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lilyginnyblackv2 · 1 year

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Buddy Daddies - Episode 9 - Preview is Up! - SPOILERS & SPECULATION!

It’s time for Sports Day!

So, according to the summary, neither Kazuki nor Rei have ever participated in a children’s sports day, which makes sense. Rei had an unconventional childhood and Kazuki grew up without much money and without parents, so it’s unlikely that he went to daycare or preschool.

(Thinking about, this would also explain why neither Kazuki nor Rei thought of daycare or preschool right away and only got the idea after seeing a daycare bus go by the park.)

This means that this children’s sports day will be all of their firsts! Mine too, kinda. I’ve experienced elementary school and junior high school sports days, but never a daycare/preschool sports day. I found a blog post written by a mother who went to one (I’ll link it below in the comments) and a lot of the events involve the parents in the activity.

At the elementary and junior high school level, parents usually aren’t all that involved, But at the daycare level, it seems they are! Especially for the little babies (which makes sense, because they are babies, they can’t do too much on their own).

Putting the rest under a Read More because of spoilers!

Let’s look at some of the events we can see in the preview:

Tamaire - Bean Bag Toss

It looks like Miri is holding a white colored bean bag in her hand, so this is probably going to be some a bean bag toss game.

Here is a description of the event:

Tamaire (玉入れ) translates “Beanbag toss”, and as the name implies, it is an exciting game where students throw small beanbags into a basket hung at the top of a tall pole. Beanbags are scatted on the ground around the pole, and each bag has the color of its team, typically red or white. Teams compete against each other based on the number of beanbags in the basket. There is a time limit, and the beanbags thrown into the basket after the time ends are not worth any points.

(I’ll link to the post where I got that description below in the comments).

Tug - of - War

Tug-of-War is a staple and is basically at every sports day and it looks like Miss Anna is tugging at a rope here. How it will go down here...I’m not too sure. Usually you’ll see combos like the kids going against each other, or students against teachers (junior high school), or even like teachers against parents (one of the rare events where you might see parents participate in Sports Days aimed at older years). Maybe here it will be the Aozora Staff vs The Parents? Or maybe the older kids and Miss Anna vs The Parents, lol.

I don’t know! It should be pretty interesting though! Of course, I could be wrong here too, but tug-of-war would make sense.

Kumitaiso (組体操) - Maybe? Or Stretching?

I’m not 100% sure on this one. What is kumitaiso?

Kumitaiso (組体操) is rather a group performance than individual competition. Students work together as a team and create a variety of gymnastic formations with their bodies.

Usually they make a pyramid, but this generally tends to be for older kids, and parents have noted in more recent years that it can be very dangerous, so many schools are getting rid of it. But maybe this is a more tame/safer and more simplistic version of something like that. But they could just be doing some kind of stretching activity here. If anyone knows for sure, feel free to let me know and I’ll add the info in!

Race

And, of course, we have the race. According to the summary, Miri practices with Kazuki in the park and she does end up in the lead, but then she falls right before the finish line! T0T Oh no, Miri! A lesson in things being out of our control sometimes? About losing and taking it okay? Both? Something else entirely? I’m intrigued to see which it will be!

Let’s see, outside of that we have...

Rei scouting out the daycare, lmao! XD

It’s cute though! Rei is getting into the event in his own way.

It seems both him and Kazuki are getting really invested in it, so this may end up being a lesson for them too (like parents centering themselves in their children’s sports activities and making it more about them than their child - you know, the parent that gets super worked up over their kid losing something, maybe kinda like Kazuki looks here:

But the kid will be totally fine. I can see them going with that angle. Since Buddy Daddies generally tends to be less about Miri learning some kind of lesson and more so about Kazuki and Rei learning something about parenting and themselves through raising Miri.

Changing up the focus a bit, one thing I’m really looking forward to is seeing Kazuki and Rei possibly interacting with the other daycare parents more (not just the Daycare Mamas!).

You can spot a Daycare Papa! in the background there too. It’s also just really common to see like the whole family come out for Sports Day events, so like moms, dads, older and younger siblings, even grandparents.

The idea of Kazuki and Rei being able to take part in something so...innocent and group building is such a heartwarming idea. Though, I am also fully preparing myself for an after-credits scene that will go back to the drama at hand and Kyutaro’s decision, etc. and that’s probably going to hurt even more after this episode (likely as the writers intended, lol).

Oh! Also, I love that we are seeing that follow through that I was hoping for from Episode 7! It seems Rei is going to be willingly choosing to make riceballs for Miri (enough that she could share them with her friends and others there too!). This lunch is going to be one that Kazuki and Rei make for their family together. T~T My heart!

Also, Rei learning how to make something like a riceball is such a good place to actually start (instead of French toast, which requires more basic skills and knowledge). It’s an easy (and quick) meal to learn how to make well. If they end up tasting really good too, then that can act as a very quick and easy boost to his confidence with making and preparing food. It’s such a good step in the right direction! I hope the kids and parents like his riceballs!

Anyway, I’m going to fully appreciate this breather episode before we jump into the angst, action (probably), and drama of the final act of the series (Ep. 10 - 13).

#Buddy Daddies #Kazuki Kurusu #Rei Suwa #KazuRei #Miri Unasaka #BD #BD spoilers #Buddy Daddies spoilers #speculation #long post #image heavy post #Sports Day

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owls-den · 2 years

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Alder is probably one of the best champions

I don't understand why Alder is not more liked. He's such a clever and laid back individual who is, in my eyes, exactly everything a Pokémon Master should aspire to be. He is caring for his pokémons and likes to roam the region to inspire other trainers and young children (as shown both in the games where he encourages us to battle against preschoolers and in the anime with Trip's flashback). He stands for what he thinks is right no matter how big the threat is and he challenges trainers not just in a battle but he challenges their way of thinking as well.

Pokemon Black and White, in general, has a lot of philosophy attached to it, with the constant battle of Ideal against Reality and Alder represents that really well. Cheren is absolutely lost in his ideal of becoming stronger and stronger still. His only answer when Alder asks him what he will do once he becomes champion is "becoming stronger" and Alder does point out how much of a non answer that is (very respectfully, might I add). He keeps on trying to bring his wisdom by making Cheren think about what he really wants in life and what it really truly means to be "strong". This is also why I usually say that Trip is the anime version of Cheren from Pokemon Black & White because he has a similar design, personality AND character arc. Both of them have in mind only the idea of "becoming stronger" to which Alder answers: But when will you be strong enough? When will you stop and be content with your life? Just "becoming stronger" is not a goal in and of itself. You need something bigger. If it is indeed your goal, you're aiming for the stratosphere and instead of catching onto a couple stars on the way up, you let yourself fall since that goal is unreachable. Cheren understood that by the end of his character arc and settled as a gym leader, doing what he loves: learning and teaching. He became a better person for it, humbler and it overall made him grow as an individual.

Also as kind as he is, he is not a push over either and calls out crappy behaviour (yup still pointed at you Cheren) when he sees it. Despite tragedies happening in his life with the death of his starter, he keeps going, with a smile on his face like the goofy old man he is, offering seeds of wisdom and positivity as he goes, giving hope to future generations of trainers. I also love how it's implied that he might have been appointed Champion instead of actually winning the title. He's just such a beacon of good and what every Champion should aim for that of course he was the perfect fit! Also, his theme? His theme is exactly what it should be. It says everything I mentioned above AND MORE just in its melody and instruments. As a kid, whenever I heard it, it felt like a warm hug if that makes sense.

Overall, he's just vibing and that's why I love him and think he deserves more love.

#pokemon #pokemon black and white #pokemon bw #pokemon alder #alder #hi it's me again with the rants #idk I have a LOT of thoughts #my head is so not empty rn #this rant is coming straight from my bathroom #like literally i was ranting to myself about it in my bathroom while vibing to his theme #owl rants

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deadletterpoets · 2 years

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If dc wants a batgirls series to be aimed at a younger audience I think they should do a self contained series with more underutilized characters like Nell Little or Tiffany Fox as batgirl. Then Steph and Cass could hopefully have more mature content set in canon

That could definitely work. They have many avenues to allow more kid friendly and/or just lighter tone in general type stories which can fit for any Batgirl. Babs is used for those stories and adaptations often. Cass has one with Shadow of the Batgirl and the upcoming Batwheels show aimed for preschoolers will allow a young audience to know her name. It wouldn't be hard to get Steph, Nell, or Tiffany get that kind of attention for the younger crowd.

And just FYI I'm not against the main books wanting to separate the Batgirls book from the other Bat books by going for a lighter tone, the problem for me comes when that tone is used as an excuse to write and draw the girls like children that need hand holding instead of capable heroes.

The fact that Wally West kids in The Flash have more agency as characters and heroes than Cassandra Cain and Stephanie Brown in Batgirls is a big red flag for me.

#cassandra cain #stephanie brown #barbara gordon #nell little #tiffany fox #batgirls #dc comics #dc

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hudzontyler · 1 year

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Why Montessori school are the best for your child to become the best version of themselves

Early education sets the tone for a how a child will shape their future hence it is important for parents in general to choose the best education for their child and there are many forms of education be it the traditional kind of education, preschool is another form of education, and some kids are homeschooled, but one of the most exciting forms of education where the child feels they are a part of something different is the Montessori type of education and it has its own perks where kids and encouraged to learn individually and also be independent at the same time. so I would like to highlight a few of the best Montessori schools in bangalore.

Arteya Vidyaniketan School

Arteya Vidynaiketan is one such school where they do not focus on the traditional form of education and helps kids with hands on learning experience where they constantly update with the psychology of the students and focus more on learning and not just the overall development of the child

ILM Montessori

This Schools helps the child to learn through different techniques and their program usually includes learning more about life science and different areas of focus of mathematics and their course goes upto class 4

Valiants Academy, School

Located in kanakpura in bangalore this school has a cbse curriculum where the kids of the academy are usually from the age group of 6-12 and the school completely focuses on developing the child’s imagination wherein they also try to improve the childs focus and creativity. The schools Montessori program is developed on the roots of a normal education but with the main aim of providing with everything for the child to learn anything we focus on and is one tof the best Montessori schools in bangalore.

Seven senses Montessori

Here they focus on helping the child to think deeper and they have different levels where they try to achieve this and help the kids learn more about physics, science and this will help the child to develop an interest and eagerness to learn more and understand better something only Montessori form of education focuses on as opposed to the traditional form of education.

Roots Academy Banashankari

Even though the education here is based on the icse syllabus the elementary education program focuses more on the kids understanding the importance of the world and the natural materials so much so that the kids go on different field trips to learn more about nature and how it came to be

Anweshana HBR Layout

One of the most important schools that offer Montessori school in bangalore as the kids here are encouraged to take up subjects such as botany, chemistry life sciences and are also told to consider themselves as a part of something big and along with all these the children up till the age 10 are taken on various field trips to know about the nature in a more efficient manner

Cherub’s Montessori School

Cherub’s Montessori is the best Montessori school in bangalore and the curriculum and its approach as had a lasting impact on the children and I can safely say that kids really do enjoy their time there as the kids are thought on how to think critically learn more about subjects such as physics chemistry lif sciences and in my opinon I would definitely recommend every parent should join their child to this amazing school.

#Playschool. Fun Activities #best preschool Bengaluru #School in Bengaluru #Primary School #Learning

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rollibar · 2 years

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Play with me sesame ernie says food

#Play with me sesame ernie says food how to

“It’s incredible where you can go with your imagination.” - Elmo “If you keep practicing, you can do anything.” - Elmo “Elmo thinks it’s important to be kind because if you’re kind to somebody, then they’ll be kind to somebody, and it goes on and on and on.” - Elmo Sometimes eat whole, sometimes me chew it.” - Cookie Monster “I’d give you a cookie, but I ate it.” - Cookie Monster Math clear: home is cookie.” - Cookie Monster “I can’t hear you, I have a banana in my ear!” - Ernie “Friend something better than chocolate ice cream … Maybe friend somebody you give up last cookie for.” - Cookie MonsterĮrnie: “You know, whenever I’m not sleepy, Bert tells me to count sheep?”Ĭount von Count: “‘Count Sheep?’ Who’s that?” Ernie: “Uh, uh, it’s not a who, it’s a what.”

#Play with me sesame ernie says food how to

Oscar the Grouch: “Can’t anybody tell me how to say ‘no’ in Spanish?” “Ding-dong! You’re wrong!” - Cookie Monster “Bad days happen to everyone, but when one happens to you, just keep doing your best and never let a bad day make you feel bad about yourself.” - Big Bird “Oh, I love pigeons more than anything else in this world… besides oatmeal.” - Bert Grover: “How about the museum? You can look at pictures of the mummies… And the daddies.”įat Blue: “I don’t want to look at pictures of the mummies and the daddies.” “C is for cookie and cookie is for me!” - Cookie Monster “Of all the benches in all the parks in the world, I had to pick this one!” - Mr. There’ll be more Trash tomorrow.” - Oscar the Grouch So close your eyes and dream of all the wonderful Trash that’s yet to come.” (To the camera) “You too. “Cookie is like high five for stomach.” - Cookie Monster “Where there is life, there is hope.” –Grover “Cookie Monster thief, not liar.” - Cookie Monster “Do you know why they call me the Count? Because I love to count! Ah-hah-hah!” - The Count “Who care if me eat carrot or collard greens? Me also like broccoli and lettuce and lima beans. “Everyone makes mistakes, so why can’t you?” - Big Bird “Sally, you’ve never seen a street like Sesame Street before. Equal parts cute and funny, these Sesame Street quotes are perfect for remembering your childhood…or to read to your own little monster. Check out some of our favorite lines from the street’s residents. Yup, that means 50 years of singing, dancing, rhyming, and learning ABCs and 123s! Big Bird and the gang have also taught us and entire generations some wonderful lessons about self-belief, sharing, friendship, and life itself. Here's Perry's "SNL" spoof of the incident, where she flaunts even more cleavage.In 2019, Sesame Street celebrated its 50th anniversary. In response to her segment being cut, Perry tweeted, " Wow, looks like my play date with Elmo has been cut short!” In light of the feedback we’ve received on the Katy Perry music video, which was released on YouTube only, we have decided we will not air the segment on the television broadcast of ‘Sesame Street,’ which is aimed at preschoolers." We use parodies and celebrity segments to interest adults in the show because we know that a child learns best when co-viewing with a parent or caregiver. ‘Sesame Street’ has always been written on two levels, for the child and adult. The show released the following statement: “ ‘Sesame Street’ has a long history of working with celebrities across all genres, including athletes, actors, musicians and artists. The music video, a revised version of Perry's hit "Hot 'N Cold," was released online, instantly sparking a controversy over the appropriateness of Perry's cleavage-showing outfit. In September 2010, "Sesame Street" announced that it would not air a music video duet of Elmo and Katy Perry. Then in 2010, Katy Perry's guest appearance was cut due to her semi-revealing dress.

#Play with me sesame ernie says food

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mitigatedchaos · 3 years

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On Having “Whiteness”

(~2,200 words, 11 minutes)

Summary: A metaphysics of “Whiteness” has overtaken actual sociology in the Democrats’ popular consciousness - blinding them to racial interventions that might actually work and taking them off the table of political discussion.

-★★★-

Donald Moss - On Having Whiteness, Journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association (emphasis mine)

Whiteness is a condition one first acquires and then one has—a malignant, parasitic-like condition to which “white” people have a particular susceptibility. The condition is foundational, generating characteristic ways of being in one’s body, in one’s mind, and in one’s world. Parasitic Whiteness renders its hosts’ appetites voracious, insatiable, and perverse. These deformed appetites particularly target nonwhite peoples. Once established, these appetites are nearly impossible to eliminate. Effective treatment consists of a combination of psychic and social-historical interventions. Such interventions can reasonably aim only to reshape Whiteness’s infiltrated appetites—to reduce their intensity, redistribute their aims, and occasionally turn those aims toward the work of reparation. When remembered and represented, the ravages wreaked by the chronic condition can function either as warning (“never again”) or as temptation (“great again”). Memorialization alone, therefore, is no guarantee against regression. There is not yet a permanent cure.

So both @arcticdementor [here] and @samueldays have linked me to this allegedly “peer-reviewed” article. The Federalist has a bit more context, but it doesn’t really make the situation better.

Race Theory Problems

Obviously, this is a work of sloppy thinking. The categorization of “white supremacy culture” or “whiteness” used by people like this is vague handwaving that describes being bad at management as “white supremacy culture,” and which in general labels universal human problems, like organizations being resource-constrained, or people being impatient, as somehow uniquely “white.”

But this sort of article is really what I mean when I say that social justice’s approach to “whiteness” is about “spiritual contamination.”

Samueldays called it “the ‘I’m not touching you’ of inciting race war,” and I may cover more of his response to it later. Suffice it to say, it has the same general kind of problems as “stolen land” arguments (where an entire present population’s living area becomes undefined), unbounded “reparations” arguments where no amount of transfers by the designated oppressor are considered to clear the debt, and so on.

This is exactly the sort of material that conservatives are seeking to remove government funding for and prohibit from use in employment training. This is the kind of material that the Trump Anti-CRT executive order prohibiting racial scapegoating was meant to cover.

Race Theory Definitions

This kind of stuff is, of course, not really defensible, so usually at this point people will argue that 1), “that’s not real critical race theory,” and then 2), “it’s just a few weirdos.” For those, I would say...

1) If it’s not real “Critical Race Theory,” then what is it?

We can’t measure or disprove Moss’s proposed “Whiteness,” and this malevolent psychic entity said to “deform” white people obviously isn’t based on a comparison with other human populations or historical periods. When it comes to “insatiable” appetites, one study argued that the Mongol invasions killed so many people that it showed up in the carbon record.

At best, it’s sloppy race science as practiced by an amateur, like twitter users idly speculating whether whites have ‘oppressor epigenetics’ - but with the veneer of official status. And it has similar risks to proposing that there is such a thing as biologically-inherited class enemy status, and other collective intergenerational justice logic.

Presumably, the Journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association is intended as a journal of science, or at least serious scholarship, and not of bad racist poetry with no rhyme or meter.

Moss provides a relatively pure example of whatever-this-is. I need to know what it’s called, so we can get rid of it.

Race Theory Prohibitions

2) If it’s just the product of a few race-obssessed weirdos, then it won’t hurt to get rid of it. So get rid of it.

The actual text [PDF] of the Trump Anti-CRT order does not ban teaching about the Trail of Tears, or Jim Crow, and so on, and both of those topics were taught in school before this recent wave of whatever-this-is was popularized.

Trump’s order banned teaching that any race is inherently guilty or evil due to the actions of their ancestors, and the level of resistance to this has been bizarre.

These teachings don’t seem to provide gains in relatively objective metrics like underrepresented minority test scores (or at least that’s not something I’ve seen - and the continued opposition to standardized tests suggests proponents do not expect it to), so it’s unclear just what of value is going to be lost here.

Collateral Damage

Samueldays wrote,

Because right now the conservatives talking about "critical race theory" as they fire in the direction of Moss et al. are very important in preventing another race war and you have a moral duty to help them aim, not throw smoke for Moss.

Right now Conservatives are assessing just how much stuff they’re going to have to rip out to make “standardized tests are racist” and “it’s impossible to be racist to white people” stop. While this may not be the message that Liberals are intending to send, it is the message that many people are receiving. (I discuss problems with both, and some alternatives to handle them better, in another post.)

Liberals need to get out in front of this. Sooner is better.

If Conservatives think that they have to gut hostile work environment law in order to avoid their children being taught that they’re permanently morally contaminated by their race, and Liberals have no means to actually close race gaps within a 4-8 year period (and right now it’s slim pickings on that front), Conservatives are just going to gut hostile work environment law.

Aether

From their perspective, why not?

Everything in the world is only six degrees of separation from something racist. Anything in the world can be tied to something racist. (So can anyone.)

But nowhere in this pervasive atmosphere of tying things to racism are there solutions. There are guesses based on correlations. Proposals. But usually when you reach out to grab them, to really get a grip on whether it’s correlation or causation, they dissolve in your hands. The few that do have any solidity to them are moderate in their success (such as Heckman’s involvement in the Reach Up & Learn study in Jamaica) - and don’t appear to be based on the same style of thinking as shown by Moss and others.

It isn’t just that trying to turn combating an invisible, non-measurable, unfalsifiable, parasitic psychic force into an actual political program would inevitably be oppressive and totalitarian. It isn’t just that articles like Moss’s are an in-kind donation to the 2024 DeSantis Presidential campaign for that very reason.

It isn’t just that unfalsifiable Metaphysics of Whiteness content like White Privilege Theory has been found to lower sympathy for the poor, and that present diversity training doesn’t work...

Race Content Crowding

This stuff is crowding out legitimate scholarship. I don’t just mean in terms of funding, tenure track positions, or high-flying magazine coverage - all limited by their nature. I mean among the base. I have been interrogating Democrats on Twitter for months, and not a single one has been able to cite a strongly-demonstrated intervention that’s being held back, or even a past one that was conclusively demonstrated to be effective. They can often recite a list of racial grievances on cue.

Tucker Carlson could run boomer_update.exe on a list of every educational failure since the 1970s, and they would be reduced to sputtering accusations of racism against people who increasingly don’t care. He could do this tomorrow. The only thing that prevents this is Tucker Carlson’s conscience.

I discovered the Reach Up & Learn program through Glenn Loury - described as a ‘conservative.’ Scott Alexander, attacked by the New York Times crew, brought some success with multivitamins to my attention. When I first heard about the Perry Preschool program, I believe it was from someone well to the right of him.

About the only one brought to my attention by the Democratic establishment constellation proper was lead removal, and the gains on that are probably getting tapped out. The frame it was proposed in was not Critical Race Theorist, as this was likely in 2012.

As it stands, I’m more likely to find something that works from someone the New York Times would disapprove of than someone they wouldn’t. Or, as Wesley Yang wrote,

Reality has been contrarian for a while.

Succeed Early

Even if we suppose that Conservatives are inherently racist, Liberals have a duty to support interventions that work. In fact, the more that Conservatives are a seething, undifferentiated mass of uniform racial hatred, the more important it is that Liberals stick to racial interventions that work, because nobody else is going to fix the problem if Liberals get it wrong.

It isn’t just a matter of resources per year. It’s also a matter of time.

From Heckman’s website,

Although Perry did not produce long-run gains in IQ, it did create lasting improvements in character skills [...] which consequently improved a number of labor market outcomes and health behaviors as well as reduced criminal activity.

Even if we propose an unlimited amount of funding (which is not the case), people and politicians only have a limited amount of time and attention each year. Newspapers only publish so many issues with so many pages each week. Television programs only cover so many hours for so many viewers each day. Even the dedicated can only read so many books in a year.

Even though the Perry intervention was imperfect, and the sample size was not as large as desirable, every second Democrat I talked to should have been able to answer the question “can you name an effective intervention?” with “what about Perry Preschool?”

Every year that we have entire cottage industries working on and popularizing contentious, ineffective, and backlash-provoking Metaphysics of Whiteness content, based on oversimplified oppressor/oppressed binaries, or theories in which power is held collectively by races as monolithic blobs (rather than modelling power as a network of relations between individuals, in which an individual of any background might be destroyed by the racialized relations in their environment), is another year we haven’t spent that energy on finding or implementing something that actually works.

This isn’t just an individual failure by Democrat voters, who typically have day jobs to focus on - it is a failure by the institutions who are supposed to inform and guide them. This institutional failure likely contributed to the popularization of Metaphysics of Whiteness content in the first place.

Okay, now what?

Donald Moss is a crackpot. Metaphysics of Whiteness content is unfalsifiable. The idea that there is a psychic parasite of “Whiteness” is not a legitimate field of study; it’s parasociology. The idea that “a sense of urgency” is “white supremacy culture” isn’t much better. [1]

We already tried isolating this content to obscure corners of academia, where individuals with high racial attachment could write about it. It leaked out.

We need to get this stuff out of the popular consciousness to make room for stuff that might actually work. The best way to do that may be to cut off the source. Since Donald Moss is a crackpot, perhaps it’s time we started treating him, and everyone else like him, as what they are.

People involved in Metaphysics of Whiteness content, like Donald Moss, need to be (figuratively) grabbed by the shoulder, and firmly, but politely, told to stop. Society has been recklessly handing out race-colored glasses to the general population since around 2014, resulting in a rise in amateur race science, of which both right-wing Twitter users memeing about Italians and Metaphysics of Whiteness participants like Moss are examples. If they do not stop, they must be stripped of institutional authority. Metaphysics of Whiteness content is unfalsifiable and we should not be certifying it.

If institutions refuse to reduce the authority of Metaphysics of Whiteness practitioners, those institutions must have their accreditation penalized, and their government funding reduced or eliminated, just as if they insisted on producing study after study on magic or ESP which failed to yield results. If they do not comply, they must be replaced.

It’s possible that Metaphysics of Whiteness content might have had some obscure, niche function in terms of the exploration of the idea space.

However, as it has displaced popular knowledge of interventions that might work, and the attention given to them in the political system, Liberals should seek to surgically remove it, at the very least until some more effective interventions see the political light of day.

If not, Conservatives will attempt to remove it with a bludgeon. "They described an entire race as ‘voracious, insatiable, and perverse,’ and here’s the citation for the exact page where they did that,” is perfect material with which to abolish entire departments.

-★★★-

[1] If we go a bit farther out, scholars of “Decolonization” argue that the field is wholly unconcerned with “settler futurity,” a phrase not much less ominous than describing “whiteness” as “incurable.” It seems that their entire job should be to answer the very difficult questions they have decided not to.

#racepol #american racepol #critical race theory #social justice #racial justice #longpost #flagpost #black lives matter

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judgement-free-sideblog · 3 years

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Blood tears and sea breeze

Hi! I wrote this at 1:46 in the morning, in the middle of a night shift on a saturday and I have some things to say:

It took me so long to finish this story for many reasons, first of all I got a full time job at the hospital and we got a lot of covid and not covid patients so that was physically and emotionally draining. Secondly I just lost inspiration, my life became one responsibility over the other and I had no more time to me, so I went in autopilot mode and tried to do the best I could.

And suddenly the year ended and I realized how much I missed, and finally something wonderful and magical happened. The love of my life proposed to me and I felt alive again,

I change jobs, I'm now a Resident so now I'll have even less time than before but I have so much more hope for the future. So here it is the end, may we read each other again, but for now this the conclusion of this story, told in three parts because it became longer than I thought

************************

Warnings: ANGST, mental health issues, graphic depictions of violence, blood, cursing, mentions of sexual assault, mentions of sex, substance abuse.

Summary: The not so peaceful town of Broadchurch face dead again, while Alec Hardy continues his journey to redemption will this school teacher be the key to solve the mystery or just another victim of the ever watching evilness that seems to reside in the town.

First Previous Next Last

Chapter 21: Shadows...

The light inside the narrow corridor was flickering, maybe some old installation, how appropriate, the youngest of the Langfors thought, and old dusty and cold place, to keep the one responsible for all her tragedy.

Looking at her in the tiny space, covering her body with a blanket, she looked pathetic and yet she dare to have that stupid concerned look on her eyes, like she was the one about to go to jail, and not the other way around. Because her plan had worked, it all have worked out so perfectly, and now all that was left for Ash to do was saying goodbye.

Y/N was silent waiting for her to say anything, but she couldn't speak, no yet, she needed to see her like that, to keep in her mind that memory, she needed to remind the pain, because those were the only moments she felt alive.

"Was it something I did?" Y/N had a cautious tone, almost afraid to upset her, it was almost offensive, I'm not going to explode, she tought, I'm not a lunatic, but the familiarity of her concern pleased her. "How can I fix it?" Y/N plead and Ashley finally and looked at her, the fluorescent ceiling lamps gave the white room a blue shine but she was almost sure, as always, that the blue light was coming from her.

"It was just a card mommy" She said and before she could add something about how all the other children at preschool made one, the quick and hard stinging pain of a crop aimed at her side made her five year old body fall to the ground.

"Just a card? A card to a whoreson peasant" He and his stupid need to call himself royalty. There was no ounce of royal blood in him since at least three generations prior but he couldn't left it rest. "No daughter of mine will go around making a fool of herself by fraternizing with bastards in need, you are not some common whore and you will not bring shame to this house" he said about to strike another hit with the crop but she run, and left her room to the backyard, they will catch her in no time of course but she just wanted some air.

She didn't understand half of the words his father said, and definitely none of his stupid hate. She felt so alone, so sad and so empty, but she like it out there, she could look at the blue sky and the blue ocean meeting in the horizon, the beach was kilometers from her but was visible from her house, and specially she could see her, the tiny girl always happy and dancing with her mother and her older sisters, she was desperate to talk to her since she spotted her on day from her window, she wanted to know what she did to make her mother hold her like that, to make her father kiss her and give her presents every other day...

Ashley closed her eyes and shut the pain away like she always did, she needed to remember that pain, but then a tiny soft touch on her shoulder make her look up, there she was covered in a beautiful blue light, with a white dress, concerned look on her eyes.

"Why are you crying?" She asked, Y/N had jumped the fence from her house the moment she saw Ashley running. "Is it because your dress is torn? I can fix that, so your mommy won't be mad. Come on." She gave her a hand and she was sure she would never let her go, and for the years to come she didn't, until now.

"He was mine, and you took him, that's what you did" She said finally "Like you always do"

**********

"Forensics are on their way" Katie said once she entered the room again, the blood on the bodies looked fresh enough to know this was recent, other elements of the force have been there the day before arresting Langford and his sister said the parents where upset when she left them...

"Hey, what is a Baronet?" Derek asked, already gloves in hads and protectors on his feet "Is not like a actual royalty is it?"

"No, is the lowest rank and I think you have to pay for it and have land or something, why?" She asked putting on her gloves as well.

"A very old framed portrait of a guy, it says it's a baronet" He said showing it to her. A rapid Google search later and they found out that in fact Mr Langford's grandmother Dame Mildred Langford was the last Baronetess in their line, subsequently his father, Mildred's child born in 1946 chose to not keep the title and the nobility ended there.

There were many signals of adoration towards the woman, but very little towards his father.

"Langford is almost forty, so he was born around 1980, let's asume his father was 20 when he had him...Do you happen to know royalty gossip in broadchurch from the 1960s?" Katie said looking at the necks from the victims, there was a lot of hate and anger in there.

"No but I know someone who might" Ramos took out his phone and start calling "it may take a while, you should check the other room while I'm here... Hola tita? Como estas? Oye me pasas a tito por favor? It's a work thing please" Katie gave him a puzzled look. "My grandmother remarried to a English guy shut up!" He said while she exited the room. "Hola tito, I have a question for you"

The rest of the house was like the exterior, it surely had seen better days, old fashioned furniture and mold growing in some places, the only place remotely modern was in Langford's sister room, all pink an glittery, with 90s pop stars posters on the walls, the place was torn however, someone had been seeking something frantically there, Katie looked in the open window she could see next door house, smaller, and vacant but somehow happier. And in the backyard there was a pile of apparent garbage with flames and smoke coming out of it, with smoke still coming out of it and she run downstairs.

By the time she arrived at the backyard Ramos was already putting down the fire and trying to pick something before it was too late.

It was mostly old photographs in albums in the style of the framed picture in the livingroom. What probably were letters were now completely burn and in the middle of all the ashes there was a wooden box that miraculously haven't succumb to the fire yet.

*********

"Broadchurch police open now" Brian was about to tear the door down but nobody open, and even with Hardy screaming and putting out his gun the place looked abandoned.

"Looks pretty empty" Not only the deli but also the street, it was possible they hadn't open the whole morning "Are you sure she said the deli?" He said looking at the back alley next to the Trader's. But Brian didn't answer, he was trying the phone once again trying to reach her, and Hardy thought of how much would he loved to hear that stupid ringtone of Miller's phone when suddenly the muffled notes of the song he now will love for ever, whatever the fuck it was, came from behind the deli.

They rushed to the door of the back of the restaurant where they probably downloaded supplies and before they could agree on their actions they pushed the door down, of course it was empty apart from some vegetables but the sound was not coming from there, it was coming from behind the door of the freezer, where a fine line of light was coming maybe indicating the last hope they had.

They opened the door and Hardy's heart must be stronger than he had thought because he almost died with horror at the sight of Miller unconscious, with the skin completely pale, and the hair and her lashes covered in frost, with only a tiny mist coming out her mouth indicating she was still alive.

A millisecond after their initial shock they took her out and before she fall asleep again she was conscious enough to see both of the men she loved and to look at Alec and whisper a silent "Thank you"

****

"Maybe it would be easier if you told me how I stole him" you said, with the same tone you use to have for misbehaving children, specially since now you could not see an adult in front of you, only a very scared children, and very sorrow eyes. "I'm pretty sure I was already dating him when I introduce him to you and Charles, we were kind of apart at the time because of the Deli..."

"Oh you really are as stupid as you look don't you" she said irritated, but the superiority in her voice made you think she had bite, and she confirmed it when she continued "Do you happen to know how hard it is to win money with a Deli? Because I certainly don't, that restaurant and your idea of working there would have ruined me if it wasn't because I found a way to save myself"

She then proceeded to explain to you how she, Charles and that monster of a doctor that had treated you before worked together luring young rich men into buying rohypnol to drug innocent girls, only that the "innocent girl" in question happened to be a very alert and awake Ashley, so when they arrived at some hotel or secluded place Charles would extorsion them in order to "keep quiet" Easy money at expenses of creeps, and no victims, until she meet Jonathan.

"I texted Charles to let that one go, and we talked all night, I knew then and there that he loved me and that he was the one... he promised to call the next morning, but you have to appear, with your prudish routine, you stole the only man that ever loved me for me" she said and part of you believed her, but part of you was sure she was lying somehow.

"Then when we meet again he tried to denied it, he tried to pretend he didn't remember, he even proposed to you but at the end he couldn't keep it in for any longer and he came back to me" she said with an expression of triumph in her face like she was looking at something that was not there and for the first time since she arrived you felt angry at her, and disgusted by her smile.

****

"So Langford's father was a crazy old fuck, who hated his father's for loosing the title in order to be one with his people, apparently they have an old factory here in broadchurch, and all his workers love the man, when he died his child try by any means to regain the title and he lost the factory, the land and the family money, he only had this house... a tough environment to grow" Derek said once the box was safe out of the fire. "Also you are invited to my aunt Nicole's birthday party" he said a little embarrassed.

"Is your grandmother cooking? I'm in" Katie said casually while she tried to open the box and Derek relaxed immediately.

It opened with a click and inside it was a cellphone, with trembling gloved fingers she opened and realized it was Ashley's phone, there was the text she had seen so many days before, the one Jonathan sent before he died, she had an unopened voicemail so she checked it, it was a regular costumer asking why the deli was closed that day, but before she turned down again she went trough the saved messages it was only one.

"I know you won't listen, but I had to try" Jonathan Norbury's voice said he sounded tired and angry "I have been trying to make it easier for you so you won't get hurt but you left me no choice, I'm talking to Charles tonight, I'll give him his store back and I'm leaving Broadchurch in the morning, I'll go to London to set the venue..." He sighed as if he was about to do something painful "I love her Ash, I'm sorry but I do, I let my fear to disappoint my father drive me back to the alcohol and made you part of my mistakes, I should have never slept with you, I should have never let your brother near her... I'll marry her and I'll take her away from here... from you and your brother, and you can resume your life with Charles and your business, I won't involve the police as long as you left us alone, I promise, I know you, you are not as bad as you think you are, and you are worthy of love... it's only that I can not love you, I hate to said this to you but that night doesn't mean to me what it means to you, the girl of that night became a constant reminder of the life I needed to leave behind, of the man I don't want to be. I could had been you or any other woman that night and the result would have been the same, me going to AA and then to church and falling for her, because is only her, it's always been her and now I have to make it right. I'm sorry"

"Do you remember what they told us about what happened with the psychiatrist? The thing she did with her wrist?" Derek said while Katie's mind was racing with this new information cursing herself for not confiscating the phone the moment she first entered the station, she wasn't a suspect then, her conscience said but it was not enough

"About the bracelet?" She said rising her look surprised she could still process logical thoughts

"Did her mother had another one? You know like a pair or something?" He said completely serious.

"I don't know, maybe, why?" She asked looking at him.

"Because I think we have to arrest the Langford's for a whole new crime" he said giving her a picture of Charles next to a completely damaged car with an old couple dead inside, the woman was wearing a necklace that she immediately recognized as a pair to the bracelet she bagged as evidence so long ago, and even with the wounds the resemblance to Y/N was undeniable, those were her parents.

******

Miller woke up in a hospital bed with an IV on her arm and a lot of blankets and space heaters around her, Brian was there looking shocked at her and she had her heart full with joy for having him, but her sense of duty was bigger so before anything else she just asked "Where is Alec?"

"I'm trying really hard not to take this personally" Brian said almost angry "But is really hard to take you seriously when you look like a bloody burrito" he said pointing at the foil blanket over her "Shitface is out there"

"I'm sorry" She said immediately "I'm so glad you saved me, and I really love you now more than ever, but someone else's life is at risk and I need to talk to DI Hardy. We can discuss how much you hate him when we get home tonight ok?" She said and he was about to respond but the fact that she call his place home was enough to make him stand up and get Hardy inside.

"Is she awake?" He said desperately when he get inside and Brian exited the room not wanting to hurt his pride anymore, he trusted her enough and was enough in love to let her be. "How are you?" Alec said not sure if he could get closer.

"Don't mind me" She simply said like being nearly frozen to death was a regular Tuesday for her. "You have to get to the station quickly" she said pulling down most of the blankets and sitting on the bed. "Y/N is in danger, you were right she is innocent" she said and since Hardy didn't react immediately she add "And someone is about to kill her"

"How do you know?" He said and Miller couldn't help to notice the fear in his voice, he was already convinced she was innocent but he needed for her to tell him to make it real.

"The friend, it was her from the start and even before that... That woman is a monster. There is a sound recorder sewn inside my jacket, she confessed before tying me up and leaving me inside her stupid fridge" She said and show her two burning marks on her side "She used a teaser to knock me out, she knows her brother will break sooner or later so she choose to confess and tied all her lose ends"

"And she confessed to killing Jonathan and what else?" He asked and she was sure what he wanted to ask.

*****

"You should have told me" you said trying to buy time from her to think what to do next "If you knew he loved you so much you should have told me and I would have gladly go away... I have always wanted the best for you"

"Oh don't come at me with that ridiculous attitude, you knew we loved each other and what did you do?? You had to ruin everything, don't pretend now you don't remember" she said and suddenly everything became clear on your head

You were not mad that night because she left you alone in the dancefloor... but because you saw her kissing him, she was all over him and that stupid purple shirt, you were so mad at her, and you saw so much regret on his eyes but it didn't matter and you just wanted to get out of there, and then Charles came out of nowhere and you went out with him because you felt weird and weak and so confused...and then that happened, and by the time you wake up Jonathan was holding you so tightly and so lovingly that you chose to forget... as you had chosen to forget all those other times, you were sure now that that stupid voice in those videos was not you... and you pray for the forensics department to realize it was some cheap editing of your voice over your body... but you were certain you had actually slept with Charles just not as willingly as it seemed

You felt disgusted by yourself, and by those who claimed for so many years to be your friends, and you hate her so much in the way you can only hate someone you loved for so long and you had to ask because your heart was hurting so much.

"Why?"

She didn't answer, you where about to elaborate in the question because she had already told you why she killed him but she did understand you, she simply was looking for the answer

"Because you had everything I ever wanted"

****

Alec was driving as fast as he could, with Miller's story resonating on his head. Ashley Langford loved Y/N's life and hated her for a long time, when she was going away to Paris she thought she will finally take her place on her family.

But she soon realized that in Paris or in Broadchurch her parents would never stoploving her and she send Charles to mess their car, she saw them die, all because they decline her offer to live at their house when she left.

She was convinced Jonathan was in love with her since they met when he arrived at Broadchurch, but he rejected her when Y/N introduced them formally, maybe as Miller thought, he didn't even remember her. And then when they got engaged she found a way to get him drunk.

Their affair was simply disgusting, she will drug Y/N unconcious so she would sneak out with Norbury, assuring him Charles was simply watching her, but she needed to hurt her, to humiliate her, so she let Charlie take advantage of her over and over again until Jonathan found out at the club at the same time Y/N found out.

In the end Norbury had done the right thing and ended the affair. Hardy listen to the audio Harford sent him, and everything was becoming clear, now he only hope he will be on time.

****

"Do what you must then" You said "If this will make up for whatever it is I did to you... then just do it already" you said now ready to accept the end, and desperate to stop feeling this much hurt.

You thought one last time of DI Hardy, you may be innocent from the murder, but Ashley had made a good work destroying everything you care about and you felt so unworthy of him, even if she didn't killed you you could never look at him so it was better this way.

"No yet" she said and she reach inside her pocket, only now you saw she was holding a gun on her right hand "You knew your dear Alec is out of the case for getting too cozy with you?" Maybe when this is over I will visit him, I'm sure a man like him will be glad to have a women in his life after what happened to his friend Miller" She said and you fear the worst specially sin DS Miller had told you she thought Ashley may be involved in all of this "And after his little whore blow her brains out" she said. "Do you think Paul will say something for you? As far as I know suicidal people get no favors from church" every word she said was meticulously aimed to hurt, and she said them so casually that it almost felt spontaneous "Oh don't get anxious, your end is coming, but first you have to wear this"

You knew what it was before she finished her sentence, a delicate necklace just like the bracelet you longed for so many years, your mother had the necklace so you wouldn't feel alienated by having to wear it, you had given her the bracelet back so long ago and when she died it was never found... and you understand without her telling you that somehow she was responsible for them dying too. And the disgust for her and yourself turn to anger, to a primal need to erase her existence and she was there smiling and something broke inside your mind.

****

Alec was walking fast to the cells, ready to kill Ashley Langford but by the time he got to Y/N's cell he froze still as he saw Y/N extended her hand to take what seemed to be a necklace while Langford pointed her gun at her.

What happened next was so quickly that he almost didn't had time take his own revolver out. Y/N trembling hand became steady to take the necklace and she took Ashley by surprised by pulling her arm inside the cell and taking the pistol from her hand.

"Oh come on do it" Ashley said surprising Hardy and Y/N "Prove me and the world that you are not perfect, that you are as rotten and corrupted as me, come on kill me!" She said and Alec finally speak.

"She is not" he said loud enough for them to hear but he was not screaming. "The only corrupted and repellent creature here is you" he said approaching slowly trying to get Y/N's attention but she was still firmly holding bot the gun and Ashley "You are not like her" he said again.

"I told you detective that I never wanted to find out who did this because I was afraid of what I would become" she said and he was afraid for a second by the anger in her voice. "This ... woman" She said as if she wasn't sure she could call Ashley that "Took everything from me, my dignity, my reputation, my friends... even my family" she said with so much suffering in her voice that he only could flinch his fist inside his coat. Where the fuck was the other guard? "She took the man I loved... the man I thought that also loved me"

"She didn't" he said and took out his phone, he held it in front of him as he approached her and play the audio.

"That's a lie" Ashley start screaming, now completely unbalanced, "He loved me, he loved me!!!!" At the moment the words "it's only her" came out of the phone Y/N hand relaxed and Hardy use the opportunity to take the gun out of her hand and pull Langford aside, as the bloody security guard finally arrived, without hesitation he took the keys from his hand and opened the cell while the man carried a very disturbed Ashley away, and before Y/N could fall in the darkness and space out again he hold her against his chest.

"It's you, it's only you"

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trainingfordogs · 4 years

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Brain Training 4 Dogs Online Training Course Review

Link Ebook Free: Giveaways

Link product:Brain Training 4 Dogs

Is Brain Training 4 Dogs the best Online dog Training course?

Brain Training for dogs by certified trainer, Adrienne Farricelli is a unique science-based dog online dog training course. The training methods, content quality and support offer fantastic value for money.

GET YOUR COPY OF BRAIN TRAINING 4 DOGS HERE

User Experience

GET YOUR COPY OF BRAIN TRAINING 4 DOGS

As soon as you get a dog, your thoughts turn to training them. Of course, it’s only natural to want an obedient dog whom obeys your commands and doesn’t pee all over the place.

Unfortunately, training a dog can be hard work. Especially, if you don’t have much experience with it. People usually turn to the internet for dog training advice and resources like Smiling Staffy. Obviously, I love the amount of information that’s available online (we have an entire site dedicated to helping staffy owners solve problems and look after their dogs).

However, searching online is generally better for times where you have a specific issue or question concerning your dog. When it comes to general training, it’s difficult to find a solid set of organised steps that you can take to turn your dog into a well-mannered intelligent member of the family.

This is where dedicated online training courses come in and my current favourite is Brain Training 4 Dogs by Adrienne Farricelli. This course is designed to take your dog from the very beginning and basics of training all the way to super-advanced techniques like playing the piano (yes! This is really part of the course).

Whether you’re just hearing of Adrienne’s course for the first time or you came here to find out more about it, this article is for you. It will give you an in-depth look at the course from somebody who actually paid for it and owns it. You’ll then be able to decide if it is the right kind of course for you before parting with your hard-earned.

What is Brain Training for Dogs?

Brain training for dogs by Adrienne Farricelli is a unique online dog training course aimed at improving your dog’s intelligence in order to transform them into an obedient and clever dog by engaging their mind.

The main philosophy for the program is the use of force-free training methods, which is something I love and I’m sure you will too. These methods mainly come in the form of games that you play with your dog to reinforce certain training principles and goals.

An example of one of these games is Adrienne’s “Airplane Game”, which is used to control your dog’s attention. Check out the video below to see how this game works:

The brain training for dogs course is filled with games like this and is ordered in terms of difficulty and progression. This makes it easy to follow and gives you a simple path to track your dog’s progress.

About the Instructor

Adrienne Farricelli is a professionally certified dog trainer and behaviour specialist who has been working with dogs since 2006.

From working in an animal hospital to the local shelter, today, Adrienne holds dual qualifications in dog training.

She became certified by the Italian association for Dog Trainers and Canine Consultants after completing an apprenticeship under a master trainer.

I think it’s fair to say that Adrienne knows how to train dogs and her methods of zero-force and positive reinforcement are certainly preferred to out-dated techniques of dominance and punishment.

Following this she gained CPDT-KA certification in the United States. This stands for “certified pet dog trainer – knowledge assessed”, which is a highly-valued qualification that requires some strict terms to be met to achieve it. To maintain her CPDT-KA status, Adrienne also needs to continue her learning by attending various other courses so you can be sure her knowledge is up to date and it shows during her brain training for dogs course.

Her efforts and endeavours have also been voiced in many international newspapers and events like “USA Today”, “Daily Puppy,” and “Nest Pets.”

Also, Adrienne is an amazing writer. Her writings have been published in “Every Dog Magazine” and “The APDT Chronicle of the Dog.”

What's Included in the Brain Training 4 Dogs Program?

youtube

Once you’ve purchased the course, you’ll gain instant access to the Brain Training 4 dogs member’s area, which acts like a dashboard where you can access all of the materials included in your purchase.

When I first opened the member’s area, I was very pleasantly surprised to see the amount of content that was on offer. There are a number of bonuses included on top of the standard brain training course.

Here’s exactly what you get as a course member:

Brain Training 4 Dogs

This one will be no surprise to you; it is the main course and is probably where you’ll start your journey.

Behaviour Training for Dogs Online

As part of your course membership, you also receive exclusive access to a second, bonus course. This was a nice little surprise for me since I didn’t know this was part of the deal.

The behaviour training for dogs course is a 3-module course that focuses on solving 5 very specific and common dog behaviour problems:

Whining

Digging

Barking

Chewing

Jumping

Although the main course will reinforce good behaviours to help these issues, this little course is great for targeting these specific problems directly if your dog displays any of them.

Resources Section

This area includes all of the necessary items you’ll need to complete the courses. Any downloadable resources and product recommendations that are needed for both courses can be found here. It is helpful to have this stuff in one place.

Adrienne’s Archive

Here, you’ll find over 100 dog training articles that have been written by Adrienne. These can serve as extra learning materials for you as you learn how to become a better owner and trainer to your dog.

There’s also another surprise bonus here (although, it won’t be after I ruin it for you, sorry!). You get access to a video archive that includes a couple of extra behaviour videos as well as some cool trick training videos.

Over-the-Shoulder Case Studies

I thought this was a really nice addition to the course and something I haven’t seen online dog trainers do before. Here, Adrienne has included some over-the-shoulder videos of dogs that she has personally trained. You get to see each step as she trains these dogs on their individual behaviour problems.

Private Member’s Forum

The forum is the place to go to ask any questions or queries you might have relating to your dog’s behaviour. Generally, you’ll get answers to your question from the community and even Adrienne herself will contribute. In fact, Adrienne is very active on the forum and does respond to many questions.

I will say some of the videos could do with being updated and re-edited since some are looking a bit old now. However, the information is top-notch, and they all get the job done.

Inside the exclusive Brain Training for dogs private forum

As you can see, you really do get quite a lot included within this course. There is more than enough material to help you transform your dog into an obedient angel as long as you’re consistent with it.

Brain Training 4 Dogs Course Structure

The course recently had a revamp and now features a much easier to follow layout as well as video modules. In the past, some of the lessons were mainly written so the addition of video is extremely welcome.

The course is very straightforward to navigate since it is laid out in a step-by-step order, which means you can pickup where you left off at any time with ease.

In total, there are 5 course modules to follow:

Module 1: Getting Started

Module 2: Obedience Training 101

Module 3: Polishing Up Training

Module 4: Brain Training (the main course)

Module 5: Closing Words

A Closer Look Inside Brain Training 4 Dogs

As I mentioned above, the main part of the course is the brain training in module 4. This is where you’ll discover the majority of the dog training lessons and content.

To make it easy to see your progress, the main course is divided into a school style layout that indicates the difficulty level of each section. At the end of each section, there is a graded challenge where you’ll be able to assess how well your dog performs in the tasks you have been learning together.

Grading Table

There is a grading structure so you can see very clearly when your pup is ready to move on to the next level or if they may need a bit more nurturing and practice.

The best way to take this course is to follow the step by step pattern and complete all of the modules and sections in order. This makes it so simple to follow. After all, the course was designed by a pro so it would be wise to follow along in the designed order.

Inside the Brain training 4 Dogs Course Dashboard

Level I - PreSchool

As the name suggest, this section is all about the basics. You and you dog will learn about brain power and how to quickly respond to your command. We all know the frustration of a pup ignoring us so this level is a valuable one.

The pre-school level target’s your dog’s attention, which is crucial if you are to progress on to the later, more advanced lessons. Here are a few of the lessons and games that are taught at this stage.

“Target Train” the lazy monster to get his eyes on you. Start by teaching your pooch to focus on your hand, stick or a ball. Afterwards, you can extend the target by making him open the door or ringing bells.

The necessary “Eye Contact” with your dog to make the communication strong and improve interaction. This will help him to behave properly all the time and become a good boy/girl.

The simple and interesting “Airplane Game” to make your pooch pay attention to you and look into your eyes

Level II - Elementary

Here's a peak inside the module pages. This is where you'll find your lesson videos.

After cracking the first level, now, it’s important for your dog to learn to fulfil your demands and enhance his/her skills.

The elementary level introduces few games that your dog will love and find very interesting to play all the time. Of course, they’ll be learning as to listen to demands as they play these mini-games.

Teaching a rewarding game like “Treasure Hunt” will rejuvenate your lazy dog and will make his/her routines interesting.

The simple and inexpensive “Muffin Game” will challenge his brain and will also help encourage him to win.

The mood-lifter “Ball Pit Game” that will make him put energy into a task by triggering his mental power.

Level III - High School

Congratulations, at this level, your dog will be all set to learn about endurance and self-control. This will control his excitement and encourage him to be calm in some of the more stimulating day to day situations.

Here are a few examples of some calming behaviour games included in the level of the course.

Control the behaviour of your dog with the “Jazz Up & Settle Down” game that will teach him/her manners and build a relationship. So, no more jumping like crazy when you come through the door.

The interactive “Bottle Game” will let your dog exercise a bit and will keep him busy and entertained for a long period of time.

“Bobbing for treats” will help your dog to behave well as he/she will get the reward for following the commands.

Level IV - College

By this point, your pup will be getting rather advanced and is ready to move on to some more demanding lessons where his/her motor skills will be developed so they can react intelligently to commands.

The college module includes games that will boost the mental capacity of your dog and will let him/her remain calm in exciting situations.

The “Shell Game” will enhance their mind by playing on the dog’s superior sense of smell. This fun little game is excellent for engaging your pups’ mind and keeping them from getting bored.

The “Open Sesame Game” will let your dog remain cool and calm when somebody comes through a door in your home.

The “Magic Carpet Game” will again help in better understanding and tranquillity during times of potential excitement.

Level V - University

Now, your dog enters the senior level of the training programme. He/she will already be super calm and obedient by this point so now it is time to move on to teaching them all about emotional and impulse control.

This level will help in making your dog a better-behaved dog by using the following games to teach him or her how to be more confident and resist temptation:

The “Hide & Seek” game is a fun game for both yourself and you dog. It helps to create a stronger bond between you and is great for helping dogs with issues when being left alone.

“The Look” game is designed to eliminate unwanted barking at others, especially when your dog is looking out of the window.

The fun and trouble-free “Hot & Cold Game” will boost up your dog’s spirit and will help to boost their learning ability as well.

Level VI - Graduation

A you’ve probably gathered by now, this is one of the most advance section of this training programme. The graduation level is all about developing advanced level motor skills and the intelligence to effortlessly obey your commands.

Here’s an example of the kind of learning games included at this level:

“Leg Weaving Skills”. An excellent skill to teach your dog to obey more complex commands and to impress your pals at the same time!

The game, “Serpentines and Spiral” will train your pup to stay by your side at all times, even as you make erratic and unpredictable movements.

“Name Recognition” is an extremely cool technique that teaches your dog to recognise items by name. He/she will learn how to pick out toys by name and bring them to you.

Level VII - Einstein

Finally, your pooch is a genius now, and, by reaching this level he/she can easily impress any human they want with their skills and talent.

Teach your dog to keep his area clean even after hours of playing with the “Tidy up Game”. An invaluable lesson to learn.

The “Ring Stacker” game will again test your dog’s patience and encourage them to develop extra self-control.

“Play the Piano”. This one sounds a bit unbelievable but apparently, it’s doable. I have not reached this level with my dog yet but there are many who have, and they tell me it is certainly possible.

There really is so much content inside the brain training for dogs course. And that is without all the other bonuses I mentioned above.

My recommendation is to simply run through the brain training course as it is laid out then use the bonus behaviour training course to cover any more specific problems that your dog might run into.

Verdict - Is Brain Training 4 Dogs Worth it?

Pros

A Huge Amount of Content for the price your pay

Affordable, one-off payment

Highly qualified and experienced instructor

Safe, non-forceful approach

Simple to follow with videos and clear descriptions of the lessons/games

It's a fun way to train and bond with your dog!

Cons

Some of the videos seem to be old and do look a little dated

I felt a few of the games were a little unnecessary as they didn't seem to have a clear teaching purpose

Some of the lessons required equipment I didn't have around the house. A kids' pool, for example.

Final Verdict:

All in all, I really like this approach to training a dog; it is based around playing and rewards, which is great fun. The games are unique and some are pretty clever, which is perfect for keeping both you and your dog interested in the program.

I've already mentioned it a few times now but the course includes a large amount of helpful content and it is all simple to follow. As long as you're willing to put the time and consistent effort into it, it will help you to train your dog.

So, with all that being said, I would certainly recommend giving it a try. It is very affordable, a one-off payment of under £50 and comes with a 60-day unconditional money-back guarantee so you really can't lose.

link product: Training 4 Dogs

#mydogismy #todayfanphoto #pet #dog #cute dog

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hotarutranslations · 5 years

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Ichioka Reina "20 Questions 20 Answers" Haro Puro Love Talk!

In 2018, we’re having a celebration of the Hello! Project 20th Anniverasry (Hello Love). For the members who belong to Hello! Project, their thoughts on the 20th anniversary activities and enthusiasm for 2018, thoughts of an everyday idol, we had a passionate “20 questions 10 answers” talk~ This time its BEYOOOOONDS Ichioka Reina!!

Ichioka Reina = Born January 25th, 1999. Hometown Tokyo.

Q1: Tell us the meaning of your name! Reina’s “Re” character on the left side has the people radical. It seems like the meaning is that they wanted me to be have a relationship with music. But, from before I was dancing and singing, it didn’t feel something like “want to become that”… Since if I had to say what I wanted it’d be modeling, so I thought that I wanted to work with that. In that way the road changed a little and the name meaning became like that.

Q2: What senior are you aiming towards?

Kumai Yurina-san (Berryz Koubou) and, Suzuki Airi-san (C-ute) and, Uemura Akari-san (Juice=Juice). I got to appear in a Berryz-san concert when I was in Kenshuusei, at that time she would watch us rehearse and give us various advice. Since I had wanted to become a model, I was envious of Kumai-sans height. Since I thought I wanted to grow tall but it wasn’t like I could just get taller. With Suzuki-san, no matter the song her expressions and dancing suit it, that isn’t something I can do. You change how you dance depending on the song, its difficult so I can’t do it easily. I’m the same age as Uemura-san but, she has something of a different aura. We go out together, and she is a senior I can talk to, she is a really friendly person. But when she is performing as Juice=Juice, she has the feeling of being a pretty adult woman. Its kind of like, I admire those who have something I don’t have.

Q3: Who would you want to be reborn as?

Kumai Yurina-san. I’d want her height. My goal was to grow to 175cm, but it seems I stopped at 162.5cm… I’m still growing a little but, it’s not like I will reach my goal. Since I could dance bigger if I was taller, I think I’d stand out.

Q4: What do you think you are the best at in Hello! Project?

I think I have the best smile and train knowledge. There aren’t very many in Hello! Project who like trains but, if you go outside of us there are those that like the railway big 4 right? But, I have no knowledge on that. I’m familiar with the trains I use and see around Tokyo, so, I don’t know much about local regional lines yet. Also, I only have broad knowledge on how the machinery runs… that kind of maniac knowledge, I think I’d like to further polish it. But, with Hello! Project members, its worrisome as I will have no one to talk about it with.

Q5: Tell us something amazing about Hello! Project!

Even when they’re dancing and singing, they don’t waver. Also, its wonderful to see them sweat. If its summer with sweat its like “Ah~ I wonder if they’re sweating” isn’t it? However, when we’re sweating during Hello! Project concerts, it looks like something sparkling. When the sweat starts to come out, it has a wonderful feeling and aura after all I think. Also everyone sings amazing! No matter who sings, of course that person will do well; they can do it since they’re that person. I think that the presence of the individual has become really big.

Q6: Who would you want to be in a special Hello! Project unit with?

Juice=Juice’s Kanazawa Tomoko-chan, Kobushi Factory’s Wada Sakurako-chan, Tsubaki Factory’s Kishimoto Yumeno-chan and also, Morning Musume ‘19’s Makino Maria-chan and Kaga Kaede-chan, the 6 of us. We’re in the same generation of Kenshuusei. I want to do it at a Hello! Project concert. The 6 of us showed off C-ute-san’s “Momoiro Sparkling” at our very first Hello! Project Kenshuusei Recital. Also, if it’s just dance I think I want to do “What’s Up Ai wa Dou na no yo”.

Q7: Tell us a BEYOOOOONDS song you like!

My most favorite is “Bunkasai Jikkou Iinchou no Koi”. I really like the feeling of the melody during the hook. BEYOOOOONDS songs are songs with a performance in it; at this songs cultural festival Kiyono Momohime-chan and Maeda Kokoro-chan are in love, and its drawing the story until their love comes true. Takase Kurumi-chan and Eguchi Saya-chan play the roles of the heart of Momohime, and the dance emits the stress of it. With out best effort, that song is a really good thing for us. As it becomes stressful.

Q8: What is a song you like in all of Hello! Project?

Tsubaki Factory-san’s “Kannousei no Concerto”. Tsubaki Factory has the image of singing neat and cute songs, but this song is a bit different. It feels like you can see a different cool Tsubaki than normal. It’s a nice anime heroine-like theme.

Q9: What is the difference between current and previous Hello! Project?

When I was little I really liked Minimoni and Morning Musume’s Otomegumi-san but, they have an image of their songs changing with the times. But, there is something that remains in your ear, I think it’s something good about Hello that doesn’t change.

Q10: Other than yourself, who would you recommend as an oshi?

Makino Maria-chan (Morning Musume ’19). She is an outstanding beauty after all, her style is also good. But, isn’t it like you’ll suddenly say “MariaLOVErin”? Therefore, I think she is a girl who makes a lasting impression.

Q11: What do you want us to see most from yourself?

What I want you to see most from myself is my smile when performing. I think I’m smiling more than anyone during a performance!

Q12: What is work you would like to challenge?

Its modeling after all. From when I was small, I have experienced being in fashion magazines but, its different from being in a magazine when you become an adult. Since I like fashion now, I think I’d like to try modeling work.

Q13: What do you want us to see most from BEYOOOOONDS?

Since up until now our group songs are a bit different, I’d like you to pay attention the members movements. Seeing it many times, since it’s like ‘I finally understand that persons movements’, I think I’d like you to look at each and every one.

Q14: What will you be doing in 20 years?

I think I’ll be a housewife. Probably, a housewife.

Q15: Since it’s the 20th anniversary, tell us a secret!

I like people watching, but while watching people I’ll end up seeing good things and bad parts. When I ended up seeing a bad part I’ll end up thinking “Ah~ that’s no good”. Even if I see the bad thing once, my memory of the bad thing ends up being stronger than the good things.

Q16: What do you want to do when the 20th anniversary is over?

My motor skills aren’t very good, I don’t think I can even do a cartwheel. But with BEYOOOOONDS, its not like I’ll know what we’ll be doing from now on. Therefore, I think I’d like to be better at my motor skills.

Q17: What would you be doing if you weren’t an idol?

Modeling. Since I was in preschool I would appear in magazines, I think its really fun to have my photo taken. Since it feels really fun, if I wasn’t active as an idol, I think I’d walk down that road.

Q18: What are you most into right now?

Watching anime. Now, I’m watching “The Promised Neverland”. When watching anime the voice acting becomes detailed; on YouTube there are interesting videos of voice actors and raw recordings that I can watch.

Q19: Who do you get along with in Hello! Project? Tell us about a recent episode! Morning Musume ‘19’s Kaga Kaede-chan and, Kobushi Factory’s Nomura Minami-chan and, Tsubaki Factory’s Kishimoto Yumeno-chan, the 4 of us get along well. The other day we ate yakiniku and went to an escape room. Since its different from a group, we’ve talked about how it would be nice to meet up about every 2 months, we’ve met at the pace of like twice a month. Also, each time, we make a promise to have a dark nabe!

Q20: What is an idol to you?

Youth. Since you’re doing school activities alongside idol activities, and you’re often with the Hello! Project members more than with students. But since it feels like going to school, its youth.

https://thetv.jp/news/detail/184232/

#Ichioka Reina #BEYOOOOONDS #Chicatetsu #Hello! Project #Translation #Interview

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lovemesomesurveys · 5 years

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how many things do you remember from the first few years of your life? My first memories are ones from preschool and then just a lot blips and blurps from the first few years. Just random stuff. how many friends (if any) do you trust completely? One. whats your favorite food? Taco Bell burritos and Doritos tacos, chicken tenders, garlic parm boneless wings, and pasta. whats your favorite beverage? Coffeeee. can you cook? if yes, what is a food that you can make exceptionally good? Just Top Ramen or something I can throw in the oven or microwave.

do you think that love is the best feeling in the world? One of. are you parents still together? Yes. how often do you go out? Never anymore. ever go clubbin? Once. I didn’t enjoy it. do you have any unique abilities? I don’t feel like I do. what is something that you would you say you have an advanced knowledge of? I don’t know. have you ever met anyone famous? Jaime Lee Curtis and Drake Bell. what is your zodiac sign? Leo. do you believe in God? I do. who is the last person you messaged on AIM? Wow, I haven’t used AIM since like 2009. I don’t remember. has the death of a famous person ever made you cry? Yes. how many pairs of shoes do you own? Like 5 or 6. how many posters are in your room? Zero. is your family a low-income, medium-income, or high-income family? Medium/middle class. do you hate anyone? Myself. what is a restaurant that you would never eat at? *shrug* what is the last movie you saw in the cinema? Glass. what is the last movie you rented? I haven’t rented a movie in years. are you looking forward to anything right now? No. are you happy with your life? No. can you play any musical instruments? Nope. has your life ever been changed by someone you’ve never met? I wouldn’t say changed, but they had an impact. what is something that you wish you had more talent with? I wish I had any talent at something. what historical event do you have an advanced knowledge of? I don’t consider myself to be an expert about any particular historical event. what’s the best concert you’ve ever been to? All the ones I went to. Concerts are just fun in general. can you sing? Nope, but does that stop me? what is a phrase that you use that you don’t hear many other people use? I don’t know. what is your favorite season of the year? Fall and winter. what’s your favorite musical artist? I have several. is your hair short or long? Very long. how often do you shave? As needed. do you think you could spend the rest of your life with the same person? Yes. Commitment isn’t my problem. have you ever been out of the country? Once. if you could live anywhere, where would you live? I’m not sure. how often (if at all) do you drink alcohol? I don’t. when’s the last time you went out to eat? It’s been a few months. I’m a takeout kind of gal. I enjoy just getting the food and eating it at home. have you ever done hard drugs? Nope. can you dance? No. what is your favorite TV show? I have a few. why did you decide to take this survey? I like doing surveys and the questions caught my interest.

#personal #text #survey #surveys

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bluumfield-blog · 5 years

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Gender Bemding

Gender Education Response

The aim to provide a child with true freedom to develop their own gender identity is admirable. In our society we certainly shove gender down the throats of our young with alarming gusto- as soon as we learn of a baby’s sex we traditionally proclaim “It’s a (binary gender)!” In her chapter on gender education, Fine reaffirms this by providing copious examples of the ways in which media indoctrinates children with statist gender stereotypes and expresses how these distinctions have taken deep indelible hold even within the minds of preschoolers.

Within the Bems’ attempt to provide a kind of gender blindness for their children, however, can immediately be seen a tacit deference to gender norms. When the Bems’ wanted to change the gender of their children’s storybook characters, they edited the length of hair, and added breasts. Despite their intense effort, those relics of traditional gender binary are still present: the supposed femininity of long hair, and the enmeshment of female sex characteristics with their conception of gender. Admittedly, I’m engaged in nitpicking. This, however, seems only fair to do when the people in question went as far as to white out portions of children’s books to somehow shield their children from our reality as it is, hoping to provide them with some sort of new reality which the parents find more palatable. The Bems’ are engaged in intense attention to detail with regards to how society presents gender, and so I offer their own attempts to reframe gender that same level of scrutiny.

I would argue the Bems’ are engaged in some level of overdoing things when it comes to this experiment on their children. First, it seems unethical to treat the whole of a childhood as a psychological experiment, especially to use your own children as easily available test subjects. The psychological nature of this endeavor and the parents themselves being psychologists adds a certain ickiness to the whole ordeal. One could argue that the role of a great parent is to create a new generation in the image of a better world. I don’t think the Bems’ were so purely altruistic. Even if they saw the potential societal benefits (Bemefits?) of their findings, they still were exploiting their own children in search of research findings. I personally would be somewhat shattered to hear that the bulk of how my parents decided to treat me as a toddler was based in anything other than care for me, even if the knowledge that was sought over pure, parental affection had some great worth.

The young Bems children were deprived a rearing which would prepare them for the nature of the world as it is. I posit that giving a child the knowledge required to operate in our current society, despite its flaws, has equal merit to teaching them the moral lessons of what an ideal world might look like with regards to gender. I certainly endorse supplying gender neutral toys, teaching the distinction between sex and gender, and defending their children’s rights to not conform to arhchaic binary. I can’t get behind censoring literature for kids, when you’re basically just avoiding a part of our world as distasteful as it might be.

One last aside: I enjoyed the mention of how society is, or at least was, quicker to showcase women in traditionally male (heroic and adventurous) fictional roles than to exalt a feminine or domesticated man. This is an example of how feminism benefits everybody. Freedom from restrictive gender norms could allow freedom for men as well, should they decide to be more feminine. Furthermore, it is one more annoying reminder that in the zeitgeist masculine trades are vaunted higher than feminine ones.

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hudzontyler · 1 year

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Why Montessori school are the best for your child to become the best version of themselves

Arteya Vidyaniketan School

ILM Montessori

Valiants Academy, School

Seven senses Montessori

Roots Academy Banashankari

Anweshana HBR Layout

Cherub’s Montessori School

#Playschool. Fun Activities #best preschool Bengaluru #School in Bengaluru #Primary School #Learning

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lowcarbnutrients · 5 years

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Is It Okay To Hide Vegetables In Your Child`s Food?

If there is one food group that youngsters have the tendency to transform their noses up at, it's vegetables. Veggies-particularly green ones-have a bitter taste, which in hunter-gatherer times, frequently signified 'toxic' or poisonous. This could be component of the reason that most young kids locate environment-friendly veggies 'yucky'-it could really be an all-natural survival impulse. Kids likewise have extra preference buds than adults do, which could improve the yuck aspect much more. This is very important for us moms and dads to know, to ensure that we don't panic when our children decline them.

The fact is, despite the fact that veggies are a fundamental part of our diets, youngsters who have a really low vegetable consumption likely still have a nutritionally ample diet (presuming, obviously, that they accept a nice selection of various other foods). Yet several moms and dads firmly insist that their child must consume vegetables. If coercion methods, such as bribing or compensating, don't job, anxious moms and dads commonly turn to what is now a plethora of blog sites and recipe books concentrated on 'slipping' veggies (and also various other healthy foods) right into their kids' diet plans, for some tranquility of mind.

As a moms and dad of a young child that now selects every tip of eco-friendly out of his food, I get it. I understand the irritation and fear, and also sympathize with those that consider pureeing veggies right into breads, muffins, and treats. However if you on a regular basis hide veggies in your child's food, you might wind up fanning to a fire that would have naturally gone out on its own.

Kids are smarter than you think.

As Brian Wansink, PhD, as well as writer of Mindless Eating ( which I extremely suggest) points out in a Parents magazine article, children will get you if you are creeping veggies right into their food. When an item of zucchini doesn't puree correctly and also comes to be noticeable in your child's favorite cookie, or if she captures you sneaking an orange pureed mixture into her pancakes, she will certainly become dubious. If she captures you in the act (which she at some point will) as well as learns that you are not being up-front with her, those 'unpleasant' veggies are unexpectedly much 'yuckier,' and you've got a much bigger issue on your hands. ' Currently these veggies are SO gross that Mama needed to hide them in my food,' she may think.

Take the stress off of on your own:

According to Ellyn Satter's Feeding Relationship, your work as a parent is to serve a selection of healthy foods at proper as well as consistent periods in designated areas (you're in charge of the what, where, and when of feeding), as well as your kid is responsible for if and just how much he eats. In various other words, it is not your job making sure that your youngster eats his veggies-it's his. You can likewise kick back recognizing that veggies aren't necessary for a nutritionally sufficient diet. If your kid has a different fruit consumption, this can make up for a low vegetable consumption. Currently don't relax too much, it's still crucial to proceed revealing your youngster to a range of vegetables every day, although he may deny them. This will certainly raise his possibilities of approving them in the future.

Adding veggies is different compared to sneaking veggies:

I constantly include leafy greens to our fruit smoothies and also frequently load additional veggies into our spaghetti sauce. There is nothing wrong with including vegetables to a recipe to increase the dietary top quality of it. As long as you're open as well as straightforward with your child regarding it as well as there's no sneaking about. Start early. My child has actually never ever recognized a shake to be without some sort of vegetable in it. He additionally aids me chop (with his plastic knife) veggies to enter into covered dishes and also sauces. If you subject your youngster to vegetables early, it is most likely that he will approve them as he expands older.

Rename them:

A buddy and also I took our young boys for smoothie mixes recently. Both kids see exactly what enters into the healthy smoothies and also we don't conceal that they include veggies. This time, the young boys were extra delighted concerning their environment-friendly shakes, because my pal asked them if they wanted a 'hulk healthy smoothie' for lunch. This made an otherwise regular healthy smoothie amazing for our kids. Brian Wansink agrees with this technique, pointing out a study in his article where 4-year-olds consumed 50% more veggies when they were named something creative, like 'Princess Peas' or 'X-ray Vision Carrots.' There is no trickery in renaming a veggie something creative as well as fun, and it makes for a much more exciting experience for your children.

Try offering them in a different way:

Toddlers and young children could be actually finicky when it comes to how their food is served. Recently, my kid chooses all of his food different. Instead of blending blueberries into his oatmeal like I made use of to, I now put them on the side. And as opposed to consuming an item of pizza generally, he now takes every one of the toppings off and eats the crust initially as well as after that the toppings. Attempt asking your youngster just how he would certainly like his food offered prior to serving it-' Would you like your peas inside your macaroni or on the side?' or 'Would certainly you like your spaghetti sauce on top of your noodles or next to it?' You will certainly be surprised at the responses you'll obtain as well as, possibly, the adjustment in acceptability.

Similarly, try out how you reduced veggies. For instance, my child a lot prefers cucumber coins over strips nowadays. He also favors pepper strips instead than cut pepper pieces.

And let's be straightforward, raw veggies with some type of dip are much more delicious than level. Make a homemade tzatziki sauce from simple greek yogurt, minced garlic, lemon juice, and salt as well as pepper, as well as offer with peppers, cucumber, as well as cherry tomatoes, offer carrots and celery with hummus or cattle ranch dip, as well as try offering fit to be tied broccoli with thawed cheese ahead.

Give them a choice of two:

Instead of claiming, 'We are having steamed broccoli with supper,' attempt providing them a selection of veggie by stating, 'Would certainly you such as broccoli with cheese sauce or raw veggies and dip?' By doing this, you are handing over several of the control (which kids and young children hunger for) as well as allowing your kid to decide just what he is eating, while still ultimately remaining in control. I call this offering youngsters 'structured control.' My kid often surprises me by stating, 'Both Mother!'

Let your kid aid with meal-prep:

As untidy as it gets and also as frustrating as it can be, I still welcome my preschooler to assist me prepare dinner most evenings as a result of every one of the amazing advantages that I see coming from it. He will not only munch on veggies that I'm chopping up, but he's also come to be a whiz at throwing active ingredients right into a mixer or mixer, and a master stirrer of all points. Entailing your kid in meal-prep has numerous benefits. He will certainly be more probable to take a seat to family dishes and will be far more likely to taste the food that he has contributed to preparing. It gives youngsters a sense of pride as well as accomplishment.

Repetition is ok:

There is absolutely nothing wrong with serving the exact same accepted vegetable over and also over once more. If your child likes peas yet rejects every other vegetable, serve him peas. Constantly offer one or two added vegetables (whatever the remainder of the family members is having) along with the peas, also if you know that he won't consume them. The more direct exposure your youngster has to a selection of vegetables, the more probable he will be to at some point start as well as try them.

Eat veggies yourself:

If your child continuously sees you enjoying vegetables at family meals or throughout snack time, she will grow up learning that consuming veggies is typical and also healthy and balanced. I constantly tell my clients, 'Eat the way you desire your children to eat,' since we are their versions. If your youngster regularly sees you leaving veggies on your plate or just ever consuming a couple of kinds of veggies, she will certainly have an extremely tough time expanding her own taste. Aim to have at the very least two veggie sides at family members dinners (both raw as well as prepared), with great deals of colour.

You could want to look into Your Duty When It Concerns Feeding Your Toddler/Preschooler, along with My Top 10 Dietitian-Approved Easy as well as Yummy Recipes.

Feel free to come on over to my facebook page where I share family members nourishment pointers, choosy eating recommendations, as well as whole lots of nutrition resources daily.

#cholesterol diet #diet #diet plans #nutrition

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empressxmachina · 5 years

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Welcome Home, Sasha - One. by Imperial-Radiance (aka me)

To set the mood:

Alexa, play this video containing simulated spaceship bedroom ambiance and featuring a fairly complementing background fitting for the first half of this part.

As for this preview pic that resembles the helm in the second half of this part, it's this picture off Pinterest, I think.

Now, the story...

“So, can you tell me anything about why the hell they were getting emulsified by Commander Martin back there?”

“Yes.”

“Uh, will you?”

“In due course, sure. But everything you need to know, for now, you already do.”

“Well, fuck.”

If you oversleep, then don’t expect to get work or pay during the day. That was one of the general, unspoken rules aboard the space station Novis, and Lieutenant Sasha Keeling had prayed that the team with whom he was meant to scout would be as apathetic as usual and not catch him arriving late to training. Or, they would at least allow him to pull some sort of overtime to make up for the time lost: not much, considering all he had done for them already just trying to fit in.

Washing up and putting on his suit in record time, Sasha had zipped out of his quarters and through the space station’s corridors, hoping to catch up with his presumed partners before they made any bold decisions without him. But they had.

Where he had expected to find them in Hangar C, conversing by and packing gear into the eldest’s parked spaceship, he instead found an empty parking space that had run cold. Any other day, Sasha would’ve just figured that its owner was out for a test run with his partners being elsewhere in Novis doing other things. But, the lack of message left for him, them not answering his calls for verification, and the teasing expressions and chuckles from those in the hanger that caught sight of him set in stone that they not only left him in the space dust but used him, never going to bring him along in the first place.

Sasha hadn’t had much time to wallow in his embarrassment, though he definitely lived up to his given nickname of Sasha the Sheepish. As he turned around to head back to his quarters to nap and drink his shame away, he was stopped by a familiar but a nowadays not-so-frequent face.

He, a superior on various levels except for height, had known all too well that Sasha had no business being in the hangar. He wasn’t enlisted for any mission at the time, yet there he was, ragged looking with his auburn locks going in all directions and his deep-set chestnut eyes no better but everywhere else suited up like it should’ve been.

Sasha easily saw the judgment on his senior’s face, watching his facial muscles squirm and lift the textured, ebony hairs above and on it. But rather than being scolded on the spot as he and all the now silenced onlookers expected, the higher-up just guided him away from all their eyes to his haven with no questions asked, where he could take him in all for himself.

It wasn’t the first time Tshepo Azikiwe, a Novis admiral, had brought him into his laboratory, finally greeting the shy subordinate with a “Glad You’re Back” upon arrival, but Sasha never thought that particular meeting then – one predicted to be another one-hour lecture on how he shouldn't be so susceptible to first-time kindness – would eventually lead to him taking the role not of just a passenger but of his Mission Specialist and potential copilot in Tshepo’s own ship, the Demeter, light years away from Novis and headed to… to…

“Can you at least tell me where we’re going?” the now lackadaisical lieutenant probed in the present from down the hall, voice floating through the cracked open, milky glass doorway dividing the helm from the rest of the dark and dim ship.

As far as he could tell, there was a blur on all the windows, and all the mapping systems in the Demeter except those in the cockpit were shut down. Sasha had no way of detecting where they were in the caverns of space, and there was no way he was going to be able to get Tshepo's lenses off him that did.

To combat the boredom and Tshepo’s silence on the matters ensued, Sasha wondered to himself, lain with one foot on the bed of his cold cabin, twiddling and examining a miniature of a NASA Space Shuttle from years – decades, a century – past he’s had since childhood between his fingers. He gazed at it intently, still enamored by its attention to detail and maintained quality for something so small and ancient. He could even imagine almost undetectable, tiny navigators inside the orbiter, fiddling with the controls at the helm.

As fun as it was to wonder, it wasn’t long before a wave of angst came through, making him reminisce of its and thus his own origins: his home world he hadn’t seen for over a decade.

Every day, he wondered what his life could’ve been if things didn’t go as they did. Perhaps, he would've been an Earth-based astronaut for NASA rather than the distant affiliate he was now, helping and being a part of humanity directly rather than perusing the galaxies for the unknown just to keep the peace. It would sure be less hectic than potentially starting a war every moment solely by existing.

“Have you finished setting up the mods on your suit?” Tshepo tested back from the driver’s seat, glancing at the rearview mirror propped to aim back toward the lantern-lit dormitory.

It was a simple yes-or-no question: one of the few static binaries in the ever-expanding universe. So, how would a non-answer such as the one Sasha gave for a duration fit into the equation? The jab-less silence from Sasha was telling enough on its own, but with the distant footsteps and rustling and creaking of the bed that followed, along with another verbalized “Fuck”, Tshepo knew his authority still held its strength.

“I thought so,” he chuckled, focusing back on the expanse in front of him. “I figured you would’ve at least tried to get it calibrated, but there’s no use worrying about that now.”

Sasha set his toy down on his bedside table with a groan and hoisted himself off the bed to do as he had been instructed (after volunteering) to do. He began to stretch, attempting to revitalize his limbs and loosen his muscles, simultaneously scanning what practically was his second home – third, counting his quarters on Novis.

A quaint hovel, his cabin was: a mobile, cup-sized, soup can of a capsule containing bits and pieces of him, old and new. Although the technological intricacies of his intergalactic escapades were worthily glorified – the inner, emerald luminescence and trackers of his spacesuit, prototypes and mockups of Tshepo’s various experiments, including those to which Sasha contributed, cycling through a Holo-Display and its cyan figures on his desk, the marvel that was the Demeter itself, etc. – the images of the relatively domestic side of his life overshadowed them through their simplicity and wholesomeness.

Many scoffs and looks of confusion were always sent Sasha’s way about his suit and all of the old-school references and icons of Earth-centric media scattered on its chest plate via decals, but he never batted an eye at them, not ashamed of his roots one bit. Those sentiments spread to more than just absorbed culture, exemplified by all the pictures and video clips of Sasha’s various achievements, large and small, Tshepo pasted across the walls, ranging from his first time completing the Zero-G Hero’s Course as a wee kiddo with bruises for days to the recent ceremony locking in his promotion to Chief Atmospheric Engineer.

Being just twenty years old and hand-picked by the commander, it was an honor in numerous aspects. He had quite a lot for which he could be celebrated, even if his so-called peers took heed to never acknowledge it. Tshepo had every right to be proud of him, but Sasha always wished for the recognition from someone else: two specific people, actually.

Right next to the head of his bed, now behind the Space Shuttle model, was not a hologram or 3D print but an actual paper-printed and framed photo of a preschooler-aged Sasha and his parents together back on Earth. A smaller print also found itself pinned by his heart in his suit, adding to the tradition of having one within every uniform he had had over the years. Looking at the picture, no one would’ve been able to tell the magnitude of the global chaos lingering in its background and out of the frame that eventually led to Sasha’s relocation: just a sweet, happy, space-loving family unit he dearly missed.

Although Tshepo was great in filling the void of his needs and most of his wants, Sasha knew it wasn’t what he wanted deep down. He was never totally sure why his parents couldn’t come with him, let alone why he had to go in the first place. With the fancy gadgets, doodads, and documents they kept around the house as far as he remembered, they had to have been qualified to study the stars and all they held, much more than where he was now. But, what could he do about it, a galaxy or several away? All current worries about them would be produced in vain.

Eventually, his stretching session ended, his eyes shined from familial remembrance, and his hands went for his helmet sat at the foot of the bed. Upon grabbing it and staring into its innards, though, Sasha’s humility toward his abilities and its complementing worries were reignited and heightened as a recollection of Tshepo’s remark burrowed itself deep into Sasha’s consciousness, not for what he said specifically but what was inferred.

“Wait, what?” Sasha muttered to himself, looking back and forth between the helmet and the rest of his suit, trying to remember how to even do the procedure. “If the calibration should’ve been done before landing, then why shouldn’t I be worried about doing it now?”

“Because we’re here.”

Before he could combat Tshepo’s sudden statement, Sasha could sense the truth enveloping under him, feeling and hearing the vibrations and power of the rockets and engines transitioning into the settings needed for a soft landing. As gravity began taking effect on the ship with its descent, Sasha took the moment to look over his shoulder to whatever he could see through his window. Out of all places to which they could’ve been headed, Sasha was shocked to find primarily warm reds, oranges, and browns in view: a spectrum of a hazily familiar planet that usually didn’t require any secrecy to reference.

Perhaps, his eyes were deceiving him, trying to give him a sense of comfort being thrust into what would probably be a challenge. After all, there had to be some reason why Tshepo chose him over someone else with more experience in, well, anything. To see if he truly earned his engineering chiefdom? To test his accuracies as the biogenesist he had been building himself to be through years of lab and class study? Just because he’s a favorite, more or less like a son or brother? With the almost missed plop and anchoring of the Demeter’s landing gear onto an apparently land surface, boosting his hypothesis of their location, it was time to find out.

Feeling confident in where they were, Sasha didn’t bother putting on the helmet just yet, walking out of his cabin with it in one arm while the other tapped his breastplate right above his tucked-in family portrait as both a goodbye and a wish for luck to himself. However, rather than seeing Tshepo doing the same with his suit, approaching him from the helm, Sasha found him still sitting there in the pilot’s chair, not having moved and looking as though he wasn’t going to move, either.

“Uh, are you not coming, Ki?” Sasha queried, stepping across the metal flooring past the lavatory and little lounge area for eating and through the foggy-glassed doorway to his friend/mentor/caretaker with a knock upon entrance.

Tshepo perked up at the polite signaling along with the endearing nickname. While he didn’t feel that Sasha’s feelings toward him had changed since boarding the ship, it was still nice to hear them being as strong as ever, even if they had a sheer veil of sadness over them. The youngling’s sideward approach, leaning close by on the copilot’s chair – his if he wished to contribute – to see his doings hammered their veracity in deeper, making keeping the confidentiality alive all the more difficult with him right there.

“I will if necessary,” he chided, not looking at Sasha as he adjusted the switches, buttons, and screens at the helm.

Only seconds later, Tshepo felt Sasha bend toward him, breaths passing along the bushel of hair across the underside of his chin as the young adult gazed, trying to comprehend anything in sight. He was nervous momentarily, but the worries subsided when Sasha admitted defeat, ultimately sighing and returning to standing position, unable to read the respectively alien language everything was set to. Luckily, their orientation allowed for Tshepo to pull a smirk without notice, glad that his translation scheme actually worked.

“But, right now, I have to make sure levels stay in order,” he continued, finally glancing up at his youthful familiar. “The connectivity to Novis, the Demeter’s power bank, the mods on your suit…”

“And, why can’t you come with me to do that?” Sasha considered through an almost childlike whine. For one, his Ki to the cosmos wasn’t as locked down as he usually was. Or, maybe he was too much so. Either way, it was weird. “Surely, this mission of yours, whatever it is, isn’t time sensitive. You would’ve brought more people with us if that were true.”

“Well, you’re right about the timing. This is a mission searching for accuracy and detail of the ecosphere rather than time being of the essence. Though, being punctual is never a bad thing. After all, your current timeline would be totally different if you had followed that rule, wouldn’t it?”

Sasha caught the reference of petty, partner neglect immediately and couldn’t hold back an audible groan, earning a giggle from Tshepo.

“Anyway,” the youngster tried putting the conversation back on course, “I can wait for you to do your domestic thingies first or even help you with them, and then we can do whatever bio-survey we need to do with you moderating the mods as needed.”

“My suit can only protect me, not monitor you,” Tshepo prompted him, “and the mods are only on yours. They’re still on a test run for which you’ve accepted being the lab rat, so I can only do my part from here.”

Completely disregarding the lack of protection implied, Sasha conceded,

“Fine. Whatever you say, Ki.” He tossed and spun his helmet in the air, catching it like a basketball and observing it like a crystal ball. “I did say ‘Yes’ and all, so I don’t want you to turn me in for insubordination or some shit like that. Not that you would, but I’m not risking it with this secrecy schtick you’re playing right now.”

Tshepo expelled a moan of disappointment, hearing his apprentice of sorts somberly drag him through the ground for what had to be one of the biggest miscommunications in the universe. “All I ask of you is to trust me when I say that everything will be clear as soon as you get out there. Okay?”

Rather than addressing him back directly, Sasha, against his instincts, started setting and securing his helmet on its proper place on his collar, hearing the clicks and suctions of locks and beeps of computer systems turning on to standby, waiting for further instruction. He then turned his gaze away and resumed his ranting through a mutter to himself, given Tshepo’s new, closer proximity,

“You’re already delaying clarifying stuff I was a witness for – what I saw and heard, so I guess it’s not that much of a stretch to think you’d hide stuff I don’t know, too.”

“Sasha, you know I always try to have your best intentions in mind,” Tshepo reminded, rising from his seat and setting a gentle hand on Sasha’s shoulder with an equally endearing soft, russet stare.

Doing so kept the youngling from walking toward the entry latch and expanding both the physical and emotional distance between them just yet. The young man already had enough to be sad about as is, and while the truth would just make it worse, Tshepo didn’t want it holding him back until it was right in front of him with no yield.

“I didn’t think I had to explain how this actually wasn’t a mission for you,” he added with a lecturing cadence, “and I wasn’t supposed to bring you with me but did anyway.”

From the gasp and look Sasha made back, it was obvious to Tshepo that his apprentice wasn’t aware of the helmet’s microphone’s immediate powering on upon placement along with that tiny truth. His slender suit may have been built fully in crimson with an almost radioactive glow of green in every vent and sliver inside and out, it didn’t dampen out the blushing that crept on Sasha’s cheeks through the viewing window.

“Really?” Sasha finally replied after a pregnant pause, to which he received an authoritative nod. If his helmet wasn’t mushing his wispy locks down, then he would’ve been combing through or twirling the ends of them with a hand out of embarrassment: a habit burned into him since he was tween-aged. “Then, why in the fuck did you bring me? Why am I here at all?”

“I already said I can’t test and check at the same time. I have my other reasons for breaking my binds, but don’t tell me you can’t do something as simple as making sure the mods work on the field?”

“Whoa, hold up,” Sasha breathed, not expecting an interrogation, let alone one so seemingly lighthearted. “What are you implying?”

“I don’t know, perhaps that your savant-like styles of science and surveying are bounded by walls.”

As quickly as it came, Sasha’s shame was soon lifted, catching the challenge within Tshepo’s now-apparently friendly berating all the fatherlier. Little did he know that his eventual acceptance of it was falling right into Tshepo's plan. When fitting in a place of comfort, Sasha's cockiness and confidence weren’t hard to pop out.

“No, no. You and I both know that's not true!” Sasha announced, playfully scoffing. “If the commander himself had enough faith to get me promoted – something I'm still not sure I deserve but am grateful of, nonetheless – then I can do a little scan or two. Watch me; I won't let you down.”

“I never thought you would,” Tshepo smiled, patting his youngster's back as he headed for the entry latch to head out. “Just make sure the mods are functional.”

Silence filled the airwaves as Sasha loosened the suction of the heavy latch and trekked down the pebbly path of the exit. He expected to hear winds or animals of the environment or voices of technicians waiting for his arrival, but, surprisingly, he heard nothing on the outside. There was only him, his thoughts, and the beeps and dynamics of his suit. If they weren't the medley of sounds that he was used to on the daily, having never really been talkative with anyone except those of the few positions higher than himself, then he would've thought it was weird.

The young engineer had just made it to the external opening, just about to be exposed to the mystery destination one-on-one, before he heard Tshepo’s voice again.

“One more thing before you go,” he directed through the microphone. “As much as I want you to be quick and correct…” He struggled to find the right words, not wanting to give away the truth about their reason for usage prematurely. “…tread lightly.”

“I, uh…” Sasha caught the hesitation in his voice, frazzled by the strange instruction, but not wanting to restart another uncomfortable back-and-forth, he brushed it aside. Instead, he looked to the metallic, light tessellated walls and ceilings for the camera Tshepo had to have been using to see him, found it, and acknowledged him with a promising salute as he signaled for the doors to open and the exit ramp to be unraveled. “I’m on it.”

Before either of them knew it, the sensors were set off, and the Demeter opened its maw to reveal its insignificant, human inhabitant and release him to the vastness of the unknown, outside world.

#my writing #welcome home sasha #there's no g/t yet but you know there will be #space fic

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your-dietician · 3 years

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As China’s Communist Party turns 100, economic challenges loom | Business and Economy News

New Post has been published on https://tattlepress.com/economy/as-chinas-communist-party-turns-100-economic-challenges-loom-business-and-economy-news/

As China’s Communist Party turns 100, economic challenges loom | Business and Economy News

Shenzhen, China – Private education companies that provide extracurricular lessons to legions of Chinese children are in the crosshairs of the government, as officials seek to ease pressure on students and the financial burden on families.

Though aimed at private tutoring firms, the crackdown is symptomatic of wider systemic problems facing China as the ruling Communist Party celebrates its 100th anniversary this week.

Falling birth rates and a rapidly ageing population spell trouble for China’s future economic growth.

Income inequality, regional economic divides, and wide gaps in opportunity between rural and urban citizens were issues highlighted by China’s President Xi Jinping in a late January speech as pressing matters the nation must tackle to reach what he called an era of “common prosperity” in the coming years.

China’s leaders steer clear of the phrase “middle-income trap” – a condition where a country fails to reach a higher, more developed status – but that’s where the country could end up if leaders fail to address those fissures.

Xi’s remedies – better income distribution, education, social security, affordable medical care, housing, elderly care, child support, and quality employment; also mentioned in the same speech – are many of the same wants as most working families and youths.

Current structural and political barriers, however, may be too formidable to deliver those policies unless deeper reforms are implemented beyond piecemeal efforts such as lifting restrictions on the number of children families can have or trying to mandate less homework for school-age children.

They will be expensive and will likely need the country’s most wealthy to pay heavier tax rates, either through property taxes or capital gains taxes. But implementing such policies is fraught with peril. Do it too fast and could lead to capital flight, problems in the white-hot property market and financial system disturbances that do more harm than good.

And there are other structural barriers. The country’s hukou system ties social benefits to a family’s rural or urban hometown, and the overemphasis on the gaokao – standardised exams – determine whether students can advance to university and achieve higher rates of economic success.

Growing pressures on parents and students over the past decade have increased the necessity to reform these systems as incomes have stagnated and social mobility has ossified.

That shift has given rise to much-discussed social conditions in recent months: tangping – or lying flat – an action of making as little effort as possible to get by, and its partner philosophy of “involution” – a feeling of despair or burnout, particularly among those involved in the 996 working culture, working from 9am to 9pm six days a week.

Sun Liping, a professor of sociology at Tsinghua University, recently wrote on his WeChat account that these conditions are affecting mostly younger middle-class and white-collar workers whose hopes have plateaued. Even after all their efforts to study hard and work hard, they feel they’ve reached a point where there’s no possibility to advance higher and more danger of falling back down.

So there’s little desire for more, or even any children, with housing prices so high in many cities, and with parents who are retiring much earlier than most workers around the world to support. Any extra cost has the potential of knocking them off that plateau.

After the government announced that married couples would be allowed to have up to three children, in an effort to boost birth rates, remarks appeared on social media highlighting that the policy shift did nothing to address the soaring costs of raising kids [File: Aly Song/Reuters]

This is a great change from the years following the Cultural Revolution of the 1960s and early 1970s, and China’s reform and opening-up period, when the opportunities for families to change their social status through hard work and education were much greater, primarily since the starting point was so low for nearly everyone.

“Over time, a new elite formed and developed vested interests,” Imogen Page-Jarrett, a research analyst based in Beijing for The Economist Intelligence Unit, told Al Jazeera. “The threshold for people from lower-income backgrounds to move up in society became much higher.”

Liang Jianzhang, chairman and co-founder of the booking site Trip.com, has recently argued that China needs to deeply reform the gaokao system, vastly increase education expenditures and attempt to achieve universal college education for all of its youth to meet the needs of a more complex, innovative economy of the future.

Potential fixes creating more problems

The latest efforts to address some of the pressures facing China’s parents and youth have met with lacklustre response and sometimes satirical backlash.

Other government policies in the pipeline, like proposals for potentially banning online and offline courses during summer holidays, weekends and other non-school periods in places like Beijing and Shanghai, only set in motion other potential problems.

The idea, in theory, is to release pressure on kids and give them a real break from school so they do not end up burned out by the time they reach adulthood.

“I think one of the interesting things about a lot of these changes at the moment is that every force has an equal and opposite reaction,” said Julian Fisher, co-founder of consultancy Venture Education in Beijing. “When you’re pushing on learning centres, you’re pushing on a multibillion-dollar industry, and that impacts human resources and society in the sense that people are hired [for these tutoring jobs].”

Falling birth rates and a rapidly ageing population spell trouble for China’s future economic growth [File: Yan Cong/Bloomberg]

Fisher noted that this could also leave many families in the lurch, particularly when both parents work and may not have access to childcare other than education centres. “What are they going to do with their kids during the summer?” he asked, questioning what would happen if the government bans online and offline courses.

“Layoffs of tutors and teachers are likely if the new rules prohibit training on weekends and in summer and winter holidays as training institutions could see a significant drop in revenue, so they may lay off staff and teachers to cut costs,” Flora Zhu, director of corporate research at Fitch Ratings in Beijing, told Al Jazeera.

“In fact, online training institutions, which rely heavily on marketing to attract students, have already [been laying off staff] following the government’s stricter regulations on [allowable advertising for] training institutions.”

As China’s leadership becomes more nationalistic, increased restrictions on foreign involvement, ownership and teaching materials aimed at preschool to secondary school students in the past few months have also had an impact.

“Due to the political importance that Chinese leaders place on education, however, there are risks that these regulations foreshadow further restrictions on foreign participation in China’s education sector,” Alexander Chipman Koty, an analyst for consultancy Dezan Shira & Associates, told Al Jazeera.

Some of this is the opposite of reforms needed in the education sector, and what parents actually desire for children in terms of greater opportunity, which has led many of them to tap into online and offline courses outside of regular class time.

According to Page-Jarrett, China needs more private sector and foreign involvement that would push schools to improve and innovate and provide schooling for the more complex economy of the future, not less.

“Rote learning still features heavily in the education system and that for a time kind of worked when China needed a generation of engineers,” Page-Jarrett said. “Now what China needs is a workforce that can innovate. The education system needs to develop students’ crucial thinking skills.”

No lying flat when you’re already below …

The need for education expenditures and reforms is even more apparent for rural students and parents in China, who are fast falling behind their urban peers who have more opportunities and benefits just because of their urban residency status.

“The gap in the quality of education in rural areas became larger, not necessarily because education became worse in rural areas, but because it became better and more competitive in urban areas,” Page-Jarrett said. “For a low-income family it’s extremely difficult to get into a top-tier university and they might only be able to get into second- or third-tier one.”

For Scott Rozelle, a development economist and a co-director of the Rural Education Action Program at Stanford University, the whole “lying flat” issue is fully an urban problem.

“When you have a rural hukou, nobody ‘lies flat’,” he told Al Jazeera. “It is the exact opposite problem. There is no money for weekend or night classes. No one can afford to take anything for granted. Life and living is day to day. There are no opportunities with such poor schooling and healthcare.”

China has big plans for rural areas with a rural revitalisation programme, but so far this has mainly focused on rural infrastructure and agriculture improvements, and not tackled schools or rural social mobility.

While there has been some relaxation of hukou policies that allow for greater movement between rural and urban areas in some parts of the country, most of these efforts are tied to “talent acquisition” programmes – urban areas that want to attract the best and brightest, leaving the least educated on the outside looking in.

What is at stake in the failure to address these systemic challenges could become China’s Achilles heel. Social immobility and income inequality will increase social frictions, economic stagnation, and an eventual settling into the middle-income trap that China’s leaders would like to avoid, but usually fail to mention in words.

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