On a Sunday night in June, the twenty-nine-year-old astrologer Aliza Kelly was preparing to broadcast an Astrology 101 live stream from her apartment, on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. A glittering SpectroLED light panel made the living room feel like a tiny movie set. My manager took me to get these lights at B&H, she said.

A windowsill was lined with gifts from clientsan illustrated zodiac, a white orchid. Kelly sat cross-legged on a taupe ottoman, wearing cat eyeliner and large hoop earrings, greeting people and waving as they appeared in the online chat room. That is one of my favorite things, as a Leo and as a personbuilding community, she said. It was a little before eight-thirty, and some of the fifty-two participantswho had paid between $19.99 and $39.99 eachwere typing hellos; one woman, in Europe, had set her alarm for 2:30 A.M., to log in. Once the class started, Kelly clicked through a slide deck about ancient Babylonia; William Lilly, the English Merlin, who was consulted by both sides during the English Civil War; and the signs of the zodiac. To explain the traits of Aries, she put up a picture of Mariah Carey (She loves getting presents). For Pisces, she had Rihanna and Steve Jobs. My main favorite thing is to talk about the signs as celebrities, she said. Because these are modern-day mythological figures. In ancient Greece, if you said Athena, everyone knew, Oh, thats what Athena is like.

Kellys schedule is typical for a millennial astrologer. She writes books (on zodiac-themed cocktails); does events (at the private club Soho House); offers individual chart readings (a hundred and seventy-five dollars an hour); hosts a podcast (Stars Like Us); makes memes (for lolz); manages a virtual coven called the Constellation Club, with membership levels that cost from five dollars to two hundred; and has worked as a consultant for the astrology app Sanctuary. She also writes an advice column for Cosmopolitan, and hosts an occasional Cosmo video series in which she guesses celebrities signs based on their answers to twelve questions. According to the editor-in-chief, Jessica Pels, who has expanded the magazines print coverage of astrology to nine pages in every issue, seventy-four per cent of Cosmo readers report that they are obsessed with astrology; seventy-two per cent check their horoscope every day.

Astrology is currently enjoying a broad cultural acceptance that hasnt been seen since the nineteen-seventies. The shift began with the advent of the personal computer, accelerated with the Internet, and has reached new speeds through social media. According to a 2017 Pew Research Center poll, almost thirty per cent of Americans believe in astrology. But, as the scholar Nicholas Campion, the author of Astrology and Popular Religion in the Modern West, has argued, the number of people who know their sun sign, consult their horoscope, or read about the sign of their romantic partner is much higher. New spirituality is the new norm, the trend-forecasting company WGSN declared two years ago, when it announced a report on millennials and spirituality that tracked such trends as full-moon parties and alternative therapies. Last year, the Times, in a piece entitled How Astrology Took Over the Internet, heralded astrologys return as a compelling content business as much as a traditional spiritual practice. The Atlantic proclaimed, Astrology is a meme. As a meme, its life cycle has been unusually long. My account, it was meant to be a fun thing for me to do on the side while I was a production assistant, Courtney Perkins, who runs the Instagram account Not All Geminis, which has more than five hundred thousand followers, said. Then it blew up and now its likeI dont know. I didnt mean for this to be... life.

In its penetration into our shared lexicon, astrology is a little like psychoanalysis once was. At mid-century, you might have heard talk of id, ego, or superego at a party; now its common to hear someone explain herself by way of sun, moon, and rising signs. Its not just that you hear it. Its whos saying it: people who arent kooks or climate-change deniers, who see no contradiction between using astrology and believing in science. The change is fuelling a new generation of practitioners. Fifteen years ago, astrology conferences were the gray-streaked province of, as one astrologer told me, white ladies in muumuus decorated with stars. Kay Taylor, the education director of the Organization for Professional Astrology, said that those who came of age in the seventies were worried about the future of the profession. Now, she said, all of a sudden theres this new crop. In the past year, the membership of the Association for Young Astrologers has doubled.

The corporate world has taken note of the publics appetite. Last year, the astrologer Rebecca Gordon partnered with the lingerie brand Agent Provocateur to produce a zodiac-themed event where customers could use their Venus signs to, in Gordons words, find their personal styles. This spring, Amazon sent out shopping horoscopes to its Prime Insider subscribers. Astrology is also being used to help launch businesses. This summer, the forty-six-year-old siblings Ophira and Tali Edut, known as the AstroTwins, started Astropreneurs Summer Camp, a seven-week Web-based course. Participants analyzed their birth charts to determine whether they were Influencers, Experts, or Mavens/Messengers, and got advice on how to tailor their professional plans accordingly.

The popularity of astrology is often explained as the result of the decline of organized religion and the rise of economic precariousness, and as one aspect of a larger turn to New Age modalities. Then, theres the matter of political panic. In times of crisis, it is often said, people search for something to believe in. The first newspaper astrology column was commissioned in August, 1930, in the aftermath of the stock-market crash, for the British tabloid the Sunday Express. The occasion was Princess Margarets birth. What the Stars Foretell for the New Princess was so popularand such a terrific distractionthat the paper made it a regular feature. After the financial collapse in 2008, Gordon, who runs a popular online astrology school, received calls from Wall Street bankers. All of those structures that people had relied upon, 401(k)s and everything, started to fall apart, she said. Thats how a lot of people get into it. Theyre, like, Whats going on in my life? Nothing makes sense. Ten years later, more than retirement plans have fallen apart. I think the 2016 election changed everything, Colin Bedell, an astrologer whose online handle is Queer Cosmos, told me. People were just, like, we need to come to some spiritual school of thought. As Kelly put it, In the Obama years, people liked astrology. In the Trump years, people need it.

The idea at the heart of astrology is that the pattern of a persons lifeor character, or naturecorresponds to the planetary pattern at the moment of his birth, the historian Benson Bobrick writes in his 2005 book, The Fated Sky. Such an idea is as old as the world is oldthat all things bear the imprint of the moment they are born. Western astrology had its origins in ancient Mesopotamia, and spread throughout Egypt, Greece, the Roman Empire, and the Islamic world. Astrology helped people decide when to plant crops and go to war, and was used to predict a persons fate and interpret his character. Would he have good luck with money? Would he ascend the throne? (When the astrologer Theogenes cast Augustus chart, Bobrick writes, the astrologer reportedly gasped and threw himself at his feet.)

According to Bobrick, Theodore Roosevelt kept his birth chart on a table in his drawing room, and Charles de Gaulle and Franois Mitterrand sought advice from astrologers. (Astrology has also been used to intentionally mislead political enemies. In 1942 and 1943, the Allies distributed a fake astrology magazine called Der Zenit, which, among other things, endeavored to disguise the Allied ambush of German U-boat operations.) Ronald Reagans chief of staff said that Reagan consulted an astrologer before virtually every major move and decision, including the timing of his relection announcement, military actions in Grenada and Libya, and disarmament negotiations with Mikhail Gorbachev.

For some adherents, astrology can explain everything from earthquakes (Saturn crossing the south node) to the rise of social media (an increase in Cesarean sections has led to an increase in births between 9 A.M. and 5 P.M., and thus a rise in the number of suns in the tenth house, which governs reputation and prestige). But what attracts most people to astrology today has more to do with psychology. Psychological astrology, influenced by Carl Jung, treated the birth charta diagram that shows the individuals relation to the cosmos at birthas the representation of the psyche and used it to talk about such things as purpose, potential, and self-actualization. Its hard to understand the deep appeal of astrological practice without having or observing an individual chart reading, an experience whose closest analogue is therapy. But unlike therapy, where a client might spend months or even years uncovering the roots of a symptom, astrology promises to get to answers more quickly. Despite common misconceptions, an astrologer is not a fortune-teller. In a chart reading, she doesnt predict the future; she describes the client to herself.

Watch The Backstory:Christine Smallwood on how millennials are fuelling a resurgence of astrology.

The power of description can be great. Couching characteristics in the language of astrology seems to make it easier for many people to hear, or admit, unpleasant things about their personalitiesand to accept those traits in others. (The friend who comes over and never leaves? She cant help it. Shes a Taurus.) Most astrologers say that its important not to use your sign to excuse bad behavior. Still, as the AstroTwins have written, astrology is kind of like the peanut butter that you slip the heartworm pill in before giving it to your Golden Retriever. You can tell someone, Youre such a spotlight hog! and they kind of want to slap you. But if you say, Youre a Leo. You need to be the center of attention, theyre like, Yeah baby, thats me.

For centuries, drawing an astrological chart required some familiarity with astronomy and geometry. Today, a chart can be generated instantly, and for free, on the Internet. Astrology is ubiquitous on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, and in downloadable workshops, classes, and Webinars. A new frontier has opened with mobile apps.

In July, I was ushered into a glass-enclosed conference room on the sixth floor of a building in Tribeca to meet with Banu Guler, the thirty-one-year-old co-founder and C.E.O. of the astrology app Co-Star, whose Web site promises to allow irrationality to invade our techno-rationalist ways of living. Guler is a casting directors idea of a tech executive. She is a vegan who used to design punk zines and was a bike messenger until she got into a gnarly car wreck. She has cropped hair, a septum piercing, and a tattoo of Medea on the back of one leg. Why Medea? I asked. Witchcraft, she explained. A copy of Liz Greenes Relating: An Astrological Guide to Living with Others on a Small Planet lay between us. Guler hasnt read it, but its been on her Goodreads list forever.

The market for astrology apps has changed dramatically in the past few years. In 2015, when Aliza Kelly was raising money for a short-lived astrology dating app called Align, she was mocked by prospective investors. (Literally, this one guy wrote, I usually wish people well, and in your case I dont, because youre defying science and the Enlightenment era, she told me.) Now venture capitalists, excited by a report from IBISWorld which found that Americans spend $2.2 billion annually on mystical services (including palmistry, tarot reading, etc.), are funnelling money into the area. Co-Star is backed by six million dollars. Since its launch, in 2017, it has been downloaded six million times. Eighty per cent of users are female, and their average age is twenty-four.

Co-Star has competitors. Theres the Pattern, an app whose creepily accurate psychological and compatibility analyses are generated by birth charts but are delivered free of any astrological references. (The actor Channing Tatum recently had a meltdown on social mediaHow do you know what you know about me, Pattern?after his pattern, apparently, hit too close to home.) The doyenne of popular astrology, Susan Miller, employs an assistant, four editors, and eight engineers to produce her books, calendars, Web site (it has eleven million views annually), and app, which caters to those who find the forty-thousand-word forecasts on her site insufficient. (Miller was an early Internet presence, and her style is at once maternal and optimistically pragmatic. At a recent event in Macys flagship store, in Herald Square, she told the audience, Freezing your eggs is expensive, but I want every girl here who doesnt have a baby to do it!) Sanctuary offers free daily horoscopes and, for twenty dollars a month, a fifteen-minute text exchange with an astrologer. One person I interviewed compared it to a psychic 900 hotline for the DM era. The most informative app is Vices Astro Guide, which the company imagines as a tool not just for self-care but for cosmic wellness.

Co-Stars daily horoscopes appear under categories that are only slightly incomprehensible, such as Mood Facilitating Responsibility or Identity Enhancing Emotional Stability. The app generates content by pulling and recombining phrases that have been coded to correspond to astronomical phenomena. Currently, the company employs four people to write these bits of languagetwo poets, an editor, and an astrologer. The app sometimes generates nonsenseYou will have a bit of luck relating to your natural sense of self-control, it told me recentlyand can be blunt to the point of rudeness. Users like to screenshot and post Co-Stars push notifications, activities that help explain why the company doesnt spend anything on advertising. Dont even try to make yourself understood today. Its not worth it is a typical example of the tone. Guler relishes it. Its not, like, Go sit and journal and write four sentences about the world you wish to see, she said, leaning across the table. Its, like, Go take a fucking cold shower.

On the day we met, Guler, like everyone in her office, was wearing all black. This happens, she said, not infrequently. (Whether it happens more frequently when journalists are visiting, she did not say.) Guler first realized that astrology could be a business when she went to a party for a friends newborn with a birth chart as a gift, and everyone at the party wanted one for her baby, too.

When Guler was a child, her mother used to do readings from the grounds in her thick Turkish coffee. It was, Guler said, a way to have conversations about feelings that would otherwise be difficult. The sludge, for lack of a better word, forms shapes, she said. Its, like, Theres this divot or valley herewhats going on with you? Something bad? Today, she said, anxietys up, depression is up, loneliness is up. But, with astrology, you can use this language to walk into a room and be, like, Im going through my Saturn return. Im reckoning with restrictions and limits and boundaries right now.

On the one hand, Guler said, todays problems are bound up with the rise of technology: Were really operating from this place that technology is doing something weird to our brains. On the other hand, she said, technology will be the antidote, by teaching us to speak about ourselves. Co-Star currently allows you to find friends and read their astrological profiles, and its future plans call for more social features. Co-Star, like all tech companies, dreams of bringing people togetherto spend more time, presumably, on the app itself.

In The Stars Down to Earth, Theodor Adornos 1953 critique of a newspapers sun-sign column, he argued that astrology appealed to persons who do not any longer feel that they are the self-determining subjects of their fate. The mid-century citizen had been primed to accept magical thinking by systems of fascistic opaqueness and inscrutability. Its easy to name our own opaque and inscrutable systemssurveillance capitalism, a byzantine health-insurance systembut to say that we are no longer the self-determining subjects of our fate is also to recognize the many ways that our lives are governed by circumstances outside our control. We know that our genetic codes predispose us to certain diseases, and that the income bracket we are born into can determine our future. Fate is another word for circumstance.

On a hot Tuesday night this summer, two dozen students of astrology gathered in a stuffy back room of the Open Center, in midtown Manhattan, to discuss a partial lunar eclipse and the birth chart of Jeffrey Epstein, who had recently been arrested on charges of sex trafficking. Anne Ortelee and Mark Wolz, astrologers who have been leading the class in various locations for twelve years, sat up front. Ortelee, talking fast, mixing jargon and dry jokes in a manner not unlike that of a sportscaster calling a game, pointed to the details of the chart. Epstein had his sun in Aquarius and his moon in Aries, so he was used to having his way. Venus, which rules love, money, and pleasure, and Mars, which rules action, desire, and war, were in Pisces, suggesting trouble with boundaries and addictive tendencies. She said that his Mercury-Uranus-Venus-Mars configuration represented sex with young childrenMercury is young children, Mars is sex.

Some of the students were studying to pass accreditation exams; others were simply interested in deepening their knowledge. A few had been coming to the class for years. A young man in the front row with deep-set eyes and a faint mustache noted that the arrangement of Saturn, Neptune, and Uranus could indicate a sudden and unexpected death. Ortelee, who wore a flowered dress and held a sweating cup of iced coffee, nodded. This is not a guy whos going to live long in prison, she said. A woman in a red dress raised her hand to point out the connection between the July eclipses (there were two) and the astrology of October, 2018, when Brett Kavanaugh was sworn in as a Supreme Court Justice. Kavanaugh was also an evil Aquarius, she said, to general murmurs.

Some teachers use students birth charts in classes, but because a chart is personalLooking at your chart is kind of like looking at you naked, the student with the mustache told meOrtelee prefers to use the charts of notable figures. Astrologers have been doing so for a long time. In 1552, Luca Gaurico, a court adviser to Catherine de Mdici, published a book of horoscopes about Popes, cardinals, princes, and other famous men. Similar books followed, featuring analyses of Erasmus, Albrecht Drer, and Henry VIII. More recently, Ortelees class had studied the charts of Tucker Carlson and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who lit up the Internet this spring when a staffer confirmed her birth time (one of the three pieces of data, along with date and location, that are needed to calculate a birth chart). In another class this summer at the Open Center, I listened as the students discussed the birth chart of Boris Johnson. Does anybody see why he has the hair that he has? a woman in tortoiseshell glasses asked. In September, the class turned its attention to Capitol Hill. On Instagram, Ortelee pointed out that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced an impeachment inquiry into Donald Trump only minutes before Mercury was sextiling Jupiter, promising information and news that we should all pay attention to.

Its a commonplace to say that in uncertain times people crave certainty. But what astrology offers isnt certaintyits distance. Just as a person may find it easier to accept things about herself when she decides she was born that way, astrology makes it possible to see world events from a less reactive position. It posits that history is not a linear story of upward progress but instead moves in cycles, and that historical actorsthe ones running amok all around usare archetypes. Alarming, yes; villainous, perhaps; but familiar, legible.

Ortelee later explained to me that people pop up in the news because the movements of the planets through the sky, known as transits, are activating their charts. This can work on many levels. When the Titanic happened, there was a big Neptune transit, and when the Titanic movie came out, years later, there was a huge Neptune transit, she said. You heard Celine Dion everywhere. And now theres a mini Neptune transit, so theres a Carpool Karaoke with Dion and James Corden singing the Titanic song in the fountains in the Bellagio.

Others see astrology as having the power not just to explain the political situation but also to change it. Chani Nicholas uses astrology as a tool for social justice and radical action. To be a human is to suffer, she said when we met. I dont think we should fight that. But we also cant dwell there. Nicholass work includes readings about what a new moon in Scorpio means for the #MeToo movement, and the import of Saturns position for the future of DACA. Im interested in helping people get to the core of their purpose and then to use that to be of service in the world, as quickly as possible, she said.

I met Nicholas, who is in her forties, in July, when she was visiting Brooklyn from Los Angeles. She had arranged for a private tour of the exhibition Nobody Promised You Tomorrow: Art Fifty Years After Stonewall, at the Brooklyn Museum, with her friend Tourmaline, who had short films in the show, and two of the exhibits curators. While the curators talked, footage of the transgender activist Sylvia Rivera flashed on a video screen. Nicholas pulled up Riveras chart. At the moment of Riveras birth, the sunwhich, Nicholas said, represents the essential selfwas at the same degree as Uranus, the planet of disruption, which, she said, will tear this whole thing down. But all this, Nicholas went on, was happening in the sign of Cancer, which signifies home and nurturing. How do we care for people radically? she asked, explaining how the chart was relevant.

Nicholas has a million online readers. She now rarely books private chart readings, because the demand was overwhelming. Her business is based on selling downloadable workshops, and she curates free monthly Spotify playlists for each sign. In January, she will publish her first book, You Were Born for This: Astrology for Radical Self-Acceptance. Back in 2012, Nicholas was one of the organizers of the first Queer Astrology Conference. When you queer something, you try to see it outside cultural norms, she said. She uses astrology to talk not just about sexuality and gender but also about race, class, and climate.

Nicholas believes that astrology appeals because it gives context to people and to world events. Like religion, it says that there is something beyond material existence, but it doesnt teach dogma, or prescribe action. Many astrologers I interviewed expressed concern that astrology can be misused to generate fear or to extort, but mostly, Nicholas said, its a way of framing the thing were in. As humans, she said, we need rhythm. We need ritual. We need timing.

I absolutely love astrology, Alex Dimitrov said. But its a gateway drug to the real magic, which is poetry.

On a Friday night in July, I had dinner at the Odeon, in Tribeca, with Dimitrov and Dorothea Lasky, who run the Twitter account Astro Poets, which they launched in November of 2016, just after Trumps election. Ten weeks later, they got some negative feedback because of a joke about yoga, and Lasky called Dimitrov at three in the morning and said that she wanted to delete the account. I was, like, Excuse me? Dimitrov remembered. He took a sip of ros. Dimitrov, who is dark and compact, was wearing fitted jeans and a Def Leppard shirt. That was Aries behavior, he said. The feed now has five hundred thousand followers.

Dimitrov and Lasky think of the signs formally, as poetic constraints, and imagine them interacting like characters in a novel. On their Twitter feed, in addition to the horoscopes, lists, and pop-culture references that populate all astrology social media, they quote poets they admire. The night before, someone had texted Dimitrov a line by Eileen MylesIt is summer, I love you, I am surrounded by snowand he had tweeted it. Honestly, its the Sagittarius mantra, he said. (Dimitrov, like Myles, is a Sagittarius.)

The Astro Poets horoscopes employ exquisite images, turning sharply from low to high, from humor to pain or grief. Heres the horoscope they tweeted about Pisces for the week of August 4th: A wind is a little reminder. Reminder of what, you ask. The rain. The rain! Dont ask them what it means. Lasky, resplendent in sparkling eye makeup and a crocheted necklace, said that the whole point of a poem is its supposed to be your friend, and youre supposed to commingle with it. On the first episode of the Astro Poets podcast, which dbuted in August, she explained that astrology is also a friendsomething that can witness your life and help make sense of it.

Still, those who turn to astrology for clarity will be bemused by the Astro Poets. Some of their most passionate readers long for plainer speaking, or at least for someone to put their poetry into prose. We have these translators, Lasky said. There was one translator who was an Aquarius, Mimias soon as I would write a tweet, Mimi had an alert and would translate it for people. But Mimi, after a few years, has retired, and everyone is really sad.

A few weeks later, I met the Astro Poets at Enchantments, a store in the East Village, where the poet Alice Notley used to shop. Dimitrov, Lasky, and I picked out herbs and figurines and candles. Then we went to Canal Street to have our aura photographs taken. (Laskys and Dimitrovs auras seemed to match, like two halves of a blue-and-purple rainbow.) The plan was for us to do a very positive spell on the Brooklyn Bridge. But it was more than ninety degrees, and we wandered for a long time looking for the pedestrian walkway, and eventually settled on a bench in the shade under the bridge. Lasky lit the candles, and we all silently meditated on our intentions for this article. A pigeon hopped tentatively nearer.

One way to cope with uncertainty is to demand certainty. Another is to learn to dwell in uncertainty, to find solace and even beauty in what is, and must be, unknown. Dimitrov and Laskys new book is called Your Guide to the Zodiac, but for a long time they toyed with putting the word mystery or magic in the title. Those ideas are so important to us, Dimitrov said. As Samuel Reynolds, who began researching astrology in the nineteen-eighties in order to disprove it and is now on the board of the International Society for Astrological Research, told me, To talk about the planets literally having some measure of effect on you brings up all kinds of questions that I dont think astrology is prepared to answer. Instead, Reynolds said, astrology is symbolic and spirituala literary language whose truth can neither be validated nor invalidated by empirical science.

For some people, the complex system itself is a source of pleasure: theres math involved, rules to master, vocabulary to memorize. For others, it permits a play of interpretation. As the planets transit, they move into different signs, picking up different meanings. In one context, Uranus indicates sudden death; in another, revolutionary energy. There are myriad combinations for storytelling. At the Odeon, Lasky said that when poetry transitswhen it moves from meaning to meaningit doesnt let go of what came before. She started to explain the Greek root of the word metaphor (to carry across), when Dimitrov broke in.

Its about negative capability, he said. To endure doubt is ultimately the only thing you can do in lifeto not strive for meaning or answers, and to endure the state youre in.

Originally posted here:
Astrology in the Age of Uncertainty - The New Yorker

Charlamagne Tha God was once defined as being one of the most feared hosts on the radio. He made it a point to ask tough questions, give his honest and unbiased opinion and tell it the way he saw fit despite the feelings of others. The former Wendy Williams protegee made himself an enemy of many celebrities along the way. Over the past few years, however, the host has opted for a more positive public image.

The once brash personality has aligned himself with causes related to family, mental health and wellness. Hes become a New York Times best-selling author and has made it his personal mission to spread positivity energy and messages with his platform. Charlamagne has also begun to donate more time and money to charitable efforts important to him and recently did so by donating $250,000 in the name of education.

The South Carolina native began his radio career in his home state. The high-school dropout ran into legal trouble and it was a stint in the county jail that made him think twice about the dark road he was traveling on. After being released from the county jail, he began attending night school to earn his high school diploma and eventually landed a job as a radio intern.

He went on to work under the tutelage of Wendy Williams on her Philadelphia radio show. Learning from his mentor, he developed an unorthodox and upfront questioning style of his guests, causing several on-air feuds between him and celebrities. After so many rifts due to his personality, he was laid off in 2008 and returned to his hometown. The relationship between Charlamagne and Williams fizzled due to conflict between her husband and her colleague and they eventually did not speak for over a decade. Charlamagne was unemployed for almost two years before he landed the job that would be his biggest radio gig.

In 2010, Charlamagne began hosting The Breakfast Club, alongside DJ Envy and Angela Yee, in New York City. Common topics of discussion on the daily morning show are celebrity gossip, politics, dating and celebrity interviews. The show is now broadcasted on national television on Revolt TV.

While working on The Breakfast Club, Charlamagne gained a reputation as being unapologetically rude and oftentimes sexist due to the nature of his questions during interviews. He became particularly known for harsh comments made during his Donkey of the Day segment on The Breakfast Club where he gives someone a thumbs down for something he perceives as dumb. Hes since changed the direction of his segment to go towards holding people accountable for mistakes, including himself.

With young daughters watching from home, Charlamagne made a conscious effort to change his image. He began appearing on television programs to give more thought-provoking opinions on pop culture and social issues and became a cast member on the MTV2 show, Guy Code. He also starred on the MTV2 show Charlamagne & Friends and, with fellow MTV2 personality Andrew Schulz, and co-hosted The Brilliant Idiots podcast.

Charlamagne expanded his profile further by becoming an author. In 2017, his book Black Privilege: Opportunity Comes to Those Who Create It, became a New York Times best-seller. Steven Kurutz of The New York Times gave the book a positive review, describing it as a street-smart self-help guide. His second book, Shook One: Anxiety Playing Tricks on Mewas released in October 2018.

Charlamagne has participated in various charitable efforts on his radio show along with his co-hosts. Every year, The Breakfast Club hosts its #Change4Change fundraiser during the live broadcast of the show during the holiday season. Listeners can donate via text message or online. Some of the efforts theyve supported include PROJECT 375, $200,000 to benefit an organization run by former NFL star, Brandon Marshall, whose mission is to raise awareness of mental health, ending the stigma, and raising funds for treatment. The radio host helped to successfully raise over $200,000 to support the organization in 2018.

Charlamagne is now taking his charity work to new heights. Over the weekend, he visited South Carolina State University and gifted the historically black college with a $250,000 check to start a scholarship fund named after his mother, who also attended South Carolina State.

The Ford Family Endowed Scholarship Fund was established to provide scholarships to women majoring in English, Communications or anything mental health related. All concentrations are close to the media moguls heart as his mother was an English major, he works in broadcast radio and his sister works in the field of mental health.

Way to put your money where your mouth is Charlamagne!

Continued here:
Charlamagne Tha God: From Ruthless Radio Host to $250k Donations to Charity - Showbiz Cheat Sheet

Thats a picture of me I took a couple of years back.

Do I think Im gonnabe Peoples Magazine Sexiest Man Alive? No, while I do have pretty goodeyebrows and one dimple, I know that Im not Gods gift to women.

Instead of wishing Ihad the sex appeal of Trey Songz or Denzel Washington, I have now decided tostart focusing on all the other things that make me special. Deciding to focuson all my other better qualities allows the people around me to focus onthose things as well.

I remember back inhigh school there would be these guys (and sometimes females) who werentexactly attractive, however they did have this appeal (read: confidence) tothem that made everyone want to be around them.

Some people (guys andgirls) can impress others just by the mere wonderment of their looks.Myadvice to those who arent a nine or ten on the looks scale is to stop focusingon the things you dont like about your looks, because you have so many otherqualities that make you beautiful to others.

Also, dont worry ifyou dont have much success on apps like Tinder or out at clubs whenthere are other(and better) placesto meet someone to date.An app orclub isnt the best platform for allowing people to notice the other qualities(besides looks) that make you beautiful.

How Did You Develop Confidence?

Getting to the pointwhere I could stop focusing on what I didnt like about myself started withreading articles and asking guys I consider confident the question, How didyou develop confidence?

I wanted to know whatwas behind there willingness to smile at a beautiful woman and if she smiledback what motivated them to approach her?

I am a firm believer that anyone (man or woman) can become confident, and knew that there were others like me who were self-conscious but had made the decision to overcome being shy.Last week on the Good Men Project, I wrote about tips I read for developing my confidence and how Im applying those tips to my life.

With this article, I want to build off that and provide the best of the advice I received from the guys I asked, along with links that can help you.

The best of theiradvice is as follows:

If I had to pick one that was myultimate favorite, it would be number five, having a confidence role model.

Having confident role models in my life helped me recognize the importance of removing myself from the company of negative people.

The company we keep (whether good or bad) shapes or attitude. Famous self-help author Jim Rohn once said: You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.

In other words, how we see the world, how we see ourselves, and our attitude towards confidence is influenced by who we choose to spend time around. If we invest our time into people who are bad influences, they will start to shape the person we become.

In the past I would spend too much time listening to people complain about how their dating life sucks, their lack of confidence sucks, their career sucks, and looking back now, I realize their negativity begin to rub off on me.

Cutting out bad company was one of the mostpainful and difficult things Ive ever had to do, but it was necessary. Badcompany isnt just people who tear you down verbally, abuse you, or break yourtrust; they include friends who negatively affect your mood, are a badinfluence, and people who dont want to improve in life.

Do you have any pessimistsin your life, who always view things in the most negative of possible light? Ifso, GET RID OF THEM! I did, and I can say Im a better man because of it.

I know self-improvement is something that mostof us with our busy schedules dont think we have time for.

However, not all self-improvement istime-consuming. I know one way you can build confidence in yourself every daythat is easy and quick Podcasts for Self-Improvement.

Replacing negative voices with positive onesis a great way to build confidence in yourself. And, it is through replacingnegative voices that I began to shed my own negative voice. As a result, I nowfocus on the qualities I love about myself and not the ones I dont.

Previously published on Goodmenproject.com

Visit link:
How I Developed My Confidence (Part II) - Thrive Global

Monday, Oct. 21

Kripalu Yoga:9 to 10 a.m. (gentle/moderate). MaMA, Marbletown Multi-Arts, 3588 Main St., Stone Ridge.

Settled and Serving in Place (Kingston Chapter):Meets 9:30 a.m. at the Olympic Diner, Washington Ave., Kingston. Settled and Serving in Place is a social self-help group for seniors who want to remain in their homes and community. (845) 303-9689.

Mother Goose Storytime for Babies:9:30 a.m. Hyde Park Free Library, 2 Main St., Hyde Park. (845) 229-7791.

Toddler Romp & Stomp:10 a.m. every Monday. The folks at Little Pickles have been generous enough to lend the library their playroom for this music and movement program. Little Pickles is located at 7505 North Broadway, Red Hook. Event is free and open to the public. For more information, call the Red Hook Public Library at (845) 758-3241. The library is located at 7444 South Broadway, Red Hook.

What a Way to Start Your Day:10 a.m. Arlington Reformed Church, Raymond and Haight avenues, Poughkeepsie.

Happy Apple Thrift Shop:10 a.m., 24 E. OReilly St., Kingston. To 3 p.m. (845) 338-0833.

Mahjongg:10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Will teach if necessary. All welcome. Temple Emmanuel, Albany Ave., Kingston. Call Estelle Nadler, (845) 657-8476 for more information.

Yoga:10:15 to 11:45 a.m. Mountainview Studio, 20 Mountainview Ave., Woodstock. Mixed level class. Yang Yin Yoga. Classes are $15 with the first class free. (845) 679-0901.

Toddler Romp & Stomp:10:30 a.m. and Toddler FUNdamentals at 11 a.m. Red Hook Library, 7444 South Broadway, Red Hook. Free and open to the public.

Talk:2 to 3:30 p.m. "Conscious Living: Managing Stress from the Inside out." Speaker will be Nancy Plumer, intuitive energy healer, spiritual counselor. Northern Dutchess Hospital, 6511 Springbrook Ave., Rhinebeck. (845) 876-4745.

Math Help:3 to 5 p.m. Phyllis Rosato welcomes all ages welcome. From kindergarten to calculus. Phoenicia Library, 48 Main St., Phoenicia. (845) 688-7811.

Stump Me!:3:30 to 4:30 p.m. Get help with elementary school homework. Saugerties Public Library, 91 Washington Ave. (845) 246-4317, http://saugertiespubliclibrary.org/

Movement Monday:4 to 5 p.m. This program is designed to help children find release from the normal stress and anxiety resulting from their daily lives. Pre-registration is encouraged. Call the Rosendale Youth Program at (845) 658-8982 or email rosyouth@hvc.rr.com for more information or to sign up. Walk-ins are welcome. A weekly commitment is not required.

Fitness Hour:4 to 5 p.m. Saugerties Public Library, 91 Washington Ave. (845) 246-4317, http://saugertiespubliclibrary.org/

Healthy Back Exercise Program:4 to 5:15 p.m. Exercises to strengthen back and abdominal muscles and increase flexibility and range of movement. 28 West Fitness Gym, Route 28 and Maverick Road, Glenford. Fee: $12 per class ($10 for gym members). Anne Olin, (845) 679-6250.

Cards:6 to 8 p.m. Play Pinochle. Ellenville Library, 40 Center St., Ellenville. (845) 657-5530.

Community Yoga:6:30 to 7:30 p.m. New LGBTQ + Allies. This is weekly beginners class taught by Michele Muller. $5 suggested donation. Hudson Valley LGBTQ, 300 Wall St.,Kingston.

Mens Choir:7 to 9:15 p.m. Men of all ages, who would enjoy singing in a mens choir, are welcomed to join the Catskill Glee Club. Community Life Church, 20 W. Main St., Catskill. For questions, contact CatskillGleeClub@gmail.com or call Bob at (845) 389-1503.

Gentle Yoga:7 p.m. Olive Free Library, 4033 Route 28A, West Shokan. (845) 657-2482. Fee $6 drop-in.

Celebration and Buffet Dinner:7 p.m. Simchat Torah celebration and buffet dinner. Rhinebeck Jewish Center, 102 Montgomery St., Rhinebeck. (845) 876-7666, chabaddutchess.com.

Hu chanting:7:15 to 7:45 p.m. with the New York Satsang Society, Inc. Third Monday of the month. Gardiner Library, 133 Farmers Turnpike, Gardiner. (845) 255-1255, http://www.gardinerlibray.org.

Pickleball:9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Kingston YMCA. For experienced players. Free to Y members. $10 non-member day pass.Starting at 16 years old for all play.Call (845) 338-3810 or pballkingson@gmail.com for more information.

Aquoga class:9:30 to 10:15 a.m. at Kingston YMCA. Free to YMCA members; $10 non-member day pass available. (845) 338-3810 or amy@aquoga.com.

Settled and Serving in Place (SSIP 209):9:30 a.m. meets on Tuesday mornings, 9:30 a.m. at Lydias Country Deli, Route 209, south of Stone Ridge. SSIPs are local self-help, social groups which help seniors to stay in their own homes and remain active in their communities. For more information, call ViVi at (845) 331-0155.

Settled and Serving in Place meeting:9:30 a.m.Saugerties seniors meet at The Village Diner on Main Street. Settled and Serving in Place (SSIP) is a social self-help group for seniors who want to remain in their homes and community. (845) 246-3285.

Bridge Games:10 a.m. Church of the Messiah hall, Chestnut St. Rhinebeck. $10. For more information, call Pat at (845) 331-1743.

Computer Learning Center:10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Teaching computer-related and digital photography classes, Kingston Center of SUNY Ulster, 94 Marys Ave., Kingston. (845) 339-0046.

Preschool Story Hour:10 a.m. Olive Free Library, 4033 Route 28A, West Shokan. (845) 657-2482.

Computer Learning Center:10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Teaching computer-related and digital photography classes, Room 201, Kingston Center of SUNY Ulster, 94 Marys Ave., Kingston. (845) 339-0046.

Toddler Time:10 to 11 a.m. Stone Ridge Library, Main Street, Stone Ridge. (845) 687-2044.

Happy Apple Thrift Shop:10 a.m. to 3 p.m. 24 E. OReilly St., Kingston. (845) 338-0833.

Mall Walking with OFA:10 a.m. Join a staff member from Ulster County Office for the Aging each week for a walk and talk. Every Tuesday at 10 a.m. sharp. Meet in the Food Court at 9:45 a.m. with a place for your coats. Hudson Valley Mall, 1300 Ulster Ave., town of Ulster.

Community Playspace:10 to 10:45 a.m. Gardiner Library, 133 Farmers Turnpike, Gardiner. Led by childrens librarian Amy Laber, a singer-songwriter, early childhood music.

Terrific two/three storytime:10 a.m. Gardiner Library, 133 Farmers Turnpike, Gardiner. (845) 255-1255.

Yoga:10:15 to 11:15 a.m. Energy Medicine Yoga will be taught by Maryanne. Mountain View Studio, 20 Mountainview Ave., Woodstock (845) 679-0901. Classes are $10 cash or check.mtnviewstudio.com.

Tots n Tales Story Time, For 2- and 3-Year-Olds:10:30 a.m. Hyde Park Free Library, 2 Main St., Hyde Park.

Preschool Storytime:10:30 a.m. For 3-to-5-years-old, Ellenville Public Library, 40 Center St., Ellenville. (845) 647-5530.

Story Craft and Play:10:30 to 11:30 a.m. together Tuesdays with Janice for children birth through preschool. Come to join the gang of local parents. Phoenicia Library, 48 Main St., Phoenicia. (845) 688-7811.

Toddlertime story hour and crafts:10:30 a.m. For children ages 18 months to 3 years, Kingston Library, 55 Franklin St., Kingston.

Tuesday Tales:11 a.m. For preschoolers ages 3-to-6-years-old, Saugerties Public Library, 91 Washington Ave., Saugerties. (845) 246-4317.

Classes:11 a.m. to 12 p.m. 8 Immortals internal Chinese straight sword (Jian) adapted to Tai Chi principles, Hawksbrother. (You may take both classes, or either Sword or Tai Chi Chuan). Marbletown Multi-Arts, 3588 Main St., Stone Ridge. (845) 687-6090

Free Caregiver Support Group:11:30 a.m. Community Center, 3 Veterans Drive, New Paltz. Join Miss Penny for a fun-filled storytime for the very young. Appropriate for ages 1-3.

Classes:Noon to 1 p.m. Second-generation Yang Tai Chi Chuan, with related Tai Chi Chuan chi gung, Hawksbrother. (You may take both classes, of either Sword or Tai Chi Chuan). Marbletown Multi-Arts, 3588 Main St., Stone Ridge. (845) 687-6090.

Thrift Store:12 to 4 p.m. Margaretville Hospital Auxilary Thrift Shop, 850 Main St., Margaretville.

Story Time:1 p.m. Preschool story time. Early literacy activities and stories for children ages 3-5. Ellenville Public Library & Museum, 40 Center St., Ellenville. (845) 647-5530.

Story Hours Grades 2 and 3:3:30 to 4:30 p.m. Stone Ridge Library, 3700 Main St., Stone Ridge. (845) 687-7023.

Pokemon Club:3:30 to 4:30 p.m. Saugerties Public Library, 91 Washington Ave., Saugerties. (845) 246-4317.

Scrabble:4 p.m. Saugerties Public Library, 91 Washington Ave., Saugerties. (845) 246-4317.

Aroma Yoga Flow:4 to 5:15 p.m. (moderate) with young living essential oils. MaMA, Marbletown Multi-Arts, 3588 Main St., Stone Ridge.

Terrific Tuesdays:4:15 p.m. For grades K-6, Ellenville Public Library and Museum, 40 Center St., Ellenville. (845) 647-5530.

Boxing Conditioning:4:15 to 5 p.m., children ages 7-12; 5 to 5:45 p.m., teens; 6 to 7 p.m., adults. Mountainview Studio, 20 Mountainview Ave., Woodstock. mtviewstudio@gmail.com

LGBTQ Community Acupuncture Clinic:5 to 7 p.m., 300 Wall Street, Kingston. RSVPs highly suggested, though walk-ins will be welcomed when space is available; book your appointment at lgbtqcenter.org/acupuncture or call (845) 331-5300. The LGBTQ Community Acupuncture Clinic takes place in a relaxed and low-lit group setting using points on the ears, hands and feet. Intake takes approximately 10 minutes and resting time (after the needles are inserted) will vary, based on your preference, but is typically 20-45 minutes. $5 suggested donation, no one turned away for lack of funds.

Meditative Movement:5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Meditative movement (a blend of Yin/Gentle/Restorative). MaMA, Marbletown Multi-Arts, 3588 Main St., Stone Ridge.

Scrabble:6 to 8 p.m. Serious (and fun!). Wordplay at Ellenville Public Library, 40 Center St., Ellenville. (845) 647-5530.

Meeting:6 p.m. Town of Ulster Library Board meets the fourth Tuesday of each month. 860 Ulster Ave., Kingston.

Craft Night:6:30 p.m. Highland Public Library, 30 Church St., Highland. Sara creates a new project with tweens and teens ages 8-13. (845) 691-2275 or http://www.highlandlibrary.org.

Scrabble and Other Games:6:30 p.m. Pine Hill Community Center, 287 Main St., Pine Hill.

Open Mic:7 p.m. Open Mic with Cameron & Ryder. Club Helsinki, 405 Columbia St., Hudson. (518) 828-488, info@helsinkihudson.com.

Weekly Meditation:7:30 to 8:30 p.m. Free weekly community meditation at Education Annex Of Wellness Embodied: A Center for Psychotherapy and Healing, 126 Main St., New Paltz. For optional beginner instruction, please arrive at 7:20 p.m. Donations accepted. http://www.wellnessembodiedcenter.com/community-meditation.

Read the original post:
Mid-Hudson Calendar of Events: Oct. 21 and 22, 2019 | Life and Entertainment - The Daily Freeman

In a quote from an article titled Why Straight Men Hate Astrology So Much, lesbian astrologer Randon Rosenbohm puts out a provocative claim. When asked about who she thinks the main followers of astrology are, she says, without hesitation, its for girls and gays.

And while Rosenbohms assertion may seem like a gross stereotype, theres plenty of evidence that shes onto something. A quick Google search will yield dozens of articles examining the same pattern, with titles like: Astrology is Booming, and Its Queerer Than Ever or Why Women Believe in Astrology More Than Men or Queer Astrology: Why LGBTQ People Seek Answers in the Stars.

The association between astrology and queer identity is so ubiquitous, in fact, that last year the queer magazine them published an article about how queer people who dont believe in astrology often feel ostracized by their own community. And in terms of the correlation between belief in astrology and gender identity, theres data to back that up, too. In the very same 2018 Pew Research Center poll cited in Jamie Flynns 20 Oct. 9 When the stars dont align: The failures of astrology Herald column youll notice a marked gender discrepancy. While 20 percent of American men believe in astrology, 37 percent of women do. The poll also shows that racial and ethnic minorities are more likely to believe in astrology than their white and non-Hispanic counterparts.

It is important to talk about who believes in astrology and why it might be useful, something the When the stars dont align column fails to do. So when we talk about the uninformed people who are increasingly looking to fake and meaningless tools to gain a better understanding of themselves and their world, its important that we recognize that we are talking about a group of people that is significantly more female, more queer and more diverse than the mainstream. This isnt to say that any critique of astrology is inherently misogynistic, or homophobic or racist of course its not. I, for one, share Flynns concern that its all too possible for vulnerable young people to turn to astrology in lieu of seeking professional help. But I do think that the answer to the question What value could astrology possibly have? can be found, at least partially, by looking to the identity of the people who practice it.

Why do so many people who are part of marginalized groups find themselves drawn toward astrology, then? Well, there are a couple of theories.

The first is that, at least for some queer people, astrology offers a spiritual outlet and sense of community similar to that of organized religion, without any of the bigotry and conservatism.

Talking about her sizeable queer following, Jessica Lanyadoo host of the wildly popular astrological show Ghost of a Podcast says: Too often queer people are rejected by their families and the religious institutions that they grew up in Astrology offers a totally non-denominational and non-judgmental method of connecting to the Divine. Astrology, then, carves out an important middle ground. Its a space for people who are still very spiritual but who, for some reason or another, might feel alienated by organized religion to find meaning and belonging.

Another theory, like Flynn suggested, is about coping with stress and making sense of a senseless world. In a 1982 study profiling the people who consult astrologers, psychologist Graham Tyson came to the conclusion that consulting an astrologer is a response by an individual to the stresses with which he or she is faced. It makes sense, then, that women, LGBTQ+ people and people of color all of whom have been reported to have higher levels of stress would be the ones to turn to astrology. When youre constantly handed the short end of the stick in part because of your race, your gender, your sexuality or some combination of the three, there is a certain comfort and a certain value in understanding that not everything is in your control.

For the record, I dont believe in astrology at all: Im just about as big of a skeptic and a cynic and a textbook-thumping hard-scientist as you can get. But even as someone who has only ever looked at astrology from an ironic distance, I still see how it can serve as a great tool for self-reflection. Astrology hands down labels and explanations and asks people to figure out to what extent those explanations apply to their own lives.

To have a conversation with someone about whether or not you seem like a Sagittarius, for example, isnt just a vapid, passive exchange where you trade clichs and then blindly submit to the will of the universe. In fact, its the exact opposite: its an active and engaging interrogation of the self. When youre asking people if they think you are, in fact, generous and idealistic, but also impatient, like Sagittariuses are supposed to be, what youre really asking is: Is this how you see me? and Is this how I see myself? Even if the impetus for these conversations is pseudo-scientific, it doesnt mean that the conversations themselves are unimportant. Astrology forces you to grapple with your identity by daring you to disagree with the proscribed personality trait. The real understanding doesnt come from being handed a label, but how you try to make sense of it.

As someone who has struggled with how exactly to label myself ever since I realized that I was attracted to women, I find that there is a lot in common with the way both astrology and my sexuality force me to try out different labels and explain who I am to other people.

Maybe astrology speaks to women, queer people and people of color because they are already forced to see themselves from outside themselves: forced to explain what it means to be a woman, what it means to be trans, what it means to be Latinx and so on in a society that was not built with their existence in mind. Maybe astrology serves as a fun, low-stakes way to continue to think about ones identity outside of oppressive social structures.

Or maybe it is about finding a spiritual refuge outside of religion. Or maybe it is about coping with stress. But whatever the reason, if astrology really is a part of life for a lot of marginalized people and it is then it probably does serve an important function.

And even if you think that astrology really is ruining peoples lives and has absolutely nothing of value to contribute, then it is more important than ever to think about the kind of people that astrology attracts. Are girls and gays being failed by doctors, by mental health professionals, by organized religion and by the self-help industry? Is that why they are turning to astrology? Or do they just know how to have more fun?

Allie Arnold 20 can be reached at allison_arnold@brown.edu. Please send responses to this opinion to letters@browndailyherald.com and op-eds to opinions@browndailyherald.com.

Excerpt from:
Arnold '20: Who we talk about when we talk about astrology - The Brown Daily Herald

Relationships take work. Every couple fights; the most common arguments stem from money and delegation of responsibilities, but not every couple takes the time to step back to truly assess and work on their relationship. Relish is the relationship training app that gives couples a convenient and personalized way for couples to strengthen their relationship. The app provides unlimited access to a qualified relationship coach and uses machine learning to generate a customized, scientifically-backed relationship plan. Users can use Relish alone, or with their partner. It costs $99.99 a year per couple to belong to the platform, a small price to pay for a lifetime of happiness.

AlleyWatch sat down with Relish CEO and FounderLesley Eccles to learn more about the app thats fueling healthier relationships through technology. Eccles is a serial entrepreneur who cofounded FanDuel with her husband and its the experience of building a high-growth company and the close interpersonal relationships involved that inspired the idea for Relish.

Tell us about the product or service that Relish offers.

Relish is the first-ever truly customized relationship training app that makes it easy to build a happy, healthy, more connected relationship with your partner. It offers unlimited one-on-one access to a qualified relationship coach and uses machine learning to create a customized, scientifically-backed relationship plan in the form of interactive lessons. Relish teaches active mindfulness to help individuals or couples become more conscious of how they approach their relationship, discovering improved communication, deeper connection and more intimacy.

How is Relish different?

Relish stands out amongst competitors with its unlimited, one-on-one support from qualified relationship coaches and its truly customized relationship plans. Relish values human connection, so the app includes unlimited messaging with highly experienced coaches, interactive quizzes, journaling, and a supportive and thriving community.

What market does Relish target and how big is it?

Relishs ideal user is someone in a long-term relationship (1+ years) who is open to working on themselves and on their relationship. They understand the value of that and are committed to improving their communication and deepening their connection with their partner. They also understand that being more conscious of their mindset is the first step to a healthy and intimate relationship. Users can use Relish at their own pace either together or alone.

There are more than 122M married individuals in this country, and in a recent survey, only 8M of them describe their relationship as perfect. This number doesnt account for people in long-term relationships who are unmarried, so the overall market is even bigger.

What is the business model?

Relish is an annual subscription of $99.99 per year per couple.

What inspired the start of Relish?

The idea for Relish came about in the months after I left FanDuel at the end of 2017. Many of us felt pretty broken after our experience at FanDuel (you can read more about that in Albert Chens new book, Billion Dollar Fantasy) and I realized that the only thing that kept us all sane through the period was the strength of our relationships with each other in the team, with our partners, our family, and our friends. Thats whats important in life. I knew that whenever I had issues in my relationship with my husband (who I cofounded FanDuel with) I didnt really have anywhere to go for advice on what to do. I turned to self-help books. I wanted to find a way to use technology to make that process easier, better and affordable. I wanted to use technology for good to bring people together, help them build deeper connections with each other and ultimately get more affection and intimacy.

Who do you consider to be your primary competitors?

A couple of other relationship apps on the market and Google search results.

What are the milestones that you plan to achieve within six months?

We are launching internationally by the end of the year.

What is the one piece of startup advice that you never got?

Make sure you do deep due diligence on your investors. Taking investors who have some element of control of your company is like getting married. Not many people get married after a couple of dates. You will be working with your investors for a long time, through plenty of ups and downs. Like a romantic relationship, you only know the true nature of your investor when everything in the garden isnt rosy. When the baby wont sleep, when youre exhausted, when youre having issues at work thats when you know how your partner will truly support you. Its the same with investors.

If you could be put in touch with anyone in the New York community who would it be and why?

I would love to meet anyone who really understands the importance and value of relationships and is excited about helping people make the most of their lives.

I would love to meet anyone who really understands the importance and value of relationships and is excited about helping people make the most of their lives.

The definition of success should not be how much money youve made, and certainly not how many billion-dollar companies youve built its about who is there for you when it matters.

Why did you launch in New York?

I moved here three years ago from Edinburgh in Scotland. We had wanted to move here for years FanDuels HQ was here and we traveled back and forth for years. We had been too busy building FanDuel to take the time to make the move. Finally, we did it and couldnt be happier here! Im excited to see how much the tech ecosystem has changed and grown even in the past five years. I genuinely believe its the best place in the country to build a tech company.

Where is your favorite fall destination in the city?

At this time of the year, I love to escape upstate and go apple picking with our kids. We probably get more excited about it than they do though!

Excerpt from:
Relish is the Relationship Training App That Uses Machine Learning to Bring Happiness to Couples - AlleyWatch

No matter what challenges you are facing cancer, caregiving, addiction, behavior disorders and many more there are local and online support groups where you can talk to people who understand. Those who are struggling with similar situations, others who have found ways to cope, and professionals who often facilitate meetings can all provide a shelter where you can express your honest thoughts, hear what has worked for those around you, and find compassion and strength in the words of other people.

Gatherings sponsored by reliable organizations will emphasize confidentiality and respect for all members. Usually, there are rules that keep one person from monopolizing the time and also allow for breaks. Facilitators, professional or peer, are there to help conversation run smoothly, not necessarily to give advice, unless there is a special informational topic. Just talking can ease the burdens you carry.

Schedules vary, and meetings are held in community centers, hospitals, churches, and other places. It is okay to telephone the contact person before you visit if you would like to ask questions or get an idea of what the group is like.

Most support groups are offered free of charge to participants. Many are for adults, but some like those at The Link Counseling Center in Sandy Springs, Georgia include specific groups for children and teens among their programs. Other grief groups may be general or divided by type of loss (spouse/partner; child, for example).

You may live in a rural area with few opportunities for this type of support. If so, consider an active online group. Open chat or forums that work much like message boards create communities where members get to know each other even if they keep their real identity secret.Giving too many details, posting pictures or including other identifying information are not good ideas online. Forums are open 24/7/365, and members will answer whenever they can. Check to see when the most recent posts were made to get an idea of how active the group is.

Your needs are also unique. Ask your health care provider, local hospital or mental health center for recommendations. Many medical centers provide community education for supporting those with diabetes and other health problems, as well as exercise programs though some of these may have an associated cost.

One example is the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). Search their national website for local chapters. These meetings, usually monthly, offer tons of information about mental illnesses, medications, and related issues.

Their education programs range from help for parents taking care of those younger than 22 with mental conditions to a 12-week course (also in Spanish) for family members and friends. There is advice for and help with understanding those in the military who struggle and also specific information for law enforcement and other first responders.

Adults with mental illnesses or behavior disorders can find practical suggestions for coping in todays world, whether related to self-care, handling jobs, or social interaction with family and friends. NAMI encourages advocacy and helps address legal issues and legislation while seeking to comfort individuals and families.

At meetings, you might find books, informational pamphlets, activities and other local resources or events that could help you. Ask questions. Listen. Sometimes, a topic may be suggested, but most of the time, the group members take the conversation where they need it to go.

If you want to attend but are not ready to talk about yourself or your situation yet, it is normally fine just to listen until you feel more comfortable. Emotions can sometimes cause people (including you) to feel embarrassed, but that is just a feeling. Thoughts and feelings are often not truth. Some are based in negative comments heard from other people; some come from fears that can be handled. Change is possible. A support group meeting is one of the few places where people really do understand because they can relate to you. Theyve been there, too.

Never be ashamed of seeking help. If you do not find what you need in one group, try a different one. But plan to attend a few times first to see what the group is really about and how it works.

Stepping out like this does take courage, and that is something you can find within yourself. If you have a friend or family member who would go with you, that is an option. But you will soon feel a warm and friendly welcome when you walk through the door. Finding the right support group is a lot like finding new family members, new friends who will assist you in what you are trying to do.

It is easy to be your own self-critic. The interesting thing about that concept is we are often much harder on ourselves than we would be on friends or family members in the same situation. Remembering that can make joining a support group easier. Be open to shifts in your perspective.

Life is so full of stress and unexpected obstacles that everyone probably needs a good support group at one time or another. You are making your life better; that is a very worthy goal. Be your own advocate, and find your way through the problems you face.

Take all of the help you can find.

Related Articles

Link:
Support Groups: Are They for You? - PsychCentral.com

Censorship in prisons is the biggest First Amendment violation in America. Yet it remains one of the least talked about and least examined.

[W]ith prisons, weve created an opaque system. Until recently, not many people witnessed the day-to-day activities inside of prison and thus our perceptions have been guided by the most outlying vignettesfictional portrayals of prison life, like in Oz, or media coverage of riots and other violence. So when prison censors tell us that something is necessary to maintain security, its easier to believe that security could be easily compromised and that these guards have the expertise to assess the risk correctly, said Michelle Dillon, a representative of the Human Rights Defense Center (HRDC) and Books to Prisoners.

Paul Wright, Director of HRDC, is more direct about why theres such tremendous censorship in prisons. [W]e live in a fascist police state where the control of the population through armed state violence is paramount and that includes restricting the flow of ideas and writing and reading itself,

It is steadily increasing and this mirrors society at large with the exponential expansion literally and figuratively of the police state and the surveillance state and this ranges from the obvious (more cops, prosecutors, guards, more prisons, more jails, etc.) to the technological of having better, cheaper means to surveil, control even kill people, he added.

As part of Banned Books Week in 2019, PEN America drafted a policy paper that goes deep into the realities of censorship in American prisons.

Its become increasingly clear to us how widespread and systemic this problem is, and how the national trend is towards more restrictions on the right to read, not less. We wanted to try to help re-orient the conversationtowards the necessity of upholding the right to read, and pushing back against these restrictions, said James Tager, Deputy Director of Free Expression Policy and Research at PEN America. One of the reasons we felt so strongly about the need for this report is to highlight how this is an issue of access to literature, not just a prison reform issue. We want readers and writers across the country to get upset about this.

Key findings include the reality that books about race and civil rights are among the most likely to be banned; that theres no meaningful insight into what and how books are banned (this job is often relegated to the mailroom and arbitrary decision making occurring therein); and what content-neutral bans are, as well as how being selective in the vendors from which incarcerated individuals can receive books further hinders access.

PEN America notes that, despite the fact those in prison can argue for their First Amendment rightsparticularly when it comes to book bans and censorshipmany do not because of the fear of retribution.

As more reports surface about the reality of prison censorship, and more organizationsnonprofits, newsrooms, legal, and othersstep forward to advocate on behalf of the populations behind bars, more needs to be said and done about one of the biggest hindrances to change. Prison book donation policies across the U.S. vary by state, are inconsistent, and willfully create barriers that make even understanding the vastness of the problem incomprehensible.

The lack of open reporting, of open access to banned books lists, and the silence to those inside the system, as well as outside it, further harms this sensitive population who, as research continues to show, are less likely to experience recidivism when given access to books.

This period is one of the first times when these restrictions are being examined by a wide audience; in other words, a lot of the conferred latitude has happened by simple lack of both internal and external oversight, said Dillon.

A letter included in the book Dear Books to Prisoners, a compilation of letters sent from incarcerated individuals to prison book donation organizations, reads: [Its] the only chance of hope to escape the madness prisons are known for. I am free as I chase word by word, page by page! 500, 1000, even 2000 pages are never enough.

Each U.S. state operates their prison systems independently, meaning that the policies about what they do and dont allow in the mail for people who are incarcerated vary. The policies tend to be state-wide, and as outlined in the PEN America report:

[P]rison officials generally have broad latitude to ban books based on their content, including the prerogative to develop their own rationales for why a book should be blocked. They usually do so on one of several grounds:

As the report states, many of these guidelines are not inappropriate. But because the decisions about materials are made within the prisoneither in mail rooms or by committees comprised of those who work for the systemthere is significant latitude in interpreting these policies. Weve seen this in prison censorship cases in states like Ohio and New Hampshire, as well as in Washington state, where it became clear that scanning for single words without context led to the removal of material with no rhyme or reason, despite claims that it was because of contraband being smuggled in the books.

That latitude thrives in the prison system. Operating as a hierarchy means that censorship can happen across many arenas, without communication between and among individuals within a given prisonand even more so on a state level, despite state-wide policies meant to be uniform. PEN notes that content-based censorship often occurs in the prison mailroom or in the prison libraryon the individual level. In the prison mailroom, individual officers are empowered to decide whether a book will be allowed to reach its intended recipient, or not, and there arent formal processes for such decisions. The decisions dont require explanations or meaningful insight. This means there may be zero documentationas to why or how certain titles were deemed unacceptable.

Trager notes that by virtue of the system operating like a system, censorship becomes an ingrained part of the process. But it doesnt need to.

[J]ust because censorship thrives in such a system, does not mean we need to accept it as another fact of life. More meaningful review mechanisms, more transparent and clearly-defined rules over what constitutes grounds to ban a book, more consistent application of these rules, a standard of review that recognizes and values the literary merit of a challenged book, training and regulations that explicitly incorporate First Amendment principlesall of these represent steps we should take to help ensure that the urge to censor is not running rampant in our prisons.

In addition to individual-level censorship, theres institution-wide censorship. As PEN describes: Individual prisons may create their own institution-specific rules about which books are allowed. As a result, certain books may be allowed in one prison and banned in another.

Theres also state-wide censorship. PEN notes that this is where banned books make a state list, following the removal from individuals or individual institutions. They explain: State departments of correction may have a list of banned books, which often include thousands of banned titles. Such lists often codify and formalize the practices of prison mail rooms towards certain books, turning institution-wide norms into an automatic statewide ban. Its at the state level where states like Arizona, Florida, and Illinois, among others, have developed such lengthy lists of banned books.

These banned books lists are not made public, except for in a small number of states. Those states dont make them readily available, though, requiring Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA) requests to acquire them. What a FOIA request might include, though, is anyones guessand updates to lists that do exist arent necessarily made public or accessible, either.

Organizations working on behalf of incarcerated populations, and not to mention the general public (including loved ones of those who are incarcerated), are left in the dark as to what books are allowed and which arent. Its quite likely that despite how much information has been requested and collected by advocacy groups, there are even steeper realities of censorship in American prisons of which were completely unaware. A lack of documentation, oversight, and procedures further hinder the First Amendment rights of those behind bars.

The Human Rights Defense Center has tracked state-by-state policies. According to their records as of writing, only two states have their banned books lists available online: Pennsylvania and Washington state. Pennsylvania updates their list quarterly, and Washington is known to update theirs frequently.

The work done by HRDC, particularly through their legal actions, as well as various prison book groups and advocates has forced some states to become more transparent about their policies.

Prison book programs are better networked and can share information about suspected restrictions and we have more people who are interested in prison advocacy in general. Digital portals and email have made public record requests easier than the days of physically mailing letters back and forth, so we have better access to these banned books lists, says Dillon. She notes that states like Colorado and Washington have made changes to their own policies in the wake of litigation.

An ACLU-led lawsuit in 2000 reached a settlement in 2004 in Colorado, which led to more open records about the scope of prison censorship, while Dillon notes that Washington is responsive, particularly to prison book advocates, because [they] have been sued into oblivion by HRDC. A complete list of HRDC-led litigation in the manner of prison censorship gives some insight into where, why, and how some states are less opaque in their polices and processes.

Such is not the case in other states. Alaskas DOC required $2000 for access to prison book ban logs when requested by the HRDC, with similar charges requested by Kentucky and Idaho. Alabama requires $25 for any public records request sent to their DOC, meaning that it costs $25 to be told they probably dont have them (as Dillon notes, they had to be persuaded not to charge another $25 for a follow up explanation). New Mexico, like many states with little oversight into their processes, regularly misunderstands information requests, sending organizations like the HRDC into a nonstop email chain with no answers to their initial inquiries.

When books are banned, theres no precedent for how review occurs, were one requested. The U.S. Supreme Court has said that prisons must have an appeals process wherein the original reviewer isnt part of the final decision, but as PEN notes, there is no requirement that this reviewer be independent of the prison system, nor are there any other meaningful criteria regarding the reviewers qualifications. The result is a review system that fails to operate as a serious check on prison censorship.

And further, with the power in the hands of the states, there are additional complications when it comes to record maintenance.

[P]ublic record laws, being state-based, are often very weak and so its difficult in general to get information from a state. Because of the general culture of policing and prisons, which creates an us and them, and prison advocates may be seen as opposition trying to undermine prisons and the livelihood of staff, or to criticize them; its a defensive position. Or maybe because theres no national requirement for data collection, especially on this issue, so a lot of prison systems are genuinely at a loss how to respond to a request for non-existent data, said Dillon.

Another challenge is the means by which books are allowed to reach the incarcerated. PEN calls these content-neutral bans and defines them as often implemented as part of a Secure Vendor program, by which the prison allows incarcerated people to purchase packages only from certain pre-approved vendors. Because these restrictions are based not on the content of certain books but instead aimed at restricting books-as-packages. These, PEN states, are actually far more damaging than the blanket book bans.

A letter published in Dear Books to Prisoners from Books to Prisoners. Demetrius shares what books have meant to him while incarcerated, with a pull quote on the left reading Sometimes I feel without the books I receive I might go crazy.

With content-neutral bans, as seen with banned books lists, the information varies state by state. They include:

Content-neutral book banning policies are becoming more and more restrictive, and it seems like every few months we find out another policy has been quietly rolled out somewhere in the country, says Trager.

What each state determines as an appropriate vendor indeed sometimes makes little sense at all. In some states, such as Indiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, and Wyoming, set up one of their requirementsand in some cases the sole allowancebooks to be sent from the publisher.A number of the previously-listed states, along with a handful of others, include book stores, approved vendor, and book distributors among their restrictions. Some states, like Louisiana, allow each facility to determine from whom books may be received (though in Louisiana, family are not approved).

Jackie Snow, volunteer with D.C.s Books to Prisoners program, which has been in operation since 1999 and sends nearly 6,000 packages a year to people in prison across 35 states, notes that these vendor limitations are one of the biggest emerging censorship issues.

We are seeing more prisons try to do tablets or restrict to certain vendors (who they might get some sort of financial incentive for each sale). A lot of the stated concern is about contraband being smuggled in via books. Our group goes out of the way not to send any books that prisons worry about, like books with water damage, which could be dissolved drugs, or any coloring books with pages already colored in, which is also a way drugs have been smuggled in. More prisons are restricting the books we can send to only being in new condition, which makes our work a lot harder since most donations are not brand new books. Being in D.C. doesnt help since most of these issues are decided state level, she said.

Requiring a book come from the publisher is a significant hurdle for prisoners, and it privileges some materials over others. In some states, its made more difficult with language that doesnt distinguish what publishers are allowed to send materials and which arent.

Its a huge obstacle for people who are incarcerated and limits their access to a full range of reading materials. This is also a big component of the litigation by the Human Rights Defense Center, since so many prisons have an inclination to: (a) Disbelieve that a publisher is actually a publisher (think of all the tiny publishing houses out there) and will falsely reject books because of this rule, and (b) Not understand that many publishers dont necessarily sell directly but may sell to book stores who then provide books from a central distribution hub, explains Dillon.

Wright adds, The reality is it deprives friends and families of the ability to share books and to the extent prisoners are overwhelmingly poor and their families are as well it imposes additional barriers to access books and information. The corollary to this is policies that ban used books, even if they come from book vendors or sellers.

New Hampshires policy for books to prisoners, for example, notes that materials may be introduced into the mail by a bona fidepublisher or bona fide bookstore and prepaid by direct subscription only. The policy does not note what bona fide means when it comes to a publisher or to a bookstore.

In 2018, New Yorks limitation to books from publishers brought light to how restrictive these policies and relationships can be. The approved list of publishers included only six options. The policy was overturned, in part because of significant media attention and the work of advocacy groups like Books Through Bars NYC.

Michigans current policies for books to prisoners are among some of the most restrictive and most challenging to shift. No used books are allowed, and new books must be purchased through one of three vendors approved by the state. The vendors include Edward R. Hamilton Bookseller, Prison Legal News/Human Rights Defense Center, and Schuler Books & Music. Additionally, those with visual impairments are allowed materials from National Library of Congress, Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, and American Printing House for the Blind and those seeking certain non-used religious publications have a list of approved vendors as well.

The HRDC is currently pursuing legal action against the Michigan Department of Corrections for its censorship to the incarcerated.

As was seen in Ohio earlier this year, these pre-approved lists of vendors can lead to more questions about the nation of the relationships between the institution and the vendor. If a vendor has a monopoly, they can increase the prices of their materials to the already-vulnerable population who likely could not afford the book.

Public outcry has been beneficial in these censorship cases, as has been seen in places like Washington state.

Its heartening that many of these policies are scrapped or revised after public outcry, says Trager, but we cannot have public outrage as our most effective means of oversight. We need systemic change to address a systemic problem.

I personally do believe that advocates are being more vocal about this issue. But we have to remember that there is little public visibility into this. There is zero doubt that there are many more instances of arbitrary or irrational book banning in our prisons, of which we are woefully unaware, he adds.

As a result of the lack of transparency about books being banned in prisons, the creators of the censored books are often unaware that their books have been restricted. Authors who write booksforthis population, hoping to offer them guidance, insight, education, and hope, frequently do not know their titles have been withheld, unless they seek out the banned book lists by state. Even then, with documentation inconsistent and frequently out of date, the reality of the situation can be unknown.

Terri LeClercq, the author of Prison Grievances, which was banned in Kansas and Illinois until intervention, finds her book still unavailable in other state institutions.

Writtenforthose experiencing incarceration, LeClercq worked with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice while writing her book over the course of ten years.

After staff in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice reviewed my early draft and made very helpful suggestions (no censoring at all), I finally (10 years from beginning to publication) got it self-published and ready for sale. A lawyer friend here offered to buy a copy for each TDC unit. The very first book I sent to a correspondent was banned. I learned that because he said he didnt get it. He checked the mail room, and they said it was on the banned list so they destroyed it, she said, noting that destroyed in this instance meant the book disappeared all together without explanation. It was not returned to her, and when she followed up, the mailroom reached out to the incarcerated correspondent, asking if he could afford the postage to return it to sender (No one can, of course, added LeClercq).

Having a 10-yr project, written directly for the very audience that was not allowed to get it, was a tremendous blow. I had had ups and downs in the project [] But this was the bottom of hell.

Her awareness of the situationand her investment in helping those who are incarcerated know their rightshas led to further work on prison censorship. With the help of a student assistant, she pulled together a state-by-state list of the quantity and quality of books prisoners are allowed and where those books may be acquired.

While all of those who are incarcerated have access to a Law Library, most also have access of some capacity to a leisure library. But the extent of those libraries is, as PEN reports, varied and inconsistent, The American Library Association has a recommended set of standards for adult correctional institutions. They suggest a minimum of 15 books per person, or at least 5,000 titles for smaller institutions. In 2000, U.S. prison libraries held only 7 books per prisoner, according to one estimate. Since then, with the dramatic increase in mass incarceration over the past two decades, it is widely understood that prison library book acquisitions have fallen even further behind this standard, although comprehensive data is unavailable.

The report continues, outlining the realities of prison library funding:

Prison librarianslike any other librarians in under-resourced locationsmay find themselves hustling for book donations to sufficiently stock their shelves.100 Meanwhile, funds for prison libraries are often the first to go when state officials cut budgets. In Illinois, for example, an Illinois Newsroom investigation found that, in 2017, the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC) spent a total of $276 on new books. For a system with 28 facilities, thats less than ten dollars per prison. [] the state of Maryland has approximately 129,000 books in its libraries, or approximately 7 books per incarcerated person. The state spends approximately $16,000 per year for new books for an incarcerated population of more than 17,000 people. [] In Georgia, an investigation this year by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution analyzed the book catalogues at 12 state prisons. Among their findings: four prisons had less than four books per person, with the prison library at one prison offering fewer than 2,000 books for approximately 1,000 prisoners.

Even within those poorly funded, under-staffed libraries, the reality is even starker. The books on shelves do not reflect those who are incarcerated. As PEN notes, when the Atlanta Journal-Constitution conducted their report, Although nearly two-thirds of Georgia inmates are black, more than half of libraries have no books on Martin Luther King Jr., and two-thirds of them dont have anything on Malcolm X.

And prison librarians, despite their own best intentions, can become part of the system as well. LeClercq found this to be the case when her book was finally allowed in Texas facilities.

Following a meeting and discussion with Texas Senator John Whitmire, who she notes is one of the few senators working on prison legislation, LeClercqs book was reinstated. The next Monday the head of TDC called and told me he had given approval for the book to be placed in the general libraries. It was, although in a crazy turn of events, some of the librarians seem to place it on bottom shelves, unlisted. Some unit libraries then decided readers could use it for only 15 minutesits a 5th grade graphic novel, but who could absorb all that legal information in 15 minutes? Not me, for sure, and I read rather fast. Its as if the prison culture has pervaded even the people who are supposed to help inmates, like librarians.

Authors can do nothing. Zero. Zip. We cant learn which prisons have banned us [] This hidden and nefarious censorship will continue and will grow, says LeClercq.

The quantity of material each individual is allowed to have while incarcerated is not only limited by financial realitiesimposed by forcing them to purchase materials through outside vendorsbut theyre limited, too, in the format of books. Hardcovers are more expensive than paperbacks. New books more costly than used. Further still, the restriction to a certain number of books per person, in conjunction with underfunded and poorly developed prison libraries only hinders their First Amendment rights more deeply.

Advocacy groups like Books to Prisoners, Books Behind Bars, and others, all serve a crucial role in getting books into the hands of those who are incarcerated. But, in addition to the inconsistent policies and book bans which happen without clear reasoning or process, the fact that many state policies disallow used books to get into the hands of individuals is a challenge. Michigan is one of the states that does not allow any used books into their facilitieseither for individuals in the system or the librariesand, as noted previously, their restriction to only three vendors for purchasing titles has meant that not only are prison book donation groups not active in the state, but the HRDC has stepped in to sue the state over prison censorship.

State policies remain vague here, too. North Dakota disallows books that have been previously read (as something separate from used), while New Mexico sets a hard limit on the number of books, magazines, and religious texts (what separates a book from a religious text in this case and/or what restrictions does that place on certain religious faiths). The ability to leave these up for interpretation gives significant opportunity for overreach on the part of the Wardens or those they assign responsibility to, as has been seen before and will continue to be seen in the future.

And for advocacy groups and prison book donation organizations? The ever-shifting policies are compounded by the fact each group is often treated differently by the same facilities.

Were all volunteers with full time jobs and other obligations. In the past, various prison book programs have tried to create centralized lists of known restrictions at prisons, but we just ended up with more confusion because it turns out that every prison treats every group differently. One group might be accepted at a prison; another group might be restricted to new books only; another group might be fully banned. In many states, like New Mexico and both Washington and Ohio until recently, every warden was given latitude to make their own rules. A new warden would mean a new set of rulesbut, of course, we werent generally privy to either regime changes or policy updates. It is a mess, and thats why were all fighting to get better standards and oversight so that we dont have to waste time, energy, and postage money on finding out that a prison has changed its rules yet again, said Dillon.

I put together a list of books I wanted and wrote letters to hundreds of organizations and famous people I read about in magazines asking if they would donate one of those books to the Patuxent library. Can you imagine how special that was to hear the library got a new book and realize it was one I asked for, and that someone donated it because of me?

I didnt just live forthat library. I livedbecause of that library. The Patuxent prison library saved me from crushing despair. It saved hundreds of other guys, too.

Chris Wilson, formerly incarcerated author

Because of better tools of communication, connection, and time, awareness of the depths of prison censorship is growing. This means that, thanks to the work of advocacy groups, on-going legal challenges, and reports like those done by PEN and similar groups and individuals, more information exists. And this information means that the average citizen can get a better handle on how they can act and stand up for the rights of those experiencing incarceration.

In my capacity with Books to Prisoners, we do this work for several reasons. Many of us are librarians, book store employees, and other pro-book people; we want to see the joy of reading spread as far as possible. We also do this becauseespecially as we work with these groups longerwe see the profound isolation and deprivation experienced by people in prisons and we want to remedy that in even this very small way. There are a variety of perspectives in books to prisoners programs, from those who see this as prisoner support and abolition work, to those who operate from the framework of rehabilitation and want to see prisoners gain access to tools for job training and higher education in order to better themselves and decrease recidivism, said Dillon.

She noted that the most commonly requested books include dictionaries, Spanish language learning, black history and fiction, how-to-draw, manga & comics, vocational training (including plumbing, etc., as well as how to start a business), genre fiction (fantasy, sci-fi, thrillers, and horror in particular), ancient history, mythology, occult, legal self-help, and games (sudoku, crosswords, D&D).

Whats the average person to do? In what ways can the work continue to push forward?

Step one is getting to know who is in charge of prison oversight and speaking up against these behaviors on a state level.

[T]hese actions and abuses continue because we continue electing politicians who endorse or appoint the people who do them. Governors are responsible for the prisons, sheriffs generally for the jails. If there is a political price to pay these practices may stop. [] it doesnt take a huge amount of support or outcry to get prisoncrats or jail officials to back down on small limited issues. The reality is we have a police state with little in the way of accountability or transparency at any level, not just around censorship, said Wright.

Likewise, understand what the policies are within your state when it comes to book censorship. Reach out to your states DOC and ask for them. Ask about policies and procedures, as well as lists of titles and reasons. As noted, the chances of receiving an answer easily are slim to none; but collective action and effort move the needle.

One way to make this process a little easier is to develop a series of email templates asking for information that can be copy and pasted.Keep those, as well as all correspondence, in a file for record keeping.

As Wright notes, understand your state governors stance on prison oversight. Again, write letters. Know what policies local and state-level sheriffs follow and know the chain of commandwho does the sheriff report to? Thats who to write to when answers dont come back and/or you want to know more and are seeing nothing from the sheriff.

Weve seen the power of elections and the necessity in voting. This is not just true on the national level. In many ways, those state and local elections are equally, if not more, imperative.

Dillon emphasizes that the fight begins locally.

The average citizen can start by connecting with a local prison book program, higher ed in prison, or other prison advocacy group, if there is one in your area. If theres a prison book program that you can join, help answer requests for books; learn firsthand about the difficulties of providing booksthe arbitrary returns, the proactive self-censorship to try to avoid assumed restrictions, the dedication of other activists. Use that community as a potential launching point to collaborate on a statewide campaign if you find that one is necessary (for example, were having issues with overall book access in Indiana and Michigan right now, and nearly every state could use a push to create better publication review committees and publicly available lists of censored materials).

Whatever talents you have, those can be put to use in protecting the First Amendment rights of people in prisons.

[A]re you a great graphic designer? Do you know state politicians who might be interested in talking about these issues? Can you write persuasive letters? This is a community fight, so find your community first, Dillon added.

Organizations like the HRDC are great places to donate money, particularly as they have long and successful track records of litigation. Their work has a traceable paper trail and leads to changes as seen in states like Washington.

Snow says, There are acouple dozen programslike ours across the country, all powered by donations and volunteers. I recommend this volunteering to anyone. The letters we get can be thoughtful, funny, or a small delight when someone asks for a book by your favorite author that you can fill, and the notes we get back are wonderful. Even if you dont live near one of these groups to volunteer your time or drop off books, buying books fromwishlists like ours is something that keeps us going.

[T]here is something free that interested people can do: keep an eye on their states rules around sending books to prisons. Many states are trying to restrict packages just from vendors like Amazon, or even going to tablets that force inmatesto buy the expensive technology and books that can be marked way up, even books in the public domain. We have had success pushing back,most recently in Maryland, but it will be an ongoing fight that people can help by contacting their representatives and Governors to let them know they dont agree with policies like these, added Snow.

Public outrage has been instrumental in reversing recent policies across the country. Its vitally important to help demonstrate to prison officials that the American people do not support overbroad and arbitrary restrictions on literature, or policies that severely limit access to books. Overall, people should absolutely be speaking with their elected officials about this, says Trager. He adds that local reporters played a significant role in uncovering book bans and bringing them to the attention of the publicthe endnotes of the PEN America report highlight the value that local media outlets have in making these acts of censorship known.

This is a story that is often first uncovered at a local level, sometimes well before it reaches more national attention, he adds.

When the realities of prison censorship come to light, its too easy for those without the knowledge or understanding of the depths of the problem to make light of the situation. But its not joke. Certainly, books can be weapons and can be tools used for transporting illegal substances into prisons.But these instances are exceptionally uncommon.

Whats far more common is for the First Amendment rights of the incarcerated to be denied.

Its been proven that access to books reduces recidivism. People make mistakes and commit crime. They serve the punishment given to them by a judge and/or a jury. During this time, they have an opportunity to better themselves in whatever ways necessary so theyre prepared for life on the outside again, be it in six months, six years, or sixty years.

For vulnerable populations within an already-vulnerable populationblack men and women experiencing incarceration in particularhaving access to materials about the prison system, racial justice, and their rights is crucial. Already unjustly targeted, they face further challenges in and out of the school-to-prison pipeline, due to bigotry, racism, classism, and denial of tools for rehabilitation. Listen to those in this community and rally in support of their rights.

Trager adds, We need to shine a light on how useful, inspiring, and dignity-enhancing book access is for those who are incarcerated. Pragmatically, access to literature has been shown to help reduce recidivism rates. But we need better protections to support the right to read and access to books in prisons. We need more meaningful review mechanisms, more transparent and clearly-defined rules over what constitutes grounds to ban a book, more consistent application of these rules from prison officials. We need a standard of review that recognizes and values the literary merit of a challenged book, training and regulations that explicitly incorporate First Amendment principles and affirms the basic right to readall of these represent steps we should take to help ensure that the urge to censor is not running rampant in our prisons.

If you want to know more and go deeper, there is a range of incredible material available. Heres a small selection of outstanding reading:

See more here:
Why and How Censorship Thrives in American Prisons - Book Riot

Michael Rosen likes to play a game where he sees how much of the dishwasher he can empty in one breath. As a boy, his brother and he used to try to get from the lavatory to the kitchen before the sound of the flushing had stopped, all while holding their breath.

Play, make-believe, nonsense talk, it all comes naturally to us when were young. As one of our most beloved childrens authors, poets and storytellers, its a knack Rosen has never grown out of, even at 73. The sort of play he enjoyed as a child has informed his imaginative world, and enriched ours.

The vast majority of us, though, hardly stray into those unknown realms anymore. Play is something that in adulthood is largely banished...

Read the original here:
Michael Rosen: It's time we all relearnt the art of play, whatever our age and here's how - Telegraph.co.uk

ILLUSTRATION BY WENTING LI

First Person is a daily personal piece submitted by readers. Have a story to tell? See our guidelines at tgam.ca/essayguide.

Dare we get a cat? My husband asked.

Have you gone completely mad? No way! I hate cats!

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Wed tried everything peppermint oil, food in airtight containers, electronic rodent deterrents, humane catch and release traps. Finally, our tender hearts admitted this dilemma required the brutal snap mouse traps that would make us murderers. With a heavy sigh, we went to the hardware store and stocked up.

Much to our dismay, when we checked the traps the next morning the peanut butter was eaten but the vermin had escaped the spine-crushing-to-death part. Secretly, I was relieved. However, our mouse problem still needed solving.

We marched purposefully into the Humane Society asking for the meanest cat on site. The lady guided us to a cat at the back, in its own separate room with an enter at own risk sign on the door. As we looked through the glass, she explained that it was a stray, age unknown. It was male, a Barn Buddy with Catitude and the $165 adult cat fee was waived. Its long hair was matted, sparse and speckled with dander. It was skinny, mangy and exuded meanness that was palpable. The woman left abruptly, seemingly wanting nothing more to do with this cat.

After some courage-summoning moments, we entered vigilantly. It growled a warning, flicked its tail then hissed as we neared. I kept my distance. Its green eyes fixated on me with slits for pupils. A chill went up my spine, the hairs on the back of my neck stood up, and goosebumps covered my arms. Roy spoke softly to it and moved in close, the fool. Then, there was blood.

Well take him! I said.

I cant believe we got a cat my husband said as we drove home with the pitch-black mini panther, pacing in his tiny kennel prison as we sat in silent disbelief.

Desperate times I finally responded, envisioning the continual reappearing mound of mouse turds behind the piano.

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I declared to all that I would not love it. We were dog people. As a matter of fact, we were quite polarized in our love for dogs versus cats. We would provide room and board, and it would kill mice. That would be the extent of this relationship.

Our pup Lynkin was curious about this creature in the kennel, tail a waggin, big grin and floppy tongued as he peeked in the air holes - until he heard the demonic growl followed by a hiss and a lurch forward. Lynkins tail went down swiftly and he scuttled away, wanting nothing further to do with this stinky, dark beast. From a safe distance, Lynky gave us a wide-eyed glare, as if to say: A cat? Really? Have you gone mad?

Were not going to love it, I reiterated. Lynky seemed to appreciate that.

Its going back I told Roy. At every opportunity the cat, who we named Liam, pummelled poor Lynkin for no reason other than malice. Roy insisted we give it a few more days, reminding me of the mouse turds behind the piano.

Liam would gobble up his food, then run and hide, swatting Lynkin on the way. That is, until Lynkin had enough. With an uncharacteristic snarl, growl and a triple nip, the shocked feline was taken aback by Lynkins shadow self.

Shortly thereafter, we began to notice his metamorphosis. The meanness of spirit transformed into an unpredictable sweetness and adorability that one had to see to believe.

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His fur fluffed up as if hed just flown in from a shampoo and blow dry from a beauty salon in France. He became submissive toward Lynkin, following him around like a shadowy little brother. From then on, they were side by side. Liam started laying on the back of the couch, legs up in the air dead bug style. He slept with us in the family bed. He would come running when called, leaping into our laps where he would lull himself to sleep. How calming it is to have a contented, purring cat resonating near ones vibrations of the heart.

It is amazing what love can do.

I have met several Zen masters," says Eckhart Tolle all of them cats.

Late one night a few weeks in, I awoke to Liam tracking a mouse that ran under the bed. He chased it and after some run around, the mouse found a hiding spot at the base of the lamp on the nightstand. Liam looked in all other directions, then sat under the nightstand. I shook my head, realizing that he would not be holding up his end of the bargain. Yet, wed fallen in love with him. What would we do now?

Boom. In a flash Liams black paw darted up and pierced the mouse with his needle-like claws and dragged it into his lair under the table. I screamed. My scream made my husband scream and then the dog barked at all the commotion.

Courteously, Liam left the room with his prey, sparing us from the gruesome scene that would follow. In the morning, my husband found the gift at the entrance of his office.

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Word got out in the mouse community, and thanks to Liam, the mice dont come around here any more and our family is perfectly squared with love.

Jacqueline Lamb Jackson lives in Edmonton, Alta.

See more here:
I hate cats but I needed a mouser and fast - The Globe and Mail