability is an important factor during pregnancy. Mothers are more likely to have postpartum depression if there are mood swings or mood disorders in the past or someone else in the family is suffering from the same.

Emotional stress factors include:

Financial burdens

The other child having some health problems

Recent divorce or death of a loved one.

Financial pressures

What does postnatal depression look like?

A mother might feel moody or cranky or tired after giving birth to a baby. But postpartum depression is much more than that. The symptoms vary from person to person and the following might be the indicators:

Feeling sad or crying a lot without reasons

Feeling exhausted but unable to sleep

Drowsy and sleeping too much

Binge eating even if there is no interest in food

Unexplained illness or aches in the body

A feeling of disconnection from the baby and no joy as you had anticipated throughout the pregnancy period.

Not opening up with people in a fear that they would judge you, or think that you are a bad mother; and just withdrawing.

Thoughts about harming yourself and the baby.

These symptoms start showing up within a few weeks of delivery and might not surface until a few months. These symptoms can be handled well and treated if a mother reports any of these feelings.

How to deal with PPD

Seeking help is the first step towards healing yourself and bringing things back to normal. Once you have identified that you are suffering from postnatal depression, you can do the following things to deal with the condition:

1. Talk to people

While one part of you wants to keep everything to yourself, especially for an introverted person; but it is always a good option to talk to people you trust about your feelings and emotions. You will discover that you are not the only one going through this phase and that there are people who will listen and help you come out of this situation.

2. Fight isolation

You might not feel like sharing your feelings with anyone and try to cut off from people as well. But this will only feed the depression. You might not have a social life, but at least talk to your closest relations so that you don't feel isolated.

To avoid isolation, join depression group supports; especially for new moms. The group activities, discussions will keep you active and let you focus on other things that relieve stress.

3. Chores can take a back seat:

Not all mothers are into chores. If you are one of them, let the chores be. Just take care of your and baby's basic needs and take help from relatives or household help to get the chores done.

4. Resting is the key

Childbirth is a tiring process. Take a good night's sleep; try a hot water bath to relax. Meditation and massage also help ease tension and help fall asleep.

Medications for maintaining maternal health include the use of antidepressants and hormone therapy which might have their side effects on the overall health of the mother. However, physical exercise, proper diet, and nutrition, mindfulness practices, mediation, etc can help improve the symptoms.

How is postnatal depression different from baby blues?

While talking about maternal mental health, it is important to mention a much heard and known term, baby blues which differs from postnatal depression. An example to highlight the difference;

The moment I delivered my daughter, my heart was filled with intense love and emotions that I never knew existed within me. I could die for her, it was love at first sight. But the emotions that came along the post-delivery period were both awesome and awful. It is both beautiful and exhausting to know that I could love everybody so deeply.

Such feelings tend to fade away in a few weeks and are usually called baby blues; whereas postnatal depression stays for months together.  

Mothers are the best gifts from God to this world; and entering motherhood is a blessing too. It takes courage to talk about the feelings that you are going through. Only a strong mind can bring up strong babies. At our Childbirth masterclass, we educate mothers about postnatal mental health and ways to stay calm and healthy during pregnancy.

Postpartum depression is treatable with the right knowledge and a good support system. Reach out to Baby Sutra to enroll in our masterclass 9 months and beyond if you have planned your baby.

To Read more about Mother and Baby care Click The Links Below

https://www.babysutra.in/blog/what_is_postnatal_depression

https://www.facebook.com/babysutra

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[crstapor]

The Riots

This country, as so many before it, was built on exploitation. The necessary destruction of the indigenous cultures for land, and then, the use of Africans as an enslaved labor class. While some may feel proud of the outcome of the Civil War, in truth, I can not say that it ever actually ended; instead entering a protracted Cold Civil War between poor Southerners and their poorer African counterparts (see Reconstruction, Jim Crow, Voting Rights, etc). An untenable detente that predominately white, wealthy men utilized to foment discord and achieve electoral power via the GOP. As horrible as the events unfolding before our eyes are, none of the protests or riots will attain any meaningful reform to the current state of affairs as long as this fundamental power dynamic is the beating heart of our ‘democracy’. That the GOP and its poor white base have nothing to gain by attempting to engage in dialogue about how best to address this inequality presages sad days ahead - indeed, how often do we find a record in the history books of a privileged class willfully sharing that privilege with those below them? The logic is clear: for one group to be privileged, another has to suffer. This is the core rationale guiding all tribalism, which, more than an idyllic ‘City on The Hill’, explains our current society.

The State exists to protect the property rights of those who no longer labor for a living. The Police, to enforce that protection. As such, there can be no meaningful conversation concerning how to redress the grievances of the black community against the police. The police are mandated to enforce the privilege of the exploiters, and every so often that entails making it very clear, in no uncertain terms, which side of the divide the exploited class is on. Personally, I find this order of things ethically offensive and morally reprehensible. Though, my personal feelings in no way change the analysis of the problem.

So what can be done? First of all education. We must make very sure that those who still want to hear, and those young enough to be informed, are allowed to understand the full breadth and depth of white exploitation in this country. Second, yes, we must make our voices heard, we must send a signal loud and clear that the old order of things is no longer sustainable. Third, we must firmly come down on one side or the other on that eternal question guiding political reform: do you try and change the system from within, or from without? Which is to say either at the ballot box or through revolution. And once this choice is made it must be enacted with such sustained vigor that the exploiters can not ignore it.

From my perspective the current system is so decayed, rigged, impotent, or unaccountable that the third choice is clear. But that’s just one man’s opinion. Surely there are others, and that debate is the only one that matters now. So protest if you feel it, and hell, if you want to break shit and run amok have a good time … but right now is the time for those who are not benefiting from the current system to get serious with themselves and each other. To look each other in the face and ask if they really mean it, or if this is just a party long overdue (thanks Covid).

The stakes couldn’t be higher. Waiting to decide will only end in more tragedy for the exploited.

[a-collection-of-villainous-aus]

Pirate Au

(Drabble 4)

Please do remember the drabbles do follow on from each other.

So this is the fourth drabble but set between the second and third.

It was late evening, oil lamps burned dimly and Hat sat there at his dining table, fingers laced, eye and patch peering over the top of his hands as elbows rested on the surface.

Soft hues of yellow, warm like honey, lights from the candles flickering making empty plates shimmer, a cloth neatly folded by their side, his belly full even if food was not something he required he enjoyed the many flavours of human cuisine...but he still felt empty as he watched Flugs curled up form in that tank, the merman had not moved in hours, was he still sulking?

It would not surprise Black Hat if he was, the old demon had kept his room dark to try and placate him, why was Flug still ignoring him?

It was not as if he'd hurt him in any way, if it were perhaps White Hat, that supposedly goody two shoes...that bastard would have tortured this creature for answers, kept his tank shallow so the merman would be in a constant state of half suffocation despite being one who lived in the sea himself.

(small reminder Acylius is the first name I've given au Flug ♥ )

Acylius could feel his eyes on his back a part of him wanting to face his captor and glare at him, how dare he keep him in this glass prison, without anything to do, nothing for entertainment apart from aggravating that idiot.

Black Hat was free to roam the ship, eat and probably have a five minute affair with a crew member when he felt like it, no doubt The Pirate King had left his cell empty on purpose, if he had nothing to do he might eventually speak, what ridiculous logic.

Well Hat was not going to get what he wanted, he ate in front of him without so much as offering to share, a custom important to all merfolk, the demon had completely disregarded it, after all he had to know about that right!?

He'd talked so proudly of knowing about merfolk, ha the only thing this fool had done was educate himself on them was what parts tasted and were best served for dinner.

The blasted king would have no doubt made some crude joke at that thought, just last night Black Hat had thought him asleep and pleasured himself quietly, but his highly attuned sense of hearing heard...everything.

He'd recognised the soft pants, sensed his eye on him, even a whispering gasp of his name.

It wasn't fair, the scent had become Intoxicating, shifting he actually sensed Hat stopping a moment, was he actually concerned with being caught?

All he'd wanted to do was invite him into the waters, not that his home had much to impress a mate but it appeared Black Hat did not mind as he resumed his...activities.

Yes last night had made him feel flustered and had taken the will of a god not to show any visual displays of interest.

Anyway it seemed Black Hat was possibly courting that funny girl, Demencia, indeed she was quite the character and while three party relationships might occur under the sea, landwalkers could vary and change their customs on a whim.

Of course he could ask for food or perhaps something for his prison but he was still well and truly pissed at the Pirate King, he refused to talk to him after being trapped in this tank like some common pet, HA even house fish were fed and given items to decorate their homes!

Black Hat was watching the elegant swaying of his fins, veils floating back and forth, hypnotising really, standing up and walking over he came and sat on the floor by the tank, glass reflecting in candle light with small shimmers where scales had shed soon to be washed away like starlight in the rising sun.

His shoulder resting against Flugs tank, legs crossed he let out a sigh.

The demon would have loved nothing more than to have a conversation with him

"Will you not even speak, just to tell me how much you hate what I have done to you?"

The merman held himself tighter, that was the thing he didn't hate him, he was just really, really angry...perhaps even a little scared after all he could still end up in pieces on one of those plates.

Black Hat's voice sounded genuinely disheartened, listening to the sound of his claws lightly scratching over glass as he continued

"I do not know what it is about you my pet, but you fascinate me, I wonder throughout the day what stories you might have to share, what secrets you keep...one mythical creature to another...Just how old are you?"

Flug however did not answer him, he just continued his stubborn silent treatment.

"Do merfolk like companions to sleep with?"

His voice still soft as he looked him over, seeing his spines bristle and blue rings beginning to appear he thought over his words and realised how that must have come across and rephrased

"I mean do merfolk like someone to sleep next to?"

Flug's kind did in fact like companionship, he had a catfish in his home cave deep in the ocean, half cat and fish with the cutest chubbiest belly with such soft paws, she was named Mew Mew Loaf, he knew she'd be fine but no doubt worrying about him and he missed her to.

Hat saw Flug's display disappearing, slightly moving as if he'd almost considered turning to face him or had he been merely shifting?

Still, his breath stayed in anticipation but it was not to be as minutes slipped by and his pet kept his back to him.

"Well maybe you do, otherwise you would have been screeching at me to get away from your tank, heh or are you perhaps you are so insistent on your silent treatment that even now you choose to ignore me?"

A warm chuckle filling the air as he removed his coat and used it as a cover, cheek on the cool surface and yawning as it had been three days since he'd last slept and sleepily wished him goodnight before drifting off.

Flug waited a while, making sure Black Hat was asleep, it was easy to tell as there was a shift in the atmosphere, all the world now seemed calm, the buzzing of energy not quite gone but soothed as if you could hear gentle waters lapping at a late night shore.

Rolling over, gliding closer to him, glass the only thing between them, he could have let his gaze wander over the captains room but honestly he did that enough when Black Hat wasn't there, always turning away from him and focusing on either nothing at all or Demencia with a playful splash of water, it was fun sensing the demons jealousy rise even if not shown entirely, sometimes Hat's hand came down too hard on his desk or a huff as he folded his arms assuming he was hiding the pouting, of course he was not.

He was...well you would be a fool if you called him ugly, how peaceful he looked even if it was amusing to see his cheek smooshed up against his tank and top lip pulled up, revealing mint green fangs ever so slightly.

Lowering himself to better look at them he thought about how Thaddeus had such blunt human teeth compared to him...just like the other merfolk who lived in higher waters in their Pearl City where everything was just...perfect.

So Black Hat had sharp teeth, it had been a long time since he'd seen another of his own kind, deep sea merfolk were dying out and he knew it, could it be that right now he himself was living on borrowed time?

Why was this demon so fascinated with him?

Yes he knew who Black Hat was, you would have to be completely out of the loop not to...king of both land and sea, a being who had never particularly shown interest of taking affairs of the underwater world seriously, who instead chose to adventure than taking any real action, was he incapable of being a leader...was he leaving everything in the hands of those who had some actual experience?

Resting on his hip, hands on the glass, Flug pressed his forehead to where Hat's cheek was and sighed...for someone showing interest in him he also certainly showed displays of affection towards Demencia, what was his game...was he going to be used just like Thaddeus had used him, well it was not as if this one before him exactly needed a power step, but his heart and body could still be seen as game.

Anyway, it was usually a case of ugly things wanting something beautiful to make them feel like they meant something...to be beautiful themselves...oh compared to Black Hat he was atrocious, this landwalker was so elegant, sleek and perfect as they could come, what would the Pirate King think if he did ever see his face, no doubt his interest would be lost and that would just be another notch in the truth the King of Pearl City had told him.

Fingertips lighting up, each line an intricate pattern, a maze of prints as hands formed out of a soft glowing blue hue fading off into their forearms, now tenderly touching Black Hat's face.

(Yes realistically I know He'd wake up but....he doesn't because of reasons...aka XD the writer said so)

Flug's eyes could be seen glowing an intense sky blue through the holes in his mask, under the caress of these made hands he could feel how warm he was, stroking along his cheek, purring slightly as the demon leaned into his touch.

The merman couldn't help but smile a little, he looked, well it was peculiar to see him looking so soft considering what everyone knew he was capable of.

A thumb carefully drawing down his bottom lip to look over his gorgeous fangs, this mouth looked so much smaller compared to his own where it practically split his face in half with rows of fangs that were only shown when threatened.

(Of course he doesn't know yet just how wide Hat can open his maw.)

Thaddeus and his partner Edward had certainly made a point of telling him he'd never hold the beauty of those who lived in their city, no one would accept him apart from them.

That his mask should only be off in the privacy of their company for they were the only ones who could bare to look upon his features...an act of control, one that had whittled away at him and he'd come to believe was true.

Caressing his cheek, his smile was a sad one, look at this idiot who had no idea how to look after him and yet grew envious when he gave others attention, it was endearing really, silly grumpy old man.

Eventually Flug would stop being so stubborn...tell him a story but Black Hat needed to ask him what he wanted, not just stare at him as if that will would just make him speak, though the merman figured if Black Hat wanted to make him he could.

With hands made of magic and stardust, finger tips caressed along his jaw, down over his neck before wrapping around his waist in a gentle embrace.

Yes his deep sea kind did like to have companionship in their rest, they usually had pets to do this with but he'd take this, of course Black Hat would have a stiff neck in the morning but it was surprisingly sweet that he'd opted to sleep here instead of his comfy warm bed.

Coaxing him to lay at least on his side Flug laid on the bottom of his tank facing him.

The hands disappearing as he curled up, his smile growing just a little more.

"Goodnight...Black Hat."

(also if anyone draws a cute pic of mew mew loaf, if you like I can do a character mention or have a character of yours briefly talk to one of the crew members for the one I like the most 💖)

[claritalunaluna76]

GENEVA (13 December 2019) – The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, in a report on Chile published on Friday, says that during the recent mass protests and state of emergency the police and army failed to adhere to international human rights norms and standards relating to management of assemblies and the use of force.

The 30-page report was produced by a UN Human Rights Office team which spent the first three weeks of November researching the situation across seven regions of Chile. It details extensive allegations – including specific examples -- of torture, ill-treatment, rape and other forms of sexual violence by the police against people held in detention, many of whom appear to have been detained arbitrarily. In all, according to official figures, more than 28,000 people were detained between 18 October and 6 December, although the great majority have been released.

The team met with, and received extensive cooperation from, a wide number of local and national authorities.* It also received significant assistance from the National Human Rights Institute and the Office of the Children's Ombudsperson, and met with over 300 members of civil society.

The team carried out 235 interviews with victims of alleged human rights violations – including injured and detained protestors and their family members -- and conducted 60 interviews with police officers, including some of those injured during the protests. It was granted free access to hospitals and health centres, to interview people injured during the demonstrations. It was also given rapid and unhindered access to places of detention, including police stations and prisons, as well as to people deprived of liberty whom it wished to interview in private, and to relevant reports and records.

The report says that information gathered from a variety of sources indicates "the police has regularly failed to distinguish between people demonstrating peacefully and violent protesters."

During its mission, the team documented 113 specific cases of torture and ill-treatment, and 24 cases of sexual violence against women, men and adolescent girls and boys, perpetrated by members of the police and army. It notes that the National Human Rights Institution has filed criminal complaints relating to hundreds more such cases.

The Office of the Public Prosecutor has indicated there are ongoing investigations into 26 deaths that occurred in the context of the protests, and the UN Human Rights Office says it has verified information concerning 11 of those 26 cases. Of these, the report says, four cases involved "arbitrary deprivation of life and other unlawful deaths involving State agents." In two of these cases, it says, "lethal force, in the form of live ammunition, appears to have been used in the absence of any risk to the lives of civilian or military personnel and against people who were not participating in acts of violence. This contravenes international norms and standards on the use of force and may, depending on the circumstances, amount to an extrajudicial execution."

The report cites the Ministry of Justice figure of 4,903 people injured up to 10 December, including 2,792 police officers, but notes other sources suggest higher numbers of injured. It states that there had been "unnecessary and disproportionate use of less-lethal weapons, in particular anti-riot shotguns, during peaceful demonstrations and/or outside the context of violent confrontations between demonstrators and security forces. This has resulted in a high number of people being injured, including passers-by and people who were not committing violent acts but just protesting peacefully."

"The alarmingly high number of persons with injuries to their eyes or faces (approximately 350) provides a strong basis to believe that 'less-lethal weapons' have been used improperly and indiscriminately, against international principles on minimizing the risk of injury," the report says. It notes that while eye injuries mainly resulted from shotgun pellets, some cases were "due to the use of chemical irritants, in particular tear gas and, in some instances, from impacts from tear gas canisters."

The report states that the authorities "had information regarding the extent of the injuries as early as 22 October. However, those responsible failed to adopt effective, prompt and timely measures to end the use of less-lethal weapons, especially anti-riot shotguns using pellets. Prompt action by the relevant authorities could have prevented other people suffering serious injuries." However, the report also notes recent decisions by various courts of appeal around the country which have limited the use of shotguns in peaceful demonstrations, and have also limited or prohibited the use of tear gas in certain circumstances or places (for example, in hospitals).

Among a number of recommendations to the Chilean State, the report recommends it "immediately end the indiscriminate use of anti-riot shotguns to control demonstrations." It also calls for tear gas only to be used "when strictly necessary and never inside education and health establishments," adding that police officers should receive clear instructions on the  proper use of tear gas, including by ensuring that tear gas canisters "are always fired at a high angle and never horizontally, according to international standards."

The report notes how "different State institutions have taken measures to ensure investigations of alleged human rights violations; to ensure prompt access to lawyers for detainees; access to services for victims; and to provide comprehensive, regular and accessible information to the public. Rulings have been issued by tribunals to protect those persons exercising their rights, including to peaceful assembly." The National Human Rights Institution and the Ombudsperson for Children's Rights, in particular, "have effectively and in a timely manner carried out their mandate to protect human rights."

The report notes in its conclusions that the demonstrations that have taken place in Chile "have multiple root causes, including social and economic inequality. It says that "the majority of those who have exercised the right to assembly during this period, have done so in a peaceful manner. However, there have been numerous attacks against security forces and their premises. Both during and outside of demonstrations, there was also significant looting and destruction of property."

"There are reasonable grounds to believe that, from 18 October onwards, a high number of serious human rights violations have been committed," it states. "These violations include excessive or unnecessary use of force that led to unlawful killings and injuries, torture and ill-treatment, sexual violence, and arbitrary detentions."

"The management of assemblies by the police has been carried out in a fundamentally repressive manner," the report says, adding that "certain human rights violations, in particular the improper use of less lethal weapons and cases of ill treatment, are recurrent over time and space."

In its report, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights recommends a number of specific measures to rectify police practices, and calls on the Government to "ensure that security forces adopt measures to guarantee accountability for human rights violations, and duly recognize such violations."

"Recognizing and learning from what happened, we should look forward in a constructive way," said UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet. "The report recommends a follow-up mechanism, involving our Santiago-based Regional Office for South America, as well as the active participation of civil society, to evaluate within three months the implementation of the recommendations made in this report, as well as the recommendations from international human rights mechanisms.

"This follow-up mechanism should aim to establish measures to prevent the recurrence of the sad and troubling events that have engulfed Chile over the past two months – especially as protests are continuing in different parts of the country, albeit with less intensity, and we continue to receive allegations of human rights violations. The results of the work of such a mechanism should be made public."

ENDS

*Meetings were held with the Minister of Justice and Human Rights, the Minister of the Interior and Public Security, and representatives from the Ministries for Foreign Affairs, Women's Affairs and Gender Equality, Health, Defence, and regional governors and mayors. The team also met with representatives of the judiciary, the Public Defender's Office, the Public Prosecutor's Office at both national and regional levels, the Forensic Service, the police, and the Prison Guard Service.

To read the full report, please to go:

Spanish: https://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Countries/CL/Report_Chile_2019_SP.pdf

English: https://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Countries/CL/Report_Chile_2019_EN.pdf

To see the video, please go to:

Spanish: https://vimeo.com/379213927/c5c018609e

English: https://vimeo.com/379213332/f7aae4820e

[webpage587]

The Fine and Performing Arts & Education

I see too many public service commercials-today-exhorting us to support the Performing and Fine Arts in public education. We, as a nation, have evidently become so low-brow, or unsophisticated, that we can no longer see the need for Art education in our schools. So now, we have our children pleading with us, on television commercials, to keep Art education alive. This is a sad state of affairs for us and our children, because art is what truly separates us from the beasts and allows us to rise above the mundane drudgery of life. As many others, I believe art should be at the center of education and not just because it's good for us. Art stimulates a child's cognitive and affective domains, as well as their motor skills, which leads to learning, discovery, creativity and motivation.

Academics are very important, of course, but too often they only stimulate a very small portion of the student's mind and heart. There are three, basic domains of learning: the Cognitive (mind), Affective (emotions or feelings) and Motor-Skills (hands-on). These three domains are key to our thinking/reasoning, learning, problem solving and creating. A healthy mind (Cognitive) is capable of taking in, retaining and processing information, which can then be applied, if retained and used, to the individual's life. Emotions and feelings (Affective) are closely connected to an individual's learning, because they aid in retaining and applying information, as well as stimulating the desire to learn more. Seeing, hearing, speaking, the ability to write, walk and run are all part of the individual's Motor-skills. Without these three domains, learning, needless to say, would be impossible. Reading, writing, math and the sciences stimulate the cognitive and motor skills domains quite effectively, but the affective is too often short changed.

If we think back to our school days, then we should be able to remember that the memorization of facts and successfully spitting them back out on tests was our main concern as students. This is very much a part of the learning process, and I'm not denying that, but where does the Affective domain play a significant part in this teaching process? In much of this way of learning the affective is absent, and-therefore-much of the educational material, which has just been learned, has no real application in the individual's life and is forgotten. I remember very little about higher level math, the periodic table and scientific jargon. Why is that? It didn't relate to my life nor touch me in a deep way. This is not to say that I, or anyone else, shouldn't have taken math and science classes, but what I am saying is academics are less effective than they can be, because they tend to ignore the Affective domain.

If you need any kind of information on this article related topic click here:Michael A Letts

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"Dr. King and the civil-rights movement had to bring the federal government to the state of national unrest and international embarrassment (over the treatment of peaceful civil-rights marchers) to get the Civil Rights and Voting Rights Bills passed just 42 years ago. Until that time, most African Americans could not legally vote, and access to “mainstream” higher education was almost zero.

Sen. Obama is the third black senator since reconstruction (which ended in approximately 1877). There have been 1,148 senators sworn in since 1877. African Americans have been fairly consistent at 13 percent of our population. If whites felt that blacks were intellectually equal, they certainly wouldn’t have enslaved African Americans, and the Senate would have been far more than 0.26 percent black.

It’s a sad state of affairs, but there’s no way our country would sit still for a second and accept Gary, Ind., or Camden, N.J., looking as it does if the inhabitants were not almost 100 percent black.

You and I may accept blacks as intellectually equal–and I’d assume that we both socialize with people who feel the same as we do–but that’s no reason to assume most white people feel the same way, because the facts show otherwise.

Aside from the ethical issue, there is an overarching economic imperative to rectify disparities: We are now competing in a global market; any waste of talent is a loss in productivity, innovation and wealth that we cannot afford."

[your-dietician]

A child mental-health fix takes early action, more help

New Post has been published on https://tattlepress.com/health/a-child-mental-health-fix-takes-early-action-more-help/

A child mental-health fix takes early action, more help

In most ways, Symone is like any other 17-year-old looking forward to her senior year in high school and what life may bring after — college and a career in music therapy or entertainment law, she hopes.

Her teenage years have included some notable highs. She shared the national spotlight as part of the Detroit Youth Choir, which was given a key to the city for “being the Heart, Soul and Spirit of Detroit.” 

DAY ONE:Mental health crisis: Children at breaking point during COVID-19 pandemic

DAY TWO:Michigan emergency rooms confront ‘tidal wave of sadness’ among young patients

And yet, Symone said, she can suddenly feel despondent. It comes “randomly,” she said: “It’s like a mind battle.”

“I can have the best day ever, then suddenly I’m sad,” she said. “Like I want to be dead. I want to be dark. I can’t feel light, and I can’t feel happy.”

Which is why she offers this simple plea: “Don’t give up on people with mental health” issues.

In this series, Bridge Michigan and Indianapolis-based Side Effects Public Media have highlighted critical gaps in mental health resources for children and teens across the Midwest — that includes a shortage of psychiatrists, therapists and inpatient beds, and the warehousing of children in hospital emergency rooms as they wait for specialized treatment. It’s a system further strained by COVID-19. 

Fortunately, nascent efforts are underway at the state and federal level to improve access to treatment. They range from placing more psychologists and social workers in schools, to encouraging more medical residents to pursue careers in child psychiatry, to deeper investment in public health, including funding for more psychiatric beds to help thousands of families with a child in despair. 

Some say the timing is right for an overhaul. Federal COVID stimulus funds can fuel the effort in ways not previously possible, including more money devoted to behavioral health as students across the country prepare to return to classrooms in the fall.   

Here are seven ideas or legislative plans that may ease the burden and allow more young people like Symone to thrive:

More psychiatrists, sure. But how?

Pick just about any state and there are not enough psychiatrists who specialize in child or adolescent treatment, especially in rural areas. 

The American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatrists recommends 47 child psychiatrists for every 100,000 children. In Michigan, there are 11 per 100,000 children; in Indiana, it’s even worse at 6 per 100,000.

While the number of child psychiatrists has risen nationally in the past decade or so, there are still precious few and they tend to practice in more affluent, better educated and metropolitan areas. A 2019 study in the journal Pediatrics found that 70% of U.S. counties had no child psychiatrists. For example, and as Bridge has reported, Michigan’s rural Upper Peninsula, more than 300 miles long, has zero child psychiatrists.   

Another impediment: Child psychiatrists tend to begin careers near the East Coast and West Coast cities where they trained, said Dr. Sanya Virani, a trustee with the American Psychiatric Association.

So how might policy makers get more medical residents to choose this field? A greater focus on financial incentives such as student loan forgiveness or higher reimbursement rates might help, particularly if they are targeted to practicing in hard-to-reach regions. 

Becoming a child psychiatrist typically requires five years of training beyond medical school. That means many newly-minted child psychiatrists enter the workforce with mountains of debt.

The Michigan State Loan Repayment Program offers up to $200,000 over eight years to medical professionals practicing in underserved areas. And this year, the program is prioritizing loan forgiveness for inpatient pediatric psychiatrists. MIDOCS, a collaboration among medical schools to boost training slots in Michigan, also offers loan forgiveness.

Of course, psychiatrists are only a single point on a larger spectrum of care. Loan forgiveness programs also are used to lure other critical staff, such as social workers or therapists who have racked up student debt.

More inpatient beds 

As COVID-19 began to catch the world’s attention in December 2019, Beaumont Health broke ground on a $40 million, 100,000-square-foot, 144-bed behavioral health hospital in Dearborn, near Detroit.

Officials say the facility, expected to open this year, will include 24 beds for children with depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, autism, anxiety, bipolar disorder, substance abuse orders, or other mental health problems.

That will help ease a logjam of young people in emergency rooms awaiting beds, particularly in populous southeast Michigan. The hospital also will train psychiatrists — adding the first six psychiatry residents this year and ultimately training 24 at a time, though it’s unclear how many will specialize in children and adolescents. 

“It’s terrible to watch these kids in crisis. We just don’t have enough resources right now for them,” said Dr. Whitney Minnock, medical director for the pediatric emergency room at Beaumont Royal Oak.

Still, 24 beds is limited help.

Even if every one of Michigan’s 334 pediatric inpatient psychiatric beds were used — and they’re not, often because of lack of support staff — Michigan’s bed capacity still falls far short of what’s needed, experts said. The regions where beds are most scarce — such as  northern lower Michigan and the Upper Peninsula — are five to 10 hours from the new Dearborn hospital.

Use one-time federal stimulus funds

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and some lawmakers have proposed using Coronavirus State Fiscal Recovery Funds to boost behavioral health services in Michigan.

A House budget proposal passed in May would set aside $220 million for sweeping infrastructure improvements, including $100 million to expand long-term pediatric psychiatric inpatient services. 

That would add as many as 120 inpatient beds for youths, said Laura Appel, vice president and chief innovation officer for the Michigan Health & Hospital Association, an industry group.

The MHA and Republican state Rep. Mary Whiteford, a registered nurse who has pushed for years for better mental health services in Michigan, helped drive the plan.

Another $85 million in the plan would build a new psychiatric center for children, replacing the aging Hawthorn Center, the state-operated inpatient facility in Northville, for children and adolescents, Whiteford said.

The budget proposal also called for $15 million in renovations to hospital emergency rooms, which would, among other things, make them safer and more secure for suicidal patients as they await treatment.  

So, for instance, ERs could be outfitted with rooms without door knobs or clothes hooks that patients in acute distress could use to hang or harm themselves. 

Appel said people with mental illness also need an area set apart from the typical chaos of a busy ER, with soft or natural lighting to help calm agitated patients, similar to environmental features found in psychiatric facilities. 

At Grand Rapids-based Pine Rest Christian Mental Health Services, the living and treatment areas have specialized furniture that is too heavy to throw. Staff consulted a botanist to ensure the indoor plants — designed to offer a soothing, outdoor feel to large spaces — are not toxic to a child who might try to eat them, a spokesman said.

The Michigan Legislature left for summer break this week without finishing the state budget. But lawmakers did finish work Wednesday on a school spending bill, setting aside $240 million to place more psychologists, school social workers, school counselors and nurses in schools.

These positions are “essential” and schools are “uniquely suited to assist youths with mental health concerns,” noted the nonpartisan Citizens Research Council of Michigan, a public affairs research group. The CRC released its own findings this week on child mental health care services, noting the lack of school staff available to assist students in crisis. Other researchers have expanded that idea to include integrating behavioral health into primary-care pediatric settings as well. 

In May, the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) announced $3 billion in American Rescue Plan funding to support mental health and substance use grant programs across the U.S. That included nearly $42 million of new funding for community mental health centers in Michigan and more than $25 million in Indiana.

That followed $2.5 billion in SAMHSA payouts to states in March.   

Intervene early 

Mental health advocates say it’s critical to intervene early with those most in need.

Boosting school- and home-based programs helps identify and treat mental illness sooner, before a young patient falls into crisis, Dr. Michelle Morgan, a retired psychiatrist in the U.P., recently told residents at a community meeting in Eagle River.

Early action also helps law enforcement, especially in rural areas that operate with just a handful of officers each day.

Sheriff Joe Brogan of Baraga County in the U.P. told residents at the same meeting that when officers respond to a person in mental distress other emergencies get missed. “We don’t have anybody answering calls for service,” he said. 

Michigan is one of several states working to provide police with training to better identify mental illness in people they encounter and get them into treatment centers for evaluation and help rather than sending them to jail. 

Indiana has turned to a program called “high-fidelity wraparound” as a way to address complex behavioral issues in young people so they don’t get to the point of needing inpatient care. 

Under the wraparound model, a case manager is assigned to coordinate a child’s care, which might involve therapists or other medical professionals as well as social workers, teachers and parents. Indiana’s Medicaid program offers this service to qualified families. 

Wraparound services are useful when traditional methods of supporting a child’s mental health needs are unsuccessful. The goal is to deescalate a problem before it reaches crisis stage, said Ebony Reynolds, clinical officer of Detroit Wayne Integrated Mental Health, which manages providers for families in Wayne County.

Families “deserve a system that’s responsive to their needs, rather than just getting thrown whatever it is this system has to offer,” said Kimberly Estep of the National Wraparound Implementation Center. 

Another key to early intervention is round-the-clock access to mental health support, said Whiteford, the state representative. She sponsored legislation that led to a 24-hour Michigan Crisis and Access Line that opened in April in Oakland County and the Upper Peninsula.

The crisis line, which also takes calls from those who who dial the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, will be accessible across the state by fall 2022.

“It folds all these hotlines into a one-stop shop for anybody who needs help — from a police officer to a nurse in an emergency room to a mom worried about her child,” Whiteford said.

The line will also have access to Michigan’s Inpatient Psychiatric Bed Registry, allowing callers — from ER staff to parents — to learn sooner if there is an available psychiatric bed or service in their area.

U.S. Sens. Debbie Stabenow, a Michigan Democrat, and Roy Blunt, a Missouri Republican, helped lead an effort this spring to earmark $489 million in federal funds to expand Certified Community Behavioral Health Centers, part of a federal network that can immediately screen people in crisis, regardless of their ability to pay, and get them help. Of the amount, nearly $20 million is headed for Michigan to support efforts at five Detroit centers.

Early intervention part two: school screenings 

In 2018, the Lansing-based advocacy nonprofit Disability Rights Michigan filed a class-action suit, K.B. v. Lyon, accusing the state of Michigan of “staggering failures to provide needed mental health services to thousands of children and their families.”

Kyle Williams, director of legal advocacy for the advocacy group, said one crucial step in addressing systemic failures is a universal screening tool that would identify children in need, trigger a full assessment, and connect them to services before they spiral into crisis. It could be used by school counselors for a child acting out in class or staff at a juvenile justice facility after a child has been picked up by police, he said.

A child in crisis “doesn’t have the time to wait three years for an intensive service array,” Williams said.

“If you don’t pair home- and community-based services (with inpatient care), you’re looking at a cycle in which kids end up in an ER bed, return to the community, and keep destabilizing, then return to the ER again,” Williams said.

Details are still being hammered out in a settlement agreement in the lawsuit after several extensions — the latest extension is to Sept. 1.

Ease bureaucracy

Parents have enough worry when a child is in crisis. But many are forced to change jobs or quit to become full-time advocates for their children as they work through layers of bureaucracy, said Jane Shank, executive director of the Lansing-based Association for Children’s Mental Health.

“Parents get beaten down a little,” she said.

As it stands now, Medicaid funds flow through Michigan’s mental health managed care system which is made up of 10 Prepaid Inpatient Health Plans, or PIHPs, throughout the state.

They pay for treatment and services at local Community Mental Health Agencies, which, in turn, may contract with other providers. With each layer, accountability disappears, according to critics.

Rep. Whiteford said she would replace the state’s 10 managed care organizations with a single oversight body — moving the state closer to a fee-for-service health system and making the state accountable rather than diffusing accountability through layers of managed care bureaucracy.

It also would lead to “significant reduction in administrative costs,” according to the nonpartisan Michigan House Fiscal Agency. Michigan Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey, whose overhaul plan includes privatizing much of mental health care, and who also wants to downsize or eliminate the PIHP managed care system.

Critics argue, however, that such plans replace one layer of a bureaucracy with another and that projected cost savings are exaggerated.

“It’s a different terrain across the state — the availability of services, the availability of staff,” said Kevin Fischer, of the Michigan chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness.

He said the Whiteford and Shirkey plans include good ideas, but he worries about moving to a single managed care system or oversight agency.

Locally run managed care matches local needs to the best local resources, he said, saving money and providing better care.

“The people in Houghton or Marquette (in the Upper Peninsula) know what they need better than the people in Detroit do,” he said.

More telemed to reach distant children 

The field of telemedicine dramatically expanded during the pandemic, in part due to relaxation of regulations by the federal government and private insurers amid COVID-19. 

A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study noted a 154% increase in telemedicine usage in March 2020, as the pandemic first hit, compared with the previous year. Telemedicine can be useful for people without reliable transportation or from rural areas without a nearby provider. It can also help parents avoid taking time from work to transport children to therapist appointments. 

With so many regions in Michigan and Indiana lacking in mental health providers, strengthening telehealth can help improve access to care. 

But barriers remain. Indiana-based research shows Black and rural populations are less likely to have reliable internet or a home computer. And despite a year of remote learning, children may have more trouble engaging with mental health professionals on the computer. 

It remains unclear whether private insurers will continue to pay for telehealth visits once the pandemic fades. Policies can differ by insurer, state or particular plan. Many states, including Michigan, have enacted parity laws that require insurers to equitably cover in-person and telemedicine visits. 

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[bang7an]

A list of BTS’ most socially-conscious, thoughtful, woke, non-love songs:

2 Cool 4 Skool (2013)

No More Dream * = about the pressure of the younger generation to follow the dreams of their parents/elders and give up the dreams of their own

길 (Road/Path) = about taking the untraditional path despite the uncertainty of the future

O!RUL8,2? (2013)

Intro: O!RUL8,2? = about pursuing your own dreams, taking chances, and living without regret

N.O * = about the machine-like nature of the current education system

팔도강산 (Satoori Rap) = about being proud of where you’re from and your dialect. acknowledges and unifies Korea’s vast linguistic/provincial diversity

Skool Luv Affair (2014)

Tomorrow = about making the future better by being the instigator for change and never forgetting who you really are

등골 브레이커 (Spine Breaker) * = comments on consumerism/materialism and respecting your elders

Jump = about remembering the hopeful dreams of one’s youth and growing up to become the hero of your own childhood

Dark & Wild (2014)

힙합성애자 (Hip Hop Lover) = about the power of music to change one’s life

Rain = comments on the repetition/monotony of life and that fact that one has to confront oneself in order to create change

BTS Cypher, Pt. 3: KILLER = haters? “i don’t give a fuck”

핸드폰 좀 꺼줄래 (Can You Turn Off Your Phone) = comments on society’s obsession with social media and the decline of face-to-face communication

2학년 (Second Grade) = about working hard and staying humble in order to reach the top

Wake Up (2014)

The Stars = about facing the ups and downs of life and never giving up no matter what

Wake Up = about continuing to work hard as others sleep & taking control of one’s life

The Most Beautiful Moment In Life, Part 1 (2015)

Intro: 화양연화 * = comments on the uncertainty of the future, the search to find one’s purpose, and the dangers of comparing oneself to others

I NEED U * = going beyond a classic love song, the song comments on the insecurity of youth

쩔어 (DOPE) * = about waking up the sleeping youth and breaking the stereotypes placed upon the younger generation by working hard to reach the top. reject rejection!

흥탄소년단 (Boyz with Fun) = about ignoring the judgement of other’s and doing what makes you happy

이사 (Move/Moving On) = about remembering/learning from the past while reaching for a higher place

The Most Beautiful Moment In Life, Part 2 (2015)

Intro: Never Mind * = about looking forward and working even harder if you feel like falling down

Run * = about not letting anything stop you from pursuing your passions

Butterfly = comments on the insecurities of youth & the fears of feeling dependent on someone

Whalien 52 = about loneliness & feeling like no one is listening/understanding

Ma City = comments on being aware/proud of your hometown’s history (& also calls out a Korean online terrorist group that targets minorities and leftists, especially people from Jeolla province, were J-Hope was born)

뱁새 (Baepsae/Silver Spoon) = comments on the concept of social status/privilege and the growing gap between the upper and lower class

고엽 (Dead Leaves) = comments on the difficulty of giving up something good for the better

The Most Beautiful Moment In Life: Young Forever (2016)

불타오르네 (FIRE) * = about how one should live however one wants to without labels & that it’s okay to lose

Save ME * = comments on the duality of youth (happiness and sadness) through depending on others and thanks ARMYs for accepting who they (BTS) are and letting them be who they are

Epilogue: Young Forever * = comments on the difficulty, but importance, of facing reality, moving forward, and following one’s dreams

House of Cards = comments on how ignorance can be bliss but that reality will always catch up eventually

YOUTH (2016)

Good Day = comments on brotherhood and the importance of lifting each other up to create a brighter tomorrow

Wishing On A Star = about not being afraid to have big dreams because the more you hope, the more likely it will come true

Wings (2016)

Intro: Boy Meets Evil * = comments on the dangerous addiction of greed/ambition

피 땀 눈물 (Blood Sweat & Tears) * = comments on the danger/ease of succumbing to temptation & losing the innocence of youth

Begin * = about brotherhood & how the other members shaped him to become who he is today

Lie * = about feeling trapped under the lies he told himself & losing his identity in the process

Stigma * = about struggling with his self-identity & his guilt because he can’t always be there for the people he cares about

First Love * = about how the piano guided him to recover his passion for music

Reflection * = about insecurity, loneliness, self-hatred & learning to love himself

MAMA * = about thanking his mom for always supporting him & telling her she can lean on him now

Awake * = about acknowledging his limits and imperfections but trying hard anyway & putting the other members before himself

Lost = comments on the uncertainty of growing up and finding one’s own path

BTS Cypher Pt. 4 = about not listening to those trying to bring you down & to love yourself

Am I Wrong = comments on the corrupt government system that doesn’t care about the general public and only focuses on pleasing the top 1%

21 세기 소녀 (21st Century Girls) = comments on the unjust treatment of females in current society & a women-empowerment message of strength and self-love

둘! 셋! (그래도 좋은 날이 더 많기를) (2! 3!) = about enduring/overcoming hardship by sharing your burdens and finding strength from one’s loved ones

You Never Walk Alone (2017)

봄날 (Spring Day) * = comments on government corruption by referencing the Sewol Ferry Tragedy & is about missing a friend that you haven’t seen in a long time

Not Today * = about empowering the underdogs/minorities/women of the world

Outro: Wings = about believing in oneself and having trust in one’s decisions in order to choose one’s own path

A Supplementary Story: You Never Walk Alone = comments on the importance of teamwork in order to dream bigger and reach higher

Love Yourself: Her (2017)

Intro: Serendipity * = about whether an individual is special because he is fundamentally different from others, or because of the relationships he foster with others

Pied Piper = comments on the possible all-consuming nature of fan culture & advises individuals to stay self-aware and maintain their personal lives as priority

MIC Drop * = about the satisfaction of rising above one’s haters by not wasting time on their meaningless words and instead focusing on one’s successes

Go Go = addresses the “YOLO” culture that has pervaded our generation, where the youth use consumerism as a means to escape the hopeless/purposeless feeling that saturates the societal work force

Outro: Her = about sacrificing one’s true self for the happiness of others. more specifically, about BTS’ gratitude/dependence towards their fans, and therefore, how the members try to hide their vulnerabilities and strive for “perfection” in order to please the said fans

Sea = about how the two emotional states of happiness and sadness are really one and the same, because one inevitably leads to the expression of the other. also about how hope can be birthed from a source of trial

Face Yourself (2018)

Let Go = addresses the inevitability of ARMYs eventually leaving the fandom and accepts that we’ll eventually walk separate paths, so that in the future we can look back upon the past with fondness

Love Yourself: Tear (2018)

Intro: Singularity * = about facing the truth of one’s loneliness, but realizing that life is transient and that change is coming

FAKE LOVE * = about lying to yourself by hiding your weaknesses and living a life that is not true

The Truth Untold = about feeling inadequate to love others because you cannot love yourself first

134340 = about the feeling of resentment and loss of self-identity when dismissed from one’s previously held entity

Paradise = comments on how it’s okay to not have a dream nor fully understand your purpose in life; just don’t fall into the trap of adopting someone else’s expectations of yourself as your own “dreams”

Love Maze = about ignoring the opinions of others and living for yourself, even if the path may seem unclear

Magic Shop = thanks ARMYs for helping BTS become the best version of themselves and tells their fans that they trust you will take care of your own selves as well

Airplane pt.2 = about the satisfaction of observing their haters from the sky, as they fly to higher success. also about not forgetting where you come from and continuing to work hard with your initial intentions in mind.

Anpanman = about wanting to be a hero for others, even if it means sacrificing oneself

So What = about letting go of the worries one has built up in one’s head and running forward without regrets about things you can’t fix

Outro: Tear = about learning to deal with one’s self-hatred and self-destruction before being able to face one’s true self and reciprocate real love

Love Yourself: Answer (2018)

Euphoria * = about holding on to naive but painless dreams and refusing to wake up from the false comfort of “euphoria”

Trivia 起 : Just Dance = about turning even the negatives into positives by steadily pursuing your dreams and enjoying each moment as they come

Trivia 承 : Love = about the importance of balancing the relationship between live (살아) and love (사랑) to human (사람) existence

Trivia 轉 : Seesaw = about getting trapped on a metaphorical seesaw of manipulated emotions and urging himself to stop playing the game

Epiphany * = about the moment of realization that in order to truly love others, you must learn to love yourself first; the journey to self-love can feel lonely and endless, but the progression will leave you feeling powerful and free.

I’m Fine = about learning to not depend on others in order to feel self-worth and move on from downfalls

IDOL * = about accepting and loving yourself no matter the constrictive labels that others try to put on you

Answer : Love Myself = about the process of learning to forgive oneself and to live one’s life without the mask of conformity

Map of the Soul: Persona (2019)

Intro: Persona * = about the process of discovering one’s true self through questioning different versions of one’s identity, including the archetypes persona, shadow, and ego

Boy With Luv * = depicts the growth from ‘in love’ to ‘with love’ through discovering love and inspiration within oneself. also about how self-love is the greatest and most humbling power of all

Mikrokosmos = about finding the universe of potential that exists within every individual and uncovering strength from the pain

Make It Right = about leaving the haters in the endless desert and following one’s dreams towards the giving ocean

HOME = comments on the frivolity of wanting materialistic things and instead places importance of finding someone you can call “home”

Jamais Vu = about not having a do-over in life, but refusing to give up after trial & error and taking advantage of every second chance

Dionysus = about celebrating one’s successes and acknowledging that the only competition is the fight against oneself

name: video w/ lyrics

=: live performance/dance practice

*:official music videos/trailers

Enjoyed this list? Check out A list of BTS’ UNOFFICIALLY RELEASED socially-conscious, thoughtful, woke, non-love songs

Note: I have included some of BTS’ “love songs” whose meanings I found more artistically profound/expressive than the traditional pop love song. All descriptions are my own. The great thing about music is that every individual can interpret the same lyrics differently!

[drmyler]

FBI Police Investigation Authority

Police Investigation Authority – New Division of the FBI

 by

 Dr Stephen F Myler PhD (Psych)

 Abstract:

 In this paper I would like to explore the case for a new division of the FBI in light of the recent cases of police brutality against third parties including minorities, criminal coercion and internal corruption. At the current time investigation of the police is carried out by Internal Affairs mostly staffed by serving police offices who are asked to investigate alleged crimes committed by the police themselves. The very fact that the police investigate the police is open to coercion from senior ranks above and lack of cooperation，evidence suppressed by fear and retaliation internally. The case for a complete reorganization of police for criminal activity is now at the forefront of social cohesion and racial harmony.

 Introduction:

 Federal Bureau of Investigation

 When the FBI was first established in 1908 via a famous memorandum from attorney general Charles J Bonaparte after the assassination of the then President McKinley it was seen as a force for good. McKinley was followed by President Roosevelt who appointed Bonaparte to deal with the factions of terrorists emerging in the USA from home grown agitators.  Although the beginnings of the FBI were fraught with political intrigue and power maneuvers over time the Bureau established certain criteria that made it independent from the police and had countrywide federal powers of arrest and seizure. Most of the early agents were ex-secret agents, accountants, lawyers and the odd employees who had special knowledge or a past history of investigations often through past espionage. They were called Special Agents as they had skills sets that set them apart from the normal police activities and often were far more intelligent and educated. J. Edgar Hoover then a young justice department lawyer in 1918 made his mark and as the future FBI head would modernize the FBI into scientific investigation and a more progressive force for law and order. Although the aims and focus of the FBI have changed over the century by various political forces and demands for the direction of its federal powers into investigations such as terrorism, fraud, hostage taking and major crime organizations as its main advantage has always been its independence to perform as a protective arm of government (G-Men) to the civil population. I would love to say that the original intention was that the FBI was incorruptible as Hoover has espoused but recent activity in the Bureau has shown its vulnerability to political corruption and power conflict within and without where the Directors of the FBI can be seen playing politics is a very sad state of affairs. The FBI should remain and always be a non-party non-political organization and once again show that its agents and Directors are the incorruptible investigators we still need today.

  Internal Affairs Bureau (IAB)

 The department of Internal Affairs is fairly young in comparison to the FBI and is often seen by police officers as the rat bureau (or cheese-eaters) it is this dislike that makes its work almost impossible. Also because of the nature of its work the officers tend to be college graduates and have had intensive background checks to make sure they cannot be – got at – by serving officers via corruption, bribery or threat of coercion. However in a perfect world that would be enough, however often police chiefs, sheriffs and other leaders in the police prefer internal discipline hearings that can control bad publicity and careers, than to calling for an IAB investigation. This also means that most police officers who commit acts of criminality know they are unlikely to be disciplined even if caught, but sanctioned internally instead. The IAB is also under-funded and under-manned in many cases so can only investigate high profile incidents that have social or public repercussions – especially where the public's use of photo and video cameras make the alleged crimes harder to ignore or sweep aside. There are programs that IAB investigators can take offered by the FBI and the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center. These courses focus on advanced interrogation and evidence techniques as well as new internet investigations. This means they can be better equipped to investigate their own (police officers) however the stigma and difficulty getting the required management support or reliable witness statements can be a very stressful engagement for the investigators themselves.

 The New Proposal

 The above gives us room for thought and reassessment of the current state of affairs when investigating police misconduct, whether that is via brutality, theft, corruption or just straightforward criminal activity. I propose that the IAB should be dismantled over time handing off its investigations and files to a new division of the FBI called the Police Investigation Authority (PIA) with federal powers of investigation and arrest. That the existing staff of the AIB be returned to normal police duties through transfer and natural retirements. The USA has a shortage of detectives on the ground and so this move would greatly enhance the everyday detection of crime and investigation.  No ex-IAB personal should be allowed to join or have access to the new PIA. This also includes any police past or present from being able to join the PIA for security reasons and conflict of interests that already arise in the IAB.

 The new PIA would be built around the principals of the FBI of uncorrupt ability and non-alignment with any police service, making investigations completely unbiased and not controlled by the higher authority of the police themselves. Recruitment should focus on University graduates of criminology, social studies, psychology and forensic science giving the new investigators the skills necessary to investigate police corruption and criminality without being dragged into any internal policies. It is mostly the FBI training programs set up for the AIB which could be enhanced and continued for the new internal division (PIA) with additional training in forensic psychology and new laws enacted to support the external authority of the FBI over police investigations of malpractice. Legal power is very important to the efficiency of the PIA in that it automatically outranks any police officer at any rank including penalties for political interference at State level from Governors or Mayors that may for political reasons interfere with the PIA investigation. This would require the government, congress and the senate all agreeing that in the investigation of police officers of any rank that there is a non-interference policy. That even the President cannot comment on ongoing investigations for public or political gain.

 Case Study – How Might It work?

 If a policeman during the arrest of a suspect does use excessive force and results in physical harm or death then that incidence is brought to the attention of the PIA via an FBI reporting system (to be agreed upon) and if the incident is not reported, but later comes to light, the reporting officer (head of the offenders department (where shown did not report a known alleged offense) shall be dismissed from their post immediately. Once the report is made, investigators will arrive and begin the interrogation of the subject of the complaint then interview witnesses and see reports. Local police offices should make available suitable rooms for the investigators from PIA to conduct their tasks and the most senior officer should by law be available to support and make sure that no interference or unwanted barriers to the investigation take place. If the complaint has merit then the investigation is handed over to the special prosecutor of the FBI to take before the courts for a preliminary determination of the case. This should be held in-camera (secret) in the first instance to decide if the evidence would hold up in the normal criminal court. If the case has merit then it will be then passed to the open court hearing for adjudication by due process.  At this point the police officer would have his own attorney or defense council to represent them as would be normal in any criminal case. The PIA then acts as witness for the prosecution for the purposes of presenting evidence and assisting the court in its own process of Law. If found guilty by the public court, deliberation as to sentencing should take account of the conditions in prison for the now dismissed police officer and their future safety in incarceration. Once convicted there is no appeal to the court or PIA except in exceptional circumstances. The ex-police officer should also be banned from serving in any capacity in legal services including private security, private investigator or working in a law practice for a period of five years post the serving of any sentence.  For example if given a ten year prison sentence – it would be fifteen years in total before allowing to be involved in any of the aforesaid posts. In this case study we have concentrated on the process in general and to protect the identity of the police officer being accused until the case can be tested in open court. It is important that the PIA agents have the power of arrest and detention so as not to rely on the police to enact that power on their behalf but have federal law behind them.

 Discussion.

 Would this new division of the FBI be feasible and workable? The answer here is a resounding Yes. What would be the perception of the public if this was enacted? First that the complaints that officers had in the past (present) get away with in criminal activities, such as institutional racism, could be investigated without internal bias, that the public would have more faith in the system if the police were  not investigating themselves.  Also the public need change and any government that enacts this proposal would be deemed working in the interests of not just the disadvantaged in society, but for the benefit of all parts of the society. Overnight many of the social ills plagued by bad policing would have a new champion of law and order, that only has one task, to make sure the police serve and keep safe the public as it priority and not the protection of the few bad apples being protected by a system based of corruption. Would any government have the foresight to enact the necessary laws to enable a new era of policing that could concentrate on being ethical and proud once again to wear the uniform of protect and serve? That remains to be seen - once the PIA is up and running it will take time to settle down and become effective in policing the police but overall even serving police officers could see a fairer more protected system if the investigations were unfettered by internal politics, bias and loyalties being tested for turning a blind eye to the present situation. Politically this is a win win situation. A word on costs and funding – the present budget of the IAB plus the closer of its offices and facilities would free up enough resources to get the PIA started. No new offices should be in existing police stations but could be used to expand local FBI offices to accommodate PIA staff. In this way the eventual increase in costs and convictions would probability even out over-all. So from a funding point of view would be more economical than the present system in the end.

 Summery

 This paper was inspired by the recent events of arrests resulting in death and or injury at the hands of irresponsible police officers and their departments that protect them from IAB investigations and the inevitable corruption of a system of investigation that clearly does not work efficiently. By taking this function away from the police to a new department of the FBI called the PIA there are multiple advantages with very little downside to its instigation. I do sincerely hope that readers of this paper who have direct access to decisions makers will promote and advertise this proposal for a radical new future not just in the USA but police forces around the World.

  References:

 No references are necessary for this paper as the content is new and has no prior academic discussion. Content for the history of the FBI and IAB came for open sources.