Good Men

It’s common to speak of sin as if it were a scarlet stain, something dark that must be washed out, punished, or excised. But what if, beneath every so-called sin, there was not wickedness, but wounding? Not corruption, but confusion? What if the “seven deadly sins” were not verdicts, but voices; each one a skin the soul wears when it is trying, in the only language it knows, to ask for love? Pride Pride is often condemned as the most treacherous, the root from which all other sins unfurl. But look closer: pride is not vanity in bloom, it is invisibility in mourning. The proud one is not intoxicated with their own greatness, but terrified it might never be recognized. Be…

By U. Michigan The new silicone patch with star-shaped microneedles, called the ExoPatch, distinguished melanoma from healthy skin in mice. The patch and test move toward rapid at-home melanoma testing, helping patients catch the most aggressive form of skin cancer early without a biopsy or blood draw. “The star-shaped needles make puncture easier and less painful, but they are so small that they only go through the top-most layer of the skin, the epidermis, and do not draw blood,” says Sunitha Nagrath, a professor of chemical engineering at the University of Michigan and co-corresponding author of the study in Biosensors and Bioelectronics. The ExoPatch microneedles,…

‘What do we look like before we are born?’ is a famous Zen-Buddhist koan; an incomprehensible and nonsensical question designed to open our mind to the reality that we are life itself. That is to say, we are as much a part of the process called life as everything there is, and to regard ourselves as outside or above it, only leads to frustration and suffering — as is shown by the following tale: Once upon a time, a little boy was playing in the yard when he saw a grasshopper moving about very slowly. “What is wrong with you?” the boy asked. “A pebble fell out of the sky and onto my leg,” answered the grasshopper, “and because my leg hurts I cannot move very fast.” The…

“Good morning.” That’s the signal. Not a demand. Not a routine. A reaching out. And every time, without fail, I hear him coming down the hall just moments later. The mug clicks gently against the nightstand. His hand finds me, sometimes just a touch, sometimes a sweep. Then he walks away. Leaving me in the dark, with coffee and quiet. He doesn’t know this, but there’s a flicker of surprise every morning when I reach for the cup. For a half-second, I get to wonder which one he picked. Did he choose the mug with the chipped lip? The heavy one with the wide mouth I like when I’m overwhelmed? The ridged green one I always forget I love until I’m holding it again? He…

By Sharon Kelly on DeSmog Artificial intelligence (AI) use is spreading rapidly among oil drillers and other fossil energy companies — and some are now promoting plans to give “agentic” or autonomous AI key roles in risky real-world operations like drilling for oil and keeping the nation’s power grids up and running. Amid the Trump administration’s push to promote AI development, oil and gas companies are exploring ways AI can boost their profitability, from coaxing more oil from aging wells to finding untapped oil deposits or driving down maintenance costs, according to industry insiders who spoke at an energy conference attended by DeSmog. “We are already seeing the …

By Lee Rafuse Haines, University of Notre Dame Hours after savoring that perfectly grilled steak on a beautiful summer evening, your body turns traitor, declaring war on the very meal you just enjoyed. You begin to feel excruciating itchiness, pain or even swelling that can escalate to the point of requiring emergency care. The culprit isn’t food poisoning – it’s the fallout from a tick bite you may have gotten months earlier and didn’t even notice. This delayed allergic reaction is called alpha-gal syndrome. While it’s commonly called the “red meat allergy,” that nickname is misleading, because alpha-gal syndrome can cause strong reactions to many products, beyond ju…

You know them. You follow them. And you’ve probably never questioned why. They’re not written down. No one teaches them. Yet somehow, we all seem to know. Little pieces of social choreography that keep our everyday life moving — quietly, invisibly. Here are a few you’ve probably followed without even noticing. 1. The ‘Don’t Sit Here’ Seat Rule Every bus, train, or waiting room has that seat. No spills, no “Out of Order” sign. It’s just… off-limits. Maybe it’s too close to someone else. Maybe it’s by the squeaky door. We’ll never know — but we all stay away. … 2. The One-Elevator-Button Pact Someone’s already pressed the button. You saw them do it. And yet… y…

We thought we had all the time we could want, we had time — lots of time; we took phone calls in the late hours, stargazed, and stretched it all out into the future. We chose one possibility out of all of our dreams, and tried to make each “someday” moment as real as we could possibly make it, since it felt like we were writing a story combined. But life had other ideas and I’m left with mere shades of memories and our thoughts on a future I’ll never get to witness. What we had was not love, it was everything; sometimes, and it’s true, no matter how great the UNbreakable bond is, life gets in the way. This is a story of love, loss, and realization, that not every “for…

By Eduardo Avila The Kurdish language has faced many challenges in recent history, including being banned at different times in Turkey, Iraq and Syria, with heavy restrictions often placed on Kurdish-language media and education. Efforts to make digital content available in the language have also been hampered by the lack of universally accepted writing standardization. Some varieties of Kurdish, such as Sorani, are written in the Sorani alphabet, an Arabic-derived script, while the Kurmanji variety is written in the Hawar alphabet, a Latin-derived script. This has led to difficulties creating and finding information online for speakers of the Kurdish language. One of …

Zucchini rice casserole is a feel-good meal that turns humble ingredients into a crowd-pleasing dish! The mix of grated zucchini, fluffy cooked rice, and sharp cheddar cheese creates a homemade meal that’s surprisingly light yet completely satisfying. Perfect for feeding family and friends during casual dinners or busy weeknights! A Note From Kristen This zucchini bake is one of my go-to recipes for a quick and satisfying meal, especially when there’s leftover rice in the fridge. Just toss everything into a bowl, give it a good mix, and let the oven handle the rest. It’s simple, flavorful, and surprisingly light thanks to the zucchini (even with the cheese!). I often mak…

By Shantell Kirkendoll-Duke Researchers using the long-running CARDIA study looked at data from nearly 2,000 adults, average age 60, and found that nearly 1 in 3 were taking five or more medications—a threshold considered polypharmacy. Those taking five or more prescriptions walked slower, had weaker grip strength, and showed worse balance than peers on fewer medications. “What this tells us is that physical decline related to medication use may not be just a problem for people in their 70s or 80s,” says lead study author Caroline Sloan, an internist at Duke Health and expert in population health sciences. “It could start showing up in your 50s or early 60s, when peopl…

By Keerti Gopal & Juanpablo Ramirez-Franco, Grist “This story was originally published by Grist. Sign up for Grist’s weekly newsletter here.” Growing up in Chicago, Chakena D. Perry knew not to trust the water coming out of her tap. “It was just one of these unspoken truths within households like mine — low-income, Black households — that there was some sort of distrust with the water,” said Perry, who later learned that Chicago is the city with the most lead service lines in the country. “No one really talked about it, but we never used our tap for just regular drinking.” Now, as a senior policy advocate for the Natural Resources Defense Council, Perry is part of…

 Not because you’re bitter. Not because you’ve stopped believing in love. But because something deep within you has shifted — a quiet knowing that the kind of love you deserve doesn’t need to be chased, decoded, or earned. It just needs to be seen. If you’ve ever found yourself anxiously waiting for a text, overexplaining your heart, or shrinking to keep someone interested, this is for you. It’s time to stop begging to be chosen. Because you, my love, were never meant to audition for a role in someone else’s life. You were meant to walk in as the main character. Let’s talk about why we chase, why it hurts, and how to choose ourselves so deeply that the love we attrac…

By Rory Harris [LONDON, SciDev.Net] Growing so-called “shade trees” on cocoa farms could play an important role in reducing the industry’s environmental impact. But adoption of this practice, known as agroforestry, remains low, leaving its potential unrealised, say researchers. Due to the widespread deforestation that has made way for these farms, cocoa is one of the biggest producers of greenhouse gases in agriculture. Supporters of agroforestry say it can offset these emissions and capture large amounts of carbon. It was very surprising to me just how low the shade tree cover was across the board. Wilma Blaser-Hart, agroforestry researcher, University of Queen…

— In today’s digital-first world, choosing a software development partner is one of the most important things any organization can do if it wants to grow. A good partner can provide you not just solid technology, but also long-term value by making sure that new ideas fit with your company objectives. There are a lot of suppliers out there, so companies need to go beyond price and delivery time to select a partner that can guarantee quality, scalability, and long-term development. Getting to Know the Role of a Development Partner A software development partner is more than just a company that sells you a product. Instead, they are a strategic partner who offers technical…

By Le Ondra Clark Harvey California prides itself on being a state of second chances, a place where people can rebuild their lives with dignity. But are we truly living up to those values if we continue to leave incarcerated individuals behind? Nowhere is this more clear than with how we treat Californians with alcohol use disorder (AUD), one of the most underdiagnosed, underreported, undertreated and deadliest behavioral health conditions. Approximately 9 percent, or 2.9 million, Californians age 12 and older had a substance use disorder in the past year, with 6 percent, or 2 million, reporting symptoms that met the criteria for alcohol use disorder. Justice-involved i…

By Sonali Kolhatkar The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) posted a recruitment message on social media this summer saying, “America has been invaded by criminals and predators. We need YOU to get them out.” Setting aside the racist overtones of this messaging, even DHS itself says it’s not true. Border crossings have fallen to an all-time low — DHS’s own website boasts about it. Moreover, federal data shows undocumented people have lower rates of criminal convictions than U.S.-born citizens. Yet immigration enforcement has dramatically ramped up. Starting this summer, the Trump administration began deploying masked, flak-jacketed men wearing military fatigues sport…

It was in Lisbon, at a little café tucked into an alleyway painted with blue tiles. I was telling a story I’d never told out loud before — one of those fragile ones that lives at the bottom of your chest. Halfway through, I stopped. I expected the usual — a quick reassurance, a joke to break the heaviness, or worse, advice I hadn’t asked for. But you just sat there. Eyes steady. No interruption. Just silence, and your presence holding mine. And in that pause, I felt more understood than a thousand well-meaning words could have ever offered. … Why Silence Feels Like Safety Our brains are always scanning for signals — is this person really listening, or …

August 31st is quickly approaching… It is a day that we will remember forever… It marks one year since Catherine Estelle Dublin took her final breath, and tonight, as I sit here in a different home than the one we shared together, I’m struck by how much has changed while so much of what she gave our family remains constant. A year ago on that day at 4:02 pm, I thought I knew what loss looked like sitting in that hospice room as the funeral home came to take her away… I’d spent two years watching cancer slowly take pieces of the woman I loved, preparing myself for the inevitable. But nothing could really prepare you for everything that followed — the daily barrage of Face…

By MetroHealth, Buckeye Flame If you have a prostate, you need to be screened regularly for prostate cancer starting around age 45—or around age 40 if you are Black or have a family history of prostate cancer. According to the American Cancer Society, having a parent or sibling with prostate cancer more than doubles a person’s risk. Modern screening for prostate cancer is a PSA test, or prostate-specific antigen test, where a blood sample is analyzed for a specific protein produced by the prostate gland. Sounds simple, right? Unfortunately, studies show that gay men and transgender women appear to have lower rates of prostate cancer screening. Even if they get screened…

By Martha A. Lavallie Building emotional availability in your marriage can make a big difference in your relationship. Research shows that when couples focus on becoming more emotionally available to each other, they often experience greater satisfaction and deeper intimacy.1 Here’s how building emotional availability can help you and your partner improve your connection and enjoy a more fulfilling relationship. What is Emotional Availability Emotional availability means being open and willing to connect with your feelings and those of others. It’s about being present and attentive when your partner shares their emotions. When you’re emotionally available, you listen,…

By Shashwat Mishra Emissions testing plays an essential role in controlling vehicle pollution and conserving the environment. These evaluations confirm that vehicles comply with legal regulations for the release of harmful gases such as carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxides. Nonetheless, certain car producers have been discovered to be cheating in these evaluations. The main motive for is monetary. Achieving emissions standards frequently necessitates costly technologies such as sophisticated catalytic converters or more environmentally friendly engine designs. For car manufacturers, these enhancements may reduce profits or increase vehicle prices for buyers, possibly lead…

I’ve been thinking a lot about presence lately. Maybe it’s because I’m coming up on my birthday in a few days, or because I skipped a Saturday post to pack boxes, wrangle kids, and buy wood for the flooring project that is inevitably going to test my patience and Craig’s knee joints this week. Maybe it’s because Rowan wasn’t feeling well yesterday and instead of writing, I found myself sitting beside him, slowing down, just being with him in the stillness. Whatever the reason, presence has been on my heart. The thing about presence is that it doesn’t require a passport, or a perfect view, or even a carefully orchestrated moment. And yet, I’ve lived enough of life to kn…