Good Men

In the hidden war against domestic violence, silence is both a shield and a shroud. It conceals trauma, mutes cries for help, and isolates victims. But it can also be a tool of resistance, a quiet force working behind the scenes to save lives. That’s the idea behind Nexion Solutions, a tech startup founded by Liz Kohler, which is quietly revolutionizing how survivors seek help. At the heart of the company’s innovation is a discreet, wearable safety device designed to transmit GPS, biometric, and audio data without alerting the abuser. “The device needs to stay hidden,” Kohler told me in a recent interview. “People are very respectful of that. It’s a delicate balance.” …

By Alvin Powell | Harvard Staff Writer | Harvard Gazette As anxiety and depression persist at alarming rates among U.S. teens, less than a third of the nation’s public schools conduct mental health screenings, and a significant number of those that do say it’s hard to meet students’ needs, according to a new survey of principals. With staffing that includes counselors and nurses, public schools are uniquely positioned to help address the youth mental health crisis declared in 2021 by the U.S. surgeon general, according to Harvard Medical School’s Hao Yu, a co-author of the study. “Child mental health is a severe public health issue in this country,” he said. “Even befo…

A collection of these horror movies are coming out on 4K Ultra HD I haven’t really watched any of the A Nightmare on Elm Street movies. I have heard that they are good, but never have seen any of them myself. I am familiar with the character and just how popular this character is. Many years ago I did see Freddy Vs. Jason and thoroughly enjoyed it. Recently it was announced all seven films from this series are coming out on 4K Ultra HD and here is my thoughts on this news. You can read the premise for this collection here: Freddy Krueger, a vengeful child killer burned alive by angry parents, returns to haunt the dreams of their children in this chilling 7-film saga. Fr…

Supposed Mythical Beings Now Walk the Streets and Stop to Stare Us in the Face In the past, it seemed that the mythical meanings of events were more subtle and hidden, but no more. They walk the streets with us and often stop to stare us in the face. Myth can mean a traditional, sacred, or universal story, a story of heroes and heroines, creator beings and destroyers⎼ a story revealing a more intuitive way of viewing life, an invisible realm that parallels our usual one. And it can also mean an untruth or false belief. And today, our president illustrates both meanings. He has taken lies, corruption, a lust for power and vindictiveness against opponents to such histo…

— When Americans click the buy now button, they rarely think about what happens next. But behind every order is a warehouse, and when warehouses stumble, the whole system feels it. The Department of Transportation estimates that freight bottlenecks cost the U.S. economy more than $66 billion each year in lost time and higher expenses. Those delays show up everywhere, from grocery store shelves to hospital supply rooms. For Micheal Odunsi, an operations leader who has spent years inside some of the country’s busiest facilities, warehouses aren’t just buildings. They are the engine rooms of the nation’s supply chain and strengthening them could mean stronger communities an…

“Too many of us are not living our dreams because we are living our fears.” Les Brown Franklin Roosevelt memorably said, “The only thing to fear is fear itself.” And fear is the strongest emotion that you have. It’s what keeps you, me, and everyone else alive. And while the feeling is always real, it isn’t always valid. And that’s where fear can be problematic. Your body cannot recognize the difference between real and valid fear—being chased by a lion—and fear that’s only real—having a difficult conversation with your wife. Both will send you into fight or flight mode. But only one is really life threatening. The other may only be a threat to your lifestyle. But wh…

Phones Don’t Just Steal Our Time. They Steal Our Love. Not because we betray — but because we disappear. Psychologists even have a word for it: phubbing (phone-snubbing). In one experiment, researchers left a phone sitting on the table — unused. That alone was enough to make conversations feel less meaningful, less trusting, and less empathetic (Przybylski & Weinstein, 2013). Other studies show the effect runs deeper when phones actually intrude. In 2016, Roberts and David found that “partner phubbing” — checking a phone during interactions — leads to more conflict, lower relationship satisfaction, and even higher rates of depression. In other words: when the ph…

I will admit, I was triggered by this social media post today that said, “Cheating doesn’t start with sex, it starts with sneaky conversations.” If you talked to my most recent LTR (long-term relationship) she’d tell you, I’m obsessively intent on expressing my own fidelity. I go out of my way to clarify any relationships with women, so there is no misunderstanding between us. I try to be as clean as possible in my relationships. I know, and I believe, LOVE is what you contribute and how hard you work at being a better lover. Sneaky Conversations When I re-met the mother of my children, we’d not seen each other since high school. She was a grade behind me, we shared typ…

All language is symbolic. Let’s go ahead and begin there. When I write the word “chair,” what happens in your mind is that an image emerges. Without further description, that chair could be imagined as anything from an old wooden kitchen chair to a modern La-Z-Boy recliner. The word “chair” is not the actual chair you might be sitting in right now; it is a symbolic representation of your grandmother’s favorite chair, the chair at your office, or even, I suppose, the chair on the ski slope chairlift. We use words to attempt to describe a reality we may have witnessed or imagined. We are trying to communicate with others something of the essence of the truth of what we expe…

By U. Pittsburgh In a study encompassing 13 languages, 12 research teams, and 12 countries over five continents, the same findings cut across a global swath: people prefer self-reliant strategies more than advice-oriented or other strategies. And that common response appeared across multiple cultures and in all the tested sites, suggesting people across the world today favor “inward-looking decision routes” as the norm. The study appears in Proceedings B of The Royal Society Publishing. “It is important to study how people prefer to make choices—by taking advice, by following the wisdom of crowds, by trusting their gut reactions, or by relying on their own reasoning—b…

You weren’t too much. You weren’t too emotional. You weren’t hard to love. But when you love someone who can’t meet you — emotionally, spiritually, consistently — you start internalizing their limitations as your flaws. You begin to believe the narrative they projected onto you. That love is something you have to earn. That peace is something you have to beg for. That being chosen requires shrinking yourself. It’s time to unlearn that. This isn’t just a love story gone wrong. This is about your relationship with yourself — and how to rewrite the story you tell when someone walks away. Section 1: Where the “Hard to Love” Wound Begins It usually starts before the rela…

Read for free. “He’s going off to college, is he?” the cashier at Target asked after I explained that all the boxes of frozen chicken sandwich sliders were for my son, who would eat them at every meal if I let him. I laughed and shook my head. “Oh, gosh, no! He’s only seven. He’s just moving into his own room.” I could see how she’d come to that conclusion. Some of the other things she’d scanned included a sheet set, tension rod, curtain, clock radio, cleaning wipes… “Ah, he is, is he?” she said. “Yeah, he’s taking over the ‘man cave.’ ” And it was a cave. It was a room in our unfinished basement, where a spaghetti diagram of original wiring — from the time that wiri…

Christians have done a spectacular job convincing the world they can’t be trusted. I should know, I used to be one of their leaders. When a friend of mine found out that I used to be a pastor, he told me outright, “I just can’t trust you anymore.” That stung. But, at the same time, I sort of understood where he was coming from. Christians have been their own worst enemies when it comes to building goodwill and credibility with the broader community, and pastors are the leaders of Christians. When you’re inside the church bubble, you don’t see how easily your words turn you into a walking red flag for everyone outside it. Instead, you tell yourself that any pushback ju…

Love might make the world go ‘round, but in today’s dating and marriage landscape, money often steers the wheel. A revealing survey conducted by the relationship experts at Tawkify uncovers just how much financial concerns are shaping romantic decisions in the United States. The numbers paint a sobering picture. Here are seven uncomfortable truths that show how deeply money is entangled with matters of the heart. 1. Nearly 4 in 10 Would Choose Money Over Love According to Tawkify’s nationally representative survey of 1,000 Americans, 63% of people say they would marry for love, even if it meant a lifetime of financial hardship. The remaining 37% say they would choose fi…

By Nancy Maffia Feeling stuck is something almost everyone experiences at some point in their lives. According to Dr. Adam Alter, a professor at New York University, more than 90% of people can easily recall moments when they’ve felt stuck. In fact, he believes it’s such a common feeling that it’s a big part of being human.1 But the good news is, you don’t have to stay there. Here are 10 ways to help you break free and transform your life when you feel stuck. 1. Assess Where You Are Take time to reflect on your current situation. Ask yourself important questions like, “What is holding me back?” or “What is making me feel stuck?” Understanding the root causes of your …

By Tim Weed Five years ago, my partner and I bought a house surrounded by open fields. Since then, as a kind of small-scale reforestation project designed to bring the forest closer, we’ve planted several dozen new trees, all native species, with a bias toward the slightly more southern and drought-tolerant varieties likely to do well in the face of rising temperatures. It’s an enduring pleasure to watch these new beings develop their root systems, gain strength, and begin to take on height and girth. Like characters in a slowly unfolding narrative, each is beginning to take on a distinct personality. Some are robust, growing fast and proud; others are slower, patiently…

Sigurdur “Siggy” Runarsson is Vice President of Siðmennt, the Icelandic Ethical Humanist Association, and one of Iceland’s best-known humanist celebrants. Since Siðmennt gained legal recognition in 2013, he has officiated hundreds of secular baby-namings, confirmations, weddings, vow renewals, and funerals, helping membership climb to roughly 6,500 in a country of 400,000. Runarsson’s ceremonies are distinguished by meticulous video interviews, playful original poetry, and the dramatic Icelandic landscapes he often uses as venues—from glaciers, lava fields, and black-sand beaches to intimate community halls. He welcomes intercultural elements, enabling couples to weave Ir…

Hi, Phil and Maude here. We know the lotus leaves, but we don’t know where it goes to. We’re sure it’s at peace wherever it goes. PHIL: One challenge in talking about peace is that it is thought of as an absence, a cessation, a lack of activity, as in “the peace of the dead.” I would rather describe it as a state of being. I can be in a state of confusion or anger or annoyance or depression or any number of things, and peace is simply a state like any of those, except, of course, different. I’m not annoyed or angry or bored. But it is distinctly a state that I am, even if it is defined mainly by what it is not. And what about positive states: a state of joy or ecstasy, …

Some people may occasionally misplace their keys or phone. I, on the other hand, lose my vacuum. When ADHD is combined with blindness, it can make every day a little more chaotic, or a big adventure, depending on how you want to look at it. Even though things may not always run as smoothly as I would like, it can definitely keep life interesting in a variety of ways. 1 Losing my Phone With ADHD, losing items may become a regular part of life. But when combining that with another disability like blindness, items can literally be lost in plain sight. Let’s just say the Apple watch and its ability to ping my phone in an audible manner has helped me find my phone multiple t…

By Sarah Ladd Reach the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233 or text START to 88788. Domestic violence drives other violent crime in Kentucky and contributes to criminal recidivism all while draining law enforcement and court resources across the commonwealth, reports the Council of State Governments. Over the past two years, the council’s Justice Center dug into Kentucky’s domestic violence data. Representatives from the nonpartisan organization presented their wide-ranging findings to the legislature’s Interim Joint Committee on Judiciary Friday. David D’Amora, a senior policy advisor at the Justice Center, said Kentucky has a “high prevalence of dome…

By Rhett Ayers Butler For decades, the case for saving tropical forests has been cast in terms of carbon. Trees sequester vast quantities of it; razing them pumps more into the air. But new research reminds us that the destruction of rainforests has consequences that arrive long before the carbon accounting is tallied: It makes people hotter, sometimes lethally so. A study published in Nature Climate Change estimates that deforestation across the tropics exposes more than 300 million people to higher local temperatures and is linked to 28,000 heat-related deaths each year. Using satellite data between 2001 and 2020, the researchers mapped forest loss across Latin Americ…

By Margot Burnell This week, Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) opens the doors of its new medical school in Brampton, Ont. With a focus on preparing future doctors for primary care specialties, the school is an exciting addition to Canada’s medical education programs. As our population grows and ages, the demand for medical care is outpacing the number of physicians we’re able to train. TMU’s inaugural class is part of a national momentum to change that. University of Prince Edward Island launched its Faculty of Medicine earlier this year; in the coming years, Simon Fraser University will open a medical school in Surrey, B.C., and York University in Vaughan, Ont. …

She walked in under early sun, linen warmed by coffee steam drifting. He was at the table, watching her with the divorce letter in hand. Final. Release. She had done it all: the business, the children, the love, the logistics. She carried both poles until she could carry no more. Strong, then tired. Hollow. He had softened. Purpose drained away. Without direction, the marriage wobbled. His absence wasn’t coldness. It was erosion. Her spark lifted off. Polarity vanished. Silence followed. Heavy and complete. Now imagine we’re sitting across from one another, cups clinking in the hush, because that moment, it’s not uncommon. It’s cultural. We’ve traded energetic con…

Dear Kuumba — Or should I say, Dear Creativity, I need to talk to you urgently. I know — I am you — but humor me for a moment. Separating you from me will help me communicate my thoughts better. Genius Albert Einstein once said, “Creativity is intelligence having fun.” Are you still having fun? Or are you trying so hard to defeat algorithms and fit your square pegs into round holes that creating is beginning to feel more burdensome than joyful? You need money. I understand the conundrum. But money that comes at the expense of your joy is poorly gotten and won’t spend well. Focus less on earning and more on creating — creating beauty, expressing truth, and inspiring …

No one really talks about how much work relationships actually take. Not the obvious stuff, the dates, the texts, the check-ins but the small, quiet labor that rarely gets noticed. Like being the one who remembers birthdays. Or the one who keeps the group chat alive. Or the one who always starts the hard conversations so things don’t fall apart. That work doesn’t show up on paper. But it’s what keeps connections from collapsing. And in most relationships romantic, friendships, even family it’s usually not shared equally. … The Backpack You Can’t See I’ve been on both sides of it. Sometimes I’ve carried that invisible backpack organising plans, reaching out first,…