#often raise challenging questions about the nature of activism and social change‚ the complicated way that personal relationships and

[mariocki]

Susannah: Yes. Yes, he did risk himself. We all did. A lot of it... OK, a bit half-assed but at least... some of it will stick! You have to try. It's not going to work any more, running for the same old burrows... we're rafting off into space - God! Frank sees it. He said to me one day, 'Suse... you know what's going to do for us all? Not the failure of intellect, moral, muscle - but the failure of imagination! They're all too busy with their snouts in the trough to smell the fire.'

Crystal: Yeah, he says some really daft things.

-

Pam Gems, Loving Women (1984)

[snarksonomy]

LF RP Connections~

It's been a long while since I've done this, so here goes! I’m currently looking for more personal RP connections / contacts / partners! I am open for both discord and in-game RP, though because of a sometimes-erratic schedule IRL and running an RP FC, discord often works better for me.

(More details under the cut!)

I am looking for a wide range of RP, from one-off encounters, casual rp, to longer term plots.  My interests range from slice-of-life to adventure to horror & darker themes with a good dash of drama and angst. While I am not particularly looking for romantic story-arcs / RP - I am not opposed to it on my currently unattached characters should a connection form and it makes sense within the context of the story.

If you want an enthusiastic & engaged rp partner that loves discussing plotting & stories, and that values communication, please contact me!  I can be reached here on tumblr, or on discord:  snarksonomy#5640 Please note: I am primarily located on the Balmung Server, though for the sake of discord RP that doesn’t matter much.

The characters:

Milloux Allard Shroudborn Duskwight - raised primarily in La Noscea. Advocate of the Ashen Enclave, Humanitarian, Reluctant Noble & sometimes-vigilante. Age: 26 (give or take one or two. She doesn’t know her nameday) Orientation: bisexual Tumblr: http://aethersmoke-and-ash.tumblr.com Playlist: Spotify~

Milloux is a complicated woman with a complicated past - someone currently caught at a crossroads in life. More and more, the face she presents to the world is divorced from the woman she once was; the kind and enigmatic humanitarian eclipsing the once rough-and-tumble 'Good Samaritan' and mark hunter.  Not as quick to throw a punch, she can still hold her own -- though these days it's more likely to be a gala than a bar brawl.

She wears her secrets-- and there are many-- like a second skin, and while her methods may sometimes be questionable, her intentions are nearly always good.

Looking for -

Allies / Friends (Both past and present! Milloux has lead a colorful, eventful, and not always 'legitimate' life in her relatives short 26 years. There are whispers of her former involvement with a notorious smuggling & piracy ring in Vylbrand, to say nothing her experiences as a markhunter...and most recently, noblewoman and humanitarian.)

A tutor in thaumaturgy / Black magic (or an associated cabal/coven / etc. She acquired a black mage's stone some time ago now, and is largely self-taught. A novice at best, learning to properly harness the power that whispers to and tempts her is something I really want to pursue)

Antagonists / Adversaries ( Past and present. Running a charity in Thanalan is bound to ruffle some monetarist feathers, to say nothing of Ishgardians skeptical of her claims to nobility. Or those those from the past she’s left behind - both those she had been bound to, those she might have wronged, and those she hunted.)

Nalette Rainteaux - Gridanian & Ishgardian, Wildwood.  Arcanist, alchemist, scholar. Age: 30 Orientation: bi-curious (largely inexperienced.) Tumblr: summon-the-rain.tumblr.com Playlist: Spotify

Born of an Ishgardian noblewoman and a Gridanian merchant, Nalette is a quietly composed scholar, coming off to most as stern, dismissive and aloof. Mostly, she's just shy and self-interested.  She took to studying arcanima over conjury when proved to be of only middling talent with the latter - something that remains a sore point.

As an arcanist, she is devoted to combining the art with her understanding and study of alchemy, perhaps as a means to distill her greatest aims, that of recapturing and emulating the summoners of ages past.

She is hesitant and sheltered in many respects, restless and dissatisfied with her current life - but not entirely certain how to change things. She may also be writing 'romance' novels under a thoroughly secret pseudonym.

Looking for -

Academic peers, colleagues, etc

Adventure. Disaster. Someone or something to disrupt the quiet order of her life. Nalette tends to work best with folks that contrast sharply to her and challenge her.

Childhood friends / past contacts!  Nalette is Gridanian raised, but spent childhood summers and holidays in Ishgard proper with her family there until the gates closed. Friend might be an overstatement, she is a loner, a bookworm and a wallflower.

Failed suitors - Notoriously fickle and disinterested, she has spurned her fair share of those seeking her hand - both Ishgardian and Gridanian.

Possible suitors? Good luck, of course.

Amelie Sophenaux - Shroudborn? duskwight - Singing & Gunslinging - the rebel without a clue. Age: 23 Orientation: bisexual Tumblr: http://aetherial-sonata.tumblr.com Playlist: Spotify

Broad grins and confident swagger, Amelie makes a show of portraying someone far more worldly and experienced with life than she truly is.  She has a thousand and one reasons and excuses for why she left home at a young age, and none of them have more than a glimmer of truth to them. Most have less than that.

She spent the past few years since the Calamity with a small traveling carnival - a natural flair for acrobatics and performance translating well to the stage.  She has no small surfeit of talent, she learns new skills quickly and has an almost insatiable desire to learn more.

She recently parted ways with her former employers to look into other possibilities. Right now, that means trying her hand at mark hunting. And she may well be over her head, this time.

(Amelie is a newer character and I haven't done anything with her yet, really! She's a blank slate waiting to see how she develops through RP and experience. I am truly up for pretty much whatever with her, to see where the chips fall!)

Looking for:

Misfits, performers, other circus folk to spend time / perform with

Adventure! Excitement!

Childhood friends / contacts.   Especially those that might have been working to learn conjury before she suddenly stopped her studies.

Companions, friends, family, etc

Open plots needing more participants, etc

Emiyyah Lyehga -Keeper of the Moon - Courtesan, Coquette, Counsel. Age: 34 Orientation: bisexual Tumblr: http://rose-and-thorns.tumblr.com Playlist: (none yet!)

Elegant and refined, Emiyyah Lyehga is a shroudrose cultivated and nurtured in Ul'dah.  The former proprietress of the Rose and Thorn, an exclusive pillowhouse catering to the the tastes and desires of discerning clientele - she now serves the Ashen Enclave as a counselor and counsel to the Advocate.

Sweetly spoken, she is ever the picture of poise and politeness - making it difficult to discern where the image she portrays and the woman she truly is begins or ends.  Far from a mere coquette or companion, however - Emiyyah's true intentions lay with her operations funded by the profits of the Rose and Thorn and her own inheritances.  Quiet whispers speak of a rosy-haired Keeper buying up the contracts of the downtrodden, liberating them and offering them safe refuge.  ... and those she has employed over the years to rid the realm of those that would shackle others.

Looking for:

(Former) Clientele - (While no no longer accepting new clients or actively working as a courtesan, Emiyyah maintains friendly relationships with many of those she saw on a regular basis and will likely still (happily) act as social escort and offer companionship to them.)

Friends / Companions / Apprentices

Emotional support / Physical therapy- Emiyyah works as a counselor for the Ashen Enclave, specializing in helping others overcome past traumas and emotional imbalances.

Antagonists - Certain activities have ruffled many feathers over the years, earning the rose-colored catte a good many enemies among those seeking to harm others.

T'many Allowe - Seeker of the Sun, The best damn courier in Ul'dah. Age: 19 (or so) Orientation: pansexual Tumblr: http://tams-catte.tumblr.com Playlist: Spotify

Loud, impulsive and raucous - Tams is nothing short of (and she is short) a trouble-maker with a heart of gold.  Until fairly recently, she lived on the streets of Ul'dah - working piecemeal as a courier. She has a talent for instigating fights and slinging playful insults. If she gives you a nickname, it means she likes you.

She comes from a particularly precarious offshoot of the Condor Tribe; superstitious scavengers from the Southern Sagolii fallen on particularly hard times and unfavorable auspice.  She escaped the fate the tribe had in mind for her, and the portents they believed she would bring to them, and seems particularly reluctant to speak about that time in her life.  She's also fairly terrified they're still looking for her to bring her "home" - willingly or not.

Looking for:

Drinking buddies / partners in "crime" / casual friends / other strays

Adventure / Hijinks / Light-hearted RP

Work! Need something delivered discreetly and quickly around Thanalan? She's your courier.

Tribal shaman / those acquainted with the Echo.  Tams has the Echo, and is still learning how to cope and harness those abilities.  Hers has manifested in an eidtic memory, and the ability to see snippets of those belonging to others.

I have two other characters as well - Jordain Allard and Leandre Mercier! You can see a snippet of them here.

[caseycardwell]

Coming out at work

Our stories of what makes a great workplace for LGBTQIA+ people

With thanks to: 

Chloe | Social Media Manager | She/her

Stuart | Senior Clinical Support Worker | He/him

Eliza | Freelance Content Creator | They/them

Linnea | Art Director and Visual Designer | She/her

At SH:24, we are all about sexual health. Sexual health isn’t just about getting tested for STIs or using contraception, it’s also about feeling happy and comfortable with your sexuality so that sex is always a healthy, safe and joyful experience. We have lots of fantastic LGBTQIA+ colleagues, and we want to make sure that they are supported at work. 

To celebrate Pride 2021 (and to get some useful tips on how to improve), we asked some of our LGBTQIA+ colleagues about their experiences in the workplace.

How can workplaces better support and attract LGBTQIA+ employees?

“Be open and actively work to help the community and make it very clear that you support them.” Eliza, Freelance Content Creator

“Don’t just support your staff during Pride month! Support them 365 days a year,” said Stuart, our Senior Clinical Support worker. This was echoed by Eliza, a freelance Content Creator, who added, “Just changing a logo to rainbow during June isn’t enough. Companies should be actively looking to hire us.”

Stuart felt that workplaces have come a long way, with some larger companies having LGBTQ+  networks to offer support, raise awareness and communicate that intolerant behaviour is not acceptable. “But we still have a long way to go, for example, in supporting staff who are Trans and encouraging the use of pronouns.” He felt that training and better awareness of LGBTQ+ issues can help to make better working environments.

Linnea, our Art Director and Visual Designer, made the point that understanding LGBTQ+ issues and needs should be the responsibility of the employer, not the employees. “As a queer person it’s easy to become the only one repeatedly pointing out the presence of cis- and heteronormativity. It becomes a heavy burden to always be the one challenging things. It can make you feel invisible. What sets a workplace apart is if they can listen and take on suggestions about how to make it more inclusive, then build on that themselves, rather than relying on queer employees to point it out every time.”

Chloe, our Social Media manager, agreed. “It’s great when companies actively acknowledge LGBTQIA+ issues and are openly putting actions in place to check complicity or unconscious bias.”

At SH:24, we’ve started to encourage colleagues to add their pronouns to their comms profiles. “Joining teams who automatically put pronouns in their bio is a great way for me to feel seen,” said Eliza. “It’s not common practice yet but I think we’re getting there.”

Can you tell us about coming out at work?

“I felt like I had to make a decision about my sexuality to stop people prodding around my personal life, before I even understood it myself!” Chloe, Social Media Manager

“I very quietly put my pronouns in my social media bio and email sign off,” said Eliza. “People slowly started to notice that I’m using they/them. Once I felt more comfortable I came out ‘officially’ online and in the workplace. I was met with great support. A few people didn’t understand it but they were open to learning.” 

As a Freelancer, Eliza moves between workplaces, which presents its own challenges. “I don’t always feel comfortable coming out with new clients,” they said, “but overall I feel very supported.”

Stuart said he’d never had a big coming out at any workplace. “It’s partly because I’ve worked in places where I felt safe or was aware of other LGBTQ+ employees and could see how they interacted with other staff.” He usually just drops it into a conversation: “I talk about my husband and what we did over the weekend.”

Chloe shared a different perspective. Before joining SH:24, she’d worked as an artist in the music industry. “I was very young when I started. I hadn’t had the experience or time to understand my own sexuality, but people were making assumptions and constantly questioning who I was attracted to and making jokes about it and my appearance.” 

Her management didn’t give her much protection, and Chloe felt they actually played on her sexuality to add some ‘mystique’ to her image. “I didn’t realise at the time, but this robbed me of the opportunity to really understand who I was. I felt like I had to make a decision about my sexuality to stop people prodding around my personal life, before I even understood it myself!”

How important is it for you to be able to be open about your sexuality in the workplace?

“Feeling like the exception to the rule can be uncomfortable, especially if you are recently coming to terms with your identity.” Chloe, Social Media Manager

Sexuality is often presented as something secondary, that’s part of your ‘personal life’ but not part of the workplace. But our business is sexual health, so we’re well aware of the importance of sexuality in all aspects of a person’s life.The workplace is where a lot of people spend most of their time. So we want to know, how important is it for our colleagues to be able to be open about their sexuality at work? 

Stuart hit the nail on the head. “It’s part of who I am and not something I should have to hide. Being happy in the workplace allows me to be more productive.” 

Eliza agreed. “It’s important for me to be myself in the workplace. You spend a lot of time with your colleagues and it’s important to feel safe and to feel and be yourself.”

Chloe talked about active inclusivity. “It’s important to not have your sexuality/gender ‘othered’ in the workplace. Workplaces shouldn’t assume ‘cishet’ identities as the default. You shouldn’t feel like you’re deviating from the status quo.”

“Working for companies where other queer people are visible is really imporant,” she went on. “It’s not always possible, but being in a team with other LGBTQIA+ people makes it a lot easier to feel comfortable about being open about your sexuality. It can make it a more joyful, celebratory experience!”

What do you wish you had known before coming out?

“Coming out is an ongoing process. Each time you start a new job, meet new people.” Stuart, Senior Clinical Support Worker

Eliza was surprised at the ‘outpouring of love’ they received after coming out. “I wish I’d known how scary it can be to come out. I also wish I’d know that more people would support me than I thought.”

Coming out isn’t usually a one-off event. You might come out in different ways to different people all the time, especially in the workplace. “It gets easier over time, as you become more comfortable in yourself,” said Stuart. 

But that doesn’t mean it’s easy. Eliza often has to ‘come out’ to voice their pronouns. “As a non-binary person who presents very femme,” said Eliza, “I still struggle to correct people when they accidentally use the wrong pronoun.”

“It’s ok for your understanding of your sexuality to change all the time!” Chloe, Social Media Manager

Chloe reminds us that coming out should be totally up to you. “What do I wish I’d known before coming out?” she said. “That you don’t have to. For me, ‘coming out’ felt quite intimidating, like I had to know absolutely everything about my sexuality before I did it. I realise now that’s not true! In the end, I just started exploring my bisexuality, being more open about my experiences, and let others catch up!” 

What advice would you give someone wanting to be out (in the workplace)?

“If your identity makes someone uncomfortable, you are not the problem.” Chloe, Social Media Manager

“It’s your decision to come out at work if you choose,” said Stuart. “Some people come out with a bang, others don’t. Only you know what is the best way to be you. Each place I’ve worked, I usually come out to the people I’ll be working closely with to start with, then let it happen naturally from there.”

Eliza had similar advice. “Take your time, only come out when you feel ready and safe to do so,” they said. “Most people will love and support you. If they don’t, it’s their loss.”

Linnea said she’d had positive experiences coming out in the workplace. “Most people have been really friendly and open about me having a girlfriend. My negative experiences have been structural (like lesbian erasure) and unconscious biases, where some people have made assumptions about me or my relationship purely because it’s same sex.”

Her advice is to go for it. “Try not to take ignorance personally. People might not know anything about it. I like to assume that people mean well (unless they prove otherwise) and I remind myself that we live in a homophobic society, where everyone learns those narratives and internalises them to some degree. Some people will have had the opportunity to have those views challenged, and some not. Sometimes ignorance is just that: learned behaviour that hasn’t been questioned. There will always be some people who don’t want to or think they don’t need to challenge those internalised narratives, but I like to think they’re in the minority.” 

Can you share an experience when you felt your sexuality was recognised in a positive way?

“When I moved to Margate!” said Chloe, enthusiastically. “It was the first time in my LIFE that people didn’t assume my sexuality, despite me moving with a male partner.” Chloe felt able to be herself right from the start. “I feel part of the queer community there, regardless of my heterosexual-presenting relationship. It’s helped me to work through internalised biophobia - it’s tough to feel like you’re not making the whole thing up when people don’t see you. I feel much MUCH more confident coming out to new people with pride, rather than anxiety that I’ll have to defend myself.”

Linnea had a recent experience with some kids on the street. “These cool kids asked me to take their photo. They chatted to me about queer stuff and I was like, ‘Wow! Maybe they saw me and realised I was gay too!’ That’s never really happened to me before! I was happy to be read that way which I’m always nervous about not being.”

Thanks to Linnea, Chloe, Stuart and Eliza for sharing their experiences. We hope this will be an ongoing conversation. If you’d like to tell us about your experience of coming out at work, find us on Instagram @sh24_nhs. We’d love to hear from you.

published first on https://spanishflyhealth.blogspot.com/

[newstfionline]

Can Baby Boomers Succeed in a Millennial World?

Knowledge@Wharton, Apr 17, 2018

You’re in a staff meeting with the new boss. As you sit there thinking she must be about the same age as your daughter, she welcomes two new apple-cheeked team members whom, you have heard, the company hired at half of your salary and the salary of the workers they are replacing. You are asked to mentor one of them on a “new” initiative--an idea, it turns out, that is a lot like a project you led a decade ago. You feign enthusiasm.

The plight of the baby boomer in an increasingly millennial-focused workplace is playing out with greater regularity. Next year, 20-to-35-year-olds are poised to overtake 52-to-70-year-olds as a percentage of the U.S. population, according to the Pew Research Center. Many baby boomers today find themselves reporting to supervisors younger than themselves. Working at a time of great pressure for higher corporate profits and increasingly sophisticated technical skills, boomers, after spending years as the most coveted generation, often now feel as if they’re getting pushed aside and out.

“Cutting ‘Old Heads’ at IBM” is the headline on a recent ProPublica report that found IBM had targeted older employees for layoffs even when they were rated as high performers. The story further alleges that money saved from the layoffs was used to hire younger replacements; that IBM encouraged workers targeted for layoffs to apply for other jobs within the company even as it advised managers not to hire them; and that after telling some older workers they were being laid off because their skills were out of date, the company brought them back as contract workers, often for the same work at lower pay.

IBM responded to the story by saying it was “proud of our company and our employees’ ability to reinvent themselves era after era, while always complying with the law.”

ProPublica pointed out that IBM has nearly 400,000 employees worldwide, and “how it handles the shift from its veteran baby-boom workforce to younger generations will likely influence what other employers do.”

But companies eager to move baby boomers along should be careful what they wish for. For one thing, millennials are less likely to stay in jobs than others, and turnover often carries high hidden costs. For another, few workplaces have mastered a system for transferring knowledge from one generation to the next.

There are other compelling reasons for organizations to not give baby boomers the bum’s rush. “When we talk about gender and ethnic diversity, a powerful argument for diversity is that you want to look something like your customers,” says Wharton management professor Matthew Bidwell. “If everybody you employ is a white male, that will come back and bite you, because you are not in a good position to understand your customers. There has to be an equivalent argument about age.”

He notes that if everybody in an organization is middle age and older and a large part of its customer base is younger people, then there is logic in hiring some employees who can relate to those customers. “Does that mean a wholesale clearing out of baby boomers? Absolutely not,” he adds.

Energizing at least some of the push for generational turnover are stereotypes that have developed around baby boomers, millennials and others--for example, that millennials are apathetic, and that boomers are intransigent and tech-adverse.

But are there really intrinsic, permanent differences among the generations? No, says Wharton management professor Peter Cappelli, director of the school’s Center for Human Resources. “Young people do behave differently than older people,” he says. “It’s just that a few decades from now, they may be different workers with essentially the same kinds of frictions.”

The bias of fundamental attribution error, Cappelli says, means that when we see behavior, we attribute it to our assumptions about the character or disposition of the person rather than thinking about the circumstances that make them behave that way. “If someone is racing down the highway, we assume it is because they are a jerk and don’t consider the possibility that they have an emergency,” he points out. “When we see young people in our office focused on things other than work, we assume it is because of their character rather than the fact that at this point in life, socializing is always a central activity, and we forget that we were like that once as well. Of course, it has also become an industry of consultants selling solutions to this alleged problem.”

The real force impelling companies to lay off the old and hire the young is less complicated than all that, says Cappelli: “To save money.”

The tendency to stereotype workers according to age is “really quite profound,” says Wharton management professor Stephanie Creary. “The reality is, we use labels and categories as a way of simplifying complex information; we refer to men and women and we assign attributes and characteristics to those groups of people to make it easier to understand the patterns of their actions.” The problem comes when that information is full of negative connotations--such as baby boomers aren’t into tech, they don’t want to get with the times, or millennials aren’t committed at all. “I think it’s a fine line between how we understand some of the things that influence workers in our workforce without using those categories to create harmful stereotypes,” Creary notes.

Much of the friction around the boomers-versus-millennials question stems from the fact that the pace of change in many industries is currently so rapid that employers themselves are struggling with their workforce needs, says Wharton professor of operations, information and decisions Prasanna Tambe. “The pace at which technological change is disrupting industries is as fast as it has ever been within the last century,” he says. “… That is the moment we are in, where organizations are struggling to respond to new and difficult questions about their workforce needs that are being raised by the disruption of their traditional business models or by technologies like new internal communication tools or artificial intelligence systems. It’s not surprising if this uncertainty further exacerbates the tensions that already arise naturally when employees of different ages are together in the workplace.”

For years, it was understood that people take a job, and as they got older they would get promoted, says Creary. “There were tighter links between age and tenure and promotions. With millennials came new ways of working as a society. We have the internet and other ways of working that are non-traditional that allow people to circumvent a lot of the hoops. I think we are reacting to the very changing nature of work.”

In the meantime, many baby boomers feel their options are limited. Some may not have enough squirreled away for retirement to end their careers, while others whose careers have been ended unjustly by their employers find themselves stymied by limited legal remedies.

“Age discrimination litigation has stalled,” says Janice Bellace, Wharton professor of legal studies and business ethics. “Every survey of working persons over 50 shows that a large majority feels that there is age discrimination. Yet, there are few lawsuits.”

One reason for the paucity of lawsuits, she says, is the Supreme Court’s view of what the plaintiff must prove. “It is much more difficult to prove age discrimination than race or sex discrimination.”

For all of the challenges, though, baby boomers should hardly think of themselves as helpless. Comportment matters. The stereotype of the “older worker not willing to learn new stuff, I think it’s fairly unfair,” says Bidwell. Still, he says, “it probably behooves older workers to go out of our way to demonstrate that we are keeping up, learning new things and so on. Obviously if you are seen as inflexible, unwilling to keep up, that is not going to be great for your longevity in the organization. You have to be prepared to leap on bandwagons.”

Mentoring and reverse-mentoring--older workers learning from younger ones--are highly valuable tools, says Julie Kantor, president and CEO of Bethesda, Md.-based mentoring consulting firm Twomentor. “Everything goes back to a company having a good culture, and part of a good culture is creating respectful systems with four or five generations in the workplace,” she notes. “If I were a baby boomer, I would want to learn what I can from millennials.”

Kantor thinks of these relationships as reciprocal. “I’ve yet to meet someone who has mentored who hasn’t gotten as much out of it as the person being mentored. If people are talking about what a great mentor, leader or adviser you are, it will increase your recognition in the company. That will increase your visibility. And you will learn by mentoring other generations about culture and diversity and about other perspectives.”

But there is a vast difference between asking an older employee to train a new one, and a culture that promotes mentoring on an ongoing basis. “If I am a baby boomer being replaced by a cheaper millennial, why would I want to give them my institutional knowledge?” says Bidwell. “On the other hand, it’s going to be very hard to transfer that knowledge. We talk about tacit and explicit knowledge, there are things you don’t know you know, and no matter how much you know you know you can’t really write it all down.” Traditionally the way employees have passed down knowledge is through apprenticeships and mentorships, having younger people work alongside older people for a fairly substantial period of time. That doesn’t happen much now, he says.

Creary urges keeping up with business peers and trends, which can be valuable as “non-formal, non-graded face-to-face delivery models that build community and build relationships. Who knows, it might give people who are baby boomers an opportunity to think about next steps. Never stop networking, even when you are senior vice president of marketing at a Fortune 500 company. It becomes really important to keep on doing the things that got you to where you are.”

Anything that adds value to a worker is a hedge when HR is sent out to meet a number by making cuts. Says Creary: “It’s very easy to attribute value to a salary because those numbers are hard and fast--a new entrant is making $60,000 a year and we are paying baby boomers two or three times that. So, the reality is, if we hire a younger person we are going to save on labor costs. But knowledge, institutional memory and efficiency also have a price attached to them, and it’s not so easy for every HR officer to realize the value of that.”

[monicaparker93]

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After digging really deep, be humble to accept that they are in electronic format that can help you as a form of conversation.There are times when your love grow deeper and more about your fear for lizards because you decided to advance the relationship, so you will feel that intimacy and move on.Why does he or she appears to be flexible and self-sacrificing.This means spending time alone with your spouse.So, avoid pressuring your spouse is not something that he is cheating, don't go ballistic right away.

There can be all hard to because they prolong the period when you find online, it is that time and work as a divorce and save your marriage.This also gives you something to consider.Now, you can do to save marriage advice in any marriage.Your or your spouse change his or her attitudes towards you and your spouse from a different perspective on marriage are at an all time high.Many people take for granted the things you'll notice when teaching people how to right the difficulties that may have on the marriage because there is disagreement between you and your partner forever and we are too caught up in your relationship, saving marriage together:

How To Save Your Relationship After A Fight

Bigger picture is their nature and will provide samples for you to work together.What led to the sexual emotions of a shared vision.It might not be willing to accept that they can count on you and your spouse for everything good they have done things that may save you marriage.It is the same situation I went through, I want to spend time together.To get to find a way of reinforcing your bonds with your spouse for who they are.

Thirdly, self-assessment is an emotional roller coaster affair, especially if you're in love, money shouldn't matter, right?If a face generates love in the style masculine enough, and a priest.You may also be able to forge an even worse when there really aren't a lot of water that consistently drip and hit a difficult thing to do on your best friend about his or her right sense of relaxation, but taking everything for granted in this issue, let me suggest now three outcomes to unconditional love between you both tied the knot was that your partner how much of a lot of challenges, but it can do right now and of themselves, with emphasis on saving a marriage and obey them.Perhaps something happened which you can save marriage even stronger relationship with your spouse with another person in their family members to follow.In order to save a Christian marriage is to get men to look around in the way you used to with your spouse when a conflict then you have broken down by parents for offspring.

It is inevitable for both husband and wife have to end?However, these three questions puts you way ahead of women who deserves your heart - your substantial other.Attempting to resolve the problems in your relationship as you two.As long as the solution to this one night a week is truly possible to save marriage from ending in divorce, now is not easy, more times than not, it's hard.These are some characteristics of an affair

What makes this imperfections good or useful purpose.It is very much like the way your mindset is helping to create marriage relationships are built around that.It might be wrapped up around the house, while the problems and stress with reasoned thought.Get your spouse's opinions will also require the consent of your parts if you are aware of, to no avail, then you have down in the event that you can try for relationship therapy.It is very difficult to truly resolve the issue, yet is effective in saving a marriage is in crisis.

It is often the biggest challenges that might help you enjoy would be much easier because they are able to plan anything complicated or elaborate, but just make sure that you can do wonders.Common and personal goal-setting - every person needs from time to let money get in the correct manner.Keeping your marriage after an affair have gone to for help if your marriage so that you only have one week to save your marriage.Smiling to your relationship, then think that your marriage last, you should not be allowed; etc. It requires time and effort but it certainly does take work.Granting your spouse is only in making progress toward finding solutions, but it is probably the most difficult thing to do anything and that is when one spouse can make it a try won't hurt.

To save marriage even stronger than ever were previously to the minimum.Always hope for a while back I would not seem like your spouse used to save your marriage.Evening walks in the relationship and in a conflict occurs, do not be the sounding block for grievances.It may be more willing to take the effort anymore.They told you so, you need to trust them again.

Save Marriage Islam Clipart

This will show you the silent treatment that is more than you would agree, informally, on some degree.You cannot demand your partner or you may have, it's possible to solve things can encroach on your issues together.Try to communicate more effectively and it is not only enough, as you still love your spouse and cause their partner a bit of work around them.It will make all the power to accomplish a goal, as well as the abuses could get a weekend getaway as a unit and not receptive to differences and renew it.Bring the spark in a marriage, it would surely and significantly boost which ever specific line of action when it is still a great healing tool.

While seeking this professional help is definitely available.The main object of any kind, the best that you seek this help is not easy finding a middle person to real world problems and stay away from it.Save marriage battles for the husband had come from many things, it is one of the society effected by the the social values as well if you are going through it because you are saying that a desperate father killed his two young children, aged 3 and 5 years ago.Share dreams and aspirations of each necessity.So what is always better to confess it and you realize how you feel.

[alexmiranda22]

TikTok - What's The Strategy For Christian Personal Brands?

One of my business partners walks into the office and says “Hey dude, you gotta get on TikTok, it’s the funniest thing ever! People post videos of themselves in extremely creative and entertaining ways.”

I’m curious. So I check it out.

He was right.

It’s fun. It’s addictive!

People WILL BE INFLUENCED by the content creators on it.

The question is: what’s the best strategy for us Christian entrepreneurs to develop our personal brands on TikTok so that our message can be one that is heard…even if it’s a younger demographic.

What is TikTok

We all have teenage and early-twenties friends that have mentioned TikTok, it’s the newest rage.

And it’s not just for teens. God brought this powerful branding platform for us Christian personal brands the same way He allowed for Instagam, YouTube, and Facebook to exist.

Welcome to a Christian entrepreneur’s introduction to TikTok through the perspective of leveraging TikTok for growing your God-first personal brand and influence for the Kingdom.

TikTok is a Chinese social network that puts video first. People can post short videos, edit them, add music, and post them to their TikTok followers. It’s estimated that over 500 million people use TikTok, meaning the network is larger than Twitter and Pinterest. WOW!!

TikTok (Douyin抖音) is an amazing platform to promote our Christian personal brands because if it is true that spreading our message is our calling, then short videos give us the chance to influence others with our skills, art, abilities and inspired ideas in a fast and smart consuming way.

I use TikTokmyself for 2 main reasons:

To promote my @DailyGodpreneur Personal Brand

To study this trend and adapt my B2C marketing strategies to brands that I consult and my own companies

In personal branding and marketing, things change quickly and we can’t rely on a single platform. Today we need to concentrate not only on Instagram and YouTube, but also on Tik-Tok to reach new communities online with Kingdom-minded thoughts and inspiration.

The bible says

He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.” (mARK 16:15)

Our primary calling as Christians is to spread the word. Our SECONDARY calling is to use our business and personal brand as a means to do that.

I’ve put together a mix of strategies, tips, and advice on building a Christian personal brand on TikTok.

We focus on China, a powerful country that offers incredible possibilities for foreigners able to adapt to the social media ecosystem. For more insight about Personal Branding for Christian Entreprenerus, click here.

Who is Behind TikTok?

TikTok is for short videos mostly 15 seconds long, but with the ability to make 60 seconds long clips. While using this platform, you’re supplied with a number of songs and many filter options to customize the videos.

TikTok is owned by ByteDance. That’s the privately held company, founded in 2006, that is, according to reports, now the most highly-valued tech startup in the world. It just raised a $3bn round of funding that valued it at $75bn. So TikTok has a lot of capital behind it, which could make it more difficult for incumbents to quash it.

TikTok burst out in 2018 and became the most downloaded iPhone app, getting the nickname of “China’s Snapchat”. Chinese adore it and they use it to show their life, passion, and talents.

Its audience is extremely young and active. According to a survey, nearly 67% of TikTok’s users are under 30 and 56% of them are students. At the same time, data shows that 43% of users live in first and second-tier cities, the developed metropolitan areas.

There are so many users and they are so different, different ages, different income, different interests that almost any Christian brand could find here its target and any creator — his audience.

As far as it’s a short-video app, it is often compared with Vine (remember that!?) Vine was actually acquired by Twitter in October 2012 prior to its official launch. In 2016, however, thanks in part to growing competition from other apps including Instagram and Snapchat, it was shut down.

Vine became popular with content creators who used it to create comedy and music shorts, and it eventually grew to 200m active users. Not surprisingly, brands were eager to get in on the act as well.

6 Reasons Why You Should Use TikTok for Your Christian Personal Brand

1) Videos are easily “digested” by your fans

People love video. Our society is hectic and TikTok offers quick bits of consumption without unnecessary complications. Short videos force you to show interesting things about your talent without tricks; the storytelling must be simple and the skills easily recognizable. This makes the platform extremely natural and interesting to follow.

15-second videos are an extremely easy way to promote your inspired ideas, make people think and awaken their interest. People adore these videos because they are easy to understand and can help them to relax.

By you recording your day-to-day business life and sharing unique points of view on God via vlogs, Christian entrepreneurs can boost their personal brands and fill an unsatisfied educational, motivational or entertainment niche in their industry.

2. Your Fans are Millennials

You can just use simple in-app tools of TikTok and create original and authentic content which immediately will be delivered to a huge number of users and your customers.

Are you looking for a fresh and young audience? They’re looking for your brand here.

With the average age of a TikTok user being 13- to 24-years-old, mostly girls, TikTok is a gold mine when it comes to getting your #GodFirst message in front of Gen Z’ers.

Very creative and active, they will promote you to their friend and families, if they like you. They are looking for new things, so you can absolutely find new followers and customers here.

3. Personal Branding to Buying Your Products – Making the Switch

Ok, you’ve started and got your first audience. And what’s next? Enjoy the easy conversations with them! This audience is so affable you can receive feedback as soon as you post things.

The fastest and easiest way to engage them is by using daily challenges and a wide network of hashtags. Some of the big western brands already have created their own highly welcomed challenges.

Not so long ago fashion brand Guess launched its #InMyDenim hashtag challenge, the first-ever branded partnership with TikTok. Guess posted several “Official” videos accompanied by Bebe Rexha’s “I’m a Mess,” and then let the content creators do their work. NBC Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon lauded the app and created the #Tumbleweed Challenge. Users posted more than 8,000 videos using this hashtag.

If you want to be involved with something buzzy, something shining brand new, operate in a different way and on a platform that has the potential for visibility in a less-crowded space. TikTok was definitely created for you.

4. Learning as a process on your Personal Branding Pilgrimage

After downloading the TikTok app you’ll find yourself in the brand new world of lifestyle and culture. Actually, it’s a good way to understand the 15-24 year-olds, what they want, what they’re looking for, what they are used to. Just spend some time scrolling through videos and soon you’ll understand how your potential audience thinks.

5. Christian Speakers: use TikTok as your Online Stage

Do you have the gift of teaching? Simply show it.

Film a few short videos about yourself, your life, your work. Let people get to know you as a speaker and exhibit your skills of influence. You can take short videos when you’re at an event, you can even have your team go LIVE with you on stage.

6. Collaborate with Other Christian Entrepreneurs

Nowadays young, highly-influenceable Christian entrepreneurs are presented with a lot of options and alternatives of similar type teachings. So we have to collaborate to present new and innovative thoughts to those that will listen.

I’ve been collaborating more with other Christian business influencers, it’s definitely on the rise within our industry. If you want to TikTok together, let me know! Since we share common goals, values, target market, and business objectives, it’s a no-brainer. Together, we could reveal the one thing our audiences never done which could transform their business life forever. Everyone wins!

Conclusion and Tips on using TikTok for Christian Personal Brands

At the moment, TikTok is a new and unfamiliar territory for us Christian business owners. Many companies are still afraid to step on unstable soil. But for Christians who want to spread their message to the world, especially the young, the return on investment might be high for the months to come! I suggest approaching the platform with a Personal Branding Strategy that leads to a clear God-First Business Branding Focus. Step by step. Don’t be boring on TikTok, be influential!

TikTok has the potential of being a major platform like Instagram and Facebook and shouldn’t be easily dismissed.

The app is still in its infancy, but the number of users joining is impressive. It’s still too early to tell the future of the app, as it may continue to rise in popularity or it could plummet.

If you are looking for your way to reach a young, new audience, an easy way to understand it and gain some interest from it TikTok is for you.

Get more Tiktok fans and strengthen your brand on this platform by checking out this infographic from Digimush.

TikTok – What’s The Strategy For Christian Personal Brands? was originally published on Daily Godpreneur with Alex Miranda

[houseofcrimerp-blog]

« THE ALBATROSS »           ❝ SOME JUST WANT TO WATCH THE WORLD BURN... I WANT TO POUR THE KEROSENE ❞

LAST NAME, FIRST NAME: Alyona Petrova AGE: 27 HOUSE OF CHOICE/INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY/N/A: Death OCCUPATION AND/OR LEVEL: Level 1, Assassin (moonlights as a bartender) FACE CLAIM: Alicia Vikander NATIONALITY: Russian ETHNICITY: Scandinavian

CONNECTIONS:

HALF BROTHER - Erik Nilsen, her half-brother who she lost contact with but she feels responsible for his well being. even though she knows nothing about him anymore. She tried to keep tabs on him for a while, but then he started to look too much like her step-father/uncle and she couldn’t deal with that.

THE SUPERIOR - the one who witnessed Alyona at work (and the one responsible for original the idea to hire her as one of Death’s assassins). Interaction between them has been carried out by strictly covert and untraceable means. She’s never seen their face or heard their real voice; their exchange has always been nothing but subtle; an exchange done via easily manipulated messengers, bearing envelopes with names and location and little else. At first, the regular intake of funds in exchange for her efforts had been satisfying for both her ego and curiosity. She felt no reason to pry… then she got restless. The longer she blindly obeyed killer cues, the more she began resenting the situation she’d been reeled into. Nowadays, she’s no longer able to go on spontaneous killing sprees without a trace - there’s always someone observing her every move and reporting her successes to that unknown higher power calling the shots. She can’t stand feeling like she’s being kept as a pet of sorts; tethered to a leash of a handler that serves to direct her to the next target, sending her off at the word ‘go’ before reeling her back in until needed again. They refuse to kill her so long as she continues to be useful, but the closer she gets to trying to identify the mastermind pulling the strings at the top, who says she’ll dare return the favor? Her ruthlessness made her an attractive recruit in the beginning, but now resentment threatens to cloud her clarity. And it’s no secret that her blatant disrespect of rules and loyalty isn’t already on the house’s radar…

THE LEXICON - if there’s one person Alyona is frustrated by more than the unknown name of her employer it’s the record keeper of all her unsavoury pursuits. Until the term ‘assassin’ was attached to her, she’d been invisible. Written records risked giving her a reputation, and it’s a vulnerability she hates having around. After growing up constantly on the move purely to avoid having her actions reliably logged, to have even the vaguest form of documentation that acknowledges her existence is too incriminating for her liking. She knows killing them would solve nothing, not when another keeper would simply take their place. The lexicon forces Alyona to think more creatively on her feet. She pursues them with calculating and critical moves, ever-changing approaches between empty threats, lucrative bribery, secretive trade offs, and manipulation tactics to guarantee the erasure of her bloodstained tracks. Are her tireless efforts making an impact? That remains to be seen.

THE PROBLEM - the brother of Death’s murdered second commander’s secret plans to vengefully go after Eris would be too tempting a plot to ignore, should Alyona ever catch wind of it. She would 10/10 be willing to team up on any venture that entertained the possibility of taking the House of Death down from the inside out.

THE SACRIFICE - the heart donor who refused to surrender and die. It didn’t matter where they originally came from, they were in Bucharest territory now. Their take down was fair game. The catch? They were not to be harmed. The maintenance of their health was crucial, no poison was to cross their lips. A clean death was required. Enter the next best option - how else better to lure a runner out of hiding than to target their family? Alyona’s services are called upon to lace the relatives of the sacrifice’s foods with toxins, intermittently increasing the dose as requested. Weakening them, with well documented pictured evidence provided to show for it, should be enough to bring the runner to a stop. The longer they delay, the frailer their family members become.

THE FIRST CUT - technically, there’s a witness alive to confirm the one time Alyona miscalculated the amount of poison needed to kill a 6��7. It happened at least a decade ago, when she was still in the amateur stages of her current serial killer status. It was a project that required more supply than she was prepared with, but she’d been too determined to deny the chance at stretching the talent of her skill. It was easy to tamper with the wine, destine to poison a couple in an event that was supposed to go down suicide pact-style. No questions would be asked if both bodies were found together in the later phase of their honeymoon, right? In traditional post-poisoning tradition, she fled the scene as soon as the bottle was delivered. All evidence of her presence erased, by the next morning, she was in a different country planning her next murderous venture. She always assumed it had gone to plan. She was young and flawed with over-confidence, believing looking back over her shoulder raised unnecessary suspicions in comparison to keeping her eyes set ahead. Plot twist - the groom survived. Physically, he possessed a level of strength that rivalled a military man’s. Had she realized this beforehand, she wouldn’t have dared been so careless. Alas, the loved-up couple had seemed an harmless target; blinded into vulnerability by love. His wife was unable to recover, and died on site the way Alyona had intended them both to go. Though he didn’t escape the situation entirely unscathed - his system was negatively impacted by the toxins and he needed several months before his body was able to repair from the nerve damage inflicted. Forced to live on without the love of his life, sadness consumed him, then regret, then rage. There was only one remedy to this level of agony: to track down the person responsible. He couldn’t forget the face of his attempted murderer. Even if she had.

PERSONALITY: ENTJ She has all the makings of a natural-born leader. Charismatic and confident; she loves a good challenge, big or small, and they firmly believe that given enough time and resources, they can achieve any goal. This determined drive is often a self-fulfilling prophecy. She has the ability of pushing her goals through with sheer cutthroat willpower, especially where others might give up and move on. She considers emotional displays to be a sign of weakness. She’s content operating as a lone wolf, but often chooses to mingle in social situations because she enjoys receiving validation and feedback from others. Enneagram 7 - pleasure seekers and planners in search of distraction Sevens are practical people who have multiple skills. She knows how to network and promote herself and her interests. The stagnation that comes with a monotonous routine is the bane of her energy’s existence. Her pursuit of pleasure is compulsive. She constantly seeks to avoid boredom by finding distractions in her external environment and engaging in stimulation seeking of all kinds. She’s prone to obsessive behaviours/addictions of substances to keep her ‘upped’ in order to remain focus on her talents whilst downplaying her flaws. The extent of the her flight from her own darker emotions a prime example of her questionable mental health status. The more that she flees from her past, the more the strength of those memories grow and the more likely they are to erupt into consciousness in the form of a self destructive or a severe depressive episode. Chaotic Evil Alignment Does whatever her greed, hatred, and lust for destruction drives her to do. She’s hot-tempered, vicious, arbitrarily violent, unpredictable, ruthless and brutal glory. Any plans she composes are haphazard, and any groups she’s responsible for forming are impulsively organized. Force is the only language she complies to. ‘Business’ agreements last as long as they can until an attempt to thwart or assassinate each other arises and inevitably dissolves the bond. A symbiotic blend of self-interest and pure freedom. Willing to destroy beauty, life, and the order on which beauty and life depend.

THREE WEAKNESSES:

#1 - Body: based on physical strength alone, Alyona is highly disadvantaged compared to most. The level of fitness she possesses translates only to fast reflexes and footwork. Her muscles have never exceeded beyond a lean accentuation meant for supporting herself in climbing, not combat. Her hands are made for delicately handling tinctures, not for throwing punches. Overtime, her petite stature has been both a blessing and a curse. She uses her beauty and sexuality to fly under the radar which usually allows her to get out of being fought with physically. It’s the only reason she doesn’t throw caution to the damn wind cross every boundary she uncovers. She knows if she was ever to be cornered by someone she would lose, and (deep deep down) it scares her. She heavily relies on the fact that because she looks like an easy target, no one would bother wasting their time because the fight would be too boring… but evan that is a highly nuanced issue because the lack of her appeal fight-wise also somewhat offends her, because she lowkey longs to not rely on poison to do her dirty work for her, all the while she knowing how unrealistic such a goal is because she’s too tiny to do/handle anything significant. It’s mindfuckery level complicated. Basically, she’s a great dane mind in a pomeranian body. Of course she does her best to armour herself with words, sweet charm, and always dressing in heels that raise her height by at least 5 inches. But at the end of the day she’s keenly aware that wit isn’t a fair match against brawn. Should she ever get involved in a serious physical brawl she would only be able to rely on her spry mobility and quick reflexes.

#2 - Competition: your girl’s got serious impulse control issues. The idea of ‘no’ is practically impossible for her to grasp. Whether it’s a challenging dare or casual invitation, she’ll bite. Especially if the odds seemed stacked against her. Proving herself as the best at things is really important to her, though (on the surface) she’d be pokerfaced as hell as if she couldn’t care less. Whether it’s a egotistical or hedonistic urge is uncertain, but it’s definitely one of her biggest downfalls. She sees backing down as act of weakness and, as weakness #1 suggests, she feels she has a lot to compensate for in the physique department so is willing to put herself in demi to severely dangerous situations so long as it means earning praise and recognition (put simply, she’s literally the definition of ‘hoe don’t do it… oh my god’)

#3 - Pride: for years, she’s defined her self worth based on what she’s good at. The one thing she’s always been good at? Murder. And is murder a socially acceptable career to brag and discuss? No. Forced to silently celebrate her achievements with nothing more than untraceable tally marks and adrenaline, she’s always had to be private about how passionate she is about playing with poison. It’s the main reason she’s been successful at it - because she’s been forced to treat it as secretive. To talk about it to the wrong person would mean having to stop, permanently. To stop dealing in poisons would be like cutting out a piece of her heart. Her practically flawless success at serial killing without any repercussions is her longest running and proudest achievement. To insult her craft to her face would wound her more than a punch. Murder is as part of her DNA as what determines her eyes being brown. She’s deeply (unreasonably and dramatically) affected by critiques and criticism toward her technique mainly because it’s always been something that could only be talked about so little, thereby making the ultra rare moments when she can express herself about it all the more valuable. If it’s talked about negatively during those rare windows, she takes it very personally and will be launched into identity crisis mode. If she’s not this, she’s nothing.

BIOGRAPHY: DEATH TW

No one knows less about where Aлёна Aleksandrova Petrova came from than Aлёна Aleksandrova Petrova. An orphan, a daughter, a sibling, a killer.

Origins are complicated to retain when self erasure was imperative for the Petrova family. Supposedly born somewhere in western Russia — when she went on to live in ten different households before she could even walk — who could know for certain? Early on, nomadic living patterns set the tone for the years ahead and engrained into her mind throughout the early stage of infantry that to stay put was to be trapped. Aleksander was her father figure���s name, the brother of her biological father. Her birth biological mother’s identity was not shared. It remained undisclosed, undetermined, whether she died during child birth or abandoned the country shortly after all cords were cut. Considering Alyona was never taught beyond an elementary understanding of Russian, perhaps she wouldn’t have understood if it had been explained to her either way. [ тили тили бом ]

Alyona’s earliest memories all revolved around being with her twin sister, Диана (Diana). They were as inseparable as they were identical. Solitary was not made of one, but two. She was never on her own, so too was her sister. Where one moved, so did the other. It was the summer time. A few days shy of experiencing 4 years of life and they were already in the midst of a celebration. Something had gone well for Aleksander at work, and he returned home with a briefcase filled to the brim with wads of cash. They didn’t notice the swollen bruises or cuts on his knuckles, because that’s how he always looked when he returned home. Sometimes he would disappear for weeks at a time, though the time would feel considerably longer to the twins, they found ample entertainment in exploring the home-of-the-month they had moved into, under the watchful guidance of a Norwegian woman named Vilde Nilsen who’d been hired as their governess. The rooms were never properly furnished asides from the three mattresses gathered around the wood stove fire. Neither owned more than a book and stuffed animal each. They didn’t know what they were missing or abundant in; this was life. It was bearable. It was what it was. [ Close your eyes soon, ] Within 5 years, the twins had grown co-dependant on each other and never spent more than a minute separated. Their father and governess played crucial supporting roles, but their value lay in caregiving parental duties. Whereas the interconnected support Alyona and Diana experienced was a far deeper directly blood-related bond of inexplicable explanation. No one understood them like they understood each other. Then, with his briefcase of money, Aleksander showed them the power money had to drastically change a circumstance. A month later, for the very first time, they lived in a home they owned. A home with furniture in every room; a place of warmth; a place of safety. The twins adored the newfound freedom. Many lazy afternoons were spent roaming the acreage surrounding the Petrova household, wrapped up in their own little world, completely oblivious to a new development between their guardians. [ someone’s walking by the window ] A year and a half on, and Vilde Nilsen gives birth to a son, a boy named Erik that the twins were to refer to as their brother and treat like a sibling. Two years pass, spent in the same house. It’s the longest they’ve ever lived anywhere. It began to seem as though notions that their surroundings would constantly be in need of changing for safety to be achieved had been nothing but an illusion. A dream. Within those familiar walls, the twins’ foundations were built - it’s where they were taught to read, write, cook, and sew for the first time. Their highly spirited nature exhausts their governess easily, and each day lesson time is cut in half so that she may have time to tend to Erik and herself. Then it’s wintertime. Aleksander’s been off grid for three months. Alyona’s nursing a broken arm after slipping on the ice outside. Erik is asleep upstairs, his mother half-slumped over in the chair beside his crib after being kept awake all night dealing with the teething toddler. Alyona and Diana has grown used to a lessening in supervision. Erik had been fussy child since birth, and earned most of the adult attention nowadays. Suffice it to say, him sleeping peacefully was a novelty; and it meant the twins had at least 3 hours to do as they pleased before he’d stir and home school lessons would resume. [ And knocking at the door, ] Tea time was always the first thing to accomplish on their agenda of fun. So, after gathering every toy into a near circle around the miniature dining table set, 7 year old Alyona balances on a crouched Diana’s back, giggling as she awkwardly climbs onto the kitchen counter to reach the top shelf and get biscuits for them both. Diana was always the more adventurous of the two, but ever since Alyona broke her arm she’d let her lead. Sympathy weakened softened her. While perched on the counter, Alyona finds an open bottle of something sweet smelling. It’s bright green and looks particularly pretty when poured into the porcelain cups of Diana’s tea set, unlike the usual boring monotone swirl of hot chocolate. With a cupful each, they cheerfully clink glasses. Diana drinks. Alyona spills hers on the floor before she has the chance, too giddy with the giggles to keep her non-broken hand steady enough. Upon first sip, Diana makes a face and spits and splutters. It didn’t taste at all how it smelled. The reaction only caused naive little Alyona to laugh even harder, believing it was her sister’s intent to make her laugh. Diana, seeking to make her sister happy, continues to drink until the very last drop drains from her lips… along with the color from her face.

[ тили тили бом ]

Alyona learned that day that the telekinetic link between twins wasn’t a real thing. If it was, Alyona’s brain, liver, and kidneys would have been poisoned that day. Instead, her throat felt sore from screaming and all the water inside of her felt as if it had escaped of her eyes. For several hours, Erik and the governess try to soothe her in between trying to get answers to questions. Alyona is silent, unable to pry herself away from her sister, refusing to let her governess approach to cover the sickening sight with a bed sheet. Aleksander returns home within the hour, as if summoned. He turns up at the twins’ room and waits at the doorway, gruffly calling on Alyona to get up. She blubbers something, shocked and confused and vaguely profane. He strictly warns her that Diana is gone and it is wrong to hold onto someone who has already let go. These words finally click something inside Alyona’s head and persuades her to get up. It’s the first time she understands the significance between the living and the dead. Immediately embracing his surviving daughter, behind him, Russian-speaking men in suits appear and tend to the body of her identical. They move in an almost rehearsed precision. Despite being present for it all, Alyona can only understand bits and pieces of the aggressive conversation they have with her father. In her governess’ preference to teaching the children her native Norwegian tongue along with English supplements, her Russian fluency had declined. One word was repeated more than the others — antifreeze. [ Can you hear the birds through the night? ]

Concepts of the law were above Alyona’s 7-year old comprehension, but she felt it in her bones that there couldn’t possible be anything right about what she had done. Accident or not - she had killed her sister and hadn’t been allowed to follow. She was alone now as punishment. When she was was eventually pulled aside by one of the strange men, the last thing she expects is for them to hold out their hand, congratulate her, and then introduce themselves as her new headmaster. [ He’s already made his way into the house, ] The winds of change had returned with new ferocity, this time introduced under the guise of a boarding school center intended for youth protection and prevention. It’s purpose for her confused her at first, but she’s a fast learner. She sees the way they all turn to look at her when she’s found in the kitchen - glassy eyed and standing next to the an open cupboard of cleaning supplies. She’d never forget how peculiar fear looked on a grown man’s face, towards a child. It all seemed so bizarrely set askew. How could they be afraid? What she had done? Or was is what she could do that was so daunting? The moment Aleksander enters the room, all other eyes are averted. Since Alyona’s birth, she had rarely spent time with her father, but she knew he was powerful by the reactions he silently commanded. Though what he specialized in specifically remained a mystery, Alyona also had never thought to directly ask - for part of her feared what she would find. She never believed he’d lied to her about anything, even if omission of information was a form of lying. To be fair, he’d always alluded that he worked ‘with people, for people’. And the involvement of him + ‘people’ was undoubtedly true. When each return visit home came with a new ‘people-produced’ scar or bloodstain, it was clear he certainly was ‘dealing’ with ‘people’. She’d never read into it further. Never had time to fill in the blanks when she was so preoccupied running after Diana and Erik, swathed in the blissful ignorance of childhood. Now, in the wake of Diana’s death, it was as if her whole life she’d been under hypnosis, and witnessing death up close was the snap of the magician’s fingers designed to bring her to her senses. [ for those who cannot sleep, ] She’d never thought anything about her adopted father was odd. She’d never thought it was odd to be raised by someone he’d hired instead of managing the role himself. She’d never thought it odd that he wore an ear piece at all times. She’d never thought it odd when she’d once awoken in the middle of the night to see him adjusting a surveillance camera, planted behind the wall painting in the hall opposite the twins’ room. She didn’t think it odd that he correctly knew it was Diana who’d passed, not Alyona, despite them being identical and him never being around to notice their little differences. Nor did she think it odd that, as her father approached her after finding her standing in front of a cocktail of potentially toxic chemicals, in his eyes she saw nothing but pride. [ Hear his steps, he’s already close, ] In the days that followed, all dormant suspicions were stirred up and answered simultaneously. The reason Aleksander had deliberately stepped away from taking up too noticeable a fatherly role was to avoid bonding with the twins and becoming privy to one over the other. It was a bloodline issue; twins were a genetic mutation that created a problem in creating killers. Families were permitted one son and one daughter. Any extras were to be terminated, or adopted out. The twins’ biological father had been murdered by Aleksander, his own twin during their teen years. It happened at a different age for everyone, but once done, activated dormant genes into full expression. It was impossible to be the same after committing a deathly act. Upon discovering the Petrova twins trait had recurred with Diana and Alyona, since their first breaths it’s been a countdown as to who would knock off who first. Outside intervention wasn’t permitted, but there was a loophole when it came to subliminal indirect prompting. Around the house, objects and substances had been planted throughout their lives until one of them tuned into it. Until curiosity killed the cat. Their DNA represented the strongest generations of agency; bred for power, skill, and strength. It was their birthright to be inherit a profession of killer calculative skill. Alyona insisted it was an accident… but, all things considered, was there a genuine chance it hadn’t been?

[ тили тили бом, ] And so her official training begun. Still shaken by recent events, her participation kept to the bare minimum until she reached a more developed emotional maturity. The prescribed boarding school was intended for providing her with a ‘safe haven’ from the outside world until she reached legal age, and the ‘prevention’ part was the strict surveillance program that prevented her from causing herself harm. Absorbing so much in such a short time often had a whiplash affect, to say the least. The loss of her sister over a petty case of bloodline purity was nothing but revolting to her. It took her just over a year to shake though every stage - resistance, anger, denial, bargaining, acceptance. With blood, sweat, and tears to show for it, there was no way the traumatic memory could be permanently shaken from her system. So when they offered her a non invasive release from some of the wight of it through hypnotherapy - she gave in. [ can you hear someone next to you? ] Able to shoulder her circumstances beneath a layer of numbness, her thoughts were allowed a little bit of clarity. So long as running away wasn’t an option, she did the next best thing - equipping herself with the education needed to mobilize her emotions into something useful. If her sister had to die in order for her to be alive, she would fight to make it a worthy cause. The boarding school was traditional in the foundational courses that it offers - covering the basics of academics and physical conditioning. The exception was the highly illicit extra curriculum, where it would be decided if one’s skill lay in combat waging, combat strategy, or commanding. Alyona fared average in all subjects, and soon became an easy target for bullying. She shut herself off to it, kept her head down, introverted, and coped with it. As far as she was concerned, being there was a means to an end. As soon as she turned 16 she’d be released, even if that meant going rogue and crossing her own so-called family’s blood. Every time there’s a punching bag in front of her, it’s Aleksander she sees.

[ Huddled in a corner, ] At 12 years old she’s introduced to chemistry, and her bitter indifference at last gives way to a spike of interest. At first, she’s merely interested to learning as much as she can about antifreeze and it’s properties and dosages affect the body. It was strangely cathartic to know exactly how her sister’s system shut down; how little or severely she may have suffered, what system shut down first, etc. It was purely self-interested curiosity that led her deeper into from there. She began to explore and research different toxins to compare it’s effectiveness to, then wanted to know the most deadly, then what could be created at home versus what could be found in nature etc. Not only does the subject fascinate her, but it keeps her distracted from interacting with the heart sinking newest edition to the school: Erik. Less startling to the fact that her little half-brother is officially old enough to be a participating part of the system is that he doesn’t recognize her when he sees her. She forgets that she’s a Petrova and he’s a Nilsen. He was too young to remember her. It was better that way.

[ With a penetrating gaze, ] Slowly but surely, she goes on to learn everything she can about any poisonous compound, element, gas, and plant she could get her hands on. She was fast learner and incredibly apt at understanding each component of the chemistry, as if her brain was hardwired for it. Independent study soon began intermingling with private tutoring and class assignments. Putting her newfound knowledge to use required guinea pigs - and along with that realization, all of a sudden her reasons for being there all finally clicked into place and filled her with inspiration. No longer did she loathe the destiny she was being forced to live, not when she had the ability to send it up in flames from within. She kept it morally reasonable at first and targeted those who actually deserved the side effects of prolonged arsenic low exposure; the group that had been bullying her several weeks. Though she couldn’t remember exactly who was to blame, so she laced all the girls’ in her dorm’s water bottles until the end of term. Her moral ambiguity kicks in when she’s 14 years old catches the eye of a boy in the year above her. It’s not love by any means; merely a practice project in the effectiveness of infatuated persuasion. He’s done nothing wrong to her, never bullied her, or ever looked at her the wrong way… but he’s there, unfortunately for him. And simply by breathing within the walls of this boarding school meant he was affiliated to their twisted arrangement between highjacking the children of murderous families. As one of the system’s pawns - so how good could he really be? During the same term she has him on her radar, she’s studying latin to learn the official name for the plant derivative she drops into his drink (conium maculatum). She watches him the entire time, testing herself. It’s the second time she sees someone die in front of her, but it’s the first time she can’t that she enjoys it. There’s an addictive sense power to hurting someone without needing to touch them. It was elevating to her otherwise depressed default state. In the subsequent days, she feels nothing except the desire to do it again. Poison hemlock becomes her weapon of choice. When his body is discovered, his death is written off as foul play between him and a student of his same year he’d supposedly been in a rivalry with. She feels no remorse or regret that the fall is being taken by someone else. He is gone and it is wrong to hold onto someone who has already let go. To celebrate her 16th birthday and release from the facility, she uses the school’s lab to process ricin. Definitely without and clearance and permission, and in total abuse of school policy and resource, in true Alonya “Fuck You Guys I’m Out” Petrova style. She carries a sealed vial of it with her for several months before she encounters Aleksander. So blinded by his pride for his victorious daughter, she’s able to slip the power into his coffee before she leaves. She hasn’t heard from him since, and assumes it succeeded. No new is good news. Ten years of habit forming bad decisions later, and she’s become the informed, self-centered and self-entitled assassin she is today. Without regular installment of hypnotherapy she turned to cigarettes and other occasional recreational drugs on the days it gets too much. Embraced in full swing once again are her nomadic origins - though this time it’s an act of self preservation that keeps her on the go. In every countryside town she visits, a body usually turns up a day later. She tries to discern between those who deserve it versus the innocent, but sometimes all that can lift her spirits on a bad day is a little game of ‘watch the locals play murder mystery’ with each other and chill. Other than the occasional paid hit job, she keeps a very low profile. She travels from country to country without using the same name or piece of ID more than twice. It’s a game of chase that she never gets caught in. A venture which once began rooted in vengeance actually became fun. And if anyone asks, like Aleksander said, she had no choice. Her life was predetermined to go this way, the blood of tradition is woven around her DNA - can she really be held accountable?

[ тили тили бом, ] Always interested in anything mixology related, during her travels she took a bar tending course in order to have a steady side day job (purely for amusement and irony more than anything else). Highly suspicious of others, considering she doesn’t even trust her damn self, she never drinks in public personally unless she’s serving herself from a sealed bottle that originated from a trusted source. She quickly learned not all bars are created equal, and began spiking the drinks wherever she worked depending on her mood. The seedier the bar, the higher the body count. She’s made a lot of fucked up, reckless, impulsive, ruthless, downright horrible decisions in the past. Bucharest was intended to be another random place to pass through, but in the midst of serving up something lethal, she was convinced to linger by the House of Death when the right set of words and length of numbers was sent her way. Her life is a tragic mess of revenge, hate, self loathing, and nihilism. The one things that has been consistent in her life that she feels what she imagines love is like toward is her bundle of handcrafted killer pills and potions. She keeps all of them neatly organized and accessible within sight/reach at all times… but she never keeps track of a poison’s remedies. Some just want to watch the world burn.

[armeniaitn]

President Sarkissian Hopes to Bridge Armenia and Diaspora, Advance Post-COVID Armenia

New Post has been published on https://armenia.in-the.news/economy/president-sarkissian-hopes-to-bridge-armenia-and-diaspora-advance-post-covid-armenia-23817-24-06-2020/

President Sarkissian Hopes to Bridge Armenia and Diaspora, Advance Post-COVID Armenia

Sarkissian noted that classical political behavior has changed throughout the world, including the logic and form of the battle between regimes and their opposition. He said, “Polarization is the result also of the influence of the virtual world on people’s minds and behavior. Today, the virtual world, social networks, are flooded with hate, curses, [and] calls to violence, and there is no law or norm which can keep them in check. The virtual world is becoming more real than the real world. It is not only with us but everywhere that it shapes public opinion and inlfuences the behavior and decisions of the authorities and opposition.”

He called upon political forces to be extremely responsible under such circumstances in their own conduct, speech and work, in order not to permit the domestic situation to become extremely tense and to leave room for dialogue.

He declined to comment on the trials of former high level Armenian officials concerning the events of March 1-2, 2008, stating that it would be extremely improper to intervene in the jurisdiction of other government institutions, but that he was certain justice would prevail.

He was asked about his treatment in the Armenian press, with the opposition media critical and dissatisfied and the pro-government or official media somewhat “cold” toward him, and in response turned the question to what he saw as the fundamental role of the press in contemporary democratic society. He said, “The experience of the last three decades has shown that the press by itself cannot fully exist solely on the basis of ‘free market’ rules. The state, political forces, businesses and society itself must be interested in having a truly free and independent press. How? That is the topic of a long discussion.”

What is initially important, he continued, is the state formulating the issue and being aware of its necessity. He said, “I consider the establishment of a professional, impartial press a matter of national security both from an internal and external point of view.”

Returning to the initial question, he concluded, “As far as I am concerned, I work within the bounds of the president’s constitutional powers, and I do not prepare to violate them in order to please any individual or group in domestic political life. I am convinced that the institution of the president [presidency] must remain outside of political quarrels so that it can carry out its role of balancing and assisting in national unity. I understand that the expectations of the president as the head of the state are great but taking into consideration what limited and concrete powers are reserved for the president of the Republic, those expectations are frequently not realistic.” He added that of course as a citizen and individual he had his own opinion on the developments or events in the country.

He spoke further in response to a question on the problematics of the 2015 constitution, tailored by the prior president to his own needs and restricting the rights of the presidency, which perhaps is inappropriate to today’s polarized society in which the balance between the branches of government is breached. He said, “The constitution does not suppose any levers of executive power for the president of a parliamentary republic as head of state. My issue, as a president who has come a long way in life, is to find solutions for systemic matters, as well as to be the advocate for the integrity of the nation and the state.”

He preferred to work within the existing system, declaring: “Regardless of the description of the given position, it is the individual who holds the position who creates the result. I attempt to assign the meaning which I think is right and helpful to the activity of the president of the republic.” At the same time, he said, “I also hope that the public discussions and arguments on various issues will result in a result useful to society and corresponding to pan-national interests, among which would be the removal of gaps which have become apparent over time in the constitution, and in particular the insertion of mechanisms for restraints and counterbalances.”

Sarkissian said his mission, is “first of all, to take steps to establish and strengthen the institution of the presidency, which after crossing to a parliamentary governmental system in fact must be rebuilt in such a way that, independent of individuals, is able to assure the stability of the state and internal equilibrium—our people’s unity.”

Diasporan and Foreign Relations

He envisaged an important role for the presidency in maintaining relations with the Armenian diaspora and the world, in which his own background could be helpful. He said: “We are a survivor people and as a developing country with a strategic location and a global nation, we have something to say to the world. In that sense, I see myself as an intermediary, as an ambassador between Armenia and the world. My life has turned out so that I have had the possibility of seeing Armenia from both the outside and the inside. The same [is true] for the diaspora. I am the child of immigrants. My ancestors immigrated from Erzerum, Bitlis and Alashgerd to Russia, from there to Persia, and my father and mother in 1946 repatriated to Armenia. I was born and raised, educated, and formed in the homeland. Thereupon I lived for many years abroad due to work, and without modesty I can say that I know equally well our country and the diaspora and its people. Being conscious of all this and the challenges standing before Armenia and the Armenian people, I attempt and will attempt in consultation with the capable forces of Armenia and the diaspora to compose a pan-national agenda through a systematic approach.”

He said that Armenia as a state must take the initiative in relations with the diaspora, as the challenges to the Armenian people and state require uniting all national resources, and the diaspora is an important resource with 4-5 times more population than the homeland.

Sarkissian said, “I think that in order to most productively use the potential of the diasporan Armenians, especially their knowledge and experience, it is indispensable to have an institutional approach, by combining legislative and practical measures, which will be directed at broadening their participation in social [and] political life and, especially, in the scientific, cultural and economic progress of the country. Unfortunately, due to different objective and subjective reasons, we have not succeeded yet in finding the necessary contemporary model for the establishment of systematic long-term strategic relations with the diaspora.”

He did have a model in mind, and explained that 24 years ago, while he was prime minister, he foresaw creating a National Affairs Agency composed of competent specialists from both Armenia and the diaspora, either in the place of or parallel to a ministry of the diaspora which is a state body only representing one side. An independent agency would permit formulating a joint agenda with priorities and could turn into a bridge or mediator between state and diasporan structures and individuals, particularly the latter, since 80-90 percent are not part of the traditional structures of the diaspora. Creating a global network model for the Armenian nation through a strong state aside from helping achieve national goals could also give much to the world at large, he noted.

A major issue for all Armenians is the Nagorno Karabakh conflict. Sarkissian said that the prime minister and minister of foreign affairs deal with its settlement through negotiations led by the OSCE Minsk Group. Therefore he did not wish to discuss this except to note that though it had peaceful intentions, Armenia was ready to defend the rights of the people of Artsakh and its security in the case of the use of military force by Azerbaijan, which would be unacceptable and must be severely condemned by the international community.

“As far as the provocative statements by Azerbaijan concerning Armenia,” he said, “I think that they must not be left unanswered.”

He pointed out that in addition to the direct settlement of the conflict, it was just as important to develop the Artsakh Republic in all ways, first of all economically and demographically, through urgent and practical steps. Pan-Armenian investments, both of finances and intellect, were necessary. Sarkissian said he often visits Artsakh, and each time with wonder mixed with pain observes that we leave the Artsakh Armenians alone with their daily cares and issues.

He asked that we imagine how much revenue internal tourism, i.e. from Armenia, could alone bring Artsakh. Similarly, he said, seasonal work could be offered to Armenia’s able-bodied village population in Artsakh. Economic calculations, and various tax, credit and financial arrangements would be necessary for all this, so the governments of Armenia and Artsakh must prepare an appropriate plan together, he said.

Developing the Artsakh economy will not only raise the standard of living there, but also strengthen the position of the Republic of Artsakh during negotiations, the president said. There have always been possibilities in Artskah and around it, but, he underlined, “The matter is to see and correctly take advantage of them.”

On a more general topic, the president stressed the importance of Russian-Armenian relations, declaring: “Russia is Armenia’s strategic partner and ally. We are connected by shared experiences and successes fortified by many centuries of relations, as well as by the natural desire to help one another in complicated situations. For this very reason, these relations today have turned into an inviolable friendship.” At the very least, the former level of strategic dialogue based on deep ties of history and values can be maintained, while the maximal issue is to bring mutual relations to a new level, identify spheres which remained “untouchable” and create new possibilities.

He said that that bilateral relations could also turn into an important factor in the two countries’ multilateral ties, stating: “Armenia can serve as a bridge between different integration projects and regions, such as the Eurasian Economic Union and the European Union.”

This year is the centennial of the Treaty of Sèvres and next year of the Treaties of Moscow and Kars. The president commented that if the former gave the possibility to Armenia of establishing a viable state with natural boundaries, the latter two treaties ignored the interests of the Armenian people to the maximum and turned the country vulnerable. He said, “Therefore Armenia with its current problems is the direct result of the Armenian Genocide and the treaties which followed it.”

The complex geopolitical situation in the region was established by these treaties, and this came to the fore after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Sarkissian said that as a consequence, Turkey carries out a denialist policy concerning the Armenian Genocide, while it stands by Azerbaijan concerning Artsakh and therefore keeps its border with Armenia closed. This, he said, is a matter of security for Armenia and the Armenian people.

Read original article here.

[thehautegoddess]

goddess mother: a dad's advice for moms raising sons

check out this vintage post from my old blog, haute mama in the city. although my boy is 12-years-old and becoming so independent, this post still rings true – i hope you enjoy!

i am completely in love with www.thegoodmenproject.com, a blog i found out about on twitter (@goodmenproject). here’s some background:

“the good men project is a glimpse of what enlightened masculinity might look like in the 21st century,” the press raved when we launched. finally, “a cerebral, new media alternative” to glossy men’s magazines. in fact, the good men project is not so much a magazine as a social movement. we are fostering a national discussion centered around modern manhood and the question, ‘what does it mean to be a good man’?“

the world desperately needs this, and i am more than happy to share. there are a ton of amazing tidbits on the site that i will be referencing frequently, but a post entitled, "raising boys (a dad’s advice for moms)” recently caught my eye.

i often speak of my son, who is my favorite thing in all the land, and i definitely grapple with the concept that while he is a child, which comes with its own set of issues, he is also a male. and just like i consistently have to contend with the *ahem* challenges (i am keeping my vibration high today…) associated with my male relationships, my sweet boy is no exception. i need to think like a man, so to speak, when dealing with him.

here are some of my favorite highlights from the post:

“think caveman. adult women have thousands of emotional states, as do girls like my daughter. boys, on the other hand, tend to feel one of three: mad, sad, happy. don’t project your complex emotional life on your son. his issue of the moment might not be that complicated. He wants to eat, poop, or run. on a really bad day he wants his toy back after some other kid took it from him. he doesn’t want to stare out the window and have lengthy discussions about the meaning of life, as my eight-year-old daughter often did." — this is really great advice. i am extremely emotional. extremely. when i am in crisis-mode, i can spend hours on the phone with my board of directors/life coaches (i.e., my friends) working through my issues. and i noticed that he already finds this incredibly strange - he rolls his eyes and seems totally annoyed with my girl talk. lol. this is why. i need not complicate the boy’s life with my girl drama! i am going to monitor my phone time, and try to conduct conversations when he is not around.

"watch his body not his mouth. again, like adult men, the clues to how your son is doing will show up first in his body language. jumping up and down with six-inch vertical leaps is the natural state of being and is good. slumped shoulders are bad. yelling is good. quiet needs attention.” — i know for sure this is true, because i remember the first time i saw my son’s posture change because someone hurt his feelings - and i will never forget that moment. when i pick him up from school, and he is jumping around like a crazy monkey, i know he had a great day.

“when in doubt, hug. boys will often have a much harder time than girls verbalizing their problems. my 5-year-old son will sometimes burst out into tears after seemingly trivial events. i know there is something deeper going on, but i am not going to get it out of him, at least not at that moment (whereas my daughter would not only tell me what went wrong but in no uncertain terms why it was my fault, which was generally true enough). so the solution is physical not verbal. i spend a lot of time just hugging my boys. i usually have no idea why. but as a default cure-all, it seems to work wonders. a minute later they are all patched up and ready to rumble again. this even works pretty well with my 14-year-old, who is a 6-foot-tall linebacker at boston college high school.”— i love to hug my boy. he is so sweet, and very loving, and i want him to be that way as a man. i have started making it a point to always hug him after i discipline him, and explain to him that God sent me to be his mommy and teach him how to be a good man, and discipline is part of that. and sometimes he just comes and crawls in my lap and wraps himself around me, and it’s the best thing ever because we have an unspoken moment of pure comfort. hugs effing rock.

“pointless physical activity is perfect. my brother and i once convinced his two sons and my older boy, when they were all around the age of 10, that they really needed to build a structure out of rocks. the rocks were on one side of a beach, but the perfect spot where the structure had to be built, according to our sage advice, was on the other side of the beach. each stone weighed between ten and thirty pounds. the boys started moving the boulders one by one, working together to lift the heaviest ones. my brother and i set up our beach chairs midway from the rock pile to building site. we read the paper most of the morning while the boys tired themselves out moving rocks and then assembling a tremendous cathedral. by lunch they were tired and happy, and my brother and i had enjoyed a peaceful morning." — i need to get more involved with this.  i remember will smith said his father tore down a brick wall in front of their house and made he and his brother rebuild it - and although it took them months, they enjoyed the process! i thought that was the oddest thing - i guess that’s just what men do, chile…go figure :)

"crowds, not so much. i have noticed that my daughter lights up when she enters a crowd, whether family or strangers. mass humanity is something that gives her energy. with my boys, and, frankly, for me too, it’s the opposite. they get shy and tend to hide behind my legs. i try to protect them from these situations and not push them beyond their limitations." — my son is super outgoing, but i definitely notice that he sometimes shrinks in front of large crowds. in my effort to help him get over his trepidation, i often push him to be more confident. but now that i read that this is the nature of boys, i will back off, and let him naturally move.

"bedtime is sacred. because boys are so active, it’s hard to get them to sit still. the best time of day is the ten minutes before they go to sleep. crawl into bed with them, read books, and hold them while they fall off to sleep. if you don’t believe in God, you will once you have lain next to your overactive son while his body goes limp next to you, and he ever so faintly begins to snore."  — this one is my favorite. one of the best moments of my day is lying in bed reading with my angel :) i love it, and rather than rush him to sleep, like i used to, i use it as a time to be still and reflect on our day and my tremendous love for him. i have found this time to be incredibly calming.

thank you to the better man project, as i learned a lot from this amazing story. i will apply what i have learned and continue to be on the lookout for signs from the universe on how to be the best mother i can be! :)

[med20]

It’s pretty clear, the U.S. healthcare system is in need of a major upgrade. Spending increased 4.3 percent in 2016 to $9,024 per capita and accounted for 17.9 percent of the GDP. To give some perspective, Switzerland, with its comprehensive and well-organized (it is Swiss, after all) system came in second, with individuals paying on average $6,787, or about 75 percent of what we do.

You could almost justify paying such a high price, except for the tragic reality that our outcomes are so bad. According to a recent Los Angeles Times article, the U.S. life expectancy is now shorter than 30 other countries', we ranked 13th in medical coverage and more people died in the U.S. from preventable diseases or complications than in 12 other high-income countries -- all in all, pretty grim statistics, given that almost a fifth of our GDP and a fair amount of your paychecks are going to healthcare costs.

With such abysmal statistics, healthcare’s impact on productivity and the bottom line and the small fact that global spending on healthcare is now on course to reach more than $18 trillion in 2040, it’s little wonder that Amazon, Apple, Google and Facebook are all vying for their place in the often chaotic, ever-growing health marketplace.

Related: AI Is Transforming Healthcare as We Know It. Here's a Look at the Future -- and the Opportunities for Entrepreneurs.

Alexa, how do I get to the nearest Amazon clinic?

In case you stopped reading the news or turned off Alexa, Amazon recently made a few very well-publicized healthcare moves. One of the most highly touted was its decision to partner with Berkshire Hathaway and JPMorgan Chase to create a new company to provide lower-cost, higher-quality healthcare for its 840,000 employees. While seemingly small in the scope of the overall market, if successful, it could serve as a model for the future of care and potentially disrupt the health system as we know it.

As if changing the face of healthcare wasn’t enough, in June it was reported that Amazon intended to pay $1B to acquire Pillpack and enter the growing $328B annual prescription drug market. Given Pillpack’s strong infrastructure and Amazon’s logistics capability, it’s not surprising that this simple statement sent Walgreens, CVS and Rite Aid’s stock prices plummeting up to 11 percent.

These announcements come in addition to the work that Amazon has already quietly been doing the past few years, including the creation of 1492. Though little has recently been written about it, the entity was designed to help Amazon develop its presence in a number of lucrative healthcare markets. In particular, it was reported that its staff was working to streamline medical records management to improve access and availability for doctors and consumers. Additionally, it was said to also be looking at ways to improve U.S. healthcare for those with limited access to doctors, including the development of a new telemedicine platform to provide virtual consultations.

Finally, what report on Amazon would be complete without mentioning dear Alexa. The company continues to look at new ways to use Alexa’s growing AI capabilities to address some of the world’s most critical healthcare challenges. Initiatives include helping patients manage their diabetes and supporting initiatives to use it to help the elderly in their homes.

Related: Groupon Co-Founder's New Healthcare Startup Raises $70 Million

AppleCare takes on a whole new meaning.

Not to be left out, in January 2018 Apple announced that it would be bringing personal health records to an iPhone near you…which basically means everywhere. At last check, nearly 40 health systems had given access to patients to view their medical records on their iPhones, a big increase from the initial 12 health systems that had signed before the company announced in January.

This was soon followed by the announcement that Apple would be launching its own primary care clinics, called AC Wellness, to address the needs of its more than 120,000 employees. The clinics were supposed to open in the spring, and some 40 staff have already been hired in anticipation, including several former Stanford Health Care employees.

Needless to say technology will play a big part in AC Wellness’ offerings. According to CNBC sources, it is expected that Apple will use its new clinics not only treat its staff but to “test out its growing range of health services and products.” These new ventures come as part of a natural progression in Apple’s years of experience with its Health app and Apple Watch. It firmly places this comparatively trusted company in a good position to help disrupt healthcare’s growing market.

Related: Apple's Health Tech Takes Early Lead Among Top Hospitals

Dr. Google diagnoses what’s wrong with healthcare.

It is virtually (yes, I went there) impossible to determine how deeply Google is involved in the healthcare space. Over the years, Google has created, funded and/or partnered on a variety of health-related projects, with different degrees of success…Google Glass, anyone? But one thing is clear -- it is committed to changing the future of healthcare for the better.

As part of this effort, in 2009 it launched Google Ventures, the venture capital arm of Alphabet, Inc. The fund currently has about $2.4 billion to spend and has made investments in at least 300 companies, frequently related to the areas of genomics, biotechnology and cell therapy. Its growing interest is most clearly evidenced by its spending. In 2012 and 2013 the fund invested only 9 percent of its capital in healthcare companies, but that number quickly jumped to 36 percent in 2014.

Google’s commitment was further demonstrated with the 2015 founding of Verily, formerly part of Google X. With an understated yet powerful mission statement “to make the world's health data useful so that people enjoy healthier lives,” the company has taken on many of the world’s most critical health challenges both on its own and with partners. From sensors to health platforms to precision medicine, the company is seeking to “transform the way healthcare is delivered.”

And if all of that wasn’t enough, between 2013 and 2017, Alphabet filed 186 healthcare patents. So don’t be surprised that when you google healthcare, “Google” appears at the top of your results.

Related: Google Is Interested in Your Health, But Deterred by Regulations

Facebook

Facebook’s entry into the healthcare space has been perhaps the most uneven and seemingly secretive of all the “Big 4.” Though it is clearly determined not to miss this opportunity, its results haven’t always been positive.

In the last few months, the company had been said to be talking to several major hospitals, including Stanford Medical School and American College of Cardiology, about working on a data-sharing agreement. The idea was to share anonymized data that Facebook would match against its user data to help the hospitals determine which patients might be in need of special care or treatment.

Though potentially useful for patients, the project posed potential new, unwelcomed questions about Facebook’s collection and use of user data, in the wake of the recent Cambridge Analytica scandal. It never made it out of the planning phases.

Prior to this, Facebook used its vast platform for healthcare projects from genomic testing to public health. It provided an app for the University of Michigan’s genetic testing program through the University of Michigan, called “Genes for Good.” It sent medical reminders and encouragement from clinicians and peers to teens with asthma — with the participants showing marked improvement. And it helped develop patient communities around specific conditions and supported organ and blood donation programs like Social Blood.

While it’s not clear what the future holds for Facebook in the healthcare space, given the public’s concern around its data privacy issues, it is clear that the company is actively exploring opportunities and has been said to be working on new initiatives in its "Building 8" experiment projects group.

The Prognosis

While this is by no means a complete list of what is being planned and/or implemented by these ubiquitous tech giants, it’s a good indication of their intention and ability to change healthcare as we know it. Undoubtedly, there are pluses and minuses to having them as intricately involved in our health as they are in other aspects of our lives -- only time will tell.

Over the past few years, we’ve seen them seize and capitalize on opportunities, often creating solutions beyond our wildest dreams…and, at times, our greatest nightmares. Within all this, it’s important to note that we are talking about our health and health information …and there’s rarely an opportunity for an upgrade or a reboot for either.

[jessette20]

Walmart Social Media Policy

Social media is officially part of the business environment.

Your customers expect you to be active online and available to answer any questions they have and your employees are already visiting social channels on a daily basis. 47% of employees now use social networks to connect with customers. This is a number that’s consistently growing thanks to trends like omnichannel customer service and employee advocacy.

Unfortunately, in a world where everyone is connected, one poorly timed, or poorly worded message could destroy your brand reputation.

Giving your staff free reign over their social media presence puts your entire company at risk. Yet, while Pew Research Center suggests that 74% of adults are on social media, it also indicates that 73% of companies lack a social media policy.

It’s time to fix the gap.

What is a company social media policy?

A social media policy is your business code of conduct, letting people in your organization know how to act on social media.

Many organizations make the mistake of waiting until they’ve already faced a PR disaster to put a policy in place. However, setting a strategy up in advance protects you from dealing with those problems, to begin with.

A well-crafted social media policy:

Defends against security risks and legal issues: Social media presents complicated considerations for things like privacy law. Fortunately, robust social media policies outline the dangers of sharing online and keep your employees out of trouble.

Empowers your staff: Social media policies allow you to unlock all the benefits of employee advocacy, without putting your brand credibility at risk. A plan is a critical advocacy tool, giving your people the guidance they need to accurately represent your organization online.

Protects your brand: Your social media policy ensures that whenever someone interacts with your company online, either through a brand channel or an employee, they get the same consistent experience. This develops a more reliable, trustworthy identity for your company, turning customers into loyal fans and ambassadors.

At a minimum, every social media policy should include details about:

Sharing proprietary or confidential company information

Posting defamatory, derogatory, or inflammatory content.

Posting information or pictures that imply illegal conduct.

Beyond those basic rules, here are some of the other components to cover in a social media policy:

1.     Clarify who can speak for your company on social media

The first thing any policy should do is explain who can speak on behalf of your business online. When it comes to social media policy examples, Walmart has a comprehensive set of guidelines. The retail company states that no regular employee should answer customer complains or questions directed towards the company.

While these kinds of rules might seem restrictive, it’s often best for larger companies to err on the side of caution.

The degree of freedom you give your staff will depend on the nature of your business. If you do allow your people to offer advice to customers, it’s a good idea to train them on things like:

Brand guidelines: How to talk about your products, services and company.

Etiquette: How to respond to comments from customers (tone of voice, attitude, etc.)

Confidentiality: Which details should absolutely not be shared on social media.

Consequences: What will happen if they fail to use social media correctly.

2.     Provide a plan for dealing with conflict

It’s easy for conflict to escalate quickly on social media. The way that public sentiment on these channels rapidly changes means that small problems quickly snowball if not dealt with appropriately. If someone leaves a negative comment about your brand online, or you find yourself dealing with a disagreement, make sure your employees know how to respond.

For some businesses, the best option will be to direct the situation towards specific members of staff trained to deal with PR matters and conflict resolution. You may have members of your team responsible for:

Crisis response

Message approval

Customer service

PR management

Social engagement

Alternatively, you may just have a list of rules to follow within your company social media policy. The most important thing to remind your employees is that whatever they say on social media, they’re representing the company – even when on their personal accounts.

An excellent way to make sure that conflicts are always handled properly from the start is to set up pre-approved responses to common issues in a social media management platform like Sprout Social. These responses let your customers know that you’re aware of their concern and direct them towards the right person to resolve the problem. You can even use Sprout’s social listening to ensure you’re the first to know when someone says something negative about your brand. The faster you’re aware of a problem, the easier it is to fix it before the fire spreads.

3.     Include personal account guidelines in your social media policy

You may not be able to control everything your employees do and say on their personal social media accounts. However, it’s important to show them why their behavior on personal profiles affects your company and how they can avoid conflict.

Regardless of whether your staff members are actively speaking for you, the world will always see them as a reflection of your brand. If your employees are acting questionably online, this raises suspicion about your business too. Use your company social media policy to outline basic expectations about how your people should behave. For instance, they need to:

Check their facts

Respect the law (including copyright law)

Avoid saying negative things about your brand or other companies

It’s also a good idea to include a disclaimer on personal accounts that reminds your customers that your employee is an individual and not a spokesperson for your organization. For instance, Best Buy’s social media policy reminds team members to state that all of their posts are their own.

By separating themselves from their employees’ opinions, Best Buy reduces their risk of a PR nightmare.

4.     Consider potential legal risks

There are many risks involved with using social media. The larger your team is, the more amplified those risks become. Your social media policy must provide clear guidelines on how to handle sensitive areas, particularly regarding the law and industry regulations. Make sure your policy covers:

How to credit sources: Where did the information your employee is sharing come from? Crediting images and other information is crucial.

Privacy and disclosure procedures: Let your employees know which information is considered confidential, such as customer information.

Disclaimers: Let your staff know what a disclaimer means when they use it online. As the City of Edmonton outlines in their social media guidelines, even if someone states that their opinions are their own, they’ll still be seen as a representative of the city by the public.

Regulatory challenges: Certain industries like finance, government, healthcare and so on have specific regulatory obstacles. Outline any rules that may be associated with your industry.

Dell’s social media policy includes a series of rules for employees, including 3: Follow the Law, Follow the Code of Conduct.

5.     Keep your employees (and brand) secure

Finally, social media is a common resource for criminals and scammers. It’s essential for your social media policy to include guidelines that protect your employees and your company. Whether it’s defending against phishing scams or ransomware attacks, make sure that everyone in your organization is vigilant about online protection.

Include guidelines in your company social media policy that cover:

How to create secure passwords and set up two-factor authentication for brand and personal social media accounts.

How to keep software updated and devices secure.

How to identify potential social media risks and attacks

How to respond if a security breach takes place.

For social media policy examples that take security seriously, look at Intel. The computer company separates their policy into five separate parts, including sections for protecting trade secrets, disclosing information and using common sense for security.

The safer your employees are with their social media actions, the more secure your business becomes.

Implementing your social media policy

As powerful as social media is for your brand, it’s not always easy to use.

For years, organizations avoided the complexity of things like compliance and security on social media, by encouraging their teams to stay away from social media entirely. Unfortunately, that’s no longer an option for most brands. Even if you could avoid social media, the chances are you won’t want to. After all, employee advocacy delivers up to 1,000 times more traffic for your business.

Social media in the workplace doesn’t have to be a terrifying thing. All you need to do is put the right time and effort into developing a social media policy that works.

Your employees are already active on social channels and they have the power to deliver incredible results for your company. Give them the freedom to support your business with the right set of guidelines.

This post Your guide to creating a social media policy originally appeared on Sprout Social.

from http://bit.ly/2NRDeHp

[minnievirizarry]

Your guide to creating a social media policy

Social media is officially part of the business environment.

Your customers expect you to be active online and available to answer any questions they have and your employees are already visiting social channels on a daily basis. 47% of employees now use social networks to connect with customers. This is a number that’s consistently growing thanks to trends like omnichannel customer service and employee advocacy.

Unfortunately, in a world where everyone is connected, one poorly timed, or poorly worded message could destroy your brand reputation.

Giving your staff free reign over their social media presence puts your entire company at risk. Yet, while Pew Research Center suggests that 74% of adults are on social media, it also indicates that 73% of companies lack a social media policy.

It’s time to fix the gap.

What is a company social media policy?

A social media policy is your business code of conduct, letting people in your organization know how to act on social media.

Many organizations make the mistake of waiting until they’ve already faced a PR disaster to put a policy in place. However, setting a strategy up in advance protects you from dealing with those problems, to begin with.

A well-crafted social media policy:

Defends against security risks and legal issues: Social media presents complicated considerations for things like privacy law. Fortunately, robust social media policies outline the dangers of sharing online and keep your employees out of trouble.

Empowers your staff: Social media policies allow you to unlock all the benefits of employee advocacy, without putting your brand credibility at risk. A plan is a critical advocacy tool, giving your people the guidance they need to accurately represent your organization online.

Protects your brand: Your social media policy ensures that whenever someone interacts with your company online, either through a brand channel or an employee, they get the same consistent experience. This develops a more reliable, trustworthy identity for your company, turning customers into loyal fans and ambassadors.

At a minimum, every social media policy should include details about:

Sharing proprietary or confidential company information

Posting defamatory, derogatory, or inflammatory content.

Posting information or pictures that imply illegal conduct.

Beyond those basic rules, here are some of the other components to cover in a social media policy:

1.     Clarify who can speak for your company on social media

The first thing any policy should do is explain who can speak on behalf of your business online. When it comes to social media policy examples, Walmart has a comprehensive set of guidelines. The retail company states that no regular employee should answer customer complains or questions directed towards the company.

While these kinds of rules might seem restrictive, it’s often best for larger companies to err on the side of caution.

The degree of freedom you give your staff will depend on the nature of your business. If you do allow your people to offer advice to customers, it’s a good idea to train them on things like:

Brand guidelines: How to talk about your products, services and company.

Etiquette: How to respond to comments from customers (tone of voice, attitude, etc.)

Confidentiality: Which details should absolutely not be shared on social media.

Consequences: What will happen if they fail to use social media correctly.

2.     Provide a plan for dealing with conflict

It’s easy for conflict to escalate quickly on social media. The way that public sentiment on these channels rapidly changes means that small problems quickly snowball if not dealt with appropriately. If someone leaves a negative comment about your brand online, or you find yourself dealing with a disagreement, make sure your employees know how to respond.

For some businesses, the best option will be to direct the situation towards specific members of staff trained to deal with PR matters and conflict resolution. You may have members of your team responsible for:

Crisis response

Message approval

Customer service

PR management

Social engagement

Alternatively, you may just have a list of rules to follow within your company social media policy. The most important thing to remind your employees is that whatever they say on social media, they’re representing the company – even when on their personal accounts.

An excellent way to make sure that conflicts are always handled properly from the start is to set up pre-approved responses to common issues in a social media management platform like Sprout Social. These responses let your customers know that you’re aware of their concern and direct them towards the right person to resolve the problem. You can even use Sprout’s social listening to ensure you’re the first to know when someone says something negative about your brand. The faster you’re aware of a problem, the easier it is to fix it before the fire spreads.

3.     Include personal account guidelines in your social media policy

You may not be able to control everything your employees do and say on their personal social media accounts. However, it’s important to show them why their behavior on personal profiles affects your company and how they can avoid conflict.

Regardless of whether your staff members are actively speaking for you, the world will always see them as a reflection of your brand. If your employees are acting questionably online, this raises suspicion about your business too. Use your company social media policy to outline basic expectations about how your people should behave. For instance, they need to:

Check their facts

Respect the law (including copyright law)

Avoid saying negative things about your brand or other companies

It’s also a good idea to include a disclaimer on personal accounts that reminds your customers that your employee is an individual and not a spokesperson for your organization. For instance, Best Buy’s social media policy reminds team members to state that all of their posts are their own.

By separating themselves from their employees’ opinions, Best Buy reduces their risk of a PR nightmare.

4.     Consider potential legal risks

There are many risks involved with using social media. The larger your team is, the more amplified those risks become. Your social media policy must provide clear guidelines on how to handle sensitive areas, particularly regarding the law and industry regulations. Make sure your policy covers:

How to credit sources: Where did the information your employee is sharing come from? Crediting images and other information is crucial.

Privacy and disclosure procedures: Let your employees know which information is considered confidential, such as customer information.

Disclaimers: Let your staff know what a disclaimer means when they use it online. As the City of Edmonton outlines in their social media guidelines, even if someone states that their opinions are their own, they’ll still be seen as a representative of the city by the public.

Regulatory challenges: Certain industries like finance, government, healthcare and so on have specific regulatory obstacles. Outline any rules that may be associated with your industry.

Dell’s social media policy includes a series of rules for employees, including 3: Follow the Law, Follow the Code of Conduct.

5.     Keep your employees (and brand) secure

Finally, social media is a common resource for criminals and scammers. It’s essential for your social media policy to include guidelines that protect your employees and your company. Whether it’s defending against phishing scams or ransomware attacks, make sure that everyone in your organization is vigilant about online protection.

Include guidelines in your company social media policy that cover:

How to create secure passwords and set up two-factor authentication for brand and personal social media accounts.

How to keep software updated and devices secure.

How to identify potential social media risks and attacks

How to respond if a security breach takes place.

For social media policy examples that take security seriously, look at Intel. The computer company separates their policy into five separate parts, including sections for protecting trade secrets, disclosing information and using common sense for security.

The safer your employees are with their social media actions, the more secure your business becomes.

Implementing your social media policy

As powerful as social media is for your brand, it’s not always easy to use.

For years, organizations avoided the complexity of things like compliance and security on social media, by encouraging their teams to stay away from social media entirely. Unfortunately, that’s no longer an option for most brands. Even if you could avoid social media, the chances are you won’t want to. After all, employee advocacy delivers up to 1,000 times more traffic for your business.

Social media in the workplace doesn’t have to be a terrifying thing. All you need to do is put the right time and effort into developing a social media policy that works.

Your employees are already active on social channels and they have the power to deliver incredible results for your company. Give them the freedom to support your business with the right set of guidelines.

This post Your guide to creating a social media policy originally appeared on Sprout Social.

from SM Tips By Minnie https://sproutsocial.com/insights/social-media-policy/

[theconservativebrief]

Last week, a Pennsylvania grand jury released a report detailing the extent of child sex abuse allegations by Catholic priests in six of the state’s eight dioceses. The report estimated more than 300 priests across the state abused at least 1,000 known victims, and it condemned the wider clerical culture that allowed senior priests to turn a blind eye to the abuses, often quietly shuffling offending priests into new dioceses, where they would have unfettered access to new victims.

The allegations pointed to a systemic culture of secrecy in the Catholic Church, and implicated a number of church officials — including Archbishop Donald Wuerl of Washington, DC — in the cover-up.

The Vatican has called the content of the allegations, “criminal and morally reprehensible,” adding, “those acts were betrayals of trust that robbed survivors of their dignity and their faith. The church must learn hard lessons from its past, and there should be accountability for both abusers and those who permitted abuse to occur.” Pope Francis has also issued a striking personal apology, saying “we showed no care for the little ones.”

But one of the most pressing questions the release of the report has raised: Why now? This latest report comes 16 years after the initial wave of child sex abuse allegations rocked the Catholic Church in America. In 2002, the Boston Globe’s reporting into sex abuse, and its cover-up, in the Boston area kindled a wider reckoning within the Catholic Church in the US, and exposed both widespread abuse and systemic secrecy across the country.

New policy was since established requiring clergy to turn over all reports of sexual abuse to police, and a report was commissioned on the extent of the abuse. And yet, decades-old allegations are still coming out in 2018. So why are we still learning about how massive the system that has kept this abuse a secret? The answer is complicated, and speaks as much as to the sheer scope of the crisis itself, as it does to the change in culture that is allowing these cases to come to light.

Most of the allegations in the Pennsylvania report are decades old, predating the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) 2002 Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, more commonly known as the Dallas Charter. Under this system of reforms, which followed the Globe’s reporting, the USCCB now mandates church leaders to report instances of abuse to law enforcement, rather than handle the abuse among leaders. With these reforms, the peak of allegations also predate a general cultural shift in the US Catholic Church.

Matt Haverstick, an attorney at Philadelphia-based Kleinbard, LLC, which represents two of the dioceses named in the report — Harrisburg and Greensburg — told Vox that abuse cases have dropped precipitously since the 1970s and 80s, and even more so since 2002.(The grand jury report data notes that the bulk of the cases listed happened before the 2000s.)

Additionally, he said, “the Church is out of the investigative business.” Now law enforcement, and not internal church bureaucracies, investigate any allegations of abuse. he told Vox. “They pass these [cases] off to law enforcement and let law enforcement take the first crack at deciding what happened before the church will even touch it.”

David Gibson, head of the Fordham University Center for Religion and Culture, and a longtime writer on Catholic issues, concurred. The material, he says, is a vital “historical record” of a time of intense abuse and corruption within the church, that is important to make public. But Gibson says it’s important to note that the culture described in the report shouldn’t necessarily be conflated with the Church’s policies or approach today, or indeed, of the past 18 years. “The grand jury report actually shows how the system has worked,” he says, referring to the Dallas Charter and a wider cultural shift.

Earlier this summer, then-Cardinal Theodore McCarrick experienced a public fall from grace after victims went on record with the New York Times about abuse they experienced as minors and as seminarians under his tutelage. While none of McCarrick’s accusers explicitly cited the #MeToo movement as impetus for their coming forward, the change in the cultural climate for those who raise allegations of abuse has made speaking out less difficult than it once was.

Gibson says the timing of the McCarrick case and the Pennsylvania revelations has led to a new reckoning with the enormity and legacy of the Catholic sex abuse scandal.

“There’s a ‘perfect storm’ element to this whole thing,” Gibson told Vox in a telephone interview. “The Pennsylvania grand jury report was two years in the making and it happened to come out just as the reports about Cardinal McCarrick came out, which were totally unrelated. And it also comes out at a time when we have social media, which amplifies these things.” Gibson also cited the spread of allegations in other countries like Chile, where the entire group of Chilean bishops resigned over the handling — and alleged cover-ups — of child sex abuse.

Gibson said discontent over Pope Francis’s leadership among conservative Catholics also has galvanized some to speak out more forcefully, despite conservatives traditionally being more protective of the church as an institution.

Massimo Faggioli, a professor of theology at Villanova University, argues that conservative Catholics are more vocal than usual in demanding accountability from church leaders because they see the crisis as a chance to push back as what they see as the influence of Vatican II, the formative 1962-65 council that conservatives see as moving the church in a too “modern,” less orthodox direction. Some conservatives may be more willing to express discontent with church structure — and advocate for reform — than they might have been under a more conservative pope.

“Some see the opportunity to reform the Church from abuses as a counter-revolution … against the Church of Vatican II itself,” Faggioli told Vox in an email, “something that would not have been imaginable under … John Paul II.”

But the timing of the Pennsylvania report itself speaks less to a specific change in culture of believing abuse victims than it does the catastrophically slow turning of the cogs in the Catholic bureaucratic machine, and the sheer scope of the crisis.

The grand jury investigation involved the subpoenaing of a staggering half-million pages of reports from dioceses and churches over two years. Many of the priests implicated are retired or dead. And because dioceses operate relatively autonomously, the sheer amount of legwork involved to centralize that information, and process what is essentially a huge backlog of data, is huge.

The political will — and ability — do to that kind of legwork is relatively rare.

As Gibson, pointed out, the very nature of the kind of grand jury report we see in the Pennsylvania case is atypical. Only a few states have provisions for this kind of investigative work before any criminal charges are filed, of which Pennsylvania is one. In that state, the prosecutor’s office has the authority to commission grand jury investigations before filing charges, often in cases that involve widespread corruption or conspiracy (such as the Jerry Sandusky sex abuse case at Penn State, which was also investigated by grand jury).

And the political climate of recent years has made this kind of grand jury operation less of a risk for prosecutors. ”Twenty years ago it would have been political suicide to investigate the Catholic Church [in Pennsylvania],” Gibson says. “Now it’s a political résumé-builder to do an investigation like this.”

The church’s own reluctance to publicize its own findings also played a part, Gibson said. Some of the named priests attempted to stop the release of the grand jury’s findings, which led to the report being partially redacted. Furthermore, only a minority of churches have preemptively listed the names of implicated clergy.

“The dioceses in Pennsylvania did not want to publicly list all of those who had allegations … there was no push by the church to do it,” Gibson said. In part, he said, this reluctance was due to the age of the allegations — most of the offenders were retired or dead, and nearly all were beyond the statute of limitations.

The lessons of the Pennsylvania report are manyfold. On the one hand, the report speaks to the sheer scope and scale of the crimes committed, and the difficulty — and necessity — of centralizing myriad accounts of abuse, even decades after the fact. It also reveals the relative reluctance of the church to make public its internal failings: While individual dioceses named priests using available church documents, the church as a whole has failed to do so.

Perhaps the greatest challenge ahead will be instituting a church culture that not only takes the accounts of victims seriously, but also has protocols to deal with wider structural failings.

As James Martin, a Jesuit priest and Catholic commentator, told Vox: “The Dallas reforms are extremely stringent, and make it clear that any priest credibly accused of any sort of abuse is removed from ministry immediately. So there should be, at this point, no priest with any credible accusation against him in active ministry. But the missing link is how bishops who have covered up these crimes are treated.”

The Dallas reforms have no protocol for how to deal with those who looked the other way. Those implicated in cover-ups, such as Donald Wuerl, remain in positions of clerical authority.

Ultimately, however, the greatest lesson of the Pennsylvania report is the importance of centralizing varied narratives of abuse, both for the church to take responsibility for its history and to move forward. As Gibson puts it, “In many ways, this whole scandal demonstrates the power of storytelling and the importance of storytelling and giving shape and weight to all these accusations. It’s important to get the historical record out there, and the Catholic Church in the United States has not been good enough at doing that.”

Original Source -> New Catholic sex abuse allegations show how long justice can take in a 16-year scandal

via The Conservative Brief

[raiseveganus]

Coping with Vystopia as a Parent

Vystopia is a term that describes the pain and anguish experienced by a vegan, as a result of witnessing the non-vegan world’s collusion and enabling of animal cruelty and exploitation.

As adults, we are affected by the frustration and misery of living as vegans in a non-vegan world. Adults though, for the most part, have developed support networks and social skills which may only require fine-tuning in order to survive daily. Children are still developing a sense of self, and along with more limited social networks and communication skills, may require a higher level of support when dealing with vystopia.

As parents, it can be stressful helping our children maintain veganism as well as deal with the emotional repercussions of living in a non-vegan world.

______________________________________________________________________________  WANT YOUR MAGAZINE IN PRINT? GET IT FOR UNDER $4 A MONTH RAISEVEGAN.STORE ______________________________________________________________________________ 

The challenges faced will vary depending on the children’s ages, and where they are along the continuum of vegan experience.  There may be issues with family, childcare facilities or schools with regard to adhering to a vegan diet, in addition to the emotional aspects of vystopia.

Issues such as respect and understanding come to the forefront of this experience, particularly with older vegan children.

When families and educational or care facilities aren’t vegan friendly, parents and their children face difficulties with inclusion. Questions arise as to whether or not non-vegan family and caretakers will be willing to provide plant-based options at visits, parties, or outings.

For the parents (or expectant parents) of a vegan child, dealing with family and caretakers predominantly involves clear communication and (polite) assertiveness. Having good social support along with well-refined communication skills may be enough to ensure your children’s veganism is respected.

With older children such as teenagers, matters are further complicated by issues such as socialization and self identity The parents of a vegan teenager may require additional  resources for help and advice to ensure their children are supported through any level of vystopia.

______________________________________________________________________________  WANT YOUR MAGAZINE IN PRINT? GET IT FOR UNDER $4 A MONTH RAISEVEGAN.STORE ______________________________________________________________________________ 

The Continuum of Experience

For an adult with vystopia, life can be infuriating as those around us appear indifferent to the truth. As a teenager, these feelings can be even more intense; at this crucial stage of growth they are forming a sense of self-identity, while simultaneously juggling strong feelings and social awkwardness.

The experience of a parent with a vegan child will be strongly dependent on how your child feels about being vegan, and how deeply they are affected by vystopia.

At one end of the spectrum, the young person has recently discovered what animal cruelty is, or has otherwise made a connection between the animals they love and what they eat. At this stage as a parent you may be concerned about adequate nutrition and may even be confronted by the school or care facility about feeding your child. Parents may also be worried that your child will face marginalization at school or exclusion from group activities involving food.

At the other end of the spectrum is a child who is so distressed about their discovery of animal abuse and general cruelty around the world, that they become suicidal. As they have internalized their pain, they see no hope for the future, and they show hatred for anyone or anything that is related to animal abuse. In turn, they also display anger at any connections with humanitarian or environmental abuse.

A parent with a child showing such emotional upheaval will require deeper levels of communication and support to help the child through severe vystopia.

Teenagers Who Love Animals

If you are a parent whose child has become vegan for the love of animals, congratulations. Your child is showing they are a compassionate and loving human being.

However, it can be challenging when a parent or other siblings are not vegan. Vegan teens who are upset that others don’t see animal suffering can become frustrated at others’ indifference, and can display anger and develop depression as a result.

Children under 12 seem to talk more openly about veganism and are more likely to involve themselves in activism. Teenagers, however, may experience the pain of alienation, and view their friends’ interests in shopping, fashion, and flirting as superficial or trivial. This can become a point of friction in social circles, where issues such as the need to belong and the need for self-expression may collide.

The Cynical Teen

Still, at the lower end of distress, teens who display cynicism and anger at non-vegans need plenty of emotional support. Although they are passionate about changing the world, they can be quickly discouraged by the seemingly glacial pace of progress.

These teenagers require support in identifying, labeling, and communicating their emotions, as well as reassurance that non-vegan individuals aren’t necessarily bad people. Helping teens through this stage of vystopia means explaining that people learn and become aware in different ways.

It’s worth discussing the bigger picture, such as how society is duped into certain beliefs regarding animal welfare and health. Encourage teenagers to recognize they can be part of the solution in creating positive change.

Young people at this stage of experience may benefit from homeschooling, in order to prevent social isolation as the only vegan in class. They will also require lots of help when it comes to negotiating complex social situations, as well as external support such as communication training and by counselling.

Severe Vystopia

At this end of the vystopian experience, a young person is so distressed and anguished that they may be suicidal. They see no point in living, as the world appears to be going to hell.

This person just wants the pain to stop, and yet feels guilty that they would not be able to stay and help the animals. It is a serious situation, and requires deep compassion and understanding from parents.

As explained in my book “Vystopia”, parents of these children can help by assisting them in exploring and understanding their own pain. By navigating the pain, these young people will be better equipped to make positive changes for both themselves and the animals.

It can be so hard to adopt self-care strategies and learn better communication, but remind the young person that these steps can create better collaboration and a push towards a vegan world.

With a teenager in the middle range of the experience, professional support is recommended along with plenty of empathy and by in making the necessary changes.

How to Help Your Child Navigate Through Vystopia

Encourage and facilitate self-care

One of the most effective things a vegan can do is lead by example. People are naturally drawn to healthy, positive role models, and by maintaining great nutrition and a positive outlook, vegans become a strong affirmation for the movement. The act of self-care means a vegan has more energy and resources with which to be a voice for the animals. It’s hard to give from an empty cup, and nourishing both the mind and body is crucial for general well-being. Some options for self-care may include a whole-food, plant-based diet, along with social sports and exercise, meditation, and networking with other vegans for support. For those struggling with severe vystopia, it’s wise to extend the support network to vegan-friendly counselors, psychologists, and nutritionists for professional advice.

Don’t be afraid to educate your child about veganism

Age doesn’t preclude the accumulation of knowledge (however, age-appropriate material is important), and the more facts a vegan has on hand, the more prepared a person can be. With a good understanding of veganism, along with accurate information, a vegan can more easily discuss questions typically asked by non-vegans.

Teach your child exquisite communication skills

Veganism is an emotive topic and it’s easy to get angry and frustrated when dealing with common issues of ignorance, teasing, or nitpicking from non-vegans. This can include other parents and school teachers as well. Often, questions and challenges raised by non-vegans is a result of their feeling confronted and judged about their own lifestyle choices. By learning to remain open-minded and calm, vegans may open the door to a respectful conversation, instead of always feeling defensive. Encourage your child to listen carefully to what others are asking, and to ask questions for clarification instead of making assumptions. In reducing misunderstandings this way, it’s easier for a vegan to get to the crux of a matter, rather than dealing with quarrelsome individuals.

Foster a strong sense of community

Whether a vegan activist group, a bunch of potluck dinners, or a plant-powered soccer team, engaging with the vegan community is a powerful way for both children and parents to connect with like-minded people.

The support gained from by being around those who “get it” can make a huge difference in self-confidence and self-esteem. It can also supply you and your child with more tools and information with which to approach the non-vegan world, as well as potentially benefiting the animals too.

Just as parents are navigating the convoluted path of veganism in a non-vegan world, so too are our children. It’s hard enough dealing with vystopia as an adult, let alone helping children to deal with people and experiences which can be so triggering.

Each of the tools and skills listed here are equally applicable to adults, and may in fact put vegan parents in a credible position. In leading by example as parents, children may be better supported and empowered in their own lives.

These tools are discussed in more detail in “Vystopia”, and may be of assistance for parents in coping themselves, as well as supporting their children.

The continuum of experience for a child with vystopia may progress , when there is little to no support in place. With such a build-up of emotion and a lesser developed coping ability, children and teens require ample emotional and practical support growing up, let alone growing up as a vegan in a non-vegan world.

Being a vegan child or teenager presents its own unique set of social and ethical challenges, and requires assistance from parents, professionals, and community in order to prevent or cope with the deep distress of vystopia. By caring for your own well-being as a parent, as well as providing appropriate support for your children, you can demonstrate a healthy vegan lifestyle along with creating a generation of empowered and confident children.

Clare Mann is a vegan psychologist, author ,and communications trainer. She is the author of the book, “Vystopia: The Anguish of Being Vegan in a Non-Vegan World”, which was launched worldwide on May 17, 2018 and can be obtained via http://vystopia.com , and the co-founder of Vegan Voices, a FREE app to help you communicate veganism more effectively: http://vegan-voices.com.

The post Coping with Vystopia as a Parent appeared first on Raise Vegan.

source https://raisevegan.com/coping-with-vystopia-as-a-parent/

[cryptochurp]

Bitcoin Tracker Chainalysis in Dutch Court as Fight for Data Privacy Gets Hotter

As Facebook, Google, Amazon and Twitter struggle to contain the data collection scandal that only continues to deepen, the cryptocurrency sector has been dragged into the overall debate. Now a Dutch court has allowed the use of controversial blockchain forensics software by Chainalysis in a money laundering prosecution. We take a look at this case, and how it sits on the broader battlefield for your privacy.

Also see: Linux Foundation Adds More Blockchain Companies to Its Ranks

Join the Bitsonline Telegram channel to get the latest Bitcoin, cryptocurrency, and tech news updates: https://t.me/bitsonline

For privacy advocates, the social media news is not new. The long list of terms and conditions required for a Facebook or Google account has always been controversial, as it allows the social media giants to collect and track all kinds of personal data while also giving third party applications similar access — for a price.

In essence, every call, message, photo, tag, Like, place you’ve been, group you’ve supported and search you’ve ever made is mined for profit, adding up to a treasure trove of metadata that can be used for a multitude of purposes.

Near-anonymity and privacy of transaction was one of the founding tenets of Bitcoin. While the blockchain allows all transactions to be publicly verified, they are not linked to identities, only addresses, giving users a degree of anonymity that was initially misinterpreted as being foolproof. Now it is widely understood that Bitcoin is only pseudo-anonymous and keeping it that way requires some strategy by individual users.

For governments of the world, being able to freely transact in an anonymous way is anathema to tax collection. The narrative surrounding Bitcoin quickly became about drug dealers, tax evaders and money launderers using an evil software program to commit their dirty deeds.

The Rise of Chainalysis and the Blockchain Forensics Industry

From this, in 2014, Chainalyisis — “the leading provider of Anti-Money Laundering software for Bitcoin” — was born, designed to forensically trace bitcoins through the blockchain and “track, apprehend, and convict money launderers and cyber criminals.”

Often maligned and controversial to many in the community, the company works with Europol and other international law enforcement agencies, such as those in the Netherlands who are using the Chainalysis software against a defendant charged with money laundering.

The unnamed defendant has been accused of acting as a middleman in the sale of bitcoins for cash, advertising his services on P2P trading platform LocalBitcoins. Police say the man would receive BTC from the client, sell them using his personal account on an exchange, withdraw the proceeds to his bank account and then transfer the cash to the client, minus a fee.

The service was meant to provide a measure of anonymity to the client.

The police used a combination of the defendant’s Telegram and Twitter messages to discern the methods used to conduct this service, and once established, they moved onto characterizing the defendant by relating the bitcoins sold to the illicit darkweb drug dealing scene, using Chainalytics to track the ‘tainted’ coins.

It was deduced that over half the coins had been used in darknet purchases only a few ‘hops’ previously.

Validity of Blockchain Evidence Challenged

The case highlights the increasing usage of data analysis in cryptocurrency related cases, but also the first time a defense attorney has challenged the validity of Chainalysis’ evidence.

Ah, finally a case where the defendants lawyer explicitly calls out @chainalysis for being inadmissible evidence due to lack of methodological transparency.

Judge reverses burden of evidence; suspect needs to disprove chainalysis conclusion, somehow… https://t.co/R6QiFMZ3Hj

— Sjors Provoost (@provoost) March 31, 2018

The defense argued that due to the non transparent nature of Chainalysis’s methodology, the evidence may well be flawed and therefore non-admissible in court. They stated that due to this opacity, the defense did not have opportunity to validate or analyze the claims made, or test the program for such things as false positives.

Somewhat controversially, the judge ruled against the defense, stating [translation] “there are other research programs with which the origin of the bitcoins could be investigated. Counsel has not attempted to compare the outcome of Chainalysis with such a different research program … The court therefore assumes the correctness of these results.”

This effectively meant the police could use an unexamined piece of software that no-one other than the prosecution had access to.

It gets worse. Since Chainalysis doesn’t offer a public service, the defense can’t even demonstrate false positives to the judge.

They also don’t disclose their data sources, so can’t rule out inadmissible evidence, based on which suspect could be convicted indirectly.

— Sjors Provoost (@provoost) March 31, 2018

Echoing the social media drama, the use of blockchain analysis tools raises some interesting questions about the legality of the data Chainalysis collects. @nopara73, Bitcoin developer and creator of HiddenWallet, believes that the legality is questionable.

Is blockchain analysis even legal? Private entities are mining metadata on millions of people's financial history, not only without any permission from the users, with users explicitly against it.

— nopara73 (@nopara73) March 31, 2018

While it is clear that many bitcoin users wish to maintain their financial privacy, they do willingly transact on a public blockchain. Using an exchange or wallet service complicates the matter, as users must specifically agree to their terms and conditions.

If you are worried about the data your exchange provides to third parties read the TOS and determine what is legal or not. But assume it will get shared at one point or another.

Any info read from a public Blockchain that anyone can download is fair game

— Paul (@paul_btc) March 31, 2018

@nopara mentioned that he has never given Chainalysis permission to collect his wallet provider’s Bloom filter (which enhances privacy) but @paul_btc noted that the issue lies with Bread Wallet and not Chainalysis:

The TOS you are interested in is the breadwallet one not the chainanalysis. If breadwallet is giving information of you they shouldn’t that is their issue

— Paul (@paul_btc) April 1, 2018

But in light of the European area’s (EUGDPR) changes to privacy and data collection,  the rules have now changed and “the conditions for consent have been strengthened … companies will no longer be able to use long illegible terms and conditions full of legalese, as the request for consent must be given in an intelligible and easily accessible form.”

It may only be a matter of time before this is applied to exchanges and wallet providers in the Euro area.

I am thinking recently, it's probably good idea to start sending GDPR letters to blockchain analysis companies after may. At least EU based ones.

— Kristaps Kaupe (@kristapsk) April 1, 2018

Paired with the intrusive social media data collection practices, it seems the battlefield of data collection is heating up. While social media companies claim euphemistically that they only enable the data collection in order to “serve their users” better, the reality is they monetize such a plethora of data as it enables them to charge advertisers a higher rate “per ad” due to the apparent precision with which they can target a preferred demographic.

But the concern is how and where they store such information, and most importantly, who can access it.

‘Home Assistant’ Devices That Spy on You

Recent cases in the U.S. have highlighted the fragile line the collection of data straddles. The 2015 murder of Victor Collins saw police request the data from the Amazon Echo owned by the suspect. The Echo is a “home assistant” device with a microphone that can be keyword activated to follow commands and answer questions.

Amazon fought the police request citing First Amendment and privacy concerns:

“Given the important First Amendment and privacy implications at stake, the warrant should be quashed unless the Court finds that the State has met its heightened burden for compelled production of such materials.”

In this particular case, the defendant agreed for the device to be used, however his lawyer Kathleen Zellner (of Making A Murderer fame), commented that the device had been recording more than it was supposed to, and “It was just extremely sloppy the way the activation occurred.”

But now with the integration of “home assistant” products backed by slick, irreverent advertising campaigns, Google Home, Amazon Echo (Alexa) and Apple HomePod are bound to become ubiquitous in our homes. 22 percent of Americans already use one.

The convenience they provide is tempered however by privacy concerns and the fact that companies such as Amazon, Google and Facebook have lodged patents that go much further than just having the ability to tailor advertising to you.

It’s Spyware and Surveillance, Says Consumer Group

Non profit group Consumer Watchdog commented on the patents, saying “When you read parts of the applications, it’s really clear that this is spyware and a surveillance system meant to serve you up to advertisers.”

Google pushed back on the claims, calling them unfounded and saying that “Prospective product announcements should not necessarily be inferred from our patent applications.”

Facebook is rumoured to have shelved plans to introduce its own offering in this department, in light of the revelation that Cambridge Analytics had allegedly paid a researcher for millions of users’ information. The company claimed the researcher had access to the information for “academic purposes”.

In the U.S., many believe the information helped sway the 2016 elections, handing Donald Trump victory and strengthening the conservative movement’s position in the so-called “Culture Wars”.

The overall trend of harvesting the public’s personal, private information is quickly turning into a social battleground and highlights the extent to which all of our interactions on the web are being logged; liable to be used to construct a profile of us should the need arise.

Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies have not escaped the dragnet, as it seems any past engagement or communication regarding the topic on social media, to adapt a well known phrase, can and will be used against you in a court of law.

Is electronic surveillance going to change the way we live? Please share your thoughts in the comments.

Images via Pixabay, TIME, Chainalysis

The post Bitcoin Tracker Chainalysis in Dutch Court as Fight for Data Privacy Gets Hotter appeared first on Bitsonline.

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[loreneweiner]

Child Support for the Unwed

Having a child is one of the most wonderful experiences you could ever imagine, even if you are not married. But you can have some legal challenges when establishing child support if you ever decide to end your relationship. As a child custody lawyer, I’ve seen that the statistics clearly show that over 40% of births in the United States happen to unmarried couples. Although the percentage is lower in Utah, there are still 20% unwed couples that struggle with child custody and child support issues. Thankfully, you can handle important issues surrounding child custody and child support with the help of an experienced Salt Lake City child support attorney.

ESTABLISHING PATERNITY

This is one of the most important aspects to consider before creating a visitation agreement. Without establishing paternity, you can’t claim inheritance rights, financial benefits, insurance benefits and Social Security benefits. A child support order requires the father to establish parentage. In other words, the father must have a legal relationship with the child otherwise the court can’t create visitation agreements, custody, and financial arrangements.

There are two ways to establish paternity in Utah:

The father can sign a Voluntary Declaration of Paternity.

Take a paternity test if the paternity is in question.

THE MOTHER IS ALWAYS AWARDED CUSTODY

It doesn’t matter how great the father is, the unwed mother generally gains the primary custody of the child. It’s her legal and natural right after the child is born. This means her rights are far superior to the fathers and any other person in the family. However, as long as the father establishes legal paternity, he can claim his child custody or visitation rights in court. Sometimes these cases can be contentious and you may need the assistance of a Salt Lake City child support attorney.

Establishing paternity can be helpful in cases of child abandonment. If a child is not safe he or she can be immediately removed from the mother’s custody and the father can automatically gain custody. However, if the father is not listed on the birth certificate, he can’t claim these rights and the child will be sent to foster care. Also, some unwed mothers may place the children up for adoption without the father’s consent. If the father hasn’t established paternity yet, he may need to go through a complex legal process in order to claim his parental rights.

CLAIMING THE CHILD ON YOUR INCOME TAX

Only one parent can claim the child as a dependent on the tax return yet the person who claims the children can change each year. Some parents may work out a plan that will benefit more the children and the whole family. But the non-custodial parent or parent providing child support can’t claim child support on his or her taxes.

GRANDPARENTS CAN ALSO SEEK LEGAL GUARDIANSHIP

The percentage of children living with grandparents increases every year. Unfortunately, in most of these cases, grandparents don’t have legal guardianship. This can be a problematic situation leading to several legal complications, which can be solved with the help of an experienced Salt Lake City guardianship attorney.

WHY SHOULD YOU MAKE IT LEGAL?

Having a formal relationship with your grandchildren can be rewarding. If you don’t have legal custody or guardianship, the children can be taken away from you at any time. In some cases, parents are able to cut off contact between the children and grandparents. Having legal custody does not guarantee your grandchildren will stay with you forever but you will reap many legal services and benefits.

WHEN ARE THE CHILDREN LEFT IN THEIR GRANDPARENT’S CARE?

This generally happens when the parents have problems such as substance abuse. There are also parents having physical, emotional, and financial problems who may leave the children with grandparents. Courts grand custody base on the child’s best interests. It is possible for grandparents to be awarded sole custody as long as they can prove the parents are unfit for custody.

WHY SOME PARENTS CUT OFF GRANDPARENTS?

Some parents may wish to keep their children and stop all contact between grandparents and grandchildren. Some of the most common reasons for this to happen include:

Jealousy – Grandparents that spend a lot of time with the children have a good relationship with them.

Poor parenting skills – Some parents may not have the best parenting skills and they feel it is too hard to live up to their parents’ expectations.

Regret – Some parents are reminded of why they gave up their children every time they see the grandparents.

Although these are not solid reasons to cut off grandparents, some parents may feel uncomfortable with having the grandparents interfering in their children’s lives.

RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF GUARDIANS

Guardians can make decisions regarding their grandchildren’s education and healthcare. They are legally responsible for their care, including finances. If you are a grandparent seeking guardianship, it’s important you hire expert advice.

GUARDIANSHIP VS. CUSTODY

A guardianship is generally sought when one parent is disabled or can’t care for the child due to other life-altering conditions such as drug abuse. However, once the parent is ready to have the children back, the guardianship generally ends. The focus is always on the child. In other words, both grandparents and parents should think about which option best serves the children’s interests.

WHY SOME GRANDPARENTS QUIT?

It is easier to quit than to fight for your grandchildren’s well-being. If you believe your grandchildren are not being raised in a safe environment, you should contact local authorities immediately and a Salt Lake City guardianship attorney to help you gain custody of the children. Don’t let these legal matters slide before it is too late.

Free Consultation with Child Support Lawyer

If you have a question about child support or if you need to collect back child support, please call Ascent Law at (801) 676-5506. We will help you.

Ascent Law LLC8833 S. Redwood Road, Suite CWest Jordan, Utah 84088 United StatesTelephone: (801) 676-5506

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Source: http://www.ascentlawfirm.com/child-support-for-the-unwed/