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by Sheyna | Jul 20, 2022 | Books and Writing | 0 comments
People have strong opinions about how much books cost, and among every group of readers, I hear or read questions about how to get books cheaper—or for free.
Personally, I hold Amazon responsible for training readers in general to expect $0.99 ebooks and $1.99 paperbacks. Amazon sells books as loss leaders, so their pricing isn't realistic in the book world.
I've been in the publishing industry for twenty years. I launched my first publishing company in 2002, back when "self-publishing" was a dirty word. I've learned from traditional publishers and mid-sized independent presses. I was one of the early adopters of on-demand printing, years before CreateSpace, before IngramSpark, back when Ingram's on-demand printing company, Lightning Source, was in its early years.
On-demand printing has pros and cons. The pro, obviously, is that books are only printed when purchased, saving on warehousing costs. However, bookstores are less likely to carry on-demand titles, and many publishers set up their titles with no returns—a dealbreaker for bookstores, which run on consignment and depend heavily on the ability to return books for full credit.
The biggest disadvantage to on-demand printing is that the unit print cost—the cost to print and bind one copy of one title—is higher than printing larger digital runs (500+ copies on a digital printer where toner sits on the surface of the paper) or offset runs (1000+ copies on an offset printer, where ink from plates is pressed into the paper). These days, the quality of digital printing is nearly indistinguishable from offset printing, a huge increase in quality over the past 20 years. Still, the more copies one prints, the lower the unit cost.
Why does the unit cost matter?
In the traditional book trade, everyone gets a piece of the retail price. A distributor warehouses books and either charges the publishers fees for storage, picking, packing, freight, and returns or takes a cut of the sales price (up to 20%). The distributor sells books to wholesalers (on consignment) at a 55% discount off the retail price. Wholesalers turn around and sell books to bookstores at a 40% discount off the retail price. Bookstores decide if they want to discount the books or not and sell them accordingly to customers. Books that don't sell within a "season," or about three months, are returned to the wholesaler for credit. The wholesaler doesn't want a lot of copies of the same title in stock, so they may return them to the distributor for full credit. The distributor will then charge the publisher for the returns. Along the way, there are always shipping costs.
We have a joke in the book industry: the only people getting rich in publishing are FedEx and UPS.
And, well, Amazon is getting rich too.
Amazon now demands a 57% discount from distributors. Bear in mind, the publisher gets what's left over after the discounts, so anywhere from 25%-43% of the retail price. Out of that income, they have to pay overhead, salaries, printing costs, shipping, etc. And royalties. They also need to pay their authors royalties from book sales.
Some authors choose to sell their books directly through Amazon. This eliminates the everyone-gets-a-piece issue, but also means bookstores won't carry their title. And why would they? Bookstores and Amazon are competitors.
In 2022, we now have issues with paper supply shortages, labor shortages, and all sorts of other workplace issues that COVID-19 had caused. This means the cost of paper, shipping, and labor have all gone up. A lot.
Let's look at a real book. It's mine. It'll be coming out later this year. It has a trim size of 5.25" wide by 8" high. It's small enough to fit into a bag or to hold easily, whereas 6" x 9" trade paperbacks can become unwieldy. It was a design decision.
It has 304 pages. Technically, it has 301 with three blank pages, but offset presses require page count to be divisible by 8 because of how they print signatures. So 304. It's printed on white paper. Nothing super fancy. The only fancy thing is that part of the cover is embossed. The design practically demands embossing, which is not available through Amazon. And honestly, if you're going to pay full price for a book, I believe you should get a nice book. Not a mediocre one.
If I sold this book only through Amazon, they require a minimum retail price of $7.50. It will cost $4.50 to print, and that's without the embossing. But that doesn't mean I get $3.00 per book. No, that's Amazon's take. I get nothing at that price. Zero. I'm giving the book away.
Because Amazon works on a percentage, not a straight fee per book, if I priced this book at $20.00, it would still cost $4.50 to print and Amazon's take is $8.00. I would get $7.50. Not bad, but it leaves me locked into Amazon.
What if I wanted to list it with IngramSpark as well and use on-demand printing? That same book, to print one copy, will cost $5.54. Still without embossing. If I priced the book at $13.00 and used industry-standard discounts (55%), my compensation is $0.31 per book (not a typo). IngramSpark gets the rest. To get the aforementioned $7.50 I could get above from Amazon, I'd have to price the book through IngramSpark at $29.00 retail.
Now, I could reduce the discount, but that means fewer resellers will carry it. Fewer resellers means fewer places that readers can buy it.
Now, let's look at printing a medium-sized run digitally and a larger run on an offset press.
I requested a quote for printing 501 copies (discounts kick in over 500) from a local digital book printer I trust. Not including that embossing, copies are $6.11 each. If I printed 1001 copies, the unit price falls to $4.99. 1501 copies drops it to $4.87 per book. But a bonus: this printer is housed with my distributor, so no shipping costs. Yay!
You'll notice that this is quite a bit more than the $4.50 that Amazon would charge. But again, using Amazon's KDP Paperback to print the book locks it in for sale only on Amazon. Printing it elsewhere and warehousing it at my distributor means anyone can order it anywhere.
Using digital printing and the industry standard discounts (55% for all but Amazon; 57% for Amazon), if I priced the book at $14.95, I'd be giving it away. If I priced the book at $20.00, I'd be left with $2.50 per book. And that's not including any other costs beyond printing.
But what if I could get the unit price even lower? I can, with an offset printing. And printing more copies.
My go-to offset printer can print them for $4.80 each if I print 1250 copies. Or if I print 1500 copies, I can get the unit cost down to $4.25 including freight and embossing. I'm not inclined to print more copies than that for a first printing. Initial interest tells me I can probably sell a thousand fairly easily, and if they go fast, then the additional 500 is a buffer until more can be printed. Turnaround time for printing, whether digital or offset, is upwards of two months minimum right now.
So, my best-case scenario: print 1500 copies at $4.25 each including the embossing and freight to my distributor.
Now, in reality, I have timelines to meet, and printers are massively backlogged, so this isn't actually going to work. I need books available sooner, which means doing a shorter (smaller) print run at that $6.11 unit price while the offset printers are doing a longer (bigger) print run at $4.25 each.
My goal is to make $6.00 per book with the industry discount. That may sound great, but out of that, I need to pay myself (as the author) royalties of 25% or $1.50, plus distribution fees (warehousing, shipping, returns) and overhead (software, internet, licensing, depreciation on equipment, etc.). My time and effort and skill are valuable and deserve compensation. $6.00 doesn't go very far.
If I average the printing cost per unit, looking at the total number of books to print, it comes out to $4.72 each, including freight and embossing. And that's about $10,000 up front that I need to pay. To get $6.00 after discounts, I need to price the book at $24.95.
If that sounds like a lot to pay for a book, remember this:
Of that $24.95…
Amazon gets $14.22 OR
The wholesaler gets $3.74 and the bookstore gets $9.98 when and if the book is sold
Of the $11.00 or so remaining…
The printers get $4.72
Of the $6.28 remaining…
The publisher gets $4.71 to keep running the company
I get $1.57.
If you really want books to cost less, it's not the authors or the publishers who have to change.
by Sheyna | Apr 13, 2022 | Soul Guides | 0 comments
One Month Ago:
I'm trying to listen carefully to you, but I'm still not understanding what you need from me. You told me before about needing more restorative sleep and I'm glad we've got that sorted out. I know there's more, though. Please be really, really clear with me about what you need so I can take appropriate action.
Three Weeks Ago:
"It would be worth checking your blood sugar again," Dresden told me one morning, shortly after I woke up.
"Oh?" I'd been checking it occasionally in the mornings for a fasting number. It had been hanging out in the low 120s for years, my HbA1C test results keeping me in the prediabetes range for over two decades after increasingly severe cases of gestational diabetes with each pregnancy.
I grabbed my test kit and took a reading. 150 mg/dL. That can't be right. I chose a test strip out of a new container and tried again. 152 mg/dL. Oy.
Maybe it was a fluke, a one-off. Or maybe not. I began testing two hours after every meal and taking a fasting reading every morning for the next several days. My after-meal numbers were largely fine, but my fasting numbers were all over 145 mg/dL.
I made a lab appointment to get my HbA1C checked. It was time, anyway.
Twenty-four hours, a high random blood glucose reading (nearly the same as my own test kit reading), and an A1C of 6.5% later, I made an appointment with my doctor.
Two Weeks Ago:
"You now have type 2 diabetes," my doctor said. "And celiac disease. And your blood pressure medicine, even at the increased dosage, isn't working."
I nodded, knowing all this but not thrilled about hearing it said aloud.
"I'd like to add a second blood pressure medication, as well as add another diabetes medication to your metformin," she continued.
From her pre-appointment email, I knew we'd be talking about this, so I'd done quite a bit of reading. I knew from my own health history that adding a calcium channel blocker was the best second medication to add for my blood pressure and that a glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1) was the best additional diabetes medication.
I told my doctor as much, adding, "All of the other diabetes medications have weight gain as a side effect. I really don't want to add any more weight."
"You don't?" she bantered back.
"I really don't. In fact, I'd be happy to find someone else to give my extra weight to. Is that possible?"
"I'm afraid not. Losing it is your best option."
"I'm worried about losing it," I told her. "If I lose it, someone might find it and try to return it to me. How about I just release it back into the universe to be recycled as some other energy?"
"I like that plan," my doctor said, finishing writing a prescription. "And this will help."
One Week Ago:
The new/added blood pressure medicine is taking a bit of adjustment. It makes me very sleepy and dizzy, so I take it at night, but it still leaves me a bit off in the morning. Two very interesting things: my resting pulse is now easily 10+ bpm lower than it was before the added medicine and what had felt (or I had interpreted) as constant low-grade anxiety seems to be gone. Now I'm wondering if I could sense my higher pulse and that felt like anxiety. It's certainly possible. At any rate, I feel calmer now.
My new diabetes medication is a weekly injection. Among the side effects—or benefits—it slows gastric emptying and decreases appetite. No kidding! I'm now eating one-third to one-half of what I was last week because I feel full sooner and am less hungry throughout the day. Its effect on my blood sugar began working immediately. My fasting blood glucose after the first injection was 95 mg/dL. My fasting blood sugar hasn't been this healthy in over 22 years.
I'm still getting used to the new medications, but the blood pressure medication's side effects are slowly easing. I still feel calm more often. I don't have that feeling like I'm going to jump out of my skin. I'm delighted that my stomach no longer feels hunger as often. My acid reflux has lessened considerably. I can go an entire day with my blood sugar readings never going higher than the 90s. I've released five pounds. I've had no other side effects.
My way of eating remains a personalized combination of gluten-free, lower-carb, anti-inflammatory, and low caloric density (read: fruits and vegetables especially).
It's all taking more energy at the moment to pay attention to all of these things and monitor my health, but I'm now aware that my body spoke loudly so that I could take action. These medications may be temporary until I reverse my diabetes and hypertension or they may be long-term. I'm okay with either one.
An overwhelming majority of my first- and second-degree biological family of origin had diabetes, hypertension, and heart and/or kidney disease. Many died from untreated or poorly controlled diabetes, leading to renal and heart failure. I refuse to follow in their footsteps. My genetics may have made insulin resistance, diabetes, and high blood pressure a matter of "when," not "if," but I have the power and the resources to manage and potentially even reverse them in a way that my body will accept.
For the record, my body has already rejected several other modalities of healing. Further, I did not know that one person could be allergic to so many essential oils, Chinese herbs, and other supplements. Even with all its faults, Western medicine is working for me right now.
This Afternoon:
Thank you for speaking to me so clearly. You seem to be much happier now with more medical support. I will continue to listen carefully and will do my utmost best not to make any of my lab or test results mean anything about my worth. I appreciate you housing and guarding me through this lifetime, and I want to take good care of you. You, too, are one of my guides.
With love, Me
by Sheyna | Feb 26, 2022 | Soul Guides | 0 comments
"Dresden, I need help," I said to my primary guide after having lunch with a dear friend.
"I'm overwhelmed and scared and discouraged, bordering on powerless. I'm on the verge of tears but this isn't even about me."
"What isn't about you?" Dresden asked. "Specificity will help here."
"Russia invaded and started a war with Ukraine. I have Ukrainian friends here in the States who are scared for their family and friends back home. I have Russian friends who are totally opposed to what Putin is doing, and who might be the targets of renewed anti-Russian sentiment. This, on top of the Texas governor deciding that affirming trans kids' gender is the same as child abuse and asking citizens to report parents of trans kids. It seems like the movement toward greater civil rights after the murder of George Floyd has stalled, and disinformation and conspiracy theories still abound."
"And where are you?"
"What do you mean, where am I? I'm sitting here, talking to you."
"Where is your energy?" Dresden asked patiently.
"Oh. I guess some of it's in Ukraine and some is in Texas and some is…in places other than here."
"You can't help anyone by fracturing and depleting yourself," Dresden said. "So let's start by calling all of that energy back to yourself."
Using a technique Dresden had taught me years before, I visualized those tendrils of energy that linked me to other places, other people, other events. And then I gently disconnected each one and brought those tendrils back into myself. The image was rather like an octopus letting go of objects and curling its arms closer to its body.
"Okay," I said when I was done.
"Really tired now. And I have a headache. And there's still war and discrimination and hatred going on."
"War and discrimination and hatred have always been going on," Dresden said. "You're just particularly sensitive to these right now."
"But what can I do?"
"The first thing you can do is tend to yourself so that you can be there for others. The second thing is to consider what ways you can offer help that also aligns with who you are."
"I can't help but think of the people in Ukraine who have lost their homes or access to food, water, and medical care. That's what speaks loudest to me."
"Does that also align with who you are?" Dresden asked.
"Yeah. It's the basics of saving lives. That's it for me: saving a life."
"Then take a few moments to find a charity that holds that as its mission. Let your energy and your body inform your choices more than your emotions."
I spent a few minutes on Google, coming up with the highly recommended GlobalGiving Ukraine Crisis Relief Fund. "Okay. This feels good."
I left to talk with my partner about an amount to donate, then returned only to have my computer crash. Three times in a row. With his help, we narrowed down the problem to an old, incompatible driver and uninstalled it. I sat back down.
"Was that just coincidence?" I asked, side-eyeing where I sensed Dresden's presence.
"The more important question," Dresden said, "is what can you glean from that experience with your computer?"
With my computer crashing like that, I couldn't finish my conversation, couldn't make a donation, couldn't share this conversation… "I couldn't help anyone else until I first took care of my system. Literally." I shook my head. "This is not at all where I thought this would go. Did you make my computer crash?"
"No. But I will gladly take advantage of the lesson it provides."
"So, what about other people who aren't in a position to make a donation but still want to do something?"
"Remember," Dresden said, "that I asked you to consider ways you can help that also align with who you are. Your way of helping will not be the same way for everyone. Not everyone will feel moved to help, and that's okay too. Your part is to do your part. Not to solve or fix or take on the full responsibility yourself, but to do your part. And make sure all of your physical, emotional, intellectual, spiritual, and social components, if you will, are working correctly for the next time you need to do your part."
"Are the Ukrainians' guides with them?" I asked hesitantly.
"Yes. Whether acknowledged or not, known or not, those guides are there."
I had another thought and snorted. "What about Putin's guides? Where are they? Couldn't they have stepped in?"
"Not if it interfered with free will, no. Not everyone is interested in receiving guidance. Not everyone is willing to change their thoughts and beliefs. And not everyone wants to remember their intentions for their lifetime."
"How does that make those guides feel?" I asked, wondering if he'd tell me.
"I can't speak for them."
"How does it make you feel when I won't listen?"
"Like I have been here many times before and will be many times again," Dresden said, a smile in his voice.
I snickered. "Okay, so take care of all of myself and do my part, whatever is in alignment with who I am."
"That seems too simple."
"It's always been simple," Dresden said. "You just like to make it complicated."
A Conversation With Dresden, My Primary Guide
by Sheyna | Feb 24, 2022 | Soul Guides | 1 comment
"Let's talk a bit about your focus as you move forward with Soul Guides," Dresden prompted as I prepared to do some editing on the next book.
"O…kay." I was suddenly concerned. "Is something wrong?"
"Not at all. You looked up some of our older conversations about how much of our relationship should go public and I want to make sure your understanding of your growth and healing is clear."
"Well, yeah," I said. "In April 2006, you said you'd 'strongly advise against' my making any public pronouncements about being able to talk with you and Michael and every other guide and messenger who shows up. Then in September 2013, we talked about my motivation for writing a book incorporating our conversations."
"We did," Dresden confirmed. "And what was your reason for not writing it?"
"I didn't want anyone to think I was using your status—not to mention Michael's—in order to elevate myself."
"Are you remembering something else?" I asked.
"I'm remembering that you gave that reason initially, but then after we talked, you understood your deeper reason. Which was?"
"Oh. Umm… If I accepted my relationship with you all as true, then I had to accept the things you said about me too. As long as I could hide our relationship, I could hide the things you told and showed me about myself."
"Precisely," Dresden said. "And by hiding what you learned about yourself, what were you also hiding?"
"The real me."
"And what have I been telling you for the past fifteen years or so?"
I looked down at my hands. "To stop hiding."
"Back in 2006," Dresden said, "you were not ready to come out and be your full self. You had a lot of healing left to do. In 2013, you began entertaining the idea of writing one or more books involving our relationship, but you had more fear than drive at the time. Since then, you've done significant healing and you've come out publicly about our relationship in general because you see now how it can help others."
"I'm still a little worried that people will either think I'm attention-seeking or crazy."
"They might. That doesn't make their opinions accurate."
"No, but they could make life difficult."
"Could they?" Dresden asked. "Really?"
"Well, they could bad-mouth me all over the internet. Dox me."
"They could do that," Dresden said. "But could they alter your relationship with me or Michael or any of your other guides?"
I snorted. "No."
"What about your relationship with yourself? Could they change that?"
I thought about that, about how secure I am in myself now. "No."
"Could they alter your relationship with your friends? Your partner and children?"
"Could they take away your home or your livelihood?"
"Not easily, no."
Dresden came closer. "Then why are you giving them so much power?"
I nodded, understanding. "They're like the mosquitoes that keep me inside on a beautiful summer evening."
"Did you know," Dresden said with humor in his voice, "that your resources—including me and your other guides—make for an extremely effective bug spray?"
I laughed and shook my head. "Okay, I get it. And maybe by sharing this, others who are avoiding mosquitoes can avail themselves of their own effective bug spray."
"And why do you want them to have that?"
"Because I know what it feels like to be covered in pain. And I don't want anyone to have to feel that way."
"For you remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt," Dresden said.
"I mean, not literally," I said, confused.
"You want to help others because you know what it's like not to have what you're offering," Dresden said. "You know what it's like to be a stranger, to be a slave to your pain, and you remember that you were brought out of that narrow place, so now you seek to help others."
"You just made what I'm doing very, very Jewish."
"It's not?" Dresden asked, feigning surprise.
"Put that way, I guess it is. I guess I hadn't framed it that way before."
"Then you're welcome."
"Thanks for being my bug spray too," I added. "Can I call you DresDEET now?"
"But it flows off the tongue so well."
"No. Even my metaphors stop before anyone's name is changed."
"So," I shrugged, "I guess I'm going to slap on some bug spray and take us public."
"Indeed. Go enjoy the beautiful summer evening."
"Umm… It's February. In Minnesota. It feels like two below zero."
I felt Dresden bump my right shoulder. "Did you know that your resources, including your guides, can provide exceptional warmth?"
"Is there anything you can't provide?"
"I can't provide relief to your bladder. Go. Now."
by Sheyna | Jan 24, 2022 | Books and Writing, Nonfiction, Soul Guides | 2 comments
In 2021, I saw a lot of posts, articles, and other references to what was touted as the "shift" from "3D to 5D" and that it was a kind of ascension. The not-exactly-scientific explanation goes like this: Humanity has been living in a three-dimensional world up to this point (evidenced by fear and anger), and people are "waking up" to the "truth" and are going through or have gone through some sort of spiritual transformation and are now living in five dimensions, where fear and anger have been replaced by love and joy. And it's their job to wake up everyone else so that all of humanity can ascend to this "5D living" and usher in an age of harmony and love.
Sounds lovely on its face, though I do wonder where the unicorns and rainbows are in all this. And puppies. Can't forget the puppies.
I thought at first I understood the difference between 3D and 5D. After all, one of my guides taught me back in the early 1980s about the difference between "reality with a lowercase r," meaning the physical world that we can see, hear, touch, taste, and smell, and "Reality with an uppercase R," meaning the world where everything is energy that vibrates at different frequencies.
Yes, one of my guides was teaching me a few of the basics of quantum physics before I even knew what "quantum" was. Or, really, "physics" for that matter. I mean, I was twelve.
So I thought maybe 3D meant reality and 5D meant Reality. I can get behind that.
But that turns out not to be how most people are using it. And how they are using it is a far cry from harmony, love, much less unicorns, rainbows, and puppies.
Before I get into explaining how most people are using these terms and why I reject it (remember, I'm also a suspense writer), I wanted to understand what my guides thought of this whole concept. Maybe I was the one noping out due to my own issues.
One thing many of the 3D-5D Shift folks claim is that this shift is new. It's going on right now, the kids being born these days are allegedly already living in 5D, and all those who are considered lightworkers (though this term isn't well-defined) are part of the shift and tasked with "waking up" the rest of the world. It's not clear if this includes all generations (even Boomers) or if it's only the special people who have somehow already made this shift to 5D no matter how old or young their chronological age.
As I do with any assertion that doesn't immediately ring true in my own energy and body, I checked in with my guides. The response I received was this:
"This is no different than it has always been. There have always been those who come to teach and guide. Such intentions, however, do not make them more special than others, for you are all sparks of the divine, whether you are aware of it or not."
When I asked about this alleged task of waking everyone else up to this new way of being, I received this response:
"Beware of hierarchy. This is the danger for those who refer to themselves as awakened in contrast to those they deem asleep. If such categorizations elevate them above others, then they are not seeing the true divine nature of every soul. Not every soul that incarnates intends to remember the truths about their Home during their incarnation. Some immerse themselves in the physical world and its dualities and extremes for other, equally important experiences. This does not render them in need of the teachings of those who have come to teach."
This made more sense to me: whatever this shift is, however it might exist, is not new and it's not for everyone.
But if it's not new, then how old is it?
Time to go digging. I started with Amazon.
Need a TL;DR summation without all the history and sources? Go here.
The Origins of 3D-5D
The earliest mention of the fifth dimension in book titles/subtitles (not counting novels, math/science textbooks, policy programs, or the musical group by this name) that I could find was Journeys into the Fifth Dimension, published in 1975 by Helena E. Ruhnau, who also authored another book in 1982 titled Light from the Fifth Dimension (The Heaven World). Consistent with this title, other books from the twentieth century also equate 3D to hell and 5D to heaven.
Further, in Light from the Fifth Dimension, Ruhnau identifies herself as "a spiritual messenger for The Great White Brotherhood," to "bring about the Divine Plan," and "the warnings and prophesy given by the Christ are being fulfilled" because "we are at the culmination of the Ages."
Sounds a lot like this 3D to 5D shift. But the book and the terminology are now forty years old. So, not new. And definitely with a Christian lens, so this book is not for the six and half billion non-Christians around the world.
Also, did your eyebrows raise at the mention of "The Great White Brotherhood?" Mine did. I'll return to this shortly. There's more cringey stuff in the book's description, including a reference to recognizing "inferior and psychic spirits."
While I was wading through books (including out-of-print titles) that referenced this 3D-5D shift or ascension, a few authors of more recent books stood out as having multiple titles on the topic. Of note were Patricia Cota-Robles who in 2005 also wrote about The Violet Flame (I'll return to this term later too) and Maureen J. St. Germain, who developed what she's calling MerKaBa in the 1990s and defines it as "a rotating, geometric, crystalline Light-Energy field that extends around the body" and "was used to create this Universe." Her work also includes what she calls the Christ Consciousness Grid, again implying a Christian lens.
What she doesn't seem to acknowledge is that the original merkabah/merkavah (מרכבה) is a school of Jewish mysticism—a precursor to Jewish Kabbalah, in fact—and is more than two thousand years old. The Hebrew word merkabah means "chariot," as in the chariots of Roman times but also the chariot in the prophet Ezekiel's vision.
Many of these authors who write about this 3D-5D ascension also overtly support or make references to tenets of Theosophy, a religion (as determined by religious scholars) founded by Helena Petrovna Blavatsky (1831-1891) in 1875 and based on her writings, which borrow from numerous other religions (especially Hinduism and Buddhism) as well as Freemasonry, Rosicrucianism, and the occult. From Ancient Wisdom Revived: A History of the Theosophical Movement (1980), Bruce F. Campbell writes that Theosophy teaches that there are a core group of "Masters" throughout history whose job it is to guard the world's ancient spiritual truths and represent "The Great White Brotherhood" (there it is again!) or White Lodge, a secret society that guides and informs humanity's evolution. They also fight against the "forces of dark" or the Black Lodge or Black Magicians, which seeks to uphold the status quo or keep humanity "in a state of ignorance, bewilderment, and running after false gods."
Now, those knowledgeable about Theosophy say that "white" refers to divine light and "brotherhood" is all-inclusive, and neither should be confused with race or gender. As I can find nothing to refute that statement, I'm willing to accept it as simply an unfortunate name that would never fly these days. However, that's not to say that it can't be used in a racist way by others, no matter how the Theosophists think of it.
The philosopher Jules Evans writes that some did take Blavatsky's writings about how "the 'sacred spark' is missing" in some ethnic groups and developed those ideas into "aggressively racist theories" even though Blavatsky herself was not a white supremacist.
Blavatsky was also co-editor of the magazine Lucifer, which debuted in 1887, and was designed to "bring light to the hidden things of darkness."
One of the most well-known "masters" identified by Theosophists is Count Saint Germain (1710-1784), credited with the Age of Aquarius and associated with the seventh ray of light, also known as the Violet Flame. (I did say I'd mention this again.) St. Germain (aka Master Rákóczi) is often referred to as an ascended master by Theosophists and believed to be a type of superhuman with the "ability to teleport, levitate, [and] walk through walls." Numerous Theosophists and other practitioners of esoteric or occult traditions have claimed to have met him (or his spirit), even as recently as 2014.
Guy Ballard (1878-1939) is one of those who claims to have not only met St. Germain but, indeed, to have channeled a series of books dictated by St. Germain. Ballard, along with his wife Edna (1886-1971), founded what they called the "I AM" Movement, later expanded into the Ascended Master Teachings based on that same series of books claimed to be dictated by St. Germain. The Ascended Master Teachings evolved into a religious offshoot of Theosophy and is a precursor of the New Age (spiritual practices that began in the 1970s) movement. The "I AM" Movement considers themselves Christian because one of the most important ascended masters (and another person from whom Ballard claimed to have received dictated messages) is Jesus.
All of these terms—The Great White Brotherhood, the violet flame, St. Germain, I AM, and Ascended Master Teachings—are sprinkled throughout descriptions of this 3D-5D ascension.
Superhumans and Extraterrestrials
The "I AM" Movement, among others, claims that the ascended masters (but only those they have identified) are more than human—are superhuman or even supernatural—beings, and that through specific meditations, prayers, use of sacred geometry, and summoning the Violet Flame (generated by the I AM Presence) and related closely to the Christian Holy Spirit, an average person can "ascend" or raise their vibrations/energy/body to a higher dimension of existence (5D), similar to the ascension of Jesus. To do so properly and without danger, the I AM Movement stipulates following Ballard's instructions carefully. Another way of thinking about this is "entering Heaven alive." (Later, Edna Ballard walked back these statements and said entering the higher dimension was only done after physical death.)
This idea of becoming superhuman or even supernatural while still in human form is a common thread found in numerous spiritual and occult practices and books, including that of chiropractor Dr. Joe Dispenza in his book Becoming Supernatural (2017). Becoming Supernatural also mentions 3D and 5D, although Dispenza references it much the way my guides explained it to me (reality vs. Reality) all those years ago, and the only obvious overlap with the 3D-5D "ascension" is the use of sacred geometry to evoke mystical experiences.
Another strong believer in the idea that humans can become superhuman was Aleister Crowley, born Edward Alexander Crowley (1875-1947), who was a member of the secret society Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, which focused on study and practice of the occult. The Golden Dawn and The Great White Brotherhood co-existed, and some people may have been members of both, but the organizations were not related except in content. The "secret chiefs" of the Golden Dawn and the "masters" of Theosophy are arguably similar in nature.
Crowley founded the religion of Thelema in the early 1900s based on numerous esoteric and occult philosophies and practices. He also co-founded the A∴A∴ or Silver Star in 1907, dedicated to the perfection of the human being through magic, mysticism, and spiritual advancement. He also called himself the "Great Beast 666" and his work included psychedelic drugs and extreme sexual practices.
A separate yet related school of thought believes that some of these "ascended masters" or "secret chiefs" were not so much humans who achieved superhuman status but rather hybrids between humans and extraterrestrials and their descendants. A similar idea was the basis for Brad Steiger's Gods of Aquarius (1976), where he argued that some people weren't originally human at all but aliens who were born into human bodies, amnesiac to their extraterrestrial origins until they began to "wake up" to their purpose and mission on earth.
Proponents refer to these extra-terrestrials-living-as-humans as starseeds or star people. Those who claim to be such starseeds will state their origins as from the Pleiades, Arcturus, the center of the Earth, or other planets or solar systems. Their awakening to their cosmic origins comes through codes such as repeating numbers (e.g.: 11:11) and synchronicities. Many (though not all) also view society with high skepticism, believing that human governments are engaged in mind control, brainwashing, and attempting to physically degrade the starseeds' abilities and DNA through Western medicine, specifically medications and vaccinations.
Personally, I think it's incredibly arrogant to think that humans are the only intelligent life in the universe, so yes, I do believe in life on other planets, in other solar systems, somewhere. Do I think they've visited Earth? I don't know. There's certainly some still-classified information that makes me wonder.
Do I think there are people who were extraterrestrials born as human? I don't know. I mean, I've had a cluster of darker freckles on my upper left arm my whole life that are in the same position as the visible stars of the Pleiades, but I don't think that means I'm an alien in that way. I believe all of us came from a place of energy (Source) and incarnated as humans, so in that sense, we're all aliens.
Edgar Cayce (1877-1945), a trance clairvoyant and an American contemporary of Crowley and Ballard, claimed to have made contact with Arcturians, who, he said, were from "the highest civilization in our galaxy." He believed that Arcturians came to Earth to help humans raise their vibrations to the fifth density (5D living). One of the ways this ascension is allegedly accomplished is by eliminating all negative influences, thus giving birth to the "good vibes only" sentiment.
Conspirituality and Pastel QAnon
There is one more link to this 3D-5D ascension that troubles me deeply. Over time, those "negative influences" that Cayce talked about have come to mean not only emotions like fear and anger (the so-called 3D world), but also all the ways in which such ascension is allegedly thwarted by those in power ("forces of dark" but also "deep state") through disinformation, mind control and brainwashing by the media, physical alterations through Western medicine, abuse, kidnapping, and even disappearances and murder.
In other words, the beliefs that came out of secret societies like Theosophy also have a shadow side of paranoia and a weakness for adopting conspiracy theories.
This weakness was exploited and subsequently exploded in 2017 by QAnon, a far-right cult that hailed former President Donald Trump as the hero who would expose such "dark forces" operating in positions of power. QAnon often used the term "the storm" to describe the polarization and conflict in society that would usher in "The Great Awakening."
The Global Network on Extremism & Technology describes QAnon's "Great Awakening" as "an assortment of a myriad of ideologies, beliefs, political statements, conspiracies, popular culture, and even creative fantasy, blended to produce a comprehensive alternative reality, which outrightly rejects and vilifies the current mainstream socio-political, economic, ideological, and cultural system."
QAnon also began co-opting language that came from the New Age movement, which itself came from Ballard and before him, Blavatsky, through yoga teachers, wellness/nutrition and fitness coaches, holistic healers, and the spiritual community (as if there is one cohesive community), especially on Instagram. Marc-André Argentino, a PhD candidate at Concordia University in Canada, collected many of these Instagram posts, some of which have been deleted from their original accounts. He referred to this incursion as "Pastel QAnon."
These Q followers, using the language often found in mysticism and spirituality, inundated social media with warnings about the threats to believers ("the awakened") from the mainstream media, government, and the "deep state." Such warnings often referred to the "red pill," itself a reference to the movie The Matrix, in which the red pill would free Neo "from the enslaving control of the machine-generated dream world."
This casting of media and government as evil is easily an echo to Blavatsky's Black Magicians.
Other terms originally associated with New Age and/or Theosophical beliefs were now being used by QAnon believers often in connection with conspiracy theories (what was dubbed "conspirituality" by sociologists Charlotte Ward and David Voas in 2011) about the so-called deep state, mainstream media (MSM), and big pharma:
Company of Heaven
Beings of Light
Light Alliance on Earth
Global Currency Reset
Authoritarian oppression
Waking up/Awake
NESARA/GESARA (National Economic Security and Reformation Act) / Global Economic Security and Reformation Act)
Divine Alchemy (moving from carbon-based [3D] to crystalline-based [5D])
New paradigm/paradigm shift
Then, when SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, exploded around the world, those same "Pastel QAnon" influencers expanded their repertoire to include anti-mask warnings, allegations that COVID-19 was the work of a secret, evil cabal (often an antisemitic term) in the government to prevent the Great Awakening, and even calls to violence that led to the January 6, 2021 insurrection.
I could continue—this rabbit hole is deep—but here is what my digging has unearthed:
The idea of moving from a 3D (anger/fear) world to a 5D (love/harmony) world is not new and advocates of it have been saying that it's happening "right now" for well over a hundred years
The 3D-5D "ascension" is heavily based in Christianity even if the believers in such do not themselves identify as Christian
It creates a hierarchy of the advanced/awakened as endowed with abilities beyond that of those still asleep, who may believe themselves to be on the way to becoming superhuman
Some who believe themselves to be awakened and living in 5D may also believe that they are originally from another planet or solar system
There is a strong overlap between the 3D-5D shift/ascension and the use of specific meditations, prayers, incantations, magic, and occult practices to achieve that shift/ascension
Because of the overlap between Q followers and the spiritual, health, fitness, yoga, nutrition, and healing communities, many spiritual teachers, healers, and coaches are also Trump supporters and believe the Big Lie that Trump only lost the 2020 election due to widespread fraud (the courts and the states themselves disagree)
This overlap now also means that many spiritual teachers, healers, and coaches believe in conspiracy theories and have thrown in their lot with:
Anti-vax
Anti-mask
Anti-LGBTQIA2S+
Predicting apocalyptic events (but ascending to 5D will "save" you)
Trying to convince others to adopt their beliefs, often by citing YouTube videos and blogs
That is why, when people refer to the 3D-5D shift/ascension, I get nervous. As a Queer Jew who is pro-vaccination, pro-mask, and pro-racial and gender equality, I am well aware that it may not be in my best interest or conducive to my safety to trust these people. It's not my place to tell them not to believe what they believe, but it is my place to choose with whom I affiliate.
I can hear the arguments from the 3D-5D camp now: "Sheyna, you're living in your fear. That's 3D emotion. When you ascend to 5D, you won't be afraid of us!" Uh-huh. That's no different from you telling me that I'm going to hell unless I accept Jesus as my lord and savior. This is all just repackaged Christianity. And one thing my guides have been clear on is that religion is a human construct. That would make religion "3D" (and wow, does Christianity deliver on the fear part). You can't espouse a 100-year-old theology heavily based on Christianity and then tell me it's not also a human construct.
But even among those who believe in this 3D-5D shift/ascension who do not in any way believe in conspiracy theories or Q-supported disinformation, I still reject it based on its history. It's a reworked Christian theology masquerading as New Age spirituality. It makes me think of an updated version of the Crusades. Or in the words my friend Nicole shared with me, "It's recycled rapture bullshit."
One last thing: there may be a few folks out there who really are using 3D-5D in the way that I originally thought it was, the way that my guides explained the difference between reality and Reality to me. If so, great! I'm on board with that idea. But maybe, given the history and now the blurred commixture with QAnon and conspiracy theories, consider using a different term.
Sources/links (in the order used):
https://www.amazon.com/Journeys-Fifth-Dimension-Helena-Ruhnau/dp/0941036022
https://www.amazon.com/Light-Fifth-Dimension-Heaven-World/dp/B000JJXH5M
https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/religion-by-country
https://maureenstgermain.com/merkaba-meditation/
https://www.amazon.com/Ancient-Wisdom-Revived-Theosophical-Movement/dp/0520039688
https://blavatskytheosophy.com/2014/02/14/the-white-lodge-dare-not-give-out-more-than-humanity-can-put-to-use/
https://julesevans.medium.com/madame-blavatsky-and-the-perils-of-mass-occultism-333fcd765c43
https://theosophicalsociety.org.au/highlights/theosophy-and-the-golden-dawn
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Germain_(Theosophy)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%22I_AM%22_Activity
https://www.amazon.com/Becoming-Supernatural/dp/1781808317
https://www.salon.com/1999/11/03/aliens_3/
https://in5d.com/starseed-traits-are-you-a-starseed/
https://ufoholic.com/who-are-the-arcturian-race-what-edgar-cayce-had-to-say/
https://digitalcommons.murraystate.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2519&context=scholarsweek
https://gnet-research.org/2021/06/14/qanon-and-the-great-awakening-how-the-deep-web-rewrites-ideologies-and-beliefs/
https://twitter.com/_MAArgentino/status/1300974361491406849
https://www.yahoo.com/now/pastel-q-anon-where-pro-trump-conspiracy-theories-meet-new-age-spirituality-222152937.html
https://www.washingtonpost.com/magazine/2021/03/29/qanon-new-age-spirituality/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_pill_and_blue_pill
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13537903.2011.539846
https://www.ajc.org/translatehate/cabal
https://apnews.com/article/government-and-politics-donald-trump-joe-biden-violence-religion-33093d606470be4bc0cd8df6a474a097
by Sheyna | Jan 21, 2022 | Anxiety and Depression, Trauma Healing
Self-expression is a form of self-care. Especially for creatives. Expressing our feelings, our truth of the moment—even if we know it will change minutes or hours or days from now—is also a form of self-care. And the expression of our feelings has often been denied (outside of a therapist's office) for trauma survivors.
"I can't share that!" we think. "It will make people feel bad/guilty/angry and they won't love me anymore."
That's really what it comes down to: trauma survivors know from long experience that expressing what we really think and feel will result in pain and rejection.
So we stuff it down. Some of us become experts at stuffing our thoughts and feelings. We become so good at it that we don't even know we're doing it…until everything we've stuffed explodes and results in body pain, headaches, stomachaches, insomnia, nightmares, asthma, anxiety, PTSD symptoms, depression, overwhelm, isolation, or shutdown.
I've had three severe fibromyalgia flares in as many weeks and while I could blame stress and the abrupt weather changes of late, part of it is certainly that I've not expressed what I've felt for fear of making others upset.
And so today I'm sharing how I feel. Not to elicit apologies in a vague, passive-aggressive manner, but to simply give expression to how I feel. Because it's a form of self-care. And because in the expression, I can find healing.
by Sheyna | Dec 26, 2021 | Soul Guides, Trauma Healing
While I am a formal mental health counselor and have been trained in various forms of psychotherapy, I am not a licensed therapist and I do not practice therapy.
Here's how I see the difference:
A therapist helps a person heal their present by addressing what led them to this point (e.g.: trauma, core beliefs, emotional avoidance, etc.). Especially in clinical settings, it requires a "problem/ solution with measurable progress" paradigm. It is the surgery of the psyche, going after the root of the issue.
A coach helps a person change their present by addressing their thoughts, beliefs, and actions in the present moment and moving forward. It can operate as both problem/solution and also support/ celebration/accountability. This is the physical therapy of the psyche.
A healer helps a person change their present by addressing their energetic and physical health in the moment and moving forward. This is the medicine of the psyche.
While there are some overlaps, they largely have their own areas of focus.
When I'm coaching, we honor the past and acknowledge that it has an impact, sometimes profound. But we don't go digging for it. We don't go back to the past to try to heal it. That's for therapy, which I usually recommend be trauma-informed.
by Sheyna | Oct 13, 2021 | Anxiety and Depression, Books and Writing, Poetry, Trauma Healing
I feel like I'm not here.
But my body is.
The pain roaring beneath my skin, slicing through my organs, curdling in my stomach remind me that my body is here.
My body remembers Octobers past.
My grandfather's birthday.
My father's birthday.
My birthday.
Every one a reminder that I was seen at various times as an object, a servant, a plaything, daddy's good little girl, the subject of grandpa's "dirty old man" fantasies, a dress-up doll, a mistake, a burden, a problem, a cause of death.
None of these are me.
Growing up, no one saw ME.
Today I feel like I'm not here.
Maybe I don't see me either.
This is what #depression sometimes looks like.
A heavy blanket over the brightness of my soul, threatening to smother it.
And though I know it can't, I feel my light dim anyway.
Depression crawls into my dark thoughts and whispers, "No one cares. You'll never be missed. You're not contributing anything anyone wants. Why bother?"
Depression slows my thinking, my reactions, my body, my energy, until I can't do anything other than the basic necessities and sometimes not even those.
Sometimes it brings along its cousins, anger and anxiety, to play in the empty spaces previously occupied by confidence and self-esteem.
Depression brings reinforcements while telling me I am alone.
It's funny. I think the truth is the opposite.
But I can't feel that right now.
I will again. Depression always leaves.
Until it accepts its defeat, I have no choice but to lay low like a bird in molt.
My old feathers have taken a beating. The new ones will be glorious, at least until they too are battle-scarred and depression peeks around the corner to see if I'm ready to go again.
I don't want sympathy.
Or pity.
I don't want hugs.
And all of the "good vibes only" people can take their vibes and put them where the sun doesn't shine (unless they're practicing perineum sunning).
I am not strong because I defeat depression, year after year, and especially most Octobers.
I am strong because I am willing to engage with it again and again.
I am strong because I often engage with it publicly.
I am strong because I see the value in even the most "negative" emotions and I am willing to hear what they have to say.
I know I am strong
but I don't feel like it right now.
I don't feel like I'm really here.
It remembers.
It hurts.
And it will house and protect my molting self until I'm ready to fly again.
What My Body Was Really Telling Me
by Sheyna | Sep 12, 2021 | Anxiety and Depression, Soul Guides, Trauma Healing
If you were to really, truly listen to your body, what would it be telling you?
For months now, I was pretty sure my body was telling me to sleep for a week or more. I heard my body say it was tired, really tired, all the time, but I didn't really LISTEN.
It was while I was brushing my teeth a couple of nights ago that I was bemoaning my body to any guides who were listening. A recent joint dysfunction diagnosis combined with injury in that area and pain that was easily a 10 on the pain scale had me feeling like my body was falling apart or betraying me. And I said as much.
In response, Michael popped in and countered my complaints with this gem: "Your body is a finely tuned instrument. It will tell you what you need to know and when to seek help. Your job is to listen carefully to its messages."
Well, I thought, that's not super helpful when I don't understand the messages I'm receiving. But I decided to try again.
Overwhelmingly, I heard my body say it was tired. Exhausted. Even all of my self–care wasn't helping.
And then I remembered telling my partner several times that I was waking up more tired than I was when I went to sleep. I sleep with a CPAP and my AHI has been below 2, so I know it's not apnea (always a concern with waking up more tired).
I've also recently been sleeping with my smartwatch on (🚫🍎) at the suggestion of my guides and it tracks my sleep. So I started looking into the statistics.
Lo and behold, I've been getting an average of less than 20 minutes of deep sleep each night for the past two weeks. Deep sleep is the restorative sleep when healing happens.
Well, no wonder my body says it's exhausted.
I'd already increased the amount of magnesium I take at night, recommended by my doctor to help with the joint dysfunction/injury and related inflammation and muscle knots. I was GETTING to sleep well enough, but I often woke with night sweats or pain in my feet or for no obvious reason at all.
I'd chalked all of this up to fibromyalgia or menopause or dehydration or some combination of all three, and other than continuing to try to drink more despite not being thirsty, I figured I'd just have to live with it.
But reading an article in the journal Sleep about the effect of deep sleep deprivation on hormones revealed that in a study published in 2019, sleep deprivation also sent hormones into chaos, including vasopressin, which controls the body's hydration levels and moderates the feeling of thirst.
Could my struggle to drink enough water be physiological? And could it be caused by sleep issues?
I also know about my body that I LOVE having something heavy over my upper arms and shoulders when I sleep. I'd been using a second blanket over my sheet and regular blanket. But I kept getting an intuitive ping about using my weighted blanket.
So, last night I arranged my regular blanket down at the foot of the bed, spread out my weighted blanket instead, and slept with just that and a sheet. There's no padding in my weighted blanket; it's just two layers of cotton with glass beads in between. It's heavy (20#) but not particularly warm.
I also achieved my hydration goal yesterday for the first time in a long time (many months), drinking 85oz of uncaffeinated, calorie-free liquid (mostly water).
The net effect was that I had to get up three times to use the bathroom, but I got right back to sleep easily. And when I checked my sleep statistics this morning, an astonishing 81% of my sleep was in deep sleep!
I'm still tired today, but my body is more relaxed than it's been in months, and I can feel in my body that I'm on the right track to better health.
For the first time in six months, I feel hopeful about my physical health. Other than my hip joint issue, all of the other tests to get to the bottom of my symptoms (chief among them being severe fatigue) were normal. My doctors say I'm fine. But my body says it's so very, very tired. And I finally listened.
Billy on A Conversation With Dresden, My Primary Guide
Sheyna on Why I Reject 3D-5D Ascension Theology
Marilyn Williams on Why I Reject 3D-5D Ascension Theology
Marta Buraye on The Connection Between Trauma, Body Pain, and Authenticity
Andrea Stoeckel on On Confession, Denial, and White Privilege


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Stacking Shelves: 3rd February, 2018
February 3, 2018 Emma13 Comments
Once again, I'm joining in with Tynga at Tynga's Reviews and Marlene of Reading Reality for Stacking Shelves, where you share the real and virtual books you have added to your shelves in the last week.
Despite my looking to read more physical books at the moment, this week, every book I got was an ebook (it figures!) – but they all looked so good, I just couldn't resist…
First up is The Last of the Greenwoods by Clare Morrall…
In a field outside Bromsgrove, two elderly brothers live in adjoining railway carriages. No one visits and they never speak to each other. Until the day Zohra Dasgupta, a young postwoman, delivers an extraordinary letter – from a woman claiming to be the sister they thought had been murdered fifty years earlier.
So begins an intriguing tale: is this woman an impostor? If she's not, what did happen all those years ago? And why are the brothers such recluses? Then there's Zohra. Once a bright, outgoing teenager, the only friend she will see from her schooldays is laidback Crispin, who has roped her in to the restoration of an old railway line on his father's land. For which, as it happens, they need some carriages . . .
Find on: Goodreads / Amazon UK / Amazon US
Next up is Let Me Lie by Clare Mackintosh, whose last two books I've really enjoyed.
The police say it was suicide.
Anna says it was murder.
They're both wrong.
One year ago, Caroline Johnson chose to end her life brutally: a shocking suicide planned to match that of her husband just months before. Their daughter, Anna, has struggled to come to terms with their loss ever since. Now with a young baby of her own, Anna misses her mother more than ever and starts to ask questions about her parents' deaths. But by digging up the past, is she putting her future in danger? Sometimes it's safer to let things lie . . .
My third book this week is Silent Victim by Caroline Mitchell, which I keep wanting to call Silent Witness after the TV show so not the best start here.
Emma's darkest secrets are buried in the past. But the truth can't stay hidden for long.
Emma is a loving wife, a devoted mother…and an involuntary killer. For years she's been hiding the dead body of the teacher who seduced her as a teen.
It's a secret that might have stayed buried if only her life had been less perfect. A promotion for Emma's husband, Alex, means they can finally move to a bigger home with their young son. But with a buyer lined up for their old house, Emma can't leave without destroying every last trace of her final revenge…
Returning to the shallow grave in the garden, she finds it empty. The body is gone.
Panicked, Emma confesses to her husband. But this is only the beginning. Soon, Alex will discover things about her he'll wish he'd learned sooner. And others he'll long to forget.
And that's it for me this week. What about you? What have you added to the shelves, virtual and otherwise?
domestic thriller, psychological thriller, reading lists, stacking shelves, thriller
Month in review: January, 2018
Weekly update: 4th February, 2018
13 thoughts on "Stacking Shelves: 3rd February, 2018"
I'm looking forward to reading Let Me Lie. I hope you enjoy it!
emmalfield says:
Tempting books! Let Me Lie has been on my wish list for a while…and Silent Victim has grabbed me. Thanks for sharing.
They both look good don't they? I am excited to read them!
Katherine @ I Wish I Lived in a Library says:
The first 2 especially intrigue me. I have been wanting to read Claire Mackintosh for ages and this one sounds amazing!
I hope it's good – goodreads has mixed reviews so am slightly nervous!!
ohprettycity says:
I love a good thriller, Let Me Lie sounds really good!
Me too – I can't resist. I hope Let Me lie is as good as her other books!
Keeper of Pages says:
I just got approved Let Me Lie on Netgalley, I'm so excited to read it as I loved her previous two books too!
kozbisa says:
Mackintosh won me over with her first book, and kept me as a fan with her second. I am very excited to read Let Me Lie, because she sure knows how to get my heart pumping and keep me turning the pages.
I'm exactly the same. I have high hopes for this one!
Literary Feline says:
All three of these sound so good! I am especially interested in Let me Lie. I hope they all turn out to be good!
Don't they. Let's hope they are. Fingers crossed x

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Building on the moon and Mars • TechCrunch
Idaho murders: Police provide update on victim's stalker reference, dog...
US Supreme Court weighs protections for designer opposing same-sex marriage
The US Supreme Court's conservative majority appeared sympathetic to a woman who said she should not be compelled to make wedding websites for same-sex couples, in a case that pits freedom of speech against public anti-discrimination laws.
The high court heard arguments Monday in a case brought by 303 Creative, which is owned by a Christian woman in Colorado who said a state law banning facilities from refusing to offer services based on sexual orientation would impinge on her right to freedom of speech.
The law, the Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act, requires entities selling to the public to offer services to any individual irrespective of their religion, sexual orientation, race or other "protected characteristic".
Kristen Waggoner, the lawyer representing the company, said the Supreme Court in past cases had decided "to protect those who would believe marriage is between a man and a woman from having to express a view that violates their conscience".
Some conservative justices indicated they were sympathetic to the company's reasoning that it should not be compelled to create content that is opposed to the founder's religious beliefs. They also signalled support for the designer's argument that it is not discriminating against same-sex couples because it does not take issue with their sexuality, but rather with the message on potential wedding websites.
During questioning from conservative justice Amy Coney Barrett, Waggoner said the company would also refuse to make websites for heterosexual couples who fell short of the designer's religious principles, such as individuals who would write on their website that they started a relationship by cheating on their partners.
Samuel Alito, another conservative justice, criticised an argument presented by Eric Olson, Colorado's solicitor-general, who said in defence of the law that a designer was free to include any message on its websites but not to refuse to serve a customer based on sexual orientation or religion. Alito argued there was not much difference between the two and that Olson made a "sliver of an argument".
In often heated exchanges, the three liberal justices strongly opposed the company's case, raising concerns about where to draw the line and whether siding with the designer could allow others to potentially refuse patrons such as mixed-race or disabled individuals.
Ketanji Brown Jackson warned that the court's ruling "could have implications for . . . strongly religious-held First Amendment invocations of rights".
Sonia Sotomayor added that this "would be the first time in the court's history that it would say that a business open to the public . . . could refuse to serve a customer based on race, sex, religion or sexual orientation".
She also rejected the company's theory that making a website for a wedding equates to communicating the designer's own views. "You're not inviting them to the wedding . . . so how does this become your message?" asked Sotomayor.
Brian Fletcher, a deputy solicitor-general at the US Department of Justice who spoke in support of Colorado, said a designer refusing to serve a same-sex couple was a "form of status-based discrimination" and that ruling in its favour would lead to "extremely sweeping results".
Olson added there was "no way to cabin this . . . just to weddings or sexual orientation".
The Supreme Court only recently heard a case involving the same Colorado law. In 2018, it narrowly ruled in favour of a baker who refused to make a wedding cake for a same-sex couple. Now, the court is re-examining the statute with a larger and more bold conservative majority.
Last term, the Supreme Court ruled in favour of a former high school coach who was dismissed for praying at football games, saying he was protected by constitutional rights to free speech and religious practice.
Iowa parents express disappointment with school district, say parents are not catered to | Fox News Video
Valerie Bertinelli honors late ex-husband Eddie Van Halen...
'RHOP' stars Ashley Darby, Mia Thornton twin in...
Iowa parents express disappointment with school district, say...


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Column: Is Tim Anderson trolling Chicago White Sox fans — or is the 2-time All-Star shortstop just a little bored?
A cryptic "like" of a little-seen social media post on Frank Thomas's career created an instant buzz Thursday on Chicago White Sox Twitter.
That's because the account that liked the post belonged to Sox shortstop Tim Anderson, the two-time All-Star and purported face of the franchise.
It all began when an account that calls itself Kenny William's Shades tweeted: "I've seen Frank Thomas wear a different uniform. I know TA will eventually as well."
TA, of course, is Anderson's nickname. The account had only 53 followers, but Anderson, or whoever runs his Twitter feed, apparently spotted it and hit the "like" button. No big deal. Who would even be paying attention?
But the tweet was viewed by a Sox fan named Tim Froehlig, who captured Anderson's response on a screenshot before the Sox shortstop deleted it.
As often happens on Twitter, the post quickly spread when it was mentioned by several other outlets, including a prominent national website. Anderson's like suddenly was the subject of intense debate.
Here is the original Tweet and here is Tim Anderson liking it.
Just so no one else goes off on me or takes anything out of context for SHARING INFORMATION that actually occurred.
AKA my job.
Also, I have always gone to bat for Anderson, even when everyone else gave up on him. pic.twitter.com/FqeOnEC24O
— Tim Froehlig (@TFroehlig) December 8, 2022
Was Anderson trolling Sox fans by hinting he would leave the organization when he becomes a free agent in two years? Was he saying he expected the Sox to trade him before then?
Or was he just bored and trying to create a stir after a relatively uneventful week for the Sox at the winter meetings in San Diego?
[ [Don't miss] Chicago White Sox don't intend to rush a deal as winter meetings wrap up. 'We'll remain patient. And diligent,' GM Rick Hahn says. ]
We'll have to wait for Anderson to explain himself, and that's probably not happening anytime soon.
In fact, most of Anderson's tweets over the last few weeks have been cryptic one-liners that have no context, which even he seems to acknowledged on Nov. 27 when he wrote: "I need to shut up sometimes…. fr."
For the record, Anderson never has publicly voiced displeasure with Sox management or said he wants to leave the South Side. No player on the roster has been marketed more than Anderson, who arguably is the most popular player on the Sox. He was the centerpiece of their "Change The Game" ad campaign, and the Sox created digital billboards around town in May calling him "The Face of Baseball," picturing him shushing New York Yankees fans after hitting a game-winning home run in Yankee Stadium.
Anderson went on to be elected as the starting American League shortstop for the 2022 All-Star Game, providing more evidence he was among the elite players at the position and a nationally recognized star as well. He beat out Boston Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts, who agreed to an 11-year, $280 million deal with the San Diego Padres on Wednesday.
That was great news for Anderson, who is due to become a free agent after 2024, assuming the Sox pick up his $14 million option after the 2023 season, as expected. Anderson signed a team-friendly, six-year, $25 million deal in spring training of 2017, with two options years that increased the total to $50.5 million for eight seasons.
At the time it was one of the biggest deals in major-league history for a player with less than one season of service time and a risk for the Sox.
"One of the things we talked about before engaging was if there was anyone in the organization who felt that if Tim got guaranteed money that it would change how he approached the game and how he prepared," Sox GM Rick Hahn said the day of the extension. "And everyone I had that conversation with immediately, to a man, said no. He's about trying to be great and trying to win championships. He's not doing this for the money."
Tim Anderson sits in the dugout during the first inning against the Astros at Guaranteed Rate Field on Aug. 15, 2022. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)
Anderson already has outperformed the contract, helping lead the Sox to two playoff appearances in 2020 and '21. But he'll be 31 by the time he reaches free agency after the 2024 season, so its unlikely he'll receive an 11-year deal like Bogaerts or Trea Turner. But if Anderson continues to perform at his current level, there's no reason why he shouldn't command a deal with an average annual value of $25 million or so for six or seven years.
But first he'll have to return to form after a disappointing finish to his 2022 season. A ligament tear on the middle finger of his left hand led to surgery in early August, sending Anderson to the injured list for what was expected to be six to eight weeks. Though he rehabbed hard and was preparing to return for the stretch run, the Sox fell out of contention and Anderson never returned.
Anderson played only 14 games in the second half, and his power numbers drastically decreased in his final months of action. In his last 32 games from June 29 to Aug. 6, Anderson hit .241 with one home run and 6 RBIs in 137 at-bats. Meanwhile, his temporary replacement at short, Elvis Andrus, hit .271 in 43 games with the Sox, with nine home runs and 28 RBIs.
[ [Don't miss] Column: Spirit of '78? Chicago's 5 struggling legacy sports franchises are turning back the clock ]
Andrus also excelled in the field with only one error in 42 starts. Anderson committed 12 errors in 79 games.
But Andrus is a free agent whom the Sox have shown little interest in re-signing, meaning the job belongs to Anderson again. While Hahn has suggested they will be more likely to make trades than spend in free agency, so far the Sox have done little of either.
The only signing has been starting pitcher Mike Clevinger, who inked a one-year, $12 million deal. Anderson reportedly will not be shopped, though Hahn has said he'll listen to any offers.
Hahn politely asked Sox fans for patience, which is like asking someone walking through a desert if they could hang on without a drink of water until the next oasis. Most Sox fans have shown great patience through the rebuild and are done waiting for their reward.
Sox Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf didn't help matters by making a joke about the team's lack of success on Wednesday after receiving a philanthropy award from MLB at the winter meetings
[ [Don't miss] Manager Pedro Grifol is building bonds with players as the Chicago White Sox continue building their roster ]
"It's so much more important than winning a baseball game, which is good because we don't win that many," he cracked.
Sources said there were uncomfortable chuckles all around. Because the Sox only made Reinsdorf available to discuss his award, no one was allowed to ask a follow-up question about why his team doesn't "win that many" games with all the talent on the roster.
It was vintage Reinsdorf, dictating what can and cannot be asked. It's almost as if he was not at all accountable for the team's disastrous season under his hand-picked former manager, Tony La Russa.
Maybe Reinsdorf should have taken the advice Anderson gave to himself on Twitter.
Sometimes you just need to shut up.
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text:
Other deep sky objects in Hydra
Messier 48 - Open Cluster
Messier 83 (Southern Pinwheel Galaxy) - Galaxy
NGC 3242 (Jupiter's Ghost Nebula) - Planetary Nebula
Messier 68 - Globular Cluster
NGC 2610 - Planetary Nebula
NGC 2847 - HII Ionized region
All Constellations » Hydra » Deep Sky Objects »
NGC 2561 - Barred Spiral Galaxy in Hydra
NGC 2561 is a Barred Spiral Galaxy in the Hydra constellation. NGC 2561 is situated close to the celestial equator and, as such, it is at least partly visible from both hemispheres in certain times of the year.
Constellation Hydra
Given its B magnitude of 14, NGC 2561 is visible with the help of a telescope havng an aperture of 14 inches (350mm) or more.
Available Resources for NGC 2561 - Barred Spiral Galaxy in Hydra
Magnitude B (Blue, 445nm) 14
Magnitude H (IR 1630nm) 10.4
Magnitude K (IR 2190nm) 10.05
Position Angle 142°
NGC 2561 - Barred Spiral Galaxy in Hydra morphological classification
NGC 2561 - Barred Spiral Galaxy in Hydra is classified as Barred Spiral (Bbc) according to the Hubble and de Vaucouleurs galaxy morphological classification. The diagram below shows a visual representation of the position of NGC 2561 - Barred Spiral Galaxy in Hydra in the Hubble de Vaucouleurs sequence.
Visualization of the morphological classification of NGC 2561 - Barred Spiral Galaxy in Hydra, Barred Spiral (Bbc).
Simplified finder chart for NGC 2561 - Barred Spiral Galaxy in Hydra.
Today's NGC 2561 - Barred Spiral Galaxy in Hydra rise, transit and set times from Greenwich, United Kingdom [change] are the following (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
Max altitude: 43.2° TRANSIT 23:47
RIGHT NOW NGC 2561 - Barred Spiral Galaxy in Hydra is below the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom


If book a one way taxi Chandigarh Airport to Ludhiana. About living their life in some other city for weekends and thus they travel to other cities. And if we are talking about the Northern India. People from Chandigarh Airport travel to Ludhiana to enjoy their weekend and relax. So in order to enjoy the travel the best choice.
Rana Ji Taxi Services is the best taxi service provider. Providing the best service with trusted customer reviews from all over India.
We are known for our extraordinary service in Punjab, Haryana and Delhi. One way Taxi service is best if you are traveling with family and friends. You can stop anywhere and enjoy your quality time on the way. There are lot of different type of cars that you can book for your one way trip.
Our Taxi service in Punjab is punctual, comfortable and with best safety measures for customers. There is only one goal that we have in business that is providing you the best and most comfortable travel on your journey.
While traveling from Chandigarh Airport to Ludhiana. You can always pick one way taxi to ensure a better trip and a relaxing without worries about any deadline with some saved extra cash.
However one way taxi service is mostly money saving and you can easily get one way return taxi service to your city from us.
There are a lot of other ways to travel to the location. That you have chosen but why travel in a shared traveling vehicle. When you can have your own chosen driver driven vehicle at your place to pick you up from your house.
Rana Ji Taxi Services should be your first choice. When you plan on a trip to Ludhiana from Chandigarh Airport because of the comfortable and professional service that we provide.
Every cab that you book with us is equipped with GPRS system and the connection is given to the customers so they can track the vehicles where their closed one's are on their way to travel.
Proper quality safety measure are taken regularly in order to keep the taxis safe and clean for customers. Who travel from one place to another by booking taxi proud our one way taxi service? We always aim to provide best quality service to every customer that avails our taxi service at reasonable price.
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While there are a lot of other means to travel from Chandigarh Airport to Ludhiana. But we think picking taxi service from rana ji taxi is best to avoid any delay and difficulties by travelling through those other means of travel.
If you book taxi from Ludhiana to Chandigarh Airport. All you need to do is pack your bags and wait for driver to come at your door steps or your desire pickup location to start your journey to the destination that you want to travel.
With rana ji taxi you can book your taxi any time any place. throught our online portal or contact no. Just call us any time to book your cab from Chandigarh Airport to Ludhiana to avail best and most comfortable travel.
One way taxi drops to close by urban areas chauffeur driven airport pickups and exchanges to any place inside Chandigarh Airport and you can likewise book cars for your vacation of business trips for single or numerous days within or around Ludhiana or to nearby places and towns.
Please feel free to call us for discount.
Ranaji Taxi Service is happy to give a hassle-free, safe and exceptional travel from one way taxi service from Delhi to all over north India. Our goal is to fulfill your wishes and live up to your expectations of a relaxing holiday.


Holiday home suitable for 5 persons . The holiday home is 70 m² and is build in 1973. In 2005 the holiday home was partial renovated. No pets allowed.} Further more there is 1 wood-burning stove.
Holiday home suitable for 6 persons . The holiday home is 123 m² and is build in 1976. No pets allowed. The holiday home has washing machine. Further more there is 1 wood-burning stove.


Chocolate means something different to everyone. Maybe it reminds you of Halloween, Valentine's Day, a special anniversary or even just being a kid. At Seattle Chocolates, chocolate is made to be an everyday luxury and experience.
Seattle Chocolates is nestled in a corner of Tukwila a few miles from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. Owner and CEO of Seattle Chocolates Jean Thompson is the innovator behind the company's latest chocolate line, jcoco. Inspired by fashion and culture, jcoco balances style and flavor to be the "foodie's" chocolate of choice.
"Every piece of chocolate should tell a story," says Thompson.
The line's debut bar for Alaska Airlines is a sweet and savory combination of white chocolate, cayenne and orange, that was inspired by a friend's trip to the Yucatan Peninsula. It was very hot and when the friend asked for something to help her cool down, a local sliced an orange in half and dunked it in cayenne chili powder. The story inspired Thompson to create the jcoco cayenne veracruz orange bar.
Every jcoco bar flavor has a story or journey behind it, and with Alaska Airlines, you can try one on your next journey. Alaska Airlines MVP Gold and MVP Gold 75K members may now request a jcoco bar as an in-flight treat in place of their complimentary alcoholic beverage.
While some packaging is done by machine, the more intricate chocolate boxes are wrapped by hand.
In 2014, Thompson's company started making chocolate bars using Rainforest Alliance-certified cocoa to ensure that her chocolate is made responsibly.
For Thompson, sharing chocolate is like breaking bread – it connects one person to another. When she started the jcoco line, she wanted that connection to extend beyond those sharing a sweet treat and give back to the community. So, she built that give-back into the jcoco brand.
Thompson visits the cities that her chocolates reach, and volunteers at the local food banks that benefit from jcoco sales. The proceeds from jcoco bars also go towards that goal. For every jcoco bar purchased, Seattle Chocolates gives a fresh, healthy serving of food to someone who would otherwise go without.
Seattle Chocolates works with, and donates to, Northwest Harvest, Food Bank for New York City, SF-Marin Food Bank and The Greater Boston Food Bank.
With a little less than 60 employees, Thompson knows almost everyone in her office and factory. She knows how truffles and bars are made and boxed as well as all of the warehouse procedures – such as the mandatory rule that anyone who walks into the factory must wash their hands, wear a coat and sport a hairnet.
The production line is all about temperature and ingredients. Thompson knows every step. The chocolates are triple-layered, cooled and packaged. Seattle Chocolates makes only 300 pounds of chocolate at a time (roughly 5,000 1 oz. bars), so each batch is controlled and not mass produced. The chocolates are packaged individually by the ounce because that is a healthy – and satisfying – amount to eat at one time.
"History Wall" in the office with pictures of every major brand or event Seattle Chocolates has had.
Thompson uses bright colors, fun designs and distinctive flavors to hook her customers.
Seattle Chocolates takes inspiration from fashion, couture and smart indulgence. In the store, there are chocolate bars and truffles of every color, custom-made dresses on display to match the wrappers and always free samples to enjoy when you walk in.
2 comments on "Beyond sweets: At Seattle Chocolates, it's all about the journey"


The Crow has long been a symbol of personal transformation and growth, as well as a reminder to tap into our unique instinctual wisdom.
In the yoga world, Kakasana, more informally known as Crow Pose, is the embodiment of strength, focus and balance.
At Crow Yoga, it is our mission to support our students in exploration of their own personal growth and inner wisdom. Self-love and care are first priority, and we encourage students to celebrate their body's strengths and unique abilities.
Our purpose is to guide students through sequences that challenge, while honoring the true, natural movement and shape of each individual. Whether new to yoga or experienced, our teachers can help support you on your yoga path.
We believe that yoga practice takes us on a journey of mindfulness, focus, self-discovery. In connecting with the body, we can connect with the self.
Welcome to Crow Yoga Studio. We are honored that you have chosen our community, and we look forward to seeing you on the mat! Namaste.


text:
Date of the monocot-dicot divergence estimated from chloroplast DNA sequence data
K H Wolfe, M Gouy, Y W Yang, P M Sharp, and W H Li
PNAS August 1, 1989 86 (16) 6201-6205; https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.86.16.6201
K H Wolfe
M Gouy
Y W Yang
P M Sharp
W H Li
The divergence between monocots and dicots represents a major event in higher plant evolution, yet the date of its occurrence remains unknown because of the scarcity of relevant fossils. We have estimated this date by reconstructing phylogenetic trees from chloroplast DNA sequences, using two independent approaches: the rate of synonymous nucleotide substitution was calibrated from the divergence of maize, wheat, and rice, whereas the rate of nonsynonymous substitution was calibrated from the divergence of angiosperms and bryophytes. Both methods lead to an estimate of the monocot-dicot divergence at 200 million years (Myr) ago (with an uncertainty of about 40 Myr). This estimate is also supported by analyses of the nuclear genes encoding large and small subunit ribosomal RNAs. These results imply that the angiosperm lineage emerged in Jurassic-Triassic time, which considerably predates its appearance in the fossil record (approximately 120 Myr ago). We estimate the divergence between cycads and angiosperms to be approximately 340 Myr, which can be taken as an upper bound for the age of angiosperms.
You are going to email the following Date of the monocot-dicot divergence estimated from chloroplast DNA sequence data
K H Wolfe, M Gouy, Y W Yang, P M Sharp, W H Li
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Aug 1989, 86 (16) 6201-6205; DOI: 10.1073/pnas.86.16.6201


There was "evidence" of life in virtually every nook and cranny.
You went back you lucky dawg. Where were the first set taken?
We needed a break from driving is all and that was an easy off and back on. The 1st set was taken standing in the river bed on rocks. Same place we hiked only we went in by the bridge is all.


text:
'No German identity without Auschwitz'
AFP/DPA/The Local - [email protected] • 27 Jan, 2015 Updated Tue 27 Jan 2015 12:26 CEST
President Joachim Gauck on Tuesday warned Germans against drawing a line under the Holocaust as the Bundestag (parliament) opened a day of commemorations on the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz.
"There is no German identity without Auschwitz," Gauck said before the packed chamber, where survivors of the death camp in Nazi-occupied Poland sat watching MPs, government ministers and Chancellor Angela Merkel.
"The memory of the Holocaust remains a matter for every citizen who lives in Germany. It belongs to the history of this country."
He said the "moral duty" for Germany was not only to remember the past but also what he termed the "mission" to protect and preserve humanity and every individual's rights.
"We say that precisely in times when, we in Germany, again have to agree on cooperation between different cultures and religions.
"The community in which we all want to live will only thrive where the dignity of the individual is respected and where solidarity is alive," Gauck added.
President (Speaker) of the Bundestag Norbert Lammert said that Auschwitz had become a synonym for humankind's potential for cruelty.
Remembering the Holocaust also meant that similar crimes could never be permitted anywhere in the world, he said.
"Later generations aren't responsible for the horrific past of our country," Lammert concluded.
"But they do answer for how we deal with it."
Gauck was due to join other world leaders and 300 survivors for a commemorative ceremony at the site of the Auschwitz death camp later on Tuesday.
SEE ALSO: Germany remembers horror of Auschwitz
#Auschwitz #holocaust #bundestag #Gauck
AFP/DPA/The Local 2015/01/27 12:26


text:
Air Force medical teams sent to El Paso to assist three area hospitals with COVID-19 efforts
by: Jaclyn Ramkissoon
Posted: Nov 6, 2020 / 03:23 PM GMT-0600 / Updated: Nov 6, 2020 / 03:23 PM GMT-0600
A view of El Paso and Ciudad Juarez on October 24, 2020 taken from El Paso, Texas.(Photo by PAUL RATJE/AFP via Getty Images)
EL PASO, Texas (KXAN) — The U.S. Department of Defense has deployed three U.S. Air Force medical teams to help with El Paso's COVID-19 response, according to Gov. Greg Abbott's office.
The teams consist of 20 military medical providers each, which will help out three hospitals in the city: the University Medical Center of El Paso, the Hospitals of Providence Transmountain Campus and the Las Palmas Del Sol Medical Center, the governor's office said.
"Our ongoing partnership with the federal government is crucial to our efforts in reducing COVID-19 hospitalizations in El Paso," Abbott said in a news release. "I thank the Department of Defense for providing these resources to the El Paso community and for working alongside the Lone Star State to mitigate this virus."
This comes after the El Paso county judge ordered a two-week shutdown of nonessential businesses following a surge of COVID-19 cases in the area, which put a strain on area hospitals. The judge made the decision even after additional resources were sent to the area by the state.
Power struggle escalates in El Paso as judge orders shutdown, but mayor & Texas Attorney General disagree
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton called the judge's order unlawful and is trying to dispute it in court. The mayor of El Paso also disagreed with the county judge, fearing the shutdown would hurt businesses and workers.
Isolated Thunderstorms
Scattered Thunderstorms
Mexico / 1 day ago


text:
Northwell Health, Canyon Ranch join to promote wellness across N.Y.
Northwell and Canyon Ranch plan on creating a cooperative culture for health and wellness across the New York metropolitan area. Credit Canyon Ranch.
To build upon its existing health and wellness initiatives, Northwell Health has signed a strategic alliance with Canyon Ranch, the premiere integrative wellness brand. Aligned in a common goal of enhancing the lives and wellbeing of their clients, both mission-based organizations embark on this collaborative partnership to expand the reach of wellness, ensuring opportunities for individuals to live younger longer.
Through the agreement, Northwell and Canyon Ranch plan on creating a cooperative culture for health and wellness across the New York metropolitan area. The alliance will initially include resiliency training for Northwell clinicians focused on various self-care topics, including wellness, prevention and lifestyle behavior changes, designed by the Canyon Ranch Wellness Architects. Launching this year, the initiative will be the first of numerous collaborations between these two brands.
"Northwell's goal is to become a wellness organization," said Michael J. Dowling, Northwell's president and chief executive officer. "Having a healthy organization enhances employee engagement, which results in better patient experiences. Having Canyon Ranch as a partner strengthens our services, and benefits our staff, patients and communities."
"As a trailblazer in integrative wellness for four decades, our affiliation with Northwell Health is testimony to our commitment to continue innovating with trusted experts" said Susan E. Docherty, chief executive officer of Canyon Ranch. "We are honored to impart transformative wellness in partnership with New York state's largest and highly-respected health care provider, an organization that is equally committed to the well-being of their colleagues, as we collectively are to our guests and patients."
Northwell has implemented several employee-based health and wellness initiatives in recent years, including healthier food initiatives, the myWellness platform and walking challenges that have involved tens of thousands of employees, including the current "Walk to Rome" competition that includes more than 18,000 health system staff competing on nearly 2,000 teams.


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text:
The EEOC Proposes to Collect Pay Data from Employers on EEO-1s
February 2016 Alerts
On February 1, 2016, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission ("EEOC") published in the Federal Register proposed changes to the Employer Information Report ("EEO-1") that would require private employers and federal contractors with 100 or more employees to report employee compensation starting in September 2017.[1]
Currently, the EEO-1 requires certain employers to report the number of workers they employ by job category and then by race/ethnicity and gender. There are seven race and ethnicity groups, and ten EEO-1 job categories which range from service workers and laborers up through the C-suite, including executives and senior level officials and managers.[2]
Under the EEOC's proposed changes, employers subject to the EEO-1 filing rule would be required to also report pay data in the form of employees' W-2 earnings for a 12-month period. Pay data would be divided into twelve "pay bands" within each job category. These bands track the "wage intervals" currently used by the Bureau of Labor Statistics in its Occupational Employment Statistics survey. Employers would thus report the number of employees who fall into each job category divided further by pay band (e.g., $19,239 and under; $19,240-$24,439; $24,440-$30,679, etc.), race/ethnicity, and gender.[3] Employers would also report the total number of hours worked by the employees in each job category/pay band cell.
The EEOC plans to publish aggregate data received from the EEO-1 reports, and says that it will use the information to focus agency investigations to identify pay disparities and assess complaints of discrimination. The EEOC also plans, together with the OFCCP, to develop a software tool to analyze the "W-2 pay distribution within a single firm or establishment" to compare it with aggregate industry or metropolitan-area data, which will "highlight statistics of interest." The agency is currently accepting public comments on the proposed revisions through April 1, 2016.
Employers will need to consider a number of issues raised by this proposal. If the new EEO-1 is implemented in its proposed form, employers will need to revisit whether their existing processes for matching jobs to EEO-1 job categories appropriately group jobs given how the EEOC intends to use the data generated. Moreover, given the weight that the EEOC says that it plans to attach to this new data and the use to which it may be put, employers will need to re-examine the quality and quantity of resources they devote to the EEO-1 preparation process. What was once a general survey of the employer's demographic make-up will now be used, according to the EEOC, to "help the EEOC and the . . . DOL improve enforcement of federal pay discrimination laws" and to "identify existing pay disparities that may warrant further examination." In addition, employers will need to consider what they can do to protect the data from disclosure to the public or charging parties by the EEOC and whether to adopt a strategy to protect the data from pubic dissemination through the Freedom of Information Act or in collateral private plaintiff litigation. Finally, employers will need to consider to what extent the EEOC will more actively seek to mine this information, or compare it to industry trends, looking for targets for its systemic program.
Fred W. Alvarez
falvarez@jonesday.com
Rick Bergstrom
rjbergstrom@jonesday.com
Terri L. Chase
tlchase@jonesday.com
Eric S. Dreiband
esdreiband@jonesday.com
Michael J. Gray
mjgray@jonesday.com
Brian M. Jorgensen
bmjorgensen@jonesday.com
Matthew W. Lampe
mwlampe@jonesday.com
Alison B. Marshall
abmarshall@jonesday.com
Elizabeth B. McRee
emcree@jonesday.com
Catherine S. Nasser
cnasser@jonesday.com
Haley A. Wojdowski, an associate in the Washington Office assisted in the preparation of this Alert.
[1] The proposed changes in the Federal Register can be found at: https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2016-02-01/pdf/2016-01544.pdf
[2] An example of the current EEO-1 report can be found at: http://www.eeoc.gov/employers/eeo1survey/upload/eeo1-2-2.pdf
[3] An example of the proposed EEO-1 can be found at: http://www.eeoc.gov/employers/eeo1survey/2016_new_survey.cfm
San Diego + 1.858.314.1118
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