#like . why isn't there any options when i have a wide variety of skills.... it feels meaningless...

[7-oh-ta1]

I'm tired of living in the boonies bec why am I qualified to be a preschool teaching assistant in virginia but here there's nothing but fast food and dollar stores

[galacticnikki]

A Baby Witch's First Grimoire

Grimoire Entry 7 - Basic Protection

Why is protection Important?

Witchcraft can be an exciting but dangerous practice. Without protection the practitioner is left vulnerable to various spiritual energies, some of which could be harmful. Protection is important because it helps protect the practitioner from these harmful energies that may want to do nothing but harm. Protection can also balance a witch's energies ensuring they remain positive. It is also said that good protection can also protect the practitioner mentally and physically.

What are some traditional ways to protect myself?

There's a wide variety of ways practitioners have protected themselves. One of the most common methods is through a magic circle. When properly casted this circle protects the practitioner from external influences, including negativity and unwanted energies. Another common method is the use of salt. Salt is known for its properties of purification and protection, and can be sprinkled around the perimeter of a space to keep it safe. Visualization can also be used for protection and can take on many forms. Some people may visualize a shield of light, others may visualize a circle of stones. Sigils, like the pentacle, ankh, runes, or even custom sigils can also be used for protection. Finally herbs like sage, rosemary, and thyme are often used in sachets, incense, or baths as a method of protection.

How can I protect myself during rituals?

By using a variety of the different methods above you can protect yourself from any negativity or unwanted energy. There isn't really a right answer on what is the best way to protect yourself. However for those who aren't as skilled with writing their own spells, I've come up with one.

You will need:

A White Candle (Tealight is fine)

Salt

White Sage, Rosemary, or Thyme (Optional)

Casting the spell:

Find a calm quiet space where you won't be disturbed

Sprinkle some salt around the perimeter of your working space

Sit or stand in the middle of your working space

Light your white candle

Add a pinch of White Sage, Rosemary, or Thyme to your white candle (Optional)

Close your eyes if you feel comfortable doing so

Take a deep breath visualizing an aura of light radiating from your body

Repeat the following mantra aloud or silently: From North to South, from East to West. From warmth of day, to coolth of night. From the mountains to rivers, in forest or plains. I ask for protection to be sent my way.

Feel free to check out my master post for more information!

[is-the-primate-vid-cute]

It occurred to me that a parrot might make a great service animal, and would be a much better option than a monkey. Parrots are REALLY smart birds and can be taught MANY tricks, and teaching them ways to aid disabled people shouldn’t be too hard at all, like teaching them to retrieve objects. Due to their skills at mimicking human speech, they could also be used to communicate things with the owner and people who might need to assist the owner. With service dogs, they’re trained to go towards someone if their owner is hurt so you can follow them and help the owner. The same could be done with a parrot, and a parrot could say something like “owner in trouble” so people know the parrot is asking for help and not just some parrot wanting to be pet.

there are many reasons a parrot might make a great service animal! A better alternative to monkeys, at least, since many parrot varieties are semi-domesticated. Parrots could be service animals if trained right! What do you think? Do you think that parrots could be a good service animal if people know how to train them?

You're right about the potential ability to speak unlike a dog. Parrots are highly trainable, and even enjoy training sessions but there are a few reasons I think this wouldn't work.

Parrots aren't domesticated and any service animal needs to be a domesticated species so both animal and human are thriving living together. Semi-domesticated isn't really a thing, an animal is either domestic or not. Some animals like parrots can be tamed, taught to like humans, but still have their wild instincts and are indistinguishable from their wild counterparts. It takes many generations to domesticate an animal. The exact definition of domestication lacks specific terms so it can be a little unclear when domestication exactly occurs. Regardless, most widely agreed upon domesticated species have been in-process or domesticated since or before the Common Era, previously noted as AD After (Jesus) Death.

Just because something can live an okay life as a pet does not mean it is domesticated.

Birds don't have lungs but air-sacs that are membranes and are much more sensitive to fumes and chemicals. Doctors offices, restaurants, and many public areas wouldn't be safe due to exposure to chemicals and fumes.

Parrots aren't social with humans in the way dogs are so they aren't likely to approach strangers. Most parrots defend their owners from other humans and tend to be quite bitey.

These are thing I can think of off the top of my head. I had a pet parrotlet years ago but I'm no expert. @is-the-parrot-video-cute @is-the-owl-video-cute do y'all think parrot service animals could work? Did I miss any bigger reasons why it wouldn't work?

[toskilz]

HOW TO ORGANIZE A CONFERENCE

This is the best place to begin…

You want to organize a conference? Fantastic! To be honest, organizing a conference is a great way to give back to your industry, your community and yourself. It's a chance for you to bring people together. And if you don't know how to network, running your own event can be a great opportunity to swap letterpress business cards with others in your field and beyond.

But what does it take to organize a successful conference? How difficult is it? And, most importantly, where do you start?

LET’S BEGIN:

FIND A CO-ORGANIZER

Collaboration is essential to getting a good conference off the ground

Although it's possible, I would not recommend organizing a conference on your own. Remember, conferences are a way for people to network. If you're in a room all by yourself trying to decide how best to bring people together, you're already off to a bad start.

Collaboration is the key! Just having one other person around to help make the decisions, to help with the administrative tasks and to, quite honestly, be there for moral support, goes a long way.

Reach out to others in your community; ask friends; ask family; share the experience and make it memorable.

SELECT A THEME

You wouldn't think this step is important, but it is. It's the 'glue' that holds your conference together. Don't stress too much about it, though; it doesn't need to be complicated. In fact, it's better if it's not.

When deciding on your theme, there are a few things to consider:

• Who is your target audience?

• What is your message?

• What do you want your attendees to get out of your conference?

Meaning, what's in it for them?

Once you know the answer to these questions, deciding on a theme becomes a lot easier.

• Who is your target audience?

• What is your message?

• What do you want your attendees to get out of it? What's in it for them?

Finally, we planned a few tech sessions to help them increase their skills without which, success is harder to achieve.

Once you know the answers to these questions, you'll be able to decide on your theme, and you'll be able to have a cohesive conference.

FIND A VENUE AND SET A DATE

Getting the event location right is half the battle

Location. Location. Location. You've likely heard that term used before. That's because location is so important.

While there are countless reasons for finding the right location (and selecting the right date), there are three that stand out the most.

Your venue should be:

• Easy to access

• Easy to find?

• How hard will travel be?

• Affordable

• How much will it cost your out-of-town attendees for a hotel room?

• What about parking costs?

• Offer other attractions outside of your event

• What will your attendees do during breaks and/or after the day's events?

• What are the weather conditions during that time?

Even if your conference is a one-day event, location is important. Remember, it's not just about the speakers and networking; it's about the entire experience.

How was the food? What else did you do? Did you see any 'sights' while you visited the city? These are just a few things attendees will remember and talk about. If you want them to have a good time, make it more than just a conference.

Note: A word about dates. If possible, find out when other conferences in your industry are happening. It's best to avoid scheduling your conference too close to ones that may cover the same topics.

DECIDE ON SPEAKERS

With your theme set and your venue booked, you're now ready to start recruiting speakers.

There are essentially two ways to recruit speakers:

• Invite people you want

• Have an open call (aka, a call for papers)

What about speakers compensation? That's a good question. At a minimum, expect to cover the cost of their accommodations and their conference ticket. If your budget allows, covering a speaker's travel costs is ideal.

Whatever you decide, clearly communicate your decision to your speakers. There's nothing worse than a misunderstanding because of failed communication.

SECURE SPONSORS

If you decide you want sponsorship, that's fine. But remember, this isn't about getting money for your event it's not just about selling advertising space; it's about finding an individual or group with whom you can establish a deeper, lasting relationship between you, them and your attendees.

When selecting sponsors, keep your attendees in mind. Try to find a good match. For example, you wouldn't reach out to a dog food company to sponsor your developer conference. Well, not unless your theme had something to do with dogs, I suppose.

Also, it's important to provide your potential sponsors with the basics. Tell them about the event, who will be attending and what's included with their sponsorship.

Remember, it's all about communication.

SET UP TICKETING SYSTEM

Ticket sales are, by far, one of the most stressful parts of organizing a conference. You need to decide how much, how many, are refunds and/or transfers allowed, what payment methods will be accepted... and the list goes on.

Eventbrite is a trusted ticketing platform, but there are others too

We wanted something easy-to-use and easy-to-maintain. We looked at a few different options, including selling the tickets from our own site.

Eventbrite is a self-service ticketing platform. Among the many features Eventbrite has to offer, you're able to add multiple ticket types, set start and end dates for sales, offer discounts and keep track of attendees.

MARKET YOUR EVENT

There are myriad ways to get the message out there Wow! You're almost there. You have your helpers, your theme, your venue, your speakers, your sponsors and a way to sell tickets. Now, you just need attendees!

Marketing your event is important. People aren't just going to show-up. If you're the new kid on the conference block, people might not even know your event is happening.

Here are a few tips to help spread the word:

• Start a newsletter, just don't be 'spammy' about it

• Share the event on social media

• Ask your sponsors to share the event on social media

• Have your speakers blog about it

• Post on other sites, like Lanyrd and LinkedIn

Another important tip about marketing is to let potential attendees know what to expect if they attend the 'why should you go' sort of message. With so many conferences from which to choose, why should they go to yours? Why should they spend the money? What makes your conference different?

In today's economy, people are more conscience about spending money. If you want them to come to your event, give them a reason and refer back to your theme.

Accommodating a wide variety of events such as conferences, seminars, workshops, trade shows, exhibitions, theater productions, stand-up comedy, screenings, meetings, auditions, rehearsals, training, parties, etc. either on large or small scales...we go the extra mile to make your experience very remarkable with our modern Tech facilities, do you even know that there’s a double-sided BIG billboard is opposite Nustreams Conference and Culture Centre? This gives you an advantage to boost your attendance for your planned event by making use of our event facilities at Nustreams.

Whatever your event needs are Nustreams Conference & Culture Centre provides all with just a visit to:

Km 110 Abeokuta Road,

Off Alalubosa GRA, Dugbe, Ibadan.

[sailourpastel]

What is DRUG ADDICTION & RECOVERY - Kati Morton's mental health help

What is DRUG ADDICTION & RECOVERY - Kati Morton's mental health help

Hey everybody today we're talking about drug addiction what is it what are our recovery options so the DSM talks a lot about addiction and what they call the whole chapter I'm looking down on my dsm is substance related and addictive disorders and I have my notes because I take my notes they cover 10 different classes of drugs some of which include alcohol caffeine cannabis hallucinogens and Halen's opioids sedatives tobacco you 

can see the list goes on and on and on and with the DSM states is that within any of these classes and i'll put a link below so you can read all about it if you're interested is that when they're taken in excess they directly activate our brain's reward system and do you remember when I was talking about SSRIs and sexual dysfunction how I talked about how dopamine play such an intense role in that well they think the same with addiction because when we take these things in excess it directly activates that reward system and we feel intense pleasure aka I feel high and that is what makes it so hard to stop to break the habit to get out of that addictive cycle because it feels good and our brain wants more of it they also talked a lot about how some people are predisposed to addiction and I'm going to read you a little bit of what it says it says the individuals with lower levels of self-control some people just don't have as much self-control as others we know right everybody's different but they say it may reflect impairments of the brains inhibitory mechanisms so the parts of our brain that actually help us make good decisions think clearly not act out like impulsively and they say that because of this a lot of people who made in the future struggle with substance use or addiction you can see some behaviors in them early on now I know that people throw around the word addiction a lot they'll say it nonchalantly as if it's not a big deal but know that it is very serious those who seriously struggle with drug addiction or substance use disorders will go out of their way to get the substance that they want they may put themselves in extra dangerous situations they may do things that morally they wouldn't normally do but they do it in order to get what they need which is that substance they also have a tolerance so they need to get more and more and more to get that same level of high and they also if they stop cold turkey can go through withdrawal and so if you or anyone you know is struggling with addiction please please please reach out to them reach out to someone who can help you because there are tons of treatment options available now there are many treatment options available but I'm going to talk about five today the first is your general practitioner your GP your regular doctor that you go to when you feel sick and the reason for this is that we need to get a full physical we want to make sure that our body is okay not only are people who struggle with addiction at a higher risk for stds and other transmittable diseases but often we're putting so much of a certain substance in our body that it can affect us physically in a bad way and we want to get a hold that as soon as possible the second one I want to talk about is group therapy in a AAA there are all sorts of free options out there as well and we find that as a whole group therapy helps us not only feel more understood and feel like what we're going through isn't weird or making us a bad person it also helps support us when we're really struggling they have sponsors like a hole sponsorship program with na and a that can help give you a little extra support when you're working on your recovery the third is medication and I know there's a lot of stigma attached to taking medication but these can be twofold one we may want to take medication to help us with a co-occurring disorder we often use addiction as a way to cope and to numb out just like I talked about eating disorders and self-harm whatever it is that we're trying to numb out from maybe it's intense anxiety or PTSD we might need medication to better manage those symptoms so that we can focus on working on our recovery and the second part of this is it often when we're coming off of the substance of that we've been using and abusing there may be other drugs that they will have us take to ease the withdrawal and to help our bodies feel okay while we go through that process the fourth option is therapy we find the behavioral therapies work best because we're trying to behavioral each change what we're doing right we're not now going out to get the substance using it and waiting for the high but to any kind of talk therapy helps because just like I said addiction is often a way to cope and numb out it's one of those you know unhealthy coping skills that we're using to get through a situation and so talking about what's going on talking about the reason that we started using and figuring out kind of the root of the problem can really help us in our recovery and the fifth and what I think is the best option for treatment if it's available to you is impatient that's where you go and you stay at the facility and get the help that you need all of the things that I talked about before are things that they offer it in patient treatment centers and the cool thing is that seasons and mal would reach out to me to sponsor this video so that I could talk about addiction with you and seasons in Malibu is a car for credit dual diagnosis treatment center and what dual diagnosis means I know a lot of treatment centers use that term is that it works when we have more than one thing going on there are two diagnoses maybe we have PTSD and we also struggle with alcohol addiction we have both these things going on in this treatment center has the ability to simultaneously help us with both and they specialize in treating a wide variety of addictions whether it's cocaine alcohol opiates prescription drugs and they also treat both men and women I find a lot of treatment centers tend to focus on one or the other it's nice that they have the ability to treat both and they're located in beautiful Malibu that's why I went to school if you remember Pepperdine beautiful views of the beach ooh it's so nice out there and at seasons in Malibu they work to treat drug addiction with a multi-dimensional in holistic approach where each person kind of gets their own individualized plan and I know that you know as well as I do how important that is because each and everyone's experience is different like I talked about I'm always like leave your you know experiences in the comments because everyone's going to be different and it's great to know that a treatment center actually works with you individually to give you the care that you really need I hope you found this video helpful I know that addiction and getting treatment for it can be really scary but know that you're not alone and I would encourage each of you if you have been impatient or tried any of the other treatment options i mentioned leave it in the comments below let us know what your experience was like because it's so important that we as a community help others understand what to expect and know that it's really not as scary as we're making it out to be and if you're new to my channel you haven't subscribed click over here and for more on this topic click over here and if you want to see what I'm up to in my regular everyday life follow me on all the social medias and I'll see you next time

See more here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_RqBHltnws

drug rehabilitation addicts

Source: http://eliterehaballiance.com/video-blog/what-is-drug-addiction--recovery-kati-mortons-mental-health-help

[iatrophilosophos]

Drug users do it! People choose between a variety of methods from test bumps to strips to sending samples away to analysis labs; and while more options should definitely be available and propagating wider knowledge is necessary, we should remember that it is regulation and lack of home synthesis rights that suppress that education and the wide use of supplies. So forgive me if I don't see this as a reprehensible option for the wider population when it's what's currently the move for me and the people I love.

But ultimately, no. I think medical work for others is good and will never stop happening (which is why the current state of punishing people who manufacture drugs for themselves and others is reprehensible to me). Theres just a pretty wide gulf between being given a mystery substance and a promise it'll work; being completely alone; and having a basic understanding of what the medication you take is, what risks are associated with it, how it's made, and if you're not producing it at home (something that I cannot stress enough is not meaningfully harder than learning how to home can, or forage for mushrooms safely, or any number of skilled tasks that carry an amount of risk) building personal trust with the people who are making it by viewing their operations.

I will also note that this is not a novel idea in the history of human medicine. Showmanship and occultism have played large roles (including in the largely underdiscussed but very much extant metaphysic of western medicine!), But so has "every day management of basic medical procedures at home and seeking the support of a known, trusted community member when more intricate knowledge is needed or more risky treatments are indicated", again, including within current western medicine.

If we're gonna expand it to standards outside of medicine, I think security software is a good example of what I'm talking about. You've got your fanatics and people with very specific needs who develop their own tools; your platforms which claim encryption (or what have you) but have closed code and policies, where all there is to trust is a for profit company that has more to gain from staying on governments and corporations good sides than actually protecting people; and your open source programs, which no your average person probably isn't spending the time to vet personally but there are plenty of people with a wide variety of trust vectors who do that work and encourage/facilitate the tech & security education necessary to understand their assessments and make informed choices about what platforms you use and how to use them. Governmental regulation largely hinders digital security tools, because governments are not benevolent and will always legislate in ways that give them more power; which is why many trustworthy projects are either actually underground or located in a handful of countries with permissible legislation. Open source medicine can, and in some circles already does, operate on these same principles; and open source anything has the added advantage of horizontal collaboration providing significant (and under regulation and intellectual property, unparalleled) access to huge populations of collaborators who can do things like research support, come up with new ideas, check work, and sound early alarms for things like contamination events and not-previously-observed adverse effects.

Also, notably: there are very few things that will kill you particularly quickly in drug production (and even fewer things that aren't completely avoidable with basic due diligence, like dry heat sterilization/ depyrogenation of injectables...also known as "baking vials in an oven at about 500°f in a tray of oil to ensure even temperature distribution"); taking a medication for days or weeks before you know anythings wrong (or being taught to ignore warning signs because people do not currently have agency in medicine and are regularly coerced into continuing taking medications that are harmful to them) is a lot more dangerous! Under current regulatory systems, reports of adverse events can take a very long time comparatively, whereas with community production among dozens of people an event can be identified and contained extremely quickly bc you can literally just hit up Everyone Involved in a very short timespan before anyone's seriously hurt, instead of, y'know, trying to raise awareness over social media and track down drug lots across millions of different pharmacies.

And finally: shits fucked. Like I keep saying. The current world is dying and no, there is no guarantee that everyone will have medical support. Arguing online about what nebulous other should provide that support and what rules they should follow does no more good than praying to joe Biden for a favorable harvest--but actually learning the specifics of what you so clearly care about does something measurable and real, and what better way to avoid (nonspecifically) "tainted" insulin, or electrical wiring (dubious about how long that will remain relevant but I'm sure we'll have some decades still, at least in pockets or where people have planned ahead to get decommissioned solar pannels if that's important to them), or anything else for that matter than to learn the specifications and risks involved and help people around you do it correctly?

"regulation means criminalization means punishing people for expressing autonomy" If you consider poisoning diabetic people with substandard insulin 'an expression of personal autonomy,' then youve completely lost the plot, and I would consider their families killing you in vengeance to be their turn of 'expressing autonomy'

...you do realize I'm talking about disabled people making medicine for themselves and their friends and family, as a prediabetic person, right?

I'm very sorry that the western medical industrial complex has taught you that people receiving medicine inherently have no choice in the matter and that you can't even conceptualize a world where disabled ppl have agency around what they put in their bodies but like...come on.

P sure releasing huge lots of tainted medication and causing massive harm is...what pharmaceutical companies do now 🙃🙃 y'know given the number of recalls that have happened this year alone. So, not exactly a problem with regulation is it? Most of these recalls r also related to issues with megascale production; contamination that gets missed in large batches made in huge factory spaces; problems with shipping and storage that leads to spoilage etc...not really the same kind of concerns we might have about small scale production.

Also again: tell me how insulin gets made and what the actual, precise risks involved are and then we can talk bc right now afaik you're just handwringing about a problem you made up. Maybe start with reading about openinsulin's work?