Good Men

In April, U.S. President Donald Trump issued an executive order revoking federal recognition of any medical schools in the country “engaging in unlawful discrimination” through diversity, equity and inclusion policies. In May, the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) removed its diversity programs and partnerships standard for accreditation to comply with this order. For Canadian physicians, this news – if it registered at all – likely was received as one more example of the assault on the profession south of the border. What they might not know is that the accreditation of Canada’s 18 (soon to be 20) medical schools only became fully separate from the U.S. as o…

By Minority Africa For Jewel, falling in love isn’t about chemistry. It’s about children. She meets someone, they connect, and they dream out loud together. But once the conversation turns to the future, children, family, and domesticity, the air shifts. Jewel doesn’t want children. Not now. Not ever. It’s not a temporary phase or the residue of heartbreak; it’s a conscious decision. And in Nigeria, where motherhood is still widely regarded as a woman’s ultimate calling, that decision is radical. “I just decided to be free,” she says. And by free, she means childfree. For Jewel, 30, the decision is deeply personal, yet not accidental. As the first daughter in a large…

By Jessica Shuran Yu, The Texas Tribune “Texas sued over its lab-grown meat ban” was first published by The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan media organization that informs Texans — and engages with them — about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues. Sign up for The Brief, The Texas Tribune’s daily newsletter that keeps readers up to speed on the most essential Texas news. Two cultivated meat companies have filed a lawsuit against officials in Texas over the law that bans the sales of lab-grown meat in the state for two years. California-based companies UPSIDE Foods, which makes cultivated chicken, and Wildtype, which makes cultivated salmon…

By Donald Heflin, Tufts University A hastily arranged summit between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin is set for Aug. 15, 2025, in Alaska, where the two leaders will discuss a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will not attend, barring a last-minute change. The Conversation’s politics editor Naomi Schalit interviewed longtime diplomat Donald Heflin, now teaching at Tufts University’s Fletcher School, to get his perspective on the unconventional meeting and why it’s likely to produce, as he says, a photograph and a statement, but not a peace deal. How do wars end? Wars end for three reasons. One is …

— If you plan to list a home in Oklahoma City or Tulsa, stone choices can move the needle on buyer interest, photos, and final offers. Kitchens and baths sell houses, and the counter surface sits front and center in every showing and listing photo. Pick the right material and color, and buyers picture an easy move-in. Pick a high-maintenance or polarizing look, and they hesitate. Use this guide to choose granite, quartzite, marble, or quartz that fits your neighborhood, your timeline, and your budget. What buyers expect in OKC and Tulsa right now Open layouts, large islands, simple upkeep, and neutral palettes lead most shortlists. Families want surfaces that stand up t…

Hi A, how are you? (It was wild and I loved it)! And just like this, 9 days later, he had resuscitated from the world of the dead. It was great, J, just great, I thought. Years ago a friend of mine shared a wise thought: those who don’t die, return. In my 38 years of experience, this quote has proven to be very accurate. What can you do next? I’ll be honest, I wanted to make my therapist proud and actually take the situation into my own hands. Take accountability for the behavior shown. I wanted to prove I know my self worth. After a couple of kind and a little bit colder texts back, playfully, I said: Just to be clear, what are we doing — like getting to kno…

Shyness is like having an overzealous internal security guard stationed in our brains, patrolling for threats that do not exist, and insisting we present our passport, emotional background check, and a notarized statement of good intentions before we dare speak to another human being. We tell ourselves that we are simply “careful” or “reserved,” but in reality, many of us are just one unreturned smile away from retreating to our emotional fallout shelter with a tub of ice cream and a Netflix queue full of comfort shows. The root of shyness is rarely about lacking conversation skills or needing a list of “fun icebreakers” from the internet. Shyness, more often, is the d…

The older I get, the dumber I feel—and it’s freeing. Getting dumb might be the smartest move you make. 7 Joys of Getting Dumb: #1. Respect for the smarts of others. “Knowing” makes it easy to look down on others. Getting dumber frees you to let others be right. “I neither know nor think that I know.” – Socrates #2. Enthusiasm for learning. People who “know” have nothing to learn. Dumb people stay hungry. They ask, listen, and learn. The joy of getting dumb is staying curious. #3. Less need to impress people. Being the “expert” is draining. Life is more relaxed when you’re not trying to prove how smart you are. Dumb people laugh at themselves. #4. Openness to learn…

— A Childhood Shaped by the Sea Mark Andrew Kozlowski grew up in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, a small fishing town with a strong maritime heritage. His father, a marine biologist, and his mother, a coastal geologist, raised him with a deep respect for the ocean. By the age of 10, Mark was already sailing small boats with his dad and learning navigation skills. At 12, he was exploring tide pools and experimenting with underwater robots made from salvaged parts. “The ocean was my playground,” he recalls. “I didn’t just want to watch it—I wanted to understand how it worked.” That mix of curiosity and technical tinkering carried into his teenage years. He built model ships, cod…

By Friedel Marquardt Changing the way we think — and appreciating new perspectives — can be a complex and vulnerable process. Drawing from her research into social media as a space for sharing marginalised narratives, Friedel Marquardt presents the online ‘grace space’ to safely foster transformative conversations around new ideas Transformation needs space and safety. Is social media the answer? Democratic transformation involves moving from one state of being to another, often through engagement with others. My research focuses on the transformation of ideas and mindsets; that is, learning and growing through the understanding of a new perspective. This can be a long,…

— The dating world is getting tough out there in 2025, and for single men, it’s important to remember just how essential first impressions are—and how far they truly go. First impressions no longer just apply to superficial things like clothes and initial conversations, because your home will ultimately say a lot about you when you bring a woman back to your place for the first time. This means that the way you maintain and design your home décor can either impress your love interest or instantly turn them off. And the tough truth is that too many single guys are turning women off by their shabby apartments and décor themes these days! So, if you’re a single guy and y…

By Sky Chadde, Investigate Midwest, Investigate Midwest After the Civil War, the U.S. government promised 40 acres, either from abandoned plantations or unused land, to formerly enslaved Black people. But then President Andrew Johnson intervened. He pardoned Confederates, returning their land. It became a common theme. In the following decades, some Black farmers gained land through deals with white landowners: After being tenant operators, they could buy acreage, according to a U.S. Department of Agriculture report. But as Jim Crow laws proliferated in the early 19th century, more and more Black farmers were subject to oppressive farming contracts. In 1920, there were…

— Enterprise scalability has become one of the most pressing challenges facing modern organizations as they navigate digital transformation while managing explosive growth, evolving market demands, and increasingly complex operational requirements. Mobile applications have emerged as critical tools for addressing these scalability challenges, enabling enterprises to streamline operations, enhance employee productivity, and deliver superior customer experiences without proportional increases in overhead costs. The traditional approach to enterprise scaling—adding more staff, expanding physical infrastructure, and replicating existing processes—has proven inadequate for t…

Long-distance relationships (LDRs) are often described as tests of love, patience, and character. For Ajit in India and Marissa in Australia, these tests stretched over five years, spanning continents, cultures, faiths, and laws. Their story stands in contrast to that of Lara and Bhanu, who also lived in India and Australia respectively, but found the distance and differences too much to overcome. Through the lens of these two couples, both known to me personally (I am the aunt), and whose journey I followed, we can unravel what helps love to thrive across borders and what, sadly, can make it unravel (with permission). The Story of Ajit and Marissa: Five Years Apart, …

— In September 2025, the Berlin International Electronics Show (IFA), a premier global stage for consumer electronics, hosted a highly anticipated product launch. Midea Group chose this world-renowned exhibition to unveil its revolutionary Intrinity Fan series, highlighting the brand’s strong confidence in its innovation capabilities and its determination to penetrate the global high-end market. IFA has long been regarded as the launchpad for flagship innovations, where the products introduced often shape industry conversations for the year ahead. For Midea, debuting the Intrinity Fan Series at such a high-profile venue reflected a clear global strategy: moving beyond i…

By Kristine Sabillo Three conservation trusts have together purchased an area of a severely threatened vegetation type found in the Overberg region of South Africa’s Western Cape province. Known as the renosterveld, this unique habitat characterized by shrubs and grasses is also a breeding ground for endangered black harriers, the three groups announced in a joint press release. The Overberg Renosterveld Trust (ORT) partnered with the U.K.-based World Land Trust (WLT) and the Mapula Trust to buy the 270-hectare (667-acre) property called Goereesoe. The site is part of the Eastern Rûens Shale Renosterveld, an ecosystem considered to be critically endangered. The renoster…

— The immigration landscape is evolving, and a quiet revolution is taking place in English proficiency testing. While most candidates continue to struggle with traditional assessments, a new pathway has emerged that’s changing the game entirely. Australia’s recent acceptance of the CELPIP test, combined with Canada’s established reliance on this assessment, has created an unprecedented opportunity for skilled professionals seeking permanent residency or citizenship. Yet here’s the uncomfortable truth: most test preparation approaches are fundamentally flawed, leaving qualified candidates trapped in cycles of repeated failures and mounting costs. Guaranteed Improvement …

By U. Rochester-URMC Making a smoothie, going for an evening walk, or having empathy for a loved one are all examples of executive functions that are controlled by the brain’s frontal cortex. This area of the brain goes through profound change throughout adolescence, and it is during this time that abnormalities in maturing circuits can set the stage for neurodevelopmental disorders, such as schizophrenia and ADHD. Now, researchers have discovered that microglia, the brain’s immune cells, play a key role in how the brain adapts to the changes in this area during adolescence, which may transform how neurodevelopmental disorders are treated during this window and, possib…

— In today’s visually driven world, images matter more than ever. Whether you’re a professional photographer, a business owner, or someone who simply enjoys capturing memories on your phone, there’s always that one issue — unwanted objects sneaking into your perfect shot. That’s where Magic Eraser comes in. This powerful tool is changing the way we edit photos, making it easier than ever to remove distractions, refine compositions, and create scroll-stopping visuals. In this guide, we’ll explore how Magic Eraser works, its benefits, practical use cases, and tips to get the most out of it. What Is Magic Eraser? At its core, Magic Eraser is an AI-powered photo editing fe…

By Mark Baxter, The 74 This story first appeared at The 74, a nonprofit news site covering education. Sign up for free newsletters from The 74 to get more like this in your inbox. Teaching has a retention problem, especially for educators from diverse backgrounds — and the problem could grow even worse. Last month, the U.S. Department of Education withheld funding to states for preparing, training and recruiting teachers, and though it released the funds after facing significant backlash, there is now tremendous uncertainty about the commitment to the quality of educators at the federal level. It is up to states and districts to redouble their efforts to address shortag…

By Abhinash Das India is renowned for its diverse range of affordable and flavourful street foods, found everywhere from bustling metro cities to remote villages and everywhere in between. Among these, pani puri stands out as one of the most loved and easily available quick snacks. Its widespread appeal is evident from the fact that it is popular not only in India but also in other South Asian countries such as Bangladesh, Nepal, and Pakistan. A crunchy savoury snack Pani puri is one of India’s most iconic street foods, which is a bite-sized explosion of flavour packed inside a crispy, hollow shell. These deep-fried, golden spheres, called ‘Puri’, are typically stuffed …

By Jeffrey Dixon How will AI affect American workers? There are two major narratives floating around. The “techno-optimist” view is that AI will free humans from boring tasks and create new jobs, while the “techno-pessimist” view is that AI will lead to widespread unemployment. As a sociologist who studies job insecurity, I’m among the pessimists. And that’s not just because of AI itself. It’s about something deeper – what scholars call “American exceptionalism.” While people commonly use this phrase to refer to anything that makes the U.S. unique, I use it narrowly to refer to the country’s approach to work and social welfare, which is quite different from the systems …

— Before most people pour their first cup of coffee, David Emerson Frost has already trained. Sometimes it is a row, sometimes a bike ride, sometimes a session of resistance training. The routine is not about chasing youth or clinging to vanity. In his seventies, Frost is practicing something he believes is more valuable: extending his strengthspan, the number of years he can remain capable, mobile, and independent. Frost has a blunt way of framing his philosophy. “Who wants to die earlier and easier?” he asks. His alternative is what he calls Healthitude, an operating system designed not for quick fixes but for a longer and sharper life. The Professional Case for Heal…

It happens in conversations you can’t quite explain. You say something, and for a heartbeat too long, their eyes stay with yours. Not just looking — staying. Not a glance. Not a polite flicker of attention. A quiet, unwavering focus, like they’ve decided the rest of the world can wait. We’ve all felt it — that subtle shift where time gets syrup-thick, and you wonder if they’re hearing your words or reading you entirely. … The Science Behind That Linger Neuroscientists call it mutual gaze. When two people lock eyes for longer than a second or two, your brain releases a cocktail of oxytocin (the bonding hormone) and dopamine (the “this feels good” chemical). …

By Helen Flannery Dear Mr. Springsteen, My name is Helen, and I am your biggest fan. I first saw you in concert when I was in high school. It was in 1985, during your Born in the USA tour. Your show at the Pontiac Silverdome had sold out in 15 minutes. But a friend of mine won tickets from a local radio station, so we and 69,842 other attendees got to see you play for — if I remember right — more than four and a half hours, including four encores. Back in those days, I had a picture of you up on the door of my locker. I listened to The River and Nebraska while I was doing my homework. I wrote about you in my college application. I even dated a classmate named Bruce (m…