Two years ago next week my whole world crumbled & I’m feeling so many things about it. Mostly, I’m just grateful I’m still alive & I’m doing things I love. But I’m also grieving & I want to share this because I know I’m not alone in going through scary stuff & there is hope.

I experienced some of the most traumatic events of my life in Feb 2019, when leadership of the church I was a part of decided after nearly a year they were not ok with my decision to speak up about abuse I had suffered during my time there.

The leader who assaulted & abused me was no longer there, & up until this point I had believed platitudes that the rest of the team cared about what had happened. But I never saw any actual reform or self-reflection about the fact that this happened to an 18 year old intern.

The trauma from being assaulted was obvious & expected. But the trauma that came from the institutional betrayal was the deepest cut. Leaders who had prayed with me sat in front of me & laughed as I cried over words they had said about me behind my back. I was devastated.

Most of my friendships existed within that institution, & when this betrayal happened those friendships went silent. Overnight, I lost my entire support system, over lies said about me that I wouldn’t have access to read until I got a lawyer & they had to turn them over.

THE SCIENCE BEHIND YAJNA

Fire is, of course, one of the greatest discovery of mankind. Our control over the fire dramatically changed the entire human habits; earlier it was used to cook food, protection from animals and to stay warm.

Among the many applications of fire, one is Yajna (यज्ञ, yajña); also called as Havana (हवन) or Agnihotra (अग्निहोत्र).
Yajna is elaborately described in Yajurveda. In Yajurveda, Yajna is the greatest among all works (Karman). One can purify his /her soul by performing Yajna.

In Vedic culture, it is thought that the holy fire is the mediator between Gods and us; when the offerings are made to Yajna with chanting mantras, it directly reaches the Gods, who bless the people with rains, food, health, and good luck.

According to Apastamba Sutra, the definition of Yajna is Vedic sacrifice; an act by which we surrender something for gods e.g. grains (Anna), pulse, milk and milk product (ghee, butter, curd) fruits, plant juice (soma), etc.

As we said; Yajna is the contact medium for gods and

to seek their blessings.

There are many types of Yajna performed by Hindus for e.g.,

1. Rajsuya Yajna
2. Ashwamedha Yajna
3. Chaaturmasya Yajna
4. Vaajpey Yajna
5. Purushmedha Yajna
6. Sarvamedha Yajna

A thread about electricity deregulation and infrastructure in Texas: 1/

Dereg has been a thing there since we moved to Austin in the late 1980s. A constant push for lower electricity prices. TX is unique in that it has its own grid; the grid doesn't connect to any other states. So TX has a lot of leeway in what it decides to do. 2/

ERCOT is the state agency that "regulates" the grid and the "deregulated" "electricity market." What this means is that you can *buy* power from any number of companies, and regional power companies are responsible for maintaining the grid. 3/

In other words, the company you buy your power from is likely *not* the company that maintains your grid. When I lived in Houston I bought power from Green Mountain Energy but Centerpoint did the grid. 4/

So in a power emergency, I would call Centerpoint and not Green Mountain. 5/

Big congrats to @nonfungibles on releasing their 2020 Annual Non-Fungible Tokens Report! @NathalieBcht, @latelier & I thoroughly enjoyed partnering with them on it: https://t.co/uNvX18GcQV.
Some key takeaways from the report & my personal observations a/t #NFTs. A long-ish 🧵👇:

MARKET SIZE: The NFT market had a historic 2020 - tripled in value, reaching $250m (in terms of value of all #Ethereum transactions on chain, so actual market size is even bigger). This is rapid growth for a space that’s just a few years old.

Market is still volatile & prone to speculation but more sophisticated use cases are emerging based on utility, community, competitive elements. All are prerequisites for a more mature market. For all the hype around crypto, it is #NFTs that offer some of the more promising uses.

USERS: # of users transacting NFTs is up. So is interest in NFTs more broadly - using Twitter activity as a proxy, the uptick in interest is clear & rose 5x in Nov 2017- Sept 2020 (similar trajectory for #DeFi btw). BUT it's important to remember this is still a niche ecosystem.

PROFIT: Some NFT #Traders are commanding profits in the 100s of thousands. Again, this is still a niche activity. There are high barriers to entry (incl. technological) for non-crypto enthusiasts + asset prices are going up very fast. It's still hard to price and value NFTs.

Based on my many years experience, I’ve developed 24 laws of ad tech product management. These are “laws”, meaning they are always true, everywhere. Thread...

1. If you add something to targeting, it also must be in reporting.

2. The answer to the question “Do you need to forecast this?” is always yes.

3. The answer to “Is this forecast working well?” is always no.

4. If you give an agency customer two options, they will always choose “both.”

Here is the full document. I am going to go through it now.

Yep. This is also a point strongly made in @andrewdoyle_com's new book on Free Speech which I am halfway through and am pretty sure I will be recommending as a primer for the alarming number of people who seem confused about what free speech is & why it is good.

Well, good! Conservatives have not been great at this historically so I must give credit where it is due. I really wish this were a left-wing government taking this progressive stance.

(Areo has a piece forthcoming on why supporting FoS is inherently progressive, btw)

Yes, sadly this is true. I currently have half a dozen cases where people are being penalised for trying to express unorthodox views in the academy.

However, I should also say that one case in which I helped a student prepare for an ethical review when she had already been made aware her views were problematic (she wanted to treat people as individuals) was a resounding success & she passed it. So there is still hope.

I’m beginning to think that the left has been too obsessed with GDP as a broken economic metric governing the global shitshow, when inflation is more insidious. Deflation may be a more radical demand than degrowth. Burst bubbles. Deflate the price of fossil fuel infrastructure.

It’s amazing just how much political economy is still determined by the threat of stagflation. This has created a weird metonymy in which as long as you’re fight inflation (preserving the interests of (older) savers) you’re also fighting stagnation (supporting (younger) earners).

To some extent the residual fear of deflationary spirals lies behind this, waiting in the wings for any suggestion that stagnation must be fought with deflation. This is entirely understandable, as uncontrolled deflation hits the poorest hardest.

The assumption that conjoins these fears into an engine of unbridled economic stagnation is that there’s a unitary market effectively mediating between the markets in different sectors, be this unity micro-economic or macro-economic in flavour. But this just isn’t how it works.

There is so much more logistic friction in the price system than the popular story of just in time production suggests, not least in the concrete details of differentiated trade between economic actors from local businesses to nation states.

The liberty and mobility granted to average people by cheap gasoline and home energy is absolutely infuriating to socialist central planners. They need you people to stop moving around so much. You keep scuttling their glorious five-year plans.

@RubinReport Your commentary on the dangers of silicon valley coming under the spell of wokeness and cancel culture is spot on. I know this to be true because in Bitcoin we have already lived through a similar culture war against crypto anarchists.

We experienced firsthand the tactics such groups use to eliminate ¨wrongspreak¨ from public debate. And as you rightly recognize, this exact thing is currently happening in society as a whole. And not surprisingly often by the exact same people.

For example, Jack Dorsey, investor in and honored by the BTC cult, is the same person responsible for the twitter bans of many people, including a lifelong ban for the former president of USA. BTC ideology and such policies may seem incompatible with each other, but it is not.

As we stood up against social engineering and the destruction of language in Bitcoin we have been demonitized and deplatformed. Evidence: Just read the whitepaper and see how BTC, what they tell you is Bitcoin, doesn´t even come close to it.

So, just like you, we have been busy building our own alternative platforms based on new incentive structures and the Own Your Data philosophy.

For example have a look at this excellent presentation on @twetchapp

MEANING, EXPLANATION & INTERPRETATION OF YOUR DREAMS, ALSO ITS EFFECTS IN COMING DAYS

Sigmund Freud had explained the interpretation of dreams in the last century, but our scriptures explained this thousands of years back. What is the significance and meaning of our dreams.

These are explained in Kanv shakha of our scriptures.
Dreams in the first quarter(पहर) of the day give result in one year, if the dreams are in the second quarter(प्रहर) the results are in eight months, for third the dreams are fulfilled in three months,

the fourth one takes one fortnight, the dreams of dawn take ten days, morning dreams after you awaken after dream are fulfilled forthright.

If you dream during your tense and worrisome period those are never realized. People with Negative traits never get their dreams fulfilled.

Also your dreams will never be realized after you get up from a dream and then go to sleep again. Never narrate your dreams to others.

You will gain wealth if you see the following things in your dream- cow,elephant, horse, palace, climbing mountains or trees,

eating and crying or injured.

You will attain more land if you see someone
singing with veena in his hands.

You will attain amrit if you see yourself entering a red sea or entering into narak.

The Eisenhower Decision Matrix is a powerful tool for prioritizing your time and unlocking growth in your career, startup, business, relationships, or life.

A thread on how it works and how it can change your life...

Dwight D. Eisenhower was an American military officer and politician.

He was a five-star general in the United States Army and the first Supreme Commander of NATO.

After his military career, he was elected as the 34th President of the United States, serving from 1953 to 1961.

In both his military and civilian careers, Eisenhower stood out for his prolific productivity.

His secret?

Eisenhower observed that people often confuse the urgent with the important. He did not.

"What is important is seldom urgent and what is urgent is seldom important."

The Eisenhower Decision Matrix is a visualization tool that forces you to differentiate between the urgent and the important.

It allows you to prioritize your time accordingly and unlock new productivity and growth.

Let's cover the basics of how it works...

First, we have to define "urgent" and "important."

An "urgent" task is one that requires immediate, focused attention.

An "important" task is one that promotes or furthers your long-term values, goals, or principles.

Remember: Tasks can be both urgent and important.

Thread.

Recently, Harsimrat Kaur @HarsimratBadal_ claimed in parliament that Guru Tegh Bahadur protected the religion of Hindus despite of being a Non-Hindu. And Hindus owe a huge favor to others.

In this thread, I will show that Guru Tegh Bahadur was every inch a Hindu!

Let us begin with some contemporary sources.

Guru Tegh Bahadur visited the holy Triveni at Prayaga in 1662 CE.

This visit is documented in contemporary Bhat Vahi records.

Unlike those unpublished "bhat vahis", this one was published by Sikh historian Madanjit Kaur (1978)

This Bhat Vahi was signed by Guru Tegh Bahadur.

The content of the letter is particularly striking.

Guru Tegh Bahadur calls himself a devotee of Naina Devi.

Note. A devotee of Naina Devi. He does not mention Akal Purakh or Waheguru.

In the record, Guru Tegh Bahadur identifies himself as Sodhi Khatri by Varna and Kaushish by gotra.

This is exactly how the followers of orthodox Hinduism identify themselves to this date!

Further, Guru Tegh Bahadur appoints a brahmin purohit named Bhoj Raj.

He orders Sodhis of his line and all his Sikh followers to obey the aforementioned Brahmin Purohit.

This practice of appointing purohits is just what is referred to by some people as "Brahmanical Hinduism"

Dear hearts, some terrific news that I can now share❗️I got a book deal❗️YAS! I am overjoyed that my next book, ABUNDANT BLACK JOY: THE LIFE AND WORK OF PATRICK KELLY, will be published by @AmistadBooks @HarperCollins in Fall 2023! 💜💜💜💜❤️❤️❤️🎊🎉😍🥰🙏🏿✊🏿

There’s much more work to do, but those who know me know that I’m a gratitude girl, so right now I want to pause and sit fully in this moment and just be grateful and express that gratitude.

I’m so grateful to my agent, Tanya McKinnon, & Carol Taylor, editorial director at @McKinnonLit ,for their wisdom, kindness, & artful guidance in process, but also in the ways they’ve inspired me to be open to new ways to think about my work as a scholar, writer, & creative.

I’m grateful to my Soul Sister, @alexispauline, for connecting me w/Tanya. I’m grateful also for ways Alexis & @SangodareJulia, also my kindred and who I consider my pastor, have been a loving presence beside me & encourage me in this ancestrally held work. I love y’all so much.

I’m excited to work w/ my editor, the other Patri(c)k, Patrik Henry Bass. To be shepherded through process by a longtime & proven talent in publishing, and someone who knows books and fashion/beauty industries through his years as an editor at Essence, is a dream come true.

Iranian Reformist Front (Jebheye Eslathalabane Iran) was officially founded yesterday in Jamaran, Khomeini's historic house near Tehran.

The founding meeting elected Behzad Nabavi as an interim head since he is oldest.

And also 5 people as a committee to draft the IRF's by-laws

The five are:

1- Outspoken Tehran MP @mah_sadeghi
2- Faraj Komijani, politician with a base in an official teachers union
3- Ali Bagheri (low-key politician)
4- @MansooriAzar , noted reformist politician
5- Rouhani's ex-VP @mowlaverdi

Some more pictures of the meeting.

The next meeting of the group is on Wednesday and will be held virtually.

The top question remains whether and who (and how many candidates) to run for the coming #IranElections2021

The founding statement says the reformists will run a single candidate agreed by all reformist parties but only if elections are to be "free, legal, competitive, just and constitutional"... which is obviously not what's going to happen!

The founding statement also includes big demands like call for a referendum to revise the constitution. But as usual these big words aren't followed by any actions.

If you wanna learn WRITING, CONTENT MARKETING AND COPYWRITING for FREE in 2021, this THREAD is for you. Tag your friends/families that might need these FREE resources!

1. Free Writing Editing Tutorial - Get Your First Draft Written Right!
In this course, you will :

Create a good first draft
Write page after page even when you don't feel "inspired"
Understand what inspires and motivates you



2. Business Writing
In this course, you will learn

Write effective emails, letters, memos, reports.
Analyze a writing situation and determine the appropriate communication strategy, format, style, and content.


3. Beginner's Guide To Copywriting (EASY 12 STEP METHOD)
How to influence people to take action after reading your copy
How to grab the reader's attention
How to create a burning desire for your product or

4. Copywriting that sells:
In this course, you will learn:

How to identify your target audience
How to research your target audience
How to write texts that will convert for that target audience
You will be able to put together a content

Butt plugs were originally sold as a miracle cure for headaches, acne, and insanity

Thread, article here and h/t: @qikipedia :
https://t.co/Ts84xnmWKJ

For a long time, medicine was pre-occupied with the question "can this be solved by putting something in the butt?"

Take, for example, tobacco smoke enemas, in which 18th Century physicians saw drowning victims and attempted to de-deadify them by blowing tobacco smoke up their rectums with a pipe.

Despite having no medical benefit whatsoever, the practice was popular, and enema kits lined the Thames like lifebelts, ready to be used as one final humiliation for somebody who was crap at swimming.

This practice ended sometime after 1800 when it became apparent that it didn't really work, given how the anus famously isn't really connected to the lungs, but doctors weren't quite finished with having a poke around in the old anus to see what happens just yet.

@JSG_54 I’d like to make a list of which ones and when they were put on the payroll from the attorneys. Also, others like Caleb Alexander and Tim Munson. Anyone that has had their hand in policy or publicly demonized pain meds and then profited off of litigation, get em on the list.

Here’s #ArtVanZee

#AnnaLembke

#DaneshMazloomdoost

#AndrewKolodny