#but the difference is i work in childcare its kind of a big deal that im not good at it :

[acanthemp3]

its not easy being the least qualified most incompetent employee who is always fucking up but someone has to do it 🫡

[missmentelle]

COVID-19, Inequality, and You

This pandemic has been a bad time in a lot of ways, but one of the most devastating impacts we’re going to see besides the death toll is the economic impact - the economic impact on real, working people, not on stock index numbers. Unemployment rates are skyrocketing, and people are being thrown into financial chaos as a result. 

But for all the talk we’ve heard during this pandemic of “we’re all in this together”, and “we’re all in the same boat”, it’s important to remember that, financially, we’re really, really not. Job losses, evictions and health crises are not equally distributed; if anything, this pandemic has been a stark reminder of inequality as the wealth gap grows wider and wider. 

My own life has been a weird cross-section of the ways that the pandemic has economically affected different people in very different ways - my mother has completely lost her job at a seasonal tourist restaurant that will likely go out of business, my brother’s hours at his campus security job have been cut as the school moves online, my boyfriend is seeing his savings rise as he goes out less but makes exactly the same salary at his financial tech job, and I’ve fielded multiple job offers through this pandemic as government grants for social services boom in my region in anticipation of a coming homelessness crisis.  

The news has been reporting on unemployment numbers and shuttered businesses, but there hasn’t been a lot of in-depth coverage about the ways that this is really going to affect people’s lives. There will be a lot of unexpected consequences to this pandemic if governments don’t step in to provide relief, including:

‘Eviction freezes’ are throwing tenants into debt without protecting their housing. Many places have put moratoriums on evictions during the pandemic, which is great. You don’t want a sudden surge in mass homelessness during a pandemic. But “no evictions” does not mean “no rent” - people who are currently being protected from eviction are still being charged rent, and their arrears are growing every month. As soon as eviction protections expire - which is set to happen very soon in many places - landlords can move forward with evicting tenants, going after their back rent, sending their debt to collection agencies and destroying their credit scores. 

A lot of people are about to lose most of their possessions. If you get evicted, your parents or friend might have room for you to move in with them for a while. They probably do not have room for your couch, dresser, bed, table, desk, bookshelves, TV and an entire apartment full of stuff. Putting your things in storage is an option, but you need to be able to pack and transport all of your things to the storage unit and pay for the unit every month. You could try selling the stuff you can’t take with you, but it may be difficult with so many other people also struggling financially, and you may have to leave on short notice. A lot of people who get evicted will end up abandoning a lot of their stuff, which they’ll have to re-purchase all over again to get back on their feet. 

People with low wages are disproportionately likely to lose their jobs. If you work as a software engineer, you’re probably still employed. If you work as a hotel maid, there’s a good chance you’ve lost your job or had your hours cut to nearly nothing. The jobs that are most impacted by shutdowns are jobs in the service and hospitality industry, and they tend to be low-wage, hourly jobs that cannot be done from home - bartenders, servers, hotel clerks, and dishwashers are way more likely to have lost their jobs than lawyers, accountants, engineers and college professors. In many ways, the people who are getting kicked the hardest right now are the ones who could least afford it. 

Not every university will survive this pandemic. With a lot of universities and colleges scrambling to figure out whether to have in-person fall semesters, the future of a lot of post-secondary institutions looks bleak. Many students are choosing to take a year off or defer their admission rather than deal with online courses that have been haphazardly thrown together. On top of that, it’s not clear if international students will be able to attend university abroad this year, or if they even want to take the risk. This adds up to a whole lot of lost tuition money, leaving some universities with no way to keep operating - at least one American university has already permanently closed its doors because of the pandemic. The big players - Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Columbia - will probably pull through, but smaller colleges are at serious risk of going under, leaving their students in limbo and at risk of not finishing their disrupted degrees. 

A lot of people are about to go from “poor” to “disabled”. The people most likely to contract coronavirus are the workers who have to interact with the public every day - not only nurses and doctors, but grocery store workers, delivery people, ride-sharing and taxi drivers, transit workers and janitorial staff. Those who survive are at risk of life-long complications of coronavirus, including permanently reduced lung capacity - that’s not great when you need to work a physically demanding job. A lot of people are about to find themselves in a situation where they are no longer able to do their jobs due to a virus that they contracted because of their jobs. 

Many women’s careers may never recover from this. Daycares and schools are closed, and women are bearing the brunt of it. In a world where women still tend to earn less than male partners, it’s women’s careers that have taken a backseat when things get rough. Even when both partners are working from home, women are the ones overwhelmingly taking on most of the domestic and child-rearing chores, which hurts their work performance and leaves them more vulnerable to layoffs. And that’s a relatively privileged position to be in - without childcare services available, many working moms and single moms have had to quit their jobs, whether they could afford it or not, because they have no other options for their children. This kind of career disruption is something that these women may never totally recover from, especially as they try to re-enter an increasingly hostile job market. 

Black and brown people are the most affected by rising unemployment. People of colour - especially immigrants and women of colour - are facing higher rates of unemployment than other groups. Hispanic and Latina women are in particularly dire circumstances, which is alarming, as they are also the most likely to be dealing with an uncertain immigration status. People of colour - particularly women - are disproportionately likely to work in industries that have been impacted by the pandemic, like the hospitality, food service, retail, child care, beauty and personal care industries, and they face systemic racism that makes it difficult for them to advocate for safe working conditions or access adequate medical care. 

College and tourist towns are at risk of complete economic meltdown. A lot of towns or small cities depend on their local university or annual tourism to survive. A huge crowd of strangers flocks to their town for a few months per year and gives local businesses the money they need to pay for necessities year-round. My hometown is one of these places - most businesses are only open from May - September, and they make enough money during that time for everyone to scrape by for the rest of the year. Those tourists aren’t coming this year, which is something that locals have only learned as they begin to run out of last year’s money. You don’t need to work for a university or a hotel to be impacted by school and tourism shutdowns - the ripple effects will be felt by entire communities. 

Escaping domestic violence will be difficult even after lockdown ends. It’s not exactly a secret that domestic violence has skyrocketed since the global pandemic began, a fact that many experts attribute to the fact that everyone is trapped indoors together and under a lot of stress. But even as lockdown regulations start to lift in areas that handled the pandemic responsibly, victims of domestic violence will face higher-than-usual barriers to escape - many victims may have lost their jobs and burned through their savings, and may have difficulty finding a new job that can finance their escape. Victims with health issues may also be wary about going to shelters for fear they will be further exposed to the virus. 

Poor children will fall even further behind their upper-middle-class peers. I come from a part of rural eastern Canada where reliable internet access is simply not available. So for young children in the region, school effectively ended in March - they do not have the resources needed to connect to online learning. And children from rural areas aren’t the only ones missing out - more than half of all students in the United States aren’t accessing their online classes regularly, and marginalized kids are especially likely to be absent. Poor kids are staring down the barrel of an enormous education gap; they are less likely to have a stable internet connection and a device for their online learning, they are less likely to have books at home, and their parents are more likely to be essential workers who still have to go to work right now and don’t have time to teach them. Middle-class and wealthy families can afford laptops, educational software, tutors, books and time at home to educate their children - when schools are eventually back in session, the gaps between children from different socioeconomic backgrounds will probably be the widest they’ve ever been. 

Don’t get me wrong - I am not arguing that we should end lockdowns prematurely to ease the economic impact. Public health measures exist for good reason, and I don’t think any of us want to even imagine, much less live through, the personal, physical and economic devastation of letting a pandemic rage out of control and melt down our healthcare systems. Despite what many people seem to believe, managing a global pandemic is not about “health vs. economy” - letting the virus rage out of control and kill millions would devastate every economic and social system we have. The preservation of human life has to come first.

What we need instead is comprehensive action to recognize and address the issues that come with long-term quarantines and economic shutdown - we need rent relief, social safety nets and basic assured income programs to get our most vulnerable friends and neighbors through this pandemic. The world will probably never return to the “normal” that we knew before the pandemic struck, and it shouldn’t - it’s time for a new, better normal that doesn’t leave our most marginalized people behind. 

[elwingflight]

Coronavirus: Information & Guidelines

What you can do now, and what to prepare for

There seems to be a lack of what-to-do suggestions on tumblr beyond handwashing, so I thought I’d put something together. I’ve never actually encouraged people to reblog something of mine before, but this might be the time. To be clear: I am not personally a public health expert of any kind. Both my parents are (epidemiology/global health degrees, worked for CDC) and I’ve run this by them. My information is coming from disease researchers on twitter and official public health guidelines online. Sources at the end of the post. This is mostly directed at people in countries where COVID-19 has been reported (I’m in the U.S.), but is not *yet* widespread in the community. Written Mar. 1st 2020, last updated 3/9 (shorter, helpful twitter thread here, helpful NPR article here)

General Info

Firstly, a lot of politicians are *still* trying to sugarcoat things, but it should be clear by now that the new coronavirus is spreading widely and will continue to do so. Because of the incubation period, and in the U.S. at least the delay in testing, the number of cases is almost certainly going to increase rapidly in the near future no matter what we do now. Official government sources are helpful, but its also good to look at what experts on viral epidemics who aren’t directly government-affiliated are saying. Their agenda is purely informing the public in the most constructive way possible, without politics getting in the way.

Two key points- COVID-19 can have a long incubation period (the time from when you catch the virus to when you start showing symptoms) and most people don’t get severe symptoms. Some are entirely asymptomatic, but most people get typical flu-like symptoms. Specifically, the early symptoms to watch out for are a fever and dry cough (meaning, a stuffy nose is probably just a regular cold). Its possible but unlikely to transmit the virus while asymptomatic, most transmission happens when you have heavier symptoms.

The most vulnerable people are the elderly (~ over 60) and those with preexisting health conditions (i.e. cardiovascular disease, respiratory condition, diabetes), or a simultaneous infection with something else (NOT kids in particular!) So far the mortality rate has been about 1-2% (compared to 0.1% for the general winter flu - yes, this really is worse). However, that might be an overestimate, both because people with mild cases aren’t getting tested (the denominator should be bigger), and because the early situation in Wuhan, where a lot of our numbers come from, was especially bad in regards to availability of healthcare.

This is an emotional, difficult situation. Don’t panic. The world didn’t end in 1918, and its not going to end now. But it is very serious, and we need to be thinking about it rationally, not pretending everything is just going to be okay, or uselessly pointing blame. Take care of your mental health, and check in with each other. Epidemics test our generosity and selflessness. Those qualities are needed right now, but don’t neglect yourself either.

What You Can Do Now

There is stuff everyone can do both to prevent yourself from getting infected, and to prepare if you do. ***The big picture to keep in mind is that the biggest risk of epidemics is that they overwhelm our system, especially our healthcare system. What I mean by this is that our society is built to deal with a certain volume of things happening at once- people buying groceries, getting sick, etc. If we suddenly all rush to do something, we overburden these systems and they won’t be there for the people who need them most. Therefore our goal is to slow down the spread of disease, buying time and lowering the overall burden on these systems. This is called “flattening the curve”. It looks like this, and I cannot stress how important this is.***

A very helpful thread on preparedness

Staying Healthy

Like similar viruses (think colds and flu), COVID-19 is mostly transmitted from person to person, usually by close contact but sometimes from an infected surface. More here.

Wash your hands. Everyone has heard this one- 20 seconds, soap all over your hands, wash the soap off. If you can’t wash your hands use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer (at least 60% alcohol). But handwashing is absolutely better. Also- cough into your elbow/shoulder, not your hand, and avoid shaking hands- try elbow bumps or maybe a polite nod instead! If you’re handwashing so much that you’re hands are threatening to crack and bleed though, consider washing more strategically or using hand sanitizer instead.

In combination with hand-washing- stop touching your face, especially while out! This takes practice, everyone does it all the time without thinking. A good practice is to avoid touching your face while out, then wash your hands thoroughly as soon as you get home.

Similarly, avoid touching surfaces as much as possible! Particularly bad are door handles, elevator buttons, that kind of thing. The virus can probably (based on studies of related viruses) last a while on these. Regular gloves can help a bit. Use a tissue then throw it away, use your elbow, etc.

Do Not buy face masks! There’s mixed evidence on whether they’re at all helpful when used by the general public to prevent catching a virus, but actual medical professionals who need them are facing shortages (that’s probably part of why so many healthcare workers got sick in Wuhan), so our buying them up is really bad. The only times you should be wearing them is if you yourself are sick (they do help then!) or if you’re looking after a sick person. Seek instruction in that case in how to use them properly. (Thread on why buying those fancy masks is not good).

If COVID-19 is in your community, try to stay 6 feet from people, which basically means going places as little as possible. See below.

Planning Ahead

Its also a good idea to prepare in case you need to self-quarantine. Self-quarantine is necessary if you’ve potentially been exposed to COVID-19, or if you’re sick but not enough to need to go to the hospital. Follow local guidelines- if there’s lots of transmission in your area, nonessential workers will probably be advised to stay home as much as possible.

If you’re able, get medication now. Don’t go crazy and buy out the drug store, just a reasonable amount. Try to get at least a month’s worth of any prescription medications. This can be hard at least in the U.S. - your doctor may well be able to prescribe more, but insurance companies and drug stores can be terrible. I’ve found trying a different drugstore can sometimes help. Try your best. They may also be reluctant to prescribe more to avoid causing shortages. Idk what the right answer is here.

Don’t go crazy and buy out the store, but start getting a little extra shelf-stable or frozen food. Even some root vegetables that will last a few weeks. You want enough for 2 weeks in case of self-quarantine, but you do NOT want to empty out stores. Panic buying is definitely a stress on the system. Just add a few extra things each time you shop. Don’t forget about pets. You can always eat the food and replenish it over time.

Make a plan with your family/community. If someone gets sick or needs to self-quarantine, is there a corner of the house they can stay in? Who can take care of them? etc. I haven’t focused on plans for schools/religious communities/workplaces etc but those are very important too! This is one place where keeping an eye on local and national news is important. In the U.S., for example, school systems are planning ways to make food available to kids if they’re not going to school.

If COVID-19 is starting to spread in your community, think about how else you can be a good community member. Cancelling nonessential doctor’s appointments, surgeries etc may be very important, for example. If schools are closed, can you help out neighbors with childcare? Do you have a cleaner who may need to be payed in advance if there’s a quarantine?

If You Might Be Sick/Need to Quarantine

See likely symptoms above. Remember, normal colds still exist, and if you go to the doctor for every one of those you will overwhelm the system.

Don’t just go to a hospital! Call ahead to your doctor/clinic/hospital and get instructions on what to do. Getting healthcare workers sick is something we really want to avoid. That said, DO get tested as soon as possible, and act as if you are contagious. The health coverage situation is the U.S. is not yet clear (and ofc its not something the current admin is eager to clarify). Hopefully testing will be covered financially by the government, but I can’t promise that at this time.

In the meantime, stay home and quarantined if you show any symptoms of illness if you possibly, possibly can. This is especially difficult in the U.S. if you don’t have sick leave/childcare, but please. Do your utmost.

Look after yourself. Skype/google hangouts/etc is great for keeping connected. Have some chocolate/chicken broth/other sick foods ready.

The Big Picture

Coronavirus/COVID-19 has not been declared a pandemic yet, but it probably will be before long. This is almost certainly going to get worse before it gets better. We don’t yet know if warmer weather will slow its spread, and a vaccine will probably take about 1-1.5 years to be developed and tested. As I mentioned before, the best thing we can do to keep the world working, minimize mortality, etc is to slow the spread as much as we can, and minimize the strain on the system. Hospitals are going to be overwhelmed. There aren’t infinite unoccupied beds or ventilators, or people to operate them, and supply chains could get disrupted. Thinking about these things is scary, and it will take time to adjust to what’s happening. Start that process now, and help everyone you know reach the point where they’re able to act, not panic. Another reassuring thing- if we slow the spread of COVID-19, in addition to fewer total people getting sick, you will soon have people who are recovered and almost certainly immune. These people will be invaluable as helpers in their communities.

Now that the practical stuff is out of the way, I want to say from a U.S. perspective that yes, our lack of social welfare other countries take for granted is going to hurt us. Lack of access to childcare, no guaranteed paid sick leave, and of course expensive healthcare are massive problems that will make it much harder to limit disease transmission. Help each other in any way you can, and vote for candidates that support implementing these policies! And of course, watch out for propaganda of all kinds, whether its using the virus as an excuse for racism, calls to delay elections, etc. So far my biggest concern is a lack of willingness to admit how serious this is, but we can do this. Lets put extra pressure on politicians to be honest and change policies to actually help people. But, yes, lets also stay united. We need each other now (just, you know, 6 feet apart).

A few sources

In general, the Guardian is a great, free, reliable source of news. In the U.S., NPR (website as well as radio) is another great source. The Washington Post and Seattle Times have made their coronavirus-related coverage open access, not sure about other national newspapers.

twitter thread from World Health Organization (WHO)

U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) COVID-19 homepage (not being updated in some ways it should be, like total # of tests)

A reality check from some non-Governmental experts (basically, what governments don’t want to say yet, which is that this virus is going to spread, and the goal now is to infect as few people as possible, as slowly as possible. Read this.)

Why you should act now, not when things get bad in your area (we’re always operating on outdated information)

If you want the latest technical info, The Lancet (major medical journal group) has all of their content compiled here, open access.

I can do my best to answer questions (i.e. ask my dad) but those or other reliable, readily find-able sources should have you pretty well covered. Do let me know if anything on here is wrong or needs to be updated! Stay safe, stay positive, we can do this.

[blushdressshop]

God Made Scots A Wee Bit Better T-Shirt

That Essential Work so That All of Us Can Keep Moving for Even When It All Feels so Overwhelming Working Parents Are Somehow Piecing It All Together with Our Childcare Features and Didn’t Created so That Our Kids Can Still Learn and Grow Our Young People I’d Desperately Fighting to Pursue Their Dreams and When the God Made Scots A Wee Bit Better T-Shirt Horrors That Systemic Racism Shook Our Country and Our Consciences of Americans in the Background Rose up to March for Each Other for the Release Are Shipping Your People Whose Fortunes Are Bound up with One Another As Well past Time for Our Leaders to Once Again Reflect Our Troops so Our Voices in Our Votes to the Course of History and Going Heroes like John Lewis Who Said When You See Something Right You Must Do Something Is the Truest Form of Empathy Is Feeling and Doing Not Just for Ourselves or Our Kids Everyone for All Our Kids If We Were to Keep the Possibility of Progress Alive in Our Time Would Be Able to Look like Children in the Selection We Have Got to Reassert Our Place in American History. A national effort to expand access to convalescent plasma donated from the blood of those who of recovered from the virus the blood of these donors contains antibodies that can potentially reduce the severity of the illness and those who are sick and frankly those that are very sick nearly 3000 patients are now enrolled in the expanded access program receiving transfusions nationwide and I want to thank all of the people that recovered for what they’ve done is I said yesterday they raise their hand when they barely can walk in there saying I want to donate blood I want to donate whatever it is that you want because we want to help people really quite incredible convalescent plasma will also be used to manufacture a concentrated antibody treatment that does not have Debbie match with a particular blood type this concentrated antibody treatment could be used as a preventative measure to keep healthcare workers and other high risk pop populations from contracting the virus in the first place very big deal clinical. Suburban women to see what be watching for tonight I’ll start with MSNBC’s international course on presenting Alanna and Chris again is about is a claim there undecided and a lot of us i

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sure on Tony’s also there but he’s a little preoccupied with the relationship problems he’s now having with pepper which leads to them taking a break while in space status is getting real sick of everyone failing to get his stones so he decides he’s gonna do it himselfand by that I mean he’s going to wait three years to do it but he start planning now which most in getting a bigger glove called the infinity gauntlet that would let them hold the stones once he finds them unearthed the shield team gets to the human campand shield was to register all been humans on a big list so they’re all accounted for something like a human’s version of the Scobee Accords which will get you over the humans at the camp predictably don’t like this also people start realizing that Daisy’s mom is kind of evil so a big fight ensues in the war which is really more of a battle between shielding humans he follows his nonskilled anklesand loses his arm also those chargingand human crystalsand up in the oceanand 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haven’t washed all this already of this information is slightly hard to keep track of you a second thatand gets into that placeand he said last night was abandoned there a long time ago they become friendsand survive together after many years of service Frank S returns home to his family from his militaryand shady servers daysand it’s super niceand emotional however around this timeand Cerberus leaks with Cerberus was actually about including the video that it is a guiding shot to this guy called David whose nickname micro will be back in a sec agent orange transfer for doing this because he’s not a big fan of Frank’sand so with the help of the Cerberus squad including Frank supposed best friend Billy Russo he sets up a three way gunfight between three gangs in a park to kill Frankand his family Frank’s wifeand children are brutally murderedand Frankish on the head but survives after this Frank is enragedand devastated answer decides take matters into his own hands he uses his military 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Robbins always finds out tech is having run by Darren cross hang pencil protégé along with Hank’s daughter hope while Hank is on the world they some old tales of Hank’sand process about his own version of the suit called the yellowjacket only this one is way deadlierand fliesand shoots lasers cross also plans to sell this tech to Hydraand the 10 ringsand just the worst people thanks not too happy about thisand try to think of a plan to stopand even where Scott Lange ever since the very public Vista quick job I think Scott could be a good choice to take on the object stuff before gets into the wrong hands through a series of people think it’s got a tip about as mentioned Rob Casillas to see how good Scott really is what Scott eventually does only to find the entrance to he takes it tries it onand is terrified by the experience Hank is impressed with the skill cc but when Scott tries to return the suit he’s caught by the policeand cost breakdown in jailand tells of his pregnant with cross help is not awfully happy with how things are developing as she was to wear the MS student takedown cross but Hank does a letter because of how her mother died all those years ago so they trained Scott until he becomes great at the shrink tricky stuff even to friendsand called Anthony very good Scott also starts to get romantically involved with hopeand Hank reveals to help our mom diedand she is all well I totally understandand forgive you know dad even though you really could is only sooner I’m an adult you know they’re good now Scott needs advice from an old avenger space to steal the yellowjacket suit is there only to discover that it’s been renovatedand it’s now the new venture space is not by falcon who fights in man is defeated but also impressed by Scott’s abilitiesand less just called Scott’s good fortune that it wasn’t patient who was on patrol that day also by the way crosses going crazy because pen particles mess with the brain after all this Scott goes in to steal the yellowjacket suit but gets caught so him across FIFO while in a helicopterand then a briefcaseand in Scott’s daughter’s room to save his daughterand kill cross Scott go subatomicand saves the day but is temporarily trapped in the quantum realm where Hank’s wife Janet was left however he manages to get outand it’s all good after all this Hank believes that hope is finally ready to become a heroand so gives her the lost barber Scott is back his familyand his daughter Anna’s dosing hopeand never once happy now go back to the moon real quick a place we haven’t been for a while where the go inhumanand potentially the most unlikable character in this entire universeand human arguing about this American flag I am only mentioning this to see him forget that there’s an entire inhuman civilization just living on the moon while all this is happening back on earth the tomb salvaging company shows up in the area were scurvy’s to beand picks up small font Exceland some of this ends up in the hands of Hydra uses it to build a giant robot called ultimo but the manager show up at least those are leftand defeated now were getting into the Netflix world for a while first off Jessica Jones gets new job from Joy Meacham the sister of one Meacham was running red Enterprises will be manipulate it by’s dad was being controlled by the hand I give it a second to sink in again anyway she is Jessica to investigate the people around so she can blackmail them later if need be also Wilson Fisk is stilland by his he I mean jail because he such a big crime boss he start making connections there that Frank Castle has finally gotten all the resources he needs to kill the gangs he thinks were solely responsible for his family’s murder so starts going around doing that in the most brutal way possible starting with the Irish Mafiaand a gang called the dogs of hell is all happening in or near Hells kitchenand that Murdoch starts noticing the stuff so he starts investigating eventually as daredevil in a newand improved suit by the way he comes face to face of the punisher which ends with a bullet to the face that is seriously injured but survives fighting keep fighting that the vigilante stuff while Cassidy is going around the city killing pedophiles in such an entry castle manages to kidnap daredevil Jenny into a chimney where they learn about each other’s pastsand ideologies Castle takes a gun to daredevil’s hand pulse of the criminaland hasn’t had to shoot the criminal or he’s can do it because castle things killing your enemies is the way to go hello I thought a lot of the people daredevil Scott daredevil to try to kill anyway daredevil breaks outand has to fight through some angry bikers Castle unleashes on them later on Frank it’s kidnap by the Irish who brutally tortured him but eventually he gets out with their troubles help explain the situationand himand daredevil cool now but that is arrested that the craziness is now over but nope just now Electra shows up his old girlfriend then ninjaand potentially secret weapon for the handand she’s like a let’s find together because I see her doing that nowand so they do if I think he was a mainly with franking space to Karen what happened to his familyand the bondand become best is so daredeviland Electra are going around fighting the accuserand ultimately come across this giant pit the hand is digging in order to get Dragon bonesand to become immortal that still going on their tax by handand just until state shows up to save the day meanwhile on the lower side of things the punisher trial happensand during that Frank saw like an Angus into jail where he meets Wilson Fisk Fisk is like Frank nothings working everything but my biggest rival this person helped kill your family soand Frank Sykes say no more so he takes a that guy that this double crossesand try seven killed by Frank is just too good for that so Fisk lets them goand Frank tells Fisk to kill him when if he sees them again Frank it’s a geland mean wild animals like snow but again then ninja he thought he go before was brought back by the hand also their little kids being drained of their blood also for resurrection purposes through similar shenanigans the punisher keeps going around killing guys involved with his family’s murderand I will still have conflicting ideologiesand punish ends up killing an old Marine buddy of his Electra stick have a falling outand cystic trust tablets are killedand she didn’t like that so she tries to kill him will saves the dayand sticks kidnapped by the hand so Matt goesand save steak but while he’s doing that nobody reveals that Electra is a black skyand should be leading the hand she almost does but ends up joining their double insteadand the five images together real lasted I’m on right there after a hostage situationand Electra go up against like an infinite supply of hingesand Electra ends up sacrificing yourself for daredevil the punisher also shows up at the last minute to get daredeviland assist which is a pretty awesome moment not to lie no booze killed for real this time by stickand the good guys win except the hand takes Electra’s bodyand uses their Dragon magic to bring her back to life so she can work for them one of the five leaders of the hand the main one Alexandra comes to oversee her resurrection fog equatesand hours for Hogarth from Jessica Jones reveals he’s daredevil to Karenand the punisher goes off to kill everyone was involved with his family’s murder micro also wants answers about the whole Cerberus thing as a goes into Frank’s houseand puts the disk there with the video on it Castle’s unit in Afghanistan tortureand killing that innocent guy which Frank findsand takes with them tiny little break from the granite stuff here a witch just straight up which shows up in Londonand steals a magical artifact called the dark scepter however long case aliasand more masters of the Mystic arts show upand stop her a reminder that there’s magic in this world back to the streets now the gauge is now working at Pops barbershopand I know people disagree on what years these Netflix shows in particular take placeand they are confusing but based on the research I did this seems to check out anyway Luke also works of the barand one evening because he such a player he starts floating with detective Misty Knight the club Lucas working is also my cottonmouth now is a big shot crime boss’s cousin Mariah is a City Councilmanand is also pretty shady just more low key than enough strike is a hammer check from Justin Hammer for some good money but the operation goes wrong look secret half brother Willa striker is also involved here at the highest level is a big criminal now is now called diamondbackand is cottonmouth’s boss basicallyand so he sends in his body shades to make sure everything is running smoothly godmother still cool because these be friends back in the day but because the guy because the deal to go wrong is involved with pop one of cotton’s goons goes against disordersand shoots at the barbershop killing pop through this link in contrast to fightingand looks all like I really care for but not my radar so stop doing illegal stuffand calmness like know so we can start messing up his operation Luke also teams up with Claire Temple daredevil hotel buffet crimeand start a romance energy gets his hands on some bullets I can actually penetrate Luke’s impenetrable scan forand use them thoughand up having an argumentand so she murders him with a mic standand because the new big crime boss with shades help diamondback decides to team up with their setting out a plan to run the crime will do Harlem well Mariah does all the boring political stuff diamondback also shoots a cage twice with those magic bulletsand reveals that he’s actually his brother Claire takes her to the doctor who originated the experiment on themand they send an asset or boiling water something painfuland basically he’s restored to full strength while diamondbackand Mariah are running like a spear campaign against the cage to turn the people filed against them they do this through politicsand super shock loves Lucas backand FaceTime back in the police eventually diamondback shows up in a terrible super suitand even the punch each other for a bit is the end against diamondback partly with helping New York Spiderman style despite all his heroicsand proving himself a good guide to the policeand the people Harlem Lucasand back to prison because been discovered as Carl Lucas back in the day with your call despite being innocent broke out of prisonand so still needs to service time however one of Luke’s barbershop friends is a file that proves his innocence so he’s getting out soon also diamondback is taking them but I doctor who did this experienceand Luke so he’ll probably have some modifications the next time we see them there is a little bummed out that Luke is in jailand that they can’t get a cup of coffee for a while but she keeps itself occupied by starting martial arts training with help from Colleen way that martial artist to statically buy land but doesn’t really know that the hand is evil a bunch of little stuff happens here now firstly that kid who Iron Man said a while back Peter Parker is bitten by a radioactive spider which gives in special abilities like superstrength the ability to climb the wallsand having a dead uncle because he’s a genius kid he also designs web shooters that shoot superstrong webs also because he’s a good kid he realizes if you help people using his new powers he’s responsible for one bad stuff happens so he designs a pajama looking costume takes a living Spidermanand starts fighting little crimes in Queens now over with the Masters of the Mystic arts page 1and Margot find a group called the Dragon Raiders just FYI also falcon is still pretty impressed by thatand I guys a while back I think she could be a valuable asset to the team so he finds a way to contact with them through Luis about potentially joining the avengers Scots like well I cannot stay with my daughter right now but if you really need me yes give me a call we had about the shield team in a while but they’re still doing stuff around these husband Andrew turned into an inhuman call mile he did that is now a giant monster whose sole purpose really is to hunt other humans with humans popping up around the world now shields main mission objective is protecting in humansand training them is made harder because the government treats a group called the ATC you which is designed to track down superpowered people like humansand take them then basically they’re designed to replace yield now that shield has had to go underground in the ATC you is this guy called Malik once again is a big secret Hydra guy said he thought we were done with Hydra you were sorely mistaken the reason this ATC you exists is so Hydra can get a hold of all these in humansand use them you guessed it to make a super soldier army is not getting that seriously 99 of Hydra’s plans so shield in the ATC are fighting for to try to get Simmons off at alien planet which eventually doesand what is still working on rebuilding Hydra I guess Marilyn Stucker’s weightless cool son Werner to join him in a nutshell the main thing is shield us to start up a team of humans the inhuman hunting monster is out there going after them thing of lash is like a less strong or cool version of the book he changes in this monster at different times Olson is asking pretty close to one of the higher ups at the ATC you who isn’t actually evil but then worksheets are in the throat cycles is like I just have to crush discussed just Hydra also wants to get to the matter because they want to bring Benjamin back because they think will be a big secret weapon for them so word fits in Colson end up on an alien planetand cousins like mandatory wordand he crushes Ward’s chest with his robot handand then goes back to think that’s the end of Ward but then the superpowerful clinical human eye possesses corpseand then makes its way back to earth I was now leading Hydra through Ward’s bodyand he’s observing people for strengthand you know typical evil villain stuff so that any rent is still in and now going to basket CCI festand that’s what the iron fist does ever he starts missing homeand gets bored because he’s kind of a spoiled brat so just ramp runs away when the pass is open his eyes to go back to New York to take packs company because that’s I think it works because he’s also kind of a thundering dumbass doesn’t work focuses old friends join Ward Meacham if it were just go with it think is a crazy homeless person understandably wards think that that Harold is still kind of running the company while being controlled by the hand which he started to get kinda sick of becomes friends with Colleen at the dojo he also meets Claire Temple bananas put in a mental hospital he breaks out there with the power of the iron fist stocking 30 with Colleenand Bruce’s friends that it actually is an is coming back with the help of Jerry Hogarth he kinda sucks a business though because he’s been living among city in another dimension for the past decade ends of meeting Harold whose IK we should work together can sometimes take a controlling me so you can go kill themand I like gathers the main purpose in life I had to hand them gal the hand is still selling heroinand Denny’s unhappy about that science of beating herand agreeing to a series of challenges the loser has to pack upand get out of the city anyways but Manga breaks the promise but she’s got ancient society superpowers so there’s not much you can do about it Danny keeps consistently sucking a ring’s company so he’s married now by the board along with the Meacham’s words also super pissed at is that Harold is he took all of his money so he tells Harold bio comes back thanks to the hand Danny Colleenand Claire go to Chinaand take them gal realizes that Ward killed him so he frames them for drug possessionand so Ward gets locked up in the asylum Harold of its joy to be his new number two Danny also made potato Colleen so teacher was also secretly when the 5 m of the handand find out about thisand is in the fan now this guy called divers who isn’t that Dallas is days old friend from and he shows up to help Dannyand Colleen Joyce into saying that the hand probably his neck in the end after helping Dallas is like take the path to come on is open right nowand you’re supposed regarding it what the hell manand I was like well you know is boringand decides to team up with Haroldand joy to take on handand the Kudo but the kudos now working with wordand long story short is defeated but runs away Dallas is not a Danny but they work it out kind of data gets frame for drug stuffand goes in the runand Harold is the bag on the endand tries to take over the company Danny Lord in the big final battle team up kill Haroldand burn his corpse so he will come back to life now Ward is running the companyand Dallas teams of joyand maybe not out to kill Danny down the lineand then sends a team led by lecture to come on which again has no iron fist protecting it they kill a bunch of the monks there it’s pretty brutal the entrance is then close for safety so no one knows when it’ll open up again because back to check out the passand find the city is goneand some abilityand he realizes he probably should state to protect it also Luke Cage sends Claire letter from prison because there still thing overand cover Taj at this point Casillas is starting to get kinda pissed with Angel on it if you like his training isn’t getting him what he wants to start having some friction with most the Masters there also finds out that the angel on his drawing power from the dark dimension which he thinks is pretty have a critical because he must use the dark dimension to see his dead family againand to gain immortality but the angeland told him no because a bunch of people that the ancient one is withholding informationand they should bring tomato from the dark dimension to earth to golf it in eternity forms to rise up against the ancient one they break into the libraryand cover tiesand steal some pages from the ageless book about the dark dimension one tries to stop them but they get away in the end one point Rogers well the shielding goes to Mexicoand meets the human called yo yo who has superspeed who eventually joins the ranksand eventually becomes next girlfriend also Bobby Hunter leave the team because they were so staff spent off but that didn’t happen somewhere venturesand Sue Shield has an inhuman team but highest the inhuman Hydra God takes control of Daisy’s mind because he can do thatand turns against the team just as a vision of the future where one of them diesand other important detail there’s this group called the watchdogs which is basically inhuman racist who are going around killing humans as they plan by the way is to make every human in the worldand in human goes against Dr Ratcliff a scientist who he thinks can help them re create the original Cree experiment that native humans in the first place he realizes he needs actual Cree blood to do it so he sends a signal to the Creed to get some to come downand they do in a fight ensues they’re both taken out but also rendered useless however some Cree blood from daisies used from when she was saved without original Cree corpse long story doesn’t really matter experience go half rate asand it turns peopleand these gross disfigured mindless things meanwhile Scott laying after successfully cross job is still training is at man with Hankand hope that at some point here he upgrade to suitand test out new tech that allows him to become giant he tries it onceand passes out but hey it works Peter is continuing to Spiderman around the city at one point stopping a car crashand getting caught on camera the footage is uploaded to YouTubeand catches the eye of Tony Stark who keeps it in his watch later until he really needs it he’s got bigger stuff to think about right now is right around this point people are starting to take more notice of how much damage the superheroes have actually caused in their superheroand the guy who’s all over this is unsurprisingly general Ross from the days he needs of the presidentand his appointed Secretary of Stateand start talking about how they can keep the stuff moreand check the start of on the ideas for the Segovia cords basically a way of regulating superheroes with more oversight by forcing them to register with the government while this is happening Frank Castle continues his killing spree of people who were involved in this family’s murder going from truck murder to sniper murder to the bathroom murder is getting what he thinks is all them in a decides to move all of his life is the whole point the punisher was to avenge his family so that’s done now or so he thinks also after lectures not has stopping daredevil for a few months now because he’s just too sad things are not bad though foggy Nelson get some helpand I got in the barbershopand clears the cages nameand Lucas at a prison loop is up with Claireand they get that coffee they’d wanted Jessica Jones comes across lecture during one of her cases is still doing whatever the hand once rememberand objective Dragon bones under New York immortality the only problem is those Dragon bones are essential foundations for the city so the removal of them is causing serious earthquakesand could eventually to the whole city collapsing is also hiring a bunch of Harlem kids to help them kill and or clean up the mess is left behind by their enemies cages about this news like I got to protect the people of Harlemand Danny Randy is about this is like I gotta take a hand saw this lease to them crossing pathsand having a bit of a fight every day become friends because of their mutual friend Claire through fortuitous circumstances Jessica’s tracking guy connected to the handand that Murdoch ends up being her lawyerand also gets interested in the case so all four of them end up at the hands buildingand start fighting their ninjas electro sent into daredevil surprise but doesn’t remember him remind you of anyone but they all managed to get out of thereand go hide out in a Chinese restaurant where the become more acquainted state gets kidnapped by the hand but gets out of there by cutting off his own hand get itand goes to talk to the team Alexandraand had followed to see Alexandraand the hand is a whole knee iron fist alive because his iron fist is the key to open the gate to the sweet sweet Dragon bones if I happens electro starts remember who she isand that offenders get their hands on one of the hands main leaders also have their superhero team name is the defenders this guy is not of much help thoughand so stick to set off is not happy about this because they’re running out of there immortality juice the defender starting though because they’re like if the hand need you Danny we should probably had your wayand then he does what he does bestand is a whiny baby so they’ll punch him for a whileand then time however stickand typical stick fashion thinks that he might in the world so I’m getting kill him but lecture shows upand kill stickand tasty on fist to the hand she also kills Alexandra as she wants to be in charge I guess Jessica Jones find out more about that whole get it will found a while back with hands digging for Dragon bones after Lilith over the police that offenders minus Danny fight the hand plus the got Colleen to help Danny accidentally opens the gates of the Dragon bones because of course he doesand other defenders are fighting to hand in a lecture while also trying to block building so the hand can destroy New York the kudos guild Misty Knight loses an armand the offenders whenand get out of there butback to talk to Bucky I mean Electra yesterday heard the building collapses on the master kissingand that he saved by some nuns think look that they savedand that doesn’t actually die thank God it’s time to introduce another very important character very late in the game a Stephen strange is an amazing surgeon but he’s also super arrogantand kind of addict’s ex girlfriend also works with him called Rachel McAdams one day he’s drivingand textingand he crashes his car crushing his amazing surgeon hands in his life because he can’t be an awesome surgeon anymoreand he somehow even more awful to sex than usual really his life is just falling apart he starts to find ways to heal himself however ridiculous eventually he comes across Jonathan born the guy who trained with the ancient oneand was cured so strange has two Taj is there more to one of the masters takes into the ancient one because of all the crazy ultra dimensions there are at least the trip used ones he’s like help me learnand she’s like no your grossand sad in a terrible person but he pleadsand stays her door so she reluctantly changes her mind so strange that’s learning how to control the Mystic artsand other dimensionsand make hologram shieldsand whatnot with the help of Moto the ancient oneand the bookkeeper Wong who he befriends is about the different symptomsand how they protect worldand trains for several months along the way he also stumbles upon the times done sitting in a handy necklace the INI tomato figures out how to been time with it more unwanted like you don’t do that you could get stuck in a time loop anyway at one point you stuck to Mount Everest restraining just while all this other stuff is happening remember Stephen strange is getting great a magic this whole time so U ventures all trained upand going on missions also still looking for Bucky the next hydrogen in Lagosand think it might finally be Bucky but as they get there they realize it’s actually Brock Romo crossbones who understoodand is planning on suicide lineup himselfand Capt. From the capital nation to be only the abandoned government found wanting to you is down for lack of probably racial stories are for slavery would like we enjoyed helping our countries pushed the right from overcorrection Levi Roberts reports be noticeable degree for nearly a century was to story one of America’s years and will grow as he never heard her needs needs degree beating my hair as See Other related products: God Made Scots A Wee Bit Better T-Shirt

[forestwater87]

Cutting Myself on all this Edge

This post has no reason to exist, except that I keep bothering my friends with literally dozens of messages making fun of this and I need a place to keep it all.

What is “this”? Oh, just some people having some Fucking Strong Opinions about how Harry Potter is the Pied Piper (they use that comparison multiple times. It gets old fast) leading our children into the End Times with its pro-illuminati Satan-worshiping witchcraft lessons. You know, the usual.

And no, this isn’t a battle of Forest vs. the Crazy Christians; I’m like 94% sure I’m not working through any sort of religious trauma, partly because I never went deep into this kind of mentality but mostly because I’m just delighted by The Cutting Edge, a website for a very specific type of Christian (no, not you, Catholics. You’re specifically not invited to the Cutting Edge club because you worship demons) interested in the New World Order, the evils of public schools, and Satan’s favorite color.

No, really.

Satan’s favorite color is green. They don’t . . . really explain why.

This site still exists and is the best thing I’ve ever seen. Hours of fun for the whole family. I mean, look at their logo:

And look at their illustration that goes along with their particular Harry Potter series:

Are you not entertained?!

I cannot stop reading these amazing essays -- which delve surprisingly deep into Potter lore, considering they say that there is no sufficient reason for a Christian to ever read a single page of these books -- and I can’t keep harassing my friends with thousands of notifications, so here we are.

Starting small, let’s read the book review for Harry Potter and the Sorceror’s/Philosopher’s Stone. Or, as they prefer to call it:

This book chronicles Harry's first year at the Hogwart's School of Wizardry and Witchcraft.  Prepare to be shocked for the bold, blatant, and bodacious raw Satanism that underlines this story! Since "proper"Drug Use is essential in opening the centres of vision and achieving higher consciousness, we should not be surprised that First-Year students learn Drug Use, Drug creation, in a way that makes Drug use seem glorious! You will be shocked to see '666 ' in the story line, and symbols of Antichrist receiving a "fatal wound"!

That’s the entire subtitle. That’s just how they roll on

THE CUTTING EDGE

Part 1: The . . . Plot? I Guess?

This story introduces us to Harry Potter, an orphaned boy sent to live with his "horrible" Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia, and their fat, obnoxious son, Dudley. 

I feel very comfortable with the fact that Cutting Edge has chosen to put scare quotes around the word “horrible,” like that’s up for debate. Combined with the very normal and sane opinions expressed elsewhere on the site, this really bodes well for their ideas about parenting and childcare in general.

all through this book, any non-witch folk -- like Vernon and Petunia -- are depicting in disgusting language.  

Typo is theirs, as is the apparent offense they take to the fictional depiction of people who are very much not real. While there hasn’t been any exciting formatting going on yet in this essay, I will replicate it as much as possible, and any changes made will be clearly indicated through square brackets and ellipses.

Non-witch people are known as Muggles , and they are depicting as being "dumber than a box of rocks", of being physically obscene, and of living the most boring, unimaginative lives possible.

I was going to argue that this isn’t true, but I suppose we don’t really meet any cool Muggles in the first book. I guess I have to give them this, but I don’t feel good about it.

Witches, on the other hand, are depicted as being very smart, very "with it", of being physically normal, and of living wonderfully exciting lives

It bears repeating:

a flashback scene to the time 10 years earlier when Harry's Mom and Dad were psychically murdered by evil Lord Voldemort

Okay. Now I’m no Potterologist, and so I’m hoping any true believers will correct me if I misinterpret the holy texts,* but I don’t think Harry’s parents were psychically murdered by anyone. I’m pretty sure they were quite literally, physically made dead. Just because it’s a beam of magic doesn’t mean it’s not physical anymore, does it? Voldy didn’t Professor-X Harry’s parents and they died of three D10 psychic damage or anything; he just fucking killed them with a wizard gun. Am I wrong here?

*By which I obviously mean Harry Potter. It teaches children how to become Satanists; we’re clearly dealing with a book of immense spiritual relevance.

Skipping a little bit of plot summary, which is a combination of, well, summary of the plot, although Cutting Edge is determined to get Hogwarts’ name wrong, and a little bit of baffling End-Times(?) nonsense thrown in for funsies --

Of course, a Christian would be immediately alerted to this turn of events [in which Harry defeats Voldemort and is scarred] because soon a supernaturally powerful global leader will demand everyone on earth take some sort of a mark in exactly this place on the body.

What? 

-- and there’s some weird formatting things going on that I think are supposed to imply something sinister but really just come off as goofy:

They have Harry on a boat headed for nowhere and they had every intention of keeping Harry from ever attending Hogwarts School.  However, Harry receives supernatural assistance.

(It’s not letting me do colors on desktop, which is stupid, but that “supernatural” is supposed to be both bold and red)

There’s a long description about the difference between the Real and Fantasy worlds, which apparently Satanists try to live in both of (and so does Harry, making him also a Satanist. This is actually one of the less-stupid arguments Cutting Edge has for Harry’s Satanism, so just go with it) that’s honestly more boring than funny so I’m skipping it. Then we get to a much more fun section: why Rowling’s descriptions of Muggles are . . . teaching children to hate Jesus?

Part 2: Rowling Hates Muggles

Rowling consistently depicts people who do not practice Witchcraft in most obnoxious terms.  They are depicted as being really, really dumb, boring, and living a life not worth living .  We share these examples, below, with you so you can appreciate the truth of this statement.  Uncle Vernon was also the only Muggle quoted in the book as being really opposed to Witchcraft; therefore, when readers see how stupid, ugly, and boring Vernon is, they get the idea that all people who are opposed to Witchcraft must be as stupid, ugly, and boring as Vernon is.

... Are all people opposed to Witchcraft cowardly bullies?

I mean, you are the one going after a children’s book for daring to entertain children, so if the shoe fits . . .

"Harry was glad school was over, but there was no escaping Dudley's gang ... Piers, Dennis, Malcolm, and Gordon were all big and stupid, but as Dudley was the biggest and stupidest of the lot, he was the leader." [p. 31] How do you know your own child does not think of you in these terms?  After all, you are a non-magical Muggle.

I actually can’t complain, because this is just accurate. I 100% hate my parents and think they’re stupid because they’re not literally witches/wizards. Our relationship has never fully recovered.

"Uncle Vernon made another funny noise, like a mouse being trodden on." [p. 47] Remember Adolf Hitler, the most famous Black Magick wizard in modern history? He depicted Jews as Rats in his Propaganda Machinery, convincing the Germans they should extermination the "vermin".

GODWIN’S LAW HAS LANDED! 

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN AND EVERYTHING OUTSIDE OR IN-BETWEEN, WE HAVE OFFICIALLY COMPARED HARRY POTTER TO HITLER!

We find it highly interesting that, later in the book, when the Evil Lord Voldemort is supposedly killing the unicorn in the Forbidden Forest, the color of the blood of the unicorn is silver! 

Okay, but like . . . why? I mean, it immediately follows a description of the Bloody Baron, who is depicted with silvery blood because he’s, like, a ghost, but I’m not sure what that has to do with unicorns or with Satan. Are unicorns associated with Satan? Is silver associated with Satan?

Is everything Satan? Am I Satan?

There’s a lot of rage at a gentleman named Chuck Colson throughout this section, who apparently made the grave error of telling parents it was okay for their children to read Harry Potter because it doesn’t involve contact with the supernatural. And I’ll admit, that seems like a pretty bad defense of the books, because if you define “supernatural” as ghosts, poltergeists, or whatever the hell Voldemort is, then there is absolutely a metric buttload of supernatural stuff in here.

Arguably, a better defense of why it’s okay for children to read these children’s books is that they are books made for children, but YMMV on that one. Probably depends on whether or not you think children are sitting in the giant metaphorical (or literal? Not sure Cutting Edge gets metaphors) lap of the Antichrist every time they pick up the books.

(A visual reminder.)

Part 3: Basically Part 2, But This Time There Are Colors

The next section is on colors, which are very important to Cutting Edge. As linked back in the very beginning of this post, there is an entire essay devoted to the demonic colors used in the Harry Potter books, but we get just a taste of it here:

Rowling makes use of vivid colors in her story line.  Some of these colors are consistent with the colors preferred by Satan and his followers in the Occult.  Rowling's use of such vivid colors also enables her to paint the Fantasy Reality of Witchcraft as THE most exciting place to live.  Wizard of Oz uses the same technique: when Dorothy is in her real world in Kansas, the color is black and white, but when she steps into her Fantasy Reality, the scene explodes in the most wonderful color.

Interesting interpretation. An alternative view is that Rowling needs to use more descriptors for things within the Wizarding World, because her readers won’t have the same frame of reference to draw from that they do with real-life objects and events in the Muggle World, and one can assume that these lovely descriptions are part of her being a, y’know, good and evocative writer, and the colors are just related to how she pictured the world she was creating.

But I mean, yours is good, too.

Actually, the citations provided by Cutting Edge don’t depict anything especially vivid; it’s not like she’s throwing massive amounts of purple prose at the descriptions of the Satanic green of Harry’s eyes. In fact, the only enhancer used is “emerald” at one point. For the most part, this essayist is just . . . noticing when the word “green” appears in the text and calling it a siren song to entice good Christian children out of the colorless world of reality and goodness and into the technicolor dreamland of magic and mayhem.

Also, please remember that Satan has a favorite color, and it’s green. For all birthdays and Christmases (or wait, whatever the Satanic version of Christmas is! Halloween?), please make sure all gifts are green or green-adjacent.

Even though Harry is nearly as powerful as a Black Magick practitioner, and could easily have decided to go over to that side, he declines to go over to the Dark Arts.  Dumbledore assures Harry that he is not evil as Lord Voldemort. However, as a symbol of the Black Arts he could perform, Rowling makes Harry's eyes green.

This observation -- and I use the term loosely -- implies that every single Slytherin and villain of the Harry Potter series would have green eyes, to demonstrate their capacity for evil. The fact that this is obviously not the case must just be a red herring.

Part . . . 4, I think?: Drugs, Magic, and Magic Drugs

Harry and his friends learn how to makedrugs, and the glory of taking them.

The fact that they don’t actually take any in this book is entirely irrelevant. (”Drugs” should also be red as well as bolded. It’s very serious business.)

The plant, wormwood, contains thujone, an hypnotic drug, banned by the FDA since 1915 [Christian News, "Latest Potter Book Meets Cautionary Response From Christians, July 17, 2000] ; further, wormwood is used to make Absinthe, a hallucinogenic liquor.  Therefore, the drug to which Rowling makes reference is very real, and is so dangerous the FDA has banned it -- to this day, it is banned!

While thujone was illegal at the time of this essay in the United States, it was actually never banned in the UK . . . you know, where these books take place and were written? I don’t think Rowling gives a solitary fuck about our FDA standards. Also, I don’t know if you could just straight-up buy wormwood on whatever the equivalent of Amazon was in 1998 (was it just Amazon?), but you sure can now. Can’t be all that scary.

You can hardly get a better description of drug use, and drug glorification than this!

I wonder why they keep using red to emphasize all these evil things . . . you’d think they’d go with Satan’s favorite color/the sign that Harry is the Antichrist to really jazz up all of the evil.

"The drug message in this book is clear. To reach your goals in life like Harry Potter, you need to know how to make drugs and take drugs in just the right way or else you are a 'dunderhead' and will never succeed." [http://www.fflibraries.org/Book_Reports/HarryPotter ; written by a physician and father who asked to remain anonymous].

The fact that this URL doesn’t lead me to that review is one of the saddest things I’ve faced all month.

The sections on spellcasting are far less interesting, reiterating a pretty simple refrain: all magic is bad, because the books say some magic is good then the books are bad, it’s all teaching children about Satanism. Rinse and repeat.

During final exams, teachers passed out special quills with which to write; these quills had been "bewitched with an Anti-Cheating spell".  The reason none of the teachers felt they could trust the honor of the students to not cheat is obvious enough; in Witchcraft, no Absolute Good and Evil exists.  All objective, eternal standards of conduct and morality have been rejected.  Therefore, teachers knew full well that all the students would cheat on their final exams if they thought they could get away with it.  It is a sad commentary that teachers had to place an Anti-Cheating spell on the quills to prevent exams cheating.  Christian parent, is this the "morality" you want your students to learn?

Now, it might just be my obvious Satanist addiction to witchcraft talking, but doesn’t it seem more likely that there’s an anti-cheating spell because sometimes . . . children cheat? And no amount of Good Wholesome Christian Teaching is going to completely eradicate the desire to cheat on a test, because of course it isn’t. 

It’s not because the school has taught the students that cheating is okay and cool and sexy or whatever -- in fact, if you want evidence that there is an absolute moral standard against cheating, it would be that the teachers are actively taking steps to prevent it! If witchcraft really was all about how there’s no such thing as good and evil . . . well, for one thing they wouldn’t teach Defense against the motherfucking Dark Arts, but they also wouldn’t care if their students cheated enough to provide anti-cheating quills, because they wouldn’t consider cheating a bad thing, because they wouldn’t consider anything a bad thing! 

Also, I’m not sure what listing all of the spells in the book and what they do really says about Satanism, except that . . . spells exist, and are used? Which I feel like you should really expect from the book about magic and wizards; if that’s an alarming surprise, then you’ve made a wrong turn somewhere way earlier down the road.

Part whatever: Seriously, Rowling is just ALL ABOUT Satan

This entire section is basically about how JKR must be a Satanist, because she apparently depicts the world of magic and the occult with perfect accuracy, and how could she do that except through being an active practicing witch herself?

Mirrors are believed to be a portal to another dimension, including Time.  Occultists believe they can go forward or backward in Time with a mirror being one of the Dimensional Portals.  Harry encounters a mirror, "magnificent ... as high as the ceiling, with an ornate gold frame, standing on two clawed feet ... Harry stepped in front of it. He had to clasp his hand to his mouth to stop himself from screaming ... for he had seen, not only himself in the mirror but a whole crowd of people standing right behind him ... 'Mom?', he whispered.  'Dad?' They just looked at him, smiling ... Harry was looking at his family, for the first time in his life." [p. 208-9] 

Intriguing theory, except of course for the fact that the mirror isn’t a portal to jack shit; unless you count the weird trick where he can get the stone (and only the stone) through wishes or whatever the fuck these idiots do, and all it does is show someone what they want. It’s not actually reaching into the past to find Harry’s parents or whatever, just like it’s not actually reaching into a parallel dimension future where Ron is the king of everything. It’s just . . . idk, reading their subconscious and throwing up a neat visual or something. With magic. It’s complex, but it’s definitely not what Cutting Edge says it is.

Not pictured: a portal to another physical, metaphysical or temporal dimension. It’s literally . . . just a mirror, but a mirror that reflects your insides instead of your outsides. It’s clever or something.

Do you realize Rowling has just made the creator of the Sorcerer's Stone 666 years old?  Do you realize what this means?  Since the number, '666', is a symbol of Antichrist and his Mark of the Beast [Revelation 13:18] and since Rowling ties this number to the Elixir of Life, Harry Potter is teaching children that the way to achieve eternal life [Elixir of Life] is to obey the Antichrist and take his Mark of the Beast!

Fucking. Yes. I don’t even have witty commentary for this, I’m just delighted by every word in that section. I’m smiling so much. 

This is a gift and we’re reading it for free!

Wonderful! We have the forbidden practice of drinking blood in this Potter book, forbidden in Scripture [Genesis 9:4-5] but practiced regularly in Satanism. I wonder if Chuck Colson, Focus On The Family, and Christianity Today ever told their Christian followers about this?  Have they even read this book, before they issued their acceptance of Potter?

Don’t you dare try to employ sarcasm. People who believe in the Illuminati and New World Order are not allowed to be sarcastic -- even if the thought of this faceless stranger typing that little clever “Wonderful!” and smirking to themselves about how witty they are is a very, very good mental image.

Also, what the fuck did unicorns do to deserve being associated with the Antichrist? I mean, I get the color green; it’s the color of nature and the outdoors, and that shit fucking sucks. (Fuck you, trees!) But unicorns?

Unicorns have never done anything to anyone, ever. Unicorns couldn’t be Satanists if they tried.

This means evil Lord Voldemort -- whose killing curse upon Harry, his Mom, and his Dad had rebounded against him when Harry did not die -- is near death, and is seeking to drink the Unicorn's blood to stay alive long enough to finally achieve eternal life through drinking the '666' Elixir of Life.

Yes, that is -- sort of -- the plot of this book.

This is the specific New Age doctrine being taught here: people will have to draw their temporary spiritual life from The Christ until the time comes when their individual consciousness will have been raised so much they will achieve their personal godhood, and live forever!

This concept is genuine New Age, is consistent with prophecy, and Rowling depicts it very well!

Christian parents, do you want your child to be taught this New Age doctrine?  Can you see Harry Potter playing the Pied Piper and leading your children straight to the Mark of the Beast?

Pied Piper count: 1 (that’s not a lot so far, but it’s used in like every essay. It’ll come back)

I don’t know how to tackle this, because I’m not sure Cutting Edge really understands that Voldemort is the bad guy in these books. Children aren’t going to read this book and then go, “Cool! I’m gonna go stab a unicorn and drink its essence because my favorite role model You-Know-Who told me to!”

The unicorn blood thing is unilaterally portrayed as a pretty bad move. Voldemort’s goals in general are pretty obviously not great ideas. I know Cutting Edge doesn’t have the benefit of hindsight here, but Voldemort’s quest for immortality and how bad and wrong and fucked-up that is, is kind of one of the major through-lines of the entire story. It could be argued that it’s not Voldy’s desire to live forever that’s wrong so much as his whole, like, genocide thing, which is legit . . . except that all the methods to attain immortality involve killing someone, or stealing something, or otherwise being Not a Good Dude.

Voldemort is Not a Good Dude, and I don’t know how to communicate that any clearer than the books written for third graders already did.

Part 6: I don’t really know, I just wanted a chance to break this endless essay up and this seemed like a good place to do it. So let’s talk about spells some more

Many spells require both the taking of drugs and demonic possession, so it is a matter of gravest importance that Harry is actually going to learn to cast spells.  When Chuck Colson dismisses the casting of spells as innocent and of no real importance, did he know this fact?

I seem to have missed the part where Harry goes off his ass on LSD and gets possessed by B’aal. Was that in the Silmarillion? 

whenever a witch changes the physical characteristics of something, he or she is practicing very high-level witchcraft, has a high level of demonic possession, and has had to carry out human sacrifice themselves or have someone else do it for them.

“It’s fiction” is often a bullshit excuse to justify bad framing, but I feel like it applies here, because maybe in the “real” world spellcasting requires you to trip balls and summon demons, but it’s extremely obvious that it doesn’t work like that in Harry Potter! You can’t just say that’s what the books are teaching when the books aren’t actually teaching anything even close to that! 

(I’m starting to feel like my emphasis italics are having a similar effect to Cutting Edge’s red bolded letters. Fuck if I’m gonna stop using them, though.)

If Harry and his pals were wearing goat heads and putting virgins into a giant blender or something I think you might have an argument here, but when the people reading your essay have eyes and can see that the things you’re describing aren’t anywhere in the books, you’re just lying. And it’s very obvious, and I still love you, Cutting Edge, but you’re being disingenuous and it’s starting to kill my joy-boner to constantly have to point out the ways you’re misunderstanding a children’s book, especially when I think you’re kinda doing it on purpose. So how about you chill just a little bit and we’ll all read some Harry Potter together.

Magical Drafts and Potions , by Arsenius Jigger.  Some of the potions are very real, very deadly.

Wait, did Rowling publish this one, too? How do you know what’s in the book? Does the book list some real potions and how to make them, or is this another thing that’s only available in the Cutting Edge’s copy of the books? 

Students were told they could also "bring an owl OR a cat OR a toad." [p. 67]  These three creatures are important to an occultists. Satanists have always revered the cat because of its reputed "nine lives", which is a symbol of reincarnation. Cats are also symbols of a witch's familiar spirit.

They have revered the frog because his prominent bulging eyes represent the All-seeing nature of Lucifer.  Frogs are also consistently used in many of the potions witches concoct.  They revere owls as a symbol of occult wisdom and omniscience -- again because of their eyes.

So fuck cats, I guess. They’re being pretty unfair to owls and frogs too -- especially insulting their poor eyes. They can’t help it! -- but I’m a crazy cat lady and I’m not feeling this slander.

Actually . . . my cat looks pretty high right now. Maybe she is channeling Satan.

Okay, never mind. Fuck all these animals. They’re all evil. This article is entirely right, and I renounce all of my previous statements.

McGonagall has obviously mastered her Craft because she was the tabby cat seen by Uncle Vernon reading a map, back in chapter one.  Remember that any time a witch or wizard practices transfiguration, they need expert spell-casting, and demonic possession.  I bet no one ever told you that little fact, did they?

No, they didn’t, because it’s not even remotely relevant to the fictional book written for children.

Like, I’m trying very hard to not question anyone’s religious beliefs, so if you believe in the occult and magic and all that then more power to you, and maybe it’s totally valid to think that real-life magic spells requires demonic possession. That doesn’t make it true in the books, though! Stop making shit up!

Potions Class -- taught in one of the dungeons [p. 136]  How disgusting must the atmosphere for this class, and others, taught in a dungeon, which was built to torture people to death?

If only the classroom, teacher, and overall environment for the Potions classes was meant to be as viscerally unpleasant as possible. Then putting them in the dungeons would be a really good idea, to reflect the Slytherins’ backwards beliefs and the misery of their intolerance.

Like, JKR isn’t this subtle. When you name one of your antagonists “Bad Dragon,” you’re not aiming for this subconscious-symbolism bullshit.

Part 7: Did you think this book had a good moral? Fuck you!

The fundamental occult/Communist philosophy

Well, I guess we’re talking about Communism now! Because if there’s anything Harry Potter is interested in above all else, it’s Communism.

My favorite things about these essays is how they will pull in other social ills -- abortion, public schools, communism -- and slap them into their argument regardless of if it makes any semblance of sense.

Anyway, Cutting Edge actually has a legitimate argument here, although they take it about 50 steps too far:

the "Ends Justify The Means" permeates this entire book.  To achieve a goal deemed good, Harry and his friends consistently break rules, steal, and use Witchcraft against others.

It is true that Harry and his friends break the rules, lie, and otherwise do “bad” things in the service of an ultimate good, and that they suffer relatively few consequences for it. This is a legitimate point, and actual people who know things agree.

I’ve been struck speechless by this article before, but this is the first time it’s because I think they might have an actual point.

Hermione was very mildly punished [for her lie to the professors about why they were fighting the troll], but her lie cemented a friendship with Ron and Harry, leading a child to conclude that her lie served an excellent purpose, and could not be considered 'wrong'.

I mean . . . yeah? I don’t think it’s entirely reasonable to assume that children will take that lesson away, but I read it as a child and I certainly didn’t think Hermione was wrong to lie -- nor do I now, which I suppose proves just how powerful the Satanic conditioning was.

Professor Quirrell told Harry, "There is no good or evil, there is only power, and those too weak to seek it ." [p. 291]  This is standard Witchcraft, and standard Illuminist doctrine.  This doctrine is the guiding light to those Illuminists who are driving the world into the Kingdom of Antichrist.  This doctrine is very seductive to those immature children trying to grow up in our current culture; since a child's inherent nature is evil, he will find such philosophy more appealing than the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Christian parents, beware!

Oh thank God Satan, we’re back to the bullshit. I was getting seriously weirded out by the idea that they had good points buried in here somewhere, but now we’re just faced with the argument that the bad guy says . . . bad things . . . and is defeated because his bad ideas are obviously bad and wrong . . . and this proves that the book is teaching children to believe the bad things?

No one reads these books and wants to be the bad guys, Cutting Edge. Kids aren’t buying Harry Potter wands and robes to pretend that they’re Quirrell, trying to keep people from finding out they have a Dark Lord on the back of their head. (Though now that I’ve mentioned it, that sounds like a very fun game.) 

Depicting bad things in a way that makes it clear -- to children, I must reiterate -- that they’re bad isn’t the same thing as romanticizing or promoting those bad things. This is basic stuff, CE.

Revenge Motive : "Hagrid almost had to drag Harry away from Curses and Countercurses (Bewitch Your Friends and Befuddle Your Enemies with the Latest Revenges:  Hair Loss, Jelly-Legs, Tongue-Tying, and Much, Much More , by Vindictus Viridian." [p. 80] Throughout these books, seeking revenge and attacking your enemies is high on the priority list of Harry, his friends, and other students.  Do you want your children to adopt this most Satanic attitude?  Notice the first name of the author of this revenge book, above, is named "Vindictus, i.e., Vindictive".

Students are taught to depend upon Witchcraft for every part of their lives .  All food is conjured up rather than prepared, all the dishes are conjured clean, and even the hospital depends upon Witchcraft to get students well [p. 156].  Neville Longbottom, one of the more clumsy students, received a crystal ball from his grandmother called a Remembrall .  The ball glows scarlet if you have forgotten something you should have done. [p. 145]

That’s . . . fuck, that’s actually kind of another good point. Stop kinda making sense, goddamn it!

A lot of the criticism is just that the things wizards do are cool, which will make kids want to become witches/wizards in order to do those cool things, too. And to be fair, the stuff Harry et. al. does are cool, and I did want to be a witch when I grew up. Fortunately, I was in third grade, and so my options for witchcraft were relatively limited; by the time I was old enough to pursue the endeavor properly, I was also old enough to know that it was actually nothing like Harry Potter. If magic actually was anything like those books make it seem, we’d have a lot more witches running around, zapping shit.

Possible reference to homosexuality .  When I was first researching Harry Potter, I examined several pro-Potter websites. The author of one of the articles said that one of the probable developments she felt would occur in the latter books was the advent of homosexuality in the story theme. She said such activity was only hinted at in the first books.  

Oh dear god, Cutting Edge found the shippers. I wouldn’t wish that on my worst enemy.

(I wonder if this means they’ve also read the Draco Trilogy.)

I do have to take issue with one last point in this bit about morals, where they talk about how scarring it might be to a child to see Voldemort possessing the back of Quirrell’s head:

Rowling could not have created a better description of demonic possession by a dark and powerful demon!  Christian parent, is this the type of thing you want your child to bring into their minds?

Thing is, I’ve been in a lot of Christian circles for most of my life, and this sounds exactly like the kind of dark, traumatizing thing many religious parents would be happy to put into their children’s minds.

Part Almost Done: Definitely Intentional Satanic Symbols, Really

Hey, did you know the number 11 was occultist? I didn’t, and when I Googled it, 4 of the front-page results were Christian or conspiracy groups making this claim, 2 were unclear, and 3 actually seemed to indicate some level of belief in the power of the number 11. Though I might’ve stacked the deck with the word “occult”; when I changed my search term to “magic,” I found almost exclusively positive articles about the symbolic power of the number 11, so . . . Cutting Edge isn’t necessarily wrong. 

But boy, did you know how many times the number 11 shows up in Sorcerer's Stone? Not very much, but if we stretch our credibility a little bit, we might see something spooky!

Harry was eleven (11) when he was admitted to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.  The number eleven is considered sacred to the occultist, as it is the first primary number.  Occultists will also add up numbers to get an occult number that is sacred; thus, I was highly interested when the bank vault maintained for Harry by his Mom and Dad before their death was numbered '713' [p. 73].  When you add '7 + 1 + 3 = 11'.  Then, we learn that, in the money of the Fantasy Reality, "twenty-nine Knuts to a Sickle".  When you add 2 + 9 = 11.

When Harry found the wand that was meant for him, it turned out to be 11 inches long! [p. 84]

The Hogwarts Express Train left at 11 o'clock from Platform Nine and Three-Quarters. [p. 91]

Oh man, that’s some convincing evidence. Evidence of what, I have no idea, but it uses math and I’m sure it’s very alarming!

" Sorcerer's Stone " is also called the "Philosopher's Stone", and is very, very Satanic!  Rosicrucianism teaches that an Initiate will pass through five stages to become the highest Adept possible, to be most proficient in exercising the power of Satanism.  They call this process the "Five Stages In The Transmutation of the Soul".  The final stage is depicted by the Phoenix Bird; the Adept is then said to have achieved the "Sorcerer's Stone".  Thus, the fact that the term, "Sorcerer's Stone" is in the title of this book suggests that the ultimate goal of all students at Hogwarts is to achieve the Sorcerer's Stone.

Wow, that sure is an interesting interpretation of the rock that shows up in the book for like 6 pages and then is immediately destroyed! Alternate theory, if you’re open to it: It’s a rock, named the Philosopher’s Stone because the Philosopher’s Stone is historically the name of a rock, called the philosopher's stone, and it's literally just a rock and doesn't mean anything Satanist because it's a fucking ROCK.

(Pictured: A rock)

There’s a really odd part right after the long discussion about how alchemy and unicorns and whatnot are Satanic Illuminati symbols, where CE just takes a moment to explain the game of Quidditch. No commentary beyond a sassy little “[Even the Quidditch balls are 'enchanted'].” Just . . . sort of letting you know how the game is played.

To be fair, this is quite a valuable service, since I don’t think anyone actually understands how Quidditch works, but I’m not sure what it’s doing sandwiched between two declarations of Harry Potter’s obvious evil.

PART THE LAST THANK GOD: WHO THE FUCK NEEDS A SUBTITLE IT’S ALMOST OVER

The first few paragraphs are standard boilerplate conclusion stuff, reiterating the rest of the story, continued misunderstanding that bad things are done by the bad guys, no there really are drugs and Illuminati propaganda in here I promise, yadda yadda. Nothing noteworthy except for the fact that I found this sentence absolutely hilarious:

But, most horribly, we see depictions of Satanism that are truly End of the Age.  We see the symbol of Antichrist, the Unicorn.

And so I leave you with this one final thought, because it’s all I can fit into the saggy mush that was once my brain:

From Genesis through Revelation, God demands His people separate themselves from the evil around them! SEPARATE!  SEPARATE!  SEPARATE!

S E P A R A T E 

[ghostmoor]

AUBREY AND NEIN POST compiled from recent tweets and thoughts spawned from them

Nein is super socially dysfunctional upon exiting Legacy of Adam on account of her initial childhood and then the even more fucked-up second phase of her upbringing where she was even further isolated from other people. She has some really major anger and aggression problems. She tends to turn her anxiety and frustration outwards bc she’s used to having authority over or taking priority over other people and/or at least not having to deal with the fallout of her own mess beyond whatever personal punishment is laid on her

Despite this once she’s back with Aubrey and they start tapping into her compassionate side she consciously doesn’t want to be destructive anymore and ultimately starts doing like, craft work as an outlet. She would rather create than destroy and it’s the first skill she learns post-LoA that she feels is really meaningful to her

(She starts out with scoobies. yall remember those plastic things you could weave into bracelets and keychains and all sorts of shit? they spend a day w/ Kaveh’s family and one of the kids teaches her how to do stuff with them)

Aubrey is great with kids

She was very much the protective big sister during her time w/ LoA and she’s not sure about having kids and going into childcare as a career or something is probably not on the table (it’s not the kind of environment she can just shut off for a while when she needs to and she’s prone to sensory overload) but she likes being with kids and she’s always a hit w/ the foster kids at Kaveh’s parents’ house

Gender is weird for these two because of their upbringing removed from mainstream society

Aubrey is pretty happy Being A Woman but is just like ideologically opposed to the gender binary and calling her a nonbinary woman is probably the most accurate term

Nein is really ??? because she grew up even MORE sheltered and beyond pronouns it was basically not ever a topic that came up during her time w/ LoA so she just kind of went with it and never gave it a second thought. but then she leaves and uh turns out people have opinions on this and there’s also a lot of options to choose from and she doesn’t really understand the difference between anything from an internal identity perspective

That said she semi-frequently gets gendered as non-female on account of being bald/totally flat-chested/broad-shouldered depending on what she’s wearing and her kneejerk reaction is to correct people. but? I don’t know. she doesn’t know. she has a lot of things to work out and this falls pretty low on the list of priorities

If Aubrey ever did leave her current job (and she probably should, eventually, bc for all its benefits it is inherently unhealthy for her mental state) she would probably end up working with animals, in a shelter or as a vet tech or something

[anecessaryconscience]

Marijuana Mama

My dilemma is this…

Last year before I became pregnant with my son, my bestfriend and I hatched an idea to start a lifestyle project centered around cannabis positivity. In 2018, California legalized marijuana and set in motion the start of a billion dollar industry within the state alone. As two people who feel, see, and enjoy the effects that marijuana can have, we wanted to be a part of the legal cannabis industry as it found its way into the mass market. Like many young people these days, we turned to instagram to start our business, and get our ideas out into the open. We began by creating some basic informational posts on marijuana: the different ways in which it could be ingested, utilized, stored, and incorporated into all facets of everyday life from meals to sex. Just when we had begun to see some real traction and were feeling very excited about the direction in where our project was headed, I found out I was pregnant again. In late 2017 I miscarried my first baby and was devastated. When I became pregnant again in the beginning 2018, not only was I ecstatic, but also incredibly anxious to not take any chances surrounding the health and wellbeing of my baby and my pregnancy. I put almost everything else on hold initially, including Edibleelementsonline, our cannabis lifestyle brand. After having made my baby my priority, I have since struggled with how to meld the worlds of childcare and cannabis into my personal and professional life.

Personally speaking, being a new mom has denied me a lot of liberties let alone small pleasures (like sleep, being out for extended periods of time, taking long showers...I could go on), but it has also offered a world of new possibilities, inspirations, and sheer happiness that I have otherwise not known as an adult. In my last job before I gave birth, I realized I wanted to be a writer. It had always been something I found pleasure in, whether it was making up a story, articulating an argument, or just getting something off of my chest the best way I knew how. After the birth of my son, I started to think about becoming a children’s book author. I wanted to create something that would be a joy to share with him, as well as something that would be instructive. I’m a big believer in education- of all kinds. I think that there is something to be learned in any situation, at any age. You are never too young to be intelligent, and to make intelligent decisions; which is the driving force behind the series I have in mind. Having decided upon a storyline for my children’s book, again the dilemma of being involved in a cannabis brand pervaded. But for me, the two interests had been intertwined for years.

I remember the first time I smoked, was when I found some leftover bud in my sister’s room. I was with one of my closest girlfriend’s from my soccer team, and we must have been in either the 8th grade, or freshmen in high school. From there, smoking was only something I did sporadically in social situations or with my high school sweetheart. After I graduated college and was sent out into the open world as an adult, was when I realized that smoking marijuana was one of the rare and simple pleasures that I enjoy. Around that time I had been dealing with a lot of heavy and confusing frames of mind that would range from fear to exhaustion, with anger and excitement somewhere in between. Cannabis, for me, has the effect of putting myself within my head and thoughts, whether they’re new ones, or ones that have been subconsciously looming in the recesses. Some people dread the idea of being confronted with their thoughts, or that inner voice repeating something that’s unpleasant to recognize, like: “I need to get into the gym,” “I owe such and such an apology,” “I’m not happy at this job, in this relationship, etc…” But for me, I relish the experience of diving deep into my mind and sorting through the ruminations. My inner thoughts are my happy place, whether they’re dark or not. Smoking for me is therapeutic, and a chance for me to deal with a lot of my issues. Not to cope or assuage, but to deal. Once I inhale the smoke, I can truly open up my mind and explore not only any nagging voices or issues, but where are they coming from, and how I can appease them (This type of high goes hand in hand with smoking sativa strains of flower which induce upbeat activity, and are great for productivity and flow. Indica strains are for more of a relaxing smoke. They’re perfect at the end of the day for reflection and down time with my boyfriend). I can’t relate enough, how many times I’ve considered a situation differently after smoking upon it. They say that there are at least two sides to every story, a high person will tell you that there are at least a hundred. Alongside cannabis, my cravings for insight and enlightenment have helped me to perceive major obstacles, such as the death of my father, in a new light.

When my father passed away five years ago I went into a really dark space. When he died I was just about to enter the world as a college graduate ready to take on adulthood. After he passed I was still thrust out into the world, but nowhere near ready. I’m not sure about other daughters, but the death of my dad swiftly crumbled a lifetime of confidence and knowledge I had been building in order to prepare myself post-college. Without him, I just felt like a scared little girl. In dealing with his death I felt alone, resentful, and different. Usually it’s not easy for me to be openly communicative, particularly about my emotions, and especially so when those emotions concern vulnerability. So I closed up. As I closed in, I spent a majority of my time thinking, and yes, smoking. But it was during these sessions that I would initially consider pain, then all the other thoughts that would race in. Slowly, some of the thoughts edging their way to the forefront became optimistic. I began to consider all the ways in which my sadness actually connected me to the people and the world around me. Everyone has bad days and everyone has issues, some people are just less affected or upfront. The realization that my heartaches made me no different, made me a more empathetic and understanding person. From there I was driven in a way I hadn’t been in years. Empathy broadened my horizons beyond friends and family, into the world at large.

I wanted to take a stand for people who felt badly, and furthermore, I wanted to help. That fire led me to a position within a museum that expands the perceptions of immigrant culture within the United States, at a time when migrants and ethnic people were (and still are) under attack. That work essentially turned me into an activist. I documented rallies and protests, I wrote about them, and then posted them on behalf of the museum, for the world to know. The response I received let me know, that if I was to have a calling, it was to be writing- with a cause. And why stop at one, when there are so many causes to care for and become a part of? Legalizing marijuana, mental health, women’s rights, immigrant’s rights, the criminal justice system, the profiteering of college athletes, and access to a relevant, quality education (in and outside of school) starting at a young age, are all issues that I want to fight for. To me, all of these issues are interrelated simply by the lack of support or understanding surrounding them. Whether it’s motherhood or marijuana, my intentions stand and are intended to remain so, on the basis of doing my part for the greater good.

[paragonrobits]

I understand your point about non-human aliens. BUT ALSO I really like Tenchi Muyo and Steven Universe where they are explicitly very human and pretty.

THAT IS A FIAR POINT AND TO BE FAIR, Tenchi ladies are super cute and adorable, and I am 10000% percent in Love with Rose Quartz. I am a simple man, i see a very large eight foot plus lady with a sword bigger than I am and she has at least a veneer of paragon alignment, or is trying to get near that, i fall in love. its just how it goes

that said, I would dispute that SU’s gems are particularly human? I mean, sure, they look human (and for a while i thought we had been made in THEIR image, but the time frame is all wrong for that; by the times Gems showed up in canon, human civilization had already been established in Mesopotamia, assuming that it was a short amount of time from gem landfall to rebellion), but...

Gems are deeply weird and alien. Those physical bodies? are masses of hard light. They dont age, they dont sleep, they dont feel hunger or any kind of need, and they cannot sexually/physically reproduce. Following this to the possible psychological ramifications suggests a lot of extreme differences between humans and Gems. childcare is a big part of our psychology, but it simply doesn’t exist for Gems. Gems do not have the capacity to parent or even understand it. The Diamond, as I see it, are not Pink Diamond/Rose Quartz’s mothers in any way, but senior members of her production line. They wouldn’t understand the comparison, and would probably be offended.

Gems in general have a big fixation on function, psychologically speaking. They view themselves as nothing BUT their purpose. Even the Crystal Gems define themselves by a purpose THEY choose, and suffer severe psychological trauma and stress when they feel they’re not good at that duty.

While I would prefer the aliens of those series look more genuine alien (while still being Pretty), it doesn’t work against the aesthetic and tone of the series? Like it works perfectly fien within those shows, because they have a very light and soft sci fi aesthetic, so you don’t necessarily need to be too bent on things being perfectly logical, evolutionarily speaking?

(now when you get to shows like Star Trek, which DO at least try to be more scientifically plausible or have it as a big deal, that the human chauvinism really becomes irritating.)

[beautifuljellyfishnightmare]

"I'll Be This!" GH #Acoustic #CountryMusic Show! 3Chords &The #Truth - #...

PUBLISH GRIFFINHEART 2021

          “I’ll Be This!”

     I was walking through Grand Central Stn. in New York back in the day & there was a young black guy mopping the floor when another slightly older young black guy came strutting by and sarcastically said “You mop that floor good now Boy!!!”  The young guy looked up  directly at the smart ass & with a much more effective delivery replied:  “I’ll Be This!  You Be What You Can!!!”  Oh man, to this day that was one of the most memorable & meaningful comebacks I have ever heard!  I contend, Popeye The Sailor Man had it right:  “I am what I am & that’s all what I am!”  I’m Popeye The Sailor Man!” 

     The Persona is the image or type of false character one portrays & presents to, or in the presence of others.

     The main origin of the thickness of this mask is relative to, or commensurate with, how many negative messages  our Inner Self receives from the outside world from conception forward!

     The younger you are the more effect these negative messages have in a very big way!  Just to present an idea of how much:  The womb period may, on an effectiveness  scale of 10, get a 10 rating and then the first year say a 9.9 then second year 9 third yer 8 and so on with significant lowering, depending on the individual child from say 7-10 but you’re down to something around a 1 by puberty regarding the degree of effect on your brain development & Persona construction that negative input has!  So, you’re much tougher from puberty forward as the Brain has undergone it’s major developmental stages!

     No amount of any kind of  mainstream Psychotherapy does much for the damage done real early in this process!  

     That is why healthy people have such a strong natural urge to nurture, provide & protect infants & young children!  It is all part of Evolution & the process to Evolve!  Mother’s & Nurturing are in fact JOB ONE in our species’ Purpose & Evolutionary process!  They are the main architects that design our future & must be well protected & provided for to maintain the calm well being necessary for premium childcare!  I notice a lot of our female celebrities are very tuned into this old fashioned nurturing & they will see the results!     

     We receive both negative and positive inputs from our Environment.  The positive one’s assure our inner selves that we are OK!  A Satisfied Baby Perceives:  “They are good with ME! so I am good with ME!”  “All things to do with my survival, including love & affection have been provided for me so why would I mess that up by screwing with who I really am!  Who I am, or my true self was willingly accepted & supported, so I’m good with the REAL ME & don’t need the mask to survive!  Why should I risk it when I have a sure thing that is working right now, & that is... THE REAL ME!!!”

     On the other hand  negative feelings right from conception are potential contributions to the building of a Persona or Mask!  

     For instance if you are fed from a bottle & held by an anxious person you will not be feeling as good, loved & accepted as much as an infant being fed by a calm & loving Mother’s breast!  It is all an au naturale deal!

     If you allow your baby to cry & scream itself to sleep as has been touted & recommended along with bottle feeding by Medical Doctors for at least a century, you will be building thick personas & feeding the bottom line of the U.S. & Canada’s WALL STREET FOR PROFIT HEALTHCARE MONOPOLY as well!!!  Do you think screaming yourself to sleep in a state of neediness, whether emotional or otherwise, says to you:  “I’m accepted & well provided for so there is no need for me to build a Mask to make me more lovable!”  Or do you think it says to that child more along the lines of:  “You are not worthy of my attention right now even though you are begging for it!  So you better just get busy building me someone who may be more worthy & LOVEABLE!”  Voila, LA PERSONA!!!!   

     If your mask allows you to still see any semblance of your original true self, keep looking, & try to merge!  Because the most important word in any sentence that begins with “You should…”

Is the word “You!”  The reason most of these things don’t work for a lot of people is because they, as in “YOU”, aren’t really there!

     A final note would be that ideally the Mother herself is as genuine as possible in her feelings!  A mother going through the motions of love, affection & good childcare while feeling something else & perhaps completely different can very well have worse results than a lower level of care that is genuine & coming from what she is actually feeling!  As they get older children will go out & find what they are not getting at home!  The Phoney Stuff is Real Crazy Making!!!   

     The Evolution Connection & Its 3 Doors are all about this stuff & its Nature & Origins!

“The Evolution Connection!”  

3 Chords & TheTruth! -

Griffinheart - P A T R E O N

“The Happiness Place On Earth!”

All Questions Answered!

FREE COUNSEL VIA GRIFFINHEART PATREON MESSAGING!

[endenogatai]

Ada Ventures closes first fund at $50M, investing in diverse founders tacking society’s problems

A year ago this week Ada Ventures — a U.K./Europe-focused VC with an “impact twist” aiming to invest in diverse founders tackling societal problems — launched onstage at TechCrunch Disrupt. (You can watch the video of that launch below.)

Today Ada announces that it has closed its first fund at $50 million. Cornerstone LPs in the fund include Big Society Capital, an entity owned by the U.K. government, as well as the British Business Bank.

Check Warner, a co-founding partner, said the raise was oversubscribed: “We weren’t even sure we’d be able to raise $30 million. And then to actually get to £38 million then $50 million, which was over our initial hard cap of 35 is, is really, really big.” All of the fund was raised on video calls during the 2020 pandemic.

Geared as a “first-cheque” seed fund, Ada is trying to tackle that thorny problem that to a large extent the VC industry itself created: the “mirroring” that goes on when white male investors invest in other white men, thus ignoring huge swathes of society. Instead, it’s aiming to invest in the best talent in the U.K. and Europe, regardless of race, gender or background, with the specific aim of “creating the most diverse pipeline, and portfolio, on the continent”, while tackling issues including mental health, obesity, workers rights and affordable childcare.

Ada Ventures launches with a $34M fund aimed at super-charging diverse global founders

It appears to be well on its way. In 2020, Ada invested in eight seed-stage companies tackling the above issues. Four of the eight companies have female CEOs. This brings the total portfolio size to 17, including the “pre-fund” portfolio.

In terms of portfolio progress: Huboo Technologies raised a £14 million Series A, which was led by Stride VC and Hearst Ventures; Bubble delivered tens of thousands of hours of free childcare to NHS staff; and Organise grew their members from 70,000 to more than 900,000, and campaigned for the government to provide support for the self-employed during COVID-19.

On Ada Lovelace Day this October, Ada launched its own Angel program, enabling five new Angel investors to write their first cheques. This is not dissimilar to similar Angel programs run by other VCs. It also has a network of 58 “Ada Scouts” resulting in around 20% of deal flow, with two investments now made across the portfolio that were scout-sourced.

This is no ordinary scout network, however. Ada’s Scout community includes the leaders of Hustle Crew, a for-profit working to make the tech industry more inclusive, and Muslamic Makers, a community of Muslims in tech.

In 2021, Ada says it will continue to grow its network of Ada Scouts across the U.K., with a focus on the LGBTQ+ community, disabled entrepreneurs and regions outside of London.

And the Scout network is not just “for show”, as Warner told me: “We have spoken to the Iranian Women’s Association and Islamic makers and all these groups that are underrepresented within tech and VC. And they bring us companies. And if we end up investing in these companies, we pay them both an upfront cash fee and also a carried interest share. So there are quite a few things that make it distinct from other scout programs. Many other scout programs just take existing investors like existing angels, and give them more capital and double up their investments. We’re actually enabling a whole new group of people who wouldn’t otherwise be able to get access to VC. We involve them in our due diligence process, we get their insight into markets that we wouldn’t necessarily understand, like the Shariya finance market, for example. So there are quite a few things that we’re doing differently. And we now have 58 of these scouts, who drive between 10 and 20% of our deal flow on any given month.”

Warner continued: “When we launched we couldn’t have predicted the seismic changes and tragedy brought on by COVID-19, or the social dislocation precipitated by the killing of George Floyd. These events have provided the backdrop of the first year of deployment from Ada Ventures Fund I. In light of these events, the Ada Ventures strategy feels more poignant — and urgent — than it has perhaps ever been.”

In an exclusive interview with TechCrunch, Warner and co-founder Matt Penneycard admitted the fund is not labeled as an “Impact fund” but that it shares a similar orientation.

Penneycard said: “The difference, the difference is often in the eye of the beholder. In that, it’s the way the investor wants to bucket it. Some investors might see us as an impact fund if they want to, and that’s fine. Other investors see the massive financial arbitrage that you get with a fund like ours, just because you’re looking in very different places to other funds. So, you’ve got more coming in the top of the funnel, if you’ve got a decent process, you should get a better outcome. And so with some of our investors, that’s kind of one of the primary reasons they’re investing, they think we’re going to generate superior returns to other funds, because of where were are looking. It isn’t pure impact. It’s a real fund, it just happens to have the byproduct of quite deep, meaningful social impact.”

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[daleisgreat]

The Wizard

Today I am covering a movie I have been itching to write about here for years. It is an admittedly subpar film from 1989, but seeing it then as a six year old videogame kiddo, I absolutely adored it. Yes I am talking about the 1989 Nintendo adver-film, The Wizard (trailer). I have had a nostalgia-driven love/hate/love relationship with The Wizard throughout my life. Absolutely loved it as a kid, when I got around to re-watching it with adult eyes for the first time shortly after its first DVD run in 2006, I realized a lot of it then was hard to watch and thought the film took itself way too seriously. I embedded an old episode of my old podcast I recently un-vaulted at the bottom of this entry where we do a roundtable breakdown of The Wizard right after its first DVD release in 2006. Watching it again in 2020, I kind of came around to digging it again as you will soon read on to see. The Wizard never got a deluxe edition home video treatment until this year. Its DVD release in 2006, and initial 2018 BluRay release saw a basic home video release with no bonus material other than a trailer. After much fan outcry, Universal finally granted access to home video distributor Shout Factory to release a much desired special edition jam packed with extras. It hit BluRay at the beginning of this year, shortly after the film’s 30th anniversary. If you are unfamiliar with Shout Factory, think of them as the equivalent as the Criterion Edition, but for beloved B-movies instead.

This is a road trip film, where through the magic of Nintendo, a broken family is reunited…..yes I am embellishing, but only ever-so-marginally! After an earlier childhood crisis that is not revealed until late in the movie, nine-year-old Jimmy Woods (Luke Edwards) is left in a quasi-autistic state (his condition is never fully explained). Jimmy consistently runs away from home until his mother decides it is too much and puts him in a permanent childcare facility. Jimmy’s half-brother Corey (Fred Savage) would have none of this treatment to Jimmy and sneaks him out of the facility. Jimmy infamously references ‘California’ throughout, Corey decides to take Jimmy on a road trip to California to see just what Jimmy wants to go over there for. Along the way they meet Hailey (Jenny Lewis), who joins them on the run and helps discover Jimmy’s hidden talents at getting top scores at arcade games. The trio decide to embark to a huge videogame tournament in California they see a flyer for and think that must be what Jimmy is talking about that is awaiting them there. Watching the Wizard now in 2020 compared to the last time I saw it in 2006 what popped out to me was surprisingly the ‘heart’ of the family dilemma the whole film is predicated on. As I stated in my entries here chronicling the seasons of Roseanne, the reason that show is one of my favorite sitcoms is because my family was not too far off from how dysfunctional the Conners were. The Woods family here has their own twisted backstory that gets kind of fleshed out on why the family is split up and struggling to overcome a recent crisis that has had a lasting impact on them. I can relate to that with my various family qualms over the decades, so seeing Corey & Jimmy’s brother, Nick (Christian Slater) and father, Sam (Beau Bridges) go from being on rocky turmoil throughout the film, but managing to put their differences aside to go on the road after them kind of resonated with me a little bit on this viewing.

Nick and Sam playing catch-up on the road is an entertaining B-plot to The Wizard. The father and son team have a comedic foil in one Mr. Putnam (Will Seltzer), a professional tracker of runaway kids who I would imagine would be a realistic good kind of person, but the film portrays Putnam as a ruthless, slimy scumbag in it solely for the money. It is laughable to see Putnam get the villain stereotype checklist treatment. Balding, slicked back hair? Check! Cowboy-collar-string-tie? Check! Always chomping on gum? Check! Weasel-y voice? Double check! During their father-son road trek, Nick introduces his dad to videogames, and soon enough Sam is just as hooked as Nick in trying to conquer the dastardly original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles game on NES. Videogames are featured predominantly throughout The Wizard and goes to show how big arcades were in the late 80s to the point where you can find a stray machine or two at any gas station or restaurant. Watching Hailey and Corey train Jimmy to get as much gaming knowledge in time for the videogame tournament in Los Angeles was a riot. The requisite-training montage scene perfectly encapsulates NES-mania at the peak of its powers in 1989. As you can see in the linked video it has the perfect training material for any grade school game player of that era in the form of arcade game practice sessions, Nintendo Power magazines and calling the Nintendo-endorsed game counselor’s hotline for pro tips! Countless games are shown off throughout. One of the most recognizable scenes of the film is when Jimmy meets his antagonist in the form of pro-gamer, Lucas (Jackey Vinson) who makes his unabashed love of the Power Glove the must-have NES accessory of the ’89 Christmas season.

Eventually Lucas and Jimmy clash at the ‘Videogame Armageddon’ tournament in LA. They are two of the three finalists and for their final challenge the AWESOME over-the-top host (Steven Grives) bestows upon them a brand new, unreleased game in the form of the madly anticipated Super Mario Bros. 3! The three compete for the next three minutes of film in what is essentially an infomercial for SMB3. Nintendo and Universal timed The Wizard to hit theaters several weeks before the release of the game, which only fueled demand and likely played a factor into SMB3 selling more than 17 million copies worldwide. I vividly remember being on edge in my childhood viewing of that contest finale making SMB3 seem like the coolest game ever, and re-watching it 30 years later the scene still gets me wrapped up all over again! Just click or press here to see it for yourself! Jimmy’s family is so proud of him that the whole family vaguely patches things up in a touching moment at a tourist attraction shortly thereafter to end the film on a feel-good note. As positive as I am on the film so far, it is all in a so-bad-its-good, B-movie way. I could rag on the many imperfections of The Wizard with its out of touch dialogue, overuse of New Kids on the Block in the soundtrack, misrepresentation of some of the videogames and some out of date cultural norms, but as you can tell The Wizard is somewhat of a special film for me so I will leave that to you to scour the Internet for those astutely valid points of criticism.

As I alluded to above, this Shout Factory edition of the film is loaded with extra features. There is 38 minutes of deleted scenes! Highly recommend checking them out, as the deleted scenes mostly consists of early first act backstory setting up brotherly differences with Corey and Nick, and also a whole abandoned sideplot that sees Corey sneak Jimmy out of the childcare facility multiple times to introduce him to the NES and becoming a pro at videogames. Director Todd Holland has a feature commentary track filled with tons of insightful factoids. Some highlights include regretting how unsafe parts of the production were, justifying why a lot of scenes were cut, pointing out a blink-and-miss-it Toby McGuire cameo, fighting to the bitter end to get his feel-good family reuniting ending and how a throwaway joke panning Universal Studios lead to a last minute final re-cut of the film to omit that line due to peeved Universal executives. There are two Q&A panels included totaling an hour and a half. Both feature Luke Edwards along with original writer, David Chisholm and producer, Ken Topolsky. A lot of good anecdotes and memories from everyone involved, but not necessarily required viewing since a decent amount of their responses are touched on in the last of the bonuses. Rounding off the extras are three more behind-the-scenes bonuses tallying up just under an hour. Critical Analysis of The Wizard is a 12 minute look at Jimmy’s childhood trauma and the psychological effects of his condition. How Can I Help You is a six minute interview with a former Nintendo Game Counselor detailing his work experiences. Road to California is the standout making of feature with it being a 40 minute comprehensive look at how The Wizard came to be with interviews with most of the cast and crew. It dissects the casting, selecting the gameplay footage from Nintendo-provided tapes, explaining the ending, making all the cuts down to a 90 minute film, dealing with the critical fallout and the belated public adoration from fans online who grew up with the film and spread the love once it hit DVD. There are a couple heartfelt fan testimonials it included towards the end with some passionate stories from serious fans of the film!

These last several days have been a ride to say the least while taking in everything this Shout Factory edition had to offer. I knew a part of me enjoyed The Wizard in a guilty pleasure kind of way, but taking it all in again with a 37-year old perspective made the family crisis element of the movie, regardless of how corny it is implemented, somehow make an impact on me and appreciate it in a way I was not expecting. Combine that with it capturing the aura of late-80s NES fever, and seeing all the ubiquitous love from the cast, crew and fans of the movie in the bonus feature interviews and it all adds up to The Wizard going from guilty pleasure to childhood favorite that I did not expect to find myself still a big fan of today.

If you somehow quench for more Wizard coverage, then check out this episode of my old podcast I recently re-uploaded to my YouTube channel where we reviewed The Wizard right after its first DVD printing way back in 2006.

Other Random Backlog Movie Blogs 3 12 Angry Men (1957) 12 Rounds 3: Lockdown 21 Jump Street The Accountant Angry Video Game Nerd: The Movie Atari: Game Over The Avengers: Age of Ultron The Avengers: Infinity War Batman: The Dark Knight Rises Batman: The Killing Joke Batman: Mask of the Phantasm Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice Bounty Hunters Cabin in the Woods Captain America: Civil War Captain America: The First Avenger Captain America: The Winter Soldier Christmas Eve Clash of the Titans (1981) Clint Eastwood 11-pack Special The Condemned 2 Countdown Creed I & II Deck the Halls Detroit Rock City Die Hard Dredd The Eliminators The Equalizer Dirty Work Faster Fast and Furious I-VIII Field of Dreams Fight Club The Fighter For Love of the Game Good Will Hunting Gravity Grunt: The Wrestling Movie Guardians of the Galaxy Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 Hell Comes to Frogtown Hercules: Reborn Hitman I Like to Hurt People Indiana Jones 1-4 Ink The Interrogation Interstellar Jay and Silent Bob Reboot Jobs Joy Ride 1-3 Last Action Hero Major League Man of Steel Man on the Moon Man vs Snake Marine 3-6 Merry Friggin Christmas Metallica: Some Kind of Monster Mortal Kombat Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpions Revenge National Treasure National Treasure: Book of Secrets Not for Resale Pulp Fiction The Replacements Reservoir Dogs Rocky I-VIII Running Films Part 1 Running Films Part 2 San Andreas ScoobyDoo Wrestlemania Mystery The Secret Life of Walter Mitty Shoot em Up Slacker Skyscraper Small Town Santa Steve Jobs Source Code Star Trek I-XIII Sully Take Me Home Tonight TMNT The Tooth Fairy 1 & 2 UHF Veronica Mars Vision Quest The War Wild Wonder Woman The Wrestler (2008) X-Men: Apocalypse X-Men: Days of Future Past

[lotusyogascnn946-blog]

The Next Big Thing in lotus yoga kc

All you need to understand to get started along with yoga, consisting of the health perks, yoga styles for newbies and finding a yoga class.

What is actually yoga?

Yoga is an ancient type of exercise that focuses on durability, versatility and also breathing to increase bodily as well as psychological wellness. The main elements of yoga are positions (a set of activities designed to enhance durability as well as versatility) and also breathing.

The method originated in India concerning 5,000 years earlier and has actually been adapted in various other countries in an assortment of methods. Yoga is actually now prevalent in convenience centers, health clubs, institutions, medical centers as well as surgical treatments.

What are the wellness advantages of yoga?

Loads of medical trials of varying high quality have been actually published on yoga.

While there is actually extent for even more thorough studies on its own health benefits, many research studies advise yoga is actually a safe and also helpful way to enhance physical exertion, specifically strength, adaptability and harmony.

There is actually some documentation that routine yoga technique is valuable for people with high blood pressure, heart disease, pains and pains-- featuring lesser back pain-- depression and anxiety.

Does yoga matter towards my 150 minutes of activity?

The majority of kinds of yoga are certainly not laborious enough to add up towards your 150 minutes of moderate task, as laid out through federal government guidelines.

Nonetheless, yoga does add up as a boosting workout, and also at the very least 2 sessions a week will certainly aid you comply with the guidelines on muscle-strengthening activities.

Activities such as yoga as well as tai chi are actually also encouraged for older adults in danger of drops, to aid strengthen balance and also coordination.

Try our yoga workout video clips in our Fitness Workshop.

Can yoga help protect against drops?

Yes. Yoga enhances equilibrium through reinforcing your lower body system-- specifically your ankles and also knees-- thus reducing your chances of falling.

Having said that, falls might occasionally be caused by a wellness disorder, in which instance it is actually a good idea to find your General Practitioner or go to a drops clinic at a regional healthcare facility.

Can yoga help with arthritis?

Yoga is well-known along with individuals with arthritis for its own mild technique of marketing flexibility as well as durability.

Some study advises yoga can lessen ache and also wheelchair problems in folks with knee osteoarthritis. Having said that, some yoga relocations are actually not suited for folks along with the health condition.

Find a teacher who comprehends joint inflammation and also may adjust motions for personal requirements, especially if you possess substitute junctions, as well as regularly consult a physician or even physio therapist to find out if there are actually any kind of motions to prevent.

Am I too outdated for yoga?

Most definitely certainly not. Folks commonly begin yoga in their 70s, as well as a lot of state they prefer they had actually started sooner. There are yoga classes for every single generation. Yoga is a type of exercise that could be delighted in at any moment, from youth to your innovative years.

Do I must be fit to accomplish yoga?

No. You can easily join a class appropriate for your fitness amount. As an example, to participate in a mixed-ability yoga class, you require to become capable to stand up and below the flooring. Some yoga classes are actually chair-based.

Do I need to be adaptable to accomplish yoga?

Not always. Yoga will improve your adaptability and also assist you go beyond your typical variety of movement, which might make executing your day-to-day activities easier.

Can I harm on my own performing yoga?

Yoga-related injuries are actually uncommon. Some traumas may be dued to repeated pressure or even overstretching.

Yet yoga is the same as any other exercise discipline-- it is actually flawlessly safe if instructed adequately by people who know it and have expertise.

It's wise to profit from a trained yoga teacher as well as pick a class appropriate to your amount.

What design of yoga should I carry out?

There are many different styles of yoga, such as Ashtanga, Iyengar as well as Sivananda. Some types are actually much more strenuous than others, while some may have a various place of importance, like stance or even breathing. Numerous yoga teachers cultivate their own practice through examining greater than one design.

No type is actually automatically far better or even more genuine than some other. The secret is to select a class necessary for your fitness level.

What type of class should I keep an eye out for?

Classes can easily vary in duration but usually final between 45 as well as 90 minutes. A longer class is going to give you even more opportunity for finding out breathing and relaxation procedures, as well as are going to give the educator opportunity to deal with your private potential.

It's worth contacting an instructor regarding their technique just before you register for a class.

Where can I find a yoga class?

No details certifications are actually demanded to educate yoga in the UK. Having said that, it's usually approved that instructors need to have to become guaranteed. Some educators may possess a training certification and accreditation coming from a yoga affiliation.

Receive energetic your technique - Workout

For the majority of our team, daily duties, such as buying or housekeeping, don't calculate towards your activity aim at. This is actually considering that your physical body does not strive enough to acquire your center rate up.

Fitness for hectic mums and also papas

Prepare a time for exercising and stay with it. You are actually more probable to locate opportunity to be energetic if you do it together and on the same times every week.

Split activity up throughout the time-- you may accomplish your aim at in rounds of 10 mins or more. Attempt these 10-minute workout sessions.

Walk your kids to as well as coming from university. This are going to likewise help them create a style of exercise.

Be active with your child. Take all of them to the pool, or play in the yard or park. Get concepts on fun tasks coming from Change4Life.

Use up managing-- if you're only beginning, try our preferred Couch to 5K managing plan.

Boost your durability as well as versatility along with Toughness and also Flex, a 5-week exercise workout session strategy.

Join a child-friendly health club. Find a class or club that allows little ones or supplies childcare during the course of a workout.

Set up a buggy group along with various other moms and dads and also go on long walks with the youngsters.

Attempt our house workout schedules in the NHS Fitness Center.

Workout throughout your lunch break. Your office may possess a health and fitness center, or even you may possess accessibility to a close-by swimming pool or even squash courthouses.

Cycle or stroll part, or even all, of your trip to work. Get off one bus or even pipe stop prior to your destination. Discover additional regarding cycling for amateurs.

For tips on exercising after maternity, reviewed maintaining healthy and fit with a baby.

Fitness for loved ones

Kids don't need to have to acquire their regular intended of 60 energetic mins done in one try-- they can possibly do them in chunks of 10 mins throughout the day.

Try one thing new. If you're unsure what activities you wish to try as a household, attempt the BBC's 'Which sport are you produced?' tool to figure out what you are actually absolute best satisfied to.

If moms and dads are actually actually energetic, their kids are actually most likely to become active as well, so lead through instance.

As opposed to seeing TELEVISION, motivate your kid to locate exciting activities to perform on their own or even with buddies, such as participating in hunt or using their bikes.

Permit your kids aid choose what to accomplish. Youngsters are very likely to join one thing if they are actually involved in selecting it.

When it pertains to play, little ones must perform what they take pleasure in the majority of. Running around, enjoying yourself along with various other youngsters and burning off electricity are excellent techniques of obtaining some (or even all) of their encouraged 60 minutes of task a time.

Walking is a fun and also simple way for children to acquire active while hanging out with you and also their buddies. Acquire extra strolling pointers in strolling for health.

Have a disco in your lobby with your songs. All you require are actually some great songs and you as well as your children can easily have a blast dancing anywhere. Check out dance for fitness.

Possess a burst-- whether they're carrying out durations of the pool or possessing an excellent splash concerning, children love playing in water. Learn much more in swimming for fitness.

Cycling is actually a terrific substitute to the automobile or even bus. You don't even need to have somewhere to come to-- simply taking the little ones out for a bike experience is a fun activity.

Young people and also fitness

Attempt something new. If you're not sure what tasks you will such as, discover which sport or even task you're best fit to using the BBC's 'Which sporting activity are you created?' tool.

Take up operating-- if you are actually merely starting, attempt our preferred Couch to 5K managing plan.

Get into shape along with Durability and Flex, a 5-week workout strategy to raise your toughness and flexibility.

Stroll extra: to university, to explore friends, to the shops or other areas in your area. Learn the perks of walking in walking for wellness.

Get your mates entailed. You are actually more probable to maintain energetic if you enjoy yourself and other people to appreciate yourself along with.

Ask your moms and dads if you can easily visit the health and fitness center with them or if there's a nearby neighborhood center where you can easily exercise.

Generate a brand-new routine where you walk or manage every day when you obtain home from university or even just before you possess dinner.

If you do not would like to work out outdoors on your own, buddy up with a buddy, or even use a physical exercise VIDEO or even select an exercise coming from the NHS Fitness Workshop.

Dance before the TV or participate in some music. All you need to have are actually some terrific tunes and also you may enjoy dance anywhere-- and also shed fats all at once.

Carry out some family tasks. Although easy jobs such as taking out the rubbish will not increase your heart cost, some heavy gardening or even cleaning the auto will definitely count in the direction of your regular task aim at.

Fitness for white-collar worker

Pattern or stroll component-- otherwise all-- of your quest to function. Read more regarding cycling for novices.

Leave a bus or tube quit before your destination.

If you need to steer, make an effort to position further away from your workplace and walk the remainder of the way.

Go over task tips with an associate while strolling.

Stand up while chatting on the telephone.

Tramp to somebody's work desk at the office rather than calling them on the phone or even delivering an email.

Take the staircases as opposed to the lift, or leave the airlift a few floorings early and make use of the stairs.

Stroll up moving stairways or travelators as opposed to standing still.

Go with a stroll in the course of your lunch break-- utilize a digital pedometer to track the number of actions you take.

Look for different strolls and second between all of them during the full week. You could possibly additionally make an effort using the free Active 10 application to assist you improve your strolling task.

Physical exercise prior to or after job, or even in the course of your lunch rest. Your workplace may have a health club, or even you may have accessibility to a surrounding pool or squash court of laws.

Fitness for much older grownups (65 years and also over)

Be energetic around your house-- cooking food, household chores and strolling while you perform the phone may aid maintain you mobile phone, although these tasks will not count in Find more info the direction of your every week task target.

Get into shape with Stamina and also Flex, a 5-week exercise plan to increase toughness and adaptability for newbies.

Preservation teams are actually a method to acquire involved in strengthening your local area environment and also being active simultaneously. Discover even more about Eco-friendly Gyms.

Attempt something brand new. If you're not sure what activities you would certainly like, find out which sport or task you're absolute best suited to making use of the BBC's 'Which sport are you created?' tool.

Walking is the easiest method to increase your task amounts. Locate a good friend to walk with, or sign up with a strolling team for some extra incentive. Review walking for wellness.

Senior sports or fitness classes maintain you stimulated as well as can be exciting, soothe tension and aid you satisfy pals.

Heavy horticulture-- including driving, bending over, crouching, bring, excavating and also shovelling-- can deliver a really good workout session.

Going swimming, aqua aerobics as well as exercising in water are best for much older adults, considering that water lessens tension and also stress on the body system's joints. Find out extra in diving for fitness.

Yoga agrees with for all capability amounts. It combines a set of postures along with breathing, and also is good for creating stamina, adaptability and balance.

Tai chi is actually an ancient Mandarin fine art that builds strength, adaptability and harmony with slow-moving and regulated activities.

Pilates concentrates on stretching and enhancing the entire body system to improve equilibrium, muscular tissue toughness, adaptability and also posture.

Use up managing-- if you're only starting, attempt our prominent Couch to 5K operating planning.

Lotus Yoga KC Classes:

- Yoga

- Massage

- Reiki

- WELL-BEING COMPANIES

- Fitness

Call Us: (913) 217-7135

E-Mail: lotusyogakc@gmail.com

Address: 14872 Metcalf Ave. Overland Park, KS 66223

Map: https://g.page/yogaoverlandpark?share

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[matildainmotion]

The Real Enemy of Good Art

By now the quote has done the rounds. Here it is again: “There is no more sombre enemy of good art than the pram in the hall” said Cyril Connolly.    

It is a curious quote when you stop to think about it, for it completely sidelines the child. The pram is the apparent enemy. The child is not seen, not heard, not even mentioned, and put in the hall. Or is the pram parked in the hall and has the baby, the true enemy of art, infiltrated the house? Is it rolling around on the rug of the room where the art should be happening? Or is it not the child so much as ‘the role of mother’ that is the true enemy, as symbolised by the pram. The child is not the problem, it’s all the paraphernalia and baggage that comes with the identity of ‘mum’ which could easily fill a pram or even a double buggy and which stops the artist in her tracks. This is getting closer to the heart of it, but I think we need to look even closer, question further.  

What if the enemy is not the mothering, or the implicit baby, or the pram but the fact that it is all in the hall – that the woman is stuck indoors. What about if she got out? Remembered the world out there, felt able to enter it. What about those walks in the park, when the ideas come fast, whilst the child is charging ahead to go down the slide or jump in the sand?  

Really I think this is the truth of it. That the enemy of good art is neither the child, nor the pram but the way that both of these things, and how they are seen, can end up making a woman feel unable to get through the hall and out the front door. I have never owned a pram, or a push chair. I used slings all the way for precisely this reason – I didn’t want a pram blocking up the hall. I wanted to be able to get out the house as swiftly as possible when needed. I like the idea of reframing Cyril Connolly as actually being a proponent of baby-wearing – “Down with the pram,” said Cyril, “Go and get yourself a sling.”

Let me put it another way.

The more I live it, and listen to others living it, the more I believe the sombre enemy isn’t the obvious things that go along with having a child – the lack of time, space, sleep, money, childcare– none of these help but none of them, at the end of the day are ‘enemies,’ out to get the artist and stop her at her work. It is something deeper than these ‘lacks’ which is the real enemy we are dealing with here - a lack of confidence.

Think about it. Suppose the woman who has a pram in her hallway were to feel the same sense of entitlement that I am sure Cyril Connolly felt in relation to his art-making and critiquing. Suppose she felt it was her unquestionable birth-right to be an artist. What if she trusted that the world needed her art, in the same way that her child needed her, that her hours spent on it were worthy and worthwhile. What would she do? I believe she would find a way to make good art - she would not let the baby or the pram stop her. She would push down that hallway and walk her baby round the park however many times it took, scribble down the ideas on the back of the scrap of a colouring page she found stuffed in the bottom of the pram.

It always amazes me the long list of things which women manage to achieve on a daily basis whilst also looking after their children, everything from cooking meals, to making phone calls, to running marathons, literally. I do acknowledge that the act of making supper is different to that of, say, making a show, but I nonetheless refuse to put ‘producing good art’ in its own entirely elite category separate from a host of other challenging tasks requiring great sensitivity, patience and stamina which mothers manage to carry out.  

So how come mothers can do so many amazing feats but not pull off the making of good art? Well, firstly they do pull it off. All the time, all over the place. But if ever they don’t I believe it comes down to this sombre question of confidence. The difference lies not so much in the fact that making art requires a set of conditions that no other kind of task requires but that mothers doubt their right to make art whereas they do not doubt their right to make supper.  

I can feel it now, in myself. I am low on sleep. I have tiny amounts of time but I could be writing my novel and in these last few months I have done precious little writing. I have helped sell my mother’s house. I have set up a new home. I have not been writing. And the real reason is not the pram in the hall. It is that I have fallen off the tightwire of my faith in myself and it is hard to get back on. It has nothing to do with the children.

And everything to do with them.  

Everything to do with them because of the attitude that Connolly named so famously, which is still pervasive. Because of the ‘just’ that still precedes the phrase ‘being a mum;’ because in many places prams and their small inhabitants are still unwelcome; because money is our main measure of value and so any activity that does not immediately generate it is hard to deem as worthwhile. And given all of this, when a woman is tired, and vulnerable, which comes with the territory of bearing and caring for children, then it is extraordinarily difficult to hold onto the conviction that her efforts at art-making, of whatever kind, might be valid, worthy, even important.

Which is why, amongst everything else, one of the feats I am performing alongside being a mother is running this national initiative called Mothers Who Make, for any kind of mother and any kind of maker, professional and/ or passionate, with prams, slings, buggies, babies and big children too. They are all welcome and not just in the hall. They are welcome all the way into the main room, where the great art happens. We have made our way into 20 arts related venues across the UK in monthly peer support meetings. We live online too, on a website, on Facebook, on Twitter, so that you can connect with us from wherever you find yourself. We are there to validate your mothering and your making and to say, yes, emphatically yes, it is worthwhile. It is vital even, because there is no more sombre enemy of a good world than the pram, the children, the mothers and their great art, being trapped in the hall and never making it out the front door.  

Here, then, is your question for the month – it is both a simple one and a difficult one to commit to answering. Ready?:

If you already knew, without a doubt, that your creative practice is worthwhile, what would you do today? What would you make?  

Ask this every day. Note down your answers. Let the act of answering in itself be a practice. See where your answers lead you, through the hall and far out beyond it......

[roslinadama-sinequanon]

Sharon and a church wedding

So glad Sharon is going to be able to get married in the church. The importance of the church in her life became even more apparent tonight. We’ve known about the strength of her faith and her adherence to its rules since she was on the Closer and throughout Major Crimes. But tonight thanks to Ricky we got  see the help and support the church gave to a struggling single mother when she was not making the kind of money she makes now by giving her a break on her kids education and also providing childcare during a time when she was working cop’s hours. As the sister of a police officer I can say that traditional childcare is definitely an issue for the shifts they have to work and when they are held over in forced overtime.

Knowing how important it would be for their mother to marry in the church, Ricky gets the ball rolling on an annulment and he and Emily go to Jack and threaten not be a part of his life anymore if he tries to hold up the annulment. How freaking great was that! Love those kids!

I was overjoyed to see how happy and enthusiastic Ricky was over this wedding. He really just wants so much for his mom to be happy--and in the quick little scene with Rusty later in the episode we get a glimpse of Ricky’s frustration, probably shared with Emily, over how much time their mother wasted on Jack. Glad to see adoption episode Ricky was an aberration.

It was also apparent how much Sharon wants to be married in the church in her conversation with Ricky. When he’s prodding her on why she has her foot on the break, she says there are issues and that getting married in the church…at which point she gets emotional and can’t even talk about it because she feels it is impossible. That she’d never be able to convince Jack to sign off on an annulment. And when Ricky asked her if she would be willing to marry outside the church and let them stop dictating who is her family she just kind of rolls her head back, like “come on Ricky”.  

I’m glad they didn’t take the easy way out and just have them marry outside the church--not that we’ve got any wedding plans yet, but it’s pretty apparent where they are leaning. I think it would not have been true to who Sharon is to have her throw out all her years of adhering to her Catholic beliefs and suddenly be fine with losing some of what the church offers her spiritually and emotionally. I do think if they were unable to make that happen Sharon would finally agree to marry outside the church, but I’m glad that doesn’t have to happen now. I really didn’t like the idea of Sharon having to lose something so important to her in order to marry Andy. I so want this wedding and marriage to be nothing but a happy time in her life full of GAINS, no losses.

That said, I think that Andy not having a clue about the annulment was a little silly. At the end of the episode when his ex-wife calls and said she applied for an annulment Andy tells Sharon they may be able to marry in the church after all. So obviously the two of them talked about that after the proposal and discussed the need for annulments. From the beginning Andy has been the one pushing ahead in this relationship and was so gung ho about the proposal and moving forward I would think he would have jumped at contacting his ex-wife about starting the process. After all, she’s already re-married so I doubt it would mean much to her whereas I could see Sharon’s worry about Jack. Nasty bastard that he is, he would have held her off just to spite her and out of jealousy.

Since Rusty said he’d take care of getting Andy’s annulment I’m betting he called Nicole, told her the problem and that she went to her mom and got her mom to get the annulment started.  Good thinking Rusty. But again, a little strange that Andy didn’t question why after all these years of being re-married his ex suddenly wants an annulment days after he has become engaged? Aren’t you a detective Andy?

But, I’m not going to quibble over that because I’m just so freaking happy. I have been really hoping for a church wedding because I know how important it is Sharon and because I am hoping this wedding will be a big deal. 

A little off topic because this post was supposed to be about Sharon and the church, but I just have to say how ecstatic I was to get an episode that actually flowed from the previous episode. Until Ricky showed up I was beginning to think they were going to do a typical MC move and barely mention the proposal if it at all. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the entire episode--other than the stupid case that took away from the good stuff--was focused on Sharon and Andy, their upcoming wedding and even their back story’s. It was nice to see all the different personal conversations, Sharon/Ricky, Ricky/Rusty, Andy/Ricky/Rusty and Sharon/Andy/Ricky and Rusty and to gain greater insight into the characters of Sharon Raydor and Andy Flynn. 

Here’s to hoping for an “I love you” sometime in the near future….

[labourpress]

Jeremy Corbyn’s speech to the Federation of Small Businesses

- CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY-

Jeremy Corbyn, Leader of the Labour Party, in a speech to the FSB in London today, said:

“I want to start by saying thank you. Thank you for inviting me here today and for that introduction.

But, most of all, to thank you all the Federation of Small Businesses for the role you are playing in holding the government to account. Not least in forcing the retreat last month, when, for now at least , they had to drop their 22 percent increase in the National Insurance rate for the self-employed.

You are respected on all sides of politics because you speak with the authority of your members; the sole traders, the entrepreneurs, the small businesses and you are effective, because you reflect the views of those members.

Like the best trade unions, when you say something, people listen and if they don’t? Well, just ask the Chancellor.

Labour does not believe that extra tax burdens should be falling on low and middle income workers,  whether self-employed or directly employed.

And we also believe that if we are to restore faith in politics, then politicians have to stick by their word.

That means not breaking a clear manifesto pledge the Conservatives made that they would not increase National Insurance.

The Government’s decision to push a £2 billion tax rise on low and middle-earner self-employed broke that pledge. They hoped no one would notice. Well, we noticed. You noticed.

And what we have also noticed is that, while most of us have had to swallow seven years of austerity, some are being given hand-outs on an extraordinary scale.

George Osborne, and now Philip Hammond, have given the term ‘welfare state’ a whole new meaning - welfare for the wealthiest.

The Tories have cut the corporation tax rate for bigger companies, from 28 per cent in 2010 to 17 per cent by 2020.

Over the six years from 2016 to 2022, the total giveaway, the total revenue lost to the public purse, will be £63.8 billion, according to the government’s own figures.

And let’s be clear, all of that giveaway will go to big companies.

Remember, the corporation tax rate for small companies in 2010 was already,  under the previous Labour Government, set at 21 per cent.

That means that by 2020, big companies will have had an 11 percentage point decrease in corporation tax, while the rate for small companies will have been cut by only four percentage points.

And the differential between big and small companies will have been eliminated completely, with both on 17 per cent.

So, there has clearly been a bias here in the approach of the Government.

A bias against small business.

A bias that was evident in the attempt to increase national insurance for the self-employed.

A bias that holds back hard working people who want to make a living independently.

A bias against entrepreneurs who want to start and build new businesses; creating jobs, innovating and helping to make Britain richer. Not for the very rich few, but for the many.

Labour will have a different bias.

Yesterday we reaffirmed our commitment to a Real Living Wage.

Low pay and in-work poverty don’t just hurt those directly affected, they mean more public money going on in-work benefits instead of investing in our future. And they mean fewer pounds going to your businesses.

We know that some of you will struggle to pay your staff more. That’s why we have promised additional support for your businesses, and are looking at expanding and reforming the Employment Allowance.

We will support those striving to make a living through self-employment and in small businesses, not just because it is the right and fair thing to do, but because millions of jobs and the future of our country depends on it.

Labour’s business team, our shadow Business Secretary, Rebecca Long Bailey, and our Shadow Minister for Small Business, Bill Esterson, have been working hard on this.

They, and the Shadow Chancellor, John McDonnell, tell me how important their relationship is with you, how valued your voice and insights are.

So, I want to share with you today the approach that will guide our relationship and then explain how I see it working in practice.

Firstly, Labour believes in fair taxation. So our policies will follow two cast-iron principles forged in our values:

Any tax rises will fall most heavily on those with the broadest shoulders and will be a something-for-something deal. When we ask for more contributions we’ll be clear about what you’re getting in return.

Secondly, we want to level the playing field to ensure that no one is being held back due to unfair advantages of the economically and politically powerful using their entrenched positions to hold back the enterprise of others.

And, finally, we will invest to give you the best platform to succeed, with world-leading infrastructure: digital, transport and energy, as well as better access to growth capital, whether it is through loans or equity.

Let me look at those points in more detail.

When I say any tax rises will fall on the broadest shoulders, I want to make it clear today that we will not raise the small business corporation tax rate.

What we cannot accept, however, is that it is right or necessary for big companies to have been given a 40 per cent cut in their corporation tax rate, at a time when others are suffering austerity and the budget deficit remains out of control.

Britain has the lowest corporation tax in the G7, now by quite some distance.

So, corporation tax for bigger companies will move closer to the levels of other major economies.

But it will be a something-for-something deal, we will use that extra revenue to invest in skills.

Employers are telling us that they need a more skilled workforce and that they struggle to recruit.

Which is hardly surprising when, in the last seven years, the further education budget has been cut by one-seventh, or when the adult skills budget has been cut in half

And last year, as student maintenance grants were abolished, university applications fell.

We need a highly skilled workforce, and a state that can re-train and re-skill people as the economy evolves.

That’s why Labour has set out a vision for a National Education Service, from early years to lifelong learning.

Because we know that education matters, whether it’s high quality universal childcare that allows you the time and space to start and develop your business.

Or whether it’s the chance to re-train later in life; opportunity needs to be there for everyone.

And today too many people and too many businesses are being held back by the lack of investment in training.

Which leads me to the second element of our approach, a level playing field.

What people running small businesses tell me is that they are fed up with there being one rule for them and another for big business.

Whether it’s tax avoidance, late payment to suppliers or business rates – giant companies seem to be privileged and sometimes a law unto themselves.

No one likes paying tax. We don’t wake up in the morning thinking, “Oh, I really must pay some more tax today”. But most of us know that taxes are essential to a civilised society and a successful economy.

Business needs skilled workers and good infrastructure. People who run businesses also have families who need the health and caring services their taxes fund.

So most of us play by the rules. We do our tax returns, as you know, mine seems to attract more attention than most but that’s okay, transparency is important.

But some people don’t play by the rules, they use all sorts of elaborate ruses like shell companies or tax havens or offshore trusts to side step the rules.

My local independent coffee shop can’t spend thousands on accountants to avoid paying tax but a big chain of coffee shops can and does.

And small businesses can’t make sweetheart deals with the tax authorities like Google or Vodafone seemingly manage to.

So when we say we will clamp down hard on tax avoidance and legislate to close loopholes, that’s not anti-business, it’s anti-cheating.

So we will give HM Revenue & Customs more powers and more resources and I can announce today we’ll save them one onerous burden, and I hope it’s one you’ll approve of too.

In the budget, the Chancellor bowed to pressure by delaying the implementation of quarterly reporting for small businesses by one year.

That’s not good enough; Labour is against small businesses having to report quarterly. It’s a burden, a distraction, that will hold entrepreneurs back.

Labour will scrap year quarterly reporting for small businesses with a turnover of less than £83,000, to help you focus on growing your business.

And we will tackle another problem that I know is a burning issue and overdue for attention.

Small businesses are owed £26 billion in late payments.

Cash is king for any business and big companies are managing their cash by borrowing – interest free – from their suppliers.

Some of the biggest names in business are holding huge cash piles that don’t actually belong to them.

And I’m going to name some names based on the reports of a reputable credit agency:

Marks and Spencer pays its suppliers 72 days over terms

E.On – the German energy provider, currently pays 78 days over terms

Capita – a major player in the public sector, pays 82 days over terms

Vodafone – 84 days over terms

BT Group – pays 89 days

National Grid – a whopping 119 days

And I could go on.

But note this is ‘over terms’ and the terms they impose could be 45 days or 60 days to start with. So, we’re talking about big companies paying their suppliers, in some cases, six months or more after they have done the work or delivered the goods.

It’s a national scandal.

And it’s not just late payment.

There was also the case of Premier Foods charging companies to be on their supplier list

And of John Lewis demanding a ‘rebate’ from suppliers when their products sold well, a kind of penalty for success.

And I gather from what you have told me there are many instances of big companies refusing to pay an invoice in full and then saying ‘sue me’ as if small businesses have the time and money to fight legal battles against the commercial giants.

We will look at all of this because late payment and the other practices I’ve mentioned are stopping businesses from growing and causing thousands to go bust every year.

Late payment kills jobs and holds back economic growth.

Bill Esterson has been doggedly pursuing this issue in Parliament and I am keen that we work with you to tackle this issue

There are different options to assess.

Government, through procurement, can ensure that anyone bidding for a contract pays its own suppliers within 30 days. It’s normal now to ask for accounts and credit checks, so this would involve no extra paperwork.

For the private sector, we’ve been looking at the Australian system that involves binding arbitration and fines for persistent late payers.

It needs to be a system with teeth. A system that delivers a fair deal for small suppliers

And we want to work with you to get this right.

No small business owner should have to go begging to the banks, or even re-mortgaging their homes, just because a customer considers themselves too big and too important to pay on time.

But let me send a clear message to the captains of industry today,  a Labour Government will declare war on late payment.

Alongside that, Labour will introduce a radical reform of business rates.

The Government’s piecemeal concessions fall far short of what’s needed.

And so, in consultation with business , Labour set out five points that will guide our policies in government:

·         there will be no “cliff edge” increases in rates and a fair and transparent appeals process

·         we will bring forward CPI indexation so that businesses aren’t paying more because of how inflation is measured

·         we will exclude new investment in plant and machinery from future business rates valuation. We want to encourage,  not discourage,  business investment.

·         we will introduce more regular valuations to stop businesses facing periodic and unmanageable hikes

·         Also, we need fundamental reform of the business rates system … to ease the burden on traditional high streets and town centres in the age of online shopping and to create a fairer system of business taxation.

And that brings me to the third theme of our approach to small business namely, investment. 

Britain’s infrastructure is second rate and falling even further behind other major economies.

And, frankly, this government has an abysmal record. They have failed to modernise the economy, whether it’s in broadband, energy, transport or housing.

And, at the same time, they have not done enough to finance growth in the small business sector.

That’s why Labour is committed to establishing a National Investment Bank with regional investment banks for every region of England.

This year, the Welsh Labour government is creating the Development Bank for Wales.

Its purpose will be to create and safeguard over 5,500 jobs a year by 2022 by providing more than £1 billion of investment support to Welsh business over that period.

This has not come out of the blue. Labour in Wales has nearly two decades’ experience of working with the FSB and other business organisations.

It has taken on board your feedback about the forerunner to the development bank, Finance Wales.

And my business team at Westminster will take a keen interest in the launch of the Development Bank for Wales, and the work it does to generate growth and jobs.

The prime minister regularly accuses me of wanting to bankrupt Britain by borrowing money to fund investment.

But as every businessperson knows there is a world of difference between borrowing for capital spending  and borrowing to fund the payroll and day to day trading or service delivery.

The risk of bankruptcy comes not when you borrow to invest in projects that will deliver growth but when you give unfair tax breaks to big companies and the wealthy, when you have a big deficit and not enough money to run public services.

Labour’s vision is of a richer Britain, a Britain in which hard working people are not held back.

Britain has more than five million small to medium sized businesses employing more than 15 million people; sixty per cent of the private sector workforce.

Labour is committed to creating an environment in which you can grow, through fair taxation, tough action to level the playing field, including on late payment,  and through investment in skills and infrastructure.

The only thing we ask of you, as part of this deal, is social responsibility in the way you operate. Fairness in employment, attention to health and safety, safeguards for the environment, high service and product standards for your consumers.

The economy under the Conservatives is being held back by low investment, low skills, low productivity and low wages.

They believe the way for Britain to succeed is to win the race to the bottom. To become a tax dodgers’ paradise, content with rising poverty, falling social mobility and the next generation worse off than the last.  It’s gone too far.

A productive economy requires government to have a partnership with business. Building the platform for you to succeed. While guaranteeing fairness for all.

This is a virtuous circle; good investment by government, good practice by business, good public services, funded by a productive, growing economy with fair taxation.

Your businesses suffer when public services are in crisis.

When people have to take time off to care for ill or elderly relatives, because social care is in crisis.

When people are in too much pain to work, but still waiting for an operation.

When our schools and colleges aren’t delivering enough skilled workers.

I’ve set out Labour’s three principles; fair taxation, a level playing field and investment.

And I want to add one final principle, to listen and engage with people like you, the experts in their area.

I think we need more experts, not fewer, informing our policy and politics.

I started by saying that I saw the FSB as a trade union; standing up for your members.

The Party I lead, the Labour Party, is as the name suggests, a party of workers. But we’re also the party of co-operatives, of entrepreneurs, of owner managers who work hard in their businesses.

And that’s why it’s been a privilege to address you today.

Thank you.”

[vsplusonline]

Coronavirus: Are call centre employees from Canada’s banks allowed to work from home?

New Post has been published on https://apzweb.com/coronavirus-are-call-centre-employees-from-canadas-banks-allowed-to-work-from-home/

Coronavirus: Are call centre employees from Canada’s banks allowed to work from home?

Only one of Canada’s six big banks says it is developing plans to allow some customer services employees to work from home instead of in crowded call centres —  the type of enclosed spaces with over 50 people that public health officials have urged Canadians to avoid in order to stop the spread of COVID-19.

Global News reached out to the six major Canadian banks — TD, the Royal Bank of Canada, Bank of Montreal, Scotiabank, CIBC and National Bank of Canada — to find out what they were doing to protect the health of thousands of call centre employees who are responding to inquiries from their customers.

All six said they have been providing essential services and dealing with high call volumes ever since the COVID-19 pandemic triggered tens of thousands of layoffs and a shutdown of multiple businesses and offices across the country.

The crisis has also prompted a flood of transactions as well as requests for emergency loans and other financial advice, the banks told Global News.

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READ MORE: TD call centre employee in Halifax tests positive for COVID-19

But none of the six big banks provided detailed explanations why their call centre employees — who don’t need to meet with clients face to face — are being asked to work from offices with dozens of colleagues at a time when the federal, provincial and territorial governments are asking Canadians to avoid gathering in crowds that could speed up the spread of COVID-19.

While many other businesses have scrambled to provide employees with tools needed to work from home, the banks are not facing any mandatory rules to protect employees, other than to ensure they are kept physically distanced.

Instead, federal public health officials have promoted voluntary guidelines for businesses, including banks, to follow in call centres and other workplaces.

RBC was the only other bank that said it was starting to allow some customer service employees to work remotely and that it was “working diligently to securely enable even more call centre staff to work from home.” RBC didn’t provide details about where and how that would be done.

2:03 Coronavirus outbreak: Trudeau urges Canadians to continue COVID-19 prevention efforts over long weekend

Coronavirus outbreak: Trudeau urges Canadians to continue COVID-19 prevention efforts over long weekend

Toronto-Dominion Bank said it would be allowing all staff at a Halifax call centre for TD Insurance to work from home after staff were informed on March 27 that one of their colleagues tested positive for COVID-19.

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TD told the Halifax employees in an internal email, sent on March 30 and obtained by Global News, that it hopes to have all TD Insurance employees at that call centre working from home “over the next few weeks.”

The message was prompted by the news that one employee had tested positive for COVID-19, leading to a deep clean of the third floor of the call centre where that employee worked and forcing 15 close contacts to self-isolate.

An employee who Global News agreed not to name in order to protect their job said roughly 100 people were still working at the call centre as of April 1, and had not been following the proper health guidelines.

“We often see the people, even supervisors, are not respecting the social distancing in the office,” the employee said.

READ MORE: Halifax contact centre employee calls for temporary closure after COVID-19 diagnosis at workplace

The internal email said 182 employees of that Halifax call centre were already working from home. A TD spokesperson told Global News that common areas at the facility were closed and the remaining staff were split between four floors to “enhance physical distancing.”

But TD did not indicate any similar plans would be underway for any of its bank call centre employees.

A COVID-19 case was also identified at a CIBC call centre in Halifax in late March. A CIBC spokesperson said it had conducted a deep clean of the premises, where an employee told Global News over 100 people worked on each floor before physical distancing measures were put into place.

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Measures in place

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Public health officials across Canada have said that Canadians must aggressively practice physical distancing and remain at home as much as possible in order to slow the spread of COVID-19 and prevent it from overwhelming hospitals.

The CEOs of the six banks and several smaller financial institutions have publicly agreed they have a role to play, and have urged other businesses to follow suit.

The banks all told Global News they are taking measures to protect call centre workers. These include reconfiguring workspaces within their call centres to keep staff apart, in line with health officials’ guidelines to stay at least two metres away from each other.

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Coronavirus outbreak: Federal ministers respond to Ipsos poll on social distancing

But one labour expert was skeptical about whether the measures go far enough to protect the employees in the workplace or on their commute, for those taking public transit.

“To make a flat declaration that you’re essential and therefore you’ll arrange things and we’ll have to be confident that those arrangements will be safe — I mean, let’s hope they’re right, but it’s kind of a big leap,” said Mark Thompson, a professor at the University of British Columbia’s Sauder School of Business.

TD, Scotiabank and National Bank said they have split up teams between different floors, or different locations altogether, to limit the potential spread of COVID-19.

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None of the banks beyond RBC and TD indicated working from home was even an option for these workers.

READ MORE: 4 things not to do while working at home during the COVID-19 pandemic

BMO said it needed to maintain some onsite staff “to support critical operations.” Scotiabank also called its call centres “critical.” Neither bank provided detailed explanations of those critical operations, or why they couldn’t be performed from home.

A spokesperson for RBC said a “number of considerations” are factored into allowing an employee to work from home, “including employee health and well-being, technology and business continuity, along with the need to respond to our clients.”

When pressed by Global News, National Bank and CIBC declined to explain why its call centre employees needed to do their jobs in the office.

The six banks said in addition to physical distancing measures, enhanced cleaning guidelines have also been introduced at all call centres for staff to follow.

The banks offered varying details about steps they were taking to clean and disinfect their call centres.

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Coronavirus outbreak: Dealing with screen fatigue during the pandemic

BMO said all call centre facilities, personal spaces and common areas are cleaned multiple times per day. CIBC said workstations are now cleaned at the beginning and end of each shift, while cleaners are also present during the day.

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TD said the cleaning and sanitizing of all premises have been increased, and are stocking spaces with hand sanitizer and sanitizing wipes.

National Bank would only say they were promoting “basic hygiene measures” like hand washing and cleaning of surfaces. Scotiabank said they have increased sanitization and deep cleaning measures at all locations. RBC also said they have “enhanced sanitization.”

The banks are also increasing their perks for call centre staff. BMO, RBC, Scotiabank and CIBC have introduced a $50 daily stipend for each of those staff members for every day they work onsite.

CIBC has thrown in free parking. Scotiabank is stationing nurses at all call centres “to provide in-person wellbeing support for mental and physical health concerns.”

TD and CIBC are offering up to 10 paid days for anyone impacted by the pandemic, including those who are unable to secure childcare. TD is also providing free counselling.

National Bank did not say if it was offering similar incentives to its employees.

READ MORE: More Canadians afraid of becoming sick with COVID-19: poll

Only National Bank and TD would share where their call centres are located and how many people work in them. National said it has “five main teams working in different sites” across the greater Montreal area, for a total of 1,000 employees. The spokesperson would not confirm exactly how many sites were being operated, or how many employees were working in each site.

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TD said they have call centres in Moncton, N.B., Montreal, London, Ont., Ottawa and Markham, Ont., though did not share how many employees work in each, or if more than one site was operated in a single city.

The other banks did not share where their call centres are located, or even if they’re located in Canada.

In 2013, CBC reported RBC was replacing some of its Canadian staff with temporary foreign workers from India, leading to a public apology from the bank. RBC eventually walked back the plan, committing to only hiring foreign workers if Canadians aren’t available to fill that job.

Can government step in?

Along with health care, transportation, government centres and media, banks and other financial institutions have been declared essential services by the federal and provincial governments, and should therefore continue to operate.

The federal finance department referred questions about remote work for call centres to Health Canada, who in turn forwarded the query to Employment and Social Development.

In a statement, a department spokesperson said employers have been told to create or update existing hazard prevention programs in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, and are responsible for monitoring the effectiveness of any changes to those plans.

READ MORE: Coronavirus: Finding social distancing loopholes not worth the risk, experts say

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“We recognize that many employers who are able to continue their operations during the COVID-19 crisis are going above and beyond standard health and safety measures, and are doing everything possible to accommodate reasonable requests from employees,” the statement read.

“We all have a role to play to help flatten the curve.”

Thompson, the UBC business professor, says no matter how many precautions employers may take, they’re still “taking a chance” and posing a risk to both employees and the public at large by keeping workplaces open.

He admits that banks could be worried about security breaches in not moving call centres to home, as they deal with sensitive information to confirm callers’ identities.

But he says he’s still “surprised” that a solution hasn’t been found amid months of warnings and weeks of efforts to ramp up social distancing to curb the spread of COVID-19.

1:39 How to be productive while working from home during a pandemic

How to be productive while working from home during a pandemic

“We’re still waiting to see if these efforts work, but we should be doing as much as we can,” he said. “[The banks] are obligated to provide a safe workplace.

“If just one person contracts this disease … I guess we’ll find out then what steps they’ll take.”

Employment Canada said requirements for businesses to have all employees work from home is a provincial matter. So far, no province has made such an order, although Alberta has now made it mandatory for businesses to practice physical distancing, threatening fines for those who disobey.

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All of the provinces and territories have placed restrictions on gatherings that have led to the closure of businesses and public spaces closures, with exceptions for businesses and organizations that offer essential services.

Many provincial governments who responded to Global News said as long as workplaces, including bank call centres, can maintain physical distancing, they can continue to stay open and operate.

READ MORE: Coronavirus: Canadians should expect weeks or months of social distancing, Trudeau says

“If social distance can’t be maintained, the business must limit the number of customers or clients on its premises to no more than five people at a time,” a spokesperson for Nova Scotia’s COVID-19 response said in an email, citing that province’s social distancing guidelines.

Saskatchewan’s Ministry of Health said banks are considered an “allowable business service” in the province, along with health care, law enforcement, transportation and the media.

“We cannot speak directly to the relationship between banks and their call centre employees,” a spokesperson said.

A statement attributed to New Brunswick Labour Minister Leigh Watson said any employee concerned that their employer is violating the Employment Standards Act by forcing them to work in unsafe conditions can file a complaint with the province, or through WorkSafe.

0:57 Coronavirus outbreak: Canadians’ actions today will determine where we are a month from now

Coronavirus outbreak: Canadians’ actions today will determine where we are a month from now

Yet British Columbia’s COVID-19 Joint Information Centre said all employers “should support their employees to work from home whenever it is possible,” and “ensure there are no more than 50 people working in the same confined space.”

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“Employers have a responsibility and an obligation to maintain a healthy and safe workplace for their workers,” a spokesperson said.

In March, the CEOs of all six banks signed an open letter, published in the National Post, along with roughly 100 other Canadians business leaders who urged employers to “immediately shift focus to the singular objective of slowing the pace of transmission of this coronavirus.”

“Enable your employees to practice social distancing. Facilitate work-from-home for all non-critical business functions,” the leaders stressed.

“Understand that your employees are looking to you for leadership and trusted information in turbulent times.”

— With files from Global’s Alexa MacLean and Graeme Benjamin

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© 2020 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

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