On Liberty (1859) is one of the most important works in political philosophy, written by John Stuart Mill. It lays out a powerful argument for individual freedom and limits on government power.
🔑 Core Idea: The Harm Principle
Mill’s central argument is simple but strong:
People should be free to do anything they want as long as they don’t harm others.
The government should not interfere with personal choices (speech, lifestyle, beliefs)
Intervention is only justified to prevent harm to others, not to “protect you from yourself”
🧠 Why Freedom Matters (Mill’s Reasons)
1. Free Speech Helps Truth Win
Even wrong opinions are useful:
They challenge accepted beliefs
They help us understand why something is true
Silencing ideas = weakening truth.
2. Individuality = Progress
Mill believed society improves when people:
Think independently
Live differently
Experiment with new ways of life
Conformity kills innovation.
3. Tyranny Isn’t Just Government
Mill warned about:
Social pressure
Public opinion forcing people to conform
Even without laws, society can still suppress freedom.
⚖️ Examples
You can live how you want → ✔️ allowed
You can speak unpopular opinions → ✔️ allowed
You can’t harm others (violence, fraud, etc.) → ❌ not allowed
This indicator automatically plots the Initial Balance (8:30–9:30 EST) session each day and projects Fibonacci extensions above and below it — then tells you statistically how often price reaches each 100% extension based on your own historical data.
🔹 What is the Initial Balance?
The Initial Balance is the high and low formed in the first hour of the New York session (8:30–9:30 EST). Professional traders use it as a reference range to anticipate breakout targets, mean reversion levels, and intraday structure. The Fibonacci extensions project where price is likely to travel if it breaks out of the IB range.
📊 Features
Initial Balance Session Box
Automatically draws the IB high, low, and a shaded session box each day
Midpoint (50%) line included
Works on any instrument — Forex, indices, commodities, futures
Fibonacci Extensions (above IBH and below IBL)
100%, 127.2%, 150%, 161.8%, 200%, 261.8%, 300%
Each level individually toggleable
Clean dashed lines with labels — no chart clutter
Per-Day Touch Counter
Each 100% extension label shows how many times price touched that level during the session
Consecutive bars at the same level count as one touch — no false inflation
Live Win Rate Panel (top-left corner)
Scans the last N trading days (default 20, fully configurable)
Shows what % of days price reached the +100% or -100% extension after the IB closed
Tracks upside and downside separately so you can see directional bias
Color-coded: 🟢 ≥60% · 🟡 40–59% · 🔴 <40%
Visual progress bar for instant reading
⚙️ Smart Time Conversion
Times are entered in EST/EDT. The indicator automatically converts to your broker’s server time using a simple UTC offset input — no manual bar counting required. Handles US Daylight Saving Time with a single toggle.
A review of The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk
For a long time, I thought healing meant learning to think differently. If I could just reframe the past, talk it through enough times, understand it clearly enough — maybe then it would stop following me around.
Then I read Bessel van der Kolk’s The Body Keeps the Score, and I understood — for the first time, really — that I’d been trying to solve a body problem with my brain.
What the book is actually about Van der Kolk is a psychiatrist who spent over 30 years working with trauma survivors — Vietnam veterans, abuse survivors, accident victims, people whose lives had been shattered by things that happened to them. What he found, again and again, was that trauma doesn’t just leave psychological scars. It rewires the brain. It gets encoded in the body as physical memory.
The title says it all. Your body keeps the score of every overwhelming experience you’ve ever had. Long after the event is over, your nervous system can still be reacting as if the danger is present — the tight chest, the hypervigilance, the difficulty sleeping, the way certain smells or sounds can suddenly make you feel five years old and terrified again.
The part that stopped me cold Early in the book, van der Kolk describes brain imaging studies of trauma survivors. When patients were asked to recall traumatic memories, the language centers of their brains went quiet. Not dimmed — quiet. As in, the part of the brain responsible for putting experience into words essentially shut down.
This is why, he argues, talk therapy alone so often falls short for trauma survivors. The trauma isn’t stored where words live. It’s stored deeper — in sensation, in reflex, in the body’s own language. You can spend years in a therapist’s office describing what happened and never touch the part of you that’s still stuck in it.
I remember putting the book down and just sitting with that for a while.
It’s not just about “trauma” in the dramatic sense One thing I want to be clear about: this book is not only for people who have survived obvious, acute trauma. Van der Kolk’s definition of trauma is broad, and intentionally so. Neglect. Emotional unavailability. Chronic stress during childhood. The slow accumulation of small but repeated experiences of feeling unsafe, unseen, or out of control.
Many people reading this book will find themselves saying “but nothing that bad happened to me” — and then recognizing themselves on nearly every page anyway.
So what actually helps? The final third of the book is where it gets genuinely hopeful. Van der Kolk walks through a range of approaches that work not by talking the trauma through, but by working directly with the body and the nervous system: EMDR, somatic therapies, yoga, neurofeedback, even theater programs for at-risk youth.
What unites them all is the idea that healing requires the body’s active participation. You can’t think your way to safety. You have to feel your way there.
Who should read this Honestly? Almost everyone. Not because everyone has experienced severe trauma, but because this book fundamentally changes how you understand human behavior — your own, and other people’s. It replaces judgment with curiosity. It makes it harder to ask “why are they like that?” and easier to ask “what happened to them?”
It is dense. There are chapters heavy with neuroscience and clinical detail. But van der Kolk is a warm and humane writer, and he anchors every concept in a patient’s story, which makes even the difficult parts readable.
I’ve recommended this book more times than I can count. It’s the kind of book that doesn’t just inform you — it gives you a new lens. And sometimes, a new lens is exactly what changes everything.
The demand for custom signage is growing across Canada. From small businesses to homeowners, people want personalized, high-quality signs that stand out. If you have CNC machining skills, starting a custom signs business can be a profitable and scalable opportunity.
But is it actually worth it?
Let’s break it down.
Why Custom Signs Are Always in Demand
Every business needs visibility. Restaurants, barbershops, gyms, contractors, and real estate agents all rely on signage. On top of that, homeowners are increasingly buying:
Address plaques
Wedding welcome boards
Farmhouse-style décor
Garage and “man cave” signs
Custom family name signs
In cities across Ontario, new businesses open every week. That means constant demand for professional signage.
Unlike trendy products, signs are a stable market.
In the past, I went through a challenging period in my life that required professional support. Since then, I have focused on personal growth, stability, and becoming a more responsible and disciplined individual. I am committed to building a positive future through my work, education, and contributions to my community.
“Don’t let old wounds control new opportunities.”
My Journey and Growth
I have always been passionate about precision, problem-solving, and creating tangible results through technical work. Like many people, I faced personal challenges in the past that required maturity and self-reflection. That period taught me the importance of accountability, resilience, and discipline. Since then, I have focused on personal growth, stability, and building habits that support both my professional and personal development. These experiences have strengthened my commitment to becoming a skilled and reliable professional in the CNC field.
Education and CNC Training
I am currently pursuing the CNC / Precision Machining program at Sheridan College, where I am learning hands-on skills that are essential for success in modern manufacturing. My training includes:
CNC programming and operation
Machine setup and calibration
Reading and interpreting technical blueprints
Precision measurement and quality control
Shop safety and best practices
This education has given me a strong foundation in machining principles and the confidence to tackle complex projects with accuracy and professionalism.
Commitment to Professionalism
I believe that professionalism is demonstrated through reliability, attention to detail, and continuous improvement. In the CNC industry, precision and safety are critical, and I strive to uphold these standards in everything I do. My focus is on producing high-quality work, collaborating effectively with peers and mentors, and consistently improving my skills. Past challenges have reinforced my dedication to maintaining a responsible, disciplined, and respectful approach to my work and interactions.
Looking Forward
My goal is to build a long-term career in CNC machining and contribute to high-quality manufacturing environments. I am committed to lifelong learning, expanding my technical expertise, and taking on increasingly complex projects. By combining my technical skills with resilience and discipline, I aim to make a meaningful contribution to the industry and continue growing both professionally and personally.
