Forum Topics

Social Media Marketeer  Needed - ASAP.

I am looking for a Social Media Marketeer who can assist me over the course of the next 10 days in getting the word out about a forthcoming Mindfulness course.  I would like to attract participants from across  Ealing, particularly Acton and environs, on FB, Twitter, Eventbrite, etc..  I am very poor at this I have realised;  what is a tag and is there such a thing as tag etiquette? Do I need a FB page or an FB Group?  Can I use Eventbrite without tickets?  How to make the most of Twitter? If you know the answer to these conundrums then you can probably help me a lot. I expect about 2hrs per day would be enough, but I would take your advice on this.I have recently set up a not-for-profit organisation called YARDO which has funding to deliver an 8-week online Mindfulness & Self-Compassion Training, at low cost, to the residents of South Acton and the surrounding neighbourhoods, particularly those who have never tried it before.The Course starts on 4th October.  It is evidenced-based to address depression, anxiety and stress with an enduring impact.  The teacher, Dr Caroline Hoffman, has superb credentials.  Here she is describing some of the benefits of the course: https://youtu.be/4_Cep6eezp4I have a range of social media flyers ready on Canva - just waiting to be issued on various platforms - some might need to be reconfigured for differing platforms which is not too hard on Canva. Part of the funding even allows for Digital Inclusion - whereby laptops and broadband will be provided for those participants who might require them.  (A BIG thank you to David from this forum for his help in this part of the project)I can pay a small fee for the right person. You can contact me at paula@yardo.co.ukFinally, I hope you get the chance to enjoy the sunshine and the breeze todayWith thanksPaula

Paula Gjesdal ● 2233d3 Comments ● 2224d

For the Conspiracy theorists...

Conspiracy theories are baked into human nature, they do not only affect the fringes.  All people naturally seek patterns to make sense of the world’s randomness and develop in-group, out-group prejudices that make them vulnerable to all kinds of propaganda, paranoia and extremism.  People are often led by intuitions and overestimate their ability to understand complex subjects, that, coupled with the natural tendencies to seek truth, meaning, and belonging, can make even the most well-intentioned and intelligent people vulnerable to conspiracy theories. Research shows that social conditions and personal traits can make some more vulnerable to conspiratorial thinking, such as lower analytical thinking, lower education, schizotypy, being distrustful, narcissistic, powerless, alienated, anxious, or prone to projection.  It is important to understand the potential factors that make people extra vulnerable to conspiracy theories, but just as important to recognise that everyone is vulnerable to some degree.  Studies and polls repeatedly show millions of people believe in them in some form or another.There’s a difference between ‘conspiracies’ which are covert plots that can be uncovered through reasoning and evidence, versus ‘conspiracy theories’ which are metaphysical narratives based on prejudices, sensationalism, and flawed assumptions made outside of material reality.  There is no universal way to bring people back from conspiracy theories, some take months, some take years, others stay gone.  Some need relationships, some need isolation, and some need an ‘aha’ moment.  Some prefer debate, some conversation, and others need to find their own way.Be kind and stay skeptical, but don’t get lost down the endless brain-breaking rabbit holes that separate people from reality.  The world is crazy and has enough problems in its observable form.* Here are sources on the psychology of conspiracy theorists for anyone interested:https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/0963721417718261https://sites.psu.edu/aspsy/2014/04/13/our-need-to-belong/https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/pops.12568https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0010027714001632https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13546783.2015.1051586?journalCode=ptar20&https://oxford.universitypressscholarship.com/mobile/view/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199351800.001.0001/acprof-9780199351800-chapter-6

Kayte Martin ● 2229d14 Comments ● 2224d

Death of the Pub

The pub, a great British tradition, is all but finished. Masks must now be worn upon entering, leaving and frequenting the lavatory, with table service being compulsory. Bar staff must wear masks too. Patrons caught by the covid police with a slipped mask, or pinching a menu from the bar, will face doubling fines, starting at £200.00, so they could easily be £600.00 down within a few minutes if they’re not careful, which may tempt them to leave before the mandatory closing time of 10pm to have a few drinks with their friends at home, for which they could face a further £10,000.00 fine if the covid police tail them home; and if the pub is found to have not signed them in on arrival, the pub will be hit with a big fine too. Pubs will not survive the new draconian laws, and they’re not meant to. As with all wars, enemy communication centres are the first targets. 77th Brigade have already been attacking social media sites to combat truth-telling, and the pub was an early target too – shut down for months initially, but many survived, so now a more strangling effect is being used to destroy, once and for all, the pub – the heart of British culture.There are more people dying from the flu than ‘covid’, and death rates from all causes in the UK have been below average in recent months. There is no pandemic, so the draconian rules are not about saving lives, but ruining lives. With much of the population about to face financial hardship, if not already, the attack on pubs forms part of the psychological war on the population. The strangling of society, both financially and psychologically, will continue until Nanny can see that the population, devoid of individuality and freedoms, has submitted to her, is totally dependent on her, and is her property. Wake up you fools.

Michael Brown ● 2229d38 Comments ● 2227d

Rupa Huq questions Ealing’s LTNs ....  LBH next?

She obviously must be crazy??? Who in their right ind could possibly think this way?“She expresses doubt that traffic on the distributor roads onto which vehicles are being displaced will dissipate as the scheme proceeds and says that residents on these roads are already exposed to too high a level of pollution.“http://www.ealingtoday.co.uk/default.asp?section=community&link=http%3A%2F%2Fneighbournet.com%2Fserver%2Fcommon%2Fearoads010.htm&fbclid=IwAR3PdJwcqic7WXobvB2-OsNBEXmtaEs8dU1X5uaZqZIAU_aGJ1vgWzd0PWIEaling Central and Acton MP, Rupa Huq, has written to Ealing Council asking for a series of question on the borough’s Low Traffic Neighbourhood Schemes to be answered.She says in the letter, “Though we can all agree that encouraging sustainable modes of transportation and discouraging unnecessarily short car journeys is, on the face of it, compelling, I fear that the Council’s imposition of LTNs has been poorly thought through and rushed into place without prior consultation.”The twelve questions cover issues such as access for emergency services, a request for clarification on the timeline for the trials and what evidence and criteria the council will be using in making their decision.A request is made in the letter to have details of the revenue likely to be generated by the LTNs broken down by each scheme.She also queries the choices made about locations of the scheme saying that some appear to be in areas with no pre-existing problem and others such as those near the Hanger Lane gyratory might have had more need for traffic reduction.She also wants the council to commit to publishing impact and risk assessments including comments from emergency service workers at the local level who have more on-the-ground experience in dealing with these schemes.In addition, the MP says it would be a serious flaw in the implementation of the scheme if no equality impact assessment is published as she is concerned that black and minority ethnic business owners have been disproportionately affected.Dr Huq raises concerns about a lack of consultation with people living in the area who are registered as disabled and the placement of planters so that they are next to dropped kerbs.She expresses doubt that traffic on the distributor roads onto which vehicles are being displaced will dissipate as the scheme proceeds and says that residents on these roads are already exposed to too high a level of pollution.On consultation responses she asks if full names and addresses will be required when giving feedback.Her final question says that she has been told that the Council are considering the use of ANPR cameras which they announced they would be doing after the receipt of the letter. Dr Huq said, “Is this an indication that its mind is made up that these schemes will continue regardless of what local residents’ opinions of the trial are?”She concludes by saying that although the schemes are no doubt well-intentioned, Ealing residents, the majority of whom are ‘passionate about reducing emissions’ need democratic input into changes that ‘many have found drastic in scope and introduced all of a sudden.’The MP has not reported receiving a response from the Council.Residents can visit the low traffic neighbourhoods' page of the council’s website for further information on the schemes.Residents can email feedback to TrafficNotices@ealing.gov.uk, or post them to the Highways Service, Perceval House, 14-16 Uxbridge Road, W5 2HL, quoting reference ORD XXX.Two further low traffic neighbourhood schemes are planed for Loveday Road, W13 (LTN 30) and West Ealing North, W13 (LTN 20).An online petition against LTNs in Ealing has been signed by over 8,000 people. A counter petition in support of the new schemes has, at the time of writing, over 500 signatures.

Mark Perry ● 2227d5 Comments ● 2227d