#one day ill touch on how being a women in tech has affected my thoughts but not today | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

secretbloggerme · 4 years

Text

An Addicts Reality

I would like to take a little time to discuss addictions. The reason I chose this topic is because I can relate. Hello, my name is Kassandra and I was once an addict. My drug of choice was Crystal Meth. I grew up with an addict, always considered one of the “guys”, so I was around a lot at an early age. My first hit was given to me by my father at the age of 14. Prior to that, I was sent to score for him as well as a couple others in the family at the age of 12. My first beer was given to me at the age of 9. So, as you can see, it was not a choice I made on my own. I was raised in a different lifestyle, until my mother finally was able to leave and escape the abuse. There are a few things I would like for people to understand. First of many is about rehabilitation centers that are there to assist those who cannot get cleaned on their own. In addition, I would also like to touch basis on the importance of family. Also, I would also like mention the counseling that is also provided for situations like this. People can be so judgmental of addicts they see or come across, rather than trying to understand the circumstances.

Rehabilitation centers aren’t all what they seem to be. I cannot speak for others, but I am speaking from my experience. The most frightening of all when entering is being able to get through all the pain that comes along with it emotionally, physically, as well as mentally. My worst pain I had to endure was the body aches, the cold sweats, and not being able to drop a bowl movement for 1 week and a half. Also, I was not eating for approximately 8 months, besides alcohol and the drug of choice. To having to endure all the emotions at once with all the past trauma that I will not speak of. Not only emotionally, but to mentally be able to be stabled enough to deal and confront my issues was also something that I struggled with until this day because I was taught by my father emotions were a sign of weakness; currently, I have a challenging time with my girlfriend speaking of what I feel; yet I can write it down, which is not the greatest, yet it is an effort. Finally, my biggest issue I had was being able to keep my sobriety. Not many know that the most drugs you can get or that are the fastest to find is in rehab itself. That is how after almost making it a month, I relapsed; because another member had it in hand and offered it to me and many others. As an editorial staff states, ( Hardy was ordered to go to rehab by the court after a string of run-ins with the law. We’re told the staff at the rehab got suspicious of Hardy’s behavior on Friday and gave him a breathalyzer test on the spot... which he failed). So, it is not exactly the most resourceful-but in all reality what is?

In addition, I would like to discuss the importance of family. Not many realize that deserting someone that is struggling with addictions, in my opinion, really shows the fear of being unloved is becoming a reality. For instance, Kristina Murray, an author, who writes about the importance of family roles in sobriety also states;” Despite seeing a loved one struggle, family members can and ideally do play a major role in the treatment process.” When I was going through my tough time, the words I got from my mother was and I quote, “ I will not have a drug addict as a daughter” and from there I was on my own. Not ever trying to understand as to why or even bother to ask how it happened, but in our family, we never speak emotionally so to grow up with no affection also was not beneficial. When I was on my own is when I had met my ex-wife, who was the one who reached out to my mother, who then decided to assist me.So, if it wasn’t for my ex-wife, my mother would have never known much about what i have been through. I do also understand that you cannot help someone who is not willing to help themselves. I also tried to talk to my father about becoming sober, but it has not happened until this day. Even if he is not ready to become sober, I will never stop being there, even if it’s to buy him food, clothes, shoes, blankets etc. Family support goes a long way to show affection, to be able to have that one-on-one talk because you get them to think beyond the front they try to impose. Tough love does not work for everybody, but I can admit, it gave me some thick skin. I have also met women who were not working for the greatest job in the world, as well as men who even served this country, and being able to hear and listen to their stories also was an eye opener for me, it made me that much more of a genuine person.

Also, I would also like to mention the counseling that is provided for situations like this. I can agree this can help some people; as for me, it was not much helpful. Take into consideration, I have done counseling most of my entire life, it just reminds me of my past trauma, but at the same time, I finally was okay with it. Meaning what i went through, I see it as normal every woman goes through it; but for my counselors they see me as crazy, and not a normal person, because I am content with my trauma. They have all told me the same thing you will never forget but you will learn to let go. Since I have let go, I think it is normal they assume I am not mentally stable. I believe I am stabled and I have let go, but with the outcome of my traumas my anger built, my mindset changed, my personality has been destroyed, and now I am serious, observant, and my trust is broken. I keep myself away from family because they do not like how I have become. They do not understand I am in this situation because I have protected them since I was young. So out of all the counseling I have done, all it has done to me is remind me of all the pain I have been through and had me continue to be so closed in from everything, as well as everyone even to be able to move forward. I will have to go back to counseling once again just to be able to transfer my medication from Arizona to California. Counseling really in my opinion is not the best source because all I am doing is re-living my traumas which is not the best way to live your life. But again, what can one do, when the medication keeps your mind at ease and it makes you live as normal as it can get for you? Therefore, I do my best to avoid counseling for the reason being the whole reason for my addiction was to cover my emotions, hide away a pain that is unforgettable, and to be able to continue and move forward with my life. As Kate Anderson, B Sc. author of tech-based delivery of CBT shows promise for alcohol use treatment states, “ Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) focuses on challenging unhelpful thoughts and behaviors, and is proven treatment for alcohol disorder.” Not only is counseling like an alarm clock but a goos percentage of the counselors have also once been an addict. I have worked in a prison facilities where we have had counselors compromised by these inmates and have brought drugs into the facility for them. So how is one to know that your counselor is trustworthy of hearing your most silent pain? There is a saying “ once an addict always an addict” with the reason being that it is a lifelong battle and you can relapse at any given moment.

In all reality, people that have not been through addiction should not be so judgmental. It does matter if you have seen a loved one, a friend, ex co-worker through addiction; you will never be able to understand it unless you have been through it yourself. I have had many people around me speak ill of them and degrade them that enough is enough. All this talk about removing the homeless is in my opinion ignorant. I have fed the less fortunate, I have met amazing people when I went to feed the homeless. Yes, addiction is a disease as well as STDS, HIV, and AIDS, but do people stop having sexual relationships? Now that I am also in this position of going place to place or even motels I can minus the addiction, I am still grateful enough to push forward and to continue my sobriety, because it is one of the hardest things to overcome in a city full of it. The day I began working in Corrections I made a vow to myself to be honest. So, May 9th of 2016, during mt academy, I had spoken to my Sergeant and advised her I that I have only been clean for 2 months and if I ever doubt myself in turning anything in is the day I will quite because a job is not worth losing my sobriety and she respected that. So, the next time you think to yourself about rehabilitation centers, or family,as well as counseling, understand that it is not always best for everyone.It is easier said then done hearing it from someone who knows nothing about it or even lived it. So instead of judging them, why not assist them with food clothing, or even see how there day is going?

Written by: Myself

Based on real life experiences

#my story #sobriety #addiction #personal #essay #lgbt #reality #judgers

8 notes · View notes

musings-on-bucky-barnes · 6 years

Text

Q & A with Owlet re: The Infinite Coffee & Protection Detail series

Along with many other people, one of my favourite Bucky Barnes fic series is The Infinite Coffee & Protection Detail. I was very happy when its author, Owlet @vmohlere kindly agreed to do the below Q&A with me about it, which is under a cut for length.

Q. How did This, You Protect come about?

1. After my third time seeing the movie [Captain America: The Winter Soldier], I thought it would be fun to write a one-shot about how obnoxious it would be to only partially remember and have to look after Steve.

2. "Oh great," says I, "I can practice writing humor."

3. Hundreds of thousands of words later: what even is my life.

Q. From your comments as you were writing This, You Protect, you did not set out to write such a long fic or a series, but you kept having more ideas and tangents and loved writing Grumpy Bucky?

Accurate! It really did just take over my brain.

Q. Now that the main stories in the series are done, after you have a well-earned rest and work on your other writing and poems, are any one shots likely in due course for the IC&PD?

Mmmmmmaaaaaaaybe. I have notes for a few, that take Steve & Barnes out to the end of their lives, but I hesitate to commit, because I need to focus on my original stuff for now.

BUCKY BARNES:

Q. Coffee addict (did he like it in his old life?) and quick to get back to personal grooming (he was a metrosexual before it was popular).

In my mind, coffee: no – the Bucky-Person drank coffee for warmth & caffeine, but I do picture him as pretty dang vain, until his time under Zola’s “tender care” broke him.

Q. What appealed to you about Bucky? What did you learn about him when writing this?

Initially, in Winter Soldier, I immediately latched onto this character who was set up to be remorseless & relentless, but who was confused in a way he didn’t understand by that *face*. In the fight on the helicarrier, you know his handlers would’ve been incensed by his hesitation, when he was obviously standing there thinking, “Okay, asshole: input me some data so I can determine just what kind of irritant you are.”

Q. Where did you get the idea for the Mission and the Briefing?

You see the Briefing in Winter Soldier, in the memory flashes during the bank vault scene. Mission just erupted into my head out of this sense that there are parts of him HYDRA never tore down.

Q. The climax of This, You Protect – when did you decide that sheep pants would help save the day?

It was one of those beautiful surprises that happen when you make stuff, and I cried all over my notebook.

Q. Bucky’s recovery – a slow, realistic process with some setbacks, pain and humor: learning how to open up to others, to get used to physical contact again eventually, how he helps himself and lets others in, safe spots, good things list, reading, long baths, personal care, baking, sheep pants, coffee, helping others and much more.

There have been a couple of times when a really small thing has saved my life. Everyone’s small lifesaving thing is different. Barnes’s are PJs, baking, and concrete assistive actions.

Q. What I love particularly about this Bucky is how others are drawn to him like Steve was as his true, kind self is able to start emerging again, and how his involvement with those people affects them in turn, like the Avengers interacting with each other in new ways (e.g. the ice cream tasting) and them getting to meet the Olds, which is beneficial all around.

People who don’t recognize how valued they are is a trope I never, ever, ever get tired of. We’re all stuck in our meat bodies, and we see all the messy bits in the inside (my best friend says, “Oh Virginia, you will never irritate anyone as much as you irritate yourself”), and we forget that there exist people who just LIKE us, and that that’s enough. I’ll be writing about that my whole life.

STEVE:

Q. The readers find out in this series that Steve tends to cheat at card games and has been doing so for a long time. Is that because it was the only edge he had when he was sick and frail and tired of being underestimated & he can’t or doesn’t want to break the habit now?

Steve’s a snotball and a contrarian. In my head, he learned to cheat from the women in the Star-Spangled Man show, because they liked to fleece guys who were looking to get the women drunk & take advantage of them. So to him, it’s both a habit and a tool to annoy jerks. Also, he thinks it’s funny to be Captain America, Cheater At Cards. Because the one thing other than Bucky that has always been a constant in his life is people underestimating him/trying to define him by one thing (illness/size vs the costume & shield).

Q. And why does he cheat against LYDIA (which is asking her to serve his ass to him on a platter!)? Does he have a death wish?

He recognizes a similar level of sarcasm in her and thinks it’s hilarious to try to fool her and then get walloped by her.

Q. What things did you discover about Steve along the way?

The cheating at cards thing, which was a throwaway line in the first chapter where I referenced it and then grew in the back corner of my mind like a “volunteer tomato” in a compost heap until it became A Thing. Writing “Truth, Justice, and the Cheating Cheater Way” was SO fun.

It was important to me to give Steve a temper and a wide impetuous streak, which I felt both Avengers and Age of Ultron TOTALLY got wrong about him. Except that we pretend Age of Ultron doesn’t exist.

Q. In A Chance to Try Bravery, we get to see Bucky and his behavior from Steve’s perspective, including that Bucky talks out loud to himself, seemingly without realizing he’s doing so. How often does Bucky do that, or does it vary/lessen as time goes on? And what things does Bucky ramble to Steve and others about when high on medication after the robot fight?

At the beginning, he talks to himself out loud a LOT. There are some hints about that in the text. Over time, that does lessen, except when he’s stressed, which makes him mutter pretty constantly.

Doped-up Barnes is verbally affectionate and has a little bit of the Bucky-person’s Brooklyn twang.

TONY:

Look, I HATE what Civil War did to Tony. There is too much in Barnes’s history for Tony to IDENTIFY with. Tony's arc in Iron Man - capture, body modification, his tech being stolen for nefarious use - has similar touch points to Barnes's story.

Also, for pity’s sake, do we believe for one second that Pepper didn’t make him go to therapy? We do not.

PEPPER:

I am not a Gwyneth Paltrow fan, so it surprised the hell out of me how much affection I developed for Pepper approximately 5 words after she popped up in This, You Protect. I just loved writing her, because she’s so dang together and sensible.

MARIA:

It just made me cackle to set her up as the Alpha Badass. I love her.

SAM:

I’m not going to go back and rewrite, but if I did, I would put in more Sam. Sam’s IMPORTANT. He’s the voice of Real People who go through similar crap to Steve & Barnes and have to deal with it all using Real People methods. He’s what it looks like when you make it to the other side of the wringer – his compassion is deep and wide, but he’s not a martyr and his energy isn’t endless.

NATASHA:

I feel like there’s a heft to Natasha that I don’t even know about in my own fictional universe. She’s like Sam – a picture of what it looks like to Survive Some Shit, with more broken-off edges than Sam has. She carries a lot of burdens that she’ll never tell anyone about.

CLINT:

Truly a poetry nerd.

JARVIS:

The helpful busybody (from better surveillance equipment, to books and lubricants!)

I really enjoyed writing JARVIS, because it was cool to think about a being that was omnipresent and largely non-judgmental. I felt like I had to be careful not to use JARVIS too much or it’d turn out to be a deus ex machina.

CAT ELEANOR:

My own personal Cat Eleanor, who was similarly judgy and protective, was a grey tabby named Boadicea (Boadie) whom I collected as a very ill stray kitten and who lived with me for 13 years. She liked to eat her dinner from a plate on the table and was a terrible stealer of French fries.

Sidebar: I still have her ashes in a bag in my sock drawer, because what the heck am I supposed to do with them?

THOR:

Thor’s compassion & wisdom caught me off guard every time he showed up, even though I was *trying* to remember that he’s powerful and practically immortal. But he outdid my ideas for him.

THE OLDS:

I guess in some parallel universe that I’m channeling, they must be real people, because they popped fully formed into my head like a trio of hilarious Athenas. Esther has a couple of great-nieces on the West Coast, and Ollie has a few distant step-ish younger relatives from his de facto late husband’s side of the family. Functionally, they are each other’s family.

THE CARP, TOSHIRO HAYASHI AND KAZUE:

Based in part on Sushi Gin in Lawrence, Kansas, where I once had a delicious and fun solo meal at the sushi bar, and Masa’s Sushi and Robata Bar in Spring, Texas, whose nabeyaki udon I’m crazy for.

THE COFFEE BAR AND KATIE:

I mentioned her briefly in Team-Building Exercises as if she were important, so then I had to create her for The Long Road Begins at Home. She was a bit of a conundrum until I thought of making her one of the victims of the Chitauri attack.

THE ANTI-VALENTINE’S NO TOUCH CLUB

Q. What were its origins?

Honestly I just wanted to write more Hill, because I surprised myself with how much I liked writing her, and I knew she’d hate Valentine’s Day as much as Barnes. From there, it was a matter of thinking who else would hate it and then add Steve, because of all his “whither thou goest” vibe.

Q. How do you picture the next Valentine’s Day meeting of that club, since two of the members are now bonking each other every chance they get?

That’s not until the NEXT year. And they spend the whole time very purposely not touching one another until they’re cross-eyed and jump each other in the elevator. Hill grumps at them a lot.

THE HAIR CLUB:

It was important to me that the women of the Tower be one another’s support group in the midst of all that testosterone. One of the things that I enjoyed about writing Team-Building Exercises was that it was vignettes that appeared out of thin air without any explanation.

… That being said, it made sense to me that the women’s sense of ease with one another would draw Barnes in just like Esther did. He has no idea how much he lurked and stared at them before they invited him over. Once she Got It, Pepper’s natural caretaker tendencies kicked in, and Barnes was in. Pepper is a Fixer.

Q. Present tense isn’t often used all the way through a long fic. I think the only time I’ve used it in a fic was when I gave the POV character amnesia, and present tense felt right, as he was in the current moment and it was all he had, with no memories to fall back on. But you used it so well that it suits and isn’t jarring. What led you to decide on present tense?

There’s no other option for that character, in my mind. Barnes experiences everything with almost complete immediacy, and present tense was the only way to convey that.

Q. Are Bucky and Steve likely to get their own cat at some stage?

Yes.

Q. YES!!!! Do you have a name in mind for it? And does it love Bucky more than it loves Steve?

I don't want to say anything more about their cat, in case I write that part!

Q. When will the public find out about Bucky being alive, and when will they find out about Bucky and Steve being together?

I have no head canons for these questions. Miracle on Park Avenue is not part of Infinite Coffee, though.

Q. It was interesting that you released Steve and Bucky getting together in Advanced Happiness Skills before you did The Long Road Begins at Home fic. Did the muse direct you to write and release it early?

I tried really hard not to write Long Road – I knew it would eat up acres of time, and I wanted to be done after Advanced Happiness. But it got to the point that I had to write notes or have my head explode, and eventually I had so many dang notes that I figured I’d better type the damn things up.

Q. So, you actually started writing Team-Building Exercises as a standalone instead of as a teaser for The Long Road Begins at Home?

Yes, I really didn't intend to go any farther than that.

Q. And at what point in the series did you realize that it would become Stucky?

Oh gosh, I guess it was always in the background, from the early chapters of This, You Protect. But it was a long time before I thought I’d actually write that part.

Q. Did anything change due to fan comments? What went off in directions that you hadn’t planned on in the plotting stage? What things got left out?

There’s a funny bit about Barnes freaking that Steve will drown in the reflecting pool in the National Mall, until he discovers that it’s only about 18 inches deep.

There was one small detail that I put in because of a fan comment, but I’m sorry to say that I can’t remember what it was.

“Planned on in the plotting stage” … uh.

Um.

Er.

I wrote this whole thing by the seat of my pants.

Q. It can be fun and fraught to do a series, as there is a lot to juggle and things to seed in to set up plots and developments for further down the track. How did you keep tabs on what needed to happen when?

Gotta be magic. I mean, I held the whole thing in my head for years and could see it as clear as day. It crowded out many other things.

Q. What is your writing process like, or was it different for this series?

I write and tinker almost daily, but I’ve found that my best pieces tend to be the ones that build up like pressure in my head and fall out all at once. My Star Wars fic, Generational Mistakes, is over 17,000 words that literally came out all at one time, starting around 1:00 am, when it woke me up. I had to take the day off work, and by the time I had the whole draft out on paper (hand written!), I was literally crying from the pain in my hand.

That’s an extreme example, of course, usually it’s more like the beginning of a thing blooms, and sections build up until they attain enough gravity to ooze out in blobs. I generally have to start out writing by hand until I pick up some inertia and can switch to typing, though I also do a lot of editing in the first typing pass if a whole piece is hand-written.

I write very badly to self-imposed deadlines and very well to feeling like I Owe Someone, so the reader comments really propelled me along throughout the whole series.

Q. The fics have really shown the therapeutic power of cooking, as well as different recipes, especially in the comments section.

There is not enough I can say about the comments section. It took on a life of its own in a way that I would not even have imagined – not just the screaming and the recipes, which were great, but the way people jumped in to comfort and support one another. It is really beautiful, and I’m beyond grateful, and so proud of all of them and to be a part of them.

I’m sincerely humbled by and thankful to all the comments, but especially those from people who found comforting or useful bits in Barnes’s recovery. Even if this one life isn’t the only one we get, it’s the only one we *remember*, and damaging shit is a pure fact of existence. To have provided material help to even one suffering person (much less the dozens of who’ve reached out) makes a strong place in my own heart. I have a concrete thing that I can look at with my own eyeballs and say for real and for sure that I Did Well and I Helped. That gives a human life ballast. It’s an honor.

I started Long Road at a time when I was feeling super demoralized about my original works, and the life it made for itself in fandom still just knocks me over. If y’all were going to have that much faith in me, I figure I’d better lift up my head and have faith in myself. Thank you for that.

xXx

Thank you very much to Owlet for putting up with all of my questions, and if at some stage down the road she is willing to do another one, I already have some questions written down for it!

This Q&A will also be available on Owlet’s AO3 page.

#infinite coffee and protection detail #fic #q&a #owlet #bucky barnes #fanfic #my posts #author q&a

170 notes · View notes

stevenbars960 · 4 years

Text

Jesus Wants You to Have Peace & Joy in Your Life

If You Are Connected To Your Matted Hair- DO NOT CUT YOUR HAIR!

Hair is like an external antenna. It has nerve endings, so you feel even the slightest pull, bit of heat/cold or even a little air blowing on your scalp.

Most of us are connected to our hair in many ways that we are not even aware of. It’s a powerful symbol of our beauty that plays a major part in our self esteem and self worth. That is why depression is so easy to set in and become worse- when ones hair becomes severely matted.

Despite your heartbreaking hair situation- God wants you to be well and have peace. Strive to have peace and wellness. Matted tangled hair gives you no peace day or night. During the day it’s like caring a stone on your head. At night its like sleeping on a painful hard rock. It is so very depressing and frustrating. People just do not seem to understand-they just want you to cut all your hair off!

Well the Bible tells you how God wants you to have peace. John 14:27 -Amplified Bible 27 Peace I leave with you; My [perfect] peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be afraid. [Let My perfect peace calm you in every circumstance and give you courage and strength for every challenge.] 2 Corinthians 13:11-Amplified Bible 11 Finally, believers, rejoice! Be made complete [be what you should be], be comforted, be like-minded, live in peace [enjoy the spiritual well-being experienced by believers who walk closely with God]; and the God of love and peace [the source of loving kindness] will be with you. Philippians 4:6-7- Amplified Bible 6 Do not be anxious or worried about anything, but in everything [every circumstance and situation] by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, continue to make your [specific] requests known to God. 7 And the peace of God [that peace which reassures the heart, that peace] which transcends all understanding, [that peace which] stands guard over your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus [is yours]. Psalm 119:165- Amplified Bible 165 Those who love Your law have great peace; Nothing makes them stumble. Luke 24:36-37 - Amplified Bible 36 While they were talking about this, Jesus Himself [suddenly] stood among them and said to them, “Peace be to you.” 37 But they were startled and terrified and thought that they were seeing a spirit.

Everyone knows that people with matted tangled knots in their hair are not very joyful. In fact they are cranky all the time-trying to be happy. How can you be full of joy with hard knots pressing on your scalp day and night or matted clumps staring at you in the mirror? Jesus wants you to have joy.

Well the Bible tells you how Jesus wants you to have Joy. John 15:10-12 - Amplified Bible 10 If you keep My commandments and obey My teaching, you will remain in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and remain in His love. 11 I have told you these things so that My joy and delight may be in you, and that your joy may be made full and complete and overflowing. Romans 15:13 - Amplified Bible 13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing [through the experience of your faith] that by the power of the Holy Spirit you will abound in hope and overflow with confidence in His promises. Psalm 20:4-5 - Amplified Bible 4 May He grant you your heart’s desire And fulfill all your plans. 5 We will sing joyously over your victory, And in the name of our God we will set up our banners. May the Lord fulfill all your petitions. Galatians 5:22-23 -Amplified Bible 22 But the fruit of the Spirit [the result of His presence within us] is love [unselfish concern for others], joy, [inner] peace, patience [not the ability to wait, but how we act while waiting], kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such things there is no law.

One of the keys to detangling badly and severely matted knotted tangled hair is to avoid conditioners. They can be used successfully with certain types of hair or hairstyles, but for many people, especially those with long hair and hair with a natural curl, conditioners make the situation worse.

In some instances, the conditioner is the cause of the matted hair knot getting tighter.

Hair restoration is nothing short of a divine intervention for most women. Professional Hair Detanglers are Tangled Hair techs that provide a unique hair restoration service set out to help those in hair distress.

Hair, one of the most prized possessions of a human being is also the most vulnerable as it needs constant maintenance and care. But, those who face rather desperate times don’t necessarily keep up with their hair needs and this becomes a major problem. Tangled matted hair can not only cause a lot of pain and discomfort but, this can also affect how a person feels about himself or herself. It is not all that bad because professional hair restoration service can help a person get back the confidence they once had.

Use the Take down Remover Detangler cream (www.takedownproducts.com), which relaxes the matts and softens the hair, allowing for the stands to be gently drawn from the mat. As bits of hair are freed from the clump, it becomes easier to detangle. Step by step, bit by bit, the hair is restored to its original condition.

One of the most important steps to untangling badly and severely matted knotted tangled hair is to reduce the use of conditioners. They can be successful with minor tangles or knots. However for many people, especially those with long and curly hair, conditioners can make the situation worse. In some instances, the conditioner is the cause of the matted hair knot getting harder or tighter to the scalp. Professional hair detangling is more than a hair restoration business; it is a ray of hope for all those who believed their hair couldn’t be saved.

A lot of times it so happens that hair care and maintenance cease to exist and, this can be because of reasons pertaining to health. Those who are going through a trying medical condition can lose interest in taking care of their hair and this in turn, can worsen the situation.

Tangled Hair Techs offer such people and anybody with a problem that cannot be handled with a hair care product. The experts here make sure the hair is restored without causing the person any further damage or pain. The end result is truly amazing with the kind of customer results one can see on the company website. The before and after shots are truly out of this world and they truly reflect the kind of help this company can extend.

The team here believes, with the help of God anything is possible, to know more and get in touch with them today. Luke 1:37.

There is a wonderful and loving Power of Healing through Detangling Hair

When we look and feel our best, we are more confident and self-assured. Part of looking our best is having healthy, attractive hair. For people with extremely tangled, clumped, and matted hair, this might seem to be an unachievable goal. Those who have never known the frustration and embarrassment of matted hair this might sound extreme, but for those who have found their hair in a hard, tangled knot, this painful truth is part of their lives.

Hair can become tangled and matted due to becoming bedridden or through illness, neglect, misuse of products, and many other circumstances. People living with this type of damaged hair often try to hide it with head coverings or avoid going out in public as much as possible. For many people this leads to depression and a fear they will have to live with the problem forever. Out of desperation, many people cut out the matted hair clumps but this hair loss often increases their sense of sadness and depression.

But before you cut or cover your hair, know that there is hope to restore it to its natural luster and beauty. Whether your hair is long or short, in dreads or naturally curly, the technicians at Tangled Hair Techs can help you keep your hair, not cut your hair. Using a specialized metal comb and the unique take down remover, trained detangling technicians will patiently work through the mats and tangles, bit by bit, until the hair is released. This process can take hours but the results are proven and effective.

This detangling process is often very healing. As their hair is detangled people are freed from the depression, fear, and anxiety caused by the mats and clumps. They are relieved to find that they did not have to experience hair loss a part of this process.

With the continued use of the take down remover and other related products, their hair retains its beauty and shine. The knowledge that they will never again experience the shame and depression caused by matted hair helps restore their confidence and inner beauty. There is no need to cut or hide your hair. Restore it and yourself through the use of the product Take Down Remover Detangler Cream.

Healing through detangling may seem an odd statement but one that is seen again and again by the Tangled Hair Techs. Let us help you save your hair today. www.hairdetanglerschool.com

#Best Hair Detanglers Must-Try Detanglers For Natural Hair Best Detangling Sprays Natural Hair Detangling Spray How to detangle very matted h

0 notes

magzoso-tech · 4 years

Text

Coronavirus: Italy's Social and Family Life Goes Virtual Under Lockdown

New Post has been published on https://magzoso.com/tech/coronavirus-italys-social-and-family-life-goes-virtual-under-lockdown/

Coronavirus: Italy's Social and Family Life Goes Virtual Under Lockdown

As 60 million Italians face a coronavirus country-wide lockdown, many daily interactions among family, friends and colleagues have moved to messaging platforms such as Facebook WhatsApp and Microsoft’s Skype.

Users in Italy are placing 20 percent more calls and sending 20 percent more messages on WhatsApp compared to a year ago, the company told Reuters. A spokeswoman for Microsoft did not provide statistics for Skype, but said the company had recorded a 100 percent growth in usage of its messaging application Teams in Italy.

It is not just an explosion of funny memes in groups, or idle chit-chat between bored people stuck at home.

Italians say staying in touch through these platforms is helping them cope with isolation and anxiety, in a country that has already reported more than 1,260 deaths due to the virus. In some cases it is also giving them remote access to some mental healthcare providers, or even allowing hospitalised coronavirus patients to interact with loved ones.

“For both patients and families having a little chat is incredibly important to stay positive and hopeful,” said the relative of one coronavirus patient in Milan.

Hospital visits for those who are severely ill due to coronavirus are not allowed. But nurses and doctors at some Italian hospitals try to arrange brief video calls every day for people in the coronavirus wards, sources said.

“Given the suffering of families we have reached out to a telecoms company to activate a system of video calls and provide our patients with tablets that they can use to speak with their relatives,” said Marco Resta, deputy head of the intensive care unit at Policlinico San Donato in Milan.

Responding to the spread of the disease in Europe’s worst affected country, the Italian government has banned all non-essential travel and public gatherings until April 3 and shuttered most businesses and services.

There are now more than 17,600 infections in Italy, and nearly 150,000 around the world, according to a Reuters tally.

Tight-knit families Messaging platforms help individuals feel closer to relatives, in a country where tight-knit extended families play a crucial societal function.

It is common for grandparents in Italy to be the primary caretakers of children when parents are at work, but the quarantines and higher risk posed by the disease for people over 60 is driving the two age groups apart.

Under the latest restrictions Rome has banned visiting friends and relatives and having meals with them, unless they need assistance. Love is also under fire in the age of the coronavirus and anyone leaving home to see a partner risks being fined or even jailed.

Cecilia Zadra, a 28-year-old psychologist who works in an elderly care facility in a heavily affected area in the north of the country, this week helped residents, some older than 90, use iPads to make their first-ever video calls to family.

Relatives at home enjoyed a much-needed laugh seeing their “nonno” or “nonna” grapple with modern devices for the first time, with some of the residents holding the iPad up to their ears instead of looking into the camera, she said.

“My heart melted seeing how technology that us young people take for granted can become such an important tool in critical moments,” Zadra said.

Even events ranging from university dissertation discussions to a dinner with friends have gone virtual.

Livia Sala, a 35-year-old from Turin who works in a family-owned business, started asking friends on WhatsApp to share stories about food, or favorite recipes for her to reproduce and share with the group.

She says she is a terrible cook but that she hoped to keep friends busy and distracted. “I thought it would be of great help to keep them busy and thinking about their favorite food, which is often tied to childhood memories, family and home.”

Alessio de Giuseppe, a student at the University of Bologna, the oldest in the world, learned via a WhatsApp message from his professor that his graduation would not take place as planned – with a dissertation in front of a university commission. Instead, on March 4, 22-year-old de Giuseppe was at work when he received another WhatsApp message from his professor: “Excellent evaluation. Congratulations, doctor!”

“I realised this was a pretty exceptional thing. People told me I was making history,” he said in a phone interview.

In Bergamo, one of the worst-hit towns in northern Italy, some of the elderly have taken to WhatsApp to share shopping lists with neighbours and ask them buy them food, said one local resident who said he shops for his entire block. “Sometimes they are picky and they give you specific food brands or cheese types that are hard to find,” he said.

And on WhatsApp groups across the country parents have started sharing photos of their smiling children with drawings saying “Andra’ tutto bene”, “Everything will be ok.” Others are using the chats to organise music flash mobs from their balconies, videos of which went viral on Friday.

Fight against fake news While technology is helping hunkered-down Italians cope, residents have started to lament the spread of fake information on some of these platforms.

Last week an alarming audio file of a supposed medical worker at a Milan hospital began being shared on groups. In the recording, the speaker said her hospital was having to let people older than 70 die due to lack of equipment, and that intensive care units were full of younger patients. A hospital official made a video later in the week to deny the claims and try to halt the spreading of fake news.

WhatsApp only allows messages to be forwarded to five chats at once, and tags them as “forwarded”, or highly forwarded in an attempt to help reduce the spread of fake information on the platform, where more than 90 percent of messages are being sent between two people.

Still, misinformation is taking a toll on residents.

“Technology is a blessing and a curse,” said Maddalena Casteletti, a psychologist in the worst-affected region of Lombardy, who started offering free online therapy sessions after the outbreak began. “I got contacted by 100 people that day.”

Casteletti says she initially got calls from people who needed help with anxiety or panic attacks. Now she says she is increasingly contacted by people trying to deal with isolation, medical professionals physically and mentally strained by the pandemic, and even pregnant women who are worried because they will not be allowed to have someone with them during and after delivery at the hospital.

#Miscellaneous

0 notes

ramialkarmi · 7 years

Text

Why it absolutely matters what Angela Ahrendts wore on stage during Apple's iPhone launch event (AAPL)

Even if you missed Apple's big iPhone unveiling this past Tuesday, you may have seen the photo: Angela Ahrendts, Apple's retail boss, on stage wearing black-framed glasses, a white v-neck t-shirt, and a pale pink lace trench coat.

The coat — made by the company Ahrendts used to run, Burberry — caused an immediate reaction. W Magazine, Racked, and Glamour all covered the coat, and Twitter's reaction to it. I tracked down the coat in question and found out the price tag: $2,895.

And then, the hate-mail came.

"We are horrified you are focusing on her outfit — really?" one Twitter user wrote to me, referring to herself and her female friends in Silicon Valley. "Very disappointing."

"You think Ms. Ahrendts' fashion choices are newsworthy? Really? Must be a slow day for you." a man told me in an email.

"Why did a technology-focused site even publish something about her outfit?" a woman wrote by email. "Your article is one that my daughter asks about, and requires a sit down with her and her two brothers to explain why it is of zero importance that this powerful woman wore a jacket and it was expensive."

Many of the criticisms were valid. They pointed to the issues women in tech — and the world as a whole, let's be honest — have always faced: Not being taken seriously, and a lack of representation in boardrooms, on executive teams, and in male-dominated fields like technology, sports, or engineering.

Ahrendts is the only female executive at Apple, and she was the only woman on stage at the company's big event on Tuesday. She was there to talk about what's ahead for Apple's retail stores, which includes a new flagship store in Chicago, a return of the glass cube over the Apple store on 5th Avenue in New York City, and more programs at the stores themselves to help them become something akin to community centers.

I want to be clear about something: What Ahrendts wore on stage at the Apple event was not more important than what she had to say.

But I also want to be clear about another thing: What Ahrendts wore on stage was not accidental. It was not chosen at random, or plucked last-minute from a pile of Burberry trenches lying on her bedroom floor.

What Ahrendts wore on stage was intentional, and it's absolutely worth noting.

The power of clothing

When powerful people appear in their professional capacities, every action they take is open to scrutiny and interpretation. That includes what they say, their mannerisms, their voice, and yes, their clothes.

And their choice of clothes serves a very deliberate purpose.

When Hillary Clinton wore a white pantsuit during the third presidential debate, it had a double meaning: Not only was it a suit made by an American designer, Ralph Lauren, but it also signified solidarity with suffragists, who used white as their signature color. Her outfit choice wasn't accidental.

When Mitt Romney ran for president in 2012, he did his best to use clothing to appear like a regular guy, not one who only paid a 15% tax rate thanks to his substantial wealth. Romney often wore Gap jeans or a silver-tipped belt, frequently looking like a rich person guessing at how regular people dress. He was trying to shake his East Coast, rich guy, elitist image, and he used his clothes to do it.

But perhaps the best example of someone who thought consciously about the power of clothing is Michelle Obama, who used her clothes as a diplomatic tool.

She wore a gown by Indian designer Naeem Khan for the Indian state dinner, chose a dress by Korean-American designer Doo-Ri Chung for a state dinner with the president of South Korea, and donned Christian Siriano, an American designer and "Project Runway" winner, for a speech at the Democratic National Convention in 2016. Even the prints and colors she chose often paid homage of the cultures of the countries she visited.

More recently, when Melania Trump wore stilettos en route to Texas after Hurricane Harvey, the internet mocked her for seeming out of touch, even though she did change into more sensible shoes later on. In that instance, she was making an official visit in her capacity as First Lady, and her outfit was open to criticism.

If there are more examples of the power of fashion as it pertains to women, it's likely because women, on average, put more effort into their clothing choices than men. That's not to stereotype, or to say that women don't prioritize other things over appearance — I'm willing to bet the majority of women do.

It's because women are often forced to try harder, be more professional, and put more effort in than their male counterparts.

Some of Apple's male execs at the big event last week, including services boss Eddy Cue and marketing chief Phil Schiller, looked downright schlubby as they paced the stage in wrinkled shirts, ill-fitting jeans and unfashionable shoes. The reality in Corporate America is that women don't have the same leeway to "dress down" as men.

An unspoken responsibility to have great taste

What's odd is that no one ever thought twice about the countless articles focused on the fashion choices of Steve Jobs, Apple's cofounder and former CEO.

Jobs' "look" was part of his identity and the identity of the company. The black mock turtleneck and jeans became as iconic to Apple's brand as the company's white earbuds or the famous logo of an apple with a bite missing.

Jobs appreciated the power of fashion. He chose to wear the same thing everyday both for its convenience and its ability to convey a message. He once even asked famous designer Issey Miyake to create special uniforms for Apple employees, according to the biography of Jobs by Walter Isaacson (Jobs abandoned the idea after employees raised hackles).

I can only guess at Ahrendts' motivations when she got dressed Tuesday morning. There are some obvious conclusions to draw, though: San Francisco's climate is temperate, and often only calls for a light jacket, so a lace trench coat would suffice. And as former CEO of Burberry, she probably still has affection for the brand and its signature product, the trench coat. She owns several, and seems to wear them often.

As for her larger motivations, I have some ideas.

As head of Apple's entire global retail presence, Ahrendts has an unspoken responsibility to have great taste. She's responsible for putting Apple's products in their best light, for getting people to walk into a physical retail space (no easy feat these days), and for deciding the look and feel of the stores.

So what Ahrendts' outfits need to project is an air of competence, stylishness, approachability, luxury, and a dash of futurism. At the Apple event, she knew she was going to be the only female presenter on stage, she's familiar with her colleagues' fashion sense — or lack thereof — and she's aware that she's one of the most important women in tech, and the highest-paid one at that. So Ahrendts chose an outfit that was feminine and powerful; fashionable and forward-thinking.

Ahrendts' clothes are not the most important thing about her (although she is a particularly fashionable woman). They'll never be more important than the things she says, or the work she does at Apple.

But when it comes to powerful people, it's not only acceptable, it's important to notice what they're wearing. The belief that a person like Ahrendts throws on any old thing before an event, and that what she wears doesn't influence how others perceive her, is a naive point of view.

In situations like these, clothes say the things the person doesn't, or can't, put into words. Pay attention.

SEE ALSO: Silicon Valley's ultimate status symbol is the sneaker — here are the rare, expensive, and goofy sneakers worn by the top tech CEOs

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Here are all the major changes coming to your iPhone September 19

#Tech Insider #Arab #Entrepreneurship #sillicon alley insider

0 notes