American Women Suck

When someone leaves, we think of what’s missing — the voice, the touch, the shared mornings that no longer arrive. But love doesn’t vanish cleanly. It leaves fragments, little keepsakes hidden in your habits, your playlists, your way of walking through the world. You lose the person, but not the parts of yourself they woke up. … The Brain’s Strange Way of Remembering Neuroscience says our brains are wired to attach emotions to sensory triggers. That’s why the smell of rain can pull you back to a night you thought you’d forgotten, or a certain song can hit you like the first time they smiled at you. The brain keeps those memories like a museum — even when the artist has long since left town. … A Train Ride in Prague I was in Prague when I realized this. The train was slow, the windows blurred with fog. In my headphones, a song she once played in her kitchen began to hum through the static. We hadn’t spoken in a year. But there I was, smiling into the glass, because the song didn’t hurt anymore — it just… lived in me. It was no longer about her. It was about that version of me who danced barefoot on her tiles, careless enough to believe in forever. … The Fear of Forgetting When love ends, we’re terrified of forgetting. We hold onto the pain as proof that it mattered. We tell ourselves, If I let go, it’s like it never happened. But that’s not how memory works. You can release the ache without losing the beauty. You can carry the good without clutching the hurt. … What Stays After the Goodbye Here’s what stays: The laughter that rewired your sense of joy The courage you didn’t have before them The small rituals they inspired — how you take your coffee, the route you walk home The way you learned to see yourself through kinder eyes The relationship might end, but the version of you they helped uncover? That person doesn’t leave. … If You’re Standing in the Aftermath If you’re in that place where the air feels heavy and the days stretch too long, trust this — love leaves traces. Even if you never speak again, there will be mornings when you notice the light coming through your curtains, and it will remind you of something you can’t quite place. And you’ll smile, not because you have them back, but because you still have the parts of you they helped you find. … Because some loves don’t stay forever — but they still change you forever. — This post was previously published on medium.com. Love relationships? We promise to have a good one with your inbox. Subcribe to get 3x weekly dating and relationship advice. Did you know? We have 8 publications on Medium. Join us there! Hello, Love (relationships) Change Becomes You (Advice) A Parent is Born (Parenting) Equality Includes You (Social Justice) Greener Together (Environment) Shelter Me (Wellness) Modern Identities (Gender, etc.) Co-Existence (World) *** – Photo credit: Everton Vila on Unsplash The post The Things We Keep When the Love Is Gone appeared first on The Good Men Project. View the full article

Channeling bad vibes: Get a call about a 50% discount on your Comcast bill? It’s also a scam. They’ll ask you to call back the number on your caller ID. Don’t. That’s a burner phone set up to grab your bank or credit card info. If it sounds too good to be true and comes from Comcast? You know the drill. PSA: Look for other cable companies to be used the same way to steal your money. The post Channeling bad vibes appeared first on Komando.com. View the full article

⚡️ 3-second tech genius: Need to take a quick photo? On iPhone, swipe left on the lock screen. On Android, double-press the Power button. No passcodes, no missed shots. The post 3-second tech genius appeared first on Komando.com. View the full article

The freighter, which was also carrying lithium batteries, derailed in northern Sweden, likely due to heavy rains, according to the local authorities A freight train carrying ammunition and lithium batteries has derailed in northern Sweden, according to local officials. The accident, which occurred at around 8am on Sunday near Skorped, in the Vasternorrland region, is believed to have been caused by heavy rainfall, which damaged the railway infrastructure. It is unclear what type of ammunition the train was transporting or what its destination was. Emergency services are managing the dangerous cargo, after which the site will be cleared and the full extent of the damage assessed. “Only then can we make a forecast for the work. It will be a longer stop, but I can’t say how long,” Peter Jonsson, a spokesman for the Swedish Transport Administration, told the broadcaster TV4. According to the Transport Administration, it will take weeks to restore the railway. Pictures from the scene show sections of rail suspended above rapidly rushing water, with four carriages behind the locomotive having derailed and partially submerged in a nearby lake. Local authorities cited massive downpours in the area over Saturday and Sunday, which washed out roads and strained infrastructure. A timber train also derailed on the same line between Solleftea and Kramfors further to the south. Sweden officially became a NATO member last year, ending more than two centuries of neutrality. Like many other Western nations, it has significantly ramped up its defense production. In 2024, the Swedish Defense Materiel Administration (FMV) struck a deal with Nammo, a Norwegian-Finnish weapons producer, to boost production of 155mm artillery shells. Officials said the agreement was aimed at “increasing the possibility of supporting Ukraine and at the same time strengthening the security of supply of artillery ammunition in Sweden and the Nordic countries in the long term.” Moscow has denounced Western arms shipments to Ukraine and NATO as saber-rattling. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has lamented that the peace settlement process is being hindered by “reckless European militarism.” View the full article

The deployment proposal is intended to butter up Donald Trump as the EU has nothing else to offer, Andrey Melnik has claimed Debates in Europe about deploying troops from NATO countries to Ukraine are largely a ploy to win favor with US President Donald Trump, Kiev’s envoy to the United Nations, Andrey Melnik, said in an interview published on Sunday. Moscow has ruled out any foreign military presence in Ukraine as part of a peace settlement. Speaking to Germany’s Stern magazine, Melnik dismissed the Western discussions as largely symbolic. “Unfortunately, at the moment, this is a sham debate,” he said. “No German politician can seriously commit 5,000 or 10,000 soldiers” to Ukraine when there is no clear mandate for such a mission, he added. “One reason the Europeans are bringing these troops into play is probably that they have little to offer Donald Trump in order to protect their own interests,” the diplomat stated. Melnik noted that European NATO states have opted not to negotiate directly with Russia. With Trump pushing for a resolution, they can “at best ride along on this train and only try to cushion the situation.” The diplomat is known for incendiary rhetoric during his years as Ukraine’s ambassador in Berlin from 2014 to 2022. He once mocked then-Chancellor Olaf Scholz as an “offended liverwurst” over his reluctance to visit Kiev and similarly criticized other German politicians skeptical of Ukraine’s stance. Melnik told Stern he “wasn’t always able to find well-considered words” while representing his nation and offered an apology. Germany is part of the “coalition of the willing,” a group of nations exploring possible security guarantees for Ukraine in the event of a truce with Russia. Like most participants, Berlin has ruled out deploying its own troops inside the country. View the full article

Laotian Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone has highlighted economic cooperation and global trade opportunities in seeking to join both blocs Laos has confirmed its interest in joining both the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and BRICS. Laotian Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone said in an interview with RT that the country is looking to expand economic partnerships and open up new trade routes. Although not a full member of the SCO, Laos was recently granted dialogue partner status. President Thongloun Sisoulith represented the country at the recent SCO summit in China, underscoring the importance Laos places on this growing relationship. “We have always highly valued the cooperation mechanism and especially to further develop our economy and trade,” the prime minister said when asked about the country’s recent entry into the SCO as a dialogue partner. He added that “this will further broaden our cooperation in terms of economy, trade and investment among the member states and dialogue partners.” “Even though our economy is not of a bigger scale, this dialogue partnership will open opportunities,” Siphandone said. He explained that Laos hopes to “reach the member states and other dialogue partners,” especially in response to “certain tariff measures by certain states against our products.” Last month, the United States imposed 40% tariffs on Laotian exports. Siphandone also highlighted Laos’ intention to join BRICS. He pointed to its “big portion of the global population and with high rates of GDP increase shown each year.” The bloc surpassed the G7 in terms of combined GDP in PPP terms in 2019. He said Laos views BRICS as “a significant cooperation platform” for global trade across Asia, Europe, Latin America and Africa. Siphandone added that the group promotes “a turning point from a unipolar world into a multipolar world,” and supports multilateral cooperation over “unilateral measures.” Laos’ goal, according to Siphandone, is to pursue “economic cooperation that is free, free of choice, and fair in our negotiation processes.” View the full article

By UniSA Adjunct Senior Lecturer in Tourism Management Dr Freya Higgins-Desbiolles This hot European summer, anti-tourism protests have made headlines, from Barcelona to Venice, Mallorca and the Canary Islands. The unrest is not confined to Europe, though. In Mexico City, peaceful protests against overtourism and gentrification by foreign “digital nomads” turned violent, with a small group of protesters smashing storefront windows and ransacking stores. Earlier this year, Japan’s tourism board urged Australians to swap Tokyo and Kyoto (where tourists have been accused of harassing geishas) for less-travelled destinations. Tourists have been criticised for behaving badly in Antarctica and Bali (where tourism accounts for 60–70% of its gross domestic product), too. While unrest about overtourism in Europe dates to at least 2017, this year marks a milestone: protests have been coordinated by community campaigners across the continent for the first time. Locals have resorted to anti-tourism graffiti in Athens, water pistol attacks in Italy, Portugal and Spain, and a water parade against cruise ships in Venice. Security warnings for travellers to Europe have been issued this northern summer season. Common complaints are overcrowding, housing unaffordability, and damage to physical and natural environments. Elsewhere in the world, concerns also include unbalanced tourism policies, insensitive tourists and real estate speculation. But local protests against tourism are not new. They have a long history: from ancient Rome and 19th century Brighton, to Hawaii and the Caribbean after the rise of mass tourism in the 1950s. Ancient Rome and 19th century Brighton Disliking tourists goes back to as long as people have moved for “getaways”. In 51 AD, philosopher Seneca the Younger wrote about tourists escaping Rome for the beach: Why must I look at drunks staggering along the shore or noisy boating parties […] Who wants to listen to the squabbles of nocturnal serenaders? This could have been written by a local suffering the drunken excesses of “stag tourism” in today’s Amsterdam. The clash of cultures between the lives of locals, focused on work and family, and the “leave-it-all-behind” spirit of visitors is timeless. The modern foundations for today’s tourism were laid in the 1800s, in the United Kingdom. They included the tourism agency developed by Thomas Cook, the transport technologies of the railway and steamships, and a culture of touring established by what was known as the European Grand Tour. Protests and anti-tourism sentiment developed apace. In the UK, for example, the wealthy began to take seaside holidays. Resorts were developed to cater to them – but the residents’ lives were often impacted by these newcomers. The 1827 riots in Brighton marked an early anti-tourism confrontation. Fishing boats were removed from the beachfront after tourists complained about their fishing nets being spread on the beach, and the surly presence of the fishers. The protests were suppressed, the boats displaced from the town’s main beach and the tourists’ sensibilities placated. In the 1880s, concerted protests and activism aimed to keep the railways from bringing trainloads of tourists to the UK’s picturesque Lake District. “The stupid herds of modern tourists let themselves be emptied like coals from a sack at Windermere and Keswick,” wrote philosopher John Ruskin. The protesters achieved at least a temporary victory. Cruise ships, theme parks and ‘marketing aloha’ Since World War II, however, the catalyst for these protests was the “massification” of tourism. This results from a globalised and commercialised tourism industry. It is symbolised by cruise ships, jumbo jets and big theme parks. Mass tourism was the result of growing middle classes, granted paid holiday leave. Mass transport systems made tourism cheaper, more accessible and more wide ranging. A tourism culture developed, where certain segments of the global population began to see frequent holidays as a right, rather than a rare privilege. The classic book The Golden Hordes includes a chapter titled “Paradise Rejected”. It documents local anti-tourism sentiment from the Caribbean to Hawaii to Europe. Authors Louis Turner and John Ash recount violent anti-tourism incidents in the 1970s in places like Jamaica. Governments often launched national “smile campaigns” to try to prevent tourists from deserting their countries as destinations. This happened while many of these countries were decolonising and charting paths to independence. Indigenous Kanaka Ma’oli of Hawaii have protested tourism for decades, as the mass tourism industry developed. Tourism to Hawaii was partly based on abused aspects of their cultures, especially marketing “aloha”: romanticising culture in stereotyped ways to appeal to travellers’ exotic fantasies. Many of Hawaii’s protests happened on its beaches where locals informed tourists of their political context – and about the tourism-induced housing crisis. From 2004, some local activists began leading “Detours” for tourists, to share locals’ views and tell alternative histories. More recently, Hawaiian residents protested the reopening of tourism too soon after the 2023 Maui fires by staging a “fish-in”. A coalition organised locals to fish in front of tourism resorts at Kaanapali Beach, to draw attention to residents’ lack of permanent housing and the slow speed of post-disaster recovery. This is a clear example of touristification, where residents feel tourism success is prioritised over local wellbeing. This postwar era also saw governments competing to host sporting mega-events, in part for the tourism spinoffs. Brazil’s cities were rocked by social movement protests against the enormous costs of hosting soccer’s 2014 FIFA World Cup. Riot police were called to suppress the demonstrations. Protests may soon give way to more comprehensive community strategies. Social movements are organising against overtourism and touristification. For example, a Congress just held in Barcelona (from July 3-6) gathered participants from all around Europe to build learning coalitions to empower communities. It was convened by the global network Stay Grounded. Looking back, “anti-tourism” might be the wrong term. Local communities are not necessarily against tourists and tourism. They are against disrespectful tourists, a growth-driven tourism industry and governments that fail to manage tourism effectively in the interest of their local residents. For a very long time now, it has been clear we need to do better – and fed-up local communities are taking matters into their own hands. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons licence. Read the original article. — Previously Published on unisa.edu.au with Creative Commons License *** Join The Good Men Project as a Premium Member today. All Premium Members get to view The Good Men Project with NO ADS. A complete list of benefits is here. — Photo credit: unsplash The post Anti-Tourism Protests Are Not New. They Happened in Ancient Rome, 19th Century England and After World War II appeared first on The Good Men Project. View the full article

💦 My pick: Wet spray mop (17% off) Forget lugging around a bucket. This mop works on wood, tile, laminate … basically, if you walk on it, it’s good to go. 🏠 Front door mat (17% off): Stop dirt at the door. Built tough for rain, snow and messy shoes. 🪰 Indoor fly trap (32% off, two-pack): Ditch the messy flypaper. Plug these in, and they’ll handle little invaders. 💚 Mesh screen cleaner (10% off): Finally, a way to clean dusty window screens without pulling them out. ✨ Microfiber cleaning cloth (47% off): Just add water, and watch your glass and mirrors shine. 🧽 Scrub the rest: More handpicked goodies that make your home spotless are waiting for you on my Amazon storefront. We may earn a commission from purchases, but our recommendations are always objective. The post Squeaky clean steals appeared first on Komando.com. View the full article

Russia has on numerous occasions accused Western intelligence services of targeting the pipelines Former Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief Valery Zaluzhny commissioned the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines in 2022, German newspaper Die Welt reported on Monday, citing an investigator familiar with the matter. DETAILS TO FOLLOW View the full article

Most days, most of us neglect ourselves. What I mean is that we’re doing our best to tend to everything and everyone else. But we aren’t tending to our own needs, and because of that, problems start to arise from this neglect. Some examples of problems that arise: We feel more anxiety and overwhelm Because of that, we have a hard time focusing on difficult tasks, so we go to distraction or busywork We start to feel worse about ourselves, and feel more discouraged We are more easily upset or hurt by other people not attending to our needs (because our needs are being unmet) Because of that, we tend to be grumpier or more easily annoyed at others, blame them, criticize, or distance ourselves from them, worsening our relationships As you can see, it can be a snowball effect of problems, and we usually misattribute the problems to other factors. But it’s simply from neglecting our own needs. So how do we work with this? By doing something caring for yourself every day. Each day ask yourself: “What’s something that would make me feel good, or loved? What unmet need of mine could I meet with something caring?” And then take just a little time to give that to yourself. It will make a world of difference. — This post was previously published on Zen Habits. Uncopyright courtesy Leo Babauta. *** You may also like these posts on The Good Men Project: White Fragility: Talking to White People About Racism Escape the “Act Like a Man” Box The Lack of Gentle Platonic Touch in Men’s Lives is a Killer What We Talk About When We Talk About Men Subscribe to The Good Men Project Newsletter Email Address * Subscribe If you believe in the work we are doing here at The Good Men Project, please join us as a Premium Member today. All Premium Members get to view The Good Men Project with NO ADS. Need more info? A complete list of benefits is here. Photo credit: iStock The post Do Something Caring for Yourself Each Day appeared first on The Good Men Project. View the full article

🚌 Scams on wheels: Maybe you’ve seen those Facebook posts like “Win this luxury motor home!” Yeah, they’re scams. You comment, click a sketchy link, give up your info. And that RV? Stolen photo. No prize. Just scams, inconvenience and crushed dreams. There’s taking a camper to go fishing, and then there’s getting phished by a camper. The post Scams on wheels appeared first on Komando.com. View the full article

That’s the download speed Amazon’s satellite internet just flexed. Basically, it downloaded an entire HD movie in the time it takes you to tie your shoes. But don’t get too excited, that speed came from a fancy business-grade dish, not the one you’d actually get. Still, it’s a flashy preview of what might be coming (eventually). The post 1,289 Mbps appeared first on Komando.com. View the full article

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has mocked the bloc’s top diplomat for stereotyping Russians and Chinese Remarks by EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas stereotyping Russians and Chinese expose her as “critically uneducated,” Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Sunday. Speaking at an event organized by the EU Institute for Security Studies last week, Kallas argued that the two nations complement one another in their opposition to the West, describing Russians as strong in social sciences but weak in tech, and the Chinese as the reverse. “Chinese are very good at technology but they are not that good in social sciences,” Kallas said. “The Russians… are not good at technology at all, but super good in social sciences.” Zakharova mocked the remarks in a Telegram post, asking who built the Crimean Bridge or launched rockets from Russia’s Vostochny Cosmodrome if it’s true that Russians lack technological expertise. “On the same note, China would not be able to govern a billion citizens without being strong in social sciences,” Zakharova wrote. “Kallas is critically uneducated.” The top EU diplomat made the comments while lamenting Western disunity, in contrast to what she described as Russia and China’s unified front. She also claimed that when the two nations highlight their roles in defeating the Axis powers during World War II, it “raises a lot of question marks” for a person who knows history. Moscow has frequently accused officials in the EU of scapegoating Russia for the bloc’s internal problems, arguing that this rhetoric is used to divert public attention from their own failures. View the full article

Donald Trump will never be an ally, Josep Borrell has said, describing the president as a “geopolitical and economic shock” to Europeans The European Union is facing a world dominated by “continental empires” and risks slipping into a vassal role under the US, the bloc’s former top diplomat, Josep Borrell, has said. In a Politico column published on Monday, Borrell argued that the EU appears “dangerously fragmented and weak.” This, he said, became clear after the bloc made nonreciprocal concessions to US President Donald Trump on defense spending and trade, and accepted a junior role in managing the Ukraine conflict. Trump has pressured European NATO members to boost military spending, and has also agreed a trade deal with Brussels that imposes a 15% tariff on most EU exports, scraps duties on US industrial goods, and opens wide market access to American products. The deal has sparked a backlash from current and former EU officials, who say it heavily favors Washington. “Home to just 5% of the global population and a widening economic gap with other major powers, Europe isn’t just facing up to a world of continental empires but is at real risk of becoming America’s vassal,” Borrell wrote. He argued that any deals pushed by Trump serve only his own interests, saying the US president views contracts as binding “only on the other party – not him.” Borrell added that even pledges by Europeans to spend 5% of GDP on defense and boost purchases of US arms and gas had not strengthened Trump’s commitment to collective security. Instead, Borrell wrote, everything from minerals agreements to weapons sales had turned into “a purely transactional affair” aimed at advancing US economic gains. “It should be clear by now that Trump isn’t, and never will be, an ally. His America constitutes a huge geopolitical, economic and cultural shock to Europe,” the former EU foreign policy chief concluded. Last month, former Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi said Trump had delivered a “brutal wake-up call” to the EU, exposing its weakness in “passivity and rigidity.” He urged reforms including scrapping internal trade barriers and issuing common debt to fund defense, infrastructure, and innovation, warning that a return to national sovereignty would only leave the EU more vulnerable to great powers. View the full article

The gathering will be successful regardless of whom Washington assigns to attend, Pretoria’s International Relations Minister has said South Africa has welcomed the decision by US President Donald Trump to send Vice President J.D. Vance in his place to the G20 world leaders’ summit in Johannesburg in November. Trump confirmed on Friday that he will skip the summit. He had earlier said he would not attend because of South Africa’s “very bad policies” and the “problems” he has with Pretoria. “I won’t be going this year, it’s in South Africa. I won’t be going, J.D. will be going, great vice president, and he looks forward to it,” Trump told reporters on Friday. Speaking to state broadcaster SABC on Saturday, South African International Relations Minister Ronald Lamola said the gathering will be successful regardless of whom Washington sends to attend. “We welcome the fact that he [Trump] has assigned or appointed his deputy president, J.D. Vance, to be the one who attends the G20 in South Africa,” Lamola said in the televised interview. “The US can assign anyone that President Trump deems necessary. We look forward to interacting with him on the platforms of the G20,” he added. Trump’s absence will mark the first time a US leader has skipped a G20 summit since the forum began meeting at the head-of-state level in 2008. South Africa assumed the rotating presidency of the G20 in December, becoming the first African nation to lead the forum. It will host the group’s upcoming summit under the theme “Solidarity, Equality, Sustainability.” The Trump administration, however, has accused Pretoria of pushing an “anti-American” agenda, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio announcing he will boycott the event. Relations between Pretoria and Washington have deteriorated since Trump returned to office in January. He has repeatedly accused South Africa’s leaders of pursuing policies that enable land seizures from white farmers and amount to genocide. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has dismissed the allegations as baseless and met with Trump in an effort to dispel the “completely false narrative.” View the full article

By Pressenza Philippines by George Banez “Keep your passport with you — in your pocket — all the time.” My eldest brother reminded me to be alert as I finally said goodbye after checking in. He must have seen me drop my passport near the counter, and someone had to help me retrieve it from under the luggage. I was nervous. Not only was I traveling alone, but I was also going away for about a year and a half. The kid in me brimmed with excitement, while the adult inside felt anxious. My mother remained quiet. She had said her reminders earlier. “Don’t look back.” I heard her say in silence. She told me to “keep looking forward” until I reach my goal, and to stay focused on what I set out to accomplish. She had in mind the training I would gain. Her scrawny son imagined fun. Reality jolted me from reverie when I arrived. For one, I could not read the Japanese script written on everything, like the washing machine. And even if I did, I had never washed my own clothes to know how. But nothing compared to my heroic effort to buy lunch on my first day in Tsukuba City, 45 miles (72 km) North of Tokyo where we landed. One of the non-English speaking ladies I pestered finally gave me a serving of “Chicken Umani” from the kitchen. The poor lady simply wanted me to go away. She was about to close the student cafeteria. To this day, I do not know how I got her to tell me its name, but I fondly remember “Chicken Umani” as my first hot meal in Japan. While I could use hand gestures to order food from a menu in Japanese, I rolled the dice every time I went grocery shopping. Unable to read labels, I could only hope I bought salt, not sugar, or whichever of the two I needed at that time. I had to taste a tiny bit of every white powder before using. So even if being a “foodie” were a thing back then, in the internet-free late ‘80s, I still would have been the least qualified. My father had his first and last heart attack at 55. Food to me stood for restrictions. I was in fifth grade when he passed and my uncle, who was a doctor, warned us about the perils of consuming eggs, dairy, and meats with abandon. Still, I needed to eat. But I had never cooked before. Lucky for me, a kind friend, someone who cooked Filipino staples like “Adobo” stew and “Sinigang” sour soup came to the rescue. He cooked from memory and did not follow any written recipes or rules of proportions. So, when time came for me to start cooking on my own, I recreated my friend’s memory of his mother’s Adobo and Sinigang. Unfortunately, recollections can be unreliable. Of course, I made rookie mistakes. When I cooked the Filipino Adobo stew, I would forget to add water or poured too much soy sauce and under cooked vinegar. I always ended with extremely dark, salty, or sour Adobo. Sinigang On Demand In contrast, I always got Sinigang right, or so I thought. Maybe because by the time I began fixing myself the sour soup, Sinigang, the seasoning mix was handy. I remember using one from Knorr, the German brand now owned by the British Dutch multinational company, Unilever. I later discovered “Mama Sita” Sinigang Mix developed in 1980 by Teresita Reyes, daughter of Aling Asiang, the founder of the Aristocrat Restaurant Company in the Philippines. Now, I also use the Nora Kitchen brand, a product of the U.S.A. I mastered cooking Sinigang because it is easy to customize. I can decide which ingredients to use based on availability. Taste and levels of umami can be adjusted. Even the name, “Sinigang,” is the noun for the action word, “stewing,” a category that lends itself to variations. Home cooks of the northern half of the Philippines serve this clear but hearty soup for lunch and dinner, but not as a starter. It is consumed with rice alongside other mains. Although preparing Sinigang appears like a culinary free-for-all, it is not. Mention Sinigang to Filipinos, especially from around the capital, and they have a distinct taste and image in mind. Most of them care about details– from the cut of the pork to the combination of vegetables that go into the specific Sinigang they crave. “Stewed” may be the closest translation, but “Sinigang” in the Philippines only refers to “stewed with a souring agent.” To folks in the Tagalog Region, around Manila, the more sour the Sinigang, the better. So, they employ unripened Tamarind to infuse Sinigang with tang. They boil the tart fruit, with the peel still on, until the pulp is tender. They then pass the mash through a sieve. The extracted juice flavors the broth of any simmering proteins like pork belly or ribs, milkfish, salmon, shrimps, or chicken. Home cooks also add the less acidic Filipino tomatoes and purple red onions that resemble shallots but are sharper in flavor. They season the soup with fish sauce. Cooks layer umami with “Gabi,” or Taro corms, and the slightly bitter “Labanos” radish. They pile lots of hearty vegetables like eggplant, yard- long beans, and okra, but wait until serving time to put in leafy greens, like shoots of sweet potato vine or “Kangkong,” water spinach. One unsliced “Siling Haba,” finger chili, adds aroma but no heat to the soup. “Siling Haba” (Capsicum annuum var. longum) with around 30,000 SHU in the Scoville Scale is mild. A diner in the mood for spiciness can crush or eat it whole. Diners can further customize each spoonful of Sinigang and rice with a dipping sauce of Calamansi juice, “Siling labuyo” Bird’s Eye Chilies (Capsicum frutescens), and more fish sauce. Today’s foodies may find Sinigang akin to other Southeast Asian soups. Like Sinigang, both Thai Tom Yum and Indonesian Sayur Asem have sour ingredients — lime and “Belimbing” (Averroah bilimbi), respectively. While Tom Yum is fragrant and hot from lemongrass, galangal, lime leaves, and chilies, Sayur Asem is slightly sweeter from peanuts, young jackfruit, and corn. All three soups have the cooling effect perfect for tropical weather. Sinigang’s tartness makes it unique. Sinigang, As You Like It Sinigang is also adaptable. Now that I have stopped eating meat of land animals, I use nutritional yeast flakes and Japanese Dashi powder for umami. I bring tofu and fish balls to the Sinigang party and incorporate “Gabi” and radish whenever I can. I grab spinach or kale for my greens. Tamarind powder is in the Sinigang mix I use. When cooking, I simply put all the ingredients in a pot and bring everything to a boil. I adjust sourness by the amount of the mix I put, depending on my mood. But expert cooks suggest that I sauté the aromatics and proteins before pouring in water. And add the mix towards the end for more savor. When my neighbor recently brought me a bucketful of fish, she schooled me on the coastal Filipinos’ version of Sinigang. Originally from a beach town in the Bicol Region, she goes fishing in Florida whenever she can. She knows fish. So, she taught me how best to keep their natural sweetness by skipping the mix. She simply squeezes lime juice after simmering fish in aromatics. She sprinkles Cayenne shortly before serving. Filipino cooks I recently consulted distinguish Pork Sinigang from one made with freshly caught fish. Everyone relies on the tamarind seasoning mix for meats or imported fish, like Salmon. But for local fish that has never been frozen, the only flavoring used is Calamansi, the Kumquat citrus and mandarin orange hybrid. In the Bicol region, cooks call this fish sinigang, “Coccido.” This is what I remember from childhood. Incidentally, the tomato sour soup my vegetarian friend from Kerala, India, cooked for us resembled “Coccido.” Sinigang’s adaptability continues. Cooks prioritize souring agents by preference, then availability. “Belimbing,” or “Kamias” (Averrhoa bilimbi) in the Philippines, is second to tamarind. They use fruits like Guava, Santol (Sandoricum koetjape), and green mangoes when in season. Some prefer the piquant Katmon (Dillenia philippinensis) or sweetish Batuan (Garcinia binucao) fruits picked from trees in the neighborhood or public lands. Others favor the zesty shoots of “Alibangbang” (Bauhinia malabarica) or “Lubas” (Spondias pinnata), and the leaves of Tamarind, particularly for chicken sinigang. The late Filipino food writer, Doreen Fernandez, in 1988 wrote the essay, “Why Sinigang?” arguing that it represented Filipino taste like no other. Highly adaptable yet always bright in flavor, Sinigang makes eating meals appetizing even on very hot days. Since I started cooking “Sinigang,” I too have found new ways to enjoy it, without obliterating its soul. — Previously Published on pressenza with Creative Commons License *** — Photo credit: iStock The post Sinigang Through Time: The Filipino Sour Soup With Many Faces, One Soul appeared first on The Good Men Project. View the full article

India’s oil purchases are driven by its own economic priorities, not external pressure, Nirmala Sitharaman has said India will “undoubtedly be buying Russian oil,” Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman told news outlet Network18 on Friday. In the interview, she reiterated the government’s stated policy that the South Asian nation’s oil purchases are driven by its own economic priorities and not external pressure. ”Whether it’s Russian oil or anything else, it is our decision to buy from the place that suits our needs, whether in terms of rates or logistics,” Sitharaman said. “Where we buy our oil from, especially a big-ticket foreign exchange item where we pay so much, highest in terms of import, we will have to take a call on what suits us best. We will undoubtedly be buying,” Since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in February 2022, Russia has become India’s leading oil supplier, providing nearly 40% of its crude imports. India Picks Global South Oil Over US Crude One of India’s biggest refiners, the Indian Oil Corporation, has skipped buying oil from the US in its latest purchase, and instead has bought 2mn barrels from West Africa (Nigerian Agbami and Usan grades) and one million barrels from… pic.twitter.com/kv9cYkqKmr — RT_India (@RT_India_news) September 5, 2025 Indian private refiners buy oil from Russia at discounted rates, refine it, and then resell it, making the South Asian nation a major exporter of refined fuels to Europe. The US has imposed duties on most Indian products, which include a 25% tariff announced in early August followed by an additional 25% at the end of last month, as a “penalty” for India’s purchases of Russian oil and defense equipment – actions that President Donald Trump claims have indirectly fueled the Ukraine conflict. On Friday, a few hours after Sitharaman’s comments, US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick predicted that India will ultimately yield to US pressure regarding tariffs, adding that New Delhi cannot afford to defy Washington for long. Highlighting America’s economic power, Lutnick stated that with its $30 trillion economy it is the consumer of the world. “Eventually, the customer is always right,” he said. Lutnick said New Delhi would have to decide whether to align with Washington or strengthen its relationships with Russia and China through BRICS. On Saturday, Trump wrote on Truth Social that the US seems to have “lost” India and Russia to “deepest, darkest China.” View the full article

“Don’t apply to brand names. Look for hidden gems.” That’s great advice — in theory. But how do you actually go about finding these “hidden gems”? Most job applicants go through the same short list of companies they already know. Perhaps they are well-known technology companies, or well-known players in your industry, or companies you’ve heard about through recruiters or friends. But that’s when things go wrong: Familiarity does not equal opportunity. In fact, it’s often the lesser-known companies — fast-growing startups, niche firms, high-impact non-profits, or quietly innovative enterprises — that offer the best roles, the most responsibility, and the fastest career growth. But again: how do you find them? Here’s the step-by-step process I teach my U.S. clients, particularly those looking for mid-to-senior product, engineering, design, or program management positions. I call it: The Company Discovery Method This is not a trick. This is not based on AI-generated lists or scraping job boards. This is a formal process for reverse-engineering your job search, where you first determine actual people doing this job and then go back to discover where they work. Here’s how it works: Step-by-Step: Using the Company Discovery Method Step 1: Launch LinkedIn and locate the search bar Do not type anything. Just click on the search bar and hit the enter or return key. This should open up the broad search interface on LinkedIn, where you can find filters. Step 2: Target People with Filters Select the “People” tab. For the next step, you will use filters for: Location (e.g., “Greater Seattle Area,” “San Francisco Bay Area,” “Remote (United States)”) Industry (this filter is optional, but can be useful if you’d like to stay within a category) Current Title Keywords (e.g., “Product Manager,” “Software Engineer,” “UX Designer,” “Technical Program Manager”) These filters narrow your search to people with your future role and located somewhere that you prefer to live. Step 3: Use Advanced Filters for Accuracy Select “All Filters.” This allows you to narrow even more: You can enter multiple variations of your desired title You can filter by years of experience or current companies (in case you don’t want the usual choices to pop up) The goal is to get an actual list of real people doing the work you want to do in the industry you want & working in the locations you want. Step 4: Scroll Profiles with No Bias This is where the fun begins. Click into people who are interesting to you — not just because of their job title (current), but more because of the industries they are in or the breadth of their job, or the work projects they’ve mentioned. Important: Don’t just look at well-known names. Some of the most interesting companies are obscure, small to mid-sized, or otherwise operate under the radar. Step 5: Start a Discovery List While scrolling, you will want to write down company names — current and former employers where someone was hired in your desired role. You will quickly get a list of 50–100+ companies in your local area (or remote) that consistently hire individuals for roles like yours. You can do this on a spreadsheet or somewhere like Notion or Airtable. No need to dig in deeply yet — the priority here is quantity and visibility. You’re not qualifying them! You’re just collecting them. Step 6: Deep Dive Into the Companies Now that you have your list of companies, take some time to investigate them. Do they have any job opportunities within your space? What do their career pages say regarding culture, benefits, values, etc.? Are they growing? Funded? Stable? Are there alumni from companies you respect who are employed there? Is the work they do interesting or exciting to you? Use Crunchbase, Glassdoor, the company website, their LinkedIn company page, etc., to find out more. Many of those companies will be brands you had no awareness of before — and yet they could be a perfect fit for your experience and career goals. Why This Approach Will Be Successful in 2025 (And After) In today’s job market, automated screening systems and AI tools have opened the gates for thousands of applicants to flood top job ads, thanks to one-click applications and résumé-writing robots. While automation has created a somewhat similar platform for submission, hiring managers are inundated by applications in high-visibility roles. If you want to be noticed, you need to go where others do not — i.e., you need to audition for work instead of being passive consumers of cold, job board postings. The benefits of this strategy are threefold: You uncover companies and roles that most of the collective mass is unaware of. Many of these companies do not have a name-brand presence and grow like wildfire, hiring quietly. You also discover companies that already employ this role This means you don’t have to persuade them to create a role — they have indicated that they prioritize the role. You also create a network by going through people first. Starting at profiles gives you the opportunity for warm outreach, referrals, or even future informational interviews. Real Example: From Unknown to Employed A Technical Program Manager I worked with in the Bay Area felt boxed in that she could only apply to high-profile tech companies. From this very same approach, she found a cybersecurity company she had never heard of — and one that hired five TPMs in the last year! She applied, contacted one of those TPMs with a nice note, and got a referral and a job within weeks. All because of a simple profile search. In Conclusion, Not All Great Companies Have Great PR Some of the best places to work do not show up on “Top 100” lists. They don’t host trade conferences or are covered in business magazines. But they are creating products that are unique and interesting, they are rapidly growing, they are paying employees well, and they respect their employees. You just don’t know about them yet. This method identifies them for you. Want to Take It Further? You could create a company list based on where your connections work. This adds level; now you have inside connections or someone who can become a champion on your behalf. Along with your Discovery List, you will be setting yourself up for a job seek with strategy, purpose, and a massive advantage over other candidates who are still concentrating on job boards. Question for You Have you ever created a list of companies your network works for? What were some of the surprising companies you identified when you applied this method? Please comment below — your experience might help someone else land their next job. — This post was previously published on medium.com. Love relationships? We promise to have a good one with your inbox. Subcribe to get 3x weekly dating and relationship advice. Did you know? We have 8 publications on Medium. Join us there! Hello, Love (relationships) Change Becomes You (Advice) A Parent is Born (Parenting) Equality Includes You (Social Justice) Greener Together (Environment) Shelter Me (Wellness) Modern Identities (Gender, etc.) Co-Existence (World) *** – Photo credit: Alex Ovs on Unsplash The post The Company Discovery Method: Finding Amazing Companies that Actually Hire for Your Type of Job appeared first on The Good Men Project. View the full article

The US is peddling lies to the world about the benefits of its system, a damning report has claimed The US spreads propaganda such as the myth of the “American dream” as part of a “global ideological warfare” campaign, a Chinese think tank has claimed in a report released on Sunday. The criticism comes amid heightened tensions between the US and China, with both nations frequently exchanging accusations over political systems, global influence, and ideological agendas. The Xinhua Institute said Washington is promoting a flawed system abroad that fails to deliver results at home. The document focused on what it described as “colonization of the mind” by American soft power. The “American dream” – the belief that hard work and talent can guarantee a good life, regardless of social class or origin – is one of the illusions the US sells, the report said. “In this money-centric society, success stories of personal ascent and material abundance are but infinitely exaggerated versions of ‘survivorship bias,’ meaning attention is given only to the few successes while the many failures are ignored. The ‘American dream’ is a sugar-coated cognitive manipulation tool, a glossy packaging for exporting American values,” it stated. The think tank argued that ideals of freedom and equality have been “eroded by capitalist privilege” in the US, while the American political system functions as “a democracy of money, capital, and the privileged few.” It also said free speech has been undermined by “partisan rivalry and corporate interests.” The report framed US soft power strategy as a way to reinforce global dominance. It claimed Washington mixes concepts broadly recognized as desirable such as democracy, equality, and human rights with “individualism, egoism, materialism, and hedonism” and presents the result as “universal values.” The report urged nations to recognize the risks of adopting the American worldview and instead pursue “independence of the mind” to ensure stability and development in an emerging multipolar order. View the full article

Moscow has repeatedly stressed it has no intention of seizing the neighboring country Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky has claimed Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to occupy the whole of the country, and that Kiev can claim “victory” in the conflict as long as this does not happen. Russia has long stressed that it has no intention of occupying Ukraine in full. Putin reiterated this when the conflict escalated in February 2022, and again later that year when Russian troops reached Kiev but then withdrew. Since then, Moscow has consistently said any peace settlement requires Ukrainian neutrality, demilitarization, and recognition of Crimea, Donetsk, Lugansk, Kherson, and Zaporozhye as Russian territory. Zelensky, however, insisted in an interview with ABC News’ Martha Raddatz which aired on Saturday that Moscow’s ambitions go further. “Putin’s goal is to occupy Ukraine, it is to destroy us... For him that’s victory,” he claimed. “And until he can do it, the victory is on our side… For us to survive is a victory.” He also accused Putin of “playing games” by holding a summit with US President Donald Trump in Alaska while allegedly refusing to meet with him, and claimed the Russian leader is not truly interested in peace. Putin and Trump met in Anchorage on August 15. Although the summit produced no breakthroughs, both sides described it as a positive step. Trump’s remarks afterward fueled speculation of a potential Putin-Zelensky meeting. Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov later said no agreement had been reached, although Putin has not ruled out a meeting, despite questioning Zelensky’s legitimacy after his presidential term expired. Putin has stressed, however, that talks can only occur after tangible progress in negotiations. Last week, Putin struck a cautiously optimistic note about the prospects for peace, saying “there is light at the end of the tunnel” given the US shift to peace mediation. Kirill Dmitriev, Putin’s aide on international economic affairs, echoed the sentiment on Sunday, saying that “peace is close precisely because of Trump-Putin dialogue.” On Sunday, Trump told reporters he planned further talks with Putin “over the next couple of days,” vowing “to get it done – the Russia-Ukraine situation” soon. View the full article

… Every time I tried to move forward, something inside me pulled me back — memories, regrets, what-ifs. I’d lie awake at night wondering if I could’ve said it better, stayed a little longer, or chosen differently. I wasn’t just haunted by the past. I was stuck in it. And maybe you’ve felt that too. That quiet ache of wishing you had done something differently. The invisible weight you carry when you’re trying to show up in the present, but your heart is still tangled in yesterday. But here’s what nobody tells you about healing: You don’t always have to go back to fix it. Sometimes, you just need to stop turning around. … I Thought Healing Meant Fixing the Past For years, I thought closure came from digging into the past. I journaled, overanalyzed conversations, and even reached out to people I hadn’t spoken to in years — hoping they’d finally explain what went wrong. I called this “healing.” But the truth? Trying to understand the past doesn’t always help you move forward. Sometimes, it keeps you stuck. Real-life example: I had a friend who spent three years trying to get closure from a guy who ghosted her after two years of dating. She read every message, screenshot every moment, replayed every call. But nothing gave her peace — until she stopped asking why and started asking what now? That moment changed everything for her. And for me too. … 3 Things That Helped Me Stop Looking Back Here’s what actually helped me reclaim my peace: 1. I Accepted That I Might Never Get Closure Some people won’t apologize. Some stories won’t make sense. Some endings will always feel incomplete. And you have to live anyway. Tiny tip: Write the apology you wish you had received — from them to you. Then write one from you to yourself. This will help your brain stop looping the unresolved hurt. 2. I Started Creating “Forward Rituals” We’re used to rituals of grieving — funerals, breakups, final conversations. But we rarely create rituals for moving on. So I made one. I deleted old photos. I lit a candle. I wrote a letter to my past self and burned it. I physically marked the moment I was done looking back. Try this: Next full moon, write down what you’re ready to release — and let it go. Make it real. Make it yours. 3. I Let Myself Grieve Without Judging It You don’t have to rush healing. You don’t have to “get over it” quickly. You’re allowed to feel sad even for the things that ended years ago. But you don’t have to stay there. Gentle reminder: Moving on doesn’t mean you didn’t care. It means you’re learning to care about yourself more now. … Trust Isn’t Loud — It’s Gentle People talk about confidence like it’s this big, bold, fiery thing. But trust? Real trust in yourself? It’s quiet. It’s choosing not to stalk your ex’s Instagram at midnight. It’s choosing silence over chasing validation. It’s walking away — not because you’re over it, but because you respect your own peace. One lesson I had to learn: You don’t need to make a dramatic exit to leave the past. Sometimes, healing is just… not replying. Not explaining. Not engaging. And that’s more powerful than any closure conversation. … I Don’t Need Closure from Anyone but Me It took me a long time to stop romanticizing closure. I used to believe I needed them to understand how much I hurt. That if they finally realized what they did, I’d be able to let go. But here’s what I learned: Closure isn’t something you get. It’s something you decide. Mini story: A girl I knew held onto a heartbreak from high school until her mid-20s. One day, she realized she didn’t miss him — she missed who she was when she loved him. That was her turning point. She didn’t need him back. She needed herself back. And when she chose herself, she stopped looking for explanations. 5 Signs You’re Finally Trusting Yourself Again Want to know if you’re actually healing? Look for these signs: You don’t feel the need to check their page. You don’t overexplain yourself anymore. You say “no” without guilt. You don’t react — you respond. You feel peace, even when you’re alone. … Final Thoughts: You Deserve to Be Free If you’re still holding onto something that ended, I want to say this: You’re not weak for looking back. You’re human. But you deserve to be free. Every time you stop yourself from reopening an old wound, you’re writing a new story. One where you’re not the victim of what happened — but the author of what comes next. You can still love who you were and let her go. You can honor your past and not be defined by it. You can trust yourself to choose better — even if you didn’t before. Thanks for reading my story . Please Clap and Drop a Comment, and if you like my writing stories, please Follow Me — it means a lot for me to be happy — This post was previously published on medium.com. Love relationships? We promise to have a good one with your inbox. Subcribe to get 3x weekly dating and relationship advice. Did you know? We have 8 publications on Medium. Join us there! Hello, Love (relationships) Change Becomes You (Advice) A Parent is Born (Parenting) Equality Includes You (Social Justice) Greener Together (Environment) Shelter Me (Wellness) Modern Identities (Gender, etc.) Co-Existence (World) *** – Photo credit: Deneve J13 on Unsplash The post Trusting Myself to Not Look Back appeared first on The Good Men Project. View the full article

The US president has also announced plans for talks with several European leaders US President Donald Trump has said he is preparing a new round of talks with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, to take place this week, which will likely center on efforts to resolve the Ukraine conflict. Speaking to reporters on Sunday, Trump expressed confidence in ending the hostilities, stating that “we’re going to get it done.” As part of this push, he said he would speak to Putin “very soon, over the next couple of days,” without providing specifics on the agenda. Moscow has yet to comment on the matter, but has praised the Trump administration for its peacemaking efforts while remaining open to diplomacy. At the same time, Trump complained that he is “not happy about the whole situation” regarding the conflict. “I am not thrilled with what’s happening there … I think it’s going to get settled,” he said, adding that several European leaders are scheduled to visit the US “on Monday or Tuesday” for discussions on the conflict. Diplomatic contact between Washington and Moscow has intensified since Trump’s inauguration in January, with numerous rounds of talks held and US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff undertaking multiple trips to Russia. In mid-August, Trump and Putin held a historic summit in Alaska. While no ceasefire or breakthrough agreement was reached, both called the talks extremely productive, and Trump later said Ukraine cannot hope to join NATO or reclaim Crimea, which voted to join Russia in a referendum in 2014 following the Western-backed coup in Kiev. Following the summit, Trump also moved away from demands for an immediate ceasefire, expressing support for broader peace deal. Russia maintains that a lasting settlement can be reached if Ukraine abandons its NATO ambitions, commits to demilitarization and denazification, and recognizes the new territorial reality on the ground. During the Alaska summit, Putin invited Trump to Moscow. However, he told reporters last week that while the invitation “is still on the table,” no preparations are currently underway for a new summit. View the full article

Because pretending something is beautiful feels easier than admitting it hurts. sometimes, when i feel lonely, i don’t call it that. i just light a candle and sit there like it means something. i pour tea like I’m in a scene from a film no one’s watching. and i scroll through songs that make me feel understood — even if no one else does. I’ve started noticing how often i turn silence into something soft. how i dress it up in tiny rituals and act like it’s enough. i romanticize walks. especially the kind where i don’t really need to be anywhere. i take the long way home even when it’s hot or my shoes hurt. and i’ll tell myself i like the quiet but really, i just don’t want to open the door to an empty room. … i romanticize strangers. like the boy at the bakery who looked up at the same time i did. or the woman who complimented my earrings in line for coffee. they stay in my head longer than they should. and sometimes, it’s not even about them. it’s about how rare it feels to be noticed. … i romanticize unread books. the ones sitting on my shelf with folded pages and dust. they make me feel less alone like something’s still waiting for me. like maybe i haven’t been forgotten. … i romanticize pain. sometimes i call it depth or growth or a turning point. but a lot of the time, it’s just… pain. and i don’t know what to do with it. so i write. or light another candle. or imagine someone is thinking of me when they’re not. … some days, this pretending works. i feel like maybe it’s okay to be this soft. to need this much. to turn loneliness into a story i can live with. other days, i wish i didn’t have to try so hard to make it look beautiful. but i do it anyway. … if you do this too — if you give your loneliness pretty names and soft habits i hope you know it doesn’t make you dramatic. it makes you human. and maybe a little tender. and maybe that’s not such a bad thing. — This post was previously published on medium.com. Love relationships? We promise to have a good one with your inbox. Subcribe to get 3x weekly dating and relationship advice. Did you know? We have 8 publications on Medium. Join us there! Hello, Love (relationships) Change Becomes You (Advice) A Parent is Born (Parenting) Equality Includes You (Social Justice) Greener Together (Environment) Shelter Me (Wellness) Modern Identities (Gender, etc.) Co-Existence (World) *** – Photo credit: Krzysztof Hepner On Unsplash The post Things I Romanticize to Avoid Feeling Lonely appeared first on The Good Men Project. View the full article

As we head into spring with warmer days and more sunshine, you’re more likely to encounter snakes. Learn more about the species of snakes commonly found in South Australia. Snakes emerge in spring looking to bask in the sun after lying dormant in the colder months. Over 45 species of snakes are found in South Australia in various urban and natural habitats. Some are venomous, others are non-venomous. Let’s take a closer look at 6 snakes you might encounter in your travels in SA. 1. Eastern brown snake (Pseudonaja textilis), also known as common brown snake Venomous Location: Arguably the most well-known snake in Australia, the eastern brown snake is highly venomous and commonly found throughout eastern Australia, except Tasmania. In South Australia, eastern brown snakes can be found across much of the state, including the Greater Adelaide region, Riverland and Murraylands, Limestone Coast, Yorke Peninsula and Eyre Peninsula. Habitat: Eastern brown snakes live in various habitats, though they seem to prefer open landscapes such as open woodland, scrubland and grassland. Appearance: Eastern brown snakes are a medium-sized snake that averages about 1.5m in length with a slender to moderate build, and a small, round head. Their body colour can be any shade of brown, usually uniform on its upper surface with its underbelly ranging from cream, yellow or grey with orange blotches. Juveniles vary even more in colour, with the top of their head usually black, with a red or orange stripe and another dark band following. Some juveniles have stripes that may fade as they mature. Despite the Eastern brown snake’s reputation of being the second most venomous terrestrial snake in the world, they act as a natural rodent control, having developed a preference for rats and house mice. 2. Red-bellied black snake (Pseudechis porphyriacus) Venomous Location: The red-bellied black snake is commonly seen in the eastern states of Australia. Within South Australia, this species is often observed in the Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges region as well as the Fleurieu Peninsula, except for Kangaroo Island. Habitat: Red-bellied black snakes are associated with moist environments, favouring those with water in both natural and urban habitats. They are found in natural streams, swamps, lagoons within forests, woodlands and grasslands, or within built environments such as drainage channels and farm dams. Appearance: Living up to their name, red-bellied black snakes are uniformly black on their upper surface, pale brown at the snout, with an underbelly of distinct crimson red, fading towards the middle. They have a glossy and smooth appearance. Red-bellied black snakes are venomous and have the potential to cause deaths to humans. However, to date no deaths had been recorded in adults from red-bellied black snakes in Australia. Red-bellied black snakes can swim, and can feed on many aquatic species including frogs, fish, lizards or other snakes. 3. Pygmy copperhead (Austrelaps labialis) Venomous Location: Pygmy copperheads are only found in South Australia, in the Mount Lofty Ranges within high altitude forests, and on Kangaroo Island in coastal dunes, grasslands, woodlands, and agricultural areas. Habitat: Just like other copperhead species, they prefer moist environments, living in areas near water. Appearance: The smallest of the copperhead species found in Australia, pygmy copperheads grow to an average of 80cm in length. Similar to other copperhead species, they have varying coppery-brown heads with blackish to grey, brown scales that are semi-glossy with a lighter-coloured underbelly. All copperhead species are ovoviviparous, meaning they give birth to live young rather than eggs. Copperhead snakes produce eggs that are retained within them while the embryos develop into live snakes, which are then birthed. 4. Common death adder (Acanthophis antarcticus) Venomous Location: The common death adder lives mostly in coastal southern and eastern Australia in South Australia, Queensland and New South Wales. Habitat: They live in forests, woodlands, grasslands and heath, often taking shelter amongst leaf litter and under logs or rocks. They prefer areas where they can hide or lightly burrow under groundcover to ambush any prey that gets too close. Appearance: Common death adders have a distinctive triangular head and variable colours, ranging from greyish-brown to reddish-brown with lighter bands. They are stumpy, ranging between 40-100 cm in length with a robust build that tapers towards the tail. The tip of the tail looks like a grub and is cream or black, to act as a lure. The coloured-bands help them to camouflage in leaf litter, where they coil up with their tail close to their snout. Unlike most other venomous snakes in Australia, the common death adder sits in one place and waits for their prey, rather than actively seeking out prey. They can twitch their tails imitating worms or grubs to attract unsuspecting prey to get closer to investigate, and then strike swiftly as the prey gets close enough. 5. Tiger snake (Notechis scutatus) Venomous Location: Tiger snakes are found in the southwestern and southeastern area of Australia, including Tasmania. Within South Australia, they are found in Kangaroo Island, Fleurieu Peninsula, Limestone Coast, Riverland and Murraylands, Eyre Peninsula and Yorke Peninsula, as well as the Flinders Ranges. Habitat: Tiger snakes occupy a range of different habitats but are most often seen near waterbodies. Appearance: Named after their tiger-like stripes, tiger snakes are often described to have dark brown and yellow-brown bands. However, contrary to their names, not all tiger snakes have bands, and some do not have any bands at all. In general, their underbelly is lighter in colour with no bands compared to the rest of their bodies. Tiger snakes are relatively short compared to other snakes, usually between 1-1.5 m in length. Their head is slightly wider than their necks. The most common cause of snake bite fatalities used to be attributed to tiger snakes in Australia, as their distribution overlaps with high human population density areas. However, the eastern brown snake is now the most common cause of snake bite fatalities in Australia. 6. Mulga (Pseudechis australis) Venomous Location: Mulgas are found in all states and territories, except for Victoria and Tasmania. Habitat: They are found across South Australia in woodlands, grasslands, scrublands as well as the gibber and sandy deserts. Despite sharing their name with the acacia species mulga (Acacia aneura), they are not limited to only mulga habitats. Appearance: The mulga snake is the largest terrestrial venomous snake at an average of 2.5m in length, with the largest individual recorded at 3.3m. Their colour can vary across the region from light brown in inland desert areas to darker brown colour in cooler regions of South Australia. They are two-toned, with brown scales on its upper side and cream or salmon-coloured underbelly. Mulgas have a broad head and smooth snout. Commonly referred to as the king brown snake, mulgas are in fact, not in the same genus as the brown snakes (Pseudonaja sp.), but rather in the black snake genus of Pseudechis along with the red-bellied black snake. Adult mulgas have few enemies in the ecosystem given their size, while juveniles may be preyed upon by large birds of prey. Mulgas feed on a various prey, including frogs, birds, reptiles and occasionally invertebrates and carrion. Top tips about snakes Whether a snake is venomous or not, they should be left alone if encountered. Most snake bites occur only when someone attempts to handle or kill a snake. Most snakes are shy and tend to move away from humans if not threatened. They are usually reclusive and uninterested in humans. They tend to avoid confrontation and would rather slither away quietly than drawing attention to themselves. However, they can be aggressive if provoked or feel threatened. Interestingly, most snake species have varying colours and patterns across the same species. This means appearance alone should not be used in isolation for identification purposes. To identify a snake accurately, you need to consider multiple traits and context such as habitat, behaviour and range, along with appearance. More information on snakes in South Australia: What to do if you see a snake in the wild Living with wildlife – snakes Main image caption: Eastern Brown Snake (Pseudonaja textilis) by Matt Clancy under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license. — Previously Published on environment.sa.gov.au with Creative Commons License *** – The world is changing fast. We help you keep up. We’ll send you 1 post, 3x per week. Join The Good Men Project as a Premium Member today. All Premium Members get to view The Good Men Project with NO ADS. A $50 annual membership gives you an all access pass. You can be a part of every call, group, class and community. A $25 annual membership gives you access to one class, one Social Interest group and our online communities. A $12 annual membership gives you access to our Friday calls with the publisher, our online community. Need more info? A complete list of benefits is here. — Photo credit: unsplash The post Your Spring Guide to the Snakes Commonly Found in South Australia appeared first on The Good Men Project. View the full article

You know that thrill of finding something on eBay for way less than it should cost and the “Yes, I am the deal master” feeling? Here’s where ChatGPT or your favorite AI bot shines. It helps you find the hidden gems that no one else is seeing. Most people search with the obvious keywords. “Vitamix blender.” “Apple Watch.” “Le Creuset pan.” “New iPhone.” But eBay is filled with sellers who spell things wrong, use weird titles or just aren’t great at listings. One person might type “vitamx,” another might just say “blender my stupid ex left.” That’s gold if you know how to dig for it with a little help from ChatGPT. 💡 Start with a prompt like this “Give me 20 alternate ways someone might list a Vitamix blender on eBay, including misspellings, abbreviations or vague descriptions.” You’ll get results like vitamx, vitamixx, high-speed kitchen blender, commercial smoothie maker and vtmx (yes, really). Some sellers are super casual and just write “expensive blender I never used.” Others might list it under a brand nickname or a model number you’d never think to search for. You want those listings. Less competition, better deals. 🛒 Copy-pasteable eBay search trick (vitamix, vitamx, blender pro, smoothie maker, vmix) -parts -broken What the heck does all that do? The words in parentheses tell eBay: Look for any of these terms. The minus signs? That’s where the magic happens. They remove listings with certain words. So: -parts = No spare parts or “just the lid” listings. -broken = Keep the busted junk out of your search. Here are some tips on using advanced operators on eBay’s site. You can also tweak filters to only show auctions ending soon, new listings or “Buy It Now” deals that just popped up. 📦 Selling something? ChatGPT can help write your listing title, the description, and it’ll even tell you which keywords to use so more people see your item. Sure, you save a couple bucks, but more importantly, you beat the system by finding great stuff buried under bad listings. And yeah, it works for everything from sneakers to vacuums to handbags to collectibles. 🤗 I just put my old vacuum on eBay. It was just sitting around collecting dust. (lol) The post ChatGPT, your secret eBay sidekick appeared first on Komando.com. View the full article