Call It What You Want

Everyone around them is trying to discover the true nature of Y/N and Spencer’s relationship. Little do they know Y/N is trying to figure out the exact same thing. 

A/N: Sorry this took a lot longer than I wanted it to.... Mental health is hard but here it is!! I hope you guys love it :)) Additionally I added a lil garvez to this... but for it to work with the timeline we’re all just gonna pretend Lisa doesn’t exist... ok great!

Pairing: Spencer Reid x Fem!Reader (with a little splash of implied Garvez content for my personal joy)

Requested?: Yes!! :)) “can you do a one shot based off call it what you want??”

Type: Fluffiest Fluff

Word Count: 3K

Content Warnings: None! 

“My baby's fly like a jet stream High above the whole scene Loves me like I'm brand new So call it what you want, yeah, call it what you want to”

The team was sure something was going on between Y/N and Spencer, they just weren’t sure how to prove it.

Every sign pointed to the two dating, but the pair hadn’t said anything about it. Maybe they were trying to keep it a secret, but at the same time they didn’t appear to be being very secretive about it.

So ever since Penelope saw Y/N giving Spencer a ride home a week ago, she has been determined to uncover the truth, and hopefully the truth was her two best friends were in the world’s cutest, most perfect relationship.

She was using her technical brilliance to gather data when she was caught by none other than Luke Alvez.

“What are you doing in here?”

“This is my job Luke, I have to be in here,” she rolled her eyes.

“Well, I know that! I mean what are you doing right now, we don’t have a case.” he smirked “Are you committing any cyber crimes? You know you could get in a lot of trouble for those, the FBI won’t help you. You should let me help.”

She smiled, “You do know I got my job here from committing cyber crimes right? I don’t think I would need your help. Besides, I’m working on a personal project.” After some thought she decided Luke might actually be helpful “I’m trying to find out if Spencer and Y/N are dating.”

“I swear I saw them leaving together yesterday, that seems like pretty good evidence! I could be very helpful to you.”

“I’m way ahead of you, but I guess you can help,” she pulled up a new tab, quickly constructing a timeline while Luke pulled a chair next to her. “So our favorite pair’s relationship would, based on my intense experimentation and surveying, begin here,” she traced a circle around the start of the timeline with her cursor, “on that night we went out after the case and then wouldn’t stop talking to each other.”

Luke and Penelope discussed all the things they saw that led them to believe that Y/N and Spencer were more than just friends, from how keen Y/N was to listen to anything that came out of Spencer’s mouth no matter how difficult to follow, to Spencer’s willingness to touch her. After about 15 minutes however they were interrupted by none other than Y/N herself. Penelope quickly switched tabs, so that it now appeared she was just showing Luke a funny kitten video.

“Hey guys! What are you doing in here?” “Oh you know, just wasting time. . . What’s up?” said Luke.

“I was just checking to see if you wanted to go to lunch! If you have any opinions as to where that would be great too because no one out there can make a decision . . .”

“Of course I want lunch! I’ll be out there in just a sec,” Penelope smiled and started closing her work done as soon as Y/N left, almost forgetting Luke’s presence.

“Um, Penelope?”

“What is it Luke?”

“Do you think you’d ever do anything like what Y/N and Spencer are doing?” he asked.

“Like what? Keep a secret? You know I’m terrible at that stuff.”

“No, no I mean like . . .” he took a deep breath, “You know, like dating a coworker?”

“What does that have to do with anything? Now hurry up and come to lunch, we can keep working afterwards,” she replied.

Luke awkwardly smiled, and they both left.

Little did Luke and Penelope know that as they debated and pieced together aspects of Y/N and Spencer’s relationship, trying to uncover if they were dating, Y/N was doing the exact same thing.

Her and Spencer had been on three dates, each more boyfriend and girlfriend than the last. They got coffee one day, then went to a movie, then a nice restaurant for dinner. Tonight Spencer wanted to keep it a surprise, but that just made her even more confused.

Sometimes her and Spencer would sit next to each other at the round table, and now when they did that he would reach over, not to hold her hand, but just to link their pinkies together.

She didn’t know what that meant.

Sometimes Y/N would go on a tangent and realize she had been talking for almost an hour about nothing in particular, and when she realized Spencer was the only one still listening would apologize for wasting his time. To which he would reply, “Why would I be upset about spending time with you?” She didn’t know what that meant.

And one time, on her and Spencer’s first “date” they were about to part their separate directions, and Y/N had no idea what to do with her body or her hands, Spencer wrapped her into a hug, and she swore she felt his lips brushing against the top of her head.

She really didn’t know what that meant.

Which is why she continued to let Penelope and Luke have their fun trying to decipher her and Spencer’s social cues. She knew as soon as she was about to enter to ask about lunch, Penelope was not exactly quiet and Luke wasn’t any better, but she let them believe they were being sneaky.

Besides, maybe if they found the answer they could let her know.

When the team returned from lunch she couldn’t help but continue to contemplate this issue further, Spencer hadn’t really said anything to her at lunch. Were they still just friends? Were they dating but not telling anyone? Were they going to tell anyone?

“Y/N! Are you excited to hang out tonight?” Spencer asked.

Hang out. So it definitely was not a date. . .

“Of course! Right after work right? Your place?”

“Yep! It’s a date,” he smiled and walked away, leaving Y/N in a state of confused panic. What was this? For someone so logical and scientific, Y/N wished that Spencer Reid would just tell her the kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, and genus of their relationship.

Maybe then she could stop dissecting it to try and figure it out.

　♡　　♡　　♡　　♡　　♡　

As Y/N stood outside Spencer’s apartment building, she struggled to muster up courage to go inside. It’s not that she was nervous to hang out with Spencer, it was just Y/N knew she needed to have the “what are we” talk with him for her own personal sanity. And she just wasn’t sure yet what his answer would be.

She had made her way into the building and gotten to Spencer’s floor when she ran into the man of the hour himself.

“Oh there you are! I was about to come down and get you,” he said.

Y/N glanced at her phone, “I’m sorry, am I late?”

“No, no, no. You’re perfect, I just got excited.”

That confused Y/N even more, she couldn’t decide if that leaned more towards friend or date territory. However all of her anxieties were forgotten for a moment as soon as she entered Spencer’s apartment.

Almost all the lights were off, except for several strings of lights shaped like stars, strung in different directions across the room. In the corner were several folded up blankets and sheets, and pillows were spread out across the room.

“Do you like it?”

“I love it, although if I’m being honest I don’t really know what it is . . .”

“13 months ago we were on a case, the one were the unsub was killing couples when they went out camping so that no one would look for them for days, and you said that you used to go camping all the time but you didn’t think you could go anymore. So I bought stuff so we could go camping together, right here.”

Y/N was left almost speechless, “I- I don’t even know what to say, Spencer this is incredible.”

He beamed, instantly satisfied with that answer. “I tried to find a tent, but all of the stores I went to said I should order one online . . . I figured it would be more fun to build a fort instead.”

Spencer brought over the supplies he had bought and gathered, various sheets and comforters, pillows, his leather couch cushions, sleeping bags, a large collection of clothes pins, and some more lights. Except Spencer left a single bag in the pile, the only one from a craft store.

“Do you want me to grab that one?” Y/N asked.

“Oh um, no don’t worry about that one. I saw something stupid on that site JJ and Garcia really like while I was passing JJ’s desk. . .  Pinterest? Yes that’s it. And I tried to make it but even though I memorized the instructions I couldn’t get it to work. . . I kind of just gave up and threw everything in there.”

“Can I try it?”

He nodded, and Y/N got up and glanced into the bag, in it was a push light, warm toned tissue paper and a couple empty paper towel rolls, all stuck together, but also somehow falling apart. Y/N couldn’t help but smile, “Were you trying to build me a campfire Dr. Reid?”

“Well you said that your family used to have this big bonfire every year, and that it used to be one of your favorite traditions until you couldn’t handle going anymore, so I thought I could make one that would be a little safer for you. Turns out that you actually need four PHDs to be good at crafts though.”                    

“Spencer this whole date is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me . . . Thank you.”

“Of course, I really want you to enjoy yourself when you're around me Y/N.”

“Spencer, I’ve never not enjoyed myself when I’m around you, and you were with me when I got shot. You’re my favorite person, you do know that right?”

He blushed, “You’re my favorite person too Y/N.”

So the two lovers built a blanket fort, draping sheets over string lights and shoving the inside full of pillows and blankets, giggling the entire time. Y/N taught Spencer the simplicity of DIY projects, and how sometimes the directions needed to be adjusted slightly based on personal preferences and ability. Soon the pair were cuddled up together on the ground, no other space to be except for right next to each other, as the rest of the fort was covered by snacks, pillows, their homemade campfire, and Spencer’s vinyl record player.

“Did you do this on purpose? Making me be so close to you?”

“No, I would never, it’s not my fault this area is so small . . . “

“Mhm, although I’m sure a genius like you could figure out how to make an adult sized fort, I’m very glad you didn’t,” she said, giggling and squishing herself closer to him. They smiled and kissed each other, before Spencer spoke.

“You make me so, unbelievably, happy. I never thought I could feel like this until we met Y/N.”

Y/N smiled even bigger, “Spencer I really, really like you,” she paused, it was now or never, “but um, what do you want to call this, like what we’re doing.”

“Well what do you want this to be? Because I want you to be my girlfriend.”

She smiled, “I want you to be my boyfriend.”

“Well then that’s what we’ll be,” he said, kissing her on the forehead.

“Well you do know the team, particularly Penelope and Luke have the exact same question.”

“Well I think more than Luke wondering if we’re dating, I think he’s just wondering if Penelope will date him. . . So I say let them have their fun for a little while, before we tell everyone.”

She smiled, “Perfect. They’re profilers, they’ll figure it out eventually.”

“Well, I think we should watch a movie. . .  Although I mostly enjoy my cinema in Russian, tonight is about you and I don’t want to give you a headache. What’s your favorite?”

“You’re going to laugh at me.”

“I promise I will not laugh at you darling.”

“High School Musical 3.”

　♡　　♡　　♡　　♡　　♡　

So Y/N spent the rest of that night explaining the plot of the first two High School Musical movies, then explaining why the third one was the clear winner, and then finally showing Spencer the third one off of her phone, where she had it saved to her cloud for emergencies.

And although singing and dancing adults pretending to be teenagers was not exactly Spencer’s favorite genre, he loved how happy the series as a whole made Y/N. So he latched onto it, and learned as much as he could about it.

One particular scene however, in one of the earlier films, seemed to make Y/N extra excited, as she spent the longest amount of time talking about it. So Spencer decided he knew exactly what to do to prove to her he was in this relationship for the long haul.

Spencer could tell she was anxious before their date, and it didn’t take him long to guess that it was because she didn’t know how serious everything was to him. Yet, he didn’t want to be too obvious that he wanted her to be his, because if he had assessed wrong he would make a complete fool out of himself.

But when she asked him, she seemed so nervous, so small, he knew he had made a mistake in waiting, and now he wanted to make it up to her.

So as she was walking in the next day he caught her. “Y/N!”

“Hi Spencer! What’s up?”

“I have a present for you. . .” he said, handing her a small box wrapped in shiny gold paper.

“For me? Why?”

“Oh you know, just because. . .”

As Y/N unwrapped the box, Spencer got more and more nervous… What if she hated it? What if she thought it was stupid or too soon or didn’t get it or-

“Oh my god Spencer I-”

“You know what it’s stupid, I don’t even know why I got it for you. I can return it and find you something you’ll actually like-”

“I love it Spencer, it’s perfect. Will you put it on me?”

Spencer hooked the chain around his new girlfriend’s neck, the small “S” pendant shining in the light.

“It’s like Gabriella’s. . . I love it. I can’t believe you would care to remember something like that…”

“Of course I would remember that. I have an eidetic memory. Did you know that although the original purpose and origin of initial jewelry was largely unknown, they date back to the 14th century?”

“No, I just mean… It’s very thoughtful Spencer.”

He smiled, “Well I’m sorry to kill the mood, but I really have to go to the bathroom. I drank 3 cups of coffee this morning and I was standing here waiting for you for 18 minutes and 4 seconds before you came in.”

She laughed, and then hugged him, “Well don’t just stand here! Go!”

Spencer ran off, leaving Y/N to walk into the bullpen alone. As Y/N was making her way to her desk, she was stopped by none other than Penelope Garcia and Luke Alvez, Penelope up front, Luke standing a foot or so behind her, ready to back her up.

“Y/N! We know your secret, you and Spencer are secretly dating. . . We figured it out this morning. You can’t hide from us anymore,” Penelope said, Luke nodding behind her.

“Well yeah we’re dating, but it’s not a secret.”

“What? Excuse me? You haven’t told anyone!”

“Yeah but we haven’t really made any effort to hide it? We told everyone about the time we went to the movies?”

“Yeah but- Um, we just thought we were being sneaky. . .” Penelope said.

“You might wanna get a little better at that guys, the Bat Cave is not soundproof.”

“Dang it, I really need to work on that…” Penelope said. “Well Luke Alvez, I suppose our quest has been conquered.”

“See! We were right, I told you I’m great help,” Luke said.

“Oh don’t get it too twisted, this was almost all me.”

After a moment of playful banter, Y/N stopped them “So when are you two going to start “secretly” dating huh?”

“Uh hmph, I don’t know what you talking about. I would never,” Penelope said.

At that moment, Spencer returned from the bathroom, and came up upon Y/N hugging her from behind and leaning to rest his head on her shoulder. “What are we talking about?”

Penelope threw her head back in defeat, “Nothing, 187, we were just talking. . .”

“Don’t you think Luke and Penelope would make the cutest couple Spencer?” Y/N smirked.

“You know what? Yeah I do!” Spencer played along, “Have you guys ever thought about that?

Luke was beaming behind Penelope, while she looked like she was trying to hide her enthusiasm. “No actually I haven’t,” she said.

“Well you definitely should,” Y/N said, giggling as her and Spencer walked to his desk.

“Hey, wait come back here! What does your necklace have on it?” Penelope asked, half running after them, Luke closely behind her.

“Whatever you want Penelope, whatever you want.”

“I want to wear his initial On a chain round my neck, chain round my neck Not because he owns me But 'cause he really knows me”

Thank you so much for reading!! Please reblog and let me know what you think :)))

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please let me know if you would like to be added or removed :))

Survey #475

(from two days ago, oops)

What is your favorite background noise? (Ex. Water dripping, people talking.) I really like a steady rain tapping on the windows. Do you like taking selfies? Why or why not? No, because I'm ugly. It's annoying because I've been wanting to take pics with Girt considering even as just friends literally none exist of us, but yeah. I fucking hate taking pictures of myself and it takes a billion and two tries to get a picture I deem "acceptable" anyway. Were you named after anyone? No. What was the last comic book you read? I don't and never have read comic books. What is your heritage? German, Irish, and Polish. Describe the worst friend you have ever befriended. All things considered, somehow my former best friend was the worst. She was homophobic, racist, extremely self-centered, drama-driven, excessively bossy, ungrateful... I will never be able to explain how our friendship ever worked. If you found the recipe for immortality, would you sell it or would you burn it? Burn it. With certainty. We just aren't meant to live forever. What is the most embarrassing, cringe-worthy thing you have ever done? 99% of my life has been Cringe. What is the worst thing someone could do on a date? Be distracted/not pay attention to the other, like by constantly using their phone. It's so rude. That would immediately make me lose interest in you. If you could turn one legal thing illegal, what would it be? I dunno. What is something you swore you would never do when you grew up, but you did anyway? I was absolutely going to college as a kid. Fast-forward to the future, I've dropped out three times and am going nowhere. Little me saw me as so, so much more successful. Do you actually iron your clothes? No. Unless it's a formal occasion. Do you rent or own your current home? We rent. Have you ever used cursive after school, aside from your signature? My handwriting is naturally mostly cursive. Do you have your groceries delivered or do you buy them yourself? We order our groceries for pick-up, so we have to go to the store, but not in. Do you have a gym membership? Sigh. I do, but Mom and I have really been neglecting going since my time with my personal trainer ran out... What’s your favorite computer game genre? Horror, of course. Do you have any exes your parents never liked? No. Have you ever been severely mentally ill? I am. What was the last thing you purchased from a small local business? I don't know. Have you ever used chewing tobacco? EW no, that shit grosses me out so much. If someone’s laughing, do you instantly think they’re laughing at you? Suuuure do. How would you react if your parents told you they were having another baby? Well, they're divorced, Mom cannot stand my dad, and she also had a complete hysterectomy when she had ovarian cancer, so like... Have you ever had a garage or yard sale before? How much did you make? Over the course of my life, we've had a few yard sales. I don't remember how much we made at any. Have you ever had to evacuate your home for any reason? No. Which mythological creature is your favorite? DRAGONS. I love dragons. Have you ever been to a butterfly garden before? No, but that sounds amazing. What's the biggest bird you've ever seen up close? Oh my god y'all, when I volunteered once at a wildlife rehab center, I was FEET away from some sort of falcon. Guys, you would not believe JUST how big birds of prey are. I was shocked and in total awe. Have you ever seen a double rainbow before? More than once. Were you ever afraid of the dark as a child? I don't THINK I was? What is the strangest thing you’ve been asked? Something inappropriate that really pissed me off. What was your favorite game as a child? I was obsessed with the original Spryo trilogy and would play all three obsessively. What is the darkest thing you have seen on the internet? I don't know, dark shit. Do you crack your knuckles, neck or toes constantly? No, but ugh Girt does that with his neck and it drives me insane alsdkjfaljdlfkwe. Are you constantly catching colds or other sicknesses? No, my immune system is a legend. Are you afraid of mice? No, they're precious. What type of souvenir do you usually purchase when on vacation? I go on vacations so irregularly that I can't really answer this. I've been on a vacation maybe twice in my entire life. Do you own more than one copy or edition of a book? No. If you could see any musical on Broadway right now, what would it be? I don't like musicals. Will you willingly sing in front of other people besides your family? God no. Do you eat soup when you’re sick? No. I don't like soup. Who can never fail to make you laugh? Absolutely my boyfriend. He's the funniest person I know. Have you ever been on a tour bus? No. Do you prefer listening to things through headphones or speakers? Earplugs. Are you listening to music right now? No; I'm watching Gab play The Evil Within. Have you ever unbuttoned your ex’s pants? Just one of them, but we were together at the time. What are you planning on eating for dinner tonight if you haven’t already? Mom made pizza. What was the worst news you’ve heard this entire week? Girt's mother has Covid. He's vaccinated, but nevertheless, he's still getting a test done just to be safe, and also because if he's contracted it, I might have it. And that means my mother could get it, which just cannot happen, even if she's vaccinated, too. The poor guy is really freaking out about it, but ASTONISHINGLY, I'm not panicking yet. Girt's health has seemed fine, I'm fine, so... We'll just have to wait to see what his test says. Do you have a lot of trees around your house? What about buildings? No; yes. I hate living in the suburbs, it sucks here. Would you say either one of your parents are 'pack-rats?' No. Have you ever disowned anyone in your family? For what reasons? No. Has anyone ever called you a sociopath before? No. Do you have freckles? Do you like/dislike them? Not on my face, no. I have a few randomly on my body though. Would you ever consider getting dreadlocks? No. Have you downloaded extra fonts for your computer? Oh, plenty. Who is the latest great YouTuber you’ve discovered? The latest, uhhhh. I'd probably say John Wolfe as a truly "great" one considering I watch him regularly now. Do you read the Bible regularly? Yeah, no. All the Bible does is piss me off, frankly. Name three patriotic songs you like. I don't know about three, but I do shockingly like this one country song with a name I can't remember. All I know is it has "red, white, and blue" in the title. ... I think. Oh! There's "Deutschland" by Rammstein, even though it's not about my own country. Has it ever snowed on your birthday? Maybe at some point as a kid? Idr. Do you like the way your name is spelled? No, actually. I wish it was "Brittney." It's more true to the pronunciation. Do you believe in astrology? Not in the slightest, and while I really shouldn't care, like believe what you want, it's a genuine pet peeve of mine when others base their fucking lives around what positions some goddamn stars are in in an infinite universe. They make decisions based on bullshit being spat at them that might not be suitable. I know, it's stupid to care, but I can never seem to NOT roll my eyes when I see/hear people blaming their flaws and shit on this stuff. Are you one of those people who has like a hundred apps on their phone? No; I have very few. What’s the band that you love even though you know they’re awful? I can't help but love some Blood on the Dance Floor songs. :x Do you coo over other people’s babies? No, not really. Like I can acknowledge a cute picture and be like "awww," but it's nothing I lose my mind over at all. What is something that makes you very squeamish? VOMIT. If you’re out of high school, have you stayed in touch with your high school friends? If you’re still in school, do you think you will? The only high school friend of mine I'm still actively friends with/is still in my life is Girt, obviously. Like I have HS friends on Facebook that I still very much love and will react to what they post and sometimes comment, but we don't really talk-talk. Do you dye your hair regularly? No. :/ That's not something I can afford to do. Do you have an alter ego? Describe them: No. Do you know both of your biological parents? Which one do you prefer? I do, and I love them both. Do you store a lot of pictures you’ve taken that no one else has seen? I'm a wanna-be photographer, of course I do. If you had to name your kid after an American state, which would you choose? Probably "Dakota" for either gender. What do you use to dry your clothes? (Tumble dryer, radiator, etc) We have your normal dryer. Do you ever play the built-in games on your computer? Which ones? Nah. Do/did you doodle on your books at school? My notebooks and binders, ohhhh yes. Actual school textbooks, absolutely not. Who’d you last see in a tux? The groom and groomsmen of the last wedding I shot. Who’s the bravest person you know? Sara. Have you ever dated someone who was real sportsy? No.

'We have the best ideas and we have the best team,' Rankin says in interview with CTV Atlantic

Nova Scotians choose a new government on Aug. 17. Last Tuesday night, CTV Atlantic launched a series of interviews with the leaders of the three major parties. Tonight, anchor Steve Murphy spoke with Liberal leader Iain Rankin. Here is an edited transcript of that interview.

STEVE MURPHY: Mr. Rankin as the only province without a fixed election date, the decision to have this summer election during a pandemic was yours and yours alone. How can a state of emergency and active state of emergency, possibly be the best time to have an election?

IAIN RANKIN: We're approaching the final phase of our recovery plan. We still need to take it slow. I've been the premier for five months now, I came in at the tail end of the the fourth year of our mandate plan. We did confront the third wave and, credit to Nova Scotians and a strong public health team, we got through that very difficult period of time. I've accomplished the things that I ran on in the leadership race, I delivered on a lot of commitments around equity, environment, and growing back a strong economy, so I'm really excited about going out to Nova Scotians. I feel the momentum out there people are excited, and I'm looking forward to Nova Scotians weighing in on what to do next on ensuring that we have a strong economic recovery now.

SM: You're saying we're nearing the end, when do you plan to end the state of emergency?

IR: We still have a ways to get to 75 per cent of our second doses to complete Phase 4 and enter into Phase 5 -- that's when you'll see masks start to come off Nova Scotians. I do contact Dr. Strang to continue to watch things especially with an uptick in cases in New Brunswick and other provinces, so we're not out of the woods yet. We need to stay focused, but we are recovering and this election is about ideas for the future. (I'm) really proud of some of the investments that we're bringing out to ensure that we have the right training for skills for those jobs of tomorrow and I'm really excited about this province's leading on the economic recovery, the way that we lead the country in our pandemic response.

SM: To be clear though, masks come off at 75 per cent of the eligible population with double doses, that's a firm promise?

IR: I value my relationship with Dr. Strang and Public Health. What he said is that we would shift to an education mode, so we would look at some kind of voluntary wearing of masks in indoor places. We've seen some success, obviously with no flu and other symptoms of other viruses being spread, so we're learning through the pandemic and we're learning about all sorts of things on how to tackle tough issues and healthcare and things like that so we are looking to open up slowly and, again, this is how we were able to lead in our vaccine delivery program because it's evidence based, that's how we should continue to respond to the pandemic.

SM: You will know Mr. Rankin that no government in Nova Scotia has been reelected to a third consecutive majority since John Buchanan back in 1988. So, after eight years of majority rule, your party has had the opportunity surely to implement all of its policies and a party can be judged on what it has done and what it hasn't done in eight years. So, given your eight years in power. Why should Nova Scotians stick with this party, when it's already had two terms, and all of the opportunities, it could have needed to do whatever he wanted?

IR: We have the best ideas and we have the best team, Frankly, I've said in the leadership race that this is about what's next for Nova Scotians. We have done tremendous work. We were in a strong financial position as we entered the pandemic and that's how this province was able to respond to help Nova Scotians that needed it the most -- businesses that were forced to shut down. Now, we need to start to look at the challenges that were highlighted through the pandemic. We've made some real important investments in my first budget in long-term care, expanding mental health supports, recruiting more doctors. These are the things that we need to tackle together in the same spirit that we were able to come together to tackle COVID-19 and I'm really excited about a renewed Liberal team, you know, people from all over different backgrounds and this is really exciting for us.

SM: But you're now talking about doing things you didn't do during the eight years when you had the opportunity to do them. Why didn't you and Stephen McNeil, do these things, when you had the opportunity?

IR: Well I can get many examples of things that we did really well: pre-primary program when we got back to a fiscal position was the single largest social program of my lifetime. Now we've just signed a landmark deal with the federal government for childcare $10 a day childcare. This is how we support families in this province and, yes, of course our population is growing faster than it ever has, so we have housing issues. I'm prepared to make the investments we've already shown commitment to, to ensure that we tackle these tough issues. I want to work together with Nova Scotians with that same tenacity that we've tackled the pandemic with.

SM: But I want to be clear Mr. Rankin for those who like the Stephen McNeil approach his politics and his style. Are you offering what amounts to a third McNeil term or is this a vote for something different?

IR: This is an evolution of where we've come from and where we need to go. Stephen McNeil has been a great leader for this province. He's made courageous decisions confronting environmental racism at Boat Harbour, the way that he was close with Dr. Strang and their response to the pandemic. I want to continue on with that evidence-based approach, but we have obviously different views on different things, and we need to start moving forward. I think I've clearly laid out my vision around equity environment and the economy, how those things go together for my throne speech, to the budget, all the way through to this campaign. I'm going to stay focused on supporting Nova Scotians during this period of time, and look forward to a real strong economic recovery that supports all Nova Scotians.

SM: Your brief tenure as leader of the Liberal Party and Premier has been marked by a few controversies that I do want to touch on. I want to begin with giving you an opportunity to clear the air right here and right now about what really happened with your candidate in Dartmouth South, and why her candidacy was withdrawn. What happened?

IR: Well, respectfully, Steve, I really like to have an opportunity to speak to Robin myself. My understanding from my team is she withdrew. I'm really proud of the work that my team has done. I've asked them to go out and find very diverse candidates that come from different backgrounds, different life experiences. I wanted to have 50 per cent women on the ticket -- we have 42 per cent. We're going to continue to welcome people from, from different backgrounds, and we obviously have a record on that. We've created programs for equity, we have new office of equity and anti-racism initiatives, so I'm really proud of those efforts. We have a new candidate and Dartmouth South, and I'm looking forward to continuing on in this campaign talking about the tough issues that are facing Nova Scotians.

SM: But Mr. Rankin, this is still shrouded in fog. I mean, at one point you said you didn't know and hadn't spoken with Ms. Ingraham, but surely as leader of the party, don't you approve all of your candidates. Don't you talk to all of your candidates?

IR: I tried to have a discussion with them and I have tried. So three times, I've tried to reach out to Robin, and the green light process is an arm's length one, so that they're able to go through everything objectively. I am sad to lose a candidate, as any leader would be, and I was sad that she withdrew, but I have to move forward and focus on the things that really matter to me. Equity matters to me, confronting the climate crisis matters to me, and growing back a strong economy. These are the issues that are so important in this campaign; I need to stay focused.

SM: You've also said transparency matters to you. You became leader of the Liberal party and premier without publicly disclosing your youthful DUI charges. What might people conclude -- what should they conclude from those DUIs in the way that you have accounted for them?

IR: I was forthcoming with that information when I decided to run for public office. I'm not a perfect person, I never said that I was obviously, when I was 20 years old, I made decisions that I regret deeply. But, I needed to find a way to move on with my life and learn from my experiences, good and bad.

SM: Fair enough.

IR: It's a privilege to be the premier of this province. That's a (matter of) public record, and I'll move on and continue to do my best and focus on what matters to me and that's helping Nova Scotians.

SM: But why did you not feel it was necessary to reveal the DUIs publicly until you were actually asked about it by a reporter just before the writs were dropped? Why not put that on the table, when you start the leadership of the party for example?

IR: Well, I thought what was relevant to running for premier and MLA was what you can bring or who you are, then, and not what happened 20 years ago. I did disclose it voluntarily to everyone who needed to know. This was not something that was a secret amongst my circles, in my community and I wanted to make sure that I was up front with Nova Scotians and that I had an opportunity to tell them myself and that's what I did.

SM: But does the general public, not have a right to know about the criminal conviction of a person seeking public office as a point of principle?

IR: Sure and I did let them know, and, you know, this isn't something that I'm proud of, but I never shied away from it. Anytime anyone asked me a question about this, I was forthright with them. I've moved on and I'm now focused on being the leader of this province and ensuring that we can be the very best that we possibly can be. That's going to be my continued focus this campaign, is about where we need to go next after getting through a very difficult period of time in this pandemic. I believe that we have the best ideas, the best team, and I look forward to earning a support from all Nova Scotians.

SM: As recently as today, you've again characterized yourself as an environmentalist. You were minister of environment, but of course critics say you talk the talk, and didn't walk the walk and they cite the decision to remove Owls Head from the parks and protected areas list. It was identified as a park, by the way in 2013, but not designated and to be clear, the Supreme Court has said that you did nothing illegal, but I do want to ask, knowing that it been on the protected list, and that it was supposed to be a park. Why were you comfortable with the delisting Owls Head?

IR: Well I'm glad that the court showed that we followed the right process, but I do believe that we're still early in the process and that the public deserves to have the say that people have Little Harbour deserve to have a say.

SM: Mr. Rankin, with all due respect, I'm asking you, why did you feel it was okay to de-list it?

IR: It was on a list of candidate protection areas and we had the option and, just like every government before us did, Progressive Conservatives, NDP, did not protect that piece of land even though it was on the list. But we're moving forward we've protected over 60 parks recently -- the size of Owls Head are bigger. We're prepared to protect more. We're on our way to hitting 14 per cent with a new commitment today to reach 17 per cent. I think it's obvious that we support conservation in this province, but we need to make sure that all voices are heard, and that's what I'm prepared to do in this case and we're following the right process.

Editor's note: CTV Atlantic will host a round table with all three of the major party leaders Thursday night at 6:30 p.m.

from CTV News - Atlantic https://ift.tt/37jrUjO

Goner//Josh Dun Fanfiction

Note: Since it’s pretty much based on the idea that the book 13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher presented. It contains suicide, and some other pretty dark stuff. Each chapter will have its own warnings, but in the mean time be careful while reading—I don’t want to cause any harm.

Xx

               He was a nobody last month—when the teachers would call his name in attendance, everyone would look around. Confused expressions adorning their features, he seemed like a myth. Like a legend.

               “I heard that Josh kid killed a dude once.”

               “Really? Because I heard he was raised by wolves” Stupid things created by rather stupid people—usually. The more insane and unrealistic stories seemed like a comic relief compared to the other rumors spread about the boy. You heard all about how he allegedly tried drowning his younger sister, how he allegedly got kicked out of his old school because he was dealing drugs, how he allegedly slit his wrists all day everyday.

               You chose to ignore them—you rather liked Josh. Well when you saw him anyway. Columbus high wasn’t particularly small—there were a minimum of 3 classes each for all the core subjects; far more for the extracurricular. You were lucky though; you got to share 3 of 4 classes with this mysterious new kid. The one who kept his head down and only spoke when spoken to. You wish you could’ve figured out why.

Xx

               You internally groaned as your teacher began talking—not about science, not about chemicals. Rather, he was discussing suicide. The topic on everybody’s mind since the “nobody” became the school celebrity. It made you sick to see everyone fake compassion, suddenly turn into heroes; or what they believed was a hero.

               “I know this is a fresh wound for everyone, considering it has only been 2 weeks. But all the staff at Columbus High would like to reach out for any student needing help. Mental health is just as important as physical health! If your brain is off balance, then your whole body will follow.” You stared outside, choosing to ignore the latest soapbox speech. The sky was gray, except it wasn’t raining—nor did the clouds look like they wanted to pour. Rather it was just a dark undertone, blocking away the sunlight. Almost like the universe was foreshadowing the boy’s fate. “Now if you know anyone who is going through tough times; please remember that getting them help is much more important than keeping a friendship.” You cast your gaze over to the teacher, who was putting his paper on the desk. Figures, the school gave them a premade speech to rattle off. “Do any of you have any questions?” You took a deep breath in, waiting for the vultures to dive in for the kill.

               “This kid, is he dead?” One of the basketball players asked from the back of the room; his expression was neutral but you could’ve sworn you heard his voice waver just a little.

               “I am not in a position to discuss that with you Mr. Joseph. That is something you will have to talk to the family about. Are there any other questions?” Your gaze went to the basketball player, who was gnawing on his lip—deep in thought. Probably contemplating another question.

               “If he does die, will there be an investigation and charges? Will it be treated like murder or just his bad decision making?” The people around him snickered at the end of his sentence, finding a cruel amusement in the insult. You found it sickening—for the fact that he probably tried killing himself for this exact reason.

               “That is up to the family to decide.” The teacher stated bluntly, turning his attention to the latest unit. Trying to avoid being put in any more awkward situations for one morning. You pulled open your notebook, clicking your pen. Trying to ignore the heavy feeling settled in your chest—you barely knew this kid, so why is all the suicide talk getting to you?

Xx

               “Hey! Y/L/N!” You heard someone call as you walked toward the lunchroom—your morning classes droned on, filled with chatter about Josh. Why people think he did it, what they think happened, even as far as how. It disgusted you to the core. You turned to see that basketball player, Joseph you think his name was walking up beside you.  ‘‘You didn‘t look so good in class today, I was coming to see if you were alright” You were taken back by the question—despite its seemingly innocent motive.

               “I’m fine, thank you Joseph.” You whispered, turning to leave toward the cafeteria once again.

               “It’s Tyler, and you just didn’t seem so good when they brought up those rough topics. I just thought I’d be a support. So if you ever need anything. Call me.” He extended his hand out to yours—keeping up with you as you walked. You rolled your eyes before taking the paper and shoving it haphazardly into your pocket. “Before you think anything; I’m not playing any cheesy hookup lines on you. I actually care and don’t want this to happen to someone else.” He whispered to you, before changing paths and meeting up with the rest of the basketball team.

               You couldn’t quite wrap your mind around it, the basketball team captain was suddenly being nice to you? Something was definitely up.

Xx

               “Hi honey, how was your day?” Your mom asked, walking up to the door to greet you. Eyes shimmering with curiosity.

               “It was fine, pretty boring though. Just notes all class.” You shrugged, taking your shoes off and making your way to your room. Your mom following you most of the way, asking you a variety of questions about your day. What were the notes on, did you learn anything interesting? Did you make any new friends? Needless to say, you were kind of resentful at what this Josh kid had caused—suddenly nobody left you alone. It was a constant stream of “how are you? Are you okay? How was your day?” and other fake interest. You liked it better when you could sit on the outside of the world and watch it as it passed, popping in on your own accord.

               “Y/N, your bag is hanging wide open!” Your mom commented, as soon as you reached your door. You scrunched your nose up—you definitely remember zipping it before you made your way out of school. Except when you slung it off your back—the zipper was wide open. What the hell?

               “I must’ve forgot to zip it! I’m going to make sure everything is here and do my homework. Okay mom, love you.” You quickly slipped into your room, shutting the door behind you before emptying the contents of your backpack on the bed.

               Books, check. Pencil case, check. Notebook, check. Weird bag thing, check? You arched and eyebrow as you opened the zip lock bag. It seemed to have a brown paper bag inside of it. Sitting cross-legged on your bed you slowly pulled out the bag. Praying it didn’t have an illegal substance somewhere within it. You grabbed one end of the brown bag, letting out a shocked scream when it unrolled itself and something fell to you lap. Provoking the curiosity of your mother.

               “I’m fine mom! No need to come in, just saw a spider that’s all.” You yelled out to her, taking a breath of relief when you saw it was only a usb drive that fell to your lap—not drugs. You inspected the drive, it was seemingly normal. Had a few scratches along it, but what doesn’t? Putting it to the side, you looked closer at the brown bag, opening it to find a few sheets of paper crammed inside.

               For Your Eyes ONLY. Strange enough. You opened the paper, heart clenching when you saw a boyish handwriting sprawled across the page.

               It’s simple. Watch the videos, pack up the usb and instructions, and move along—maybe even change a bit. That could never hurt right?

               Besides that, keep this within the group—and keep it going. You wouldn’t want to know what would happen if it stopped, but what threat am I? I’m either dead or comatose.

JD

               No. It couldn’t be. Why is this coming to you? Maybe it was a mistake? You flopped over the side of your bed, reaching underneath to pull your laptop up onto your bed. Tapping nervously you watched as the technology in front of you took forever to open. And forever to recognize the USB.

               13 files. Each were labeled with a number—nothing else. Taking a deep breath you clicked the first file—watching as the media player popped up, starting a video of a dark room. The only sounds were that of a furnace and someone’s breathing. Shivers found their way down your spine when you were met with a somewhat familiar face—he looked calm. A small smirk playing at his lips.

               “I’m not going to repeat myself with instructions—if the person before you neglected to add them. Listen, find them and figure out what you need to do.” He let out a emotionless laugh. “Other than that, hey. Glad you could make it to the party.” You felt your chest tighten as your eyes burned with tears. You barely knew him, but seeing his face. No emotion, nothing on it made your heart shatter.

               “To set the record straight here, no I didn’t leave any notes, no my family doesn’t know why and no all your rumors are probably wrong.” You paused the video, resting your elbows on your knees and holding your head up with your hands. Why was this sent to you?? “I know what you’re wondering, “What is this and why am I included”, in dear time friend. In due time you’ll know. Just listen for a bit—like I do. Well used to.” You stared at the screen, in complete shock. Jumping slightly when a knock came on your door.

               “Honey, are you coming down for supper tonight?” Your mom asked—probably wondering how many plates to prepare.

               “No, I’m really busy and not too hungry.” You called back, reaching in your bag for a pair of headphones. Plugging them in before warily pressing play again.

               “If you’re ready for a ride, lets go. Congrats Mr. Cos, you’re the lucky first contestant.”

vent. mental health, questioning reality cw//

hello this is the only place my brain can think i haven’t terrorized my friends w my absolutely awful mental state recently (read: today) and the only reason i refuse to go on twitter and do it is because i feel like i annoy and bother everyone on twitter. so i am just gonna vent here for a second to get it out bc unfortunately my brain only thinks my thoughts are valid if someone else knows them

the pandemic has now hit me to the point where i cannot believe any of my friends exist irl anymore. like i might see them irl but my brain is questioning reality (which is something i probably need to tell my therapist since she thought it was v serious last time this happened). i also feel just really aware of how annoying i am and how much i probably bother ppl so ://// idk not fun. i know i probably just need to go to sleep and give my brain a break, and the thing i have to do for class tomorrow isn’t as big of a deal and i’m making it out to be, and it really doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of things. i do think i need to email my professor that i want to change my paper a week before it’s due bc i made all my decisions about it based on what she thought seemed interesting, and not on what i found interesting so the paper is like pulling teeth snd i think if i make this small change to it i will actually be able to write it and enjoy writing it. writing 12-15 pages isn’t hard but it feels impossible when u are not passionate about what you’re writing about AT ALL. my topic was my second choice, i only chose it bc my professor said it would be easier for her to help me with. i found sources but last week she told me they were outdated, and gave me more that my brain couldn’t figure out where they connect with my paper. she then gave me something to make it less broad and i just went with it bc i thought she would like it. so yeah. i’ll probably send the email i drafted in the morning since it is a panicked mess right now and i really can’t let myself send her yet another panic induced email this year.

anyway pls ignore this, i just need this out and my brain won’t accept my thoughts in the notes app tonight

*Ethos, Pathos, Logos*

In this essay, I will examine the critical questions: What is the main purpose of this artifact’s message and how are ethos, pathos, and logos used in this rhetorical artifact to achieve that purpose? Is the way that these rhetorical appeals are used ethical?

To investigate these questions, I looked at a reading of Virginia Woolf’s “Shakespeare’s Sister”. This artifact uses ethos, pathos, and logos to make the point that the reality of being a woman is much different than that of a man in the writing world, and changes can be made. I believe Woolf remains ethical in all of her arguments.

Obviously, there isn’t video of Virginia Woolf actually giving this speech, so I found a transcript and a video of another woman giving the speech (which she did very well). This speech is a portion of Woolf’s extended essay A Room of One’s Own which is based on two lectures Woolf gave in 1928 at Newnham College and Girton College. These colleges were women’s colleges at Cambridge University. By this time in her life, Woolf had not only dealt with the death of her mother, father, and brother, lived through the first World War, but has also been dealing with mental illness and was institutionalized for a period of time. Beyond her family history and mental health, Woolf, at the time of giving these lectures, had worked as a teacher, had volunteered for the Women’s Suffrage movement, had published several shorter works including articles and short stories, as well as six novels. To take a look at the history involved here, the first women’s college in the United Kingdom had opened up in 1849, less then 80 years prior to Woolf’s visit, and it wasn’t until 1880 that the first women in the United Kingdom received a bachelor’s degree. Women in schools was still a new idea and it was even more of a privilege then than it is now to be a woman in higher education.

Herrick explains to us Aristotle’s Rhetoric, which include the three artistic proofs of ethos, pathos, and logos. Ethos, as described by Aristotle, is the speaker’s credibility, which should be developed from what is said within the speech itself. Ethos is broken down into three parts: phronesis, or intelligence, areta, or virtue, and eunoia, or goodwill. This has the potential to be the most persuasive proof of the three. Pathos is how the speaker uses their words to affect the judgement of the audience. It’s important to Aristotle that pathos is used in an ethical way and that words are used to lead the audience to the correct judgement. Finally, there’s logos. According to Aristotle, logos is the way a speaker reasons with their audience. It refers to the arguments being made in decision making. These arguments are often made with syllogisms and enthymemes.

In this speech, Virginia Woolf immediately builds her ethos. I’m not sure if this was her intent, but it is what happens. The first line of her speech, “When you asked me to speak about women and fiction,” signals to me that Woolf has some kind of credibility. A college would not ask just anybody to speak to their students. They clearly felt comfortable enough that Virginia Woolf had enough knowledge on the subjects of women and fiction to invite her to speak to their students. Without telling her audience her entire experience with those topics, Woolf is telling us she is well-educated and has knowledge to give. Woolf then moves on and shares a story with the audience. This story is a narrative of Woolf’s day when she attempted to enter the library at a (men’s) college I am assuming and was stopped by a college officer. “I found myself walking with extreme rapidity across a grass plot. Instantly a man’s figure rose to intercept me. His face expressed horror and indignation. Instinct rather than reason came to my help; he was a beadle, I was a woman. This was the turf; there was the path. Only the fellows and scholars are allowed here; the grave is the place for me.” She did not belong there, only intelligent men were allowed in, not women. She then continues her story to when she eventually does get into a library and talks about her personal experience looking for women on the shelves of that library, where she’s disappointed to find that they do not exist outside of men, and they do not exist in good light at all. “I went, therefore, to the shelf where the histories stand. I looked up ‘Women’, found ‘position of’ and turned to the pages indicated. ‘Wife-beating,’ I read…”  Although this story is a smaller part of her speech and is using it to make a larger point in her speech, it still helps to build Woolf’s ethos. Woolf is credible because she has experienced an issue she is speaking about. Not only is she highly educated on the topic, but she has lived through the experiences which she is talking about, and that gives the speaker quite a bit of credibility.

In this speech, Woolf uses pathos to both allow her audience to be upset about their situation, as well as inspire them to partake in changing that situation. She first uses pathos to help her audience realize they should feel upset about their situation in the world. She compares her “sudden conglomeration of an idea” to a fish, and when the fish tugs, she pulls it up, and she’s disappointed in “how small, how insignificant” her idea looked. So, she put it back. And that happens sometimes, yet as she encounters the beadle in yard, she claims “no very great harm was done. The only charge I could bring against the fellows and scholars of whatever the college might happen to be was that, in protection of their turf, they had sent my little fish into hiding.” This is a story I’m sure many women can relate to, especially those in Woolf’s audience. I think part of the reason Woolf brings it up is to validate that experience, and to ignite an anger in her audience. It’s not fair that women are brought down by not being allowed in libraries. It’s not fair that men scare their ideas away. Woolf wants her audience to recognize this, to be unhappy about it, and to want to change it. Woolf then moves on to compare works of fiction to spiderwebs. Fiction written by men “seem to hang there complete by themselves.” But when a web is somehow broken “one remembers that these webs are not spun in mid-air by incorporeal creatures, but are the work of suffering human beings, and are attached to grossly material things, like health and money and the houses we live in.” By pointing these ideas out, Woolf is encouraging her audience members to be upset by the fact that work by men is often valued much higher because men are often able to separate themselves from the material things of their world – especially their houses and often their children. Women, on the other hand, were unable to afford this luxury. They were surrounded by housework and children and things that needed to be done. Because of that, their work is somehow less. Woolf points out this comparison in hopes of angering her audience and them becoming aware of, and upset by, these unfair conditions. In the creation of Judith Shakespeare, she points out that when Shakespeare’s sister would have a chance to read or write, it wouldn’t be for long and it would often be interrupted by housework. Her parents, who would marry her off, would not allow her access to the same types of skill building as her brother got. According to Woolf’s narrative, “at last the manager took pity on her; she found herself with child by that gentleman and so – who shall measure the heat and violence of the poet’s heart when caught and tangled in a woman’s body? – killed herself one winter’s night and lies buried at some crossroads where the omnibuses now stop outside the Elephant and the Castle.” Not only is Woolf trying to show that these circumstances are something to be upset about, but she’s trying to show her audience that that could have been any one of them.

The story of Shakespeare’s sister doesn’t end there for Woolf though. Woolf moves to inspiring her audience by stating, “Now my belief is that this poet who never wrote a word and was buried at the crossroads still lives. She lives in you and in me, and in many other women who are not here tonight, for they are washing up the dishes and putting the children to bed. But she lives, for great poets do not die; they are continuing presences; they need only the opportunity to walk among us in the flesh.” Instead of sparking anger in the audience, here Woolf tries to inspire her audience, maybe still with a hint of anger. Her audience is supposed to feel like it is their responsibility to continue writing, to honor Shakespeare’s sister. And I think they’re also supposed to be a little angry that not everyone who needs to hear this is able to, because of the same responsibilities Judith Shakespeare would have had. This lack of change is also a good way to get people inspired to change something. Woolf’s final use of pathos is in the last sentence of her speech: “But I maintain that she would come if we work for her, and that so to work, even in poverty and obscurity, is worthwhile.” Again, Woolf uses this instance of pathos to inspire and encourage her audience. She is recognizing that it is not easy to continue to write when it feels impossible to do so. But if she and her audience members and women in general continue to write, they will allow for a future where it isn’t so difficult for women to write.

Logos is used in this speech when Woolf describes what would happen to Shakespeare’s sister if she were as talented as Shakespeare and tried to get the experiences he did. His sister would have “no chance of learning grammar and logic, let alone of reading Horace and Virgil,” nor would she be accepted if she did have the chance to participate in theater, “Men laughed in her face. The manager – a fat, loose lipped man – guffawed. He bellowed something about poodles dancing and women acting – no woman, he said, could possibly be an actress. He hinted – you can imagine what. She could get no training in her craft.” Since, even then, Shakespeare lived a long time ago, it’s easy to look back at history and confirm this would have been true. It’s also easy for the audience to look at their own lives and recognize bits and pieces of this kind of treatment still surrounding them. Another instance of logos in this speech is when Woolf talks about what can be done to improve the situation all women writers are living. Woolf believes “if we live another century or so – I am talking of the common life which is the real life and not of the little separate lives which we live as individuals – and have each of us rooms of our own; if we have the habit of freedom and the courage to write exactly what we think;…, then the opportunity will come and the dead poet who was Shakespeare’s sister will put on the body which she has so often laid down.” It makes sense that in order to achieve something others are opposed to you must take baby steps. You need to continue what you’re doing and you cannot stop.

I believe the way Woolf uses ethos, pathos, and logos is ethical. Believing women should be equal and have equal opportunity to achieve success is trying to make the world more ethical. I think pathos is often used in unethical ways by speakers, but Woolf keeps her use of pathos ethical. She doesn’t manipulate her audience into thinking a certain way, I think she allows her audience to feel that they can feel angry and upset, almost some kind of validation. She gives them examples of women being held back and this allows them look around in their own lives to recognize scenarios that reflect those examples. She also inspires them to continue what they’re doing. I don’t think anything she is doing is unethical. She’s simply stating the reality they live in, allowing her audience to feel angry towards it, and gives them inspiration to make a change.

In summary, Woolf uses ethos to build her credibility as a speaker, pathos to encourage her audience to feel upset about their situation while also feeling inspired, and logos to persuade her audience that there is truth behind what she’s saying. Woolf remains ethical in her uses of these strategies and even gives her audience suggestions as to how to make changes.

Herrick, James A. “Aristotle on Rhetoric.” The History and Theory of Rhetoric: An Introduction. 5th ed., Routledge, 2013, pp. 69-81.

“Shakespeare’s Sister: Virginia Woolf.” Figures of Speech, www.speech.almeida.co.uk/virginia-woolf.

GOOD THINGS FESTIVAL (MELBOURNE) @ Flemington Racecourse, December 2019

A couple of years ago, I made a silent vow to myself that I was done with attending music festivals. There were a number of reasons for this: the large crowds, the lengthy duration, getting dirty and sweaty in the moshpit. It just wasn’t my thing anymore. Though I did push myself to attend Unify in 2018, it wasn’t an enjoyable experience for me. The lonely overnight camping plus my unruly neighbours and my fragile mental state also didn’t help matters. It was more to say that I did it and crossed it off my bucket list. But I wouldn’t do it again.

However, when I considered going to Good Things this year, it felt like a throwback to the days of the Big Day Out (1999-2014) which I used to go to. Similar lineup of bands. Similar layout of stages, rides, food trucks. And it’s only a single day festival. I said to myself “You know what? I’ll give it a shot.” And so I opted for the pay over time installment option as I couldn’t afford the full cost of the ticket at the time. I used to complain about how expensive festival tickets are but if you consider how many big international bands are on the lineup, it’s actually pretty reasonable.

My biggest concern going it to this was how my energy levels and tiredness would fare. This is after all a 9-10 hour event so I knew that I would have to pace myself throughout the day and place plenty of rest breaks in between bands. The most important decision of the day was working out which bands to see. It’s good that Good Things offers fans plenty of variety and choice but that means there’s a lot of potential for timetable clashes. The biggest offender would have to be between Windwaker and The Veronicas which actually sparked a lot of outrage, shit posting and memes on social media.

From catching the train from Southern Cross to Flemington Racecourse to lining up outside the entry gates, I felt a huge rush of anticipation and anxiety. Even though I was well and truly prepared for this, my brain decided to overthink things big time. I figured that this would be like an episode of Border Security when it comes to the bag checking process. However, the girl wasn’t even that thorough. She barely giving the contents of my backpack more than a glance.

The only odd thing was having my photo ID checked twice by two different security staff. Not that it really bothered me to be honest. It was more that I expected to be scanned for metallic items and be searched by sniffer dogs, according to the information on the Good Things website. But getting through the entry gates did make me feel more at ease. It took a while to get my bearings of the festival site layout but it wasn’t too difficult to navigate. I had a printout of the map and digital copy on my phone just in case.

POPPY...Like most people, I only discovered this Massachusetts-born singer songwriter a few months ago. Her style is a unique fusion of pop, electronica, metal and industrial often with sweet melodic choruses and heavy breakdowns in the verses. She came out onto the stage with a drummer and guitarist, both wearing weird face masks, platinum blonde wigs and black leather suits. In the words of Kath and Kim, she could be described perfectly as noice, unusual, different. Set List: Concrete, Am I A Girl?, Play Destroy, Scary Mask. https://music.apple.com/au/artist/poppy/1004130511

GRAVEMIND...I can’t say that I’m as invested in Death Metal bands as I used to be. However, I do have a soft spot for these guys. I was particularly impressed by their connection with the crowd both in supporting local bands and the importance of overcoming mental health issues. They delivered a super heavy set with lots of emotion and heart.Set List: Lifelike, Phantom Pain, Volgin. https://music.apple.com/au/album/conduit/1462900465  

WINDWAKER...Okay look. I was honestly very divided about whether to split my time between my boys in Windwaker and The Veronicas. But the more I thought about it, the more it seemed like a pointless idea. Being a music festival, there is so much ducking and weaving between the crowds of people and therefore it’s time consuming getting from one stage to another. So I went with my gut and stayed where I was, which I believe ended up being the right decision.

Today was Liam Guinane’s last show with Windwaker. It was a very bittersweet experience for me. But it was such a pleasure watching him perform a keyboard and vocal solo of the track Colourless with the entire crowd kneeling down. I was crying internal tears, that’s for damn sure! The band had some technical issues early on which delayed their starting time. However, they more than made up for it by the awesome show they put on, complete with plastic beach balls, crowd singalongs and an epic circle pit to rival The Veronicas wall of death! Set List: The Sitch, Grey World, Reject, Colourless, My Empire. Freak (Silverchair cover) https://music.apple.com/au/album/empire-ep/1448666181

TRIVIUM / BAD RELIGION...After Windwaker’s set, I decided to take a break and chilled out on the lawn between Stages 1 and 2. Unfortunately, I began getting myself overcome with conflicting emotions, depression and loneliness. I couldn’t really work out where it was coming from, though witnessing people hanging out in groups may have been a trigger. It’s not a new thing for me as I’ve always been “flying solo” when it comes to attending gigs and music festivals. And yet it’s still not always easy accepting that I don’t really have a close circle of friends around me.

I decided to try meditating, reached out to a few friends on social media and listened to the sets of Trivium and Bad Religion from a far distance away. It was difficult trying to shake the black dog off me but slowly I started to feel better. Considering how far I’d come just to attend Good Things for the first time, it was an important reminder to put things into perspective. Plus I had already met and bumped into lots of amazing band mates so I was far from alone, even though I was hanging out by myself.

SIMPLE PLAN...It’s hard to conceive that this Pop-Rock-Punk outfit from Montreal in Canada has been going for 20 years. Admittedly, I decided to watch their set for the nostalgic value of their classic anthems, mainly from 2002 to 2009. I found myself singing along with the crowd around me to songs I grew up with in my late teenage years and early adulthood. And after such a long time together, they still sounded great and the lyrical messages of not fitting in and not feeling accepted are still relatable today. People were randomly throwing rolls of toilet paper through the air and tossing giant black beach balls back and forth.        Set List: I’m Just a Kid, I’d Do Anything, Addicted, Perfect, Welcome to My Life, Shut Up, Jet Lag, Summer Paradise, Boom! https://music.apple.com/us/artist/simple-plan/150861

KARNIVOOL...This was the band I was the most keen for today. The Perth-based Progressive Rock outfit have been around since 1997 and this was my first time catching them live. I wouldn’t call myself a hardcore fan, even though I do own all of their albums. But their quality of songwriting and musical output in truly phenomenal. Their style is complex and out of the box, touching on important social and political themes such as media corruption, the end of the world, the existence of God and the function of society and governments.

Vocalist Ian Kenny still has one of the best clean singing voices in any Australian band and put on an outstanding performance tonight. And I’m sure many Karnivool fans out there are still wondering when the 4th album is going to drop? I guess you just can’t rush art! Set List: We Are, Simple Boy, Themata, The Refusal, New Day. https://music.apple.com/us/artist/karnivool/85099785

I did consider staying for PARKWAY DRIVE but then remembered the announcement after arriving at Flemington Racecourse. The last train to depart will be at 9.20pm. Which meant that I would only be able to see about half of Parkway’s set. Honestly, I was pretty wrecked after Karnivool and decided to leave early. I saw all the bands I really wanted to see and therefore didn’t feel the need to stay any longer.

Overall, it was a pretty good festival. The very long queues for entry, cloaking, band merch, the toilets and food trucks were annoying but inevitable considering how large the attendance was. The litter on the ground was fairly disappointing considering how many bins there were available. The free water stations and first aid tents were an excellent idea. The weather did get deceivingly warm today and I did get sunburned but it could have been much worse, considering it is meant to be summer now. I’m really glad I came out!

NEW WORLD ORDERS There was "no time to lose" in bringing me back around to a functioning level. I knew I had work to do. Although I was to be "used up" by my 30th birthday, I do not believe it was Bush and Cheney's intention to expedite the process so quickly. Apparently it was their incompetence due to over- indulgence of drugs and subsequent abuse of Kelly in my presence that destroyed parts of my maternal-based programming. Regardless of their "excuse," Houston drove us to San Francisco, California where Temple of Set (Satan) founder U.S. Army Lt. Col. Aquino made some emergency "repairs". I was not taken to a hospital or a mental institution, but to a brain/mind research and development lab on the U.S. Army Reservation at Presidio. There are many facilities such as this one across the country at various CIA, military, and NASA compounds where hyper-advanced government knowledge is put to the test, developed and modified. Those I met who had expertly learned the scientific mechanics of the brain in conjunction with the ins and outs of the mind used their gained secret knowledge to manipulate and/or control others. The only thing Mark Phillips, Byrd, and Aquino had in common was the belief that "secret knowledge equals power". 1 Byrd explained to me that New World Order "powers were strengthened" by allowing the mental health community only partial and/or deliberate misinformation through their organization lobby, The American Psychiatric Association (APA), concerning treatment modalities for severe dissociative disorders being created through mind control! Per- petrators believed that withholding knowledge and the proliferation of deliberate misinformation allowed them control over their secrets, and subsequently over humanity. They may be correct if no one can or will react to the information presented in this book. Intended or not, I overheard a conversation pertaining to death and the mind between Aquino and a lab assistant as I lay on a cold, metal table in a deep hypnotic state, Aquino was saying that 1 had come close to death numerous limes which "increased my ability to enter other (mind) dimensions en route to death". I had listened to Aquino talk at length about such concepts before, as though he were trying to convince himself of some interdimensional time travel theory. "Whether in principle or in theory, the results are the same," he claimed. "The concept of time is abstract in itself." Hypnotic talk of past- present-future set my mind in a spin that, when combined with Alice In Wonderland/NASA mirror world concepts, created an illusion of timeless dimensions. I now know that the only "dimensions' I experienced were elaborate memory compartmentalizations of real, earthly events by real, earthly criminals, and certainly not by aliens, Satan, or demons. After moving me from the table to an elaborate box, Aquino then shifted my mind to another area of my brain, claiming to have taken me into another dimension by way of "death's door". This was accomplished while I was subjected to sensory deprivation combined with hypnotic and harmonic re- programming. The seemingly coffin-like structure was transformed in my mind to a crematorium, where 1 endured the sense of increasing heat while "I slowly burned" through hypnotic suggestion. Aquino then "pulled me through death's door" and into another dimension, "void of time". Parts of my programming were "recreated for the recreation of world leaders," i.e., U.S. President Reagan, Mexican President de la Madrid, and Saudi Arabian King Fahd. In my next recollection of awareness, Houston, Kelly, and I were in Hollywood, where Houston claimed the motor home "broke down" — an over used attempted memory scramble. He sent me down the street to telephone Michael Dante, who lived nearby in Beverly Hills. Dante was expecting Kelly and me to join him in his Beverly Hills mansion for several days as bad been previously arranged by our handler, Alex Houston. Kelly and I waited at the phone booth as instructed until Dante arrived to pick us up in his midnight blue Ferrari. As soon as I sat down, Dante said, "I got something for you, Baby, Give me your arm." Heroin was a common "vice" he shared with Bush, and he shot me up with the drug right in front of Kelly. Later that evening at his house, Dante told me that he refused to "handle damaged goods," and that he would not be my next handler as previously planned. Not only was I "not fit to live with" him, but I was not "fit to live" at all. I am not certain what he meant to accomplish by these threats, but I know in retrospect that this was not his decision to make. Besides, 1 never perceived existence with him and his professed "love" as a "future" anyway- Instead, he said he would go along with the original plan long enough to acquire Kelly". The next day, hours before I was to meet with de la Madrid, L.A, Dodgers baseball team manager Tommy LaSorda, George Bush, Jr., and star pitcher of Jr.'s Texas Rangers, Nolan Ryan (who was also a banker) were at Dante's house working out the details of money laundering and bank transactions for the imminent opening of the Juarez border cocaine, heroin, and white slavery route. The common bond of covert criminal activity overrode any professional baseball conflicts between them. All three were in town to be in attendance at various gatherings and parties of Reagan's, who would be arriving in a matter of days. And all three appeared to have an understanding of my function as Reagan's "Presidential Model" mind-control sex slave. Dante was gathering the necessary clothes and props for the evening rendezvous with de la Madrid. LaSorda, Nolan Ryan, and Jr. were standing in the entrance way of Dante's house attempting to activate my "Baseball Mind Computer" programmed personality fragment that had inadvertently been shattered by Bush and Cheney's traumas at Shasta. Dante told them, "She knows more about baseball than you and Tommy (LaSorda) put together. Go ahead and ask her something. Anything." Much to LaSorda's amusement, Nolan Ryan asked, "How many times does Fernando Valenzuela (Dodger pitcher) touch his hat if he's going to throw a srewgy (screw ball)?" I could not respond, although I had once known more statistical data than would ever be in print, Jr. hollered, "Hey, Dante". What's with your baseball computer here, huh? Are we supposed to say a magic word?" "I don't know," Dante responded. "Could be drugs. Her sex is working fine, though. Give it a whirl." Jr. declined, saying, "No thanks. The Baseball Computer sucks enough. Listen, we'll see you later." Jr. had never shown any interest in me sexually. Like his father, he had only shown sexual interest in Kelly, who had been away with him most of the day. As he turned to leave, he stroked me under the chin and cryptically said, "Have a Ball tonight". LaSorda, who had not been on his Ultra Slim Fast-sponsored diet yet, said, "Speaking of balls, mine could use a little attention here." He unzipped his pants. Dante told me, "We gotta get dressed. Three minutes." Three minutes was a trigger for me to perform a specific, oral sex act. I knelt on the floor and pushed up LaSorda's enormous belly, resting it on my head as I groped for his penis as ordered. Dante's two Great Danes came in as Jr. and Nolan Ryan left I had been forced to participate in a bestiality film with these sex-trained dogs earlier that day, and I had to fight them off as I sexually gratified LaSorda before getting ready for "the Ball". ! Mark Phillips explained to me that, by revealing their "secrets" their power would diminish. "Good always prevails through positive application, whereas the bad guys are hindered and slowed in their criminal endeavors through having to cover-up their negative actions with lies to support lies. This inevitably allows the truth to emerge," Mark said. CHAPTER 27 HOTEL CALIFORNIA Dante threw me a short, red, slinky dress with rhinestone straps and a pair of "glass slippers" to wear to "Cinderella's Ball", The shoes, like Oz ruby, slippers and Philip Habib's "magic lightening boll" shoes, were to trance-form me into the personality fragment ihat had been pre-programmed for the event, Dante escorted me to the party/"Ball" where I was to meet with Mexican President de la Madrid. Dante had been bragging about his "second home in Malibu" ever since I first met him, and the place was opulence personified. I do not know who actually owned "his" second home in Malibu, California, but Reagan's influence was evident in the decor. From the front, the white stucco house gave the illusion of being two-story. The view overlooked a secluded Pacific bay, and revealed three levels built into a cliff. Through the smoked glass wall panels that spanned the back, the three stories, lavishly carpeted in red, white, and blue provided a patriotic view. All levels had a beige- white interior decorated in gold and crystal. An enormous chandelier hung from the "cathedral ceiling, illuminating all three levels at once from the greatroom which overlooked the bay. I was told that Uncle Ronnie (Reagan) would be arriving the next day. It was my "patriotic duty" to attend de la Madrid's welcome party and "wear down any resistance he may have" in order that Reagan's business meeting with him would "go smoothly". This was not the first time I heard this excuse for being politically prostituted, nor would it be the last. In reality, I was to do the initial dirty work, delivering messages, and encourage de la Madrid lo use drugs and party with abandon. The diplomatic relations between the U.S. and Mexico were already strong, but this phase of the operation requited total commitment from de la Madrid. Dante and I waited at the top of the staircase as de la Madrid, accompanied by two bodyguards, climbed to the red level of the house. I greeted de la Madrid, "Welcome to the U.S. and (seductively) welcome to the Hotel California." His deep-throated laugh indicated he had been cued to the ramifications of my cryptic statement. "Hotel California," taken from a popular song by the Eagles, stated "you can check out anytime you like, but you can never leave." To de la Madrid this confirmed the permanency of his involvement in the criminal, covert operations in which he was conspiring. Blackmail was openly initiated to ensure that each criminal participant understood that if one fell, they all fell. Maintaining "dirt" on each other through this Mafia- style method was seemingly the only way these criminals implementing the New World Order kept each other "honest." De la Madrid and I went into a nearby bedroom, followed by Dante and the bodyguards. Dante then activated the programmed message instilled at the Shasta resort from Bush to de la Madrid. I recited, "If you please, Sir, I have a message to deliver to you from the Vice President of the United States. Welcome to our Neighborhood. As you know, Salinas and 1 have worked out the details towards implementing our plan to open the Juarez border tomorrow. In preparation and celebration of this accomplishment, this little party tonight will bring you face to face with a trusted few who are integral parts of this endeavor, and give you the latitude to see firsthand the friendship and honor among the (government-involved Mafioso) family members, I regret that I could not be here in person to greet you, but Ron (Reagan) can show you the ins and outs of the organization better than I. The transaction numbers have been recorded, and are available to you for cross reference purposes and to uphold the integrity of the players involved on your end of the Juarez border. Your commitment today ensures you of a higher economic standard of living for your people, increased relations with the U.S., an influx of American industry, and a position of high esteem in the New World Order, With your 'Seal of Approval' we can dissolve the Juarez border and make way for a future of prosperity for Mexico. For now, relax and enjoy your stay." One of de la Madrid's guards was snuffling through some papers from a briefcase, and he told Dante he would like the bank transaction numbers. Dante switched me to "You Are What You Read" Passbook programming, and I delivered the numbers intended for the border guards to de la Madrid as ordered. A computer of sorts was used to calculate and confirm the numbers. Aware that the meeting was being filmed by one of Dante's high tech "hidden" cameras, de la Madrid held up a paper-wrapped ball of Mexican heroin. Speaking directly at the camera, he cleverly said, "A token of appreciation, Mr. Bush, Something for your private stock. The finest heroin available. Enjoy." Dante strode across the room and said, "I'll take that and see to it that he gets it myself." "I'm sure you will," de la Madrid laughed. He then put all but one paper back in the briefcase. I was instructed to present the elaborately embossed Mexican Presidential Seal (of Approval) to pre-appointed Juarez border guards as proof of de la Madrid's commitment, then deliver it directly to Bush for his file on the future NAFTA agreement. Prepared to present a modified Hands-On Mind-Control Demonstration to de la Madrid, Dante said, "You've heard from a Carrier Pigeon (messenger). You've seen her in a mode to accept program. And now I will demonstrate some of her sexual modes." "That will not be necessary," de la Madrid told him. "I have been given a handful of keys that I would like to use on my own, including the one to destroy all memory. Not that it matters when we are monitored (he gestured toward the camera), but nevertheless I was instructed to do it." Dante did not seem to know this was not the first time I was sexually prostituted to the Mexican President. "She rides a horse well," Dante said, referring to both the rare practice of heroin to supposedly block my memory of this event, and a Reagan-inspired sex act. Dante stuck a needle in my arm. "May I recommend a ride for you?" "I am on one now that I would like to maintain," de la Madrid answered, referring to cocaine use and his running nose. Dante laid out several generous lines of the white drug on a black mirror. He stroked me under my chin triggering Reagan's sex Kitten personality, picked up Bush's heroin, and ushered the two guards out the door. De la Madrid, fully aware of my pornography exposure, said, "You like cameras? Let's give them something to watch." He snorted two more lines of coke, undressed, and further activated my sex programming with the verbal and physical keys and triggers Reagan had previously provided him. At one point he enthusiastically commented that "if I have my way, the Free Trade Agreement will include a few top of the tine (he snorted another line of coke for emphasis) "models" (vaginally) carved and trained like you." De la Madrid had long been obsessively fascinated with my vaginal mutilation carving. He was perversely excited at the prospect of the Juarez border joint venture drug deal including protected "free trade" of mind-controlled slaves. He reiterated his desire the next day during a meeting with Reagan.

How Vegan Diet Keeps Me Energized, Mentally Sharp and Full of Drive

‘But, where do you get your protein from?’. This is a question every vegan person hears nearly on a daily basis. And trust me, I had more than a couple of these discussions.

Somehow people believe that meat is a nutrient-rich super package. I might say something that shocks you now: It isn’t.

But let me explain: I feel energized, mentally sharp and full of drive living on a plant-based diet. I routinely work 60+ hour work weeks in a leadership position and manage to train nearly every day. In this article I want to share my secrets with you.

Six years ago I could’ve never predicted that I would ever write an article about veganism. I lived an unhealthy life. I smoked, I was totally physically inactive and I literally couldn’t have cared less about nutrition. I was a different being. Only in the recent past a full mind shift happened. After reading a book called Eating Animals from Jonathan Safran Foer. It opened my eyes and it helped me start my journey to a healthier, better life.

What a Vegan Diet Really Is

Thou shouldst eat to live; not live to eat. – Socrates

For a vegan diet to work, you need to develop a different perspective. The plant-based nutrition diet is full of vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, legumes, whole grains, beans, plant-derived milks while containing no animal products along the way. I could’ve started with focusing on what the vegan diet doesn’t contain, but I’d rather focus on what it does contain. It’s about perspective.

All these food options leaves you with a great pool of abundance on meal selection. Which leaves me to the key point: The one thing that you truly need for a vegan diet, is a mindset shift. Nutrition can be a stepping stone to get the most out of your life and fulfill your true potential, or it can be an annoying road block.

The Perks of Being a Vegan

If beef is your idea of ‘real food for real people’, you’d better live real close to a real good hospital. – Neal Barnard

A Strong Heart and Powerful Body

If you’re reading this, chances are high that your heart disease is already in the making. Heart disease is the current leading cause of death in the United States. The cardiovascular disease is formed by a plaque-build up in your arteries mainly from cholesterol and can be traced back well into your teen-years. A heart attack leads to a temporary oxygen and nutrient loss of the affected tissue, which leads to cell death. The same mechanism can happen in your brain, just with different terminology. It’s called a stroke.

A vegan diet can increase the blood flow to key-areas of your body (e.g. brain, heart, muscles, digestive system, reproductive system). This can lead to more energy and a better well-being.

Become a Productive and Eco-Friendly Being

Eating animals is not energy efficient. Think about it. You’re using food (plants – mostly soy beans) to create food (animals. E.g. chicken, pork). Although the life expectancy of farm animals are drastically reduced due to modern farming practices, eating animals still uses a great amount of resources. For example a piece of beef in a hamburger needed over 3,000 litres of water.

As a vegan you only produce half of the CO2 compared to meat eaters. You also only use one eleventh of fossil fuels, one thirteenth of water and one eighteenth of land compared to meat eaters. (I recommend watching the documentary ‘Cowspiracy ‘.) You are being a productive well-being who consumes little from the world yet lives a powerful life.

Contribution to the Globe

I try not to get too philosophical with this one. Humans have climbed the food chain in the last millions of years of your existence. The reason is not yet known. Maybe it was our larger brains with the dominant prefrontal cortex? The discovery of the advantageous effect of fire and cooking which made the consumption of food more effective? I cannot tell you.

The fact is: humans are in a position of power over countless of other species. Species, which are capable, according to numerous studies, to experience pain and suffering (the reason farmers install electric fences on their pasture areas). It’s better to use our power, gained through pure luck in the evolution, to benefit the lives of the sentient beings around us.

What to Know Before Following a Vegan Diet

If you need to use supplements to make a diet work, it is not natural. – Mike, 26 years old. Driving in a natural Toyota, on his way to his natural, climate-controlled office, working 9-5 on a natural, blue-light emitting computer device.

1. Ask yourself why you want to become a vegan.

Ask yourself this question and ask it critically. The why of your actions is very important.

Do you want to go along this plant-based journey because of one of the reasons I wrote down in this article? Or is it because you simply want to feel special and impress your friends? If it is the latter I might tell you something that may shock you: Don’t become a vegan.

Becoming a vegan should not be something that you do to enhance your ego, because it isn’t sustainable.

2. Avoid the vegan killers.

Yes, in general vegans live healthier than non-vegans. Protein is not an issue, if your diet has enough calories you will have enough protein in your diet. But nonetheless you have to avoid certain ‘killers’ in your diet. These are:

Oil – has been shown to minimize one’s lifespan. Contains a lot of calories and fat.

Sugar – can create an addiction. Contains a lot of calories.

Salt – can lead to placque build up in your arteries. Similar to animal products.

Processed Foods – can contain a lot of trans and saturated fats. Can also lead to placque build up in your arteries.

3. Eat as natural and wholesome as you can.

I remember laughing at a friend who was buying organic fruits and vegetables for breakfast. ‘Why do you consume such expensive products?’, I asked him – while joyously eating my $2 donut. This was 5 years ago. Nowadays I see food as something that fuels my body, something that I do to treat myself. The change was worth it. Don’t be penny wise and pound foolish. Invest in your well-being. Shop in the produce aisle more than you do in the snack section. Eat foods containing the ‘organic’-label, they’re lower on pesticides. Your body is worth it, trust me.

Supplements – Supplements should be a tool to enhance your well-being. I’m not advising you to fill cupboards in your kitchen with pills only. I’m advising you to pick the ones that are capable of enhancing your performance. The ones I’m talking about are:

Vitamin B12 – Vitamin B12 is made from microorganisms. It was originally found in our water supply and can still be found in natural spring water. Our water supply is purified nowadays that’s why it is absolutely crucial to supplement it on a vegan diet. It can be easily found on Amazon. Fun fact: Most farm animals need to get supplemented with Vitamin B12, that’s where the B12 stems from in a meat diet.

Vitamin D3 – Humans originated from the Equator area. In our past times we managed to get more sunlight in during the day that we do nowadays. That’s why I recommend Vitamin D3 supplementation. I’ve found it to dramatically improve my mental-, physical health and happiness.

Algae Derived Omega 3 – Fish Oil Omega 3 supplements are a hit nowadays because of their health benefits. I would recommend Algae Derived Omega 3 though, as fish has been shown to contain neurotoxins (bad for your brain).

The Easiest Way to Kickstart Vegan Diet

We’ve all tried it: fully change my whole life in a single day.

When I was younger I tried to start exercising, start eating healthy, start sleeping right – everything in a matter of hours. It worked great for the first week until I fell prey to my old, unhealthy habits again. You might have experienced this before too. You might have just read this post and you may be motivated to make a drastic change in your life. That’s cool, but nonetheless I recommend you to start small.

Every coach knows that the key to long-term habit change is consistency and sustainability. If you’re currently eating meat two times per week, start with reducing meat to one time per week. Small changes will lead to big changes in the long run.

Another key to habit change is starting immediately. Don’t wait for tomorrow. Are you heading out to dinner tonight? Maybe try something new and choose the vegetarian option. There’s nothing to lose and everything to gain. Always remember that your decisions have the impact of helping the animals, the planet and yourself.

Featured photo credit: Quality Gains via qualitygains.com

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Americans Demand Single-Payer Health Care at GOP Town Hall

New Post has been published on http://ourplanetary.com/americans-demand-single-payer-health-care-at-gop-town-hall/

Americans Demand Single-Payer Health Care at GOP Town Hall

Earlier this month, a reporter asked Nancy Pelosi if Democrats should run on a single-payer platform in 2018. Pelosi said no – that the “consolation degree” for a central authority-funded health care device is just “no longer there but” amongst a broad sufficient base of Americans.

Pelosi may feel in a different way had she been at Rep. Tom MacArthur’s metropolis corridor in Willington, New Jersey, Wednesday night time. Over 4-and-a-half grueling hours, the mild Republican accountable for resurrecting the American Health Care Act become pilloried by his parts, who argued forcefully, and time and again, in choose of a single-payer system.

New Jersey’s 0.33 congressional district runs the width of the nation, from Pennsylvania to the Atlantic Ocean. A deep V divides it into two almost distinct areas whose backside corners just barely touch at the middle. The eastern part of the district lies in Ocean County, domestic to the nation’s wealthiest enclave, Mantoloking; the western 1/2 sits squarely in Burlington County. A sandy swath of land referred to as the Pine Barrens runs between the two.

Willingboro Township, just across the Delaware River from Northern Philadelphia, is part of Burlington County. It’s seventy-three percentage black and has an in line with-capita earnings of much less than $22,000. It is not Tom MacArthur’s middle constituency. As the congressman notes in his commencing salvo Wednesday, Trump picked up just 9 percentage of the vote in Willingboro, whilst he himself “beaten it with 12 percentage.”

“In this part of the district, there are forty,000 more Democrats than Republicans,” the congressman says. “But after I force across the Pine Barrens tonight to move home, and I get out on the other side, I’ll be in a [county] that Donald Trump gained via greater than 90,000 votes. … I ought to represent each facet: this aspect, and also the opposite side, where our president gained two-to-one – two-to-one!”

MacArthur thinks of himself as a centrist, but this session he’s voted with Trump ninety-three percentage of the time. The most vital of those votes changed into the only the solid closing week, in want of the GOP plan to repeal and update Obamacare. He did not just vote for it, both – he wrote the amendment that was given the bill thru the House.

MacArthur is aware of the coverage industry properly. He likes to tout the reality that he made simply $13,000-a-12 months in his first process as an insurance investigator inside the New York City Housing Projects – yes, he brags approximately starting his career via taking health advantages far away from poor human beings. He spent three a long time within the subject, becoming very rich (his net well worth become estimated at more than $50 million in 2014), earlier than retiring as CEO of an insurance organization in 2011 to run for mayor, after which Congress, in New Jersey.

Like genuinely everyone else, he’s had studies on the alternative facet of medical health insurance corporations too. His mom died of cancer, without insurance, while MacArthur became simply 4 years antique; it took his dad years to repay the bills. His oldest daughter Grace, born with severe mental and bodily handicaps, gathered more than $1 million in the scientific bill before she died at age eleven.

It’s a testimony to just how poisonous MacArthur’s selection to assist Trump to push the AHCA thru the House was that, right here in his district, his impatient ingredients won’t even permit him to finish a tale about the death of his special wishes daughter before interrupting and urging him to take their questions on the Obamacare replacement invoice. “We’ve heard about your daughter! Get to the questions!” target audience participants shout. “Write a book!”

More than anything else, the components who’ve made it into the room – and MacArthur’s personnel checked to make sure they are constituents, even handing out labels identifying them as such – want to speak about single-payer. It’s the clear subject matter from the very start of the night, while a chant of “Single payer! Single payer!” broke out much less than ten minutes in, after MacArthur describes the Affordable Care Act as “collapsing.”

Derek Reichenbecher, a constituent with a coronary heart circumstance, is concerned what might occur to him if he misplaced his process and, with it, his coverage – growing an opening in coverage that, underneath the AHCA, could permit coverage companies to briefly deny him coverage, rate him sizeable rates or each.

“This is something this is very actual. This is my lifestyles. So while you talk approximately fitness care insurance like this – while you communicate about $8 billion to fund a high chance pool, and you say, ‘Don’t fear, you already have insurance,'” there are actual-world outcomes, he says, addressing MacArthur.

“Without fitness care coverage, I’m useless. I’m useless [or] bankrupt,” Reichenbecher says. “This is your modification, sir. With that amendment, you introduced [the AHCA] returned from the lifeless. It’s your’s; you very own it.”

The issue Reichenbecher defined might be a trouble for a “specific, narrow group of people,” MacArthur insists, emphasizing that he is worked to get the ones billions of greenbacks introduced to the plan to assist fund excessive-risk pools for human beings with pre-current conditions. (That money is doled out over five years, and is considered woefully insufficient to meet the level of need that would be created below the regulation.)

The electorate rejects that solution on its face. “It should not be a marketplace! My health care should not be a market,” one yells. “When did we emerge as a society that does not care approximately every other?” another shouts.

And: “I actually have family in Canada. They get coverage under the under authorities. They are sorted, and nobody has any court cases. … This is all approximately coverage groups earning money at our price!”

An hour-and-a-1/2 in, 92-year-antique Ruth Gage stands up in the back. “We’ve had this single-payer communique earlier than,” she reminds MacArthur. “You said, ‘Would I like a few bureaucrat in Washington to make decisions approximately my health care if we had single payer?’ And I stated, ‘What makes that anything worse than a few worker of a coverage employer?'”

MacArthur seems to her and says, earnestly, “I think there’s a distinction. What I even have located, in 30 years inside the private quarter, and now more than one years in the public region is that government bureaucrats can be very risky when they have power.”

The room erupts into grim gales of laughter. When it subsequently quiets down, MacArthur may be heard pronouncing, “I do not need a system where there may be nobody left to make decisions aside from federal bureaucrats – I assume it is a horrible mistake for this use. That’s my belief.”

A little later, a young black man stands up. He would not deliver his name; he simply says, “You’ve been speaking a lot approximately your parts on the alternative side of the Pine Barrens and the way they affect your policy choices. When are our ideas, on this side of the Pine Barrens, going to have an effect on your coverage choices? Everybody right here speaks approximately unmarried-payer, and you are nevertheless looking to push this different stuff on us, however we are the constituents – in case you want to head lower back [to D.C], in case you want another flip, you would possibly need to concentrate on what these humans have to say.”

As the night goes on, and MacArthur begins to get a take care of-of the room, a funny factor happens: He starts looking to promote the excessive-threat swimming pools his modification creates by means of likening them to a single-payer device.

Of the taxpayer-funded high-chance pools, MacArthur says, “it protects you, and it maintains all people else’s premiums lower priced. It’s now not that clean. I remember the fact that some other solution is unmarried-payer – I get that,” he acknowledges, approximately three hours in. “I think it is now not, in the end, a good solution for the American people, but I get that it’s far an answer. I’m seeking to supply a specific one.”

Geoff Ginter, carrying blue sanatorium scrubs, isn’t always buying it. “Health care isn’t always like shopping for whatever else. You can’t anticipate human beings to be excellent ‘clients’ of health care,” Ginter says. “You’re purported to be vetting docs and vetting hospitals and knowing what an MRI charges and knowing what a CT test costs and a cardiac catheterization – how a good deal does that value? And is the price extraordinary if I have this doctor or this doctor?”

“Health coverage as a for-profit commercial enterprise is immoral,” he bellows, because the whole room breaks into applause. “You want to make cash off of me. And the reason you [don’t want] to go to unmarried-payer is not due to the fact you don’t consider it,” Ginter adds, straining to be heard. “It’s due to the fact you understand the coverage companies have a powerful foyer and they’d decimate you.”

He finishes: “I have no value to a coverage organization. I can not do anything to their CEO, I can’t do something to their worker. Nothing. I can argue until I’m blue in the face. But a single-payer, run via the authorities? Yeah, it is were given troubles, however, it is also got elections, and you will discover that out in 2018.”

MIKEY’S PERSONAL BLOG 75, October 2017

The past few days have been really difficult for me to say the least. I can already feel that I’m in a state of transition right now after walking away from my current personal trainer Luke Davey last Friday. It was an extremely tough decision for me as I was hoping that things would get better and that we could turn a corner somehow. But the reality is that I just wasn’t happy training there anymore. No amount of self-help books, positive affirmations and friendly exchanges could cover up how I was truly feeling inside...uncertain, depressed, frustrated, misunderstood, conflicted, upset and hurt. I needed to move on.

Does it make me a bad person to want to change personal trainers? Hell no! I don’t think so. My biggest problem has always been worrying what other people will think and how they will react to my decisions. Am I making the right choice? Am I being too sensitive? Am I giving up too easily? Nope. I’m simply doing what’s best for me. From my perspective, there’s no bad blood between myself and Luke at all and I really appreciate everything he has done for me. He has helped me achieve many of my fitness goals. He has challenged me physically, mentally and emotionally. I’ve learned lots of new skills, movements and techniques.

So no, I don’t regret any of it at all. I just hope that Luke can accept and respect my decision as well. I’m really proud of myself for being open and honest with Luke as well as ending this PT-client relationship on respectful and peaceful terms.

Here is a list of achievements I’ve made with Luke Davey at Breakaway Fitness:

Losing 20kg of body weight (from 105 to 85kg)

Building up lean muscle in my arms, legs, glutes, hamstrings, back, buttocks etc.

Learning the correct techniques, forms and movements for doing deadlifts, back squats, front squats, bench press and dumbbell bench press

Completing many AMRAPs (As Many Reps As Possible), EMOTM (Every Minute on the Minute), 3-4 rounds and time based workouts

Learning how to do stretches, box jumps, push ups, ring rows, using the balance board, kettle bell swings, single arm kettle bell lifts, squats, walking lunges and burpees

Improved my squat depth and weight lifting ability

Learning how to deal with anxiety, depression, fear, stress, overthinking, self-doubt, self confidence issues and believing in myself

On Monday morning, I went to my Yin yoga class with Kelly Wallis at Now, Yoga. in Narre Warren South. I kinda embarrassed myself this morning as I expected to see Kelly the moment I walked into the studio but instead saw another lady at the desk and instantly assumed that she was filling in. Whoops! But I let that moment go pretty quickly. It was moderately full class with about 10 students or so. I haven’t been to one of Kelly’s classes in a long time and I’ve missed her style of teaching.

Today there was a lot of focus on doing long holds and supported variations of poses including Standing Forward Bend, Yogic Squat, Sphinx pose, Puppy pose, Cow Face pose, Reclining Single Leg Spinal Twist and Child’s pose. And for the first time in the eight years I’ve been doing yoga, everyone had a literally chuck a temper tantrum. Normally, I hardly ever give myself permission to act silly or make lots of loud noises but today was the exception. And it felt great...releasing negative emotions like anger, frustration, guilt, shame, regret is so important and trust Kelly to come up with the idea. It was brilliant! http://nowyoga.net.au/ 

On Monday night, I revisited The Yard Strength & Fitness in Pakenham for the first time since August. It felt good being back here. In some ways, it was the ace up my sleeve if things went pear shaped at UFT. You can call it jumping ship but I have honourable intentions behind it. I truly believe that I deserve to train in a place where I feel supported and encouraged by everyone there. Part of me will miss being at UFT PLAYgrounds but I know in myself that I’ve made the right decision in leaving. I have to keep moving forward. https://www.facebook.com/TheYardStr... 

Tonight I did a Bootcamp class with two other girls, Eliza and Ebony, and it was run by Stacey Kett. We warmed up by doing some kettle bell swings and runs up and down the carpark. It honestly felt like I was doing the beep test back in high school PE class. Next we did a series of movements at 25 seconds each including KB squats, bar knee tucks, KB swings, squat bar jumps, KB high lifts, plank holds with KB touch and push ups. 

The final part involved an eight round TABATA doing plank holds. I was pretty much shaking and pouring with sweat at this point. My foam yoga mat was covered in it. But that meant that I really worked hard tonight. None of the tough emotional issues from last week were going to bring me down. I also feel like I’m improving heaps with my push ups, squats, running and plank holds.     

After the Bootcamp class, I had a brief chat with Abhishek Ashokkumar from Silverback Training Co. about the possibility of him becoming my next personal trainer. Honestly, I was a little nervous and weary as I normally am meeting new people but I felt comfortable enough to tell him about my goals, my mental health issues, what happened between me and Luke and why I want him to train me. I’m looking for someone who is compassionate, supportive, encouraging, patient and kind. Hopefully Abhi can deliver on those fronts. One step at a time. https://www.facebook.com/silverback... 

On Tuesday morning, I had my feedback session with Dr. Yasmin Baliz at CNS: Comprehensive Neuropsychological Services in Narre Warren. I was feeling a bit nervous waiting for Yasmin to arrive the reception area with my mum sitting across from me. Today was the day that I’ll find out either way whether I sit on the Autism Spectrum or not. We sat in the same room that we were in during the first appointment, with the same white plush leather sofas, black glass coffee table, fake palms and artificial cricket/tadpole noises from the Rainforest Room next door. 

So the moment of truth...I’ve been officially diagnosed with High Functioning Autism, which is essentially a mild form of Autism. Characteristics for diagnosis include difficulties with social interaction in groups, poor social skills, difficulties with verbal and non-verbal communication, prefers routine and predictable environments, prefers independent activities and finds sensory environments to be overwhelming. It was a lot of information to process in that session but thankfully there is lots of support and resources out there to understand it better. http://www.cnspsych.com.au/process.... 

Yasmin left me with the “The Autism Spectrum Information Booklet” and will be posting me out the report on my results from the assessment. I feel better knowing that there is an underlying cause for my thoughts, feelings, emotions and behaviour particularly in social situations that were often difficult to explain to others. There is a strong genetic component with a cousin on my Mother’s side also having Autism and there have been signs since childhood that I may be predisposed to it. But at least I know now so it’s like a veil’s been lifted. http://www.autism-help.org/autism-h... 

On Tuesday night, I attended the Mental Health & Wellbeing seminar at YMCA Casey ARC in Narre Warren. Sadly there wasn’t a big attendance at tonight’s event with most staff members taking up the semi-circle of folded chairs but I still felt like I got a lot out of the presentation. https://www.caseyarc.ymca.org.au/wh... 

The first presenter was a guy named James who is a personal trainer and an ambassador for Beyond Blue. He has suffered with depression and suicidal thoughts since the age of 13, going through periods of low self-esteem, self harm, substance abuse and denial. It took him many attempts to overcome his depression with several relapses and various psychologists but eventually he pulled through it. His strategies include finding a psychologist with similar values, being open about how you’re thinking and feeling and doing productive activities such as reading, going to the gym, hanging out with mates. https://www.beyondblue.org.au/conne... 

The second presenter was Dr. James Collard who is a clinical psychologist and representative from CBT Australia. His talk on mental health was more in depth and academic, exploring where emotions come from, the biological, social and psychological aspects, the effects of depression and anxiety, dealing with anger and problem behaviours and using self-care strategies to help cope with mental health issues. He provided quite a few examples from young clients and parents who he has worked with over the years which I found to be quite relatable. https://www.cbtaustralia.com.au/ 

On Thursday morning, I attended my Body Balance class with Wendy Lynne Perrow at YMCA Casey ARC in Narre Warren. It was a really great feeling to walk into that group fitness studio and be welcomed by Wendy as soon as I stepped onto the mat...”It’s lovely to see you again Michael. Welcome back.” Sometimes that’s all you need, that acknowledgement, to know that somebody else cares about you and it’s what I needed in that moment. Truthfully, I’ve missed Wendy’s classes as well. 

Today we did release number 69 which featured the following exercises: Tai-Chi Warmup (Overhead circles, Wide legged arm sweeps, Soft blocks), Sun Salutations (Forward fold, Downward Facing Dog, Plank, Baby Cobra), Standing Strength (Warrior 2, Sun Warrior), Balance (Aeroplane pose, Dancer’s pose), Pilates (Double arm and leg extensions, Double D, Threading the Needle), Twists (Seated open and closed twist, Butterfly pose) and Hamstring Stretches (Staff pose with legs crossed, Wide Legged Forward Fold) and Relaxation. https://grandnat.co.uk/what-already... 

The thing I really appreciate about Wendy’s classes is her patience and guidance, allowing us all to take different options if we need to and not worry if the poses or movements aren’t “perfect”. She always has a way of making the class enjoyable for everyone and when it comes to the Relaxation, she is the undisputed queen of Guided Meditations. Her voice is so gentle and calming. I could easily drift off to sleep if I wanted to! https://www.lesmills.com/workouts/f...                 On Friday morning, I had my Body Combat class with Cinamon Guerin at YMCA Casey ARC in Narre Warren. So today’s class was a little different than usual. Firstly, it’s a longer class at 55 minutes and there was many more people participating, probably around 30 or so. There was also a small group of women down the front who were loud, extroverted and singing along with the tracks. I made the choice to not let them bother me nor do I necessarily have to be like them or copy what they’re doing. Just focus on being myself and doing my own workout.

There were quite a few challenging sections in this morning’s class especially doing dynamic lunges and front kicks. It always messes with my balance and I find it difficult to keep up the pace. But otherwise I was doing fine. I put a lot of effort in and could feel a huge emotional release during the jab boxes. You just get to the point where you’ve had enough of dealing with negativity and people who bring you down. So it felt good getting all of that out of my system today. https://www.lesmills.com/workouts/f...

“I can't fake it, it's never enough. It's got a hold on me. Left behind here, I can't keep up. Come get a hold of me. I was thinking if I could be tough. You'd wanna hold onto me. I will be your home, keep you warm when it's cold. I will try to be what you need when you're low. I can only promise the girl that I am. I'll do anything that I can.”                              Broods - Recovery (2016)

“Something tipped me over. Someone knocked me down. Emptied out my inside. Poured it on the ground. A cavern for a body, The deeper darker kind. For all I hear are echoes, Repeat inside my mind. I thought the shade around me, was making me feel blind. I thought I was a hero, but I was just a child.” Broods - Worth The Fight (2016)

How Vegan Diet Keeps Me Energized, Mentally Sharp and Full of Drive

‘But, where do you get your protein from?’. This is a question every vegan person hears nearly on a daily basis. And trust me, I had more than a couple of these discussions.

Somehow people believe that meat is a nutrient-rich super package. I might say something that shocks you now: It isn’t.

But let me explain: I feel energized, mentally sharp and full of drive living on a plant-based diet. I routinely work 60+ hour work weeks in a leadership position and manage to train nearly every day. In this article I want to share my secrets with you.

Six years ago I could’ve never predicted that I would ever write an article about veganism. I lived an unhealthy life. I smoked, I was totally physically inactive and I literally couldn’t have cared less about nutrition. I was a different being. Only in the recent past a full mind shift happened. After reading a book called Eating Animals from Jonathan Safran Foer. It opened my eyes and it helped me start my journey to a healthier, better life.

What a Vegan Diet Really Is

Thou shouldst eat to live; not live to eat. – Socrates

For a vegan diet to work, you need to develop a different perspective. The plant-based nutrition diet is full of vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, legumes, whole grains, beans, plant-derived milks while containing no animal products along the way. I could’ve started with focusing on what the vegan diet doesn’t contain, but I’d rather focus on what it does contain. It’s about perspective.

All these food options leaves you with a great pool of abundance on meal selection. Which leaves me to the key point: The one thing that you truly need for a vegan diet, is a mindset shift. Nutrition can be a stepping stone to get the most out of your life and fulfill your true potential, or it can be an annoying road block.

The Perks of Being a Vegan

If beef is your idea of ‘real food for real people’, you’d better live real close to a real good hospital. – Neal Barnard

A Strong Heart and Powerful Body

If you’re reading this, chances are high that your heart disease is already in the making. Heart disease is the current leading cause of death in the United States. The cardiovascular disease is formed by a plaque-build up in your arteries mainly from cholesterol and can be traced back well into your teen-years. A heart attack leads to a temporary oxygen and nutrient loss of the affected tissue, which leads to cell death. The same mechanism can happen in your brain, just with different terminology. It’s called a stroke.

A vegan diet can increase the blood flow to key-areas of your body (e.g. brain, heart, muscles, digestive system, reproductive system). This can lead to more energy and a better well-being.

Become a Productive and Eco-Friendly Being

Eating animals is not energy efficient. Think about it. You’re using food (plants – mostly soy beans) to create food (animals. E.g. chicken, pork). Although the life expectancy of farm animals are drastically reduced due to modern farming practices, eating animals still uses a great amount of resources. For example a piece of beef in a hamburger needed over 3,000 litres of water.

As a vegan you only produce half of the CO2 compared to meat eaters. You also only use one eleventh of fossil fuels, one thirteenth of water and one eighteenth of land compared to meat eaters. (I recommend watching the documentary ‘Cowspiracy ‘.) You are being a productive well-being who consumes little from the world yet lives a powerful life.

Contribution to the Globe

I try not to get too philosophical with this one. Humans have climbed the food chain in the last millions of years of your existence. The reason is not yet known. Maybe it was our larger brains with the dominant prefrontal cortex? The discovery of the advantageous effect of fire and cooking which made the consumption of food more effective? I cannot tell you.

The fact is: humans are in a position of power over countless of other species. Species, which are capable, according to numerous studies, to experience pain and suffering (the reason farmers install electric fences on their pasture areas). It’s better to use our power, gained through pure luck in the evolution, to benefit the lives of the sentient beings around us.

What to Know Before Following a Vegan Diet

If you need to use supplements to make a diet work, it is not natural. – Mike, 26 years old. Driving in a natural Toyota, on his way to his natural, climate-controlled office, working 9-5 on a natural, blue-light emitting computer device.

1. Ask yourself why you want to become a vegan.

Ask yourself this question and ask it critically. The why of your actions is very important.

Do you want to go along this plant-based journey because of one of the reasons I wrote down in this article? Or is it because you simply want to feel special and impress your friends? If it is the latter I might tell you something that may shock you: Don’t become a vegan.

Becoming a vegan should not be something that you do to enhance your ego, because it isn’t sustainable.

2. Avoid the vegan killers.

Yes, in general vegans live healthier than non-vegans. Protein is not an issue, if your diet has enough calories you will have enough protein in your diet. But nonetheless you have to avoid certain ‘killers’ in your diet. These are:

Oil – has been shown to minimize one’s lifespan. Contains a lot of calories and fat.

Sugar – can create an addiction. Contains a lot of calories.

Salt – can lead to placque build up in your arteries. Similar to animal products.

Processed Foods – can contain a lot of trans and saturated fats. Can also lead to placque build up in your arteries.

3. Eat as natural and wholesome as you can.

I remember laughing at a friend who was buying organic fruits and vegetables for breakfast. ‘Why do you consume such expensive products?’, I asked him – while joyously eating my $2 donut. This was 5 years ago. Nowadays I see food as something that fuels my body, something that I do to treat myself. The change was worth it. Don’t be penny wise and pound foolish. Invest in your well-being. Shop in the produce aisle more than you do in the snack section. Eat foods containing the ‘organic’-label, they’re lower on pesticides. Your body is worth it, trust me.

Supplements – Supplements should be a tool to enhance your well-being. I’m not advising you to fill cupboards in your kitchen with pills only. I’m advising you to pick the ones that are capable of enhancing your performance. The ones I’m talking about are:

Vitamin B12 – Vitamin B12 is made from microorganisms. It was originally found in our water supply and can still be found in natural spring water. Our water supply is purified nowadays that’s why it is absolutely crucial to supplement it on a vegan diet. It can be easily found on Amazon. Fun fact: Most farm animals need to get supplemented with Vitamin B12, that’s where the B12 stems from in a meat diet.

Vitamin D3 – Humans originated from the Equator area. In our past times we managed to get more sunlight in during the day that we do nowadays. That’s why I recommend Vitamin D3 supplementation. I’ve found it to dramatically improve my mental-, physical health and happiness.

Algae Derived Omega 3 – Fish Oil Omega 3 supplements are a hit nowadays because of their health benefits. I would recommend Algae Derived Omega 3 though, as fish has been shown to contain neurotoxins (bad for your brain).

The Easiest Way to Kickstart Vegan Diet

We’ve all tried it: fully change my whole life in a single day.

When I was younger I tried to start exercising, start eating healthy, start sleeping right – everything in a matter of hours. It worked great for the first week until I fell prey to my old, unhealthy habits again. You might have experienced this before too. You might have just read this post and you may be motivated to make a drastic change in your life. That’s cool, but nonetheless I recommend you to start small.

Every coach knows that the key to long-term habit change is consistency and sustainability. If you’re currently eating meat two times per week, start with reducing meat to one time per week. Small changes will lead to big changes in the long run.

Another key to habit change is starting immediately. Don’t wait for tomorrow. Are you heading out to dinner tonight? Maybe try something new and choose the vegetarian option. There’s nothing to lose and everything to gain. Always remember that your decisions have the impact of helping the animals, the planet and yourself.

Featured photo credit: Quality Gains via qualitygains.com

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