Subject: You’ve Earned Employee of the Year! Again!
I am writing to congratulate you on the commendable efforts and energy you put into delivering on your 2020 production quota. Nobody here wrote more words on more pages than you. You wrote and rewrote. You edited and edited again. Yes, you really did type this year.
Your ability to keep the volume of rejection letters organized was exemplary. Each one that came in the door was noted and filed, then cancelled out by another submission. Another swing at the piñata. You swatted so many times this past year that your arm has grown thick and strong. There’s new work out there because of it and more to come if you keep at it. Note for 2021: swing with your left for a while to even out the situation.
I am really glad and happy when I witnessed this wonder protest with which I partake in it, if the youth can’t fight for the freedom we will still be in agony and suffering our government leave for us
But nevertheless destroying and burning government properties won’t solve the problem let’s think of it. We are the one utilising all the facilities and infrastructure been destroy by we youths. When all these protests dies down we are at the recieving end.
Saying about the government we are just wasting our galldamn time let’s fight for our right honorably
To contact me for more updates and writing, visit my website vtop.website.co.in or message through my email vtemitope29@gmail.com
With everything that is going on around the world, we are exposed to crises on a daily basis each time we scroll through our feeds. So naturally, one day gender equity is our thing, one day it is equal wages, another morning we are moved by farmers’ plight, and then our new thing is mental health awareness. It keeps changing – our cause, our rationale, our tipping point. Because that is what everything has come down to. A thing. So what are we really doing about these things? Just to save your time, this does not concern people who are fence sitters on issues that affect people on a day-to-day basis – online and offline.
I know it is overwhelming to read, watch, and listen to so much in one shot. Nobody really can. But whatever we do, can we do that with a little empathy? This has been something I have been wanting to talk about ever since the lockdown began, when we saw the migrant exodus in India. We cannot put up a fight against each battle, but there seemed to be an exceeding amount of ignorance and carelessness on issues that grew to hurt me.
It took an Indian actor’s death for the conversation around mental health to surface in our society. Even though there are finer details that are being combed through, my question is WHY. Why does it take a celebrity’s passing to throw light on a taboo that has been part of our society since the beginning of time?
Why does everything have to be so fleeting? Today’s topic is mental health awareness. Tomorrow’s will be something else and we will have opinions on that too. We all have our own battles to fight, yes. But in that case, can we please not join each and every bandwagon mindlessly? Because by doing that, we are only diluting the enormity of the problem people actually face.
Reading all the articles and messages around his demise was very triggering for me because of the artificial concerns expressed on how our society does not treat mental health as a legitimate issue. This has been an ongoing battle for many people like me who was ‘mature for my age’ or an ‘intense personality’ – we are this way because we feel and comprehend things in a different way. We felt a lot and we genuinely did not know better ways to process. And let me also tell you, that this is not a conscious choice. When we read long articles and stories about how depression is ignored, we know it is. There is countless research on how there is a prejudice in the Indian society against mental health. So instead of talking about it as something that just ‘happens to you’, please take some time out to understand the meaning of words like depression, trauma, and anxiety. Because these things are not incidental.
Casually tossing terms like OCD and anxiety and romanticizing about them does not make anyone a part of some imaginary community. Our mental health is not a quip for us going through it and it should not be for onlookers either. While I always give room for people to educate themselves and alter their opinions on passing issues, this is not a passing issue. So please, the next time a big wave hits the shore, do not blatantly join a campaign and narrate a story about how you ‘got anxiety’ when it was really just a reality check. I am sorry, but this is not cute anymore. If we are able to read this, we also have the capability to open our browsers to find answers or reach out to someone to help. And if incase we are not in the headspace to, then that is okay too. But let’s not dip our toes in the water and opt out when it gets uncomfortable.
This is not a random outburst that will fade away with the next headline. My entire thesis-writing journey revolved around equipping adolescents with ways to deal with mental health adversities. While it began with personal motivations, it was and has continued to be an eye-opener for me purely because it calls attention to the giant treatment gap that exists in our country. It is not a lost cause; there are several initiatives that are driving change through their content. But it will only take effect if people respect each battle even if it is not their own. We are not obligated to post an update about how moved we are only because we want to soundwoke. Because trust me, some of us can see right through it.
All it takes is a little bit of empathy. We don’t have to suffer from something to empathise. If you need ideas on how to make a difference, here are a few – talk to someone, look up groups online and offline, educate yourself, spread awareness, ask questions. If you want to help, please make it count. Even if we reach out to one person to check on them, it means a great deal.
This pandemic has amplified our emotions in various ways, and it would be a shame if we came out of it as oblivious as we entered it.
it’s Deep GoswamiGood and informative post at present mental awareness is need of time.its necessary for care as same as physical health.Liked by 1 personREPLY
Jorge MedicoThis is an important message, and you stated it very well. Keep posting, and be well.Liked by 1 personREPLY
ChloeThis is incredibly well written and so important. Thank you for sharing! Liked by 1 personREPLY
HamishEmpathy us such an important part of being a good human. We will all face difficulty our lives, and it is important we know we are not alone. The difficulties we face we will be our own, but others will have useful advice and wisdom that can provide us with tools to manage our mental health.I really like the way you encourage everyone to reach out if they are in a position to, and to be ok if they aren’t right now. One phrase I’ve heard that resonates with me is “don’t be afraid to reach in.” When experiencing struggle sometimes it is difficult to reach out. Know this, and reach into the lives of our friends. It will make more of a difference than we might possibly ever know. Thank you for sharing such important words, especially during such an uncertain time. Thank you. Kia kaha (stay strong) everyone.LikeREPLY
Cindy GeorgakasGood reminder that things are escalated during this time and having compassion, not judgement it vital for everyone. ThanksLikeREPLY
Mr. Ohh’s Sideways ViewGreat insights I know i have had to remove myself from all news and look to nature for my own mental health. I think we are getting waterfalls of information and trying to catch it in a teacup. I do keep informed a little but then shut it all downStay well and Laugh when you canLikeREPLY
Emily WinneYes, so many “things.” Every day it is something different. Mental health is definitely talked about more than ever before, but is it truly understood? When I was in high school, I struggled with depression, most of it triggered by my often extreme social anxiety and wishing I could be like the other kids who could socialize effortlessly. Back then, I didn’t know much about depression and it was rarely talked about. Now that it is talked about more often in the media, I am amazed at the number of people who struggle. I grew up believing I was the only “weird” one, always wondering what was wrong with me. Great post and great perspective!Liked by 1 personREPLY
Anand BoseInteresting Portrayal. Anand Bose from KeralaLikeREPLY
ABC drawn into row over naming Brisbane women accused of Covid-19 quarantine deception
Amanda Meade33 minutes ago
The ABC has been criticised by some of its own journalists for identifying two Brisbane teenagers for allegedly lying on their border declaration forms to avoid quarantine after a trip to Melbourne. It follows widespread criticism of other outlets, including the Courier-Mail, for the tone of their coverage of the matter.
The Walkley award-winning foreign correspondent Sophie McNeill, who has left the ABC for Human Rights Watch, said she was “really disappointed” the women had been named and their photographs had been shown by the ABC online. “The different standards between who has been named & shamed and who hasn’t is very alarming,” McNeill said. The social affairs correspondent, Norman Hermant, said it was “demonisation” and the ABC journalist Josie Taylor agreed.
Aunty was not alone. The Daily Mail followed the News Corp tabloids’ example as well, exposing the women’s personal details on Thursday and referring to them as “coronavirus-infected teenagers”. Like many other outlets Guardian Australia is naming the pair in reports about their court appearance and charges.
The public humiliation unleashed a torrent of abuse against the women on social media, much of it racially based, some of it sexist, including comments that ridiculed their appearance, prompting the Queensland human rights commissioner, Scott McDougall, to release a statement expressing concern about the widespread publication of their personal details.
Most of it is unpublishable but one of the milder comments, on the ABC’s Facebook page, referred to the pair as Hooty and Blowfish.
The anti-Andrews offensive
The editor of the Daily Telegraph, Ben English, has defended his relentless campaign against Dan Andrews, and labelled the Victorian Labor premier a “fool”.
Speaking to the trade publication Mediaweek, English said the Sydney paper’s attacks had been against the government, not the people of Victoria.
The Telegraph has run stories under headlines such as “It’s God-Dan disgraceful” and “Dan-made disaster”. Others include “Victoria bitter” and “Bordering on madness”. They all accuse Andrews of bungling the crisis.
Early on in the pandemic, when Victoria was the most firm among the states insisting on early shutdowns, the premier was attacked for being a dictator whose hardline stance was destroying the economy. After the second wave of infections and the quarantine bungle he was portrayed as hopelessly inept.
The New South Wales Liberal premier, Gladys Berejiklian, has done a better job, English reckons, the “misstep” of the Ruby Princess not withstanding.
Less news from the regions
Nine has made deep cuts to its regional news TV service across more than a dozen communities in Queensland, NSW and Victoria, blaming a drop in advertising revenue due to coronavirus.
Its hour-long news programs were dropped in favour of metropolitan ones when Covid-19 hit. When they return on 10 August they will run for only 30 minutes. Some centres, including Dubbo, are losing their only TV reporter as Nine makes 12 staff redundant.
“Changes like this are never easy and I am conscious of the impact this restructure will have on individual people,” the managing director of Nine Queensland and northern NSW, Kylie Blucher, told staff. “However, the unprecedented advertising and economic downturn has prompted a review of the functional effectiveness while ensuring our bulletins remain commercially sustainable.”
The mayor of Dubbo, Ben Shields, said the removal of the sole video journalist from the central west city meant local TV news was “closer to death” and showed the broadcaster is “dismissive” of a community which relies on its news. The blow comes a year after Win TV withdrew from the central west altogether. Last year Win stopped producing news programs in Albury, Orange, Dubbo, Wagga Wagga and Wide Bay.
“It truly is remarkable that a region of our size is being discarded and treated as irrelevant by another local television news provider,” Shields said.
“Places like Dubbo need reliable and community-focused news and media services, so I implore Nine to reconsider withdrawing the Dubbo-based news position. This city, and our region, is substantial enough to warrant decent locally based television news coverage.”
Nine said without the government’s $50m in regional funding the impact on regional news might have been worse.
Murdoch coming to Australia
For all those salivating at the prospect of watching the three-part BBC documentary The Rise of the Murdoch Dynasty, now without a broadcaster in Australia, we have some good news. The real-life soap opera/political drama doesn’t have a home yet, after plans to screen it on the BBC’s Foxtel channel faltered, but BBC sources said negotiations were under way to screen it in Australia on free-to-air television.
One of the strangest reactions to the program comes from a participant, Les Hinton, a trusted Murdoch lieutenant who started work for the tycoon at the age of 15 in Adelaide, and stayed with News Corp for more than 50 years.
On his blog, Hinton was highly critical of the program for portraying his former boss as “Britain’s default demon and the source of just about everything that’s gone wrong in this country in the last five decades or so”.
He ends with the line: “While the BBC loathes Rupert Murdoch, it’s fair to say the feeling is entirely mutual.”
‘Failures of journalism’
The barrister Bruce McClintock SC made some interesting observations about Australian journalism during an Australian Law Reform Commission webinar on Monday, where he spoke alongside Georgia-Kate Schubert from Australia’s Right to Know coalition and the district court judge Judith Gibson about defamation reform.
The top silk argued there was no need for a new public interest defence because all the recent court rulings against publications were down to shoddy journalism and media organisations weren’t interested in freedom of speech, just their bottom line.
“One of the proposals for reform is to introduce a new defence for public interest journalism,” McClintock said. “The point I wish to make is that that call is largely misplaced and that such failures as there are are not failures of the law, which is perfectly adequate, but failures of journalism.
“The current campaign has been largely dominated by media organisations, whom, I hope I don’t sound overly cynical, I suspect are more interested in their bottom line than actually in freedom of speech.”
McClintock said there were fewer than 90 to 100 defamation cases brought in Australia every year and the reason plaintiffs such as the actor Geoffrey Rush, the cricketer Chris Gayle and the businessman Chau Chak Wing won their cases was that the journalism in those reports was defective. It wasn’t what advocates of defamation law reform wanted to hear. But McClintock wasn’t backing down from his strong views, telling the moderator: “I’m here and full of fight.”
Now a mother of two, Campion has returned to public life as staffer to the federal deputy speaker, Llew O’Brien, and as a columnist for – wait for it – the Daily Telegraph.
Thousands of people bought this £6.30 serum after watching a TikTok video. (The Ordinary)
Yahoo Lifestyle is committed to finding you the best products at the best prices. We may receive a share from purchases made via links on this page. Pricing and availability are subject to change.
You may or may not be familiar with TikTok, the latest social media platform where users create and share short dance, lip-sync, comedy, and talent videos.https://s.yimg.com/rq/darla/4-2-1/html/r-sf.html
However, it’s increasing impact is undeniable, particularly when you take into account the £6 serum that was bought by over 100,000 users after they watched a video on its miraculous effects.
Kaelyn White, a US teen TikToker, caused a stir of excitement after posting a videoshowing her dripping a deep red serum directly onto her acne and gently massaging it over her face.
The video also showcased the noticeable before and after images – and it quickly caught beauty fans attention.
The hashtag #theordinary now has over 67.2million views on TikTok, with thousands purchasing the product and posting their own videos and images on social media, many with the caption “TikTok made me buy it”.https://dk79lclgtez2i.cloudfront.net/wxHdUq2?app=1
In fact, such is the power of one young girl on a social media site, that the brand reported it lead to a 59% increase in sales since the end of January, which was when Kaelyn uploaded the video.
The skincare product is described as a 10-minute exfoliating facial that improves the texture and radiance of your skin, while also exfoliating away blemishes and minimising pores.
The £6 serum has proven to be so popular it’s currently sold out on every single beauty website we scrolled through, including Feel Unique, Cult Beauty and Beauty Bay, where customers are limited to two per person.
The sought-after serum is, however, still available to buy directly through the Deciem website.
Kaelyn, who has over 3.5million followers on the app, recommended to her viewers that the serum should be used for a maximum of 10 minutes once or twice a week, saying the product does tend to sting, but that is normal with a retinol peeling solution.
It should be noted though, that when using acid-based products directly onto your skin, always do a patch test first and follow the directions on the bottle.
You’ve done it. You’ve built up a little cushion in your bank account — $1,000! It feels good, right? Those days of checking your account balance in a panic are behind you.
Congrats! You’re on the right path. Now it’s time to think about some longer-term goals. What do you want to accomplish next with your money? Do you need to save more? Do you want to buy a home someday? Invest?
What’s the next step you should take? What are some specific things you can do to take your finances to the next level?
We’ve got some ideas for you:
1. Invest in Real Estate (Even if You’re Not a Millionaire)
Getty Images
The stock market can be a scary place. Stock prices shoot up and down like a roller coaster ride, and who knows when the whole thing might crash?
It would be nice to diversify and invest some of your money in real estate, but don’t you have to be wealthy to do that?
Now you can invest like the 1% does, and all you need to get started is $500. A company called DiversyFund will invest your money in commercial real estate — specifically, in apartment complexes that it owns — and you only need $500.
Real estate can potentially earn you more money than the stock market. Over the long term, investing in the stock market will earn you an average annual return of 7%, adjusted for inflation, according to a number of studies. DiversyFund can’t guarantee how its investments will perform in the future — no one can — but historically, it has earned an annual return of 17% to 18%.
So you don’t need a fortune to invest in real estate. All you need to get startedis $500.
2. Spend $5 to Own a Piece of Amazon, Google or Other Companies
Take a look at the Forbes Richest People list, and you’ll notice almost all the billionaires have one thing in common — they own another company.
But if you work for a living and don’t happen to have millions of dollars lying around, that can sound totally out of reach.
That’s why a lot of people use the app Stash. It lets you be a part of something that’s normally exclusive to the richest of the rich — buying pieces of other companies for as little as $1.
That’s right — you can invest in pieces of well-known companies, such as Amazon, Google or Apple, for as little as $1. The best part? When these companies profit, so can you. Some companies even send you a check every quarter for your share of the profits, called dividends.
It takes two minutes to sign up, plus Stash will give you a $5 sign-up bonus once you deposit $5 into your account.
3. Leave Your Family $1M
Getty Images
Oh, to be a millionaire. Look, not all of us have the money to set up trust funds for our loved ones. But you could still leave them up to a $1 million in life insurance — and you don’t even need to have the money in the bank.
You’re probably thinking: I don’t have the time or money for that. But this take minutes — and you could leave your family up to $1 million with a company called Bestow.
We hear people are paying as little as $8 a month. (But every year you wait, this gets more expensive.)
It takes just minutes to get a free quote and see how much life insurance you can leave your loved ones — even if you don’t have seven figures in your bank account.
4. Cancel Your Car Insurance
If you need to free up some extra room in your budget, one of the easiest places to start is to cut back on your monthly bills — like your current car insurance.
In most places, it’s straight up illegal not to have it, so you’ve probably accepted that you’re going to pay through the nose for it. But you don’t have to.
A free website called Savvy will help you find the best rates — in just 30 seconds. In fact, it saves people an average of $826/year.
All you have to do is connect your current insurance, then Savvy will search hundreds of insurers for a better price on the same coverage. It’ll even help you cancel your old policy and get you a refund from your current insurer. Best yet: This is totally free.
If you find a better deal, you can switch right away and don’t have to wait for your next renewal or even your next payment.
5. Ask This Company To Help Pay Off Your Credit Cards
You’ve finally got some money in the bank, but do you still have some lingering debt? We found a company that will pay your credit card bill this month. No, like… the whole bill.
Your credit card is getting rich by ripping you off with insane rates, but a website called Fiona wants to help.
If you owe your credit card companies $100,000 or less, Fiona will match you with a low-interest loan you can use to pay off every single one of your balances.
The benefit? You’ll be left with one bill to pay each month. And because personal loans have lower interest rates, you’ll get out of debt that much faster. Plus: No credit card payment this month.
Fiona won’t make you stand in line or call your bank, either. And if you’re worried you won’t qualify, it’s free to check online. It takes just two minutes, and it could help you pay off your debt years faster.
6. Take Money Out of Your Checking Account
Tina Russell/The Penny Hoarder
Here’s the deal: If you’re not using Aspiration’s debit card, you’re missing out on extra cash. And who doesn’t want extra cash?
Yep. A debit card called Aspirationgives you up to a 10% back every time you swipe. How much does your current bank offer you?
Need to buy groceries? Extra cash.
Need to fill up the tank? Bam. Even more extra cash.
You were going to buy these things anyway — why not get this extra money in the process? Do yourself a favor and deposit $100 into an Aspiration account today so you can start taking advantage.
To get started, enter your email address here, and link your bank account to see how much extra cash you can get with your free Aspiration account. And don’t worry. Your money is FDIC insured and under a military-grade encryption. That’s nerd talk for “this is totally safe.”
*The Penny Hoarder is a Paid Affiliate/partner of Stash. This material is not intended as investment advice and is not meant to suggest that any securities are suitable investments for any particular investor. Investment advice is only provided to Stash customers.
**You’ll also bear the standard fees and expenses reflected in the pricing of the ETFs in your account, plus fees for various ancillary services charged by Stash.
This is an example post, originally published as part of Blogging University. Enroll in one of our ten programs, and start your blog right.
You’re going to publish a post today. Don’t worry about how your blog looks. Don’t worry if you haven’t given it a name yet, or you’re feeling overwhelmed. Just click the “New Post” button, and tell us why you’re here.
Why do this?
Because it gives new readers context. What are you about? Why should they read your blog?
Because it will help you focus your own ideas about your blog and what you’d like to do with it.
The post can be short or long, a personal intro to your life or a bloggy mission statement, a manifesto for the future or a simple outline of your the types of things you hope to publish.
To help you get started, here are a few questions:
Why are you blogging publicly, rather than keeping a personal journal?
What topics do you think you’ll write about?
Who would you love to connect with via your blog?
If you blog successfully throughout the next year, what would you hope to have accomplished?
You’re not locked into any of this; one of the wonderful things about blogs is how they constantly evolve as we learn, grow, and interact with one another — but it’s good to know where and why you started, and articulating your goals may just give you a few other post ideas.
Can’t think how to get started? Just write the first thing that pops into your head. Anne Lamott, author of a book on writing we love, says that you need to give yourself permission to write a “crappy first draft”. Anne makes a great point — just start writing, and worry about editing it later.
When you’re ready to publish, give your post three to five tags that describe your blog’s focus — writing, photography, fiction, parenting, food, cars, movies, sports, whatever. These tags will help others who care about your topics find you in the Reader. Make sure one of the tags is “zerotohero,” so other new bloggers can find you, too.
This is an example post, originally published as part of Blogging University. Enroll in one of our ten programs, and start your blog right.
You’re going to publish a post today. Don’t worry about how your blog looks. Don’t worry if you haven’t given it a name yet, or you’re feeling overwhelmed. Just click the “New Post” button, and tell us why you’re here.
Why do this?
Because it gives new readers context. What are you about? Why should they read your blog?
Because it will help you focus your own ideas about your blog and what you’d like to do with it.
The post can be short or long, a personal intro to your life or a bloggy mission statement, a manifesto for the future or a simple outline of your the types of things you hope to publish.
To help you get started, here are a few questions:
Why are you blogging publicly, rather than keeping a personal journal?
What topics do you think you’ll write about?
Who would you love to connect with via your blog?
If you blog successfully throughout the next year, what would you hope to have accomplished?
You’re not locked into any of this; one of the wonderful things about blogs is how they constantly evolve as we learn, grow, and interact with one another — but it’s good to know where and why you started, and articulating your goals may just give you a few other post ideas.
Can’t think how to get started? Just write the first thing that pops into your head. Anne Lamott, author of a book on writing we love, says that you need to give yourself permission to write a “crappy first draft”. Anne makes a great point — just start writing, and worry about editing it later.
When you’re ready to publish, give your post three to five tags that describe your blog’s focus — writing, photography, fiction, parenting, food, cars, movies, sports, whatever. These tags will help others who care about your topics find you in the Reader. Make sure one of the tags is “zerotohero,” so other new bloggers can find you, too.
This is an example post, originally published as part of Blogging University. Enroll in one of our ten programs, and start your blog right.
You’re going to publish a post today. Don’t worry about how your blog looks. Don’t worry if you haven’t given it a name yet, or you’re feeling overwhelmed. Just click the “New Post” button, and tell us why you’re here.
Why do this?
Because it gives new readers context. What are you about? Why should they read your blog?
Because it will help you focus your own ideas about your blog and what you’d like to do with it.
The post can be short or long, a personal intro to your life or a bloggy mission statement, a manifesto for the future or a simple outline of your the types of things you hope to publish.
To help you get started, here are a few questions:
Why are you blogging publicly, rather than keeping a personal journal?
What topics do you think you’ll write about?
Who would you love to connect with via your blog?
If you blog successfully throughout the next year, what would you hope to have accomplished?
You’re not locked into any of this; one of the wonderful things about blogs is how they constantly evolve as we learn, grow, and interact with one another — but it’s good to know where and why you started, and articulating your goals may just give you a few other post ideas.
Can’t think how to get started? Just write the first thing that pops into your head. Anne Lamott, author of a book on writing we love, says that you need to give yourself permission to write a “crappy first draft”. Anne makes a great point — just start writing, and worry about editing it later.
When you’re ready to publish, give your post three to five tags that describe your blog’s focus — writing, photography, fiction, parenting, food, cars, movies, sports, whatever. These tags will help others who care about your topics find you in the Reader. Make sure one of the tags is “zerotohero,” so other new bloggers can find you, too.
Chloe
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